Chapter 268: One Wave Not Settled, Another Rises
Liu Ye echoed, “Congratulations, Empress. Congratulations, Empress. You have finally removed a thorn in your side.”
“It is worth celebrating. The entire Palace of Compassion and Tranquility will be rewarded today.” The Empress’s lips curved up.
“Thank you, Empress.” Liu Ye said happily.
“Empress.”
Suddenly, a man covered in blood stumbled in and fell to the ground as soon as he entered.
Liu Ye blocked in front of the Empress and scolded coldly, “Insolent! Who has such courage to dare come to the Palace of Compassion and Tranquility for assassination.”
“Empress, it’s me.”
The Empress pushed Liu Ye away and saw the man wearing fitted black clothing. This was the person she had sent out. Her expression changed drastically, and she quickly walked over.
“What happened?” the Empress asked loudly.
She had a bad premonition in her heart.
The man gasped weakly, “We… we were chased…”
Before he finished speaking, he collapsed straight down.
The Empress signaled Liu Ye to go forward. Liu Ye mustered her courage and approached, checking under the man’s nose. She found he had no breath left.
“Empress, he died.”
The Empress’s face immediately turned deathly pale.
Her body also swayed unsteadily.
“Em, Empress, what’s wrong?” Liu Ye supported her hand and asked with care.
The Empress muttered to herself, “It’s over. Everything is over.”
Liu Ye helped her sit down and poured her a cup of tea, asking puzzled, “Empress, what is over?”
After the Empress gulped down the tea in her hand, she finally spoke, “They were chased and killed, which proves what they did was not hidden and someone found out. If it’s discovered that I was behind it, His Majesty will not spare me.”
Thinking back to after Madam Yu died, Emperor Qin had been very indifferent to her. Although he came to her palace as usual on the fifteenth of every month, they had never consummated.
Occasionally he would stay overnight here, but he only reviewed memorials here and never got on her bed, let alone touched her.
Most of the time, he just came here to go through the motions and left.
Moreover, back then she had killed Consort Rou, who greatly resembled Madam Yu, so Emperor Qin disliked her even more.
He knew Emperor Qin did not like her but endured her due to her identity and fate.
If he knew she had even killed her own maternal family, Emperor Qin would unhesitatingly abandon her.
Liu Ye spoke to comfort her, “Is the Empress overthinking it? The pursuers may not necessarily know it was you who ordered it. Maybe all the killers you sent out are dead. They may not trace it back to you.”
Her words made the Empress’s anxious heart feel a bit more at ease.
She poured herself another cup of tea and gulped it down, her mind also stabilizing.
Her brain began to think as well.
After a while, once calmed down, the Empress’s anxious expression had settled quite a bit. “You’re right. The enemy has not fully made their move yet. I cannot lose my composure.”
The Empress forced herself to stay calm and think of countermeasures.
Meanwhile, at the Star Picking Tower.
Jiang Kui sat on one side playing chess with the Second Prince.
Suddenly, someone rushed in from outside the door, glanced at the Second Prince, and had an expression of wanting to speak but hesitating.
The Second Prince understood tactfully and stood up. “This palace has other matters and will take his leave first.”
Jiang Kui unhurriedly placed a chess piece on the chessboard and smiled, saying, “Second Prince, no rush. Finishing this game won’t take long.”
The Second Prince was stunned, turned his head and looked at him doubtfully for several seconds. Seeing him still looking at the chessboard, he suddenly looked up and said, “Second Prince, it’s your turn.”
With that, he made a gesture inviting him.
Seeing him like this, the Second Prince no longer meant to avoid it and sat down to play chess.
“Speak. The Second Prince is one of us, there’s nothing he can’t hear.” Jiang Kui said indifferently.
Seeing him say that, the guard directly took out a paper and read it aloud.
“Someone intercepted the killers targeting Yu Manor. The specific person is unknown.”
The Second Prince’s hand, about to place a chess piece on the chessboard, froze in midair.
Jiang Kui glanced at him. “Who does the Second Prince think it is?”
The Second Prince composed his expression, placed the chess piece on the chessboard, and shook his head. “This palace does not know. What does the Imperial Advisor think?”
Jiang Kui smiled without speaking and directly captured one of the Second Prince’s chess pieces. “This official also does not know, but the suspects are only a few.”
The Second Prince abruptly raised his head. “What does the Imperial Advisor mean?”
“Yu Family is the Empress’s maternal home. Who would kill the Empress’s maternal family? And who would want to intercept them to uncover the truth and deal with the mastermind.”
The Second Prince was stunned.
Although Yu Family is the Empress’s maternal family and the Qin Kingdom’s imperial relatives by marriage, the Empress became Empress because of her fate as the heaven’s mandated noblewoman. Emperor Qin feared that Yu Family would gain too much power in the capital and threaten imperial authority, so he had them reside long-term in Lingnan and not enter the capital without an imperial edict.
And those who want to kill the Empress’s maternal family are those with deep hatred toward the Empress.
After the Empress had held the rear position in the palace for so many years, it was impossible she had not offended anyone, but nothing had happened for all these years. Yet it happened precisely when Jiang Minghuai was in Lingnan.
The Empress and Jiang Kui in the palace could also be considered two major factions. As for whether they had any benefit conflicts, he had not paid attention.
After all, in the first dozen or so years, Wei Chang was weak in health, and the Empress devoted herself entirely to Wei Chang, acting very low-key in everything she did.
All the benefits were on him, so he had not paid attention to this aspect.
Combining the earlier words, the Second Prince raised his eyes and looked at Jiang Kui with some suspicion, but said nothing.
Jiang Kui saw through his thoughts completely and placed a chess piece.
“It is not us Jiang Family. For the matter of Yu Family, why doesn’t the Second Prince go find someone to ask?” Jiang Kui said ambiguously.
“What do you mean?” The Second Prince was a bit confused.
Jiang Kui just smiled without speaking.
* *
One wave not settled, another rises.
After several days, the common folk were very lively, bringing high heat to the cold winter.
Some rumors quickly spread to the palace.
In the imperial garden.
“Have you all heard?” A palace maid said stealthily in a low voice.
“What?” Another palace maid asked curiously.
“They’re all saying outside that the Empress became Empress by fabricating her fate as the heaven’s mandated noblewoman, but actually the true noblewoman was her sister?”
“Really?” The other palace maids said in unison with disbelief.
“How could it be fake? It’s spread all over outside. I never expected the Empress to be such a person. Truly couldn’t tell.”
“Keep your voice down. Do you not want your life?”
“What do I have to fear? There’s no one else here now.”
“True. You all didn’t see how low-key she was all these years. Wasn’t it just to avoid people finding out her identity if she was high-profile? Then her position as Empress wouldn’t be secure. Never thought she was such a disgusting person.”
“Exactly. Before, I thought the Imperial Consort was arrogant and tyrannical, an evil person. Now it seems the Imperial Consort’s evil is on the surface, while the Empress’s is rotten to the core.”
