Prince Xiang’s expression was extremely grim. He hadn’t expected his carefully prepared plan to go wrong, nor had he anticipated that Li Weiyang had already seen through their conspiracy—everything was just to lure the snake out of its hole! He had originally thought this woman, no matter how clever, was merely raised in a sheltered boudoir, but he hadn’t expected her to be far more cunning than the straightforward Guo family! Now the situation had completely turned against him! His emotions were far more composed than Consort Hu Shun’s, so he helped his mother up, wearing a smile that looked extremely cold: “Guo Jia, my mother is Consort Shun, personally conferred by His Majesty. Even Empress Dowager cannot easily depose her, much less is it your place to lecture her!”
Li Weiyang’s smile became very gentle. She turned to look at the lofty Empress Pei and said: “Your Majesty, look—Prince Xiang just said I was questioning your authority to manage the six palaces, but now it seems he himself is being disrespectful to you!”
If it were someone else, they would probably jump up on the spot, but Empress Pei merely smiled slightly and said: “Prince Xiang is just protective of his mother and momentarily lost his composure.”
Li Weiyang’s gaze met Empress Pei’s, but she couldn’t see a ripple of emotion in them.
“Your Majesty, when a prince breaks the law, he is punished the same as a commoner. When my niece committed a crime, you only gave two choices—one was a cup of poisoned wine, the second was to be tried by the Ministry of Justice. Now the lawbreakers have become Consort Shun and Prince Xiang. What will you do? Can a simple loss of composure absolve them of their crimes?” Consort Hui said coldly.
Li Weiyang’s smile was calm, her eyes unfathomably deep: “Consort Hui need not be anxious. The matter of framing me is not so important. What’s most important is that Consort Shun killed Princess Huaiqing. As the Empress just said, this act insults the dignity of the Yuexi imperial family. If Your Majesty refuses to punish them, it will only provoke the anger of the entire imperial clan. I believe Your Majesty will severely punish them and absolutely not harbor criminals.”
Before she had finished speaking, Consort Hu Shun was already crying out: “Your Majesty, this matter was entirely my doing alone, it has nothing to do with Prince Xiang or the Hu family! I simply couldn’t stand Consort Hui always pressing down on me, so I wanted to strike at her niece to deal the Guo family a heavy blow. It has nothing to do with anyone else!”
“Your Majesty, it’s too late for you to say this now.” Li Weiyang’s cool words made Consort Hu Shun tremble heavily. “You don’t really think you can shoulder this matter alone, do you? You forced Princess Daming to frame me, the purpose was not to strike at Consort Hui, but to coerce me into marrying Prince Xiang, wasn’t it?”
Consort Hu Shun shouted fiercely: “Don’t talk nonsense! My son didn’t know about this from beginning to end!”
“If it weren’t to keep leverage to threaten me, why would you spare Zhao Yue’s life? You could have killed her from the very beginning, couldn’t you?”
“You!”
“You first bribed Daming, then murdered Huaiqing, framed Zhao Yue, step by step luring me into the trap. Your fundamental purpose was to control the Guo family. But you’re just a harem consort—what use is controlling external officials? Can you make yourself empress?”
“Pure nonsense, I don’t understand at all!” Consort Hu Shun’s face showed shock, her body trembling.
“At first I couldn’t figure it out either, but now I understand. Using the Guo family is minor—your purpose is to strengthen Prince Xiang’s power. If he were content being an imperial prince, why would he want to take external officials’ power for his own? There must be an unspeakable secret behind this.”
“You…”
“One last point—” Li Weiyang stepped closer, her gaze icy as she looked at her. “When forcing me into marriage failed, you wanted to murder me. If anything happened to me, the Guo family would certainly be heartbroken. But you kept hiding in the shadows, only instigating the Empress to handle it, clearly intending to sow discord between the Guo and Pei families! This way, even Crown Prince Yongwen and Prince Jing would be implicated, with only Prince Xiang staying clear. Do you still dare say you weren’t doing this for your own son to compete for the throne!”
“Silence!” Consort Hu Shun shrieked, shaking off Prince Xiang’s arm and lunging at Li Weiyang.
This time, Li Weiyang didn’t dodge. Her swinging arm was caught. Li Weiyang’s eyes, like a cold pool, stared at her, drawing close to her, maintaining a distance where they could feel each other’s breath, and said in an extremely cold voice: “Consort Shun, if Prince Xiang wants to ascend to the throne, what role does the Hu family play in this? I think today’s matter is too significant for the Hu family not to participate, much less not to know!”
Li Weiyang’s tone was gentle, but her strength was great. Consort Hu Shun struggled desperately, but Li Weiyang suddenly released her hand. Consort Hu Shun fell backward onto the ground.
Li Weiyang looked at her wretched form on the ground, thinking of Princess Huaiqing’s shy smile, her gaze becoming even colder. Though she herself was indifferent by nature, she was not without feelings. Princess Huaiqing had a kind heart and didn’t compete with the world, yet she was drowned alive. What Consort Hu Shun and Prince Xiang did was truly too much! “Let me tell you, even if you successfully sowed discord between our two families and made us turn against each other, your son wanting to ascend to the throne is pure fantasy, absolutely impossible!”
“You, you, you be quiet…” Consort Hu Shun said hoarsely. “I never thought this way!”
Consort Guo Hui looked on coldly and said: “Consort Shun, you actually harbored such great ambition, wanting to help your own son ascend to the throne. This is not some grudge—this is coveting the heir apparent position with evil intentions! If what you’ve done today gets out, the entire Yuexi imperial family will become the laughingstock of the streets! Consort Hu Shun, why are you so stupid! A woman as unvirtuous and incompetent as you dares to have such delusions—it’s simply the most ridiculous thing under heaven!” Then Consort Guo Hui looked at Empress Pei and said slowly: “Your Majesty, are these charges sufficient now?”
Consort Hu Shun’s expression was already extremely panicked. She cried out: “Empress, Your Majesty, please don’t listen to their nonsense. This is all slander! I just… just…” Probably even she herself had no way to justify it, so she couldn’t continue after saying half.
Empress Pei smiled lightly, not minding what Consort Guo Hui said, her breath fragrant as orchids: “Yes, murdering a member of the imperial family is a capital crime. Coveting the Crown Prince’s position and plotting rebellion is also a capital crime. With these two crimes combined, Consort Shun must certainly be severely punished, Prince Xiang must also be held accountable, and even the Hu family cannot escape. Precisely because this matter is so significant, it cannot be handled carelessly. In my opinion, we should first detain the two of them and investigate slowly.”
Investigate? By now the evidence was conclusive—what more was there to investigate? By saying this, Empress Pei was clearly giving Consort Hu Shun and Prince Xiang a buffer, allowing the Hu family time to maneuver… Li Weiyang smiled coldly, thinking: Empress Pei, you’ve finished watching the tigers fight from your mountain perch, and now you’re planning to step in and manage things? But you’re clever, and others aren’t fools either!
At this moment, a eunuch outside announced loudly: “His Majesty has arrived!”
With this announcement, everyone’s expressions in the great hall changed. Consort Hu Shun seemed to still hold hope, Prince Xiang’s face suddenly turned ashen, while Consort Guo Hui smiled. Only Empress Pei’s expression didn’t change. She quietly glanced at Li Weiyang with an expression that was neither quite a smile nor not.
So Guo Jia still had a backup plan—her strength truly was not to be underestimated. Empress Pei lowered her beautiful eyes and smiled.
It seemed like it had been a long time since she’d encountered such an interesting young woman. No wonder Duke Anguo also fell to her hands.
She stood up and led everyone in saluting the Emperor. Li Weiyang lowered her head, only hearing footsteps, then naturally someone said: “Rise.”
Li Weiyang raised her head, her gaze slowly moving upward. First she saw a long plain sash with red lining and vermilion edges with embroidered scrollwork as decoration, then the golden dragons at the four corners of the robe soaring as if about to fly into the sky, mouths holding five colors, floating as if about to rush to the heavens. At the waist was a leather belt hung with jewels, with white jade ornaments hanging from it that were extremely dazzling.
The person before her was the Emperor of Yuexi. Though he was no longer young, like Empress Pei, he was a person overlooked by time. His tall stature and handsome contours were particularly striking. His characteristic pale complexion of the Yuexi imperial family and features as handsome as a woman’s were set off even more elegantly and nobly by this complete set of magnificent imperial robes.
From Yuan Lie’s appearance, Li Weiyang could guess what the Emperor of Yuexi looked like, but seeing him now, this man was even more handsome than she had expected. The only things that marred his appearance were the deep black shadows under his eyes, a dark red mark between his brows, the sinister aura in the depths of his eyes, and the fine lines at the corners of his downturned mouth.
He was someone who often grew angry, and moreover, he must frequently suffer from headaches. Li Weiyang knew that people with headaches habitually pinch their brows, and the longer it continues, the easier it is to leave a mark. Looking at the Emperor’s red mark, it definitely wasn’t formed in a day or two—it even had a faint brown tinge. This showed he pinched with extreme force, so the pain must certainly be extraordinary.
Like a drowning person seeing a piece of driftwood, Consort Hu Shun looked up hopefully, only to see Yuan Lie standing beside the Emperor with a grin, saying: “I was just playing chess with His Majesty when we suddenly heard the harem was in an uproar. His Majesty brought me to listen to the proceedings, but I didn’t expect it to be so lively.”
The Emperor had heard everything from earlier! Consort Hu Shun’s hope immediately turned to despair. Empress Pei took a deep breath, stepped forward several paces and said seriously: “Now Miss Guo is insisting that Consort Shun and Prince Xiang are guilty. I am also in a difficult position, not knowing how to handle this—”
The Emperor looked at the Empress coldly and said: “Yuan Lie, what do you think?”
Yuan Lie raised one eyebrow, smiling with ill intent: “The evidence is conclusive—they should naturally be prosecuted.”
Hearing this, Li Weiyang glanced at Yuan Lie. Their gazes met, Yuan Lie’s containing a smile.
Prince Xiang’s face was still composed, but his fingers were trembling. He had feared the Emperor since childhood, because the other party was moody—when happy, he was a normal person, but when angry, he was simply like a madman. Fortunately, he rarely managed harem affairs and cared even less about their struggles, so Prince Xiang dared to be so presumptuous. But today the Emperor was actually brought here—yes, it was Yuan Lie, it must be Prince Xu! Only for his matters would the Emperor give a second glance! Prince Xiang made a split-second decision, his face grim as he suppressed the twitching nerves on his face: “Father Emperor, Mother Consort was momentarily confused, her heart clouded by personal grievances, which led her to do such things. I beg Father Emperor, considering Mother Consort has been dutiful for many years, to spare her life! As for me, the innocent are naturally innocent. I did not know of Mother Consort’s actions, much less understand where Miss Guo’s accusations come from. Please, Father Emperor, restore my innocence!”
Now it was impossible to exonerate Consort Hu Shun. The mother and son had already understood this with an exchanged glance. They could only sacrifice Consort Shun to protect Prince Xiang and the Hu family.
Yuan Lie pressed his lips in a smile, his eyes sparkling: “I’ve heard that Prince Xiang has been most obedient to Consort Shun since childhood, even changing clothes requires her approval. Could it be that for such a major matter, Consort Shun didn’t tell you? Someone would have to believe this story!”
“Prince Xu, you and I have no grievances past or present—why do you insist on targeting me!” Prince Xiang was extremely enraged.
Prince Xu Yuan Lie seemed to treat oppressing them, mother and son, as a delightful pastime, doing so with great enthusiasm.
When Consort Hu Shun and Prince Xiang first saw Yuan Lie in person, they were nearly startled—this young prince was too handsome. He was tall with a pale complexion, slightly taller even than the current Emperor. Especially those glass-colored eyes were most unforgettable, even more handsome than the Emperor in his youth. In the Yuexi imperial clan, the only one whose appearance could compare to Prince Xu Yuan Lie was the Emperor in his younger days.
Such a stunningly handsome young man was more favored by the Emperor than any of their sons—no, it was practically doting. None of these imperial princes could share even one meal with the Emperor or speak with him for half an hour, much less feel any so-called paternal love or expectations. They all thought the Emperor was naturally devoid of such emotions. He hadn’t set foot in the harem for ten years, was even less interested in his children, and even seemed to have lost interest in government affairs. But this didn’t mean he was easy to fool—they didn’t even dare say an extra word under those sharp eyes. But this Prince Xu Yuan Lie, from the moment he appeared in Yuexi, had obtained all these things they tried every means to fight for but couldn’t get. In the imperial clan, someone as outstanding as Prince Xu, so favored by the Emperor—such a person alive was truly a potential great threat to the throne. Fortunately, Prince Xu wasn’t an imperial prince and could never inherit the throne under any circumstances.
For such a person, they had once tried to win him over, but used every method to no avail.
He was completely indifferent to the Hu clan’s overtures, discarding the jewels and beauties they sent like worn-out shoes, utterly uninterested in the power and status they promised. He had never attended imperial family banquets, only busily occupied with who knows what, and even to the Emperor’s summons, he only occasionally made an appearance and didn’t take it to heart. Yet such a person had actually taken a liking to Guo Jia.
Yuan Lie smiled and smiled and smiled again, saying: “I’m upholding justice.”
Prince Xiang was so angry he nearly vomited blood. Justice? What justice? They had wrongly accused many people—why hadn’t they seen Prince Xu so kindly meddling in such affairs!
Yuan Lie was no longer looking at him, instead turning to the Emperor and saying solemnly: “Your Majesty, Prince Xiang plotted rebellion, Consort Shun murdered a princess—these are all capital crimes. Not just them, but the entire Hu family should be handed over to the Ministry of Justice for joint trial.”
Hearing this, Consort Hu Shun forced herself to remain composed and not lose control before the Emperor, but her hands in her sleeves were ice cold to the fingertips.
The Emperor looked at Yuan Lie and nodded. Just as he was about to speak, he felt a splitting headache. His head had been increasingly painful recently. All the imperial physicians believed his tongue coating was white and thin, his pulse wiry and tense—these were all symptoms of cold asthma. So most of the time, he could only review memorials and attend to government affairs in the warm hall. Even so, at the slightest cold breeze, he would cough incessantly, becoming irritable and restless, violent and intolerant, yet also like heat syndrome. In recent years, his old illness recurred more quickly. Between cold and heat alternating, that suffocating feeling slowly crept up.
Empress Pei saw his physical discomfort and said with concern: “Your Majesty, is your headache starting again?” Her expression was very caring, as if from the heart.
“Your Majesty, are you alright?” Consort Guo Hui also hurried over, seeming to want to reach out her hand, but stopped it in midair.
Consort Hu Shun’s crying voice came over: “Your Majesty, I was momentarily confused, but this matter has nothing to do with Prince Xiang!”
Prince Xiang also wanted to step forward, but was blocked by Yuan Lie: “Your Highness, you are now a suspect. I’m afraid it’s inappropriate for you to approach His Majesty.”
“What did you say? I am Father Emperor’s own son. What are you? It’s not your place to speak here!”
Inside the great hall, the sand in the hourglass was flowing, bit by bit. Each grain of sand falling made a clear sound, so these quarreling voices were particularly distinct. The Emperor angrily said: “All of you be quiet!” In fact, his consciousness was already somewhat blurred in this pain. What was happening? Why did this situation occur every time he became angry? As if his body was out of control, burning hot to the point of madness! And the boulder on his chest grew heavier and heavier. It was as if a hand was gripping his throat.
Amidst this chaos and tension, Li Weiyang kept watching Empress Pei’s face. Her face seemed very calm, showing no panic, as if the Emperor showing such a pained expression was already commonplace, nothing unusual. This expression was the same on Consort Guo Hui’s face. Neither of them showed any abnormality regarding the Emperor’s condition, which meant the Emperor’s illness had long been accumulated over time—everyone was used to it.
Blood rushed to the Emperor’s eyes. He suddenly pushed aside the nearby eunuch and stood up, walking all the way to Consort Hu Shun. One hand lifted her chin. Under such a gaze, Consort Hu Shun revealed a fearful expression: “Truly a beautiful face. I have looked at this face for many years. I heard the beloved consort killed Huaiqing? Hmm?”
Empress Pei’s expression was between a smile and not, an indescribable complex emotion. Consort Hui, seeing this situation, instinctively took a step back. But Yuan Lie said flatly: “Yes, Your Majesty. Princess Huaiqing was drowned.”
“Oh, drowned—” The Emperor’s pain seemed to intensify. He silently repeated Yuan Lie’s words, then smiled to himself and said: “The Ministry of Justice works too slowly. Investigating a case takes a month, judgment takes a month, and execution will have to wait until next year.”
Li Weiyang looked at the Emperor of Yuexi and clearly saw his expression was abnormal. The murderous aura in those eyes grew stronger and stronger—he didn’t look like a normal person at all. She instinctively glanced at Yuan Lie, but saw him very calm, as if he hadn’t noticed anything unusual at all.
He must know something, but what exactly was wrong with the Emperor?
Consort Hu Shun obviously also sensed something wrong. Her whole body was trembling, but she didn’t know how to break free from this person. She looked fearfully at Prince Xiang, but Prince Xiang didn’t dare raise his head to look at them even once, much less plead for his mother consort.
“You, come here.” The Emperor suddenly released Consort Hu Shun’s chin and beckoned to his personal eunuch. The eunuch walked closer with lowered head. The Emperor whispered a few words. The eunuch’s expression didn’t change at all as he withdrew. Before long, he was seen directing people to carry in a bathing tub filled with water. The Emperor pointed at Consort Shun and said: “Throw her in!”
Consort Hu Shun looked at him in shock and cried out: “Your Majesty—”
“His Majesty commands it. Forgive us, Your Ladyship.” The old eunuch waved his hand, and four eunuchs came up to lift Consort Hu Shun. Consort Hu Shun began screaming desperately: “I don’t want to! I don’t want to! I don’t want to, Your Majesty! Sheng’er, save me! Quickly save me! Save me!”
Prince Xiang’s face was deathly pale as he retreated a step, then suddenly realized something and wanted to grab Consort Shun’s arm, but was blocked by Prince Xu: “Prince Xiang, I advise you not to interfere.” Prince Xu’s cold gaze immediately awakened Yuan Sheng. He immediately understood that if he stepped forward now, he would only enrage the Emperor and cause him to punish himself as well! Of course, Prince Xu wasn’t being kind—he just didn’t want him getting in the way and obstructing the execution!
Consort Hu Shun struggled desperately. Her hair completely came loose, beautiful jewels scattered all over the ground. Even her lotus-root-like arms and shoulders were exposed, but she paid no attention, only shrieking continuously. But her mouth was quickly stuffed with a cloth. Palace maids and eunuchs watched this scene in terror, nearly stunned. Everyone watched helplessly as Consort Hu Shun was thrown into that large bathing tub. Consort Hu Shun struggled to climb up, but four eunuchs pressed down on her head, desperately pressing her down. Then her beautiful face began to twist, her struggles became chaotic. At this moment, Li Weiyang saw on her barely extended snow-white arm were actually four or five black scorpions hanging. Those scorpions constantly entangled her. She writhed and cried out, but couldn’t make a sound.
Li Weiyang looked toward the Emperor. His face still wore that pained, sickly expression. So this bathing tub was actually filled with live scorpions—abundant, fresh, with bared fangs and claws. Judging by the number, there were at least two to three hundred scorpions. Beheading or death by a thousand cuts would be better than being thrown into a pile of scorpions. The scorpions angrily crawled onto Consort Hu Shun’s soft body, flicking their tails to sting fiercely. Consort Hu Shun cried out incessantly, writhing and struggling. Her desperate, terrified expression far exceeded death by a thousand cuts. Yet the more she struggled, the more viciously the scorpions stung. Countless venoms were injected into her body, making her veins bulge and her body swell.
Some timid palace maids covered their eyes with their sleeves or lowered their heads, not daring to look.
Yuan Lie’s gaze was icy. He wasn’t afraid of such scenes, but he walked in front of Li Weiyang, blocking her view. Of course, he knew she wasn’t afraid, but after seeing such a scene, it would inevitably leave a deep impression in her mind. He was afraid she would have even more trouble sleeping at night…
“Lie’er, don’t stand far away. Come watch!” The Emperor smiled and beckoned him over.
Yuan Lie smiled as well: “Your Majesty, I cannot bear to see blood. Better I stand farther away.” In the past, he had to stand behind Li Weiyang for her protection. Gradually, he learned to give himself a cold heart. Only this way could he shield her from all danger. So even knowing the Emperor wasn’t quite normal, he still brought him here to watch.
Prince Xiang’s whole body trembled. He almost didn’t dare raise his eyes to look, didn’t even dare open his mouth to say a word of “no.” The inner court guards of the imperial palace numbered over two thousand, all wearing armor on standby, with complete swords and blades. Especially those eunuchs close to the Emperor’s person—though they all appeared ordinary, he knew every one of them possessed extraordinary martial skills. If he tried to save Consort Hu Shun now, in an instant, those people would fly over and chop off his head. Not just them—the guards outside all gripped their sword hilts tightly. If the Emperor gave one command, they would certainly all rush forward without hesitation.
He could only look on weakly, his mouth bleeding from biting it, his face yellow as earth, standing dumbly without words.
The Emperor turned his head to look at him and said: “Why don’t you speak? Won’t you plead for your mother consort?”
Prince Xiang’s heart was already terrified to the extreme. He stammered for a long while before squeezing out a few words: “Father Emperor handles all major matters. Your son dares not presume to comment.”
The Emperor smiled: “Truly my good son.” These words were spoken in an extremely gentle tone, yet also sent chills down one’s spine.
Prince Xiang’s body trembled even more violently. He almost didn’t dare utter half a word.
The Emperor glanced at the bathing tub, his expression becoming even more gentle: “It’s a pity about these scorpions I raised for several years.” This type of scorpion was called Blue Sting, growing in the deep mountains of Yuexi. It had a particular characteristic—its poison needle was extremely fine. Though highly toxic, being stung wouldn’t cause immediate death. Instead, the whole body would suffer unbearable pain. So Consort Hu Shun in the bathing tub kept struggling, desperately trying to crawl out, but a eunuch kept pressing down hard on the top of her head, pushing her into the tub. Then Li Weiyang saw blood gradually spreading out, flowing all the way to the ground. Empress Pei watched this scene coldly, her expression showing not the slightest fluctuation.
Madam Guo clenched her hands and turned her face away. Li Weiyang stood by her side, quietly watching.
“Those scorpions’ poison needles are extremely sharp. When they pierce into a person’s body, blood continuously flows out. With so many scorpions, the pain can be imagined.” Yuan Lie said softly. “In the past, many people weren’t poisoned to death but were alive when they died from the pain.”
Li Weiyang watched, only feeling those black scorpions were extremely horrifying. Even she felt this way, much less the palace maids nearby. Every one of them was deathly pale, trembling with fright. Princess Nankang couldn’t even stand anymore and sat down limply.
The blood in the bathing tub grew more and more, but all carried brownish venom. The Emperor smiled faintly and said: “Add water.”
Without raising his head, the eunuch ordered people to continuously pour cold water into the tub. The blood gradually merged with the water. The entire bathing tub was dyed red. The bloody water slowly covered Consort Hu Shun’s legs, chest, arms, shoulders, then her neck, and finally gradually submerged her head. This scene was truly too bizarre, leaving everyone stunned.
The Emperor waved his hand. The eunuch pressed Consort Hu Shun’s head down into the bloody water. She was still struggling, but growing weaker and weaker, until finally she no longer moved. Consort Hu Shun had stopped breathing—she was drowned alive by her own bloody water, just like Princess Huaiqing’s manner of death.
Everyone in this great hall was already trembling with fear, not daring to make a sound. Prince Xiang kept his head lowered. Though he clearly watched Consort Hu Shun die before his eyes, he made no move at all, as if he had gone blind, deaf, and mute. Li Weiyang had originally greatly despised this person, but seeing this situation now, she couldn’t help but feel that Prince Xiang being able to endure without uttering a word was also an extremely formidable person. If it were herself, she might not be able to endure it either.
Seeing the fresh blood, the Emperor seemed to suddenly awaken. He gently shook his head and said: “Don’t trouble me with these matters again in the future.”
Li Weiyang thought: after today’s performance, probably no one will dare trouble you again in the future.
Yuan Lie glanced at the Emperor and smiled: “Your Majesty, then how should Prince Xiang be dealt with?”
Prince Xiang gritted his teeth. Yuan Lie, what grudge do I have with you that you would deal with me like this?!
The Emperor pinched his brow, took a deep breath, and recovered his composure: “As for Prince Xiang… what is the Empress’s meaning?”
Empress Pei’s face showed a trace of smile as she said softly: “Naturally I follow Your Majesty’s will…”
The Emperor nodded, seeming very weary: “Though he is my son, he participated in this frame-up and even killed his own sister. Demote him to commoner status and expel him from the palace.”
Li Weiyang stared at the Emperor. She didn’t know why, but his rage and cruelty just now seemed like a madman who had lost his normal state due to illness. Now that his headache had passed, he had recovered his original temperament.
Prince Xiang hadn’t expected he would actually be demoted to commoner status. His expression changed dramatically as he crawled over desperately: “Father Emperor, your son was wrong! Your son was truly wrong! Please spare me, spare me!” In his daily life he competed with those brothers for power. Once he lost this identity as Prince Xiang, he would become everyone’s prey, not knowing what terrible situation he would face. He didn’t want this, he didn’t want this! Originally he just wanted to force Guo Jia to marry him—how did everything turn out like this!
“The Hu family must have also participated in this matter.” The Emperor’s expression was cold as he ordered people to drag Prince Xiang to the side. “All Hu family officials of fifth rank and above are to be stripped of office and exiled. Very well, this matter ends here. Lie’er, accompany me to finish that chess game from earlier.”
Yuan Lie lowered his head and said respectfully: “Yes.”
Three days later, in Consort Hui’s palace, the flowers in the courtyard were blooming beautifully. The flower branches swayed gently in the wind, as beautiful as a painting. Consort Guo Hui was watering flowers. Li Weiyang and Madam Guo sat to the side quietly watching. The three seemed to have plenty of leisure. Seeing this, Nankang somehow didn’t dare approach.
Madam Guo raised her eyes to see Nankang and couldn’t help smiling, beckoning to her.
Princess Nankang’s face reddened. Since the events of three days ago, she had been hiding in her own palace, not daring to see her mother consort, much less daring to see Guo Jia. She always felt everything happened because she was foolish and too trusting, allowing herself to be used, implicating Guo Jia and causing Madam Guo to fall ill. But she still obediently walked over and curtsied to everyone.
Consort Guo Hui saw her and her eyes held a bit more warmth, but she didn’t speak, lowering her head to continue watering her flowers.
Nankang’s expression clearly stiffened. After silently curtsying, she wanted to turn and leave. But Li Weiyang called out to her: “Nankang, come here.”
Princess Nankang’s face showed even more guilt: “Elder sister, it’s all my fault. If it weren’t for me—”
“If not you, it would be someone else. Since they were determined to harm people, how could they easily give up?” Madam Guo sighed and said gently.
But Nankang felt even more guilty: “After I returned, I thought for a long time. It’s all my fault for being too careless. I clearly saw the clothes Daming gave to Sister Huaiqing were a color Sister Huaiqing never liked to touch. This shows Princess Daming already knew Sister Huaiqing was dead and these clothes were just randomly found as a pretense. Otherwise, being so close to Sister Huaiqing, how could she give her a gift she didn’t like at all?”
No wonder Nankang’s expression was so strange at the time. Li Weiyang smiled: “That you can think of these things is already progress.”
Consort Guo Hui turned to glance at Nankang: “Today two more plants bloomed. Come take a look.”
Only then did Nankang’s face show a joyful expression as she hurried over. After talking with Consort Guo Hui for a while, she came before Li Weiyang and asked hesitantly: “Elder sister, have you forgiven me?”
Li Weiyang laughed: “When did I ever blame you?” Innocence is not a fault. Moreover, no matter what Nankang did, it had no effect on her. If she had truly been forced to marry Yuan Sheng, the person to blame wouldn’t be Nankang, but herself for not being clever enough. Truly strong people don’t push blame onto others.
At this time, a palace maid nearby curtsied: “Your Ladyship, another palace maid came from the Cold Palace today, saying no matter what, she doesn’t want to serve her anymore.”
Consort Guo Hui raised her eyes and glanced flatly: “Oh, is that so?”
The palace maid lowered her head: “Those people are requesting Your Ladyship’s instructions.”
Consort Guo Hui’s smile was very gentle: “Since the master is difficult to serve and the servants are also innocent, since she’s so difficult to serve, simply don’t have anyone manage her. Just send three meals a day and keep her alive.”
“Yes.” The palace maid withdrew. Nankang’s face showed a trace of confusion.
Consort Guo Hui looked at Nankang and said slowly: “You and Daming were sisters after all. Go see her.”
Princess Nankang’s face showed a shocked expression, then said: “No, I won’t go. She’s no longer my sister!”
Li Weiyang saw through her true thoughts and smiled: “If Your Ladyship tells you to go, she must have her reasons.”
She sighed inwardly.
Nankang was a good child, but such a person couldn’t possibly survive in this palace court. In the past, Consort Guo Hui protected her too much, so much that she forgot how cruel the outside world was. Now Consort Hui was preparing to let go and make her understand some things.
To destroy a person’s innocence and kindness was truly regrettable.
But… life was never perfect, was it? Only by constantly making oneself sharper and stronger could one protect oneself and those around them.
Throughout the dynasties, disgraced consorts who fell from favor were all assigned to the Cold Palace. The palace rules had only one article—lifelong confinement with no exit. Passing palace maids and eunuchs always took detours when reaching this place, afraid of being contaminated by bad luck. Though she already knew of the Cold Palace’s dilapidation, when Nankang walked in, she was still frightened by this place’s desolation and coldness. This Cold Palace was very large, with fully a hundred rooms, but most were already vacant. Wild grass grew everywhere, even the main gate was covered in thick dust, a scene of utter devastation.
The palace maid knew nobles were coming and specially waited at the gate, leading Li Weiyang and Nankang inside. They only heard constant groaning and screaming, as if they weren’t entering a Cold Palace but a prison holding madmen. Finally, they stopped at the doorway of the most dilapidated room. Nankang glanced at Li Weiyang before walking in. The bright daylight was blocked outside. Inside, all the carved railings and painted beams, the gold tracery and colorful paintings had completely peeled off, covered in thick dust and messy, dense spider webs.
Then she saw Princess Daming lying on the bed. When she fell from three meters high, if properly treated, she could recover in a few months. But she was demoted to the Cold Palace and no longer had imperial physicians to treat her. The original injury site began to fester, the bones were affected by dampness. What wasn’t originally a serious injury worsened considerably, actually becoming the same as her birth mother—she could only lie in bed, unable even to turn over. Add to this the Cold Palace’s filth and pollution with insects everywhere. As she lay motionless, she could only let those insects gnaw at her. The skin on her body festered and oozed pus inch by inch, her appearance extremely terrifying. She seemed to want to drink water but couldn’t reach it, nor could she get up.
“Someone who could even push her own birth mother down the stairs—no one is willing to treat her.” Li Weiyang said softly.
Princess Nankang looked at this scene in shock and cried out: “She… she… it would be better to let her have release than to live like this…”
“Unfortunately, she still has to live like this for many years.” Li Weiyang only smiled, watching Princess Daming reveal a pained expression. This taste of lying in bed for a lifetime unable to move—now she was experiencing it too. When she pushed her birth mother down the stairs back then, she certainly never imagined she would have such a day. Li Weiyang could have let her die, but death was really too cheap for this person. Only by letting her taste the same pain as those she persecuted would she know how terribly wrong she was.
Nankang looked at that person lying on the bed, unable to drink water with parched, cracked lips, her body’s oozing sores already soaking through the entire bedding, even mosquitoes and flies crawling all over her… Nankang instinctively took a step back and couldn’t help bending over to dry heave several times.
This was her most gentle and beautiful sister, yet now she had become like this. Though she knew she deserved death, Nankang just couldn’t accept this fact, couldn’t accept it no matter what. She whipped her head around: “Elder sister, kill her! Kill her!”
Li Weiyang used a gentle yet resolute voice: “Nankang, don’t you understand yet?”
Nankang trembled heavily, her eyes confused.
Li Weiyang said slowly: “Consort Hui let you come to see Daming’s end. If we had lost today, we would only be worse off than Daming. At that time, they wouldn’t spare innocent you either. Haven’t you noticed? Why did Princess Daming call you to come along then? Because they planned to say you were following Consort Guo Hui’s instructions to help me cover up my crimes! Do you understand now?!”
Princess Nankang looked at Li Weiyang with an extremely shocked gaze, then looked at Princess Daming, suddenly bursting into tears, unable to say a word.
“Not just Princess Daming, there’s also Prince Xiang. He’s no longer an imperial prince now. Poor him, without power, hunted everywhere with nowhere to turn. However, I sent people to save him.”
“You… you saved him?” Princess Nankang was even more confused. Shouldn’t Guo Jia hate Prince Xiang the most? If not for their scheme, she wouldn’t have suffered injustice.
“I saved him and sent him to a puppet troupe. They put him inside a giant puppet, controlling his hands and feet, making him perform shows for children every day. Of course, like Princess Daming, he’ll live long and forever.” Li Weiyang said calmly, watching Princess Nankang’s eyes. “This way, he no longer needs to run everywhere, doesn’t need to worry about his enemies finding him, and can have someone support him for life with people cheering for him. Of course, for this comfortable life, he must pay the price of a pair of eyes and his hand and foot tendons. But I think he won’t mind, because he no longer needs those things…”
Princess Nankang cried out “wah” and pushed Li Weiyang away, running away like an escape.
“Scaring little girls—is that very interesting?” A voice suddenly rang out.
Li Weiyang turned around to see the handsome man before her and smiled: “If she remains this naive, she’ll truly be stuck at this age, unable to grow up.”