Outside the hall, Noble Consort Xiao Liu wept bitterly, every cry like blood.
Inside the hall, the Eldest Princess was both indignant and heartbroken. “Royal Brother! Are our sufferings fake? Is the fact that Princess Consort Lu and I were separated for decades fake? Or is it fake that I thought my child was dead, and every New Year’s Eve, when families reunite and lanterns light up every home, I spent it in grief—was that pain fake too?”
She questioned him word by word, leaving Emperor Yongchang completely unable to respond.
He felt as though his heart had been split in two— One half clung to Liu Wangfei and his younger sister, aching for all they had endured these years, and filled with hatred for what Duke Chu and the others had done.
But the other half of his heart had flown to Noble Consort Xiao Liu, outside the hall.
Her health had never been good. When she gave birth to their youngest child, Mingcheng, she had bled heavily and nearly lost her life.
And now there was Mingcheng—still so young. To suddenly face such upheaval, how terrified must she be right now?
Even Baorong— That girl was the most sensitive and perceptive of all…
On New Year’s Eve, when the entire nation was celebrating, Emperor Yongchang found himself unable to make a choice.
Lu Mingan and the Eldest Princess knelt on the floor. Neither said a word.
But the wound on Lu Mingan’s shoulder, caused by Lu Minghui’s sword, was still seeping blood.
After a long silence, Emperor Yongchang finally called for Lai Chenglong to come in.
Lai Chenglong entered and immediately saw the corpse of Duke Chu lying on the floor.
With his extensive experience in killing, he could tell at a glance that the man was utterly and completely dead.
But this wasn’t surprising. Noble Consort Xiao Liu had already changed into mourning clothes and removed her hairpins to beg for mercy—clearly the situation was beyond saving.
Emperor Yongchang spoke in a low voice: “Go… and invite Wangfei.”
Liu Wangfei had already been brought to the palace earlier. But just now, Xiao Mo had refused to enter Taiji Hall. Not wanting to provoke him, the emperor had allowed Liu Wangfei to remain in a side hall with him.
Lai Chenglong quietly acknowledged the order and quickly went to the side hall to bring her.
The night was heavy and deep. The glazed tiles, which usually sparkled dazzlingly in daylight, had lost their luster.
Only the long, seemingly endless corridor was filled with hanging lanterns. As the wind stirred them, Noble Consort Xiao Liu looked up and saw a familiar face.
Liu Wangfei was holding Xiao Mo’s hand. She too had seen Noble Consort Xiao Liu.
Their gazes met. Noble Consort Xiao Liu let out a sob and burst into tears, crawling on her knees to clutch Liu Wangfei’s robe as she cried aloud: “Sister, I beg you, please, show mercy—spare my father and mother, I beg you!”
In the middle of winter, she wore nothing but a plain inner garment and mourning attire.
With her face bare of makeup, her delicate features appeared even more refined.
Liu Wangfei shook her off without hesitation.
“You can come begging me now only because I once ate grass roots, chewed tree bark, hid in filthy ditches, and slept in cow pens—only then did I get a chance to return to the capital.” Liu Wangfei looked down at her. “But have you ever thought—did any of you ever give me a chance?”
She was no saint—she could not return hatred with kindness.
The empress position she lost, her mother’s mysterious death, her son’s mental condition— All the suffering had to be washed clean with blood.
Noble Consort Xiao Liu shut her eyes tightly, refusing to let go of Liu Wangfei’s robe. “Sister, Father is still your birth father! In this world, there are no wrong parents. Even daughters who were sold off eventually return to their roots—so how could you, Sister, be any different?”
Choking with emotion, she said: “I know your heart aches. I know how wronged you’ve been. Yes—this was the sin my father and mother committed. Someone must pay for it. Then let it be me!”
She stood up with a look of steely resolve and fixed her gaze on one of the corridor pillars.
Eunuch Xia and Pu Wuyong, who had been silently watching nearby, both turned pale.
They knew all too well— This woman was Emperor Yongchang’s most beloved consort!
At that moment, as Noble Consort Xiao Liu rushed toward the pillar, she seemingly unintentionally bumped into Xiao Mo, who had been crouched with his head down, playing with his cricket.
Xiao Mo suddenly felt a sharp pain in his waist and immediately burst into loud sobs, crying “Waaah!” as he instinctively shoved Noble Consort Xiao Liu.
She fell hard to the ground, her forehead slamming into the bricks. Blood began to gush out instantly.
Liu Wangfei’s face was expressionless, but inwardly, she let out a cold laugh.
Again. Always the same.
Those two mother and daughter— Always using the same tactics.
Pretending to be weak. Playing pitiful. Acting delicate.
And men— They always fell for it.
Just as she was about to speak, a thin figure came rushing over like the wind. Seeing the blood on Noble Consort Xiao Liu’s forehead, she dropped to her knees beside her and let out a sharp, grief-stricken cry: “Royal Mother!”
Royal Mother?
Liu Wangfei realized that this must be one of Noble Consort Xiao Liu’s children. She had heard from Qi Zhen and the Eldest Princess before that the children born to Noble Consort Xiao Liu were very much favored— But the most beloved of all was Princess Baorong.
This must be Princess Baorong.
Uninterested in getting into another back-and-forth with the mother and daughter, Liu Wangfei took Xiao Mo’s hand and prepared to leave.
But Princess Baorong stood up with reddened eyes and blocked her path. Without saying a word, she dropped to her knees and kowtowed forcefully to Liu Wangfei.
Seeing how fiercely she kowtowed, even Xiao Mo was startled. He let out a scream and ran over to pull at Princess Baorong.
Liu Wangfei instinctively tried to stop him, but it was already too late.
Before anyone could react, Xiao Mo, in the process of pulling, somehow shoved Princess Baorong, sending her falling backward. Her back slammed hard against the steps, and she fell silent—completely motionless.
Pu Wuyong’s voice went shrill in an instant: “Someone! Come quickly! Princess Baorong is hurt—Princess Baorong is hurt!”
The stifling atmosphere in the hall was instantly shattered.
The Eldest Princess had still been recounting to Emperor Yongchang all the ways Liu Wangfei and Lu Mingan had been forced into hiding for years, how Xiao Mo had even lost his life.
Each word weighed on the emperor’s heart like a thousand pounds of stone.
He glanced at the corpse of Duke Chu and thought bitterly— Even death was too easy a punishment for him.
But just then, he heard Pu Wuyong shouting. He snapped back to awareness and rushed outside without a word to the Eldest Princess or Lu Mingan.
The eunuchs and maids were already forming a circle, but none dared to touch Princess Baorong.
She was the emperor’s most beloved daughter— If anyone so much as touched her and something went wrong, who would be blamed?
So Emperor Yongchang saw it clearly in one glance— Princess Baorong was lying there, motionless.
In that instant, he was stunned with fear. He rushed down the steps and scooped her up. As soon as he held her, he felt a sticky, wet sensation.
Holding her close to the lantern light, he saw— Dark red blood, all over.
Emperor Yongchang whipped his head around and roared at Pu Wuyong: “Who did this?! Who did it?!”
Pu Wuyong hesitated, glancing awkwardly at the side— Where Xiao Mo, whose cricket had escaped, was still wailing and screaming for a eunuch to help him catch it.
Emperor Yongchang’s expression darkened completely.
He had only ever pitied Xiao Mo for becoming a fool— But he had forgotten, a fool is someone you cannot control.
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