Tanxia was someone close to the Empress Dowager. Once she was dealt with, that mole would be rendered useless.
Xiao Yan was far too sharp. If a living witness like her were left behind and he sensed something amiss, forcing her to talk under torture, tonight’s scheme would collapse on its own.
Moreover, without bloodshed in the palace, how could Emperor An be provoked into fury? Only with a death, especially one tied to Shoukang Palace, would the matter escalate.
“After Zheng Kun killed Tanxia, he and his accomplice planned to flee the palace. If Commander Yu hadn’t promptly ordered the gates sealed and led men to capture him, he’d likely have escaped long ago.”
The palace was vast, but it had hidden drums that, when struck, could resonate across the eastern and western six palaces.
Since few knew of this, and assuming Lady Xuan could keep Xiao Yan and the others occupied, Zheng Kun hadn’t anticipated Yu Yanfeng arriving so quickly with his men, which led to his capture.
After hearing He Cheng’s words, Emperor An’s gaze darkened. “So, this matter has nothing to do with Lady Xuan?”
Yu Yanfeng nodded. “According to Zheng Kun, Lady Xuan was unaware. She was merely used by Tanxia.”
“Zheng Kun said that after the deposed Empress Lu perished in the fire, he never believed she had self-immolated in the palace. He infiltrated to investigate the cause of her death and, for some reason, implicated Lord Xiao, leading to tonight’s events with Tanxia.”
Emperor An’s face grew icy. “The scandal between the Lu family and Prince Cheng was known to all, and she, unable to bear the shame, burned herself in the cold palace, a fact everyone knows. Why would you, a traitor, frame me and Xiao Yan?”
“Frame?”
The bloodied figure on the ground suddenly laughed, raising his head with blood in his throat, his hoarse voice chillingly eerie.
Zheng Kun glared at Emperor An. “Xie Tianyong, have you forgotten how you used the Lu family to secure your position in court, and how you ascended the throne with their support?”
“Though Her Majesty the Empress had dealings with Prince Cheng, if she hadn’t mediated, schemed to restrain him, and tied the Lu family to you, how could a rootless prince, unloved by the late Emperor, have triumphed over Prince Cheng, whose maternal clan was powerful and well-established?”
“You’re insolent!”
Emperor An, enraged by Zheng Kun calling him by name, roared. But Zheng Kun had no intention of stopping, his words growing bolder.
“You resented Her Majesty’s affair with Prince Cheng, but do you not know that she used her charm to manipulate him, forcing him to err and yield, and leveraged the Lu family’s influence to push you to power? Without her, would you have been worthy of ascending the throne after Prince Li’s downfall?”
“You’re heartless and ungrateful, thinking Her Majesty owed you her favor. But it was never you, as Emperor, who chose her, it was she, born with the fate of a phoenix, who chose you.”
“If Her Majesty had chosen Prince Cheng back then, how could you, a fool toyed with by a eunuch, be sitting on the throne now?”
“Shut up!”
Emperor An’s face turned ashen with rage. He stood, grabbing something from the table and hurling it downward.
The platform was some distance from the hall’s front, and the object shattered on the ground with a loud “bang” before reaching Zheng Kun.
Emperor An steadied himself against the table, panting heavily, his face alternating between pale and livid with fury.
Zheng Kun, seeing his reaction, mocked further. “What, struck a nerve and now you’re furious?”
“The imperial family is the most heartless. Her Majesty aside, the Fourth Prince was your own flesh and blood. You betrayed the Lu family, grew distant from Her Majesty after ascending, and now, because of some idle gossip, you’ve sentenced the Fourth Prince to death…”
“Framing? Hah!”
Zheng Kun spat a mouthful of blood, his disdainful mockery causing everyone in the hall to gasp.
“Shameless and heartless, a man like you dares to call himself Emperor!”
“You… shut your mouth! You’re utterly brazen…”
It had been years since Emperor An was so openly insulted. Zheng Kun’s words stabbed at his heart like daggers.
His lowly past, his reliance on the Lu family during his powerless days, his suspicion of them after ascending, and his cold abandonment of them were all laid bare by Zheng Kun.
After Prince Li’s death, he hadn’t been blind to why Prince Cheng suddenly made a fatal misstep, ruining his advantageous position. Nor had he missed how Lu Qingfeng, a mere concubine’s daughter, had the uncanny ability to marry into the imperial family as the Lu family’s legitimate daughter and strategize for him during his rivalry with Prince Cheng.
How could he not have noticed something was off?
But back then, he could only rely on the Lu family. Without a powerful maternal clan, without the late Emperor’s favor, and less capable than his brothers, he had to cling to Lu Qingfeng and her son to bind the Lu family to his cause. Even if he suspected something, he pretended not to know, never daring to investigate, because he knew he couldn’t afford to lose the Lu family.
Only with their support did he have a chance at the throne.
Emperor An prided himself on his integrity and cared about his reputation. After ascending, he gradually distanced himself from the Lu family, neglected Lu Qingfeng and her son, and even downplayed his humiliating past, convincing himself his rise was merely fortunate timing with the Lu family.
But now, Zheng Kun had torn it all open.
The claim that Lu Qingfeng chose him to ascend the throne, that she manipulated Prince Cheng with her charm to let him seize the opportunity, was more humiliating than her betrayal with Prince Cheng.
In a fit of rage, Emperor An pointed at Zheng Kun and shouted, “You traitor, daring to slander me! Someone, drag him out! Drag him out!!”
Zheng Kun, hearing his furious words, showed no fear and laughed hoarsely.
“You know in your heart whether it’s slander. Everyone in court knows how you ascended, yet a few truths make you rage? With your caliber, no wonder Her Majesty regretted choosing you.”
Fearless of death, he cursed Emperor An, then turned to Xiao Yan.
“Xiao Yan, you castrated dog, you deceived Her Majesty, pretending loyalty under the guise of protecting the Fourth Prince, making her trust you as a confidant. She even broke with the Lu family to protect him, handing their secrets to you.”
“You promised to help her, to secure her future as Empress Dowager after dealing with the Lu family, but you deliberately leaked her affair with Prince Cheng, inciting the Lu family to destroy her and burn her alive in the cold palace…”
“Self-immolation!”
Hahaha…
Zheng Kun laughed hysterically. “My lady was destined by heaven, a lofty phoenix. How could she burn herself to death?”
“Xie Tianyong, you betrayed your word, cold and ungrateful. You’ll meet a wretched end.”
“Xiao Yan, you tricked Her Majesty, betrayed her trust, and caused her and His Highness’s deaths. You won’t fare well either. Since ancient times, treacherous eunuchs die without a whole corpse. I’ll be waiting for you in hell!!”
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T/N: So dramatic
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You can read ahead to chapterr 470 (100+ extra chapters) here
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