37 3.8 (2/2)

Meanwhile, a week later, the left prime minister sensed that the emperor wouldn't take action against Consort Jing based solely on that maid's clue. Therefore, he arranged for several concubines to anxiously gather in the gardens to talk about seeing Consort Jing walking toward the crown prince's palace, inadvertently being overheard by one of the emperor's loyal guards.

Coincidentally, one of these concubines was the same one who had pushed the consort at the summer banquet. Forseeing his miserable future, Chen Yu hadn't retaliated. Although he wouldn't witness his torment first hand, from the pervert's tastes, his punishment wouldn't be light.

Upon receiving this information, Lu Guanting thought of that letter again, but this conversation had too conveniently delivered itself to his retainer. He calmly ordered, ”Investigate.” The only sign of his disturbance were his tapping fingers.

The inspection was shortly finished, the conclusion clear.

Enduring Emperor Taihe's sharp focus, the captain of the hidden guards bravely reported that Zhang Jia had indeed covertly instructed Consort Jing to poison the crown prince around the time that the consort had claimed to fall sick and that one imperial physician had been called often throughout his time at the palace. The emperor didn't say anything for such a long time that everyone tensed, afraid of being blamed, until one of the emperor's personal eunuchs apprehensively gestured that the room be emptied.

Sitting in the dark study, Lu Guanting leaned back against his chair, laughing hoarsely.

Zhang Hua, Zhang Hua. His beloved was truly too clever. With his ruse of being ill, he'd gained access to drugs, at the same time keeping this emperor away to plan out his scheme. If that maid hadn't dropped his letter, if those concubines hadn't discussed his visit to the crown prince, he would likely never have learned of it.

Actually, Lu Guanting was certain that someone was pulling the strings behind this to feed such hints to him, but for now, he was willing to put that manipulation aside. No matter what, that had been Zhang Hua's handwriting, that had been Zhang Jia's command, the facts didn't change.

He trusted, of course, that Zhang Hua didn't want the empress seat. Probably he was driven by loyalty to his family, but what did that signify? The point was that his beloved consort had betrayed him, had chosen to serve someone other than him.

Well, such treachery wasn't out of the scope of his imagination. He'd been wary of Zhang Jia from the start.

Instead, what surprised Lu Guanting was that a large part of him seriously considered turning a blind eye, simply making sure that the crown prince recovered. He struggled fiercely throughout the evening.

But in the end, he knew that he couldn't.

Hadn't he survived for so long, climbed so high by eliminating every threat? To give that up now, and for what?

Thus, when night fell, he gave permission for the imprisonment of Consort Jing under suspicion of treason. To have snuck in a message from outside, there must be quite a few of Zhang Jia's rats in the palace. He'd take this opportunity to clean them out.

While the guards were marching toward his suite, Chen Yu had just checked the mission quota. Still at 37%, even Yuan Niu's hatred for Zhang Hua wasn't strong enough ah. His plan to fill the rest of the quota in one move was a bit of a risk, but such gambles were exactly what Chen Yu loved.

When he returned from his musing, a roomful of soldiers surrounded him. Looking at those harsh faces, Chen Yu smirked. So, Lu Guanting had chosen this route after all. But this was what he'd expected anyway.

So he obediently submitted to being whipped, sliced, burnt, all as Emperor Taihe stood by with cold eyes.

In the cells next to him, Consort Jing's servants were similarly being questioned, with some of the more suspicious ones also suffering torture.

Among the cries, Chen Yu discerned Yuan Niu's guttural protests. Hm, hadn't she wanted to replace the consort? Hadn't she felt that the emperor was a paragon of virtue? En, here was her 'kind' emperor.

Finally, when Zhang Hua's legs had been completely shattered and large portions of his skin had been peeled off, a guard clattered in, his face blanched and sweaty. In his hand were two pieces of paper.

Hastily bowing, he stuttered, ”Your Imperial Majesty, w-we searched the r-rooms of the c-c-consort's servants and f-found this in the m-maid Yuan Niu's...”

The emperor took the letter and skimmed over it without much care, but suddenly paled. In an almost imperceptibly trembling voice, he asked, ”And the other?”

”Ah...th-th-this was u-under C-Consort Jing's b-bed.”

Lu Guanting seized the paper. On it was written, ”When the phoenix soars, its wings are shelter enough.”

Everything spun around him for a long while, the ever-present screams and wails turning silent. Nothing existed in front of him except Zhang Hua, whose eyes were slowly closing as if he was too exhausted.

At the sight, Lu Guanting woke up.

Staggering from the shock, he collapsed, carefully picking Zhang Hua up. ”Z-Zhang Hua, what are these? Did you write this? Is this what you meant to send to Zhang Jia?” He pushed forward the letter, but, realizing that Zhang Hua hadn't opened his eyes, he read out, ”The w-winds are swift, s-stay warmly inside.” When Chen Yu didn't react, he replaced the paper with the second letter, pleading, ”Zhang Hua, this was the general's reply?”

At last, Chen Yu's eyelids painfully fluttered open then met Lu Guanting's fervent gaze with half-blind eyes. Hooking up the corners of his lips, he used the last of his energy to whisper, ”Your Imperial Majesty, this is our end.”

Finished, he lifted his sensory block on pain, causing the shock from the hours of torture to directly kill him.

Holding his beloved's cooling, mutilated body, Lu Guanting shook uncontrollably, eyes red as if blood would pour out at any moment. He traced his unsteady fingers along the familiar features, begging, ”No, Zhang Hua, please. Please give me one more chance, don't go, don't leave me, I swear that I will never hurt you again, I will give you everything you wish for...”

He rocked coaxingly for hours, tears falling down unnoticed. Under his breath, he ceaselessly called, ”Zhang Hua, Zhang Hua, Zhang Hua…”

But the man who had always lazily turned to him was gone, he would never have another chance.