If the resentment in King Cheng’s heart was fueled by the years of being schemed against by Empress Lu, the doubt about the Fourth Prince’s parentage was like a thunderclap striking him to the core.
When Rong Yue was pregnant, Lu Qingfeng was terrified, afraid that he might shift his affections because of the child in Rong Yue’s womb. To reassure Lu Qingfeng, he had someone tamper with Rong Yue’s food, resulting in a stillbirth. Furthermore, they used a child from the Lu family to pass as Rong Yue’s bloodline, raising it under her care. This was in line with what Lu Qingfeng had suggested—future assistance for her biological son to help the Rong family’s power be absorbed into the Lu family.
The night Rong Yue gave birth, there was heavy rain in the capital.
Her shrill cries echoed under the lightning that illuminated the sky as bright as day. He witnessed the bloodied child, bruised all over…
“If the Fourth Prince is not the son of the King, and Lu Qingfeng deceived you even on this, then what about the two sons you personally killed over the years? What about the torture you endured to protect their mother and child, only to end up with no heirs…”
“It really is pitiful.”
A faint voice echoed in his ears, like a poisoned sword piercing his heart.
King Cheng glared at his mutilated hands, which had lost all ten fingers and looked grotesquely bare, like fleshy lumps. He thought of the "child" from the prison, now shriveled and unrecognizable, then recalled all the things he had done for Empress Lu over the years and the resolute refusal to expose anything, even to protect the Fourth Prince.
Blood rose in his throat. He spat it out violently.
"Stop talking!!"
King Cheng growled with bloodshot eyes, “You’ve said all this. What exactly do you want to do?”
Xiao Yan looked at him, indifferent: "Naturally, it’s to let the King die with peace of mind."
King Cheng stared hard at the person before him, his mouth full of blood. "I’ve been a fool all my life, played like a joke by a woman. But I won’t die a fool. You’ve gone through all this trouble to make me see Lu Qingfeng’s true face, but it’s not out of kindness.”
His heart twisted in pain, but perhaps it was the approaching calamity, his mind was clearer than ever.
“Xiao Yan, you seem to be targeting the Lu family, attacking the powerful families at every turn, but if you think about it, every time there was a chance to strike hard, you always held back. You’ve stirred up chaos in the court, pulling the emperor, noble families, the royal family, and even the reformers into the mess.”
"Who exactly do you want to deal with? The powerful families? The imperial family? Or Xie Tianyong?"
"Xiao Yan, who exactly are you?!"
Xiao Yan met his gaze, his expression calm and indifferent. "Is the King confused? I am who I am. What else?"
King Cheng stared at him as if trying to see through his face, but Xiao Yan didn’t seem to care. His expression was cold and indifferent, as if everything he said was nonsense. But King Cheng knew that Xiao Yan was not just a mere eunuch.
The fierce look on his face faded. King Cheng suddenly chuckled.
"Xiao Yan, to be defeated by you, I don’t feel wronged."
"Regardless of your intentions, I will help you."
No matter who Xiao Yan was, no matter what he wanted to do, King Cheng only wished for Lu Qingfeng and Xie Tianyong to die.
If Xiao Yan wanted the throne or to destroy the Xie family, it didn’t matter. As long as he could destroy Lu Qingfeng and make them all descend to the eighteenth level of hell, he would help him!
Let them all die together!!
……
Xiao Yan ordered people to stand guard outside, then told Jin Yun to enter. He and King Cheng had been in the prison for about half an hour. One asked, the other answered, and Jin Yun took notes quickly.
King Cheng seemed determined to take everyone down with him. He revealed everything he knew—secrets about the imperial family, court matters, Empress Lu’s schemes, Xie Tianyong’s schemes, even royal relatives and former officials who once followed him, and everything he had gathered over the years.
Jin Yun had initially been puzzled. Why would his master go to such lengths to “kick someone when they’re down” when King Cheng had already fallen so low? But as the notes piled up, the amount of information written on paper was overwhelming. Even Jin Yun couldn’t help but feel his heart leap.
King Cheng knew so much!
Jin Yun grew more cautious, writing faster. He didn’t stop until King Cheng had revealed everything.
Xiao Yan glanced at the stack of papers on the table, almost too much to fit. He turned to King Cheng and said, “After the King’s execution, I will have someone collect your body.”
“No need,” King Cheng said self-mockingly. “I’ve ended up in this state because I deserve it. Death is like a light going out. Even though Xie Tianyong may despise me, he wouldn’t let the royal family’s heads hang in the market. Even if I’m thrown into a mass grave, they’ll at least throw me in whole. I never imagined that I would still enter the royal tomb.”
“But I know one thing, though it has nothing to do with Xie Tianyong, I think Xiao Yan would be interested in it.”
Seeing Xiao Yan look up, King Cheng continued, “The Rong family’s eldest daughter and Song family’s second son did not die by accident.”
Xiao Yan’s expression turned cold. “I know. It was the Empress’s doing.”
King Cheng was slightly surprised by his response, but soon recalled the methods Xiao Yan had employed and realized that it wasn’t strange for him to already know.
“Since you know their deaths weren’t accidental, do you know why they died?” King Cheng didn’t drag it out, directly explaining, “In the beginning, Lu Qingfeng didn’t intend to kill the Rong family’s eldest daughter and the Song family’s second son. She only wanted to find something from them. But the Rong family’s eldest daughter was too clever and noticed something was wrong. Forced into a corner, Lu Qingfeng had no choice but to kill them.”
“Everyone believes that they died before returning to the capital, but in reality, the person Lu Qingfeng sent to deal with them encountered an accident. The Song family’s second son did die, but the Rong family’s eldest daughter wasn’t dead when she was sent back to the Song family. She died later at the Song family’s house.”
Xiao Yan had never expected King Cheng to say this. Suddenly, he recalled the charms and black blood in Tang Ning’s parents’ coffins. His eyes froze. “Was it Song’s old madam?”
King Cheng nodded. “Song Hong should know about it too.”
Xiao Yan’s face was instantly clouded with frost. “What was the Empress looking for?”
King Cheng replied, “A military token.”
Xiao Yan froze. “A military token?”
How could the Rong family have a military token?
King Cheng seemed to sense his confusion and explained, “You should know about Xie Tianzhao, right? The emperor’s grandfather doted on Xie Tianzhao and, on his deathbed, appointed him as the crown prince. He also secretly bypassed the late emperor and gave Xie Tianzhao the command of the 50,000 Longting guards and the 180,000 Zhen’an army. The token to command them was a military token no one had ever seen.”
“The late emperor had always been wary of Xie Tianzhao’s popularity. Later, knowing he held this weapon, the emperor wanted to eliminate him. But no one knew what the military token looked like.”
“After Xie Tianzhao’s death, the Eastern Palace was thoroughly burned and searched. All those connected to him were implicated, but the military token was never found.”
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T/N: I love how XY plays everyone against each other
Btw i think i know what that token looks like
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You can read ahead to chapterr 400 (100+ extra chapters) here
I feel like it’s probably good he told her to always hide the jade under her clothes… anyone else?
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