In Prince Li’s study, Mo Jingli’s twisted expression and face full of surging anger made even the most favored Princess Qixia dare not approach. By the time Mo Jingli finally vented his anger, the entire study was in complete disarray. The strategists and subordinates of Prince Li’s mansion standing in the corner naturally dared not speak. Princess Qixia could only gather her courage and say, “Your Highness, this place isn’t suitable for discussion anymore. Shall we move to the side hall?”
Mo Jingli coldly snorted and swept out of the study, with others hurriedly following.
“Your Highness, has something happened?” After settling in the side hall outside the study, someone finally asked with trepidation.
Mo Jingli spoke coldly, “The Grand Princess and Princess Zhaoyang went to see Mo Xiuyao after leaving the palace.” Everyone was startled, “The Emperor… what does this mean?” Mo Jingli gave a cold laugh and said, “What else could it mean? Naturally, he asked the Grand Princess to plead with Mo Xiuyao. He’s competed with Mo Xiuyao all his life, and now at the end, he’s had a change of heart.”
People immediately frowned and shook their heads, “Your Highness, if this is the case, it’s extremely disadvantageous to us.” The Emperor being willingness to set aside past grievances and suspicions of Prince Ding’s mansion to seek help from Prince Ding clearly showed murderous intent toward Prince Li’s mansion. Mo Jingli snorted coldly and said disdainfully, “Mo Xiuyao won’t agree to his request. Moreover… even if Mo Xiuyao agreed to help, am I so easily dealt with now?” Everyone stared at the stern-faced man before them in surprise, taking a moment to realize—wasn’t that right? Prince Li was no longer the same Prince Li from years ago. He was now Great Chu’s Prince Regent and held actual power over the wealthy southern half of Great Chu. Let alone Prince Ding’s forces being far in the Northwest now, even if Prince Ding’s mansion was at its peak in the capital, dealing with Prince Li wouldn’t be accomplished overnight.
“May I ask what Your Highness plans to do? The Emperor probably won’t…” a strategist frowned and said. They had originally hoped the Empress Dowager could persuade the Emperor to officially pass the throne to Prince Li. This idea itself was somewhat fanciful—given the Emperor’s temperament, he would probably rather die fighting than let the throne fall into the hands of those who had harmed him.
Mo Jingli frowned, pondering for a moment before saying, “Spread the news, make sure it reaches the Liu family’s ears. Say that the Emperor intends to pass the throne to the Sixth Prince… As for the rest, the Liu family will naturally know what to do.”
“Your Highness is brilliant.”
The news that Prince Li’s mansion could obtain, the Liu family naturally wouldn’t be much slower in receiving. Even before Prince Li’s mansion deliberately spread the news, the Liu family, and even Noble Consort Liu in the palace, had already received it. In the palace, after Noble Consort Liu heard the report from the palace maid, she coldly dismissed the person and with a wave of her hand shattered the finest white porcelain teacup she was holding, “Sixth Prince… Mo Ruiyun!”
Tan Jizhi sat smiling in a chair not far away, saying, “It seems the Emperor has already learned of Your Grace’s intentions. I said earlier that Your Grace acted too hastily. You must know… even when something is ninety-nine percent certain, isn’t there still that one percent exception?”
Noble Consort Liu gritted her teeth, remembering how a few days ago she had returned from outside the palace just in time to encounter Mo Jingli leaving the Emperor’s sleeping chambers. It seemed that since that day, many things had slipped from her control, “Mo Jingli! It must be his doing!” Tan Jizhi frowned and said, “Your Grace, who is behind this is not important now. What’s important is… what should we do?”
Noble Consort Liu was troubled. She wasn’t skilled at these matters. Protected by others since childhood, except for her feelings toward Mo Xiuyao, everything had gone smoothly for her. Even being clever and well-learned, Noble Consort Liu couldn’t figure out how to handle the current situation. She looked back at Tan Jizhi and asked, “What solutions do you have?”
Tan Jizhi curled his lips in a slight smile and said lightly, “If we’re going to act, we might as well go all the way. Kill!”
Noble Consort Liu was startled, lowering her head to seriously consider Tan Jizhi’s proposal. She had been in the deep palace for decades, and even though she was favored by Mo Jingqi with power rivaling the Empress’s, she wasn’t without blood on her hands. Women like them, carefully cultivated from childhood and destined for the palace, probably never regarded human life as worth much anyway. After pondering for a moment, Noble Consort Liu raised her head, a flash of killing intent passing through her cold beautiful eyes, and said lightly, “Good. You handle it.”
With the support of the Liu family and Noble Consort Liu’s power in the palace, Tan Jizhi naturally handled matters cleanly and efficiently. Before dark, news came that the Sixth Prince had fallen from a fake mountain while playing and was unconscious. When the news arrived, the twelve-year-old Crown Prince was sitting with Noble Consort Liu keeping her company. Noble Consort Liu lightly waved her hand to dismiss the reporting eunuch. The Crown Prince hesitated, looked at Noble Consort Liu, and said, “Mother, should I… go see Sixth Brother?”
Noble Consort Liu’s face flashed with contempt, raising one hand to carefully examine the Crown Prince’s still childish face, hiding the disgust in her eyes as she said lightly, “Why go see him? Born to a lowly clerk’s daughter, do you think of him as your brother? Remember, you are the Crown Prince and will be the Emperor of Great Chu in the future. Except for your mother… everyone else is your servant.”
The Crown Prince moved his lips, wanting to say there were still his brother and sister. But looking at his mother’s beautiful face, as delicate as if carved from snow, the Crown Prince somehow shivered slightly and ultimately didn’t speak.
Noble Consort Liu nodded with satisfaction and smiled, “That’s mother’s good son. Don’t worry, Mother will make you Emperor.”
“Yes, Mother.”
The Sixth Prince’s sudden serious injury made Mo Jingqi’s already weak body deteriorate further. When the news reached Mo Jingqi’s ears, he couldn’t help but cough up blood. The imperial physicians present were secretly alarmed—the Emperor’s originally ashen, dark face suddenly gained some color and radiance, appearing more energetic. But these experienced imperial physicians all understood that this was the last radiance before death. They hurriedly signaled to those outside, asking people to notify the palace masters to come.
This time, Noble Consort Liu arrived the fastest. The reason was simple—naturally, because the most favored Noble Consort Liu lived closest to the Emperor’s sleeping palace.
The guards at the door no longer stopped her. As soon as Noble Consort Liu stepped into the hall, she was hit by the smell of blood, along with the decaying air of long illness, making her frown in disgust. Since Mo Jingqi had fallen ill, this was only the second time Noble Consort Liu had entered this sleeping chamber, and during this time, they hadn’t seen each other for several months.
“Your Majesty,” Noble Consort Liu called lightly.
Mo Jingqi stared at the cold-faced woman in white before him without turning his gaze, and after a long while finally waved his hand and said, “I have words to speak with Noble Consort Liu, all of you withdraw.”
Everyone responded and withdrew, leaving only Noble Consort Liu and Mo Jingqi in the empty sleeping chamber. One lying, one standing, they stood neither far nor near, looking at each other as if meeting for the first time. Mo Jingqi stared steadily at the woman before him, wanting to see even the slightest trace of emotion or movement in her cold eyes. But unfortunately, the result still left him utterly disappointed—Noble Consort Liu’s cold eyes were as calm as if the person lying before her wasn’t the emperor who had showered her with countless favors, but rather a stranger. No, there was still a trace of emotion in her eyes. That was disgust. The Mo Jingqi before her was emaciated almost beyond recognition, and there was a blood stain on the ground that palace maids hadn’t had time to clean up—everything made Noble Consort Liu extremely annoyed, so annoyed that she dropped even the slightest pretense of concealment from the past.
“You finally came,” Mo Jingqi finally spoke.
Noble Consort Liu slightly frowned and said, “Did Your Majesty not want this concubine to come?”
Mo Jingqi smiled bitterly and said, “I… truly didn’t want you to come… to come so quickly. Was Ruiyun injured by people you sent?”
Noble Consort Liu raised an eyebrow slightly, lifting her chin to look down at Mo Jingqi, and said lightly, “This shouldn’t be blamed on me.”
“Why do this?” Mo Jingqi asked, “I originally thought you didn’t care about anything. Now it seems… I was mistaken.”
Noble Consort Liu tilted her head looking at Mo Jingqi, slowly revealing a mocking smile, “Why do this? I want to ask Your Majesty, since you made my son Crown Prince, why do you still want to pass the throne to the Sixth Prince? What position does Your Majesty intend to put me and the Crown Prince in by doing this?” A trace of sorrow and coldness appeared in Mo Jingqi’s eyes, “It seems these years I’ve spoiled you too much. So you’ve forgotten one saying.”
“What saying?” Noble Consort Liu frowned.
“Both thunder and dew are the Emperor’s grace,” Mo Jingqi said. “The throne is mine, I will pass it to whomever I wish. I will make whoever I please Crown Prince. What I wish to give, you cannot refuse. What I don’t wish to give, you cannot take!” Noble Consort Liu was startled, her cold face showing a trace of displeasure. Proud as she was, except before Mo Xiuyao, she was accustomed to being above everyone else, including Mo Jingqi who was the sovereign of the nation. “What does Your Majesty mean by these words?”
Mo Jingqi smiled coldly, “What do I mean… I mean… even if you kill the Sixth Prince, I can still pass the throne to someone else. Even if you kill all the princes, I can still pass the throne to the imperial clan. As for your Crown Prince… don’t even think about it.”
“Why are you doing this?” Noble Consort Liu stared at Mo Jingqi, her beautiful face full of incomprehension as if Mo Jingqi had done something inconceivable.
Mo Jingqi burst into laughter, though the pain tearing through his chest made his laughter sound broken, “Why? Soon… soon you’ll know why. I haven’t treated you poorly these years, but how have you repaid me? Did you truly think my patience with you was unlimited? Heh heh… you want the Crown Prince to ascend the throne, but is it really for the Crown Prince’s sake? You want Mo Xiuyao… dream on! Even if I die… you’ll accompany me!”
“What do you mean?!” Noble Consort Liu exclaimed in shock and anger. Of course, she knew what Mo Jingqi meant. Although Great Chu didn’t practice burial sacrifices, there were one or two examples of emperors ordering their most beloved young consorts to be buried with them before death. She just couldn’t believe Mo Jingqi would have such thoughts. More importantly, she was unwilling to accept such a fate. She still had many things undone, she still wanted to gain Mo Xiuyao’s love and still wanted to become Princess Consort of Ding. How could she possibly be buried with Mo Jingqi?
Mo Jingqi chuckled and closed his eyes, speaking no more.
This further confirmed Noble Consort Liu’s suspicions. Her face was pale, her mind racing rapidly. After a while, she suddenly turned and hurried towards the hall’s exit, only to run straight into the Empress and others who had rushed over after receiving the news. The Empress frowned and said, “Noble Consort Liu, what are you doing?” Noble Consort Liu had no time for words with the Empress, merely glancing at her before departing without a word. The Empress frowned slightly but couldn’t be bothered to mind, leading people into the sleeping chamber.
News of the Emperor’s impending death naturally spread quickly. Within half an hour, the imperial clan members and high-ranking princes and princesses in the palace had all gathered in the Emperor’s sleeping chamber. The originally empty chamber was now crowded with people kneeling everywhere. Even elderly people like the Grand Princess and Duke Hua, as well as Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li whose status was now somewhat awkward and unique, had been invited over. However, unlike the princes and nobles kneeling everywhere, Mo Xiuyao wore casual white clothes with white hair, holding Ye Li’s hand and standing with the Grand Princess. His face naturally didn’t show the grief that others wore, whether genuine or fake.
After days of struggling, when death finally approached, things became much calmer. Mo Jingqi opened his eyes amidst the sobbing and crying, immediately spotting the most eye-catching Mo Xiuyao. He smiled faintly and said, “I knew you would still come to see me off.” Mo Xiuyao raised an eyebrow without speaking.
The Empress Dowager sitting at the bedside cried out, moving forward to grasp Mo Jingqi’s hand and saying tearfully, “My son, do you have anything to say to Mother?”
Mo Jingqi gave the Empress Dowager a strange smile, his gaze moving from her to Mo Jingli, the Empress, and others standing nearby. Noble Consort Liu had disappeared after running out and hadn’t been seen since, but Mo Jingqi wasn’t concerned about her whereabouts now. Finally, his gaze moved from Prime Minister Liu to the princes and princesses kneeling on the ground.
“Lele…”
Princess Lele naturally wasn’t among the princes and princesses. From childhood, Mo Jingqi had deeply loved this daughter, not just because she was the legitimate daughter of the main palace but also because she was intelligent, lively, and understanding. Even though Mo Jingqi favored Noble Consort Liu, her daughter Princess Zhenning was ranked after Princess Lele. But equally, he had been cruelest to this daughter, only because she was the Empress’s legitimate daughter, the granddaughter of the Hua family he was wary of, so he couldn’t keep her in the capital.
Hearing Mo Jingqi call their daughter’s name, the Empress turned away in grief. Veins throbbed on Duke Hua’s aged face for a moment, but he ultimately said nothing. Mo Xiaobao stood beside his father and mother, and although he didn’t quite understand what was happening, he could sense the sadness and solemnity. Looking up at Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li, he didn’t mention how Princess Lele was doing in Li City.
Finally, the Empress Dowager sighed, patting Mo Jingqi’s hand, and said, “Has Your Majesty forgotten? That girl Lele had the bad fortune, she went missing in Nanzhao.”
Mo Jingqi closed his eyes briefly, seemingly unhearing of the Empress Dowager’s words. Among those present, except for the three uninvolved people from Prince Ding’s mansion and the young princes and princesses who were still ignorant, everyone watched the seemingly dying man on the dragon bed with concern. Even though he was too weak to raise his hand, he could still determine the fate of most people present.
“Empress…” After a long while, Mo Jingqi finally called.
Hearing this, the Empress came forward and said, “Your Majesty, what are your instructions?”
Mo Jingqi no longer had the strength to speak loudly, raising his eyes to look at the Empress Dowager. The Empress Dowager, somewhat displeased, stood up to give her place to the Empress, awkwardly standing aside.
The Empress sat by the bed, calmly looking at Mo Jingqi, and asked, “What does Your Majesty wish to tell this concubine?”
Mo Jingqi struggled to raise his hand, pulling out a yellow silk cloth from under his pillow. With difficulty, he placed it in the Empress’s hands, saying, “Last… imperial edict.” Hearing this, everyone’s eyes contracted, fixed firmly on the yellow silk in the Empress’s hands. No one knew when Mo Jingqi had written the last imperial edict, or when he had placed it under his pillow.
“Grand Princess… Duke Hua… Prince Ding… as witnesses, Empress… read the edict…” Mo Jingqi said intermittently.
Hearing this, Mo Xiuyao raised an eyebrow with interest and smiled, “Good, this prince guarantees the Empress will read the edict smoothly.”
The Grand Princess also nodded and said, “Your Majesty, please rest assured.”
“This old subject obeys.”
As if completing a great task, Mo Jingqi sighed in relief, his complexion becoming worse. He said faintly to everyone, “You may leave… I want to be alone…”
Everyone was in a dilemma, not knowing whether they should withdraw.
Mo Jingli stared at Mo Jingqi with a dark expression, finally stepping forward to say, “Where is the child?”
Mo Jingqi looked at him with a smile, chuckling.
Mo Jingli said sternly, “This prince asks you where is the child?!”
Mo Jingqi just smiled without speaking, blood slowly and continuously flowing from his mouth.
“Mo Jingqi…” Mo Jingli couldn’t help but step forward to grab his collar, but the Empress Dowager quickly stopped him, “Li’er, what are you doing?” At this point, the Emperor had only one breath left, if Mo Jingli’s grab caused him to die right then, no matter what the cause of the Emperor’s death was, Mo Jingli wouldn’t escape the crime of regicide.
Mo Jingli knew he had been impulsive, but the whereabouts of his only son had eluded him despite all his efforts these days. If Mo Jingqi truly died, this only lead would be lost as well.
“Can’t Prince Li see? The Emperor of Chu clearly can no longer speak,” Mo Xiuyao said with a smile. Although it was somewhat discourteous to keep smiling when a nation’s sovereign was about to pass away, no one dared to call him disrespectful due to Mo Xiuyao’s status.
Mo Jingqi lay quietly on the bed, the blood from his mouth had stained the bedding and clothes around his neck dark red. His gaze remained fixed on Mo Jingli’s face with a strange smile. For some reason, seeing that smile made Mo Jingli’s heart grow increasingly cold.