https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-631-The-Truth-About-the-Tranquility-Amulet/13487542/
Chapter 630: Dust Settles
Chapter 630: Dust Settles
The night was deep and quiet.
The Empress had yet to rest.
She lay on the Phoenix Bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep.
Her heart felt hollow, and a sense of unease would occasionally wash over her, like a premonition of something ominous.
A light, steady footsteps approached, and the door was slowly pushed open.
The Empress always kept a lamp burning in her room.
She assumed it was a palace maid coming to refill the oil, so she didn’t pay much attention.
It wasn’t until the footsteps stopped in the room, lingering, that she finally asked in a calm voice, “What is it?”
“Can’t I come to see my sister-in-law without a reason?”
Meng Qianqian’s voice, neither hurried nor slow, rang out in the darkness, like a heavy hammer striking the Empress’s heart.
The Empress sat up, pushing aside the canopy curtain to look more closely. Her brows furrowed.
Meng Qianqian was wearing Lu Fengyin’s clothes, speaking with Lu Fengyin’s voice, but her face was clearly not Lu Fengyin’s.
The Empress would recognize this face even if it were ashes.
Her face flashed with shock, complexity, and suspicion...
After a long moment, she asked in a dazed voice, “Who... who are you?”
“Have you already forgotten Lu Fengyin, sister-in-law?”
Meng Qianqian walked to the incense burner, gently fanning the warm fragrance. “This Tranquil Aroma was specially prepared for you by Lu Fengyin. Do you still like it?”
The Empress’s back went cold. “No wonder I’ve been so tired and sleepy lately. I thought it was just due to weakness, but it turns out it was you! How dare you impersonate the Imperial Princess of Great Liang and drug me! Do you realize... this is a crime punishable by the extermination of your entire family?”
“Empress, oh Empress.”
Meng Qianqian resumed her own voice. “Your sister-in-law has been impersonated, and your first reaction is anger and embarrassment. Shouldn’t you be more concerned about Lu Fengyin’s whereabouts? Or have all these years of affection been just for show in front of His Majesty? The role of an elder sister as a mother is a joke!”
The Empress’s eyes turned cold, but she had weathered many storms. Even though Meng Qianqian had hit a nerve, she didn’t show any panic.
“What have you done to Fengyin? She is His Majesty’s sister. If you harm her, His Majesty will not forgive you!”
Meng Qianqian replied, “It’s too late to care now. Instead of worrying about me, you should think about how to end your own life well. I won’t be exterminated, but the Empress might not be so lucky.”
The Empress frowned, studying Meng Qianqian intently, trying to understand her hidden meaning.
Meng Qianqian met her sharp gaze and said calmly, “I hold grudges, Empress. You’ve wronged me so many times, and these debts must be settled.”
The Empress coldly asked, “Do you have any evidence to support your claims?”
Meng Qianqian replied, “No.”
The Empress sneered.
Meng Qianqian continued, “Though I have no evidence, I do have a piece of news related to you.”
The Empress said indifferently, “I’m not interested in your news.”
Meng Qianqian smiled. “Oh? Not even General Hu’s news?”
The Empress’s expression changed, and she looked at Meng Qianqian with surprise. “What...”
Meng Qianqian said, “I know nothing, but I’m simply here to deliver good news to you. The Black Armor Legion has won a great victory against the Hu family rebels, beheading Hu Lie. They returned to the city at midnight.”
The Empress’s face drained of color.
---
The sky was not quite light, the sky a gray and hazy hue.
The Liang Emperor, injured in the Subterranean Palace, had been further troubled in the Golden Hall upon returning to the palace. After retiring to the Diligent Governance Hall, he immediately rested.
Half-asleep, he sensed someone approaching his bed.
He opened his eyes warily and saw the Empress holding a bowl of medicine, her eyes brimming with tears.
“Your Majesty...”
The Empress choked back a sob.
The Emperor’s expression relaxed. “Why are you here, Empress?”
The Empress said sincerely, “Your Majesty has returned to the palace, and I came to see you.”
The Emperor said, “You’re not well either. I heard from Xiao Jiu that you’ve been bedridden for days. You’ve been through a lot.”
The Empress hesitated. “Xiao Jiu...”
The Emperor recalled something and explained, “Ah, yes, Fengyin. She was just impersonating Fengyin as a temporary measure. Don’t take it to heart, Empress.”
The Empress gave a self-deprecating smile. “Your Majesty used to dote on Fengyin. I thought you would be angry about the impersonation.”
The Emperor didn’t want to discuss it with the Empress and changed the subject. “I’m fine. You should go back and rest.”
The Empress asked nonchalantly, “Xiao Jiu... didn’t say anything about me to Your Majesty?”
The Emperor’s expression softened slightly. “She said you treated Fengyin very well. She was a bit envious of Fengyin. If she wishes, I could treat her like a granddaughter too.”
The Emperor, usually so reserved, spoke at length about a young girl, a side of him the Empress found unfamiliar.
In fact, since the Huang Changsun family appeared, the Liang Emperor was no longer the cold-blooded ruler she knew.
Despite their many years of marriage, they didn’t truly understand each other.
She didn’t know about his hidden tenderness, and he didn’t understand her loneliness in the palace.
She handed the bowl of medicine to the Emperor. “Your Majesty, the medicine is ready. Drink it while it’s hot, or it will cool.”
The Emperor drank it, and as soon as he finished, he felt a sharp pain in his stomach.
He clutched his abdomen, his face contorting in pain.
He looked at the Empress, who was grinning maliciously.
“You...”
“Ha ha ha... Ha ha ha...”
The Empress laughed maniacally, standing up and backing away, arms outstretched, wandering around the room.
The Emperor, clutching his stomach, which felt like it was being sliced by a knife, looked at her with cold, suspicious eyes. “Why did you betray me?”
“Why?”
The Empress laughed until tears streamed down her face. “Because you killed the person I loved most! Do you know that I never wanted to marry into the Qin Wang Mansion! I had already pledged my life to him, but your Qin Wang Mansion tore us apart! He was loyal to you, dedicating his life to helping you ascend the throne, and in the end, you had him killed! Where is your conscience?”
The Emperor had been a prince for many years and then an emperor. He had faced many betrayals, but he never imagined his wife would turn on him.
Their marriage was a union of two powerful families, arranged by their parents.
How could he have known about her affair with Hu Lie?
If he had, his pride would have prevented him from marrying her, even if it meant defying his father.
But now, on his deathbed, it was too late for regrets.
How fitting, how fitting!
“Guards! Lock the Empress in the Cold Palace!”
The Emperor ordered.
Yu Gonggong rushed into the room, seeing the madly laughing Empress and the pained Emperor, and hurriedly called out, “Your Majesty! Guards! Protect the Emperor!”
Xiao Dezi and a few strong eunuchs rushed in and took the Empress away.
The Emperor took a deep breath. “Bai Qi, get out here!”
“I won’t, I’ll come over myself!”
The Miao King strode into the Emperor’s chamber, hands on her hips.
The Emperor gritted his teeth. “Is this your doing?”
The Miao King’s eyes darted around.
Yu Gonggong, seeing the situation, quickly fled. “I’ll fetch the physician!”
The Miao King said, “I just wanted you to see her true colors!”
The Liang Emperor was livid. "So you lured everyone away from me? And just stood by while she poisoned me?"
The Miao King waved a hand dismissively. "I switched it to croton seed! At worst, you’d have diarrhea for three days and nights!"
The Liang Emperor's eyes blazed with fury. "You might as well not have switched it at all!"
He had detected the poison immediately.
But it was croton seed, a laxative—
The Miao King looked up to the sky, exasperated.
The Liang Emperor narrowed his eyes. "Are you trying to get back at me?"
The last time in the Imperial Study, the Miao King had given him croton seed, but he hadn’t fallen for it. Instead, the Miao King, Duke Jiang, and Master Zi Wu had accidentally drunk it themselves.
"I didn’t, stop making things up! I’m not that petty!"
The Miao King denied it three times in quick succession.
"I’ll kill you!"
Enraged, the Liang Emperor threw off the covers, got out of bed, and grabbed the sword from the stand. Without a word, he swung it at the Miao King.
The Miao King’s eyes widened in shock. "Ah! Murder!"
He waved his arms and fled—
The Liang Emperor chased him to the door, but his anger and exertion made him fall onto the threshold.
"Your Majesty!"
Jiang Huiyi, carrying a food box, arrived to visit the Liang Emperor and was shocked to see this scene.
She turned pale, dropped the food box into a maid’s hands, and practically lunged to the Liang Emperor’s side, gripping his hand tightly. "Your Majesty!"
The Liang Emperor’s face was deathly pale.
Half from his injuries, half from the Miao King’s provocation.
"Your Majesty, say something! Don’t scare me!"
Jiang Huiyi was in a panic.
Her worry was genuine.
The Liang Emperor, looking at Jiang Huiyi, whom he had “fought” with all his life, felt a sudden sense of reflection.
He had thought his devoted and gentle wife had betrayed him.
But the fierce concubine who had always looked at him with disdain was genuinely worried about him.
He had been wrong.
Terribly wrong.
"I’m fine..."
He calmed himself and patted Jiang Huiyi’s shoulder to reassure her.
Jiang Huiyi was on the verge of tears. "You scared me to death—almost thought I’d never get my silver coins—since you didn’t write an Iou—"
The Liang Emperor felt a surge of frustration and nearly spat blood. "…!!"
—
The private affair between Empress Hu and Hu Lie greatly exceeded the Liang Emperor’s expectations.
However, to maintain the dignity of the imperial family, he decided to keep this secret to himself.
He didn’t want to investigate who had led the Empress to him, luring her into a capital crime.
He rewrote the decree to depose the Empress multiple times.
"Your Majesty."
Yu Gong Gong cautiously reminded him, "It’s chilly today."
The Liang Emperor, hands behind his back, gazed at the endless sky. "Send the Empress her favorite osmanthus wine."
Yu Gong Gong understood and replied softly, "As you wish, Your Majesty."
Hu Lie’s treason would bring the entire Hu family to justice.
Even if it was his maternal clan, even if the Late Emperor had left a will.
Empress Hu had been kneeling outside the Imperial Study for a long time.
The heavy rain soaked her clothes.
"Your Majesty—please see me—"
"The Hu family is innocent—"
"My brother is innocent—"
"My brother didn’t rebel—he was framed—Your Majesty—Your Majesty—"
"Cousin—"
"Cousin, please see Ar Rou—Cousin—"
Consort Chen and Qing'er passed by her.
Empress Hu wiped the rain and tears from her face and grabbed Consort Chen’s hem. "Consort Chen!"
Consort Chen paused.
Qing'er, holding the umbrella, also stopped.
Empress Hu looked up, pleading with a pitiful expression. "Consort Chen, are you going to see the Emperor?"
Consort Chen didn’t speak.
Empress Hu cried, "Tell the Emperor, he will listen to you... he will... I beg you, Consort Chen... I was wrong before... I was blind... I shouldn’t have treated you like that... this time, I beg you... please let the Emperor see me..."
"The Emperor won’t see you. Go back."
Consort Chen said.
Empress Hu wept uncontrollably. "You are the Crown Prince’s birth mother! The Emperor loves the Crown Prince the most! Please plead for me..."
Consort Chen looked at her and asked calmly, "Why should I plead for you?"
Empress Hu was taken aback.
Consort Chen continued sternly, "When my son was framed, did you plead for me? When your son took control of the state and had my son tortured in jail, did you plead for him?"
Empress Hu opened her mouth to speak. "Consort Chen, I—"
"There’s no need to explain. The seeds of cause and effect have been sown. Your fate today is your own doing."
Consort Chen said, then turned to Qing'er. "Qing'er, let’s go."
"Yes, Your Excellency."
Qing'er held the oiled paper umbrella in one hand and pulled Consort Chen’s hem from Empress Hu’s grasp with the other.
Consort Chen went to the Diligent Governance Hall.
However, she wasn’t there to see the Liang Emperor.
She was there to see Bao Zhuzhu.
Soon after, Jiang Huiyi also came to Bao Zhuzhu’s room.
The little girl was sitting cross-legged on the ground, playing with her toys.
"Unbelievable! Unbelievable!"
Jiang Huiyi was fuming.
Consort Chen smiled. "What did His Majesty do to upset you this time?"
Jiang Huiyi replied irritably, "Do you remember the gambling debt he owed me last time?"
"Ah, I remember."
Consort Chen nodded.
"He’s not paying it back!"
Jiang Huiyi was still angry about it.
She had been so sincere, fearing he would pass away.
But he was dodging the debt!
He claimed the treasury was empty after the civil war, but she saw it as an excuse.
Consort Chen, being fair, said, "A ruler’s word is his bond. He is in the wrong."
"You’re the only one who understands!"
Jiang Huiyi muttered, "He said he’d exchange it for the position of Imperial Noble Consort? I’m not someone who values titles!"
Consort Chen smiled but said nothing.
"Annoying!"
Jiang Huiyi didn’t want to talk about the Liang Emperor anymore. She picked up the little girl and nuzzled her. "Zhao Zhao is so cute. Zhao Zhao, would you like to be Nie Er’s wife?"
Bao Zhuzhu: "No."
Nie Er is her little brother!
Great Liang had undergone significant changes, and the court was overwhelmed with tasks to handle.
Lu Zhaoyan was busy to the point of exhaustion, and even Prince Fu and the usually lazy Prince Ming were given important responsibilities.
But the Liang Emperor still felt something was missing in his heart.
"Your Majesty, Huang Changsun requests an audience."
Yu Gong Gong said.
The Liang Emperor massaged his aching temples. "Let him in."
Lu Yuan entered the Imperial Study and bowed. "Grandfather Emperor."
The Liang Emperor asked, "Why are you in the palace today? Didn’t you say you’d stay at the mansion to keep Ninth Brother company?"
Lu Yuan replied, "Who told you to bring Zhao Zhao to the palace? Ninth Brother misses Zhao Zhao."
The Liang Emperor: "Speak plainly."
Lu Yuan clicked his tongue. "I have something to show you."
He took out the Serenity Lock that the Retired Emperor had given him before his departure.
The moment the Liang Emperor saw the Serenity Lock, his expression froze. (End of Chapter)
Chapter end
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