Having clear intentions of usurping the throne while pretending to be loyal to the country and emperor was truly laughable.
“You… don’t even think about it!” he declared, his voice carrying supreme authority.
The Seventh Prince raised an eyebrow: “In that case, your son must be unfilial!” Just as he was about to reach for the imperial tablet to command the troops, a voice suddenly called from outside: “Wait!”
It was as if time itself had frozen at that moment. The voice, carrying familiar arrogance and frigidity, cut through like a bitter wind from the depths of winter, striking at everyone’s hearts. At the great hall’s entrance stood a figure in snow-white robes, with dark hair and cold eyes, like a jade-faced Asura stepping out of a cold scroll painting, approaching with measured steps.
“Your… Your Highness!” stammered a minister standing among the court officials, his eyes filled with disbelief. The Empress Dowager’s face turned deathly pale, her eyes flickering with uncertainty. The Seventh Prince was dumbfounded – he had sent many spies, and all reports confirmed that Fu Yunxi had truly died. He hadn’t doubted it, for how could someone who was already in a coffin and about to be buried suddenly appear? Though he couldn’t understand how Fu Yunxi had returned from death, the Seventh Prince knew that he and Empress Dowager had chosen to act precisely because Fu Yunxi was dead and no longer a threat. Now that Fu Yunxi had reappeared, he suddenly had a premonition of his destruction.
“Seize him!” the Seventh Prince shouted.
However, no one heeded his command. Even his subordinates remained motionless, their gazes fixed on Fu Yunxi.
The Seventh Prince grew anxious, and he wasn’t the only one who sensed something amiss – the Empress Dowager did too. She said, “Yunxi, you’re not dead? Why do you have so many guards with you? You’re frightening me…”
Fu Yunxi cast her a cold glance before addressing the Emperor: “The Western Rong has been defeated. General Cheng now guards the city gates. The city is secure.”
The Empress Dowager stumbled, nearly losing her balance. “The Western Rong were defeated?”
The Emperor clapped his hands and laughed: “I knew Cheng Lei could do it. Yunxi, you’ve worked hard these past few days.”
Listening to their casual conversation, even a fool could understand they had fallen into a trap. The Empress Dowager forced a smile: “That’s wonderful news. The Great Song Dynasty has avoided danger.”
“Empress Dowager and Seventh Prince conspired with the Western Rong, coordinating from within and without, committing treason. Take them to the dungeons and await trial!” As Fu Yunxi finished speaking, the guards behind him surged forward to apprehend the Empress Dowager and Seventh Prince. The Empress Dowager struggled: “False accusations! Your Majesty, these are false accusations! How dare you lay hands on me! I never conspired with the enemy! Prince Xuanqing, do you have any evidence?”
The Seventh Prince joined in the shouting: “That’s right, Uncle, do you have any evidence of our alleged treason?”
Fu Yunxi coldly replied: “Would enemy correspondence count as evidence?”
Now it was the Empress Dowager and her conspirators’ turn to be stunned – how could Fu Yunxi have their letters? They naturally didn’t know what role Zhuo Qi had played in all this, otherwise they wouldn’t have been so shocked.
The Empress Dowager howled in desperation: “Release me! I am the Empress Dowager! This is rebellion!” She had spent half her life plotting this, hating that this woman’s children had become Emperor and a powerful prince. They had been thorns in her side, and just when she thought she could remove them, everything fell apart at the final moment. How could she accept this?
“Father, your son was wrong, Father! Please spare your son’s life!” the Seventh Prince began to plead. The crime of treason carried an automatic death sentence, especially for the ringleader. He didn’t want to die – his ambitions remained unfulfilled. The Emperor had always treated him well; surely pleading for mercy, given their father-son relationship, might spare his life.
Unfortunately, even as the Seventh Prince and Empress Dowager were led away, the Emperor didn’t utter a single word.
“Your humble servant has not failed your command,” said Fu Yunxi.
“You did well,” the Emperor replied, returning to his elevated position and gazing down at the trembling court officials.
Crisis is a touchstone that immediately distinguishes between loyalty and treachery.
After performing this long charade, they had finally caught everyone in one net. It was time to settle accounts.
Time flowed like water, covering all undercurrents. The capital returned to peace. If not for the public execution three days later, people might have thought the Western Rong’s attack on the Great Song and the Seventh Prince and Empress Dowager’s rebellion were merely a dream.
But reality proved it wasn’t a dream. When loyalty and treachery were revealed, the Emperor purged the court officials and implemented sweeping reforms. Those harboring ulterior motives who had allied with the Empress Dowager and Seventh Prince were thoroughly eliminated without mercy. The Duke of Wei’s entire family, for instance, had nine generations exterminated.
Zhuang Shiyang was also implicated and immediately exiled to the frontier for hard labor. Though they called it hard labor, the journey was so long and treacherous that many lost their lives on the distant road, especially someone like Zhuang Shiyang who was used to a comfortable life.
Sure enough, after just one day, news came that Zhuang Shiyang had died of severe illness en route. Though this was the official statement, what happened went without saying. When Han Yan heard this news, she felt nothing. She thought she would be happy since Zhuang Shiyang was her enemy from her previous life, who had caused her mother’s death and allowed the wives and concubines in his household to bully her, but she wasn’t.
She thought she would feel melancholic since Zhuang Shiyang had after all given her a safe place to live in the Zhuang family for over ten years, but she didn’t. She simply accepted the fact calmly. She suddenly realized that for people irrelevant to her life, even emotions were superfluous.
As for the Empress Dowager’s evil deeds, including secretly harming Consort Jing in the palace, all were announced to the public. The people couldn’t help but sigh for the Emperor and Prince Xuanqing. The Emperor, considering she was still the late Emperor’s primary wife, granted her an intact burial. The Seventh Prince suffered the worst fate – as a son who raised a blade against his father, as a subject who betrayed his ruler and corresponded with enemy nations, he had committed the gravest crimes. He was sentenced to death by a thousand cuts and denied burial in the imperial tombs. On the day of the Seventh Prince’s execution, many citizens gathered to watch, but none felt sympathy for him. Using any means to compete for the throne was one thing, but selling out one’s own country was what truly enraged the people.
Han Yan didn’t go to watch that day.
Ji Lan said, “Miss, shall we go take a look?” The Seventh Prince had done so much harm to their mistress in secret, and now he was finally being punished. Evil people getting their just deserts should have been satisfying to witness.
“If you want to go, go by yourself,” Han Yan smiled, but the smile didn’t reach her eyes. She didn’t appear particularly happy.
Shu Hong cast a worried glance at Han Yan. Naturally, Han Yan couldn’t be happy. Though the Empress Dowager and Seventh Prince’s matter was concluded, Fu Yunxi’s cold poison still hadn’t been cured. As time passed day by day, Fu Yunxi’s condition grew increasingly severe. How could Han Yan be at peace? But they weren’t divine physicians – they couldn’t help at all in this matter.