"Does His Majesty wish to drink it himself, or shall I 'serve' you?" Concubine Xian narrowed her beautiful eyes, radiating killing intent.
She truly wondered why His Majesty was still stubbornly holding on. Did he really not want to die so badly?
Emperor Cheng's face was pale, his breathing almost imperceptible...
Seeing that he was truly at his limit, Concubine Xian put down the soup bowl and sighed softly, "Fine, fine. If you don't drink, you don't drink. As long as it's dawn, I will announce His Majesty's demise, then draft an 'imperial edict' to depose the Crown Prince and let Jin Feng inherit the throne..."
The imperial edict she spoke of would merely be forged by someone, but it would be incredibly lifelike.
If the Imperial Seal were affixed to it, which minister would dare to disobey?
Moreover, Emperor Cheng had been sickly these past few days. He was being poisoned slowly, undetectable even by the imperial physicians. By then, Concubine Xian could falsely claim to the outside world that His Majesty was plagued by chronic illness, frequently vomited blood, and had been bedridden for a long time, so his sudden death would not arouse suspicion...
"Your Majesty, you must feel it yourself, haven't you?" Concubine Xian stood up, staring at him with a cold expression. "In your twilight years, you are timid and hesitant in your actions, allowing the barbarians of the Northern Frontier to think the Daliang Kingdom is easily bullied. You spend your days doting on the Empress; when have you ever put the people first?"
"Now, Daliang faces internal strife and external threats, with a sluggish economy. Do you bear no responsibility? If you continue to sit on the throne, our country will end up like the Chen Kingdom, either occupied by barbarians or annihilated by Yan. I am doing this for the sake of millions of common people. As for the crime of usurping power, it will never be pinned on me..."
She intended to wash away her own crimes completely, lest she be reviled by posterity and cursed by future generations.
Emperor Cheng's eyes were tightly shut, showing no reaction.
Concubine Xian chuckled softly, about to say something more, when suddenly the doors of the grand hall were pushed open...
A tall and imposing man walked in, clad in a sturdy uniform, his gaze sharp. Upon seeing Concubine Xian, he cupped his fists in a salute, "My Lady Xian!"
"Commander Jiang, have you not yet discovered the whereabouts of Shen Ducai?" Concubine Xian asked in a deep voice.
This Commander Jiang held considerable power in the capital. His position was equivalent to that of the current Director of Public Security, overseeing the entire capital's safety and order...
Commander Jiang shook his head, "Senior Official Shen is not in the Ministry of Justice's imperial prison. I fear he has been transferred!"
Concubine Xian's heart skipped a beat upon hearing this, and she slightly curved her eyebrows. "What about Prefecture Governor Gao?"
That good-for-nothing, at this crucial moment, was playing hide-and-seek with her...
Did he not know that His Majesty's end was near today?
Commander Jiang continued to shake his head, "I haven't found any news of Lord Gao either, but I heard that Prefecture Governor Gao's family disappeared inexplicably a while ago!"
"What?" Concubine Xian's brow furrowed, her anger ignited. "How could they just disappear? Did he abscond with his family?"
Concubine Xian had many weaknesses held by Prefecture Governor Gao. If he were to leak any information outside and publicize all her misdeeds, then even if Concubine Xian became Empress Dowager, she would be universally condemned...
"This subordinate does not know!" Commander Jiang replied.
After speaking, he looked up at Concubine Xian, "My Lady, the arrow is already on the bowstring; it must be fired. Hesitation leads to defeat..."
"Do I need you to teach me?" Concubine Xian rebuked him angrily, her mood utterly ruined.
Why did these useless people fail to deliver at such critical moments?
Never mind. His Majesty was about to pass away anyway. Once Jin Feng ascended the throne, she would deal with those traitors like Prefecture Governor Gao...
"Commander Jiang!" Concubine Xian tucked her sleeves and slowly sat down at the imperial desk.
Commander Jiang followed, "Does My Lady have any instructions?"
Concubine Xian glanced at the imperial desk, her hands clasped tightly within her sleeves. "To draft an imperial edict, one cannot do without the Imperial Seal. I heard that His Majesty's seal has always been kept in the Imperial Study. Send someone to fetch it immediately. After dawn, I shall announce it to the world, and the Daliang Kingdom will have a new look..."
"Understood, My Lady!" Commander Jiang responded.
As he turned to leave, Concubine Xian suddenly called out to him, "Are the troops prepared?"
"Replying to My Lady, they are already ambushed outside the Imperial Palace..."
Commander Jiang commanded over a thousand men. Including the rebels from other prefectures, he had gathered over ten thousand soldiers to participate in the uprising.
If these soldiers stormed the Imperial Palace, Emperor Cheng would surely die.
The Imperial Guards around His Majesty numbered only about five hundred. How could they possibly contend with over ten thousand troops?
Even if reinforcements arrived, by then Concubine Xian would have already read the decree, and her subordinates would have no choice but to obey...
"Good, you may go!" Concubine Xian waved her hand.
At this moment, Eunuch Zhao, in the Imperial Study, was hurrying out with a brocade box in his hands, taking small, hurried steps.
Coincidentally, wet nurse Qian passed by and saw Eunuch Zhao in a flustered state, so she asked, "Chief Eunuch Zhao, what are you doing out so late at night?"
Eunuch Zhao was startled and quickly looked around. Seeing that no one was following, he pulled wet nurse Qian aside. "I feel something is not right tonight. Concubine Xian might be trying to kill His Majesty..."
Therefore, he had stolen the Imperial Seal in advance to prevent it from falling into the hands of evildoers.
"Wha-what are you talking about?" Wet nurse Qian's eyes widened in disbelief. "Chief Eunuch Zhao, aren't you cursing His Majesty to die sooner? Why aren't you wishing him well?"
Eunuch Zhao: "..."
This was an urgent matter, and he had no time to explain.
"You, go and tell Her Majesty the Empress to be careful tonight and not to wander out if it's not necessary!" Eunuch Zhao instructed.
Wet nurse Qian stood frozen, her face full of surprise...
What exactly was going on?
"Oh, hurry up, what are you dawdling for?" Eunuch Zhao gave her a forceful push.
Wet nurse Qian let out an "Oh," and after reacting, she ran off, holding up her skirt...
Eunuch Zhao let out a long sigh, went back to change his clothes, and then found a small path to leave the palace.
Meanwhile, within the Yun Residence.
Xiao Jinheng stood in the study, gazing out the window, fiddling with a string of pearl beads.
This was a gift from the little village girl, said to bring good luck...
Little Xi Tian sat at the desk, her chin propped in her hands, her eyes too heavy with sleep to open.
"If you're tired, go to sleep. I'll keep watch here!" Xiao Jinheng said.
Little Xi Tian let out a soft "Mm," mustering her strength, and smiled slightly, "I'm not sleepy..."
As if! But the Imperial Palace was likely to experience a bloody storm tonight, and the brat was involved; she couldn't just ignore it.
Just then, the door to the room was suddenly knocked upon.