Chapter 225 The Confrontation (2/2)
To gain support for his power, the Emperor broke his promise to Lady Jin, the woman he loved the most. He agreed to marry Li Yiran and make her the Empress instead. Since the Emperor valued his power more than anything, he would not care about his concubines. The Emperor had everything he wanted. Lady Jin and his heir were with him in Laifeng City, under strict protection. The other concubines weren't worthy of his attention now.
Wen Xi took some guards and left to execute the Empress's order. Alone, the Empress buried her face in her hands as she contemplated what future lay ahead of her.
”Your Majesty doesn't seem happy. Why is that?” A soft female voice broke the silence. Recognizing to whom the voice belonged, the Empress shivered. The person spoke again, ”Well, if the Grand Councilor ascends the throne and becomes the new Emperor, what would I call you? Your Majesty, or Your Highness? No matter what I call you, it seems inappropriate.”
”Ning Yun Shang!” The Empress ground her teeth and hissed. She identified where the voice was coming from and rushed to the inner Palace. She halted at the entrance when she saw Yun Shang sitting on her chair. Yun Shang smiled at the angry Empress, ”Your Majesty, why did you call me
ould foil other arrangements that he had made so carefully. So he decided to carry out his plot earlier than planned even though they were not fully prepared.”
The Empress shook her head to deny Yun Shang's claims. She spoke with a dry voice, ”You don't need to make up such a huge lie to fool me. Do you think I'll buy that?”
”Well, I'm afraid you already believe me. It's understandable that we, as loyal protectors of Ning, didn't know all this before. But as the daughter of the Grand Councilor, how could you not know? Even though the Grand Councilor didn't make it clear to you, he must have done something suspicious enough to catch your attention. If you think it through, I'm sure you'll understand.” Yun Shang didn't take the Empress's response seriously. And so she suggested to the Empress in a casual way.
Just as Yun Shang finished speaking, Wen Xi was dragged forward by a guard. A man dressed in black walked in and bowed to Yun Shang, ”Your Highness, the guards in the Palace have been replaced by our people.”
Yun Shang nodded before turning to the Empress to examine her expression. The Princess smiled happily, ”If the Grand Councilor fails in his rebellion, where do you think he will retreat to? Well, my guess is that he will come to the Palace. After all, he had made so many preparations in the Palace and placed so many guards. I believe that he thinks the Palace is the safest place for him to be. Besides, he has asked Your Majesty to bring all the Ladies to Jinluan Hall as hostages. He must think he holds the bargaining chip with the Emperor. And if Lord Li really comes into the Palace, do you think he will leave alive?”
This was too much information for the Empress to process. She opened her mouth but didn't know what to say. Her face turned pale, and her eyes lost focus. Li Yiran looked around Qiwu Palace. The glittering gold and jade decorations conveyed wealth and prosperity. They were so contrary to the desperate situation in which she found herself.
After a while, the Empress smiled. She had accepted her fate. Hatred reflected in her eyes as she spoke, ”Yun Shang, do you really think I will end up as you planned? You're wrong. I don't fear death. If I can kill Lady Jin and her beloved child before I die, my death will be worth it.”
Yun Shang was about to walk out of the Palace when she heard the Empress's statement. She stopped long enough to ponder over the authenticity of Li Yiran's threat. It didn't matter if the Empress was bluffing or not, Yun Shang couldn't risk putting her mother and younger brother in danger. Yun Shang walked out of the inner Palace and whispered to her shadow guard. After that, she entered the inner Palace again.
Yun Shang kept silent and stared at the Empress for a long time. The Princess had an eerie smile on her face. The Empress shuddered at Yun Shang's smile. However, she found the courage to return the creepy expression. ”What? Are you afraid?” she whispered to the Princess.
Yun Shang shook her head and said, ”No. But I lied to you about Hua Jing. I intended to keep her alive before you threatened me. Now I have changed my mind.”
The Empress sneered at Yun Shang, ”Don't try to fool me again. Do you think I'll believe your lie? Are you trying to tell me that Jing'er is still alive? Hahahaha...... Since I know I'm not going to live to see tomorrow, I have nothing to fear now. I don't care about Hua Jing. I wish she were dead. That way we'll reunite as a family in Heaven.”
Yun Shang didn't say anything. She just sat and waited.
The Palace was deadly quite since no one talked. After two hours, the guard who had left to carry out Yun Shang's orders, entered the chamber. He carried a delicately carved box made of fine wood. Yun Shang waved the guard forward with giving the box a glance, ”Bring it to Her Majesty.”
The shadow guard brought the box to the Empress. But the Empress didn't open it. She glared at Yun Shang without saying a word. ”Em, ” Yun Shang smiled at the Empress, ”Why not take a look, Your Majesty? Have you lost your nerve?”
The Empress sneered at Yun Shang before hitting the box. She was not going to fall for Yun Shang's tricks anymore. Nothing would make her look inside! The box fell from the guard's hands and clattered on the ground. As the lid loosened, an object fell out and rolled forward....