When Shen Xihe spoke these words, everyone was shocked.

His Majesty now suspected either her or Xiao Changqing as the mastermind, which would reduce his desire to open the coffin. She needed to add more fuel to the fire.

“When the Third Prince’s Consort came today, she had a fierce look. I dared not be careless. After realizing she first intended to assassinate me and then had thoughts of ending herself in the Eastern Palace, I decided to use this to our advantage,” Shen Xihe said while giving Zhenzhu a meaningful look. “Go and bring the Third Prince’s Consort here.”

“Chief Imperial Physician!” Emperor Youning demanded, “Didn’t you say Li was dead?”

The Chief Imperial Physician fell to his knees with a thud: “Your Majesty, the Third Prince’s Consort had no pulse, her face was purple, showing signs of death by poisoning.”

The Chief Imperial Physician felt despair in his heart. There were many strange arts in this world. Let alone fake death potions, some peculiar individuals could even create false pulse readings. How unfortunate was he to encounter such masters?

“I happened to obtain a vial of fake death potion in the Northwest.” It was gifted by Xie Yunhuai, though Xiao Huayong hadn’t used the fake death potion that day, but rather had acupuncture applied early by Axi.

Zhenzhu not only brought Li Yanyan, whose face was ashen but also a vial of fake death potion, which she handed to Liu Sanzhi. The fake death potion was given to Emperor Youning to examine, letting him see for himself if it matched Xiao Huayong’s symptoms from that day.

“Li, why did you come to the Eastern Palace seeking death?” Emperor Youning contained his anger.

Li Yanyan’s mind was completely blank at this moment. She had awakened earlier, and Zhenzhu had told her everything that happened here without any lies. She knew she had been used, and the person who used her…

Li Yanyan’s gaze fell darkly on Yu Sangning: “Your Majesty, Yu is lying. It wasn’t I who invited her to testify, but rather I first received news that Yu knew the cause of Third Brother’s death, which is why I urgently invited Yu over!”

The moment Li Yanyan appeared, Yu Sangning knew she was finished. Facing Shen Xihe, she knew she had no chance of victory. But someone held too many of her secrets – even if she didn’t obey, she would die miserably. She had no choice but to take this gamble, yet it was all in vain!

Li Yanyan spoke with increasing hatred: “It was Yu, Yu who said she saw that the person who delivered the message about the Eighth Prince’s attempted assassination of Your Majesty to me was sent by the Eastern Palace!”

Countless gazes fell on Yu Sangning, but she suddenly straightened her spine and began laughing strangely: “Hehehehe…”

As she laughed, her snow-white teeth became stained with blood, and soon she was coughing up large amounts of fresh blood.

“Chief Imperial Physician!” Emperor Youning shouted.

Zhenzhu and Axi rushed forward almost simultaneously with the Chief Imperial Physician. All three diagnosed that Yu Sangning had died from poison entering her internal organs, and she had taken the poison over an hour ago – right when she was summoned to the palace.

“Drag her out and expose her corpse for three days!” Emperor Youning ordered coldly while glancing at Yu Sangzi.

This was to ensure Yu Sangning wasn’t faking her death!

Shen Xihe narrowed her eyes slightly.

With Yu Sangning dead, the trail was cut off, but the emperor’s fury had not subsided. Yu Sangzi had deceived the royal family and committed the crime of deceiving the emperor – such things couldn’t have been concealed without inside help from the Yu family!

However, even when the Yu family members were arrested and tortured, no one knew Yu Sangzi had faked her death. Emperor Youning assumed it was the work of the already deceased Yu Xiang!

Though the Yu family wasn’t executed to the ninth degree, their property was confiscated and Yu Xiang’s entire branch was exiled.

Li Yanyan returned to her residence and set fire to the Third Prince’s mansion, the raging flames nearly spreading to other princes’ mansions, causing an uproar throughout the capital.

Whether she had sent a message to Li Liang’s old subordinates before her death was unknown, but Liang City showed no signs of unrest.

However, Emperor Youning, in his great anger, though ordering her to be buried with honors, did not inter her in the Prince’ Mausoleum – this was to announce to the world that he did not recognize her status.

Xiao Changzhen’s dying wish to be buried with her ultimately went unfulfilled. If Li Yanyan hadn’t caused this incident, Shen Xihe would have been willing to let Xiao Changzhen die without regrets.

As for opening the coffin, with Xiao Changqing’s intervention, Emperor Youning let the matter drop.

The enraged Emperor Youning secretly summoned Xiao Changqing to Qinzheng Hall, dismissed everyone, and asked directly: “Was Yu forced by you!”

“Son doesn’t understand Your Majesty’s meaning,” Xiao Changqing replied neither humbly nor arrogantly. “Son has no grudge against the Crown Prince, why would I not let him rest in peace?”

Emperor Youning gave a cold snort: “You indeed have no grudge against the Seventh Prince, your grudge and hatred are all directed at me!”

“Your Majesty’s words deeply frighten me,” Xiao Changqing bowed, appearing truly fearful. “Your Majesty is both sovereign and father, your thunder and rain are all sovereign grace. How dare son harbors resentment against his sovereign father?”

Emperor Youning’s chest heaved with anger: “No need to put on an act before me. You hate me for destroying the Gu family. One with aspirations to rule cannot be entangled by romantic feelings…”

“Son indeed cannot compare to Your Majesty. Your Majesty cares for all under heaven and can give up your beloved. Son has heard that Tibet has customs where younger brothers inherit from elder brothers, and sons inherit from fathers. Your Majesty’s beloved is truly fortunate.”

“Rebellious son—” Emperor Youning shouted in anger, throwing an inkstone.

Xiao Changqing dodged: “Since Your Majesty is not constrained by romantic feelings, why such anger? It’s just a woman, isn’t it? Isn’t this what Your Majesty taught son?”

“Xiao Changqing!” Emperor Youning ground out each word through clenched teeth. “You truly think I won’t kill you!”

“To Your Majesty, son is but a chess piece. How could my life or death enter Your Majesty’s eyes?” Xiao Changqing remained calm. “If the sovereign wants the subject dead, the subject must die.”

Father and son faced each other, one with murderous intent, the other as calm as still water.

“If you don’t fear death, have you thought about your mother and siblings?” Emperor Youning threatened.

Xiao Changqing lowered his eyes: “Your Majesty, do you truly wish to be all alone?”

A taste of blood rose in Emperor Youning’s throat, which he forcefully suppressed: “Get out, get out!”

Xiao Changqing perfunctorily bowed and turned to leave. After his figure disappeared, Emperor Youning began coughing violently. He grabbed a handkerchief and coughed for quite a while. When Liu Sanzhi entered, he saw the handkerchief was stained with blood.

Qinzheng Hall summoned the Imperial Physician, and rumors spread that Xiao Changqing had angered His Majesty to the point of fainting.

He didn’t know that His Majesty’s increasingly uncontrollable emotions were due to the poison he had previously taken, nor did he know that His Majesty grew weaker with each passing day.

Having openly confronted His Majesty today, he knew His Majesty would likely not tolerate him, and there were some things he needed to arrange early.

The day after the Crown Prince’s burial, the officials petitioned to severely punish Xiao Changyan. Xiao Changyan, who had been imprisoned by His Majesty, confessed to the crime of rebellion after repeated interrogation by the Three Judicial Offices, and sometimes even spoke mad, treasonous words.

His Majesty had no choice but to order his beheading at the Wu Gate as a warning to others!

The reason Xiao Changyan confessed was that he had fallen victim to the soul-controlling technique he had once prided himself on. The one who performed the technique was the advisor captured from the Min River, who, under torture and the threat of law, dared not disobey.

After the impostor who had pretended to be Xiao Changyan fled that day, he escaped to a waiting location, while those who gave chase captured the real Xiao Changyan.

PS: The following words were added after locking the word count, at no charge. There’s no need to open another chapter for afterward that wouldn’t fit.

Let me explain why this novel’s ending was so difficult.

Life’s troubles were part of the reason, but the fundamental reason was that the plot deviated from my original setting in the later stages.

When I write, I plan the opening, ending, and key points, with the middle developing naturally. This was my first time writing, and the major plot points and story development changed early on.

Some readers in the group probably know that before starting the novel, I had a major plot setting: when Xihe finally discovers the Crown Prince’s true feelings, she becomes panicked, and her first choice isn’t to face it openly as she does now but to avoid it.

In the original setting, when the Crown Prince was twenty-three, His Majesty took everyone to escape the summer heat, leaving the Crown Prince to govern. Yu Sangning, learning that her father was killed by Xihe and that her new plans were indirectly blocked by Xihe, develops hatred and kills Gu Qingzhu, framing Xihe. Xihe detects this early but goes along with it, even helping Yu Sangning perfect the scheme, aiming to fake her death and escape.

But the Crown Prince notices Xihe’s intention to retreat. When ministers led by Xie Ji demand the Crown Princess pay with her life, the Crown Prince reveals himself early, forcefully arresting the Xie family and all disciples of families instigated by His Majesty to doom Xihe – these people had all committed capital crimes but escaped through family manipulation.

The Crown Prince has evidence – whoever dares say the Crown Princess killed someone, he would recite the crimes of that person’s younger family members, present evidence, and execute them on the spot, then ask if they still believe the Crown Princess killed someone. If anyone refuses to submit, he continues killing until they all change their statements.

This way he protects Xihe’s reputation, but naturally His Majesty can’t tolerate this. Though the people he killed deserved it with clear evidence, he didn’t follow proper procedures. The Crown Prince’s actions weren’t enough for execution but made him unfit to be heir.

His Majesty would depose the Crown Prince and banish him and Xihe to the Black Water tribe. The Crown Prince had prepared for this, planning to take Xihe to the Black Water tribe to live peacefully for a while. Without the Crown Prince in court, strife naturally begins.

Let them kill each other until His Majesty dies, then the Crown Prince returns legitimately in the name of purging the court, ultimately becoming emperor.

And Xihe is completely moved when the Crown Prince loses everything for her – his position as heir becomes isolated, even the Empress Dowager and his followers abandon him thinking him unworthy.

This was my original plot setting, and many readers in the group probably remember this setting before the novel began.

But when writing the later parts, I found I couldn’t write it this way.

Writing it this way could show the Crown Prince’s dominance and deep love for Xihe, but it would break Xihe’s character.

She would no longer be the wise, graceful, and fearless Shen Xihe under my pen.

If her first choice upon learning of the Crown Prince’s feelings is to avoid them, she becomes like Li Yanyan, unworthy of the Crown Prince’s deep love.

Being afraid of feelings and avoiding them – how could this be the same Shen Xihe who was determined to fight to the end for the Shen clan?

Because the planned plot couldn’t be used, everything deviated from my control, and I was particularly frustrated and didn’t want to write for a while.

This was me not controlling my emotions well, and indeed my fault.

Only these past two days did I finally sort out the later plot, after calmly rereading twice from a reader’s perspective to understand how to write an ending fitting for this novel.

My writing doesn’t allow for bad endings or abandonment.