Chapter 88. He was looking at her.

The emperor did not answer Yuan Chaolu's question.

The next day, the wind was gentle and the clouds were light, and the autumn air was crisp and refreshing.

Today is the Empress Dowager's birthday, and the palace servants in front of Penglai Palace have not stopped since dawn, their footsteps echoing on the brick ground.

In the evening, the Empress Dowager appeared at the banquet dressed in a magnificent phoenix-embroidered robe.

In her youth, she and her elder sister were renowned in the capital as the "Two Beauties of the Lu Family." Now, with the marks of time, her charm remains undiminished.

In fact, several days earlier, princes, ministers and envoys from all over the country had come to the capital to present congratulatory gifts to the Empress Dowager. Unfortunately, the Penglai Palace was closed to visitors all day, so they were only able to see the Empress Dowager at the palace banquet today.

The banquet was devoid of any vitality. Despite its lavishness, the dazzling decorations inside the palace, the thousands of guests who came to offer their congratulations, and the numerous officials and their families, with the banquet extending outside the palace, nothing seemed to penetrate the Empress Dowager's icy expression.

The Empress Dowager sat upright like a Buddha, her dignified bearing natural.

Not long after the banquet began, the emperor and empress drank with their ministers, music began to play, and dancers entered the hall, finally enlivening the atmosphere.

Amidst the melodious sounds of string and wind instruments, Xiao Zhuo raised his wine cup to his lips. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw palace maids approaching the Empress and whispering to each other.

The palace maids around her came and went frequently, which was perfectly normal, as they were busy preparing for the palace banquet. However, from the start of the banquet today, she would sometimes look at the Empress Dowager and sometimes scrutinize Lu Changli among the crowd below.

During a break in the banquet, Grand Marshal Cui Ming stepped forward to raise a cup to His Majesty. Xiao Zhuo rested one hand on the table and raised the cup with the other. Taking advantage of the moment, someone leaned in and whispered in his ear, "Your Majesty, the palace maids say there's something they need to do. I'll go check on it and return shortly."

The figure then left his side.

Seeing that the emperor had not drunk for a long time, the Grand Marshal hurriedly said, "Your Majesty?"

No sooner had he finished speaking than the emperor, whose eyes had been clear and bright just moments before, turned around with a look of displeasure, raised his hand, and drank the wine in one gulp.

The Grand Marshal returned sheepishly.

Just as Zhong Changjun was about to pour wine for the emperor, he saw the emperor, who was known for his excellent tolerance for alcohol, propping his forehead with his fingertips, pretending to be drunk. His eyes drifted over and landed meaningfully on Zhong Changjun.

Zhong Changjun understood and quickly put down the wine cup, saying, "This servant will go and find some sobering tea for Your Majesty."

Zhong Changjun was always quick to gather information, and soon he returned to the emperor's side. "Her Majesty the Empress just met with Princess Zhenning and spoke with her. In addition, Her Majesty is also keeping an eye on the Empress Dowager's movements."

No sooner had these words been spoken than the Empress returned to her seat, a faint smile on her face as usual. "Your Majesty, now that the banquet is over, shall we move together to Jingming Temple later?"

**

The Jingming Temple Pagoda took two years from site selection to completion. Today, when noble families accompanied the emperor and empress to the site, they saw the pagoda soaring into the clouds, with the precious bells and golden chimes on the eaves ringing out in a heavenly sound that could be heard for miles.

A huge crowd looked up, watching the consecration ceremony on the high platform.

Monks dipped branches and leaves into the dew, circled the pagoda, and chanted Buddhist scriptures, filling the air with the fragrance of incense.

Then the high monk, holding a treasure box, walked to the emperor and empress and said, "This box contains the relics of a Buddhist monk. Please, Your Majesty and Your Majesty, place them into the heart of the pagoda yourselves."

Xiao Zhuo looked at Empress Dowager Lu: "Since this pagoda was built to pray for your blessings, it is only when your mother personally enshrines the relics that the pagoda is complete."

Empress Dowager Lu said, "I appreciate the Emperor's filial piety. However, regarding the enshrinement of the relics, the Emperor should be respected above all others. How could I possibly overstep my bounds?"

"It is Mother's birthday today, so there is no need to decline any further."

In the end, it was Empress Dowager Lu who held the treasure box and became the first person to step into the pagoda that night.

At the entrance, a Buddhist monk presented a tray with teacups and said, "Your Majesty, the Empress, and the Empress Dowager, please drink this nectar to awaken the Buddha's light."

Yuan Chaolu respectfully accepted the tea with both hands and brought it to her lips. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the Buddhist monk serving tea to the people following behind him, just as she had arranged.

The Jingming Temple Pagoda was built under the supervision of the Lu family, and the officials were all Lu family confidants. Yuan Chaolu learned yesterday that the Empress Dowager had taken over the pagoda and wanted to plant spies to find out what the Empress Dowager was up to, but she was helpless.

Although she can't interfere, she can still have some influence over tonight's consecration ceremony.

The monk serving tea was Master Chenji, whom she had met at Chanxu Temple.

Everyone else had no problem with the tea, except... the Empress Dowager and Lu Changli.

In the evening, she noticed changes in the people around the Empress Dowager and guessed that the Empress Dowager might be up to something that night.

Yuan Chaolu watched as he drank the tea in one gulp without noticing anything amiss. She smiled, drank her tea, put down her teacup, lifted her skirt, and stepped across the threshold.

The moment I stepped inside, my gaze was fixed on it.

The Buddha statues in the temple inside the pagoda are exquisite and incredible. At first glance, there is a golden Buddha statue that is eight feet tall, with magnificent divine light, making her feel as if she is in a heavenly palace.

The rest of the dazzling array of Buddha statues immediately catches the eye.

During the Yuan Dynasty, I saw many Buddhist caves and temples in the Northwest and Luoyang, but I did not see any pagodas. The one in front of me can be described as the result of the utmost effort in construction and the ingenuity of nature's creation.

She climbed the wooden stairs, clinging to the tower wall, and with each step she took, she could see the exquisite paintings on the wall.

She suddenly turned her head and looked around. The murals depicted immortals traveling among the clouds, and under the light of lanterns and candles, it looked as if a river of stars was flowing across them.

Lu Changli smiled and said, "Your Majesty and Your Highness, if you come during the day, you will see the sunlight shining in through the window, making the gold leaf on the painted wall shine like rosy clouds."

Yuan Chaolu mentally calculated the expenses, feeling that the money was being spent like quicksand.

With each floor I ascended, a sense of awe filled me: it seems that all the world's most skilled craftsmen have gathered here.

So she couldn’t help but turn her head to look at the person beside her. Such extravagance, did the emperor really allow Lu Changli to build it?

Xiao Zhuo kept his eyes fixed straight ahead, his gaze never wavering.

Zhong Changjun seemed to sense what she was thinking. "Your Majesty, when the late Emperor was alive, Lord Lu submitted site selection plans with the intention of building this pagoda. The late Emperor granted permission, and construction officially began after His Majesty ascended the throne."

Yuan Chao nodded, his eyes filled with magnificent treasures along the way, and finally he reached the ninth floor.

Lu Changli said, "This is the Sutra Repository, which has thousands of treasure caves, all of which store scriptures."

He walked up to Empress Dowager Lu and said, "Please, Your Majesty, place the treasure box into the center of the pagoda."

He looked up and saw that her eyes were as cold as frost.

Empress Dowager Lu turned and walked toward the abbot, who helped her to properly store the relics.

The consecration ceremony is now complete.

"Bang bang bang—"

Just then, a huge commotion came from outside the pagoda. Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw fireworks rising from the night sky.

Fireworks blazed brilliantly, thousands of sparks lighting up the night sky and illuminating the entire imperial city.

Xiao Zhuo turned his head and saw her staring intently at the night sky, her cheeks reflecting the colorful light. They were so close to the sky that even the fireworks seemed within reach.

Someone among the common people below spotted the emperor and empress by the railing and cheered, and the cheers grew louder and louder.

Yuan Chaolu raised her arm and waved to the crowd, her hair blowing in the wind, her lips slightly upturned. She turned to look at Xiao Zhuo, only to find that he was completely unaware of her burning gaze.

After the first fire subsided, everyone wanted to descend the stupa.

At this moment, Lu Changli walked to Empress Dowager Lu's side and asked with a smile, "What do you think, Aunt?"

Empress Dowager Lu remained silent, still standing by the railing.

Xiao Zhuo asked, "Is the Empress Dowager not leaving?"

"I have something I'd like to say to Changli in private," said Empress Dowager Lu.

The emperor and empress went down the stairs, taking away their grand procession, leaving only the aunt and niece behind.

When the Emperor and Empress descended to the bottom floor, a eunuch was already waiting by the door. He stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, Princess Zhenning is by the tower. She seems to have something to say to Your Majesty."

Upon seeing this, Yuan Chaolu smiled and said, "Your Majesty, please go ahead. This Jingming Pagoda is really high, and my legs are tired. I would like to rest for a while."

Xiao Zhuo did not linger and took half of the entourage with him.

Yuan Chaolu let the remaining half of the ceremonial guards withdraw, and was about to turn back upstairs when he saw his palace maids hurrying in from outside.

"Your Majesty, Physician Qingheng has disappeared. Just now, when the fireworks were being set off, Empress Dowager Lu sent someone to summon Physician Qingheng and take her away."

Yuan Chaolu suddenly remembered that when she came downstairs, she saw several guards about to go upstairs in the shadows on the seventh floor. They claimed that they were summoned by the Empress Dowager. The guards were tall and blocked one of the thinner figures.

Yuan Chaolu immediately sensed something was amiss, but because the emperor was present, he didn't ask any further questions and simply brushed past the group before going downstairs.

Yuan Chaolu stared at the dark staircase, then suddenly turned and walked towards it. A palace maid called out behind her, "Your Majesty!"

She lifted her skirt and ran towards the top floor without a second thought.

At this moment, from the highest building of Jingming Temple, Empress Dowager Lu looked down at the myriad lights of Luoyang City beyond the railing.

“Aunt, look how magnificent the view here is.” Lu Changli walked forward step by step. “When I first built the pagoda, I imagined Aunt standing here, looking down at the imperial city. Do you like it?”

The sound of Empress Dowager Lu's fingertips tapping the railing was crisp and clear. "I like it very much."

She turned around and said, "Changli, you married and killed a wife when you were in Jiangnan, didn't you?"

The gentle smile on Lu Changli's face gradually faded. "Aunt?"

A letter was thrown in front of her, and Empress Dowager Lu's weary, cold voice rang out: "Read it yourself."

Lu Changli squatted down and unfolded the letter, his hand gripping the edge of the paper trembling slightly.

"How could Runlan have written these things? I will explain."

The Empress Dowager fell silent, her pupils contracting slightly as she stared at Lu Changli. The flickering candlelight cast half of her face in shadow, making her look like a demon.

Suddenly, the sharp sound of an arrow piercing the air came from behind. Lu Changli turned his head and saw an arrow tip getting closer and closer, reflected in his pupils.

With a "thud," the crossbow bolt pierced the man's leg.

This change happened in the blink of an eye. Lu Changli staggered and fell to the ground, blood gradually flowing out and pooling into a crimson puddle.

Empress Dowager Lu stopped in front of him.

"The female doctor who first discovered Runlan, I have ordered her to be brought here. You keep claiming that Runlan's death is suspicious, then let her be buried with her. In addition, I do not intend to let any of the Helan family members who are scheming for marriage go unpunished."

Lu Changli's cheek was pressed against the cold ground when he heard the sound of boots coming from the stairs. A guard dragged a figure tightly bound with hemp rope up the stairs.

The woman, with her eyes covered by a black cloth, was forced to kneel to one side.

His voice trembled: "How could you... how could you not believe me?"

"Not only do I not believe it! I only believe the letter written by Runlan herself! If that's all, you will have to pay for everything my Lan'er has suffered."

Empress Dowager Lu picked up a candle from the table beside her and slowly poured it out. The scalding hot oil landed on his injured leg, causing him to curl up immediately, with veins bulging on his forehead.

"Speak! Do you admit it or not, you killed Lan'er!"

Lu Changli was in excruciating pain, with beads of sweat the size of soybeans constantly streaming down his forehead, but he still gritted his teeth and refused to utter a single word.

"Your Majesty the Empress Dowager." At this moment, the female physician suddenly spoke up.

Empress Dowager Lu turned around and saw the female physician open her mouth, "Your Majesty, I know more about Lord Lu's past in Jiangnan."

Empress Dowager Lu said, "Speak."

Although the female doctor's face was covered with a black cloth, her gaze was fixed on Lu Changli with an intense intensity, as if it were a tangible object.

"When Lu Changli killed his wife, she was already pregnant."

"What did you say?" Lu Changli was shocked.

Empress Dowager Lu said coldly, "How do you know that?"

The woman knelt on the ground, her face calm: "If the Empress Dowager and Lord Lu untie me, I will tell you more."

Empress Dowager Lu remained unmoved, then raised her hand to signal something to her subordinates.

Lu Changli suddenly dug his fingers into the cracks in the brickwork, forcefully propping himself up. He pulled the arrow from his leg and, with great effort, went to Qingheng's side to untie her, saying, "There's something I must tell you..."

Lu Changli froze, a numb feeling spreading through his chest. His body felt weak and out of control. He braced himself on the ground with his hands, but then he saw the corners of Qingheng's lips slightly upturned in a smile.

That expression was all too familiar. In an instant, all of Lu Changli's memories of her from the past surged into his mind in a trembling manner.

Out of the corner of his eye, he suddenly saw a flame rise from somewhere, and the flames spread rapidly, licking the stairs.

Lu Changli looked up and saw the gesture that Empress Dowager Lu was giving the order. He asked, "What are you doing!"

His knuckles turned white from the strain, and his eyes were bloodshot: "You ordered the wooden tower to be burned? Every piece of wood and every stone in this tower was made for you, and yet you want to..."

The firelight illuminated Empress Dowager Lu's eyes. "You say the pagoda was built for me, but all I want is Lan'er! Since you've poured your heart and soul into this pagoda, if you were to die here tonight, you would have no regrets, would you?"

Lu Changli stared at her in disbelief, his eyes bloodshot.

"Cough cough!"

Amidst the thick smoke, the two heard footsteps coming from the stairs.

The person who arrived was Yuan Chaolu. After she arrived, she stepped forward without saying a word and wanted to take the female doctor away.

Empress Dowager Lu's eyes flickered slightly. Seeing the fire spreading and delaying her departure, but the person at her feet was still tightly gripping her skirt, she suddenly took out something from her sleeve. The sharp, cold light flashed and stabbed straight at the chest of the person at her feet.

As the dagger pierced flesh with a tearing sound, Empress Dowager Lu felt that she had finally avenged herself. Immediately afterward, hot blood gushed from the chest of the person in front of her.

But suddenly, she heard him say, almost choked with emotion, "Mother..."