Murong Liu Zun’s pupils flashed with a hint of coldness. He felt pity for these women, but what had happened had happened; it was their fate.
Perhaps, like him, they were destined to face a tribulation. He had met someone to resolve his, but these women lacked such fortune.
Yao An, the eunuch of Liuli Palace, immediately led a group of eunuchs into the hall, quickly approaching the concubines. He spoke respectfully, "Your Majesties, please proceed." xxs壹贰
Ximen Xinyue rose first, walking out silently.
From his high seat, Murong Liu Zun's expression changed drastically upon seeing this woman. A bloodthirsty glint flashed in his black pupils as he spoke in a chilling tone.
"Ximen Xinyue, you have caused all of this. Today is your retribution, and I will not let your Ximen family off."
As Murong Liu Zun's cold and captivating voice fell, it instantly shattered Ximen Xinyue's composure. She turned and fell to her knees with a thud at the entrance of the grand hall, lowering herself to the dust, her former pride completely gone.
"Your Majesty, I beg you. If you must punish, punish me alone. This is all my fault; it has nothing to do with anyone from my Ximen family. My Ximen family is not at fault, I beg you."
As she wept, tears soaked the gauze on her face, clinging to it. A gentle breeze blew in from outside the hall, dislodging her veil and revealing a terrifyingly disfigured face.
Bloodstains crisscrossed her countenance, interspersed with bruises of varying intensity, resembling the visage of a Asura ghost. Her tears, mixed with the blood on her face, dripped to the ground, mirroring the ominous appearance of the Higanbana flower. Death, it seemed, was so close.
Qingyao sat beside the Emperor, fully understanding his resentment and the shadows in his heart.
In truth, Ximen Xinyue bore no less sin than Shangguan Hao. If she had allowed Ajiu to take the Emperor away that day, everything would be different now.
The situation would have completely changed. These women would not have entered the palace, and most importantly, no innocent people would have been harmed.
Emperor Xian was a wise ruler who cared for his subjects. The suffering of those harmed pained him deeply. In this game, many had already died, and many more might perish.
Therefore, the Emperor must have wished to cut Ximen Xinyue into a thousand pieces. By law, the Ximen family would face annihilation to the ninth degree.
However, seeing that the Emperor's mood was affected, Qingyao felt a pang of concern. She reached out and held his hand, speaking softly, "Your Majesty, evil has its own retribution. Do not overthink this. We should focus on what comes next."
Qingyao's words greatly calmed the Emperor. There was still a battle to be fought, and Ximen Xinyue was poisoned with corpse poison. This was truly retribution. With a grim smile, he waved his hand and commanded, "Someone, take them all to the Cold Palace."
"Yes," Yao An immediately ordered his men to escort them away.
Some of the concubines refused to leave, kneeling in the hall and pleading desperately. The young eunuchs by Yao An's side only dared to tug at their sleeves. They had heard that this corpse poison was contagious. Faced with death, who wouldn't be afraid?
Xiao Yu'er stood quietly beside Qingyao, observing everything in the hall with a heavy heart.
Even though Ximen Xinyue deserved to be killed a thousand, even ten thousand times over, the other women did not bear such great offenses and should not have to suffer such punishment.
As she wrestled with her thoughts, she suddenly noticed a figure at the very back. Her small body leaped up in indignation, landing directly in front of the woman. A cold sneer flashed across her tender face.
"Consort Mei, you too have an end to your days. Believe it or not, this is heaven's retribution."
As Xiao Yu'er spoke, Consort Mei, who had been walking at the very back, desperately scratching herself, raised her head in despair. Her face was also covered by a veil, obscuring her features.
However, Xiao Yu'er could clearly see the regret and pain in her eyes. Staggering, she retreated two steps and walked out.
The hall fell silent.
Murong Liu Zun and Qingyao exchanged glances, their hearts heavy with emotion. The price was indeed too great, but this was a fated tribulation, one they could not escape. Fortunately, they held each other closely, enduring this somber period together.
"Yao'er?"
"Your Majesty, don't think too much about it. Everything will be alright. We will not let Shangguan Hao go. He will make a move next. He must be hiding somewhere right now. We cannot afford to be disorganized, or he will only grow more triumphant."
As they spoke, the King of Nan'an and the Guard Commander Liu Xuan entered, kneeling respectfully. "Reporting to Your Majesty, all areas of the imperial palace have been searched, and no suspicious traces have been found."
Murong Liu Zun and Qingyao nodded simultaneously.
Qingyao recalled the current outbreak of corpse poison. She feared that the young maids in the various palaces might also have been infected. Furthermore, all the belongings of these concubines would have to be destroyed and burned, otherwise, the contagion could not be stopped. She immediately instructed Mochou in a deep voice.
"Mochou, you and Bingxiao, along with a group of eunuchs, seal all the palaces and pavilions in the harem. Carefully collect all the belongings of the concubines within the palaces and burn them. As for the eunuchs and palace maids in each palace, anyone who has come into contact with those concubines or shows signs of poisoning must be immediately sent to the Cold Palace and isolated from the outside."
"Yes."
Because the corpse poison was contagious, everyone dared not be careless. Mochou and Bingxiao acknowledged the order and left, bringing with them another group of eunuchs dispatched from the palace to handle matters in each court.
Murong Liu Zun feared that if the King of Nan'an returned to his manor, he might become a target for Shangguan Hao's attack, as Liuzhao's martial arts were not as formidable as Shangguan Hao's, and that man was extremely cunning and ruthless.
"Liuzhao, you shall remain in the palace."
Qingyao nodded in agreement. "Yes, for now, we must unite as much as possible and not allow that man to succeed easily."
The King of Nan'an remained in the palace, but the palace was not entirely safe. Shangguan Hao was lurking in the shadows, like a time bomb, striking here and there.
Because he was vicious and devoid of humanity, utterly disregarding the lives of others, they, on the other hand, were precisely at a disadvantage.
The night grew deep, and everyone was weary.
Murong Liu Zun and Qingyao had rushed back from Yun Jian Valley without rest, and after this intense night of turmoil, they were indeed very tired.
"We can discuss any matters tomorrow."
"Mm," Murong Liu Zun nodded, reaching out to embrace Qingyao. In this period of stormy instability, it was only with her by his side that his heart could remain so steady. Otherwise, he truly feared he might do something rash.
"Let's stay in Fengluan Palace tonight. Shangguan Hao resided here. We don't know what he might do. Starting tomorrow, all items in the palace will be replaced. Those that need burning will be burned, and those that need sealing will be sealed."
"Good," the Emperor nodded in agreement, standing up and leading Qingyao outside. Xiao Yu'er followed closely behind them, and the newly appointed eunuchs of Liuli Palace hurried to follow, all heading towards Fengluan Palace.
Inside and outside Fengluan Palace, there were only a few servants for menial tasks. Upon seeing Qingyao return, they immediately prostrated themselves in greeting, "Greetings, Your Majesty, Empress."
"Rise."
The interior and exterior of Fengluan Palace remained largely unchanged. Except for the more than ten palace maids and eunuchs who died or were injured during the chaos that day, the rest remained in Fengluan Palace to attend to their duties.
The halls inside and out were spotless, indicating that these individuals had not slacked off. The interior was arranged as before, only cleaner and brighter. Everything in the palace remained as it was.
It was already the hour of Yin. Everyone washed up and rested first, as they had to attend morning court soon.
Murong Liu Zun lay down for only a short while before getting up. Such a major event had occurred, and as Emperor, how could he remain indifferent? Turning his gaze towards Qingyao on the bed, he quietly got out of bed, beckoned the eunuch Yao An to attend to him, and a group of people departed silently.
Yao'er had been very tired these past few days, so the Emperor had issued an order that no one was to disturb the Empress's rest.