With the Empress Dowager imprisoned, all the palace servants of Anci Palace were sent to the Shenxing Division. Only those confirmed innocent could be reassigned elsewhere, while those found guilty were punished. Mo Yun returned to the Prince's Mansion unnoticed; in the Shenxing Division's records, he would simply be recorded as a corpse dumped in a mass grave.
Dressed entirely in black, Mo Yun had once again become the inconspicuous An San. Xu Zifan went to her courtyard to find her, "Do you like your new place?"
Mo Yun looked at the beautiful courtyard and nodded. "This place is very nice, but... it doesn't quite look like the residence of a secret guard. It's too conspicuous. Master, my mission is complete. I can move on to a new one."
"A new mission?" Xu Zifan looked at her and thought for a moment. "How about you take over all my forces and all the businesses under my name?"
Mo Yun exclaimed in surprise, "How can this be?"
"Why not? If I ever have to leave the capital, you can handle everything on my behalf. I trust you."
"Does Your Highness have business to attend to and are planning to leave the capital?"
"Perhaps, some unusual activity at the border presents a good opportunity." Xu Zifan recalled the original owner's memories; the border war was only a few months away.
Mo Yun frowned and hesitated, saying, "A wise man does not stand under a dangerous wall. Master, you already have victory in your grasp. Why risk going to the battlefield? If you insist on going, De'an will stay behind, and I will go with you."
Xu Zifan chuckled, reached out and brushed the petals that had fallen into her hair. Seeing her lower her head somewhat uncomfortably, he withdrew his hand and said with a smile, "De'an is going to the battlefield with me to earn military merits. What are you going there for? Don't worry, I dare to go and I'll come back safe and sound. You control the situation in the capital, so I have no worries."
Mo Yun was disturbed by his actions, unsure if he meant anything by it, and her face remained tense. "Yes, Your subordinate will certainly do it."
Xu Zifan was somewhat exasperated by the strict hierarchical system in ancient times. He had just shown some goodwill when Mo Yun became flustered, thinking she had misunderstood and assumed he wanted to take her as a concubine. In ancient times, men of some status typically had several concubines or maids. However, a special person like a secret guard couldn't be a concubine openly, so he could only be a nameless and unofficial maid.
Others might do this, even going out without female relatives, just female bodyguards. But very few people have the ability to maintain bodyguards, and he had no intention of doing so; it would be too insulting to Mo Yun. To prevent Mo Yun from overthinking, he decided to take it slow. After all, taking over his power meant being with him every day. As the saying goes, familiarity breeds fondness, and since he hadn't developed feelings for a woman in decades, he would definitely take the initiative.
When a minister came to see her, Mo Yun had to avoid him. Although few people besides some palace staff could remember what Mo Yun looked like, she couldn't show herself just yet because of the recent incident in the palace. Xu Zifan had a sudden idea and said with a smile, "You can take An Yi's place and protect me from the shadows. I'll have An Yi take care of something."
Mo Yun, unsuspecting, immediately agreed and hid, silently following Xu Zifan. The Prince's residence received seven ministers, all from Xu Zifan's faction, who came to inquire about his future plans. Xu Zifan simply told them to remain calm, suppress all trouble, and that things would naturally fall into place in time, reassuring them.
Xu Zifan had people keep a close watch on those who might act suspiciously, while the palace was also cleaning up the mess. Qi Hong, Fu Rong's attendant, "accidentally" fell into the lake and, under Xiao Shunzi's arrangement, left the palace. By the time Fu Rong finished arranging palace affairs and went to find Qi Hong, Qi Hong was already "dead." Fu Rong wasn't stupid; she realized she had been used as a pawn, and Qi Hong was never truly hers!
From the moment she entered the palace, Qi Hong was assigned to serve her, always working diligently for her. Even when the Fu family was engulfed in flames, she didn't abandon her, and even helped her deal with the Empress Dowager and the Empress. Only this time, with the wine cup, was the Emperor also implicated. Fu Rong thought it over carefully, and realized that the only beneficiary could be the Regent!
Like the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind, she thought she was the oriole, but it turned out the Regent was the real oriole. He had been watching them fight, giving them a push when their battle was at its fiercest, and reaping the benefits. She was fighting for her own little corner of the harem, while the Regent wanted the whole world. She knew that even if she gave it her all, she couldn't defeat the Regent; she didn't have that kind of ability.
The Emperor's health was failing, and Furong didn't see the point in telling him the truth. Besides, she had no evidence, and even if she voiced her suspicions, no one would believe her. After all, only a few of them knew the details of their power struggle, and this matter would likely only be believed by a select few. Clinging to a sliver of hope, she went alone to the secret room to interrogate the Empress Dowager. The Empress Dowager was in a sorry state, but she stubbornly refused to admit anything during the interrogation, insisting on seeing the Emperor. When she realized she couldn't see him, she simply shouted that Xu Zifan had done it all, and that Mo Yun had framed her.
Furong stepped forward and grabbed the Empress Dowager by the neck, whispering in her ear, "I know what the Regent has done, and I know you're the one who poisoned him. I'm just asking you, do you have the antidote? If the Emperor doesn't recover, all your fuss will be in vain!"
The Empress Dowager struggled to push her away, coughing for a long time before whispering, "The Emperor is still the Emperor, and there are still ministers in the court who are loyal to him. Let me see the Emperor. As long as Xu Zifan is brought down, I will take out the antidote to save him."
Furong stared intently at her, "Even a ghost wouldn't believe that! Swear a deadly oath that if there's no antidote, you'll suffer a terrible death and be reborn as an animal for all eternity!"
The Empress Dowager seemed choked, speechless for a long while, her face flushed red. Such a vicious oath—even if she weren't a Buddhist, she wouldn't dare utter it. Furong's heart sank. She also felt that there was no cure for the Emperor's illness, but knowing that the Empress Dowager truly had no antidote, she had lost even her last glimmer of hope.
Alright.
Seeing that she was about to leave, the Empress Dowager hurriedly said, "Furong, things have come to this point, you must listen to me. We will bring down Xu Zifan, adopt a child from the imperial clan, and this empire will still be ours. I promise that the child will be adopted by you, making you the Empress Dowager, and you can enjoy wealth and honor. Isn't that what you've been asking for? Being the Empress Dowager is much more secure than being the Imperial Noble Consort now. You'll never have to worry about losing favor again. Think it over carefully."
Furong scoffed at her words, locked her up, and returned to her own palace. She was powerless and at odds with the Empress Dowager; would the Empress Dowager let her enjoy a life of luxury if she were alive? Besides, Xu Zifan wasn't so easily defeated. She never did anything without certainty; she had already stumbled over the wine cup, a lesson that taught her that going against Xu Zifan was like throwing an egg against a rock. They were all Xu Zifan's prey, to be dealt with whenever he wanted. Perhaps Xu Zifan hadn't directly forced her to abdicate simply to maintain a good reputation.
Furong pondered all night; she couldn't just sit and wait for her fate. She'd seen useless people like the emperor before. The longer she stayed, the less hope she had. Such people only grew more irritable, suspicious, and unreasonable. Staying by the emperor's side would only make her his target for venting his frustrations. Endless beatings and torture awaited her; she'd rather return to the Drunken Fragrance Pavilion!
Furong realized that Qihong had switched her wine cup, indicating she had no intention of harming her. She also remembered that the Empress Dowager's poison was lethal, yet the Emperor and Empress had survived, suggesting their poison had also been switched. There must be a reason behind this, so she made a bold decision.
A few days later, Xiao Shunzi reported to Xu Zifan that Furong seemed to be looking for an opportunity to be alone with him, but Xu Zifan only visited the Emperor and left each day, so she couldn't find a chance and was getting a little restless. Xu Zifan had Xiao Shunzi keep an eye on Furong and the Emperor to prevent them from making any unusual moves. Knowing Furong's situation, Xu Zifan deliberately went to the Imperial Garden, and sure enough, Furong appeared shortly afterward.
The two spoke in the pavilion, with the palace servants standing at a distance, except for Mo Yun, who remained hidden in the shadows as Xu Zifan's bodyguard. Furong probed a few times, then approached Xu Zifan, her words laced with a hint of ambiguity, and said with a smile, "I have heard much about the Regent's deeds and have long admired him. Today is the first time I have had the opportunity to sit and chat with the Regent. With such a change in the palace, the court and the harem all depend on the Regent. I imagine the Regent is very busy every day. I know a few ways to relieve fatigue; when the Regent is tired, perhaps I can help him relax? Or if there is anything the Regent needs me to do, I will certainly do my best."
Hidden in the shadows, Mo Yun sized up Fu Rong. Fu Rong was extremely beautiful, multi-talented, and intelligent. Having assessed the situation, she had come to pledge her allegiance to the prince, even wanting to enter his harem and serve him. She had laid out both of her usefulness to him, a clever move indeed. The prince's silence—was he considering taking her as a concubine? She'd heard many men in the capital were fond of Fu Rong. Seeing Fu Rong lean closer to Xu Zifan, she frowned unhappily and looked at Xu Zifan, awaiting his answer.
Xu Zifan keenly sensed that someone was watching him. He had been having Shaohua monitor the surroundings in case someone broke in and overheard something, so the only one watching him could be Mo Yun. He took two steps to the side and stood by the pavilion, saying indifferently, "Thank you for your concern, Imperial Noble Consort. I still have official business to attend to. If there is nothing else, Imperial Noble Consort, I will take my leave."
He knew that Furong was very clever, but he didn't like that she deceived the emperor's feelings for wealth and status, and then flattered him to save her own life. He felt that such a person could live well, but he didn't need such wives, concubines, or subordinates.
Seeing that he remained unmoved, Furong withdrew her seductive charm and conceded, saying, "Your Highness, all I ask for is to live. If Your Highness has any orders, I will do my best to fulfill them, only asking that after everything settles down, I be spared to leave the capital. I will not reveal a single word of the palace secrets, and even if I did, no one would believe me, and even if they did, no one could shake Your Highness's position. Now that the Emperor trusts me implicitly, it would be good if I could do things for Your Highness with a slightly lower price. What do you say, Your Highness?"
Xu Zifan narrowed his eyes, pondering the role that Furong could play. Suddenly, he had an idea and nodded. "The Emperor's palace is not conducive to recuperation. I will choose another palace for him. You should persuade him to move there and serve him personally. Ask the imperial physician to examine the Emperor's pulse three times a day, morning, noon and evening. You must not neglect the Emperor."
Furong's heart skipped a beat. She thought Xu Zifan would ask her to prepare an abdication edict to facilitate her ascension to the throne, but instead, he wanted her to pierce the emperor's heart? Wasn't this excessive concern just telling the emperor that he was useless? She said in astonishment, "Now that the emperor has abdicated and the prince has ascended the throne, finding a divine physician to treat the emperor would bring him a very good reputation."
Xu Zifan waved his hand, "You don't need to guess too much, just do as I say."
Furong quickly lowered her head, "Yes, Your Highness, I will definitely handle this matter well and will never reveal anything about Your Highness."
Xu Zifan sent her back to take care of the emperor and found a palace with a secret chamber within the sleeping quarters, ordering it to be prepared and furnished. He dismissed everyone and summoned Mo Yun to test it out. Normal conversations inside the secret chamber were inaudible from the outside; only a loud noise could detect anything amiss. However, sounds from the outside were clearly audible inside, even soft humming could be heard. This was an idea he had just come up with; even the most ruthless person has a soft side, it all depends on the circumstances and their position.
Mo Yun glanced at the location of the secret room, which was separated from the bed by only one wall, and said knowingly, "Does Master intend to imprison the Empress Dowager here?"
Xu Zifan smiled slightly, "That's right, things are different now. Fu Yuhua will hear firsthand how much pain her poisoned son is in, which might help her regain her conscience. Let's go, Xiao Shunzi will take her in later."
Mo Yun had an idea. "Master, why don't I provoke her in the secret room?"
Xu Zifan waved his hand, "No need. They're in such a state now that there's no need to waste your time. Staying here is a waste of your time, and besides, you have more important things to do."
"If we're going to do it, let's go."
More important things? Isn't that protecting him and the forces that will take over his position? Mo Yun responded and concealed himself as he left, following Xu Zifan. Watching Xu Zifan's back, he unconsciously curled up the corners of his mouth.
Xu Zifan left the palace directly without meeting the Empress Dowager. A meeting now would only lead to arguments, and if this method could inflict excruciating pain on her, it would save him a lot of trouble. As for the abdication edict hinted at by Furong, he never needed it. If he wanted to force the emperor to abdicate, he could have done so long ago with his power. However, he truly lived in this world and was unwilling to provoke a war between the two sides, resulting in countless deaths and injuries, because of his mission.
The saying "One general's success is built on the bones of ten thousand" is never just an empty phrase; usurping the throne is no easy feat. He spent over half a year trapping the Empress Dowager and her son, expanding his power, and gradually destroying their image in the eyes of the officials and the people. This wasn't for his own good reputation, but to disillusion more ministers and officials with the emperor, drawing them to his side, allowing him to win without a fight and minimize the losses of a dynastic change. If taking a roundabout route could reduce so many casualties, why make it so tragic? And this roundabout route only took him half a year.
The time is ripe, so he doesn't need the emperor to abdicate. When it's time for him to ascend the throne, no one will object even if he usurps it.
As expected, Furong persuaded the emperor to move to the new palace, while the Empress Dowager had been gagged and tied to a pillar in a secret chamber by Xiaoshunzi. Furong tirelessly served the emperor personally, summoning the imperial physicians to examine him three times a day, morning, noon, and night, but naturally, there was no improvement. At first, the emperor was moved by her actions, but after a few days, he could no longer bear this excessive concern. The words of the imperial physicians seemed to be telling him again and again that there was no hope!
The emperor became irritable and easily angered. He would feel sorry for anyone who looked at him, and he would feel slighted if anyone was slow to act. As a result, countless dishes and medicines were spilled, and countless palace servants were punished. The palace servants were so frightened that they were all afraid to enter the inner palace to serve him.
The Empress Dowager listened to the Emperor's tantrums outside day and night. At first, she felt relieved. That rebellious son locked her in a dark room and tortured her to death. Didn't he also have a hard time? If he refuses to listen to her, he will be usurped by Xu Zifan sooner or later!
But half a month later, she felt a pang of unease. This was, after all, the child she had carried for ten months, the child she had raised with so much care and effort for over a decade. She had been willing to order his poisoning when she was consumed by hatred and self-interest, yet now she too had fallen into such a miserable state. Hearing her son's suffering, she felt a pang of heartache. They had only been manipulated by Xu Zifan; before, they had been a loving and filial mother and son. If it weren't for Xu Zifan, the emperor would surely have been very devoted to her!
The Empress Dowager, bound in a dark room, unable to see or speak a word, was suffocating with resentment. Her hatred and anger gradually faded, while her yearning for freedom grew stronger, and her thoughts began to change. Especially after guessing what Xu Zifan had done, and thinking about her struggles with the Emperor and the Fu family, the more she thought about it, the more heartbroken she became.
They should have been a family, one entity. But because of Xu Zifan, they turned on each other and are now almost completely wiped out. Only the emperor remains on the throne, but he can't see through Xu Zifan's true colors and still makes him review memorials every day. She's frantic in her secret chamber and has even started to feel sorry for the emperor who's kept in the dark. He's still a child, the son she's always protected!
That day, she heard the emperor throwing a tantrum again, this time because the imperial physicians had taken a little too long to examine her pulse. The emperor roared, "What's with all those dejected faces? Do you think I'm beyond saving? A bunch of quacks! Useless! Get out! Get out!"
The imperial physicians dared not utter a sound, quickly bowing and retreating, their faces grim. They had done everything in their power to heal the emperor, yet he insulted them daily, treating them as less than human. They dared not entertain the slightest thought of resistance, but they were all pondering how to escape this fate. With the emperor's increasingly tyrannical nature, they might die any day now.
Standing at a distance from the emperor's bedside, Furong gently comforted him, "Your Majesty, don't be angry. They must be incompetent doctors to keep saying you're beyond saving. The Son of Heaven is protected by the heavens, and I believe you will recover."
The emperor roared, "The Son of Heaven? If I were truly the Son of Heaven, how could I have ended up like this?"
Furong exclaimed in surprise, "Your Majesty, how could you say that? What if people hear this and it gets out? Outsiders will surely say that Your Majesty's throne was obtained illegitimately and that you have been punished by Heaven."
The emperor frowned, finding the words particularly grating. "What nonsense are you spouting!"
"Yes, Your Majesty, I misspoke. You should get some rest. You are not feeling well right now, and if you don't rest properly, your health will only get worse. You still need to wait for the Regent to find a great doctor."
"What do you mean? Are you saying I'll die before I can see the miracle doctor?"
"No, how could I think that? But Your Majesty, there's a saying among the common people: 'If the King of Hell calls you to die at midnight, he won't let you live until dawn.' It means that a person's life and death are predetermined, and when it's time to die, no matter how much you struggle, you can't escape it..."
"Furong! How dare you!" The emperor's eyes widened in disbelief that Furong would curse him to death.
Furong was taken aback for a moment, then quickly waved her hand, "Your Majesty, you misunderstand. That's not what I meant. I just wanted you to calm down. As long as God doesn't let you die, the divine doctor will definitely appear in time to save you."
The Emperor stared at her suspiciously. He thought about how affectionate they had always been, and concluded that Furong must not have meant any harm, which was why she hadn't driven him away. But his mood was terrible. Although Furong meant no harm, every word she spoke pierced his heart. His throne had been seized for him by Xu Zifan, who had also protected it for six years—wasn't that illegitimate? Perhaps he wasn't the true Son of Heaven at all, and that's why Heaven was punishing him by making him what he was today. He had searched for so long without finding a divine physician, and the Empress Dowager had no antidote; perhaps his fate was sealed.
That's all.
The emperor closed his eyes but dared not sleep. Every time he fell asleep, he did not know if he would wake up again. This feeling of lying there waiting to die was too painful.
Inside the secret chamber, the Empress Dowager gritted her teeth and struggled incessantly. Furong's pretentious antics were nothing new to her; Furong was deliberately provoking the Emperor! She wanted to shout to alert him, but her mouth was bound, and she could only make muffled "woo-woo-woo" sounds, inaudible from the outside. If she had known this palace with its secret chamber would be used to imprison her, she should have demolished it in the first place!
The emperor closed his eyes to rest, while Furong continued her cryptic conversation. Xiao Shunzi waved for the other palace servants to leave, then activated a mechanism and entered the secret chamber. Furong acted as if she hadn't seen anything, showing neither curiosity nor asking any questions, simply doing what Xu Zifan had instructed her to do. She only wanted to leave alive afterward and didn't want to know any more secrets. At this moment, all she needed to do was to provoke the emperor with all her might, making him anxious and distressed.
Seeing Xiao Shunzi struggling even more, the Empress Dowager's eyes were filled with hatred. This treacherous servant, a confidant of the Emperor, was actually also one of Xu Zifan's men. Xiao Shunzi smiled, took out a fasting pill, untied the gag from the Empress Dowager's mouth, stuffed the pill into her mouth, forced her to swallow it, and then neatly tied the gag back on, not giving her a chance to speak.
Xiao Shunzi clapped his hands and chuckled softly, "Your Majesty, are you worried about the Emperor? Don't worry, the Emperor has been poisoned by you and suffers from abdominal pain for half an hour every day. It's almost time, and you'll soon hear the Emperor's voice. Your Majesty, with your loving motherly heart, hearing the Emperor's voice will ease your longing for your son, won't it?"
No sooner had he finished speaking than the emperor cried out in agony, "My stomach! My stomach hurts so much! Quickly, call the imperial physician!"
The Empress Dowager stared wide-eyed at Xiao Shunzi, muttering incessantly. Xiao Shunzi sighed, "How pitiful. He's not even sixteen yet, just married, and hasn't even had a child. His life is ruined, and he has to endure the torment of abdominal pain every day. This... it's all your fault, Empress Dowager! Tell me, when you were pregnant, gave birth to the Emperor, and raised him all these years, did you never truly love him? How could you have ruined him like this?"
Xiao Shunzi shook his head and left. The Empress Dowager watched helplessly as he left the secret chamber, while she, bound tightly and unable to move, felt utterly hopeless. Xiao Shunzi had been feeding her something, giving her one pill every seven days, which meant she no longer needed to eat, drink, or even relieve herself. So she remained bound to the pillar, her hands and feet numb, with no chance of escape or calling for help. She was truly desperate.
The emperor's screams outside relentlessly assaulted her ears. She wanted to cover them; she didn't want to hear it! It was all her fault, she was the one who poisoned him. That was her own son, her own flesh and blood, whom she had carried for ten months. Each scream was like a knife, cutting her, leaving her wounded all over. She desperately wanted to cover her ears; she couldn't bear it any longer!
The Empress Dowager was in tears. The imperial physicians rushed over, but were helpless. Naturally, they were scolded by the Emperor again and ordered to be dragged out and beaten to death. Xiao Shunzi followed them out and let the physicians leave, saying it was the Regent's order. The physicians left gratefully, their hearts all leaning towards the Regent. If it weren't for the Regent saving them, they would have died long ago.
Xiao Shunzi flicked his whisk, stood at the doorway gazing at the sky, intending to wait until the shouting inside stopped before going in. He didn't know what kind of pill Xu Zifan had given him; it was so miraculous that it could keep the Empress Dowager alive for days without food or water. But this trick was truly brilliant; even the Empress Dowager, a woman of such ruthlessness, actually felt heartache. It seemed that this mother and son were about to collapse.
A few days later, the Empress Dowager woke up suddenly feeling listless and weak, as if she had instantly become an old woman on the verge of death, feeling as if her body no longer belonged to her. She glanced down and was shocked to find that her hair had turned completely white! She struggled in disbelief, but even that was too weak. This feeling was all too familiar, like the helplessness she often felt when she fainted, even ten times worse. She panicked, utterly helpless. This feeling of gradually approaching death filled her with despair; she no longer had the strength to hate, her heart filled only with the fear of death.
The emperor screamed in agony from abdominal pain, cursing the empress dowager incessantly. The empress dowager, in the secret chamber, felt both heartbroken and chilled. Then she heard Xu Zifan's voice; he had actually found that divine physician to treat the emperor! The empress dowager cheered, her eyes filled with joy. If that divine physician could cure her once, he could surely cure her a second time. Then she heard the divine physician say that the emperor's body was ruined, and there was no way to cure him in the world. He had at most six months to live.
After a moment of silence, the emperor's furious shouts rang out, "Aren't you a divine physician? You could cure that poisonous woman's illness, so why can't you cure me? I order you to heal me, or I will exterminate your entire family!"
The physician coldly replied, "Your Majesty, I have not cured the Empress Dowager. I merely used potent medicine to stimulate all her life force, effectively shortening her lifespan. Once this life force is depleted, the Empress Dowager will age rapidly and fall seriously ill. However, I warned her beforehand that this treatment would have severe consequences, but she decided to undergo the treatment without listening to my explanation, saying she would recover and return to the palace regardless of the consequences. Judging from her condition, she should now be exhausted of life force and aging rapidly. However, Your Majesty, your internal organs are already damaged. Using this method will only lead to immediate death. I regret that I have no way to cure you."
The emperor was shocked by the truth behind his treatment of the Empress Dowager, and then, realizing that even this method was ineffective, he was filled with despair. He began to curse the Empress Dowager, and finally, he couldn't help but cry out, "Why have you done this to me? Am I really your son?!"
When the Empress Dowager learned the truth and heard her son's words, she finally broke down completely!