The Empress had visited the Emperor's chambers last night, and he had only a day left to live. Thus, this morning, she summoned Ye Tingzhu into the palace, intending to decree an imperial edict at the opportune moment.
Retrieving the treasure register from Chunxi Palace should have been a straightforward matter. However, after waiting for a long time, Qin Rulian had not returned. The Empress glanced at the sky, frowned, and rose.
"I will first go to the Emperor's chambers to check on his condition. Tingzhu, you shall wait here for the time being."
"Your son obeys Mother Empress."
Ye Tingzhu nodded and escorted her out. As he turned to re-enter the hall, a eunuch suddenly appeared beside him.
He rushed to report, "Your Highness Prince, Miss Qin has encountered trouble at Chunxi Palace. Please have the Empress proceed there quickly."
Ye Tingzhu was aware of Qin Rulian's visit to Chunxi Palace. He paused slightly at the news, his brow furrowed.
"Mother Empress just went to the Emperor's chambers to see Father Emperor. Is Chunxi Palace that urgent?"
The eunuch nodded, "Consort Rong refuses to hand over the treasure register. The two sides are at a stalemate, and the people at Chunxi Palace have cornered Miss Qin. If this is not dealt with, I fear there will be trouble."
At such a critical juncture, it was best to have as few complications as possible. Ye Tingzhu pondered for a moment, his brow furrowed, and then spoke.
"Never mind, I shall go in my mother's stead."
The Emperor's Chambers.
She had expected that this visit would settle everything. However, upon arrival, the Empress discovered that the Emperor's condition was no different from when she had seen him the previous night.
This state of neither improving nor worsening was utterly baffling. The imperial physicians had examined the Emperor's entire body but could find no cause for his illness. Consequently, the Empress could only assume that the time had not yet come and prepared to withdraw and wait longer.
When she returned to her palace, Ye Tingzhu was nowhere to be seen.
Thinking that he, with his usual measured conduct, would not do something so impulsive, the Empress frowned and summoned the palace attendants to inquire.
"Where has His Highness the Prince gone?"
Since Su Xi had been subjected to the ultimate punishment by the Ministry of Punishments, she had not had any close personal attendants. Those summoned for questioning were from outside the hall.
The people outside were not as loyal and therefore not as attentive to palace affairs. Upon hearing the question, they vaguely replied, "He went out of the palace."
The Empress's anger flared. "When did he leave the palace? Was he accompanied? What use are you to me if you cannot even clarify these matters!"
The attendants stammered in response.
Seeing that they could not provide a coherent answer, the Empress's expression darkened, and she was about to reprimand them further when a gate eunuch weakly spoke from the corner.
"Reporting to Your Ladyship, His Highness the Prince left the palace shortly after you departed. He was accompanied by a eunuch, and this servant overheard him say he was going to Chunxi Palace."
"Chunxi Palace? What is Tingzhu doing there?"
The eunuch thought for a moment and replied again, "This servant heard that Miss Qin was having a dispute with Consort Rong at Chunxi Palace. Since you were not in the palace, His Highness went to see about it."
After listening, the Empress's brows seemed to knit together as if forming a mountain range.
Yesterday, she had asserted her authority and reprimanded Ye Ziyun in Linghua Hall. Consort Rong was not one to misjudge a situation. In her current predicament, how could she possibly confront Qin Rulian head-on?
Furthermore, she had spent considerable time with the imperial physicians examining the Emperor in his chambers. It was already this late. If he had gone to Chunxi Palace, he should have returned by now.
The more she thought about it, the more her doubts intensified. Her expression grew heavy, and she immediately stood up.
"You will all accompany me to Chunxi Palace at once!"
The Empress, leading her retinue with great momentum, set off from Changle Palace towards Chunxi Palace, passing through the Imperial Gardens. However, as they reached the Imperial Gardens, they heard a strange sound.
The noise grew clearer as they approached. Upon closer listening, it was the decadent sound of male and female intimacy.
The moment she recognized the sound, the Empress's expression and footsteps halted simultaneously. Those behind her held their breath, daring not to exhale.
In broad daylight, to be so audacious as to engage in such a scandalous act within the Imperial Gardens! This was utter brazenness, treating palace rules as nothing!
The Empress, already incensed, glared at the source of the sound and walked directly towards it. The others followed cautiously, heads bowed, step for step.
The noise seemed to emanate from a pavilion deep within the flower bushes. As the Empress approached with hurried steps, she heard a man's low groan in her ear, causing her to pause, her expression instantly stiffening.
After a brief pause, as if spurred by something, she immediately rushed into the pavilion.
What met her eyes was a pair of entwined naked bodies, their forms obscene and difficult to behold.
Everyone lowered their heads at the sight, but the Empress, disregarding everything, rushed forward. Her gaze fell upon the faces of Ye Tingzhu and Qin Rulian, and she suddenly let out a sharp, almost deranged cry.
"What are you doing!"
The actions of the two did not falter in the slightest. They acted as if they were alone, as if they could not hear her words.
Sensing something was amiss, the Empress immediately stepped forward to pull Ye Tingzhu away. However, he, who was usually frail, now possessed immense strength and flung the Empress aside. In the end, it took the combined efforts of several eunuchs to separate the two.
The news of a royal prince engaging in incest with his cousin in the Imperial Gardens was truly explosive.
Everyone knelt on the ground, their fear escalating to an extreme.
The Empress was clearly enraged. After hastily tending to Ye Tingzhu, she cast a fierce gaze at Qin Rulian, who was still disoriented, and sharply commanded.
"Splash this scoundrel with water to wake her up!"
"Splash—"
A bucket of cold water was poured, and Qin Rulian woke with a scream. She looked up and met the Empress's furious gaze, immediately crying out.
"Aunt, I don't know what's wrong with Cousin, I, I..."
"Wretched!"
Seeing that she was blaming Ye Tingzhu as soon as she spoke, the Empress's expression turned even fiercer. She quickly commanded, "Muzzle her!"
Qin Rulian's face lost all color. "Aunt, no... mmm..."
Several eunuchs forcibly gagged her. A turmoil surged in the Empress's eyes. Before she could issue further orders, she noticed the thin, thread-like dark marks on Qin Rulian's body. Her pupils suddenly contracted, and she cried out sharply.
"How do you have the Fragrant Soul Elixir on your body?!"
She had used this poison on Ye Tingyu before and had also ordered Qin Rulian to administer it to Feng Yinwan on their wedding night.
It was a poison planted on women, which infected men through sexual intercourse. And hadn't Qin Rulian and Ye Tingzhu just been...
Suddenly realizing something, she quickly lunged towards Ye Tingzhu. Upon seeing the poison marks on him, she let out a mournful cry.
"Tingzhu! My Tingzhu!!"
"Who?! Who wants to harm Tingzhu to this extent!!"
Qin Rulian, still held to the ground, let out a muffled sob.
The Empress cast a vicious glance at her, her eyes filled with killing intent.
"The sinful woman Qin has a wicked heart and does not cherish the Emperor's grace. Instead, she presumptuously seeks to defile the imperial harem and lure His Highness the Prince into poison with her body. Take her out of the palace immediately and beat her to death!"