Chapter 26
Lian'er abruptly looked up at Qiu Chi, only to see her smiling brightly. She twitched the corner of her mouth and said, "Princess Consort, you must be joking..."
Although Qiu Chi was smiling, her words struck Lian'er like a clap of thunder. "I'm not joking with you. Just tell me, are you willing to do it?"
Lian'er's face slowly turned pale. This time, she couldn't even force a smile. "I will pretend the Princess Consort never said those words today. Please, you should go back."
Seeing this, Qiu Chi's smile vanished. "So, you're unwilling?"
"Why must the Princess Consort make things so difficult?"
The emperor's favor and a life of glory and splendor were right before her eyes. How could Lian'er possibly be willing to give all that up?
Even if Qiu Chi was the one who had helped her obtain all this, it didn't mean she was willing to abandon it.
Qiu Chi glanced at Lian'er once more before leaving, acting as if she hadn't just tried to force her to kill the emperor.
Lian'er couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.
But she had forgotten the methods Qiu Chi had used to help her gain favor.
When Qiu Chi returned, Yun Jing asked, "How did it go?"
"It will happen in the next day or two. Have your men get ready."
Yun Jing was a little surprised. "She really agreed?"
"Of course not. But does it matter whether she agrees?"
Whether Lian'er agreed or not was unimportant. There were too many people around during the day to make a move, and the emperor couldn't possibly stay with Cui Mingyu forever. On the second night of his visit, the emperor stayed with Lian'er.
Lian'er was somewhat apprehensive because of Qiu Chi's visit.
But then she considered the tight security around the emperor; even if Qiu Chi truly wanted to harm him, it was unlikely she would succeed.
The most she could do was keep quiet about the matter. To expect anything more from her was impossible.
Having rationalized this, Lian'er began to serve the emperor with peace of mind.
But in the middle of the night, Lian'er, who should have been sound asleep, suddenly opened her eyes. Although her own consciousness was present, she couldn't control her body's movements.
A silver hairpin had somehow appeared by her bedside. She picked it up and plunged it forcefully into the emperor's neck.
The emperor was sound asleep, completely defenseless.
The hairpin pierced the main artery in his neck, spraying blood all over Lian'er's face.
The emperor awoke from the pain, his eyes wide as he stared at Lian'er in disbelief.
Lian'er looked at her own blood-soaked hands, equally incredulous. She shook her head in a panic, trying to explain, "No, it's not like that! It wasn't me..."
But at this moment, her explanation was utterly unconvincing.
The emperor clutched his still-bleeding neck and shouted, "Guards! Someone, quickly!"
The door was pushed open, and people did indeed enter.
But they were not the people the emperor wanted to see. The ones who entered were Yun Jing and Qiu Chi.
The moment Lian'er saw Qiu Chi, she pointed frantically at her. "It was her! It was her! She's the one who wanted to harm the emperor! It wasn't me, it was her..."
Standing beside Yun Jing, Qiu Chi said, "Consort Lian, your words are truly baffling. I have been with King Jing this entire time and only just entered. How could I be the one trying to harm him?"
"Your own hands are covered in blood, yet you have the audacity to slander me?"
"No, it was you..."
No matter how desperately Lian'er tried to shift the blame to Qiu Chi, the emperor had no patience to listen. The moment he saw Yun Jing, his eyes widened in fury. He roughly understood the situation, but what he couldn't comprehend was why Lian'er would attack him.
But at this moment, there was no time for him to dwell on such things.
He glared viciously at Yun Jing, and before he could utter a word, he took his last breath. Yet his eyes remained fixed on Yun Jing, dying with his eyes open.
After the emperor died, Yun Jing finally turned his gaze to Lian'er. By now, Lian'er was desperate enough to try anything. She scrambled off the bed, knelt before Yun Jing, and pointed at Qiu Chi. "King Jing, it was her! She's the one who wanted to harm the emperor..."
Yun Jing lowered his eyes, pulled the corner of his robe from Lian'er's grasp, and said coldly, "Consort Lian has murdered the emperor. Her crime is unpardonable. Drag her out and have her beaten to death."
The emperor's death happened so swiftly that it left no time for anyone to react.
That very night, Yun Jing took the emperor's body directly back to the imperial palace and summoned a host of officials to discuss matters.
By the time the sun rose the next morning, the dust had already settled.
It was a foregone conclusion that Yun Jing would become the new emperor.
Those who followed Yun Jing, though they didn't understand how things had come to this, knew it was to their advantage, so they naturally said nothing more.
As for the late emperor's loyalists, they were utterly dumbfounded. They couldn't understand how the emperor had died overnight and the throne had changed hands.
But Yun Jing gave them no time to react. Compared to the late emperor, Yun Jing's methods were swift and decisive. He killed those who needed to be killed and demoted those who needed to be demoted.
The only ones who remained surprisingly untouched were the Prime Minister's family.
The Prime Minister and Cui Mingyu certainly didn't think this was because of Qiu Chi. They deluded themselves into believing that Yun Jing still held some affection for Cui Mingyu.
And so, Cui Mingyu couldn't help but rejoice inwardly.
She began to reinterpret the words Yun Jing had previously said to her.
He didn't want to sever ties with her after all; forgetting the past was only because they still had a future together.
Cui Mingyu was now overjoyed. Lian'er had died in Qingliang Palace, and her resentment toward the woman was finally vented.
She paid Qiu Chi no mind, and as for that Xin'er, she was probably just a tool used to spite Qiu Chi.
With this thought, Cui Mingyu grew eager to enter the palace and see Yun Jing.
However, she and the rest of the Prime Minister's household were currently confined to the manor, forbidden to take a single step outside.
Although Cui Mingyu was convinced that Yun Jing couldn't forget her and would come for her, she wanted even more to see him in person, to tell him that she still loved him and that they could finally be together.
Cui Mingyu went to the guards at the gate. "I wish to see King Jing. Could I trouble you to announce me?"
The emperor had died at Lian'er's hands, so Yun Jing's succession was considered legitimate; he hadn't been branded a traitor for usurping the throne.
Furthermore, Cui Mingyu was the former emperor's Noble Consort, and while the Prime Minister was confined, he hadn't been demoted or executed. On top of that, Qiu Chi was, on the surface, the Prime Minister's daughter. For these reasons, the guards didn't dare to be too disrespectful, as they couldn't be sure of Yun Jing's intentions.
One of them agreed to pass on Cui Mingyu's request, and she rejoiced inwardly.
Yun Jing's reaction was the complete opposite. When he heard the guard report that Cui Mingyu wished to see him, his first instinct was to refuse.
He truly seemed to have no feelings left for Cui Mingyu at all, not even a moment of conflict or hesitation.
However, Qiu Chi was present when the guard made his report. Before Yun Jing could refuse, Qiu Chi answered for him, "Since she wants an audience, bring her into the palace."
The guard looked to Yun Jing, who nodded and dismissed him. Only then did he turn to Qiu Chi and ask, "Why do you want to see her? The coronation ceremony is in five days. Why are you unwilling to let Us name you empress?"
After dealing with matters so decisively, Yun Jing had told Qiu Chi he wanted to make her his empress, only to be flatly refused.
When he asked her again now, her answer was the same. "I've already told you, I'm here to get my revenge on you. How could I possibly stay here for long?"
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