Three days later.
Jincheng welcomed the heaviest snowfall in years.
The snow fell like goose feathers, one piece after another. Within half an hour, the bases of the two stone lions at the palace gate were no longer visible.
Outside Chengqian Hall, two guards stood straight, chatting with each other.
"It's so cold. I'll have to ask my wife to sew a few more layers of clothes when I get back."
"Phew... Isn't it? Our shift is almost over. I'm going to soak my feet in hot water when I get back."
"By the way, the Empress has been inside the Emperor's chambers for quite some time, why hasn't she come out? Should we go take a look?"
"Forget it. Without the Emperor's summons, don't go in and disturb them. The Emperor has been quite angry about the Crown Prince's affairs lately."
"That's true."
...
Inside the hall, the everlasting lamp flickered.
Faint shadows could be seen on the wall, among them was a woman holding a dagger to a man's neck.
"Presumptuous! What do you want... urk..." Eunuch Hua watched as Zi Pei, standing by the bed, held a dagger to Lu Jing'an, who was half-reclining on the bed. Just as he was about to cry out, a silver gleam flashed, and another dagger appeared at Eunuch Hua's neck.
Eunuch Hua broke out in a cold sweat, his eyes following the dagger to try and see who was trying to kill him.
"You are the Crown Prince..."
"Indeed. I am Eunuch Yun, by the Crown Prince's side. Eunuch Hua, you are truly a trusted subordinate of His Majesty, with a good memory." Bian Yuncheng pressed the dagger in his hand slightly harder.
Eunuch Hua felt a chill in his throat.
Shen Nong sat at a golden-scented nanmu wood table in the hall, watching Eunuch Hua's reaction as if observing a play. "Eunuch, I suppose you never expected this day to come?"
"What do you mean?" Shen Nong smiled, taking out a small bottle from her embrace and pouring some clear water into a bowl. She poured all the medicine from the bottle into it.
Eunuch Hua's eyes widened. "You intend to assassinate the Emperor?"
Shen Nong gave him a look that said, 'What else?'
Eunuch Hua glanced at the still weak man on the bed. He knew the Emperor's body better than anyone. The fact that he had lasted this long was due to his strong constitution and some luck. Now, if this bowl of medicine were to be administered... it would surely be...
"You..."
"Eunuch!" Shen Nong interrupted him. "I know what you're thinking. You think that if you shout, all three of us in this hall will be shot to death by arrows?"
"Empress, then why are you..."
"What dare I not do?" Shen Nong slammed the table and sneered.
Eunuch Hua blinked in fear.
"Eunuch Hua, I am not stopping you from shouting. You can shout if you wish. But I heard that before you entered the palace, you left a son in your hometown named Hua Yi, is that correct?" Shen Nong looked at Eunuch Hua with a smile that held a trace of calculation.
Eunuch Hua knew what she was going to say. His lips trembled for a long time, but he couldn't utter a single word.
"Indeed, you are already a disabled person. It's only natural that you would cherish the offspring you managed to have years ago." Shen Nong added.
Eunuch Hua's face turned red with anger.
Shen Nong shook her head with a smile, picked up the bowl, and walked towards Lu Jing'an.
Eunuch Hua said, "Your Highness, do you know that what you are doing now is punishable by the extermination of your entire clan? You..."
"Extermination of the entire clan?" Shen Nong paused. "Eunuch Hua, you are mistaken. Doing this now carries the punishment of exterminating the entire clan. But if it is postponed until Hong'er ascends the throne, do you think... how would Hong'er deal with his mother?"
"You... Ah!"
As Eunuch Hua was about to speak, Bian Yuncheng tightened his grip on the dagger and whispered in his ear:
"Eunuch Hua, you are a wise man. My Lady and I could simply kill you, and your secret would be buried with you. But every wrong has its cause, and every debt has its debtor. We spare your life not to threaten us, but because you should know what to do and how to do it!
You can call for help, but let's see whose blade is faster – ours or the guards who charge in. Do you understand? The Emperor is going to die one way or another!
So, you should think for yourself."
Eunuch Hua nodded, seemingly persuaded by Bian Yuncheng's words.
His eyes were filled with fear. He watched as Shen Nong gave him a disdainful glance before continuing towards Lu Jing'an.
"Your Majesty!" Shen Nong called out sweetly, but in this atmosphere, it carried a chilling eeriness.
Lu Jing'an remained silent, staring intently at Shen Nong.
Shen Nong chuckled and said, "Your Majesty looking at your concubine like this, how can I possibly carry out my task?"
Lu Jing'an still said nothing.
Shen Nong's expression darkened. She snatched the dagger from Zi Pei's hand and struck. Blood splattered onto the white curtains.
"Mmmph..." Lu Jing'an whimpered in pain.
Zi Pei reacted swiftly, straddling Lu Jing'an and covering his mouth with both hands.
Eunuch Hua, watching everything unfold, felt his body go weak with fear.
Lu Jing'an's eyes were still bleeding. As if in too much pain, his body began to convulse.
"Zi Pei!" Shen Nong called out.
After Zi Pei moved his hands away, Shen Nong poured the bowl of clear water she was holding into Lu Jing'an's mouth.
Lu Jing'an choked, and before he could even take a breath, all the water rushed down his throat like a bursting dam.
The next moment, before Shen Nong had finished pouring the medicine, Lu Jing'an's body slowly stopped struggling. Only his limbs showed faint tremors, like those of a dying dog.
"Did it work?" Bian Yuncheng asked.
Shen Nong felt Lu Jing'an's breath. "Breathing out more than breathing in. He's not going to make it."
Bian Yuncheng revealed a triumphant smile, tossed Eunuch Hua aside, and walked to the bedside to examine him.
Lu Jing'an could no longer see, but he could still hear. He felt someone approach and moved his fingertip.
Bian Yuncheng saw this gesture and sneered, "Your Majesty, you never expected this, did you? Your grand ambitions were ruined by a few people's schemes."
Lu Jing'an remained silent.
Bian Yuncheng continued, "Let me tell you one last thing: Lu Yuanhong is not actually your child."
"..." Silence.
Bian Yuncheng frowned, displeased. He roughly pulled at Lu Jing'an's robes.
Lu Jing'an lacked the strength to resist and could only endure his rough handling.
"Let me tell you one last thing. Yesterday, your Empress falsely issued an imperial decree for Hua Rong, the eldest son of the Hua family stationed at the Linzhou border, to return to Jincheng. We have planted a spy near Hua Rong, and he will simply die a violent death on his way back.
As for the Shu Rong kingdom, don't let Shen Cong's loyalty to you fool you. Hong'er is the only bloodline of the Shen family. If he knew that Shen Nong had done all this, would he uphold righteousness and destroy his family, or would he support his own grandson to become emperor?"
"Uh..." Lu Jing'an finally reacted. He tried to push Bian Yuncheng away, but before he could even lift his hand, he slumped down like a kite whose string had been cut.
Seeing this, Shen Nong stepped forward and checked Lu Jing'an's condition again. "He's dead!"
Upon hearing this, Bian Yuncheng's sword-like brows rose. He lightly released his grip, and Lu Jing'an fell heavily back onto the bed.
Eunuch Hua, upon hearing this, was so shocked that he almost fainted.
Shen Nong glanced at him, tidied up the cups on the table, and said, "Alright, let's go. It's time for Eunuch to show us what he can do."