Chapter 106

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Chapter 106: Title

In the spring of the fourteenth year of Dongyin Mingyuan, Minister Zhou Li rebelled against the authority and lost his position. The First Prince Lian Yue plotted a rebellion and was demoted to commoner status, exiled to the western territories, never to return to the capital. Crown Prince Lianyang was charged with poisoning the former emperor and sentenced to death in the autumn.

A country cannot be without a ruler for even a day. At this moment, Dongyin was seen as the weakest by foreign nations, yet no one dared to take advantage of the situation. After all, several countries had not gone to war in many years, and now Dongyin, though lacking a monarch, still possessed formidable strength and military power.

Gu Yuanqing, the highest-ranking elder statesman in the court, naturally took on all the affairs of the state. He did not immediately propose a candidate to ascend the throne; everything proceeded as planned, orderly and calmly.

However, at Prince Rong’s residence, from the steward to the servants, everyone stood guard outside the East Wind Pavilion. Wuyang, dressed in white, was firmly held by two tall men, one on each side.

“I want to kill him!”

The door was opened from the inside, and Qian Yue, wearing a thin shirt and looking slightly tired, slowly stepped out. She gave a casual glance at the crowd, her gaze finally resting on Wuyang. "You don’t need to kill him; he won’t live for many more days anyway."

"How is the master?" the three of them asked in unison.

Qian Yue’s expression remained calm. "The master is fine. I came out to tell you to take it easy. Everyone except for a few who will stay to help can disperse."

In the end, the servants were all sent away. Wuyang, looking pale and somewhat weak, asked, "Will there be any loss of life?"

Qian Yue walked over and patted her shoulder. "Don’t worry, everything will be alright. I won’t let anything happen to her."

When Qian Yue returned to the room, she closed her eyes and leaned against the door, remaining still for a long time. Her nails dug deeply into her skin without her realizing it. When she opened her eyes again, they were red and filled with a murderous aura that made the items in the room tremble.

"Qian Yue, how have I taught you?" a low voice came from behind the screen.

Qian Yue snapped back to reality, suddenly feeling a pounding headache. She slowly walked towards the screen. "Qian Yue will obediently follow the master’s teachings; it won’t happen again."

After a long silence, worry filled her heart. "Master?!"

Behind the screen, there was a fit of violent coughing, followed by Lian Rong’s voice, sounding lighthearted. "It’s nothing. It seems like I’ve broken another rib on my right side. Don’t let Wuyang in before I heal; with her personality, she might do anything if she sees me like this."

Unable to resist, Qian Yue walked in from the side of the screen. The clean water in the bucket had been changed but was now completely stained red. She had lost track of how many buckets of water she had changed. Seeing the person by the bucket, fully submerged in water yet with skin so injured it was a bloody sight, made her heart ache as if a knife had brutally cut her.

Though poisoned deeply, it was treatable. There were no internal injuries, but the injuries on the surface alone could leave a person feeling hollow as blood flowed from every part of her body. Now soaking in the medicinal bath, if it were herself, even with internal strength for protection, she would find it hard to withstand the pain, yet she could still lean inside and joke with herself.

Qian Yue struggled to calm down while preparing the medications needed for the next round of treatment. "Master, when Jingzhi brought people out from the Crown Prince’s estate, he only left two survivors. Since this person’s identity is suspicious, he sent people to investigate, and the result was somewhat unexpected."

"Oh?"

"It’s a remnant of the Zeng family from back then, named Zeng Xiangru, and she has a baby with her."

"Where are they?"

"At the estate."

Lian Rong slowly closed her eyes. "Kill them."

Qian Yue hesitated for a moment in her actions. She wanted to argue that the child was innocent but realized that even if she saved them now, if Lian Rong wanted them dead, it would only be a matter of time.

"As for the Zeng family matter, that was my mistake back then. Since it has already gone wrong, allowing a child to live is to raise a tiger. We must eradicate the root of the problem. Tell Jingzhi that after the task is done, have someone bury the mother and child together."

"Understood."

Three months later, in Mingluan Palace, a tall figure slowly walked forward, with hair reaching her waist, dressed in white, breathtakingly beautiful. It had been many years; it was time to settle things.

On the phoenix throne, Duan Rulan looked at the newcomer, her expression momentarily stunned. "A-Rong."

"It’s been a while. I thought for a long time about what gift to bring you; how about despair?" Lian Rong said with a smile, looking calmly at the one on the throne.

Duan Rulan stepped down the jade steps slowly. "I don’t understand what you’re saying."

"Your son hasn’t been executed; you should thank me."

Duan Rulan looked at her in disbelief. "Lian Rong, what nonsense are you talking about?!"

Though Lian Rong smiled, her eyes were frozen with coldness. "It’s not impossible for him to return from exile; just kneel and beg for my mercy."

"Lian Rong—" Duan Rulan finally couldn’t help but shout.

Lian Rong walked around her and slowly ascended the jade steps, finally sitting down in her place. "I’ve waited for over a decade; I’ve finally waited for today. Although I didn’t get you, I have never regretted it."

"Do you remember the Rong family from back then? My Mother Empress was pregnant with me when she entered the palace, once favored immensely. It was only because my father believed slander that the entire Rong family was exterminated. They forced her to take her own life. She gave all her love to that man, and what did he give her in return?"

Duan Rulan looked shocked. "A-Rong, you…"

“Don’t worry, Mother Empress carried me into the palace, but I am indeed my father’s daughter. The queen advised him on how to deal with the Rong family, and in the end, he left me behind. It’s only his fault for being too kind back then. If he were still here today, watching his children and grandchildren destroyed by me, I wonder what he would feel.” Lian Rong said, laughing as she observed Duan Rulan’s expression. “Sister-in-law, are you surprised? You have no idea how much I enjoy seeing that look on your face!”

“Madwoman, Lian Rong is a complete madwoman—” Duan Rulan took a sudden few steps back, suddenly not wanting to hear any more.

Lian Rong rested her chin on her hand, smiling as she looked at the unsteady woman. “Don’t be anxious; the best part is yet to come.”

“I like the reputation of Dongyin’s wealth. Although I have spent my money raising a private army, over these years, if I reflect on it, how much of the royal treasury does my brother possess that belongs to me? He secretly hired someone to assassinate me; you must know about these matters. Don’t think I am disloyal; I just want to live.”

Duan Rulan took a deep breath. “Okay, then let me ask you, is his death related to you?”

Lian Rong clicked her tongue playfully. “Is that even a question? I planned your son’s rebellion all by myself. Half of the people around him are mine. If I hadn’t incited him, do you think he would have dared?”

“You are the one who harmed him, Lian Rong. Your Majesty, for so many years, Yue’er has called you royal uncle. How could you do this?” Duan Rulan stumbled and fell to her knees.

Lian Rong admired her pain closely, a larger smile spreading across her face. “What I have done is certainly not limited to this. The third nephew hired someone to poison the emperor, and besides me guiding him, who else could teach him like that?”

“What do you want to achieve?” Duan Rulan trembled as she looked at her, as if standing before her was not a person, but a devil.

Lian Rong stood up and slowly walked down the steps, positioning herself above her, looking down. “I have not wronged anyone because this is all you deserve.”

“Lian Rong, I misjudged you.”

Lian Rong smiled and leaned down. “Sister-in-law, this position was originally meant for you, but you did not cherish it; it’s too late to say anything now.”

Duan Rulan suddenly laughed. “People like you don’t understand what love is. Being your empress is worse than death. I truly pity Gu Meisheng.”

Lian Rong’s smile momentarily stiffened, but in just a moment, her hand suddenly grasped Duan Rulan’s neck; her eyes were filled with coldness. “Do you remember what I once said? If I cannot live well, then none of you will find peace! I have never even met my Mother Empress, so where does any affection come from? Therefore, I do not hate anyone. What I do today is simply to see the pain on your faces.”

Duan Rulan gasped as she looked at her. “Lian Rong, for someone who doesn’t understand love, I feel sorry for you. Every person around you that you’ve used and manipulated is pitiable.”

Lian Rong let go, her smile returning. “You are right. This idea has been in my mind for over a decade. Lan’er, you don’t understand me. Do you really think I want Dongyin’s throne?” She lowered her head slowly and leaned closer to her ear. “Can’t you see? I want to destroy it.”

“You—”

Lian Rong straightened up, looking at the sunlight streaming in from outside the hall, her gaze suddenly softening. “A kingdom means nothing to me compared to her smile.”

Upon leaving Mingluan Palace, she saw Liu Yu, dressed in official robes, quietly standing in the corridor. When he saw her, he performed a courteous bow. “I, Liu Yu, have been waiting here for the prince for a long time.”

“Go ahead, what do you want to ask?”

Liu Yu smiled. “Are your injuries better?”

“Much better. Why did you come in official robes?”

Liu Yu sighed. “I ran out of clothes; the other family member hid them all from me, saying I couldn’t step out of the mansion. So I took the risk.”

Lian Rong smiled but said nothing.

Liu Yu hesitated. “This time, we owe it to the Southern Emperor. What did you promise her? Why was she so swift to help?”

Lian Rong replied with a slight smile. “It’s nothing much, just that I promised I wouldn’t invade her Southern territories within thirty years after I ascended the throne.” She had gotten used to the woman’s unpredictability.

Liu Yu was surprised. “Didn’t you sell your family member out?”

Lian Rong glanced at him. “What do you mean?”

“She knew your situation when you were imprisoned, didn’t she?” Though it was clear that she had been manipulated by this person.

Lian Rong chuckled. “That’s right; I had someone inform her of my situation because I truly was in a bad state. If something bad happened, I feared I’d never see her again.”

Liu Yu paused. “What do you mean?”

Lian Rong smiled teasingly. “I had no confidence in whether I’d survive. All I could do was, even if I died, I wanted her to remember me.”

Liu Yu first suddenly realized something, then his expression became a bit strange. "You are quite ruthless."

Lian Rong sighed. Ruthless, perhaps, but she just didn’t want her to forget her so easily. The scheming was real, and the love was real too.

Liu Yu shook his head. When someone doesn’t love you, they don’t care about who you are. When someone loves you, they will make sure you remember them. Lian Rong, oh Lian Rong, the person loved by you is truly unfortunate.

Before leaving, Lian Rong turned back to gaze at the plaque above, a faint smile still on her lips, and called out to Li Che beside her.

"Prince."

"Send someone to guard this place. If she ever thinks about ending her life, there’s no need to stop her." With that, she stepped into the morning sunlight and slowly walked away.

She would not let Gu Hengbo know everything, nor would she tell her. What she owed, she would slowly repay with the rest of her life.