Chapter 804: Public Display of the Corpse for Three Days
Shen Xihe's words sent a shockwave through the crowd.
Now that His Majesty suspected the mastermind behind the scenes was either her or Xiao Changqing, his desire to open the coffin would weaken. She needed to add more fuel to the fire.
"Today, the Third Prince's Consort came to see me with a ferocious expression. I dared not take it lightly. After realizing she first intended to assassinate me and then planned to take her own life in the Eastern Palace, I decided to turn her scheme to my advantage," Shen Xihe said, then signaled Zhenzhu with a glance. "Go and bring the Third Prince's Consort here."
"Chief Imperial Physician!" the Youning Emperor demanded. "Did you not say that Lady Li was dead?"
The Chief Imperial Physician fell to his knees with a thud. "Your Majesty, the Third Prince's Consort had no pulse, and her face was purple—all signs of death by poisoning."
Despair filled the Chief Imperial Physician's heart. There were many strange and unorthodox techniques in this world. Not to mention fake death potions, some extraordinary individuals could even create false pulse readings. Why was he so unlucky as to encounter such masters?
"I once obtained a bottle of fake death potion by chance in the Northwest," Shen Xihe continued. (In truth, it was a gift from Xie Yunhuai. Xiao Huayong had not taken the fake death potion that day; instead, Sui Axi had administered acupuncture in advance.)
Zhenzhu not only brought the pale-faced Li Yanyan but also presented a bottle of the fake death potion to Liu Sanzhi. The potion was given to the Youning Emperor for examination, allowing him to see for himself whether the symptoms matched those of Xiao Huayong from that day.
"Lady Li, why did you come to the Eastern Palace seeking death?" the Youning Emperor asked, his anger now restrained.
Li Yanyan's mind was completely blank. She had woken up some time ago, and Zhenzhu had truthfully recounted everything that had happened here, without omitting a single detail. She knew she had been used, and the one who used her...
Li Yanyan's gaze fell darkly upon Yu Sangning. "Your Majesty, Lady Yu is lying! It was not I who invited her to the residence to testify. Rather, I first received a message stating that Lady Yu knew the cause of my husband's death. It was only then that I urgently summoned Lady Yu!"
The moment Li Yanyan appeared, Yu Sangning knew she was finished. Frankly, facing Shen Xihe, she had not a shred of confidence in winning. But someone held too many of her secrets. Even if she disobeyed, she would die a miserable death. She had no other choice but to gamble. In the end, her efforts were still in vain!
As Li Yanyan spoke, her anger grew. "It was Lady Yu! Lady Yu said that she personally witnessed the person who delivered the message about the Eighth Prince's assassination attempt on Your Majesty was sent by the Eastern Palace!"
Countless eyes instantly turned to Yu Sangning. Yet, Yu Sangning suddenly straightened her spine and let out an eerie laugh. "Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh..."
As she laughed, her pearly white teeth became stained with blood, and soon she was vomiting large mouthfuls of fresh blood.
"Chief Imperial Physician!" the Youning Emperor shouted.
Zhenzhu and Sui Axi rushed forward almost simultaneously with the Chief Imperial Physician. All three diagnosed that Yu Sangning had died from poison reaching her internal organs and that she had ingested the poison over an hour ago—meaning she had taken it before being summoned to the palace.
"Drag her out and publicly display her corpse for three days!" the Youning Emperor ordered coldly, his eyes sweeping over Yu Sangzi.
He was worried that Yu Sangning might also be faking her death!
Shen Xihe narrowed her eyes slightly.
With Yu Sangning dead, the clue was cut off. But the Emperor's wrath had not subsided. Yu Sangzi had deceived the imperial family and committed the grave offense of defying the Emperor. Such a thing could not have been accomplished without collusion from within the Yu residence!
However, even after the Yu family members were imprisoned and tortured, no one admitted to knowing that Yu Sangzi's death was a sham. The Youning Emperor could only assume it was the work of the already deceased Yu Xiang.The Yu family avoided the extermination of their nine clans, but their estate was confiscated, and Yu Xiang's entire branch was exiled.
On the same day, Li Yanyan returned to her residence and set the Third Prince's mansion ablaze. The raging fire nearly spread to the mansions of other princes, causing an uproar throughout the capital.
It remains unknown whether she sent a message to the old subordinates of the Li and Liang families before her death, as Liang City showed no signs of unrest.
However, in his fury, the Youning Emperor, though ordering her to be buried with honors, refused to inter her in the imperial mausoleum for princes—a clear declaration to the world that he did not recognize her status.
Xiao Changtian's dying wish to be buried with her ultimately went unfulfilled. Had Li Yanyan not caused such a scene, Shen Xihe would have been willing to grant Xiao Changtian a peaceful departure.
As for exhuming the coffin, the matter was dropped after Xiao Changqing intervened to restrain the Youning Emperor.
Fuming with rage, the Youning Emperor secretly summoned Xiao Changqing to the Hall of Diligent Governance. Dismissing all attendants, he confronted him directly: "Was the Yu family coerced by you?"
"I do not understand Your Majesty's meaning," Xiao Changqing replied with unyielding composure. "I bear no grudge against the Crown Prince. Why would I disturb his eternal rest?"
The Youning Emperor snorted coldly. "You may hold no grudge against Qilang, but all your resentment is directed at me!"
"Your Majesty's words fill me with trepidation," Xiao Changqing bowed, feigning fear and reverence. "You are both sovereign and father. Your favor and wrath are both imperial grace. How would I dare harbor resentment against my ruler and parent?"
The Emperor's chest heaved with anger. "Do not pretend before me! You hate me for annihilating the Gu clan. If you aspire to rule, how can you be shackled by sentimental attachments..."
"I cannot compare to Your Majesty, who cherishes all living beings yet could relinquish your beloved. I have heard that in Tubo, there are customs where a brother inherits his elder brother's wives, and a son succeeds his father's concubines. How fortunate was the woman Your Majesty adored."
"Treacherous son—!" the Emperor roared in fury, snatching an inkstone and hurling it at him.
Xiao Changqing sidestepped the projectile. "If Your Majesty is unshackled by sentimental attachments, why such anger? Is she not merely a woman? Did you not teach me this yourself?"
"Xiao! Chang! Qing!" The Youning Emperor gritted his teeth, enunciating each syllable. "Do you truly believe I will not kill you?"
"To Your Majesty, I am but a pawn. How could my life or death merit your attention?" Xiao Changqing remained unperturbed. "If the ruler demands his subject's death, the subject has no choice but to die."
Father and son locked gazes—one seething with murderous intent, the other calm as still water.
"If you fear not death, have you considered your mother and younger siblings?" the Emperor threatened.
Xiao Changqing lowered his eyelids. "Your Majesty, do you truly wish to become a solitary sovereign?"
A metallic taste of blood surged in the Emperor's throat, which he forcibly suppressed. "Get out! Get out of my sight!"
Xiao Changqing offered a perfunctory bow and turned to leave. Only after his figure vanished did the Emperor burst into violent coughs. He grabbed a handkerchief and coughed relentlessly. When Liu Sanzhi entered, he saw the cloth stained with blood.
Physicians were summoned to the Hall of Diligent Governance, and rumors spread that Xiao Changqing had provoked the Emperor to the point of fainting.
Unaware that the Emperor's deteriorating emotional control stemmed from a previous poisoning, and ignorant of the sovereign's daily decline, Xiao Changqing knew that after today's confrontation, the Emperor would likely not tolerate him much longer. Certain plans needed to be set in motion earlier than intended.
The day after the Crown Prince's burial, officials petitioned for Xiao Changyan's severe punishment. After relentless interrogations by the three judicial departments, the imprisoned Xiao Changyan confessed to treason without reservation, occasionally erupting into delirious outbursts of seditious rhetoric.
Forced to make an example of him, the Emperor issued an order for his public execution at the Meridian Gate.Xiao Changyan confessed without hesitation because he had fallen victim to the Soul-seizing Art he once took pride in. The practitioner was the strategist captured from the Min River, who, under Luling's custody and tortured to the point of wishing for death, dared not disobey in the slightest.
After the person disguised as Xiao Changyan fled following the assassination attempt, they escaped to a prearranged location. Those who pursued and apprehended him were actually capturing the real Xiao Changyan.
PS: The following text is a modification after locking the word count and is not charged. Since the aside couldn't fit, opening a new chapter was unnecessary.
Let me explain why the finale of this story has been so tumultuous.
Daily life trivialities are part of the reason, but the fundamental cause is that as the story progressed into its later stages, the plot deviated from my initial outline.
When I write, I plan the beginning, the climax, and the ending, while the middle develops naturally. This being my first time writing a novel, I set the major climax and plot twists early on.
Some readers in the group might recall that before I started writing, I had a major climax in mind: when Xihe finally realizes the Crown Prince's genuine feelings, her first reaction is panic, and instead of facing it openly as she does now, she chooses to escape.
In the original outline, during the year the Crown Prince turned twenty-three, the Emperor would take the court to escape the summer heat, leaving the Crown Prince to oversee the state. Yu Sangning, learning that her father was killed by Xihe and that her new schemes were indirectly thwarted by Xihe, grows resentful and murders Gu Qingshu, framing Xihe for the crime. Xihe, though aware of the plot, goes along with it and even helps Yu Sangning perfect the cover-up, aiming to fake her own death and flee.
But the Crown Prince senses Xihe's intention to withdraw. With Xie Ji leading the ministers in demanding the Crown Princess pay with her life, the Crown Prince preemptively exposes himself, forcefully arrests the Xie family and all those incited by the Emperor to eliminate Xihe—individuals who had committed capital crimes but escaped punishment through family influence.
The Crown Prince possesses evidence against them. If anyone accused the Crown Princess of murder, he would read out the crimes of their family's younger members, present the evidence, and execute them on the spot. He would then ask if the Crown Princess was guilty. If anyone refused to yield, he continued killing until they all retracted their accusations.
This approach preserved Xihe's reputation, but it inevitably made the Emperor intolerant of him. Although those he killed deserved it and the evidence was solid, the executions bypassed proper procedures. While not enough to warrant the Crown Prince's death, it rendered him unfit to remain heir apparent.
The Emperor would depose him and exile him and Xihe to the Blackwater Tribe. The Crown Prince had long prepared for this, planning to take Xihe to the Blackwater Tribe and live peacefully for a time. With the Crown Prince gone, court conflicts would inevitably erupt.
Letting them fight to the death, the Emperor would eventually die, and the Crown Prince would rightfully return under the pretext of purging treacherous officials, ultimately ascending the throne.
Xihe would be deeply moved, seeing how the Crown Prince had lost everything for her—his position as heir, his allies, and even the Empress Dowager and followers who abandoned him, deeming him unworthy.
This was truly my initial plot outline, and many readers in the group likely remember this setup even before the story began.
However, as I wrote into the later stages, I realized I couldn't proceed this way.
While it would highlight the Crown Prince's dominance and deep affection for Xihe, it would undermine Xihe's character.
She would no longer be the wise, magnanimous, and fearless Shen Xihe I envisioned.
If her first reaction upon learning of the Crown Prince's feelings was to escape, she would become no different from Li Yanyan, unworthy of the Crown Prince's profound devotion.To flee from love out of fear, is this still the responsible Shen Xihe who vowed to fight to the end for the Shen clan?
Just because the predetermined plot became unusable, everything afterward deviated from my control. For a time, I grew particularly irritable and reluctant to write.
This was my failure to manage my emotions properly, and indeed my own fault.
It was only in the past couple of days that I fully untangled the subsequent plot—after calmly rereading it twice from a reader’s perspective—that I finally understood how to write an ending that truly fits this story.
My work does not allow for a rushed ending or abandonment.
(End of Chapter)
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