TW: Gore
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Zheng Kun’s words were filled with resolute defiance, and as he spoke, a ruthless expression crossed his face.
He Cheng, sensing something was wrong, shouted urgently, “Stop him!” But it was already too late.
While cursing Emperor An, Zheng Kun had propped himself up with his broken arm, using his heated words as a cover to inch closer to the steps. The shattered porcelain pieces from earlier were now within reach. He lunged forward, collapsing onto the fragments.
“Ah!”
The surrounding crowd gasped in shock.
Zheng Kun grabbed a small shard of porcelain with his mouth and swallowed it forcefully. The sharp object tore through his throat and windpipe.
“You’re insane!”
Yu Yanfeng, stunned, rushed forward and grabbed Zheng Kun’s jaw, but the small porcelain shard had already been swallowed.
A section of his windpipe, sliced open from the inside, protruded outward, the sharp edge pressing against a thin layer of skin, with blood clearly visible.
Zheng Kun collapsed on the ground, blood gushing from his wide-open mouth as his body convulsed in pain.
In mere moments, his eyes widened, and he stopped breathing.
“He’s dead… he’s dead…”
Such a gruesome death made even Yu Yanfeng, accustomed to bloodshed, pale. The courtiers in the hall, unaccustomed to such sights, turned ashen. Some timid noblewomen and ladies fainted from the shock, while others huddled at their seats, trembling, their faces drained of color.
“Tang Ning!”
Rong Yue’s heart pounded as she clutched Tang Ning, her face filled with fear.
Tang Ning, staring at the corpse, was momentarily dazed, instinctively looking toward Xiao Yan.
Zheng Kun was dead just like that. Her brother… was in trouble.
Yu Yanfeng checked Zheng Kun’s breath.
“Your Majesty, Zheng Kun is dead.”
Emperor An, shaken by the events in the hall, was steadied by Eunuch Feng to keep from collapsing. He gripped Feng’s arm tightly, his eyes blazing with anger.
“Drag him out! Drag this traitor out!!”
Yu Yanfeng quickly summoned men to remove Zheng Kun’s body. The bloodstains on the floor cast a heavy shadow over what should have been a festive Mid-Autumn night.
Emperor An stared at the pool of blood, feeling dizzy. His earlier good mood had vanished, replaced by a surge of restless fury.
It was as if a nerve in his mind was snapping, the pain fueling an urge to see more blood.
“Your Majesty,” Cui Lin stepped forward. “Though this traitor Zheng is dead, his words clearly pointed to Xiao Yan colluding with Empress Lu long ago, even knowing about her affair with Prince Cheng and the Lu family’s deception of the throne…”
“I know!”
Emperor An, aware of what Cui Lin was implying, cut him off, his face darkening further. “Tonight’s banquet ends here. I will deal with Xiao Yan’s matter myself. You are all dismissed.”
“Feng Lai, escort the courtiers out of the palace…”
“Your Majesty!”
Cui Lin couldn’t let Emperor An clear the hall. He had finally caught Xiao Yan’s weakness, knowing it was Xiao Yan who framed him by exposing Empress Lu’s scandal, nearly ruining him and putting the Cui family at risk of following the Lu family’s fate. How could he let the culprit go?
Emperor An relied heavily on Xiao Yan, who was too cunning. If his crimes weren’t nailed down in court now, who knew if, after the banquet, Xiao Yan’s silver tongue would twist the dead into the living, convincing the Emperor to spare him as before?
Cui Lin had sacrificed two deeply hidden moles in the palace and Zheng Kun, a valuable asset, even exposing himself openly.
Having torn off all pretenses, there was no way he would back down now.
“Xiao Yan, as a palace eunuch, holds Your Majesty’s trust, managing the Privy Council and, despite his status, meddling in court affairs with imperial favor. Yet he betrays Your Majesty’s grace, colluding with the Empress, closely tied to the Fourth Prince, concealing Prince Cheng’s scandal, and who knows what other deceitful acts he’s committed.”
“Your Majesty, such actions cannot be lightly forgiven!”
As soon as Cui Lin finished, Feng Qiuli stood, frowning.
“Minister Cui is right. Xiao Yan, as someone close to Your Majesty, has private dealings with consorts and princes. Zheng Kun said he gained the Empress’s trust long ago, even before her break with the Lu family, when the Fourth Prince’s illegitimacy was still hidden and he wasn’t yet disgraced.”
“For a eunuch to be so close to a prince, what exactly is he plotting?”
Grand Tutor Liang hadn’t expected Feng Qiuli to speak, but he quickly understood his intent.
The situation had reached this point, and tonight’s events were clearly tied to Cui Lin. Even if he held back, the aristocratic families had already made an irreconcilable enemy of Xiao Yan. Moreover, Grand Tutor Liang wasn’t without hatred for him.
Since Xiao Yan rose from the inner court and began to shine, he had trampled the dignity of the aristocratic families step by step to reach his current position.
Though Liang despised Lu Chongyuan’s folly, the Lu family’s downfall had dealt a massive blow to the aristocratic faction in court, allowing Cao Dejiang and others to seize key positions.
Xiao Yan’s targeting of the aristocratic families was too blatant, and his ruthless extermination of the Lu family raised suspicions.
Grand Tutor Liang had long sensed something was off and sent people to investigate Xiao Yan’s background, planning to act only with absolute certainty. But now that Cui Lin had caught Xiao Yan’s handle, a grave crime of betraying the Emperor and colluding with the deposed Empress and her son, he didn’t mind lending Cui Lin a hand.
Grand Tutor Liang rose, not directly accusing Xiao Yan like Feng Qiuli and Cui Lin, but saying, “Though the Lu family’s actions were heinous, as far as I know, before the death of Madam Guan from the Lu family’s main branch, Lu Chongyuan was unaware of Empress Lu’s affair with Prince Cheng. The Lu family’s break with the Empress likely happened afterward.”
“Zheng Kun said Xiao Yan was in contact with the Empress before their split, even making promises to her. I dare ask, was this at Your Majesty’s behest?”
“Did Your Majesty, suspecting the Lu family’s disloyalty, instruct Xiao Yan to approach the Empress and her son, using his position as your trusted confidant to gain her trust and uncover the Lu family’s crimes?”
“If it was Your Majesty’s order, then Lord Xiao is innocent, and we will leave immediately.”
Grand Tutor Liang’s words were less sharp than the others’ but far more venomous.
If Emperor An admitted Xiao Yan acted on his orders, Zheng Kun’s earlier mocking and scornful words would be proven true.
Everyone would know Emperor An was ruthless, scheming against the vassals who helped him ascend, discarding them once they outlived their use, and that he knew of Lu Qingfeng’s affair with Prince Cheng but used her for the throne.
Cui Lin and Duke Zeng’s earlier punishments would be seen as deliberate scapegoating, loyal vassals unjustly disgraced and shunned by the palace.
Emperor An would be branded heartless and despicable.
But if Emperor An denied knowing Xiao Yan’s actions, Xiao Yan’s deeds would go beyond deceiving the throne, they’d involve meddling in the imperial succession and colluding with a prince.
If Emperor An didn’t investigate thoroughly, he couldn’t quell the court’s uproar and would earn the reputation Zheng Kun described: a fool manipulated by a eunuch.
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You can read ahead to chapterr 470 (100+ extra chapters) here
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