Chapter 138
The emperor, who had not personally handled state affairs for a long time, rarely appeared in person. This time, he went out to the palace gates to receive the coffins and had the two caskets brought into the main hall of the palace.
The palace coroners were already waiting there, as was Imperial Concubine Rong.
Imperial Concubine Rong was dressed entirely in plain white, her former red makeup washed away by tears.
A white flower was pinned in her hair, swaying in the wind as though it might drift away at any moment.
The coroner stepped forward, carefully examined the remains for a while, and then reported his conclusion.
The emperor waved his hand, signaling for Imperial Concubine Rong to identify the bodies.
In ancient times, there was no genetic testing. Identifying a corpse relied solely on facial features.
If the body had been burned beyond recognition, identification could only be made through partially unburned clothing or personal tokens.
Imperial Concubine Rong stepped forward and took out one charred jade pendant from each of the two coffins.
Both jade pendants had been given by Imperial Concubine Rong herself, and Yuwen Jue and Lu Hanzhi each wore one as well.
Holding the two jade pendants in her hands, Imperial Concubine Rong finally broke down completely. Her heart shattered, and she tilted her head back and fainted.
Her personal senior palace maid, Er Ya, immediately caught her and cried out anxiously, “Quick—quickly summon the imperial physicians! Her Highness has fainted!”
This time, the emperor was unexpectedly attentive. He personally carried Imperial Concubine Rong back and summoned Chief Physician Lin.
After taking her pulse, Chief Physician Lin said only that she was grief-stricken and must not be subjected to any further stimulation.
The emperor had no choice but to issue an order forbidding anyone from disturbing Imperial Concubine Rong, allowing her to rest quietly.
Additionally, he instructed the eunuchs to draft an imperial edict, the general intent being to promote Lady Rong to the rank of Imperial Noble Concubine.
After the emperor left, Imperial Concubine Rong opened her eyes, which were still filled with deep worry.
This matter was no small thing. If they failed, heads would roll.
She heard from Er Ya that the emperor intended to elevate her rank.
Imperial Concubine Rong sighed. If her promotion came only because her son had died, then she would rather not have that honor at all.
Thinking of this, her heart grew unbearably cold.
She could understand that the emperor had lived in constant fear during his youth, tormented by powerful maternal relatives interfering in governance—he had been afraid.
But she could not understand a man who, out of fear of outside interference, would not even care about the life of his own son.
That man had begun to terrify her.
After leaving Chenxi Pavilion, the emperor went to Lihen Hall.
He himself did not know why he went there at that moment. In truth, he wanted more to go to Three Life Tomb to see Pingwu.
Unfortunately, it was already too late.
Moreover, since the ambush last time, he had never gone back to Three Life Tomb again.
Lihen Hall was overgrown with withered grass, bleak and chilling.
At the empress’s side, only a single senior palace maid remained.
At least she still had one loyal servant left. Otherwise, she would have had to take care of all her food and daily needs by herself.
As soon as the senior palace maid saw the emperor arrive, she bowed and withdrew.
Although it was already spring, Lihen Hall was still filled with a lingering chill.
The emperor looked at the empress, who no longer possessed even a trace of her former delicacy and beauty, and asked, “Has the empress been doing well lately?”
The empress neither knelt nor bowed. She simply sat there, embroidering in silence.
What she was embroidering was a phoenix—vivid and lifelike, rendered in brilliant, multicolored threads.
The empress had always been skilled at embroidery. In the past, more than half of the emperor’s undergarments had been personally embroidered by her.
Without lifting her head, she continued stitching as she replied, “Very well. With no trifling matters to trouble me, my heart has finally grown quiet.”
The emperor sighed and said, “Why must you suffer like this? I already said that I would pass the throne to the Crown Prince.”
The empress smiled faintly and finally set the phoenix aside. She said, “Is it really something that can be passed on simply because Your Majesty wishes it so?”
Growing impatient, the emperor said, “What do you mean by that? I came to see you, and this is how you mock me with cold sarcasm?”
The empress said, “I heard that Your Majesty intends to elevate Imperial Concubine Rong to Imperial Noble Concubine.”
The emperor glanced at her and said, “The empress receives news quickly indeed. I only just issued the decree, yet you already know. It seems that even while confined to the Cold Palace, the empress remains remarkably well-informed.”
The empress smiled and said, “Your Majesty wrongs me.”
That smile enraged the emperor. He said angrily, “Do you really think I know nothing of the things you’ve done? I know everything perfectly well!”
“Everything?” the empress pressed, staring at him. “Which matter is Your Majesty referring to?”
The emperor took a step back and said, “You are a madwoman!”
The empress continued smiling and said, “Yes, I am mad. In order to enter the palace, in order to become empress, I forced myself into madness. What a pity. I was empress for only a few months before Your Majesty deposed me and cast me into the Cold Palace. Still, I must count myself fortunate—at least my son is still alive. He was not deceived by Your Majesty into going to the battlefield, only to be brought back as a cold corpse.”
The emperor felt as though he had come merely to quarrel with her, yet he still hastily tried to defend himself. “I did not! I only sent them to gain experience. They volunteered themselves! As for the Fourth Prince’s death, I was deeply grieved as well!”
“Grieved?” the empress retorted. “I’m afraid Your Majesty was delighted beyond measure. From this day forward, the Rong clan has no support left. Imperial Concubine Rong’s biological son was forced by Your Majesty into becoming a Xiao Langjun. Her adopted son died on the battlefield. With the Rong clan’s million-strong army, they may wish to rebel, but they no longer have any justification to do so. Imperial Concubine Rong now has no heirs—why doesn’t Your Majesty simply make her empress? No matter how powerful the Rong clan is, in the end, at most they can produce an empress dowager. And what use is an empress dowager? Look at Empress Dowager Xiao, who once held power over the entire realm—what does she have now? Nothing but the emperor’s thin affection and cold indifference!”
The emperor could endure no more. He struck the empress with a slap, knocking her to the ground, and pointed at her as he roared, “Enough! Yin Liwu, do you truly think I would not dare to kill you?”
The empress looked at him, blood quickly seeping from the corner of her mouth.
Her eyes gleamed with a chilling light of indescribable meaning as she said, “Then kill me, Your Majesty. Why don’t you? Is it because of my brother? Hahaha, Your Majesty—you are the greatest joke I have ever seen. I truly cannot tell whether you loved my brother, or whether you loved this empire of yours more. If you loved my brother, then why… when you clearly knew someone wanted to harm him back then, did you remain indifferent?”
Shock filled the emperor’s eyes. He stepped forward and seized the empress by the throat, shouting, “What nonsense are you spouting? What nonsense are you spouting?!”
Her throat was gripped so tightly that she could only make hoarse, broken sounds.
Yet there was no submission in her gaze—only a bone-deep contempt radiating outward.
Fortunately, the senior palace maid rushed in just in time, kneeling before the emperor and knocking her head repeatedly against the floor, begging him to show mercy.
At last, the emperor seemed to regain his composure. He shoved the empress aside and turned away, sweeping his sleeves as he left.
The senior palace maid helped the empress up and cried, “Your Majesty, why must you suffer like this? Why provoke His Majesty? We still have the Crown Prince. As long as the Crown Prince remains, how could we fail to rise again? His Highness’s greatest rival has already fallen—it is only a matter of time before he holds great power. Even if things are hard now, as long as we preserve ourselves, there will be hope!”
The empress shook her head and said, “The Crown Prince… has already lost.”
The senior palace maid froze, then laughed. “Your Majesty must be joking. How could the Crown Prince lose? The entire court is busy discussing funeral arrangements for Prince An and Prince Chu’s consort. Everything is in chaos—it is only natural that His Majesty is in a bad mood. You must not provoke him again!”
The empress suddenly grabbed the palace maid and said urgently, “You—go and tell the Crown Prince. He must not act rashly. He must absolutely not provoke the Rong clan again!”
The palace maid did not understand and asked, “Your Majesty, are you speaking nonsense? Why would the Crown Prince provoke the Rong clan? Imperial Concubine Rong is lying in Zichen Palace right now—she probably wishes she were dead. We are clearly the victors. How could we have lost?”
But the empress seemed possessed, murmuring to herself, “It will not be that simple. He has returned. He has come back for revenge. He… brother… brother, I’m sorry. I was wrong! It wasn’t me—it wasn’t me who wanted to take it from you! It was… it was Mother. Mother said that only if she told the emperor to marry me would the Yin family give him their full support. Otherwise, the Yin family would… merely stand by and watch.”
The senior palace maid felt afraid. She feared that if the empress remained confined any longer, she would truly lose her sanity.
But she had no choice. She could only continue serving her carefully, hoping that nothing would go wrong—only then would she have fulfilled her duty of loyalty.
At Prince An’s residence, the mourning hall was fully erected.
At this time, there were not many people at Prince An’s residence. The ministers had all entered the palace, and it was not yet time for the inner household women to visit.
Inside the room, Lu Hanzhi and Yuwen Jue each sat holding a child in their arms. Beside them sat Madam Lu, her eyes red and swollen from crying.
Madam Lu scolded them while the two younger ones listened. “Are the two of you determined to torment us old folks to death? You had perfectly good lives—why insist on getting involved in these head-losing affairs day after day? If something truly goes wrong, do you want us white-haired elders to send off black-haired youths?”
Lu Hanzhi felt like crying but had no tears left—this was the consequence of keeping things hidden from the elders.
Originally, everyone had kept the matter from her, afraid that once she found out, she would not be able to bear it.
But when the bodies of Lu Xuzhi and Yuwen Jue were escorted back to the capital, paper money fluttered through the streets like snowflakes. At that point, it was impossible to hide anything.
Madam Lu ran into Prince An’s residence crying, only to see her daughter-in-law and youngest son chatting and laughing, comparing whose baby was fatter.
Did these two have no conscience at all? At a time like this, they still had the mood to compare whose child was chubbier?
Just as she was about to get angry and strike her son, the two of them finally told her the truth.
Madam Lu felt that at her age—already in her forties—she would sooner or later be tormented to death by these children.
Fortunately, her body was still fairly strong. Otherwise, she really might have been angered into illness by them.
Madam Lu asked, “Does your mother concubine know about this?”
The two of them, each holding a baby, nodded at the same time.
Madam Lu sighed and said, “I really don’t know what to say about you all. And you—Han’er! Can you stop acting on impulse all the time? Last time, you quietly ran off to the Western Border, and when you came back, you even lied to me, saying you went sightseeing in Jiangnan! Ha—sightseeing in Jiangnan? If your second sister-in-law hadn’t told me the truth, I would have beaten you myself!”
Lu Hanzhi acted spoiled, leaning against Madam Lu’s shoulder as he said, “Mother, you can’t hit me—don’t hurt your grandson!”
Madam Lu stared in shock at his belly, and her anger flared even more.
Did this little bastard not know what it meant to behave properly?
Running around everywhere as a Xiao Langjun was bad enough—but running around everywhere while pregnant? What exactly was he thinking?
Lu Hanzhi dodged away, and Yuwen Jue said helplessly, “Mother, Hanzhi… he knows he was wrong. You… you should stop being angry.”
When Madam Lu heard her daughter-in-law plead for him, she withdrew her hand and sighed. “I’ll let it go—for your second sister-in-law’s sake…”
Lu Hanzhi sniffed and said, “Mother… you’re biased!”
As soon as his words fell, a young servant hurried in, running so hard that he was gasping for breath. He nearly tripped at the doorway, and before he could steady himself, he shouted, “Your Highnesses, something terrible has happened—the streets are full of cavalry!”
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