revenge

Before he finished speaking, a series of footsteps echoed from all around.

After several rounds of drinks, more and more people gradually gathered in the corridor to get some fresh air. Naturally, the crowd was mixed, making it even more difficult for the two to discuss things in detail. Lin Xu's heart tightened at the mere mention of Dou Yanxun's name. She understood why Dou Zhen had paused, and knowing full well why, she took her hand and slowly walked away into the distance.

The wind whistled through the corridor, while the bright lights gradually faded into the distance.

Ahead, in a corner of the corridor, the light and shadows were dim, with only a few very faint lamps flickering quietly. Even before getting close, one could feel the chill in the air, but it was certainly a good place to escape the hustle and bustle and find peace and quiet.

"...You just said, what happened to your second brother?"

Lin Xu stopped in the face of the wind and looked at Dou Zhen beside him.

Having just gone through so much, her nose was red from crying. Now, wrapped in a heavy cloak, she gradually warmed up. Dou Zhen's voice trembled as she whispered, "Sister-in-law... I've wanted to say this for a long time. I've realized that you and my second brother... have never truly cared for me."

Lin Xu was taken aback when she realized that Dou Zhen had summoned her to such a secluded corner just to talk about this.

Dou Zhen stood against the light, her sobbing having stopped sometime earlier. Lin Xu could barely see her expression, only the two tear tracks glistening in the dim light.

Dou Zhen sniffed, then let out a long sigh, her voice chillingly cold:

"For example, you've been keeping it from me until now—who killed my father and mother."

Lin Xu then felt the biting cold wind, making her almost lose her balance. Dou Zhen finally found out! For a moment, she opened her mouth, but didn't know what to say. She felt guilty towards Dou Zhen for the sudden change that night, and couldn't help but say with a heavy heart:

"No, Zhen'er, listen to me, it's not what you think..."

Dou Zhen's voice suddenly became even sharper, almost piercing the desolate night: "Isn't that right? Do you think I'm really a fool, being played like this by you, and still grateful in the dark?! My good brother and sister-in-law actually killed my mother, threatened my father, and so cruelly set fire to my house, making me a laughingstock that everyone can bully, and you are his accomplice! Are you going to look me in the eye now and tell me that none of this is the truth?!"

Dou Zhen was furious and almost roared in a low voice. However, the night wind was howling, and the corner of the corridor was far from the palace entrance. For a time, the people gathered by the light in the distance could not find anything amiss here.

Lin Xu took a step back, her body almost pressed against the jagged pillar, and her attempt to grab Dou Zhen's hand was ruthlessly flung away:

“Zhen’er, there is truly more to this than meets the eye. That day… that day Mianxue disappeared without a trace, and we were frantic with worry… Do you know that over the years, your mother, Bai Shi, has appeared dignified and composed, but in reality, she has repeatedly plotted against me, and we have all tolerated it. But this time, it was Mianxue! She was so young, yet she was kidnapped by Bai Shi’s scheme… Your second brother, he didn’t kill Dou Huaisheng either; he just wanted to force him to resign from his official post…”

Dou Zhen sneered, her eyes flashing with a dark yet enduring hatred as she cut off Lin Xu's explanation.

"He didn't kill my father—are you trying to say that what ultimately killed my father was that fire that started out of nowhere? Sister-in-law, you still think you can fool me like a three-year-old? Do you think I don't know... who arranged for the oil and that horse hidden in the stables near Lingbo Garden all along?!"

Dou Zhen looked at Lin Xu coldly, but the corners of her mouth slowly turned up, and she almost couldn't help but laugh out loud:

"...My sister-in-law has been bedridden for many days. You had already bribed the maidservant by her side and secretly pointed out an escape route for her—you knew all along that she hated my eldest brother to the bone, hated the Dou family to the bone, and knew that one day she would flee from here because she missed her hometown! However, you had already planned the price for her to live from the beginning, which was that my father and mother had to die. You even planned how they would die! Feng Daizhu was just a pawn in your hands! And my second brother just couldn't help but act that day and beat you to it... And you, you had already been planning to take action for months!"

Lin Xu shifted slightly. The barrage of questions before her momentarily stunned her. She had never doubted that Dou Zhen was so intelligent that she would eventually discover the truth. However, looking into those almost desperate eyes before her, she realized that although she had countless reasons to harm the Bai family, they all turned into broken sobs that could not be uttered.

The next moment, Dou Zhen shifted her gaze to a dark figure at the bottom of the steps not far away.

Her smile grew even wider, almost unrestrained. She slowly curved her smile and looked at the dark figure:

"Second brother, I knew you would come."

At the same time, before Lin Xu could turn around, he saw Dou Zhen quickly make a hand gesture in the boundless darkness, and in an instant, countless huge black shadows pounced on him!

There's an ambush! Dou Zhen deliberately lured me here!

In an instant, the world shifted, and before Lin Xu could speak, she was dragged into endless darkness. She could no longer make a sound; her mouth and nose were tightly covered. Amidst the chaos, she could still faintly hear a low, almost desperate roar coming from afar behind her.

"No--"

It was like being torn apart, like being invaded by a hundred poisons.

That was Dou Yanxun frantically shouting in the direction he had disappeared.

.

She didn't know how much time had passed, but she felt as if the world had turned upside down. Finally, she opened her incredibly heavy eyelids and slowly woke up.

The hall was dimly lit, filled with the strong scent of sandalwood. Her limbs were numb and aching, and beneath her lay a soft carpet, yet she could not move. Her hands and feet were tightly bound with silk ropes, and a soft cloth was stuffed into her mouth.

Looking around, one could vaguely make out the low-hanging curtains and the glass lamps hanging from the eaves, their light and shadows swaying, which made the empty hall feel eerily cold.

How could she not recognize this place?

A moment later, the layers of curtains were lifted by a fair, jade-like hand. The Empress, dressed in magnificent attire and draped in a silver fur coat, walked over unhurriedly, her hair still neatly styled, having just left the banquet. Her eyes, accustomed to looking down upon everything, were dignified and aloof, but now seemed as cold as frost.

When Lin Xu saw that face, the hatred in her heart almost overflowed. Her mouth was gagged, and she couldn't speak at all, but could only manage to stammer out some sounds.

The Empress leaned down, looking down at her with her head held high. Her expression remained dignified, but she smiled and said:

"Your mother was the same way back then, except she was much more elegant than you."

Lin Xu glared fiercely at the Empress, feeling as if her internal organs were bleeding profusely, the pain almost excruciating. For so many years, everything she had longed for had finally been confirmed by the Empress, this utterly hypocritical woman. Indeed, her mother had been harmed by her! She had guessed right!

The Empress, however, seemed to admire Lin Xu's bloodshot eyes. She circled Lin Xu's tightly bound body before saying, "What? Do you wish you could kill me to avenge your mother?"

"Lin Xu, you're really interesting, no, you're downright ridiculous."

"Do you think I don't know you've been plotting revenge all this time? My loyal servant Qin has served me faithfully for years, and yet she too has become a wronged soul at your hands."

Seeing that Lin Xu still couldn't make a sound, the Empress watched Lin Xu's struggle with satisfaction and said, "That girl Dou Zhen used to be so devoted to you, but in return, she lost both her parents. Lin Xu, do you have any conscience at all? If we're really talking about who's worse, do you really think you can lose to me?"

Looking into those eyes filled with stubbornness and defiance, the Empress couldn't help but recall the first time Lin Xu met her, kneeling before her and begging for a marriage decree. Back then, looking into those eyes from afar, all she could remember was the single tear that slowly rolled down Liang Shuangyu's cheek before she took action.

"This humble woman is willing to die... but this humble woman humbly begs Your Majesty to spare my family... especially my daughter..."

She was initially reluctant to do it.

Who let that fool Liang Shuangyu overhear her secret? She overheard her and Ruoran's conversation in the corner. This secret had been weighing on her chest like a boulder for years. She had painstakingly preserved it for so long, how could she tolerate a complete stranger ruining everything that was gradually taking shape?

Her position as empress, her son, her lover, her family...

Compared to all of these, dealing with Liang Shuangyu is the simplest and most reasonable thing to do.

I was just considering the bigger picture, what did I do wrong? It was Lin Xu who was greedy and insatiable, pushing his luck.

Not only did she dare to seek revenge against me, but she also dared to seduce my son. She was nothing but a useless fool. At that time, granting her marriage was the most merciful thing I, as the mother of a nation and the most noble person in the world, could do.

Ruoran walked slowly over, carrying a plate in both hands. "Your Majesty, the palace banquet is about to end. Let's get on with it as soon as possible."

The Empress then snapped out of her thoughts and nodded. The same medicine would yield the same result.

Those on the ground initially resisted fiercely, then, powerless to resist, finally accepted with tears in their eyes. When Liang Shuangyu died, Lin Xu was just a child; now, as Lin Xu faced death, it was said she had become a mother. The Empress thought quietly, watching as the gag was finally removed from Lin Xu's mouth, raising one eyebrow:

"Say whatever you want to say."

Lin Xu coughed a few times, her mouth already filled with blood. She stared intently at the beautifully made-up empress, but chuckled softly.

"Your Majesty, after all these years, have you remained unchanged without any progress?"

Upon hearing this, the Empress glanced at Lin Xu with a puzzled expression.

Even on the verge of death, he was still arguing with her. She should have known that Lin Xu was no match for her. She glanced impatiently at Ruoran, who was slowly uncorking the white jade bottle, and was about to urge her to hurry up when she saw Ruoran's astonished expression. The medicine bottle in her hand crashed to the ground, and she knelt down.

The empress was stunned for a moment, then felt an incredibly large hand grab her neck from behind, gripping it tightly. With a single pull, it almost lifted her thin frame off the ground, leaving her breathless.

Who is it?!

Who could have entered her palace without making a sound?

Before the empress could turn around, the man's supreme and majestic voice rang out behind her.

"Indeed, nothing is more poisonous than a woman's heart! Empress, your methods are truly ruthless!"

Caught off guard, the Empress also trembled uncontrollably. She desperately reached up with both hands, trying to pry his fingers off, but because her back was to Emperor Su, she could see nothing, and panic and despair filled her eyes. Her once delicate lips trembled, but she could only utter broken, intermittent sounds.

"Your Majesty...Your Majesty...I'm innocent..."

Emperor Su finally released his grip, leaving the Empress, whose face and neck had turned purplish-blue, to fall to the ground, panting heavily. Tears welled in her eyes; disregarding her disheveled state, the Empress frantically crawled forward on her knees and collapsed at Emperor Su's feet, wailing uncontrollably.

"Your Majesty, I am innocent!"

The Empress's wailing suddenly stopped when she gradually saw another pair of familiar boots behind Emperor Su.

Crown Prince Wei Yun stood behind the curtain, dressed in a purple robe, his crown and belt neatly arranged. The lamplight illuminated his face, his features still dignified, yet he showed no sign of panic, his expression utterly indifferent.

That was her child. Now, however, she looked at him with complete indifference.

The Empress paused, feeling as if a heavy stone had struck her chest, leaving it a bloody mess. She tried desperately to call out "Yun'er," to summon him, but the words caught in her throat, and she could only utter broken sobs.

Emperor Su paced a few steps within the hall. He remained clearly tall and slender, with a robust physique, showing no signs of having been ill for months. His gaze swept over Lin Xu, who was still bound by a pillar, and he coldly said:

"Your Highness, what do you think?"

Wei Yun's voice seemed to drift down slowly from the clouds.

"The Empress disregarded the law and abused her power, intending to murder the women of the court. She knowingly broke the law and should be punished even more severely."

The Empress could no longer bear to listen; tears streamed down her face, but she no longer had the strength to rise and lift her head. Even hearing Wei Yun's voice with her own ears caused her excruciating pain, and she couldn't even bear to look at her own son as he uttered those words.

Emperor Su coldly replied, "She is, after all, your birth mother."

Wei Yun nodded, his expression completely hidden from view by the candlelight.

"Your Majesty, I have always respected you. But you have committed such a heinous crime that is unforgivable both in public and private matters. I would rather betray your kindness than disregard justice in the world."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Su remained silent. After a long while, he merely raised his hand, and Zhao Fu, who had been waiting patiently, immediately bowed and stepped forward, whispering to the disheveled Empress, "Your Majesty, please."

Emperor Su strode away with his hands behind his back, not even glancing at the Empress before leaving.