She was originally a peony blooming on a branch, but was trampled into the mud and ground into the dust.
In her youth, she had a cousin with whom she was deeply in love, and both her parents and his were happy to see them together. There was never any intention to climb the social ladder by marrying into royalty.
It was the late emperor—the late emperor who fell for a lowly servant girl, knowing he could never marry her. So he carefully selected a virtuous young lady from a noble family. For his own selfish desires, without asking if she was willing, he issued an edict, making her the mistress of the Imperial Harem, the envy of all.
The favor of the imperial family, the command of the emperor—who dared to defy it?
She had no choice but to sever her ties with her beloved. She thought that as a child, her family had given her wealth and education, her parents had given her care and warmth—she owed them something in return. From the moment she entered the palace, she worked hard to be a magnanimous, virtuous, and obedient empress.
She did not seek a harmonious relationship with the late emperor, nor did she care whether he favored her. As long as he gave her sufficient respect, she could manage the Imperial Harem well for him and bring glory to her family.
Unfortunately, the late emperor went back on his word. He explicitly asked her to take care of his beloved, to help elevate his beloved's status. How much effort had she exerted to help that servant girl become a noble consort? Initially, the late emperor did reward her. She bore two legitimate sons, her father and brothers were entrusted with important positions, and her clan gradually rose to prominence because of her.
Her father once said to her with deep concern, "Extreme prosperity must lead to decline."
Blindly believing that the late emperor was a man of his word, touched by his deep affection and loyalty, she never doubted him. Her ignorance and naivety brought disaster upon her clan—the massacre of nine families was her sin!
From the moment the late emperor turned on her overnight, she hated everything about him, including her two children!
Their features bore traces of the late emperor. She disliked seeing them; if she looked at them for too long, she couldn't help but feel the urge to kill them!
"You are truly terrifying," Shen Xihe said, watching the Empress Dowager, who seemed to have fallen into a maddened trance, her eyes even appearing bloodshot.
"Me, terrifying?" The Empress Dowager chuckled, her laughter tinged with sarcasm and strangeness. "My terror was forged by their heart-wrenching cruelty. Someone like you, who has grown up sheltered from storms, untouched by hardship and suffering—how could you understand?"
Shen Xihe had no rebuttal for this, so she fell silent.
Meanwhile, in the main hall, led by Moyu and Tianyuan, all those who had stormed in with the Empress Dowager had been executed. Moyu's sword was now pressed against the Empress Dowager's neck.
The Empress Dowager remained seated with regal composure, smiling at Shen Xihe. "Do you dare to kill me?"
"I will not kill you," Shen Xihe replied calmly. It was not her place to do so.
"Hahahaha, girl, if you don't kill me now, you will regret it later," the Empress Dowager said with a meaningful smile.
"It seems the Empress Dowager still has a backup plan," Shen Xihe said, wary of the deeply cunning Empress Dowager.
The Empress Dowager merely smiled without responding. As if oblivious to the sword at her neck, she turned slightly, picked up a teacup from a nearby stand, brushed the lid aside, and took a sip of tea.
The Hall of Diligent Governance fell into an eerie silence. Shu Fei and the others were at a loss, their minds blank. Outside, the increasingly fierce sounds of battle grew clearer and more audible.
The Empress Dowager had built up considerable influence over the years. If not for a careless leak of information at the height of her power, which allowed Xiao Huayong to nearly uproot the Rouge Case, confronting her at this point would have been a difficult battle to win.Most of the palace personnel had been replaced by the Empress Dowager, with her influence infiltrating both the Five Cities Garrison and the Golden Guard. The palace was tightly besieged. Xiao Changqing and his men, who had rushed over upon hearing the funeral bell, spent a full hour barely managing to force open the palace gates, suffering extremely heavy casualties in the process.
Xiao Changqing was the first to breach the city gate, leading his troops through the Vermilion Bird Gate and cutting down many as he advanced. He rendezvoused with the forces that had fought their way out of the Eastern Palace. The local commander stepped forward and reported, "Your Highness Prince Xin, Her Highness the Crown Princess is at the Hall of Diligent Governance. The officials who entered the palace earlier are all being held hostage outside the hall."
Just then, a strong wind swept through, carrying with it the faint, clear sound of bells from somewhere. Xiao Changqing was suddenly seized by a splitting headache, and chaotic noises seemed to surge like waves in his mind, as if countless people were arguing around him, contorting his features in agony.
"Your Highness Prince Xin, are you…"
The local commander noticed Xiao Changqing's distress and moved forward to check on him. But before he could react, Xiao Changqing's gaze sharpened abruptly, his eyes blazing with murderous intent. With a swift, fierce swing, his blood-stained longsword arced toward the commander.
Sensing the lethal intent, the commander tried to dodge, but it was too late. Xiao Changqing's sword was too fast and ruthless. A clean slash severed the commander's arm from the armpit downward.
This scene was witnessed by Xiao Changying, who had arrived a step later after breaking through the palace gates. He stared in shock and cried out, "Brother—!"
His body reacted faster than his mind. He swiftly drew a long arrow and shot it at Xiao Changqing's raised sword, giving the commander a chance to escape from Xiao Changqing's relentless attacks.
The men brought by the commander immediately clashed with Xiao Changqing's forces. Xiao Changying galloped forward, stopping in front of his brother. "Brother, what are you…"
His words died in his throat the moment he met Xiao Changqing's gaze.
That look—filled with hatred and icy detachment—was one Xiao Changying had seen before. On the day they escorted their mother out of the palace, outside her bedchamber, his brother had worn the same expression. A chill ran through Xiao Changying's limbs, freezing him in place.
But Xiao Changqing had already raised his sword and thrust it toward him. A powerful force yanked Xiao Changying aside, yet the cold blade still grazed his arm, tearing open the flesh and drawing blood.
"Your Highness, something is wrong with Prince Xin!" You Wenjun's voice rang out beside Xiao Changying's ear.
Xiao Changying turned to see You Wenjun, dressed in the attire of a junior officer. "Why did you follow me here?"
"Mother asked me to come," You Wenjun replied, lowering her gaze.
Xiao Changying's expression shifted, but now was not the time to discuss this. He turned back to see Xiao Changqing surrounded by the commander's men. Though he was still his brother in appearance, an unfamiliar, bloodthirsty aura radiated from him.
At that moment, Xiao Changying realized that his own men had begun turning on each other—some were his personal guards, others were his brother's.
He whipped his head around and saw Xiao Changqing waving a command flag.
Panic surged within him. He had never doubted his brother—nor had the Crown Princess. All military deployments for this operation had been arranged by Xiao Changqing. Not only were his brother's men among his own forces, but they were also embedded with the Twelfth Prince and Duke Xie!
"Protect yourself," Xiao Changying said, pushing You Wenjun aside.
He quickly raised his sword to intercept Xiao Changqing, but Xiao Changqing seemed unwilling to engage with him. Though Xiao Changying held back in each move, Xiao Changqing easily repelled him and, with a wave of his hand, summoned a group of soldiers to surround him.Xiao Changqing held the long sword, its blade stained with blood that gathered at the tip, dripping slowly one drop at a time. Along the path he walked, it left a trail of crimson marks.
The local official, severely wounded, also noticed Xiao Changqing's peculiar behavior and immediately ordered his men to block him at all costs.
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