Prince Li smiled cheerfully: “I’ve heard that when pregnant women are with child, the fetus in the body competes with the mother for nutrients. So I wanted to know—when in desperate circumstances, would those limited nutrients be absorbed by the mother or snatched away by the baby?”
Hearing this, the Empress’s pupils constricted sharply. She glared angrily at Prince Li, her mind spinning with countless curses on her lips, but the Empress desperately held them back.
She couldn’t be impulsive. If her impulsiveness angered this villain and made him immediately harm the child in her womb, what would she do? She already had no hope for herself, but at least she had to fight with all her might for this child. As long as Prince Li didn’t immediately want to kill her, she and her child still had hope.
Prince Li watched with interest as the Empress’s expression changed several times. Seeing that she ultimately didn’t cry out in terror for mercy, nor explode in rage, but silently lowered her eyes, Prince Li couldn’t help but sigh in admiration.
“Tsk tsk, I never expected Sister-in-law to have such a temperament. It seems I never truly saw through you all these years. But to be worthy of being Li Qitian’s empress, your character is naturally not lacking.” He waved his hand, and urgent footsteps immediately sounded behind him.
“Your Highness.”
“Mm, proceed. Do it cleanly and efficiently. Don’t disturb anyone.”
“Yes!”
The trusted subordinate immediately received orders, leading a group to take all the palace servants in the Empress’s quarters who had been pressed to kneel on the ground with mouths gagged, as well as palace servants who had witnessed Prince Li’s arrival at the Empress’s palace, dragging them all to a corner to execute them while covering their mouths. They quickly filled a well.
As for the Empress, they searched out and threw away all food and water in the hall, pushed the Empress into the hall, then firmly sealed all doors and windows.
Prince Li stood outside the door with hands behind his back. The sky had completely darkened, with scattered stars illuminating the scene before him. His trusted guards were efficiently nailing wooden boards over doors and windows. With many hands working quickly, they soon turned the room imprisoning the Empress into a cage that others could see into, but from which the pregnant woman simply couldn’t escape.
Prince Li approached the window, looking at the Empress sitting silently on the warm window-side kang: “Truly admirable—so calm. I’d like to see how long you can remain calm. But you’re much stronger than that old woman, the Empress Dowager. She was so frightened in the blink of an eye that she wet herself and knelt begging for mercy repeatedly.”
The Empress almost let curses slip out. But she repeatedly told herself not to be impulsive—she had to think of her child. As long as there was a thread of hope, she had to seize the opportunity.
So the Empress still didn’t provoke Prince Li, only lowering her gaze to avoid looking at him.
Prince Li burst into laughter: “Good, excellent. I like composed women like you. Fine, just stay there.”
Turning around, he instructed his trusted subordinates and confidants who had infiltrated the Imperial Guards and palace guards: “Tatar spies have infiltrated the palace. You must properly protect the safety of the Empress Dowager and Empress. This prince still needs to go to the imperial study to review memorials. If you have news here, remember to inform this prince.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Everyone responded in unison.
Prince Li glanced at the clear night sky and strode spiritedly toward the imperial study.
After tonight, there would no longer be any Li Qitian or Pang Xiao in existence.
His Majesty and Prince Zhongshun? Weren’t they trapped and buried alive in the underground palace?
Must see the person alive or the corpse dead? Easy—just continue excavating the underground palace.
As for the people in the prince’s mansion? Perhaps Princess Consort Zhongshun had deep marital affection with Prince Zhongshun and set a fire to die for love, accidentally burning all the people in the entire mansion to death.
Don’t believe it? Then perhaps it was the Tatars’ doing. After all, Princess Consort Zhongshun was the culprit who killed Khan A’na Ri. It wasn’t impossible for them to come seeking revenge.
Prince Li had calculated everything, feeling his arrangements were flawless without any oversights. He went smugly to the imperial study to wait for news.
At this time, the prince’s mansion was indeed engulfed in a sea of flames.
On a hilltop not far from the prince’s mansion.
Qin Yining sat on a folding chair, already wrapped early in a large fur cloak. Her hair and body had quite a bit of dirt, but she was particularly alert with no abnormalities.
Qin Yining looked at the prince’s mansion ahead with flames reaching the sky and asked with some concern: “The people you arranged won’t have casualties, will they?”
Liao Zhibing was disheveled and dusty, and several trusted members of the Qingtian Alliance beside him were also covered in dirt and looking bedraggled.
Everyone laughed upon hearing this.
Liao Zhibing said: “Alliance Leader, rest assured. The brothers might make mistakes in other matters, but this isn’t anything difficult. There are enough corpses left in the prince’s mansion, the tunnels are in hidden places, and the brothers are all skilled at escaping. Finding an opportunity, everyone withdrew.”
Only then did Qin Yining feel relieved: “It’s good there won’t be casualties. Which of the brothers isn’t born of parents? There’s no need to lose lives over such matters.”
Several people exchanged glances, all smiling.
Liao Zhibing smiled: “Alliance Leader, the night wind is cold. Why don’t you go back first? Don’t sit here too long and catch a chill.”
“No rush, let’s watch a bit more. The view here is excellent—we can survey the whole situation. If there are any changes, we can remedy them.”
Liao Zhibing naturally knew Qin Yining was right. He just worried about her physical condition. Looking down, her belly seemed like she was about to give birth. If she went into labor on this mountain, with a circle of grown men around and only two young maids, who could deliver the baby?
Liao Zhibing was overthinking, but this was the common thought of people unfamiliar with Qin Yining’s physical condition when they saw her.
Bingtang and Ji Yun were both wrapped in thick fur-collared clothing, their faces also like little painted cats, pressed tightly against Qin Yining’s sides to help keep her warm.
Compared to outsiders, Bingtang better understood Qin Yining’s physical condition. If nothing unexpected happened, the pair of little troublemakers would need to stay in the Princess Consort’s belly for another month. With so many people protecting her and not letting the Princess Consort become tired, there was absolutely no problem.
Qin Yining didn’t know what complex thoughts were going through the minds of those beside her. Looking at the fire below that had connected into a sheet, the enormous prince’s mansion with its three courtyards including gardens all engulfed in flames, causing surrounding residents to shout loudly and ring gongs, hurriedly fighting the fire, Qin Yining felt somewhat regretful inside.
Such a good home, just gone like this.
Perhaps this was the first residence she lived in after marriage, so she was particularly attached to it?
Though the capital was large, news traveled quickly. With the dry weather, the prince’s mansion covered a wide area. After this great fire, half the sky over the entire capital turned red. Nearby neighbors all hurriedly evacuated people, watching as the Five Cities Military Commissioner and Fire Bureau personnel frantically fought the fire, but it was like trying to put out a cartload of burning firewood with a cup of water—they could only watch the flames grow fiercer.
The autumn night wind in the north was cold, but people around the prince’s mansion only felt their faces burning from the fierce fire, cold sweat covering their bodies and then being chilled by the cold wind.
“What can be done? What’s wrong with the court? So many incidents in the capital recently!”
“Prince Zhongshun is a great hero! Are the prince’s family members all trapped inside?”
“No one was seen escaping! They say the Princess Consort is still pregnant!”
…
The onlookers all sighed with emotion.
This prince’s family with outstanding military achievements was truly too tragic!
Though the imperial family hadn’t widely publicized the matter of His Majesty being buried in the underground palace, interested parties couldn’t help spreading it. Now who in the capital didn’t know that His Majesty, while excavating some treasure, received divine punishment when the underground palace exploded and collapsed during excavation? Even many court ministers were buried inside. Recently, ranked official families in the capital almost all had to hold funeral services.
Prince Zhongshun was one of them—not only wasn’t he rescued from being buried in the underground palace, but now even the prince’s mansion was burned.
Could it really be because this prince created too much killing karma during campaigns?
The sound of discussion couldn’t cover the crackling of burning wood.
Just as some fought fires and others avoided disaster, a man quietly withdrew from the crowd. With such chaos, who could notice him?
In the imperial study, Prince Li paced back and forth.
The mirror-bright marble floor collided with Prince Li’s boot soles, making distinct “tap, tap” sounds that were irritating.
Looking at the sky, it was already the third watch. Why was there still no good news from outside the palace?
Just as Prince Li waited anxiously, footsteps sounded outside, followed by a man’s lowered voice.
“Your Highness.”
“Enter!” Prince Li commanded anxiously.
The man received orders to enter, knelt on one knee and bowed: “Your Highness, it’s done.”
Prince Li gripped his sleeves tightly: “Speak clearly!”
“Yes. Our people first tampered with the well water at the prince’s mansion, then killed their way in. Those who could resist were very few. The rest were drugged unconscious and trapped in rooms with fire set. Later…”
“Who asked you about this!” Prince Li leaned forward, lowering his voice anxiously: “I’m asking you—was that person captured!”
“Reporting to Your Highness, already killed.”
“Killed?”
“Yes!”
Prince Li slowly straightened up, the smile on his face seeming in slow motion, gradually creeping up to his eyes and brows.
“Good, good, excellent!” Prince Li retreated several steps, collapsing into a chair. He felt the nerves that had been taut all day suddenly relax, and only then did he realize he was drenched in sweat.
Li Qitian was dead?
That fellow Li Qitian who prided himself on cleverness and was arrogantly conceited—he actually died just like this?
Prince Li felt immense satisfaction inside and laughed heartily. In the spacious imperial study, his laughter echoed like ringing bells.
The subordinate half-knelt on the ground. Seeing Prince Li’s joy, he also breathed a sigh of relief.
After a moment, Prince Li’s laughter seemed to be choked off by someone and stopped abruptly.
Seeing this, the subordinate immediately became nervous: “Your Highness?”
“No good. Must see the person alive or the corpse dead.” Prince Li stood up: “Li Qitian is cunning and treacherous. This prince must confirm he’s truly dead to feel at ease. Prepare—this prince is leaving the palace.”
“Your Highness, this seems improper. The palace gates are all closed now.”
“Such a big incident happened in the capital. This prince is concerned about court ministers and cares about the fire situation at Prince Zhongshun’s mansion—that’s only natural. What’s improper about going? Stop babbling and go prepare quickly!”
“Yes!” The subordinate had no choice but to acknowledge and make arrangements.