In other days, the Empress Dowager could have personally visited, but now, confined to Cining Palace, how could she go see her?
"All of you, leave. Let this empress have some quiet."
"Yes, Your Majesty Empress Dowager."
The next morning, news spread throughout the imperial palace that Cining Palace was haunted. They said Consort Xue had returned from the dead to seek vengeance on the Empress Dowager. Panic ensued in the harem. As soon as night fell, the palace maids and eunuchs dared not go near Cining Palace or Consort Xue's former residence, fearing an encounter with the vengeful Consort Xue.
Ever since the first night she dreamed of Consort Xue seeking her life, the Empress Dowager had been plagued by nightmares. Those she had wronged and killed in the past appeared one by one, chaining her by the neck, dragging her to face the King of Hell.
Startled and terrified, the Empress Dowager's condition worsened. She was now bedridden, often speaking gibberish. The Emperor visited once and then paid no further attention. However, Consort De, as always, came daily to pay her respects and inquire after her health.
"It is truly Your Highness who is kind, visiting so consistently. With the Empress Dowager gravely ill, who else would think of her?"
Consort De showed a face of pity, "Since I entered the palace, I have always received the Empress Dowager's care. Without her, I would not have today's honor. A single drop of kindness should be repaid with a gushing spring, let alone the Empress Dowager's immense favor to me. I only hope Her Majesty Empress Dowager recovers soon." Su Dan Fiction Network.
"If the Empress Dowager knew of Your Highness's deep concern, she would surely be extremely touched."
Consort De instructed the palace servants to take good care of the Empress Dowager and then departed. As she stepped out of Cining Palace, a smile flickered across her face, filled with schadenfreude. This was only the beginning. The Empress Dowager owed her, and she would make her repay it a hundredfold.
"Your Highness, she is urging you."
"Tell her to wait patiently. She has waited for so long, can she not wait a few more days?" Consort De looked at the nail polish on her fingers and said slowly, "A moment of impatience can ruin a great plan. Now is the time when everyone is pushing her down. Just a little more force, and this wall will crumble completely!"
"Even His Majesty has grown weary of the Empress Dowager, is that not enough?"
"While His Majesty is weary of the Empress Dowager, he is not yet ready to take her life. The concept of filial piety weighs heavily. His Majesty has always valued it, and even knowing the Empress Dowager's promiscuity in the harem, he has only placed her under house arrest, without any intent to kill. If His Majesty were to learn that many of his beloved consorts were harmed by the Empress Dowager, then things would be different."
The palace maid's eyes lit up, "Your Highness understands. Your Highness's move is called '積重難返' (jī zhòng nán fǎn - too deeply mired to extricate oneself). It means piling up so many sins that even His Majesty cannot bear it, and finally..."
A flicker of hatred crossed Consort De's eyes. Prince Qi, who had acknowledged her as his mother, was sent to his fiefdom in a blink of an eye. Now, she, the Consort, although in charge of the six palaces, was a laughingstock. The mastermind behind all this was the Empress Dowager, and how could she let the Empress Dowager die too easily!
Nangong Yu, unable to find Jiang An's whereabouts and about to dispatch people to force their way into the State Preceptor's mansion, discovered Xiao Man entering it. The next day, the State Preceptor's mansion was privately searching for someone everywhere. Nangong Yu instantly understood that the person had fallen into Xiao Man's hands.
"Wen Ruyu, how is the matter I entrusted to you progressing?"
"It is settled. However, I discovered something strange."
"What is it?" Nangong Yu asked while reviewing the official documents presented to him.
"The Crimson Feather Iron Cavalry have infiltrated the Divine Capital Camp."
Nangong Yu's hand paused. He looked up at Wen Ruyu, "Are you referring to the people Xiao Man brought into the barracks?"
Wen Ruyu shook his head, "No, but a group of people have secretly entered the Divine Capital Camp."
Nangong Yu frowned slightly. He had many questions for Xiao Man, but he had lost her trust. Even if he wanted to ask, Xiao Man might not tell him the truth.
"Wen Ruyu, if the person you love accidentally killed your parents, would you forgive her?" Nangong Yu asked abruptly.
"No," Wen Ruyu replied without hesitation. "Regardless of the reason, murder is a fact, especially when it's your parents. She should be grateful I haven't declared eternal enmity with her."
Nangong Yu's expression darkened, "Even if she was framed, you wouldn't forgive her?"
Wen Ruyu pondered, "Perhaps she wasn't the killer, but she was an accomplice. I cannot convince myself to forgive her."
Nangong Yu fell silent. Was Xiao Man also like this? Even if she knew he was framed, she couldn't get past that hurdle in her heart and forgive him. That's true; if Xiao Man had accidentally killed his mother, he wouldn't have been able to forgive Xiao Man either.
Thinking of this, Nangong Yu deflated like a punctured balloon, exuding an aura of dejection. Were he and Xiao Man destined to be apart?
"Your Highness, why do you ask such a question?" Wen Ruyu asked cautiously. He had noticed Nangong Yu's change but didn't understand the reason.
"When Xiao Zhen was murdered, I was also at the Nanluo Mountain Villa."
Wen Ruyu gasped. He suddenly remembered that when he had come looking for Nangong Yu then, Nangong Yu's clothes were stained with blood, and he appeared dazed. Was this the reason?
"Did you kill General Xiao?"
Nangong Yu covered his forehead with his hand. "As soon as I entered the Nanluo Mountain Villa, I was attacked. My eyes were blinded by incense ash, and I couldn't see who was in front of me. All I knew was that the person had exceptional martial arts. If I held back, I would have been killed. I struck without mercy. By the time I realized the person in front of me was Xiao Zhen, I had already retracted some of my force, but I still gravely injured him."
"The attacker was Xiao Zhen?"
"Up till now, I haven't figured out the connection," Nangong Yu frowned. "According to Xiao Man, Xiao Zhen had long been poisoned by the Ten Miles Incense and couldn't move. But when Xiao Zhen attacked me, he was agile, not at all like someone who had been poisoned by Ten Miles Incense. Yet, the autopsy results showed that before his sternum was shattered, Xiao Zhen was stabbed three times. If he wasn't poisoned, why wouldn't he have resisted and allowed himself to be stabbed three times?"
Wen Ruyu was also quite worried. Xiao Man was known for her vindictiveness and ruthlessness. The current situation was that His Highness could be considered an accomplice in Xiao Zhen's death. Wouldn't Xiao Man secretly act against His Highness?
"Your Highness, Xiao Man moving the Crimson Feather Iron Cavalry into the Divine Capital Camp, is she not planning to fight you to the death?"
Nangong Yu paused, then gave a bitter smile, "Even if she wants to kill me, it would be justified."
"Your Highness, but you were also framed," Wen Ruyu said indignantly on his behalf. "You couldn't see at the time and didn't know the attacker was General Xiao. If you had known, you wouldn't have injured the General. You even suffered a backlash when you retracted your force, and you were quite injured."
"The key is that Xiao Man doesn't believe it. She doesn't believe I didn't do it intentionally," Nangong Yu rubbed his temples. "She firmly believes that after Xiao Zhen was poisoned by Ten Miles Incense, I deliberately shattered his sternum when he was defenseless."