Chapter 87 Awakening from the Dream

Huan'er limped to the East Palace again, and before he could plead with tears in his eyes, the Crown Prince granted his request.

On the grounds that his leg injury had recurred, the Imperial Noble Consort was permitted to leave the palace to take care of him at the Prince Rui's residence.

Huan'er left after expressing her gratitude. The Crown Prince returned to his study, where the Grand Tutor and several of his trusted advisors were present.

The Grand Tutor bowed and said, "Your Highness was too careless. With the Emperor's passing, we cannot be too cautious. The Imperial Noble Consort is the Emperor's only favored concubine, and Prince Rui is the Emperor's only bloodline besides the Crown Prince. How can we let them go so easily?"

The Crown Prince dismissed it, saying, "What they said today has already been reported to us. They thought the palace was safe and spoke freely in private, mentioning not only me but also slandering the Empress Dowager. It's clear they were speaking from the heart. These two have no ambition. The Imperial Noble Consort is just a woman deep in the palace, grieving over her father's death, and Prince Rui is only worried that the Empress Dowager will return to the palace to torment his mother. What is there to be wary of in such people?"

When the message came back from Yunzhou, he was both saddened and secretly pleased, but the Grand Tutor and others looked as if they were facing a formidable enemy.

With the Emperor's death, the Crown Prince's ascension to the throne is only natural, yet the Grand Tutor and others are wary of this and nervous about that.

They sent more men to Jizhou to take Qin Can's life, and deliberately let Prince Rui see the battle report to see how he would react.

Deep down, the Crown Prince did not dislike the Imperial Noble Consort and Prince Rui; in fact, he was grateful to them.

Without the Imperial Noble Consort, who knows how many brothers he would have by now? He would probably be unable to sleep or eat properly all day long.

Prince Rui had once risked his life to protect him, and he had handled all the tasks entrusted to him perfectly. He would become a wise and virtuous king in the future, thus enhancing his reputation for brotherly love and respect.

The Grand Tutor was about to speak when the Crown Prince waved his hand, "Although the current situation is special, it is still too alarming. Putting aside the fact that Prince Rui is of the previous dynasty's bloodline, just the fact that he is disabled is ridiculous. From ancient times to the present, has there ever been a lame man who became emperor?"

The Grand Tutor still insisted on arguing, but his close advisor noticed the Crown Prince's growing impatience and quickly tugged at him, smiling obsequiously, "Grand Tutor, you've always been cautious, perhaps to avoid any unforeseen complications. In reality, the matter is now largely settled. Apart from the Emperor's two sons, Prince Jing has never been interested in politics and has no heir, so he's not a threat. Prince Jing himself only holds a sinecure and has never even been to the battlefield, so he's not a danger either. Among the imperial clan, no one poses a threat to Your Highness. The most urgent task is for us to bring the Empress Dowager back, keep her death a secret, and reassure the officials. Once the Emperor's coffin returns to the capital, everything will fall into place naturally."

Upon hearing the mention of the Emperor's coffin, the Crown Prince's face showed grief. "How much longer will it be before Father returns to the capital?"

The Grand Tutor said, "Along the way, we need to keep the body under ice to avoid being seen. I'm afraid it will take at least two and a half months."

The Crown Prince instructed: "The posthumous title for Father Emperor needs to be decided, and the imperial mausoleum is almost completed. Tell them to hurry up and make sure it is finished when Father Emperor returns to the capital."

"Your Majesty, we obey!"

Just as the Crown Prince had begun preparing for his ascension to the throne, an imperial edict arrived from the south half a month later.

The edict was clearly from the Emperor's hand, stating that the Crown Prince was incompetent and immoral, unfit to inherit the throne, and that the Crown Prince was to be deposed immediately, with Prince Rui appointed as the new Crown Prince.

The court was in an uproar. The ministers of the Eastern Palace were especially shocked. They knew better than anyone that the emperor was dead, so how could an edict suddenly appear? It must be a forgery by Prince Rui!

But the imperial edict was genuine. Even though the emperor's handwriting could be imitated, it bore the emperor's seal.

When the emperor personally led the expedition, the imperial seal remained in the capital, but the emperor's personal seal was always carried with him.

Since it concerned the crown prince, no one dared to be careless. They compared the seal with the previous ones repeatedly, and indeed found no difference.

—Even the flaws and cracks on them are exactly the same; there's absolutely no way to fake it.

Despite the imperial edict, the matter could not be accomplished overnight. Taking advantage of this lull, the Crown Prince sent troops to storm into Prince Rui's residence that very night. Unfortunately, just as they lowered their guard against the mother and son and were excitedly preparing for the new emperor's ascension to the throne, Prince Rui's residence was already deserted.

With the sound of hooves, the Grand Tutor, who had led his troops into Prince Rui's residence, was surrounded by Prince Rui. Prince Rui, who used to walk with a limp, sat high on his horse with a lazy smile on his lips. "Grand Tutor, you have led your troops into the residence of a prince of the current dynasty. So arrogant. Is the Crown Prince planning a rebellion?"

The Grand Tutor finally understood that all the talk of protecting him with his own body and of his physical disability was a lie.

Using this excuse, he married the Grand Secretary's granddaughter, which is why the imperial edict was announced to the public at the morning court session without going through the Crown Prince's palace.

It was through this that he became a harmless person, befriended the Crown Prince, and even planted spies in the Eastern Palace.

The soldiers behind him were clearly his subordinates from his campaigns in the Northwest.

—Since the current emperor ascended the throne, there have only been two major battles. In one, he won over the hearts of the people and built up his power. In the other, he seized the opportunity and was about to achieve great success.

To this day, he is proficient in both literary and martial arts.

At this point, whether the imperial edict was real or fake was no longer important.

Even if the court accepted the imperial edict, as long as the crown prince was innocent and the emperor's coffin had not arrived, he dared not do anything to the crown prince.

At this very moment, he led his troops into Prince Rui's residence, an act tantamount to personally handing the knife meant to kill the crown prince to him.

In terms of cunning and strategy, the Crown Prince was indeed worlds apart from him, and his defeat was truly not unjust.

Even so, the Grand Tutor still tried his best to absolve the Crown Prince, saying, "My coming here today was solely my doing, and not related to..."

Before he could finish speaking, he fell to the ground, his throat pierced by an arrow, and all that could be heard from his mouth was a hoarse sound.

Qin Huan spurred his horse, "The thieves who trespassed into the Prince's mansion have been executed. All you men, follow me and capture the mastermind behind it all!"

The soldiers responded in unison, and the thunderous sound of hooves turned towards the East Palace.

The Crown Prince was guarded by several hundred soldiers from the Eastern Palace.

The crown prince looked at his younger brother, who had followed him closely just a few days ago, his eyes filled with hatred.

Even with the imperial edict, he was still the Crown Prince. His retainers had already gone to find the Imperial Guards with tokens. Others might hesitate, but the Deputy Commander of the Imperial Guards was his maternal uncle. His father had never considered deposing him; otherwise, he would have removed his uncle from his position as Deputy Commander first. The Crown Prince knew this better than anyone. If he could just endure this moment, he needed to see Prince Rui's head severed from his body to quell the hatred in his heart!

But Qin Huan didn't give him that chance.

In the past, Qin Lie couldn't bear to lay a hand on his second brother in front of the Divine Martial Gate, but today, Qin Huan pointed an arrow at his eldest brother without any reaction.

The crown prince's expression changed drastically, and several guards rushed to protect him.

Qin Huan smiled.

In the chaos of battle, no matter how many guards were in front of the crown prince, they could not outnumber his arrows.

No matter how fast the Imperial Guards arrive, they won't be faster than his arrows.

Once the Crown Prince dies, it will be as if the Emperor has been resurrected. She will be his only bloodline, and no one will dare to question her anymore.

Not to mention a mere deputy commander of the Imperial Guard!

Qin Huan nocked an arrow and shot two guards dead, creating a small opening in front of the Crown Prince.

A faint smile appeared on his lips. He quickly nocked a new arrow, released it, and the arrow shot like a meteor toward the prince's throat.

Seeing the prince die on the spot, but even faster than his arrow was another arrow.

It roared and darted in from the side, striking his arrow. The arrow veered off course, grazing the prince's shoulder before falling to the ground.

Qin Huan's heart skipped a beat. He looked in the direction from which the arrow had come and saw Qin Lie sitting on his horse, his longbow still drawn.

Her brows and eyes seemed to be covered by ancient frost and snow, and she was looking at him coldly.

Qin Huanru was stunned and could no longer move.

Just then, the Crown Prince, who had been stunned by the shock, came to his senses and, upon seeing Qin Lie, burst into tears and knelt on the ground, saying, "Your son, your son pays respects to Your Majesty!"

The voice wasn't loud, but it sounded like a spell. The two groups who had just been fighting to the death stopped what they were doing and then knelt down in unison, saying, "Your humble servants/generals pay their respects to Your Majesty! Long live the Emperor!"

.

Lingyi was "invited" back to the palace by Qin Feng.

She was not yet sixteen when she first left this place, to marry Qin Lie; now she is nearing forty.

She watched him rise from a border general to a prince of the new dynasty, and then to the supreme ruler, possessing the entire world.

He once said that he could definitely do what he wanted to do, and such arrogant words were indeed not empty talk.

—In the past twenty years, he has never been defeated and has always been in the posture of a victor.

This time, she couldn't figure out how he could win.

She was trapped beside him, initially only wanting to do what she could, like her fifteenth sister.

The establishment of girls' schools and the subsequent collusion with ministers were all unintentional acts at first.

Looking back now, perhaps the seed had already taken root in her heart when she met Qiu Min.

She simply didn't believe she could win, so she kept her move hidden.

Over the years, more than 30,000 girls have been taught at girls' schools across the country.

The impoverished students left the girls' school, and many married and had children, merely to earn more money. Even those who became teachers, doctors, shopkeepers, or even officials in the court remained largely ignored by Qin Lie and the imperial court. Unnoticed by them, these literate girls were scattered like dandelions throughout the countryside.

And those noble ladies in the girls' schools, most of them married into high-ranking families, became wives and mothers, and many of their husbands held important positions in the court, some even holding high positions of power.

They might not risk their lives for her, but saying a few words or loosening their grip at crucial moments would be enough.

As for those officials who bribed her, she seemed to be very measured, only greedy for money and not abusing power, and never interfering in national affairs, but she actually had a handle on many people, and even bestowed favors on some people with real talent and ability, such as the Master of Huangzhou.

She spent ten years weaving a dense web.

Until Huan'er was injured, Qin Lie, in order to compensate the mother and son, arranged for him to marry the granddaughter of the Grand Secretary.

From then on, high-ranking officials in the court had their interests intertwined with Huan'er's, and the last piece of the puzzle was finally completed.

But all their plans are doomed to fail as long as Qin Lie is alive.

She had been waiting for the right opportunity, and finally, Qin Lie personally led the army into battle.

The only thing to do right now is to ensure that Qin Lie dies in Yunzhou.

Unfortunately, Xie San Niang could not enter the palace, so she could not obtain the poison.

Fortunately, there was a new medicine developed by the Imperial Medical Academy, which relied on the incomplete prescription left by the Fifteenth Princess.

Thanks to Qin Ying, Ling Yi was poisoned and thus learned the method of poisoning silently.

Peach blossoms are non-toxic. They are crushed into juice and applied to the inside of the medicine bottle, layer upon layer. Over time, the pills placed inside also absorb the rich fragrance of peach blossoms, smelling like her tender and unspoken feelings.

Whenever Qin Lie went on a campaign, he would eat and sleep with his soldiers. The chief cook in the army was a student at a girls' school, and someone told his husband through her that the emperor liked to eat dishes cooked with castor oil.

Castor oil and peach blossom juice are both harmless substances.

However, it is incompatible with one of the ingredients in the pills. If people take both for more than two months, there will be no cure.

Then an imperial edict will arrive, deposing the crown prince and establishing a new heir apparent.

The emperor personally led the expedition, leaving the imperial seal in the capital, and the edict bore the emperor's private seal.

That personal seal was carved by her own hand. Three identical seals were carved back then, with even the flaws deliberately left behind. She even secretly replaced them in the Qianqing Palace to show signs of use. In this way, with the Grand Secretary's assistance, the document taken out for comparison would be the one with that seal pressed on it, making it impossible to tell the difference between the real and fake.

The imperial court launched an attack and announced an imperial edict.

Meanwhile, Huan'er's old subordinates have secretly gathered, waiting for the Crown Prince to reveal a weakness so they can seize the opportunity to turn the tide.

Today should be a day of celebration and joy, but the only unexpected thing is that Qin Lie faked his death and returned to the capital.

On the way back to the palace, she asked Qin Feng, and he answered with the same respectful attitude.

Qin Lie did not die in Yunzhou, thanks to that arrow.

Even though what she gave him was just an ordinary medicine bottle, he always kept it on his person. The arrow hit the medicine bottle right in his chest, scattering the pills all over the ground, which stopped him from taking the medicine and saved him from disaster.

She had read history books and knew that founding emperors always received divine assistance when their lives were in danger.

Perhaps Qin Lie was the chosen one, while she, a princess of a fallen kingdom, seemed to be born with less luck.

No matter what you want or what you want to do, whether it's on a whim or carefully planned, in the end it all comes to nothing.

She neither complained, regretted, nor feared it.

Once a move is made, there's no going back; she's willing to accept the consequences. Since she's given it her all, she'll calmly accept all the outcomes.

She and Huan'er will reunite in the underworld. If Qin Lie is still not satisfied, he will only drag Lin'er down with him.

She owes these two children a debt, she'll repay them in the next life...

never mind.

This life as a human being is enough; there should be no next life.

.

Since Qin Lie went on his expedition, she had not set foot in the Qianqing Palace again. When she stepped in again after a long time, she found that the ground was now covered in earth dragons.

Qin Lie is physically warm and not afraid of the cold. Every winter, he only uses the underfloor heating when she is around, even though he always finds it stuffy and hot, he endures it for her sake. Unexpectedly, before winter has even arrived, they've already started using heating inside.

Not only that, there was also a strong fragrance in the hall, which even she found too sweet, and it was amazing that he could resist it.

After leading her inside, Li Shaobao stepped back out and closed the door for the two of them.

She gathered her thoughts and stood there, gazing at Qin Lie sitting behind the imperial desk.

He had lost a lot of weight, and wearing an overcoat, he didn't erupt in anger as expected, but instead looked at her calmly.

She remained rooted to the spot, so he had to urge her on, "It's been so long since we last met, why are you standing so far away? Come over here and let me take another good look at you—I'm afraid we'll never see each other again."

Lingyi pursed her lips, walked over and stopped opposite the imperial desk. Qin Lie's gaze fell on her face, and after a long while he said, "As the saying goes, a dying man's words are good. I have many doubts in my heart, and I wonder if the princess could answer some of them truthfully?"

Over the years, she had acted out all those moments of companionship, joy, helplessness, and even pity so convincingly that even he, with his keen perception, hadn't noticed. He had assumed she had finally warmed his heart, or at least learned to accept her fate and seek a peaceful life with the children by his side. Now, all he wanted was to hear the truth.

Lingyi nodded calmly and said, "That's natural."

Qin Lie spoke up: "When did the princess decide to kill me? Was it in Jizhou, when we met again, or when you learned that your brother died at my hands?"

Lingyi said, "At first, I felt there was no chance of winning and didn't dare to think about it. It wasn't until I learned during the hunt that the Empress Dowager wanted to ruin Huan'er and that you were watching coldly that I made up my mind."

He chuckled, "So early." He paused, then asked, "So the princess killed me not because she hated me, nor for revenge, but for Huan'er."

“It’s not for him, it’s for myself,” Lingyi said. “I don’t want my fate to be controlled by others anymore, and I don’t want my children to be schemed against, guarded against, and live a life of constant caution and walking on thin ice. Only when Huan’er sits on the dragon throne can all of this be achieved.”

Qin Lie seemed extremely tired, leaning back in his chair. "Since you think that way, why haven't you ever mentioned it once in all these years by my side?"

"The matter was accomplished in secrecy. If I were not absolutely certain, how could I dare to alert the enemy?" She said, "The Emperor has deep affection for the late Empress, and the Crown Prince's position is as secure as Mount Tai. How could I dare to overestimate my abilities?"

Upon hearing this, Qin Lie remained silent for a moment, then smiled and said, "You're right. If I had discovered your ambitions earlier, I would have imprisoned Prince Rui and given you absolutely no chance to take advantage of me."

Even at this moment, Lingyi still wanted to plead for Huan'er's life. She lowered her eyes and said, "I know I cannot escape death, but Huan'er is, after all, the Emperor's son. He was only used by me. Could the Emperor show leniency and spare his life?"

Qin Lie sneered: "Now that things have come to this, why does the princess still need to lie? Back then, he deliberately got injured to save the crown prince and pretended to be disabled for years, making you shed so many tears. The princess loves him so much, how could she bear to let him put himself in danger? Moreover, when it comes to adaptability, decisiveness, and deep scheming, the princess is not even a fraction of him, so how could you talk about using him?"

Lingyi then asked, "Could Your Majesty spare Lin'er out of consideration for our past relationship?"

Qin Lie could no longer hide his sarcasm, "When the princess went to such lengths to take my life, did she ever think of our past relationship?"

Lingyi stopped asking for more and said to herself with a self-deprecating smile, "I was just being delusional."

Without realizing it, she had become accustomed to making demands of him, completely forgetting the sins she had committed.

In the past, no matter what mistakes she made, he would always soften his heart towards her. But this time, she wanted his life, and it was already an extraordinary mercy that he did not torture her to death.

She wasn't afraid of death, but...

"I have been afraid of the dark, the cold, and loneliness since I was a child. After I die, could Your Majesty allow my sixteenth sister to collect my body? Burn me, Huan'er, and Lin'er to ashes and scatter them anywhere. It would be better than being alone in the cold, damp ground."

Qin Lie seemed to be touched and looked at her, saying, "Don't worry, I will not separate you."

Having received his promise, she bowed and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty."

It was already dark outside, and no one came in to light a lamp. They gradually faded into the shadows in each other's eyes.

Many nights, they had whispered sweet nothings and cuddled here.

Now only endless silence remains; she neither cries nor begs for mercy, nor does he grieve.

After so many years of entanglement, we've finally reached a dead end, and there's no need to dwell on many things anymore.

But before she took her leave, he spoke up: "Does the princess have anything else to say to me?"

She looked up at him. Although only his silhouette remained in the darkness, it was so familiar that she could clearly picture his deep features in her mind without needing to recall. Lingyi shook her head, then paused, thinking that he might not be able to see her, and said, "Actually, I often feel disoriented. I always feel that I died many years ago, and all these years have just been a dream."

Qin Lie chuckled: "What? Does the princess dream of me? So, have all these years been a beautiful dream or a nightmare?"

In the dim light, Lingyi remained silent for a long time before slowly saying, "Whether it's a beautiful dream or a nightmare, there will always be a day when you wake up."

Qin Lie sighed, giving her one last deep look. "Yes, it's time for my dream to end."