"It is him, it is indeed him!"
Upon hearing this, a dark cloud instantly spread across the Empress's face. Her brows furrowed, her eyes turned cold, and the fury in her chest churned, a deep hatred surging from the depths of her heart.
"Your Majesty, if Prince Qing's death is truly related to Prince Leng, then there's nothing we can do about it. Not only does he possess immense power himself, but the Emperor and Empress Dowager also favor him dearly. We cannot seek justice for Prince Qing and have the Emperor deal with him impartially," Xiao Anzi said with some dejection.
"Hmph! Do you think the Emperor doesn't know who the murderer is? He is well aware of the cause of Yao'er's death. It's just that he wants to protect the killer who murdered Yao'er. Prince Leng is not hateful, but the Emperor who shields the murderer is. You don't need to worry about this matter; I will avenge Yao'er."
The Empress harbored deep resentment towards the Emperor, and at the same time, a terrifying thought began to form in her mind.
"Xiao Anzi, you don't need to concern yourself with this. You may all withdraw. I wish to be alone for a while," the Empress said with a heavy heart.
"Yes, Your Majesty, this servant takes his leave!"
Xiao Anzi bowed respectfully to the Empress before exiting her sleeping quarters.
After Xiao Anzi and the others had retreated, the Empress stealthily retrieved a small, exquisite square box from beneath her pillow.
She carefully opened the lid of the small box. A black medicinal pill, about the size of a thumb, immediately appeared before her eyes. This pill was called Duan Xu Gao, which she had spent considerable time procuring. It had the effect of mending tendons and bones for an hour.
She intended to take it tonight and kill the scoundrel who caused Yao'er's death.
As the Empress thought of this, a look of intense hatred flashed across her face, and she immediately swallowed the Duan Xu Gao.
After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the Empress was wracked by excruciating pain. She gritted her teeth, her face gradually turning deathly pale, veins bulging on her forehead, and layers of cold sweat beading on her skin. After suffering for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the pain in her body slowly subsided, and she ultimately survived on the brink of death.
Then, she attempted to sit up from the bed, put on her shoes, and used the small table beside her to help herself slowly stand and walk. After much effort, she finally managed to stand.
This was the first time she had stood since being crippled by the Emperor.
She walked to her large wardrobe and retrieved a set of night-traveling clothes from the very bottom, changing into them. She then went to her dressing table, took a dagger, a hidden weapon, and a box of sleeping powder from a drawer, and hurried towards the Emperor's palace.
Outside, the torrential rain continued to pour, falling to the ground like arrows.
Meanwhile, the Emperor, who was in the Imperial Study reviewing memorials, felt his eyelids twitch. For some reason, he couldn't concentrate on his work.
He had a premonition that something bad was about to happen.
Therefore, he put down his work and went to the window to gaze outside, listening to the pitter-patter of the rain on the leaves and tiles, flowing down the slopes, and making tinkling sounds as it hit the ground.
Outside the door, the Empress crept to the corner of the Imperial Study, watching for the gap in the Royal Guards' shift change, and slipped into the Imperial Study.
She had lived in this imperial palace, which felt like a cage, for nearly twenty years and was intimately familiar with everything within its walls. Thus, she could easily find loopholes in the defenses.
She then effortlessly entered the Imperial Study and soon spotted the Emperor standing by the window.
A cold sneer immediately curved the Empress's lips. She took a hidden weapon from her waist and blew it gently towards the Emperor's back. A poisoned needle rapidly flew towards the Emperor. Just as it was about to pierce his back, Jian Feng, sensing something was amiss, rushed into the Imperial Study. He looked up and saw the Empress using a hidden weapon against the Emperor. He flashed behind the Emperor, blocking the poisoned needle for him.
At this moment, the Emperor, who had been lost in thought, belatedly realized someone was trying to assassinate him. He quickly raised his hand, gathered a gust of wind, and sent it towards the attacker, regardless of who it was.
The Empress managed to narrowly dodge the Emperor's sudden gust of wind. As she had relied on the medicine to stand up, her movements were extremely stiff.
After being struck by the poisoned needle, Jian Feng became groggy, and his lips turned a dark color. The Emperor laid him on the ground and then took out a bottle of antidote pills that Leng Ruo Li had given him earlier and kept on his person. He quickly took out a pill and made Jian Feng swallow it. Jian Feng's lips gradually regained their normal color at a visible speed, and he became much clearer.
At this moment, the Emperor couldn't help but sigh, marveling at how extraordinary the pills developed by Leng Ruo Li were.
Furthermore, this bottle of antidote pills he carried was the best he had developed recently.
"You madwoman, what did you take tonight to make you stand? Fourth Prince has only been dead for three days, and instead of staying in your Fengqi Palace, you come here to seek death. I will grant you your wish."
The Emperor stared at the Empress with icy eyes and said sternly, "What took you to take some special medicine that enabled you to stand tonight? Fourth Prince has only been dead for three days, and instead of staying in your Fengqi Palace, you come here to seek death. I will grant you your wish."
"Heh! You dog emperor, if I can come to the Imperial Study to assassinate you today, I never intended to leave alive," the Empress retorted defiantly.
"Good, then tonight, I will grant your wish! It's been many years since I last practiced martial arts."
After saying this, the Emperor drew the sword from Jian Feng's hand and lunged at the Empress.
"Wait, dog emperor, I have one question for you. You must answer me truthfully."
"Heh! You are about to die, what else is there to say?"
"Is Jun Mo Han the one who killed Yao'er?"
Upon hearing this, the Emperor glanced at the Empress with cold eyes.
"Jun Mo Yao brought his own demise, and no one else is to blame. If anyone is to blame, it should be you, his mother, for leading him astray and ruining his life," the Emperor said coldly to the Empress.
"Haha, I know I was wrong, but you shouldn't have protected the murderer of Yao'er."
As she finished speaking, the Empress's demeanor turned wildly erratic.
"If Jun Mo Yao hadn't brought his own demise by attempting to assassinate Leng Ruo Li, no matter how much of a scoundrel he was, Han'er would have spared his life out of brotherly affection. But Jun Mo Yao crossed his bottom line, and Leng Ruo Li is Han'er's ultimate bottom line. Therefore, Jun Mo Yao deserved to lose his life."
The Emperor spoke to the Empress with an icy tone.
"You are Yao'er's biological father, yet you say he deserved to die. Is that bastard born of that woman worth your so much consideration? I have accompanied you for decades, given birth to two sons for you, yet I do not receive even a shred of your affection...
"Haha... I lost, lost to a dead person, lost due to my own wishful thinking..." the Empress rambled incoherently.