Chapter 254
Inside the Empress Dowager’s sleeping quarters.
Other concubines were crowded inside, trembling in fear and crying incessantly. Concubine Xu and the Empress Dowager were kneeling in the Buddhist hall, praying fervently. Jing Rouyin also sat there because she knew that staying by the Empress Dowager’s side was the safest option.
Lin Qingyang naturally stayed by Concubine Xu’s side with the Fourth Prince.
He found that the guards around Concubine Xu were all skilled, but they also maintained a basic distance. They stayed outside for the moment and did not guard against him, which made things much easier for him.
Lin Qingyang’s gaze focused on Concubine Xu. No matter how he looked at her, she seemed like a gentle and fragile pregnant woman. Honestly, he really didn’t want Chu Lishu’s suspicions to come true. After all, in his view, Concubine Xu was just a cannon fodder who was killed suddenly in the original plot. Moreover, usually she gave off a warm feeling just like Xu Wenze. If such a person turned out to be malicious, how deep must their scheming be?
Even if Chu Lishu’s suspicions were ultimately proven correct, Lin Qingyang could only think that at most, Concubine Xu was obeying her father’s orders, using the child in her belly as a wager.
Lost in his own thoughts, the Fourth Prince leaned against Lin Qingyang and couldn’t help but cry. “I’m so worried about Mother Consort. She’s all alone in the Cold Palace. What if something happens to her? They say it’s… it’s really Grandfather and Uncle Zhao rebelling, right? Isn’t rebellion punishable by death?” The Fourth Prince seemed like a child who had done something wrong, feeling guilty and sad.
Lin Qingyang could only look at the Fourth Prince helplessly. After all, in such a situation, he didn’t know how to comfort him either.
As they were talking, the sound of the guards outside came forward to report that they were going to take away the Fourth Prince.
The Fourth Prince was somewhat afraid; he dared not face the Emperor now.
And when the Emperor sought him out at this moment, everyone could guess why.
In the end, he was going to use his own son as a hostage.
Lin Qingyang naturally didn’t have the authority to keep the Fourth Prince behind. With tears in his eyes and head hung low, the Fourth Prince walked slowly along. Lin Qingyang felt uneasy watching him. Suddenly, a strange sensation arose, and Lin Qingyang instantly grabbed the Fourth Prince’s arm and asked, “Wait, is there an imperial decree from His Majesty?”
The four guards were all momentarily stunned, their expressions unnatural as they explained, “The situation is urgent, and His Majesty did not…”
Lin Qingyang had already pulled the Fourth Prince back, and suddenly Concubine Xu spoke up, “Something’s not right. I haven’t seen you around His Majesty. Who are you under?”
As soon as she said this, the four men instantly made a move, and the guards outside the door rushed in upon hearing the commotion.
Lin Qingyang wielded a dagger, retreating with the Fourth Prince to stand by Concubine Xu and the Empress Dowager. The Fourth Prince also took out a dagger to defend himself. Though young and prone to tears when faced with adversity, he had been taught by Lin Qingyang and Chu Lishu and could withstand challenges when needed.
Concubine Xu’s guards completely overwhelmed the opposition. In no time, they had completely subdued the four men.
Lin Qingyang glanced sideways at Concubine Xu, his expression already changing. He quietly approached her, tightening his grip on the dagger.
It was normal for the Empress Dowager to remain calm in a crisis, but Concubine Xu’s temperament, not showing any signs of being frightened until now… He should have realized it earlier, especially considering the martial skills of her guards, which were clearly not typical of palace guards, but more akin to… assassins, every move deadly.
It turned out that the people who came for the Fourth Prince looked more like palace guards.
“Who are you people!” the Empress Dowager demanded, her anger evident at the chaotic situation before her.
“Could it be sent by Prime Minister Li?”
Concubine Xu asked in a low voice.
If they were sent by Prime Minister Li, it meant they were here to rescue the Fourth Prince, so what they just did… the situation was indeed delicate.
The Empress Dowager’s gaze sharpened. “If you won’t talk, fine. Drag them out and kill them right away. Don’t dirty the Buddha hall of our mourning.” At this point, she was completely different from her usual self. Her imposing and domineering stance was more reminiscent of what Chu Lishu used to describe—a formidable Empress Dowager who assisted two emperors in governing the realm.
As soon as she finished speaking, a voice sounded from the doorway, “At times like this, let’s refrain from killing each other.”
Hearing this familiar voice, the first person to be startled was surprisingly Jing Rouyin.
As everyone turned their attention, two figures appeared at the doorway: Yuan Ye and Empress Cheng.
The Empress Dowager’s gaze swept over them and settled on Yuan Ye. “You managed to escape…”
Yuan Ye’s voice was cold. “The entire palace is in chaos. Should I have stayed there and waited to die?” His gaze swept over the crowd, finally landing fiercely on Jing Rouyin. Jing Rouyin instantly wanted to flee in fear, but Yuan Ye grabbed her by the hair as he approached. “Worthless woman! We meet again.”
“Let go of me! Let go of me!” Jing Rouyin immediately screamed.
Yuan Ye’s voice was cold. “Don’t worry, I won’t kill you. After all, you still carry my child in your belly, and I believe you have the phoenix’s fate. So, I will take you with me to escape, and we’ll settle the score later.”
“No… I don’t want to go. Let go of me!” Jing Rouyin broke down into loud sobs.
Yuan Ye, however, was annoyed. He slapped Jing Rouyin twice hard to shut her up.
The commotion here went unnoticed as everyone focused on their own dramas.
Empress Cheng, whose health wasn’t good, looked as pale as a corpse. “Mother Empress, the situation is dire now. Prime Minister Li and Zhao Cheng have already broken in. We plan to take the Fourth Prince hostage and borrow five hundred guards from you to escort us out. Don’t worry about being unfilial as daughter-in-law; we’ll take you with us.”
“Forget about being filial or not,” the Empress Dowager scoffed. “Look at the palace; we barely have twenty guards altogether. Where would you get five hundred from?”
“I’m aware,” Empress Cheng narrowed her eyes. “Your golden hairpin can directly command five hundred imperial guards. Give us the hairpin, and we can leave.”
The Empress Dowager couldn’t help but burst into laughter. “At a time like this, you mother and son are quite united, disregarding even the Emperor’s safety, just to mobilize troops for yourselves. If you get them, won’t there be fewer people on the Emperor’s side? Do you want to watch the Emperor die?”
Empress Cheng and her son didn’t like hearing this. “The Emperor has already shown us no mercy. Should we still care about these matters? Let me be blunt with you: when we arrived, we found that the palace’s defenses couldn’t withstand the rebel army. It’s only a matter of time before it’s breached. Moreover, the Emperor did indeed send someone to take this boy as a hostage. It’s just that those guards who came were unfortunate enough to encounter the rebels on the way and were accidentally killed. That’s why we came afterward.”
Upon hearing this, the Fourth Prince’s face turned pale. He suddenly understood his situation, and his hand holding the dagger became too weak to lift.
Yuan Ye first pushed away the crying and resisting Jing Rouyin before speaking, “His situation is dire. Imperial Grandmother, if you want to stay alive, you’d better come with us.”
“We truly appreciate your kindness,” the Empress Dowager retorted sarcastically. “But it’s a pity. Do you see a golden hairpin on my head? Well before this incident, I had already sent the golden hairpin to the Emperor. If you want to request reinforcements, you’ll have to go to him.”
“You!” Empress Cheng was instantly furious.
“I don’t believe it!” Yuan Ye immediately shouted, as if he wanted to step forward and search for himself.
But here, there were not only Concubine Xu’s guards but also the Empress Dowager’s own guards, who wouldn’t easily let them approach.
Yuan Ye’s expression darkened. He wanted to try to find the whereabouts of the golden hairpin, but there was no golden hairpin on the Empress Dowager’s hair; there was only the ceremonial phoenix crown, a symbol of her status.
“Take your own guards and save yourselves. The Fourth Prince is my grandson. Unless there’s an imperial decree from the Emperor, you can’t take him,” the Empress Dowager said, seeming to be too tired to argue further with them. She turned to kneel again and continued praying to the Buddha.
Empress Cheng and her son were naturally furious. Without the golden hairpin and with the Fourth Prince as their only leverage, they hesitated but had no choice but to temporarily stay and think of other ways. However, the increasing commotion outside made them increasingly restless and anxious.
Yuan Ye vented almost all of his anger on Jing Rouyin. She could only desperately plead for help, even revealing many secrets, especially about the mysterious person who had been helping her. Lin Qingyang narrowed his eyes, but Yuan Ye remained unconvinced, continuing to beat her mercilessly, focusing his blows everywhere except her stomach.
Seeing a man beating a woman still made Lin Qingyang uncomfortable, so he spoke up, “If you have this much energy, wouldn’t it be better to save it for the rebels who will come next? If you really can’t bear to let go of your desire for revenge, just kill her directly. What’s the point of all this torture?”
Yuan Ye’s fierce gaze instantly turned towards Lin Qingyang. “You little brat… I ended up like this, you and Chu Lishu must have had a hand in it, right? I haven’t taken revenge on you yet…”
Lin Qingyang directly brandished the dagger, speaking coldly, “You can try!”
Yuan Ye was seething with anger, his breath coming out like that of a raging bull, his eyes almost popping out of his sockets. But being afraid of death, he ultimately didn’t make a move.
Lin Qingyang couldn’t help but sneer at the scene. “Although it might not be appropriate to say this now, I’m really curious. I’ve heard about the grace and charm of the former Crown Prince Yuan Ran. If he were still here, I wonder if today’s situation would still be the same. I have to say, Yuan Ye, you really can’t compare to Crown Prince Yuan Ran.”
Yuan Ran was suddenly startled, and everyone present couldn’t help but tremble at the mention of Crown Prince Yuan Ran’s name.
“Are you insane? Who are you talking about?”
“Anyway, the future is uncertain, so does it matter who we talk about?” Lin Qingyang couldn’t help but feel sorry for Chu Lishu when he saw Empress Cheng and Yuan Ye, and naturally he couldn’t resist speaking up for him. “It’s said that Crown Prince Yuan Ran respected Empress Cheng and loved his younger brother dearly. Who would have thought… Who would have thought that now even his name can’t be mentioned?”
Suddenly, the Empress Dowager spoke up, “Young man of the Lin family, you’re speaking too much. The outcome of the current situation is still uncertain. Bringing up that person again is tantamount to offending the royal family.”
The Empress Dowager warned him not to think that Prime Minister Li had the upper hand, so they would be able to escape unscathed. In case the Emperor emerged victorious, based on what he had just said, the Emperor wouldn’t easily let him off either.
Lin Qingyang felt sorry for Chu Lishu and couldn’t help but want to retort sarcastically. However, his retort was interrupted by Empress Cheng, who suddenly broke down emotionally.
But Empress Cheng’s outburst wasn’t directed at Lin Qingyang; it was aimed at the Empress Dowager, who had been praying all along.
Empress Cheng watched the Empress Dowager devoutly praying, feeling a deep sense of irony. She angrily rebuked, “Praying, praying, do you think merely praying to the Buddha can absolve you of your sins? Everything that happened today is all because of you. Why can’t we mention Yuan Ran? Don’t forget, you are the one responsible for Yuan Ran’s death!”
The Empress Dowager stiffened, not turning back, but remained kneeling with her back straight in front of the Buddha statue.
But everyone else was stunned.
Concubine Xu stood behind the Fourth Prince silently, listening. Jing Rouyin and Yuan Ye both widened their eyes, while Lin Qingyang was left bewildered.
What’s going on?
What did Empress Cheng mean by her words? How is the incident involving Yuan Ran related to the Empress Dowager? Wasn’t she just going with the flow?
Wasn’t it the fear of the foreign alliances about the prophecy, the three major families’ apprehension about Yuan Ran’s policies, and Prince Ning’s own fear of being implicated by the prophecy, as well as his ambition for the throne, that led to all the tragedies?
“What are you talking about, Queen Mother?” Yuan Ye exclaimed.
The Empress Dowager silently turned around, looking at Empress Cheng with a cold gaze from top to bottom. “Has Empress Cheng gone mad? What nonsense are you spouting?”
The Empress Dowager was warning her that revealing the truth from back then would benefit no one, especially with so many people present.
However, Concubine Xu suddenly interjected, “Speaking of Crown Prince Yuan Ran, he did cause a lot of trouble back then, but wasn’t he killed in battle? How can you say he was murdered? Is Empress Cheng really suffering from delusions, talking nonsense?”
Concubine Xu’s words caused Lin Qingyang’s perception of her to undergo a drastic change. He could only listen to everyone speaking while remaining wary of Concubine Xu.
Empress Cheng had initially intended to endure it, but upon hearing Concubine Xu’s words, she suddenly realized how outsiders might perceive her as the mother of that “monster” Yuan Ran, bearing the burden of guilt. Yet, who could understand that she was actually the most innocent one? Finally, Empress Cheng couldn’t contain herself any longer and shouted, “The culprit behind the events of that year and the chaos of today is none other than the Empress Dowager!”
“Empress Cheng!” The Empress Dowager tried to interject sternly, but she couldn’t stop someone who had reached their breaking point.
“If it weren’t for you telling Prince Ning, he wouldn’t have wanted to kill Yuan Ran. If Yuan Ran were still alive, with his abilities, we wouldn’t have ended up like this!”
Perhaps now she was the rightful Empress Dowager, so why would she encounter such things?
Finally, the Empress Dowager spoke coldly, “A woman who lost her chastity before marriage, who still harbors feelings for her younger brother-in-law after entering the palace, and gave birth to an illegitimate child—what right does such a despicable person have to judge my actions? Everything I’ve done has been for the sake of the Great Zhou!” As she spoke, the Empress Dowager stood up, her imposing aura instantly intimidating everyone present.
Empress Cheng paused for a moment, then her face flushed with anger and shame. “Stop lying! Over the years, I’ve also come to realize the truth. Yes, it’s true, I didn’t keep my chastity. But that’s because I was supposed to marry Prince Ning from the beginning, not enter the palace. You forced me into the palace to bear children for my infertile sister’s sake, and forcing me to bear Yuan Ran was a way to ruin me. And then you lied again, deceiving Prince Ning, who was ambitious and dissatisfied, into thinking Yuan Ran was his son. You made him feel guilty for betraying his brother, willingly giving up rebellion and devoting himself to Yuan Ran’s upbringing.”
Initially, Empress Cheng was still a woman immersed in love, afraid of losing Prince Ning’s affection. That’s why she agreed to keep the secret with him. Later, no one in the palace paid attention to her, giving her the opportunity to give birth to Yuan Ye.
Yuan Ye became anxious. He didn’t want anyone else to know that he was Prince Ning’s illegitimate son.
Empress Cheng turned to Yuan Ye and spoke bluntly, “In fact, the former Emperor never sought me out after Yuan Ran. He knew you were Prince Ning’s child. Although he wasn’t close to you, he treated you well. Perhaps he had insight into many things. Originally, things could have been peaceful like this. After all, Yuan Ran was so outstanding, and everything would have been fine in the future. Even though I disliked him, I had to admit that he would be a good emperor. But it was this old hag who, for her own selfish desires, shattered everything. She told Prince Ning the truth, which made him furious and led to his plotting, uniting with others to scheme Yuan Ran’s death! She even caused the deaths of so many innocent people. That’s why she hides in the temple, praying and chanting scriptures every day, because she feels guilty!”
The Empress Dowager began to tremble all over, clearly unwilling to hear about the events of the past. “Everything I’ve done has been for the sake of the Great Zhou. Whether it was lying before or confessing later, even if it meant apologizing to Yuan Ran, it was all for the peace of the Great Zhou. You knew about the prophecy. You should know that my actions were justified.”
“Nonsense prophecy! Did it say he would destroy the Yuan clan? Destroy the Great Zhou? Then why didn’t you kill Yuan Ran when he was still a baby if you believed in it? Wasn’t it because you didn’t believe it either? If it weren’t for Yuan Ran and the late emperor wiping out your Xie family, would you have suddenly changed your mind? You simply wanted revenge on Yuan Ran. You told Prince Ning the truth to avenge your Xie family. You disrupted the balance!”
When it came to this point,
Everyone quieted down, only able to hear Empress Cheng’s heavy breathing.
And Lin Qingyang’s entire brain came to a halt.
What had he just heard?
Was this the truth of this whole world?
The prophecy emerged, the royal family didn’t believe it. To prevent Prince Ning from rebelling, the Empress Dowager lied to him, claiming Yuan Ran was his son. Things remained peaceful for over a decade. However, when Yuan Ran exterminated the Xie clan for the sake of the country, the Empress Dowager harbored resentment. She informed Prince Ning of the truth. Both mother and son used the prophecy as an excuse to block their own selfish desires, claiming it was for the Great Zhou and the Yuan clan, but in reality, it was for themselves.
A grandmother, an uncle, desperately plotting against a younger relative. Was Yuan Ran truly killed like this?
Lin Qingyang’s gaze remained fixed on the Empress Dowager, waves of resentment surging through him. Yuan Ran’s actions against the Xie clan were justified. The Empress Dowager failed to control her own maternal family, so why blame Yuan Ran?
Neither he nor Chu Lishu had ever imagined that the root cause of this incident would also involve the Empress Dowager.
At this moment, the Empress Dowager took a deep breath but persisted, “I acted for the sake of the Great Zhou. Yuan Ran indeed began resembling the figure in the prophecy more and more. I had to be cautious. Besides, did you really think everything would remain peaceful forever? That’s too naive. When Prince Ning realized he couldn’t control his nephew, but rather be controlled by him, it would be the moment when the balance was disrupted. I just took the opportunity to intervene before Yuan Ran fully embodied the prophecy.”
Was she refusing to admit her wrongdoing, even in the face of all this evidence? Watching the Empress Dowager’s demeanor, Empress Cheng felt even more aggrieved. “You… you…”
“So it’s because you have a guilty conscience that you seek solace with the Buddha day and night,” Lin Qingyang suddenly spoke up.
The Empress Dowager was taken aback, her eyes filled with astonishment as she looked at Lin Qingyang.
Lin Qingyang smiled faintly but his eyes were cold and merciless. “So, this is the truth that’s so shocking. It turns out that it happened like this back then… But you, Empress Dowager, keep insisting you have nothing to hide. Perhaps, in your minds, sacrificing Crown Prince Yuan Ran for the sake of your so-called prophecy seemed justified. But in reality, you destroyed a wise heir that the whole nation praised. You also caused the war between Tianheng Kingdom and the Great Zhou Dynasty, with two hundred thousand soldiers at the border and millions of innocent civilians in three cities. So many lost souls…”
Lin Qingyang gazed at the gradually pale face of the Empress Dowager, then turned to the towering Buddha statue behind him and said, “Can these statues bear the weight of it all?”
The Empress Dowager almost lost her footing because of Lin Qingyang’s words. She spent most of her time every day on this, hoping that her devotion could cleanse her sins. But she also understood that perhaps even a lifetime of devotion could not make up for it. She didn’t want to admit that it was all her fault. She preferred to believe that she carried these sins for the sake of the prophecy, for the sake of righteousness…
“Why… are you speaking up for him?” The Empress Dowager couldn’t help but ask.
Lin Qingyang chuckled, “I’m just standing from the perspective of the people of this world. I accidentally stumbled upon the truth and just asked a reasonable question. After all, we all grew up hearing stories of Crown Prince Yuan Ran, hoping for such a wise ruler to lead Great Zhou to become the strongest nation. But who would have thought… if you had done nothing back then, who knows what the situation would be like now? Surely Crown Prince Yuan Ran wouldn’t suddenly turn against his own family and country like that.”
The Empress Dowager, Empress Cheng, and Yuan Ye all had unpleasant expressions, almost frozen in place. They couldn’t bear to hear Lin Qingyang’s words, which were essentially proving how wrong they were.
Jing Rouyin suddenly broke down and shouted, “It’s you… So it was all your doing. You caused Yuan Ran’s death, and indirectly ruined my life too!”
Facing such accusations, the expressions of several people twisted in agony.
Lin Qingyang also looked at them coldly, feeling nothing but endless heartache for Chu Lishu. These people didn’t deserve to be Chu Lishu’s family. They didn’t deserve it!
“Indeed, it’s quite unexpected and surprising,” suddenly remarked Concubine Xu. “But it seems like now is not the time for this discussion. There’s fire outside, and our situation might be getting more dangerous, isn’t it?”
With that said, no matter how heavy the topic or how much blame was exchanged, it all became meaningless. After all, life was the most important.
Empress Cheng and Yuan Ye glanced at each other. Yuan Ye quickly turned to the Empress Dowager and angrily exclaimed, “Imperial Grandmother, if we don’t find a way out soon, we might all end up dead. The Emperor might not even care about us anymore!”
The Empress Dowager was about to speak when Concubine Xu suddenly interjected again, “The Empress Dowager has already stated that the Golden Hairpin is not here but with the Emperor. Unless you infiltrate the Emperor’s Qin Zheng Palace and steal the Golden Hairpin, there’s no point in intimidating us here.”
Empress Cheng and Yuan Ye seemed to have been enlightened by Concubine Xu’s words. They immediately turned around and left with their four guards, dragging the screaming Jing Rouyin along. They no longer wanted to engage with them.
At that moment, the Empress Dowager turned her gaze towards Concubine Xu, who was just about to speak with a smile.
The guards around the Empress Dowager moved to intervene, but Concubine Xu’s guards were even more agile, and the two sides instantly confronted each other.
“Empress Dowager, what are you doing…”
“Well, Concubine Xu, I underestimated you. Why did you deceive them into going to the Emperor? What role are you playing in this whole affair?!”
“I suppose… the role of a venomous snake,” Lin Qingyang suddenly spoke up. Taking advantage of the confrontation between the guards, he swiftly wrapped his arm tightly around Concubine Xu,’s neck and pressed a dagger against her, assuming a posture of absolute coercion. Even if the opponent was a top expert, they wouldn’t be quicker than Lin Qingyang in rescuing someone.
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