Lady Xuan knelt on the floor, her face filled with terror. Hearing Emperor An’s question, she suppressed her fear and spoke in a trembling voice:
“After entering the palace, I went to Shoukang Palace to keep the Empress Dowager company for a while. As the time for the banquet approached and the Empress Dowager grew tired, I was led back to Zichen Hall by Tanxia, a maid from the Empress Dowager’s palace. But who could have expected that, while passing through the Imperial Garden, I overheard two palace servants discussing the deposed Empress.”
“I was utterly shocked, thinking it was just some gossiping servants, and was about to reprimand them. But then they started talking about Your Majesty…”
Emperor An’s face darkened when she mentioned Empress Lu. “What did they say about me?”
Lady Xuan’s body trembled violently, her face paling.
“They said… they said…”
“What did they say?”
Seeing her hesitant and timid demeanor, Emperor An grew impatient. “Speak plainly! Why are you stammering?!”
Lady Xuan lowered her eyes, shrinking as she spoke tremulously, “They said the fire in the cold palace wasn’t the deposed Empress setting herself ablaze, but was ordered by Your Majesty. They claimed Your Majesty had long intended to eradicate the Lu family, knew about the affair between the Empress and Prince Cheng, but deliberately held back, tolerating and indulging her.”
“They said it was Your Majesty who intentionally fueled the Lu family’s ambitions, arranging for Xiao Yan to set a trap to destroy them. After wiping out the Lu family, you had the Empress burned alive to silence her…”
“Outrageous!!”
Emperor An slammed his hand on the table, spilling wine everywhere.
The crowd in Zichen Hall was stunned by Lady Xuan’s words.
Lady Xuan’s face grew even paler, fully aware of how treasonous her words were. She knelt trembling, shaking uncontrollably.
Cui Lin said gravely, “Your Majesty, please calm your anger. These palace servants who dared to slander you deserve death, but since Lady Xuan overheard them, why not let her finish?”
Emperor An’s face was ashen. After a long pause, he said coldly, “Continue.”
Lady Xuan pressed her forehead to the ground. “One of the servants said he was from the imperial kitchen, previously responsible for delivering meals to the cold palace. The day before the deposed Empress supposedly set herself on fire, she had desperately begged him, saying she wanted to see Your Majesty.”
“Before being sent to the cold palace, the Empress had hidden some gold and silver items on her person. She gave him a gold ring, pleading with him to pass a message to Your Majesty, saying the Fourth Prince was your true blood and that someone had framed her. The servant, driven by greed, took the ring but never delivered the message.”
Lady Xuan seemed terrified, swallowing hard before continuing.
“The servant said that after the Empress was sent to the cold palace, he saw her daily through the small delivery door. Though she was severely burned, she showed no sign of wanting to die.”
“That day, just before the fire in the cold palace, he had delivered a meal and heard the Empress, as if provoked, screaming that Your Majesty couldn’t execute the Fourth Prince. She shouted for Supervisor Xiao to see her, saying Supervisor Xiao had told her Your Majesty would spare the Fourth Prince’s life and that he couldn’t go back on his word. But as soon as she spoke, the guards outside the cold palace knocked her unconscious.”
“The servant was terrified, fearing he had stumbled upon a palace secret, and fled in panic. Not long after he returned, news spread that the Empress had set fire to herself and burned down the cold palace.”
Lady Xuan’s voice trembled, her words faltering from fear, and her voice was soft, yet it rang in everyone’s ears like a booming bell, deafeningly loud.
Yu Yanfeng was furious. “How dare you spout such nonsense! A mere eunuch, how could he bypass the guards and accept a bribe from the Empress?!”
He had personally selected the guards for the cold palace and escorted Empress Lu there himself.
He knew the Emperor’s anger toward the Empress and that the Lu family had no chance of recovery. To ensure the Empress didn’t speak recklessly and further enrage the Emperor, he had assigned his most trusted men to guard her.
Yet, not only did the Empress have a gold ring to bribe a servant, evading the guards’ watch, but the guards later knocked her unconscious, and then a fire suddenly broke out in the cold palace…
Wasn’t this clearly suggesting the fire was connected to the imperial guards?!
Lady Xuan, as if startled, shuddered and hurriedly explained, “I’m not lying! Tanxia and I heard those two people say this ourselves.”
“The servant from the imperial kitchen said he knew the fire in the cold palace killed the Empress, and all the guards on duty that day were executed. Fearing someone would discover he had been to the cold palace and heard things he shouldn’t, he bribed his way to fake his death and escape the palace to save himself.”
“He was worried about his brother, also a eunuch, staying in the palace and wanted to take him along. That’s why they met in the Imperial Garden. But Tanxia and I overheard them.”
“I was so shocked by what they said that I accidentally made a noise, alerting them. When they saw Tanxia and me, they immediately turned menacing.”
“Tanxia led me toward Zichen Hall, but… but those two chased us relentlessly. I barely escaped, but Tanxia, to hold them off, was beaten until her face and head were covered in blood…”
“Your Majesty, everything I’ve said is true, not a word is false. Please, send someone to save Tanxia… save her!”
Lady Xuan was clearly terrified, breaking into sobs as she spoke, her fearful cries echoing through the hall.
The others, however, were shaken by her words.
Rong Yue tightly gripped Tang Ning’s hand, her lips trembling.
Tang Ning…
Tang Ning’s body stiffened. Sensing Rong Yue’s fear, she pressed her hand to comfort her but didn’t speak. She looked up at Xiao Yan, frowning on the dais, her heart pounding fiercely.
She knew her brother planned to act tonight and that Duke Zeng would spark the events, but she had never heard him mention publicly exposing any private dealings with Empress Lu.
Lady Xuan’s sudden appearance and Cui Lin’s eagerness—were these part of her brother’s strategy?
Or had Cui Lin truly uncovered something?
Would something go wrong tonight?!
As Tang Ning held Rong Yue’s hand, her fingertips whitened, her heart racing with unease she couldn’t suppress, her lips lightly bitten in worry.
Emperor An, naturally suspicious, latched onto the key detail in Lady Xuan’s words. “You said the servant claimed the Empress wanted to see Xiao Yan before her death?”
Lady Xuan sobbed, “That’s what he said.”
Cui Lin suddenly spoke up. “That’s strange. The Empress’s deposition was personally decreed by Your Majesty, as was the execution of the Fourth Prince.”
“Supervisor Xiao, who oversees the Privy Council, doesn’t reside in the palace often. If the Empress wanted to plead with Your Majesty, she should have sought Attendant Feng or others serving you directly. Why would she turn to Supervisor Xiao?”
“Indeed, that’s odd.”
Princess Ji feigned surprise, her words pointed. “The Empress committed the grave crime of deceiving the Emperor, and her affair with Prince Cheng caused an uproar.”
“The imperial family lost face because of her. Though Your Majesty is merciful, you wouldn’t tolerate such an offense. The palace had long ordered the Fourth Prince’s execution. How could Supervisor Xiao claim Your Majesty would spare the Fourth Prince’s life? Who told the Empress such a thing?”
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You can read ahead to chapterr 470 (100+ extra chapters) here
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