Chapter 204 The Grand Finale

Upon hearing this, Zhao Ke'er suddenly let out a strange laugh. She pointed at Xiao Yongjing, laughing so hard she could hardly breathe, but her voice was full of sorrow:

"A child? Registered in my name? Hahaha... Do you think I don't want my own child?"

She tore open the collar of her shirt, revealing a hideous scar below her collarbone:

"Did you see that? When His Majesty was still a prince, he was assassinated. I took the knife for him. The knife was poisoned. Although I was saved, it made me... unable to conceive for the rest of my life."

"I will never have my own child in this lifetime! Since I can't have one, why can't I have a puppet that belongs entirely to me?"

She pointed to Zhang Heze, who had remained silent to the side:

"He is the best puppet I have chosen! How many years have I searched for him? How many years have I nurtured him? How much effort have I poured into him?"

"For so many years, I've played the role of a loving mother, showering you with care and attention, meticulously guiding you. I'm going to make everything go according to my plan, since he doesn't love me..."

"Then I will make this throne mine, and this world should also be mine!"

Looking at the crazed Zhao Ke'er, Shen Yiqiu felt a chill run down her spine:

"You're insane... Zhao Ke'er, you've been hiding for so many years for your own ambition and selfish desires, harming so many innocent people. You're utterly heartless."

Zhao Ke'er's smile faded, and her expression gradually darkened.

"Innocent? In this palace, whose hands are clean? Shen Zhaohua killed countless people on the battlefield, didn't Consort Jia use any tricks? Didn't Xiao Yongjing eliminate any dissidents?"

"As for those dirty deeds... hehe, Consort Zhao is my weapon. She's the one who did all the bad things. You can all become vengeful ghosts and go after her to claim your lives!"

She reached out, and her nail polish scratched Zhang Heze's face:

"Besides, what's wrong with me living for myself and fighting for myself? It's just a matter of the winner taking all the credit. Now you are the losers and I am the winner, so why bother with these useless words?"

"Men! Kill them!"

Unexpectedly, at that moment, the black-armored guard who had been drawing his sword suddenly turned towards Zhao Ke'er and Zhang Heze.

Zhao Ke'er spoke incredulously:

Are you all crazy?

Just then, a voice came from behind the black-armored guards:

"Ke'er...do you really think that all these years, I have never...doubted you?"

Zhao Ke'er's body stiffened instantly, and she looked incredulously toward the source of the sound.

The crowd parted silently, and the old emperor, dressed in ordinary clothes and surrounded by several guards, slowly walked out.

Behind him stood Zhao Jieyu, trembling, and Yang Baicao, the former president of the Imperial Hospital.

"Zhao Ke'er! I think you're the one who's gone mad!"

The emperor was not only unharmed, but had also made prior arrangements.

"No...it's impossible...you clearly..."

Zhao Ke'er's lips trembled, and she staggered back two steps, almost losing her balance.

The emperor nodded slightly at Xiao Yongjing.

The next moment, the iron shackles on Xiao Yongjing's ankles came off by themselves, revealing an ingenious mechanism at the buckle.

Xiao Yongjing's hunched figure straightened, and his eyes were bright; he showed no signs of having lost any of his inner strength.

Shen Yiqiu turned her head in shock:

"You...your shackles...your internal energy...you already...?"

She realized that this was all a setup.

The emperor and the crown prince conspired to lure the snake out of its hole.

Zhao Ke'er was incredulous and instinctively wanted to back away:

"No...impossible! Your poison...the guards of the prison...you...you all conspired to deceive me?"

The emperor slowly spoke:

"Zhao Ke'er, I knew all along. I knew your ambition, and I knew everything you did to Consort Jia and the Shen family."

"The reason I have kept you alive and not harmed you is not because I cannot, nor is it entirely out of concern for the Left Prime Minister's residence. Rather, it is because... before Zhao Hua passed away, she held my hand and asked me for only one thing: to ensure the safety of your life, Zhao Ke'er, no matter what."

"She said that Ke'er is impulsive, but she is still someone who accompanied me in my youth. She hopes that Your Majesty will spare her life for my sake."

"No...impossible! How could she...how could she say that?"

She didn't even notice at that time!

Zhao Ke'er retreated repeatedly.

The emperor sneered:

"Do you think someone as astute as Zhaohua on the battlefield wouldn't notice your abnormality? Wouldn't see the jealousy beneath your fake smile? She just didn't want to believe it, didn't want to believe that the person she regarded as a sister had already become unrecognizable. Even on her deathbed, she sent a letter, pleading for your life."

"You hate the wrong person. You should hate me. It is I who always have Zhaohua in my heart, and it is I who cannot give you what you want, but you have poured all your evil schemes and resentment on those innocent people."

"ah!!!"

Zhao Ke'er screamed, clutched her head and covered her ears, and collapsed to the ground.

"Seize Imperial Noble Consort Zhao and imprison her in the Cold Palace. Place her under strict guard and await further judgment. All palace servants involved in the treason are to be detained and handed over to the Three Judicial Offices for rigorous interrogation! Zhang Heze..."

He glanced at Zhang Heze, who was standing frozen to the side, his eyes filled with complex emotions. "Keep him under surveillance and deal with him later."

...

With the dust settled, only Shen Yiqiu and Xiao Yongjing remained in the prison cell.

Xiao Yongjing took out a white pill from his pocket:

"This is the antidote for Red Bean Ash, which I obtained from Zhang Heze."

Shen Yiqiu hesitated for a moment before speaking:

"You knew all along, and this was all part of your plan?"

Xiao Yongjing smiled, nodded, and then knelt down on one knee, took off his jade pendant and gently placed it in her palm, then clasped his hands together.

"Shen Yiqiu, I am now entrusting it to you. It is not bestowed upon your subject in the name of the Crown Prince, but in the name of Xiao Yongjing. I humbly request that you accept it."

"I offer this jade as a betrothal gift, and pledge my remaining life to you. I betroth you to me, and promise to spend this life with you. I will not only share the glory of the crown prince's position, but also wish to watch every Mid-Autumn Festival with you, smell the fragrance of osmanthus blossoms in every season, and face all the storms of the future hand in hand."

He took a deep breath and looked directly into her eyes:

"Are you... willing?"

Shen Yiqiu grasped his hand in return, along with the jade pendant.

A burst of laughter came from outside the door.

Shen Yiqiu then discovered that Bai Mei, Qing Zhu, Mo Yu, and Hong Lan, who had arrived at some unknown time, were all outside the dungeon door.

Her cheeks flushed instantly.

Xiao Yongjing chuckled softly, reached out, and pulled her into his arms.

Warm body heat seeped through his clothes, and Shen Yiqiu murmured against his chest:

"I do."

The End.