66. The Ending (Part 2)

◎"I promise you, I will live."◎

Emperor Chongde sat stiffly behind his desk, listening numbly as Song Zhen reported to Xie Yutang.

"All eight thousand Imperial Guards have been executed."

"The five major palace gates, including Xuande Gate, Chengtian Gate, and Taihe Gate, have all been taken control by our army."

"There are eighty-two ministers in total, all of whom are waiting respectfully in the outer hall."

When Xie Yutang received the secret edict that Emperor Chongde was seriously ill, he ordered Xueying to deliver a letter to Song Zhen, saying that something had happened in the capital and that he was to lead 20,000 troops stationed in the suburbs of the capital to purge the emperor's inner circle.

Before Xie Yutang left the capital, he took with him the former Imperial Censor Chen Bingliang, and the vacancy he left was filled by Song Zhen.

The Imperial Censor is responsible for protecting the Imperial City and can mobilize the garrison troops in the suburbs of the capital in times of emergency. Song Zhen also learned from the secret letter that many of Xie Yutang's men had infiltrated the garrison troops. When the city was attacked just now, he saw that most of these people were quite skilled. They had a red crescent mark on their left wrist, which was probably her mark to distinguish her own people.

With such a dramatic upheaval in the palace, all three princes perished, and Emperor Chongde was placed under control. Song Zhen dared not delve into how much Xie Yutang had instigated this, including his own position as the Imperial Inspector.

Now that the situation was settled and the garrison had firmly controlled the capital and the palace, he entered the hall to report to Xie Yutang. The moment he lifted his robe and knelt down, he was almost certain that the woman in front of him would become the first female emperor in the history of the Great Yan Kingdom.

Song Zhen knelt on the ground, secretly observing the situation in the inner hall out of the corner of his eye. He felt a chill run down his spine after just one glance.

They stormed in from the outside; there were no of their own inside the hall. In other words, Su Lu single-handedly wiped out the entire rebel army inside the hall, and judging from his condition, he seemed to be handling the situation with ease...

Su Lu noticed his gaze and glanced over. Song Zhen was startled and immediately looked away, obediently lowering his head and not daring to look any longer. After finishing his report in one breath, he very tactfully withdrew.

Emperor Chongde, seated behind his desk: "..."

This person clearly came under the guise of "purging the emperor's inner circle," but even when he was right in front of them, he completely ignored the emperor and only followed Xie Yutang's lead.

Emperor Chongde knew the situation was hopeless, yet he still maintained his composure: "Whatever you want, I can give you. I will pardon your crime of treason today and grant you the same title and power as your father. What else do you want—"

Xie Yutang said, "Lin Chongjin, I will take what I want myself."

When Xie Yutang addressed him by his full name, Emperor Chongde showed no anger. He closed his eyes briefly and sighed, "I know you resent me, but I brought you back and have treated you as my own daughter all these years. Do you really not feel any fatherly affection for your father?"

He no longer referred to himself as "朕" (Zhen, meaning "I" or "I"), but instead called himself "父皇" (Father Emperor), which seemed to bring her back to the time when Emperor Chongde brought her delicious pastries, taught her to play chess, and took her horseback riding when she was a child.

The more genuine the feelings were, the more painful and unbearable it is to recall them.

"If it weren't for your brilliant schemes, I could have lived with my father and mother, far happier than I am here in the palace. Why would I have recognized you, a traitor, as my father?" Xie Yutang paused, looking at him. "Lin Chongjin, ask yourself honestly, what was your real reason for taking me in?"

Although the Xie family had fallen, their influence in the army remained. Xie Yutang was fortunate enough to survive, so Emperor Chongde simply brought her back to the palace in a grand manner and adopted her as his daughter. This not only preserved his reputation as a benevolent ruler, but also brought the Xie family's power in the army under his control. When Lin Tan married Xie Yutang in the future, this part of the military power would be completely in the hands of the royal family.

Emperor Chongde had not expected Xie Yutang to see things so clearly. He closed his eyes, frowned, took a deep breath, and when he opened his eyes, his cloudy eyes held a complex mix of emotions: "I will write an edict of self-reproach."

Xie Yutang tightened his grip, stared at him for a long while, and said in a deep voice, "Do you think I'll let you go like this?"

"I don't want anything in particular, I just want to make this place a little more comfortable." Emperor Chongde raised his finger to his heart. "Back then, Qinghe... I was the one who wronged him." His hand rested on the armrest, and he sighed deeply. "Sitting in this position, there are too many things I can't control. I just want to be able to do one thing according to my own will in the end."

...

The blood-stained brush was moistened with ink again on the inkstone. Emperor Chongde coughed a few times, pressed down on the spread-out bright yellow silk cloth with one hand, and held the brush tip suspended for a long time before finally putting it down. After that, he did not stop until the edict was written.

He didn't put down his brush; he gently rubbed the handle in his hand and said to Xie Yutang, "Come up and take a look."

Su Lu, who had been standing silently behind her, stepped forward and exchanged a glance with her. Xie Yutang shook her head. Su Lu remained silent for a moment, then took a half step back.

Xie Yutang walked to the imperial desk. Emperor Chongde lifted the edict and pretended to hand it to her. Xie Yutang raised her hand to take it, but Emperor Chongde flipped the edict over and a small knife about three inches long popped out from the handle of the brush in his right hand. The tip of the knife, which gleamed with a dark blue light, went straight for Xie Yutang's chest.

Xie Yutang was alert when Emperor Chongde made his move, but the distance was too close and his view was blocked by the overturned imperial edict. Even if he managed to avoid a fatal blow, injury was inevitable.

Xie Yutang channeled her inner strength into her palm, about to make a move, when suddenly someone grabbed her shoulder from behind and spun her around. The cold, snowy aura instantly enveloped her, followed by the muffled sound of a sharp blade piercing flesh.

Everything happens in an instant.

Xie Yutang tried to push him away, but was pulled into his arms even tighter. Su Lu protected her and took several steps back, striking out with his palm from a distance. Emperor Chongde groaned, clutching his wrist as he fell back onto his throne. The blood-stained tip of the knife fell, and the brush handle rolled on the ground, touching the edict of self-reproach on the ground.

Emperor Chongde slowly broke into a triumphant smile, but before the smile could fully unfold, it abruptly stopped.

He slowly lowered his head and saw that the long sword had plunged into his chest, blood gushing out, and the excruciating pain took a beat longer to spread.

Xie Yutang gripped the hilt of his sword and looked at him coldly.

A mouthful of blood gushed from Emperor Chongde's mouth, but he seemed oblivious, slowly raising his head to stare at Xie Yutang, his smile continuing to widen.

He looked at Su Lu, then back at Xie Yutang. The guilt he had shown earlier was gone, and his hoarse voice was filled with undisguised malice and a vengeful pleasure.

"I originally intended to kill you, but... it doesn't matter if it's him."

He lunged closer, letting the blade pierce his heart even deeper: "The blade is poisoned; there is no antidote."

Emperor Chongde stared intently at Xie Yutang, admiring every expression on her face, and said with certainty, word by word, "He is doomed."

Xie Yutang remained expressionless, but suddenly pulled out his long sword, and blood gushed out. Without glancing at the slowly collapsing and lifeless Emperor Chongde, Xie Yutang grabbed Su Lu and, without saying a word, lifted the clothes at his waist.

Blood stained his dark clothes. Xie Yutang's hands trembled uncontrollably as he tore at the bandages. He shouted sharply, "Why did you shield me! Don't you want to die?!"

Su Lu raised his hand and placed it on hers. The coolness of his fingertips made Xie Yutang tremble. When she looked up, she saw his lips, which were so pale they were almost bloodless. Then, a weight fell on her shoulder, and the young man's tall body fell into her arms. Xie Yutang subconsciously reached out to grab him, and her fingertips were sticky.

The warm blood had an eerie, dark blue tinge.

"Someone! Someone, quick! Summon the Imperial Physician! Call Imperial Physician Liu here! No, I'm going there myself!" Xie Yutang pulled Su Lu towards the palace gate, her voice trembling as she forcibly suppressed, "I'll take you to Imperial Physician Liu right now—"

"Owner."

Su Lu said softly, his cold fingers still pressing on her wrist. There was no force, but he made her unable to move. He propped himself up from her embrace, but he was stunned when he saw her red eyes. Then he raised his hand and gently wiped her cheek.

Are these tears shed for me?

He put the tears from his fingertips onto his tongue; they were salty, yet he felt a sweetness spreading uncontrollably.

He smiled slightly and gently wiped away her tears.

"I'm fine, really. The situation is still uncertain, so you must not lose your composure. The court officials in the main hall are waiting for you to rectify the court, appease the people, and consolidate your power—you've worked so hard for so long, and you're only one step away from achieving it. Don't let things fall apart at the last minute."

"Don't forget, the 30,000 soldiers at Daomaguan are waiting for you, and General Xie and the Xie family are also waiting for you."

Su Lu gently wiped away her tears and gestured for her to look at her wrist. Beneath the red jade bracelet was a vermilion crescent moon, which looked like a red plum blossom blooming in the snow on her porcelain white wrist.

"With it here, I'll be fine."

After planting the Spirit Control Guide, one becomes immune to all poisons.

Xie Yutang's heart skipped a beat, and she looked intently at Su Lu.

"Sweetie, go take care of your business first."

He said "good girl" again. That day in the Golden Tent Palace, he comforted her with the same words, gently yet firmly pulling her back from the path she was about to stray from and pushing her back onto the right track.

He squeezed her fingers gently but solemnly and said, "I promise you, I will live."

*

Xie Yutang opened the inner palace door and threw down the still-dripping sword in her hand: "The Third Prince plotted rebellion, colluding with the rebel Guo Shouzhen to commit treason, harming Crown Prince Lin Qi and Second Prince Lin Nan, and forcing the Emperor to write an edict of succession. It's just a pity that I arrived a step too late. I never expected that Lin Tan would dare to kill his father and the Emperor."

The words "killing one's father and emperor" struck like a thunderbolt, causing all the officials to tremble and kneel in fear.

With a sorrowful expression and slightly reddened eyes, Xie Yutang slowly swept her gaze over the kneeling officials and said in a deep voice, "The traitor Lin Tan has been executed on the spot by me."

Before dawn, the officials in the palace were summoned to the palace one after another and imprisoned in the outer hall. The palace gate was guarded by the imperial guards and kept tightly closed. Later, the sounds of swords slashing and fighting were heard. These officials were used to being dressed in fine clothes and eating delicacies. The most intense scenes they had ever witnessed were just verbal battles during the morning court. They had never seen such real fighting before. They were all so frightened that they knelt on the ground and dared not even breathe.

When the palace gates opened again, it wasn't the Imperial Guards who entered, but Song Zhen, the Imperial Censor in silver armor. The officials exchanged glances, each with their own thoughts.

Even though they were prepared, they were still terrified when Xie Yutang came out of the inner hall and personally announced the news. They broke out in a cold sweat, and some of the more timid ones even fainted.

Emperor Chongde had few children; all three of his sons, including the crown prince, died in a single night.

It doesn't matter how much of Xie Yutang's words the people believed; what matters is that from now on, the world may no longer belong to the Lin family.

In the silence of the hall, a strong and resonant voice suddenly rang out:

"The palace is in turmoil, and the court is in danger. Fortunately, Princess Ning'an has devised a plan to quell the rebellion and bring peace to the country. However, the court is still unstable. To avoid further turmoil, I humbly request that the princess take charge of the overall situation."

After speaking, Song Zhen took the lead in kneeling down, performing the kowtow of a subject to a ruler.

"We dare to ask the princess to take charge of the overall situation."

Then several more officials knelt down; they were all people Xie Yutang had long ago placed in the court.

The other court officials were greatly surprised and exchanged glances.

The hen crowing at dawn and the female ruler ruling the court are unprecedented changes, enough to shake the heavens and earth and overturn the established order.

Several civil officials immediately showed disapproval and were about to speak, but when their eyes fell on the gleaming, sword-wielding guards around them, their Adam's apples bobbed a few times, and they ultimately swallowed the rebukes that were on the tip of their tongues.

Even though the court officials were temporarily appeased by force, when Xie Yutang actually sat on the throne and began to handle state affairs, a considerable number of them still became restless.

The so-called "royal bloodline" no longer existed. After much deliberation, the court officials set their sights on the Prince of Pingnan, Lin Chongjin's younger brother, who had been sent to guard the imperial tombs at a young age due to congenital deficiencies. The Prince of Pingnan had been guarding the tombs for many years, which had worn him out. He had passed away a few years ago, but he left behind a boy who also had congenital deficiencies. He should be seven or eight years old now. The court officials wanted to welcome this boy back and make him the new ruler.

One memorial after another was submitted, but Xie Yutang did not respond. However, not long after, the homes of the officials who had caused the most trouble were suddenly robbed. Calling them thieves would be more accurate than calling them bandits. The bandits were all of foreign appearance. They would sit down in the house with a swagger and carry out cartloads of gold, silver, treasures, rice, flour, and oil. They did not harm anyone's life. Once they had done their work, they would leave, leaving only a bare mansion.

It is said that a minister was so cold at night that he didn't even have a blanket, so he had to swallow his pride and knock on his colleague's door in the middle of the night.

Rumors spread like wildfire in the court, saying that the Northern Rong had long harbored resentment because Xie Yutang had taken back all three cities. They were also short of money and food due to the war, so they set their sights on the officials of Dayan. The officials were looted, and although the authorities were notified, they could not catch the culprits. Song Zhen, who was in charge of patrolling the city, led his men to patrol the streets every day, but he could not find anything suspicious.

Gradually, the ministers became more obedient, and the voices of opposition weakened. Xie Yutang handled the affairs of state perfectly, leaving no room for criticism. As a result, memorials gradually began to be submitted requesting Xie Yutang to become emperor.

To everyone's surprise, Ge Qing, the remonstrating official who had once angrily denounced Xie Yutang for keeping male lovers at the state banquet, also submitted a memorial supporting Xie Yutang.

This old man was a notorious stubborn old man in the court, single-minded and inflexible. He once cursed for an entire morning court session because he was dissatisfied with one of Emperor Chongde's decrees. After the court session, he chased after the old man to the Hall of Mental Cultivation despite the heavy snow and continued to curse. Emperor Chongde, unable to bear the disturbance, simply made him stand in the snow for two hours. Then, under the pretext of recuperation, he insisted that the old man, who had caught a cold, stay at home for more than half a year.

Unexpectedly, such a troublemaker stood up to support Xie Yutang's ascension to the throne as a woman.

With Ge Qing taking the lead, more and more memorials were submitted to the court requesting Xie Yutang to become emperor, and the calls grew louder and louder. However, for some reason, Xie Yutang delayed responding.

"Song Zhen said that we can't delay any longer."

Xie Yutang sat on the edge of the bed, looking at the young man with his eyes closed, and gently stroked his eyebrows and eyes with his fingers. "But I want to wait for you, I want you to personally put on the imperial robes for me, and to receive the worship of all the officials with me."

"You said you wouldn't make me wait too long, but you've been sleeping for half a month. How much longer do you want me to wait?"

That day, Su Lu fainted after comforting her. Imperial Physician Liu came to see him and said that he had been poisoned with a sure-fire poison, but because he already had the "Spirit Control Guide" poison in his body, the two poisons attacked each other, and he miraculously survived.

Although the person still has a breath left, it is still unknown when they will wake up.

Both poisons were extremely potent and had no antidote. Imperial Physician Liu searched through medical classics but was helpless, saying that all they could do was wait for the person to wake up on their own.

Every day after court, Xie Yutang's first task was to come to Suixue Garden to see him. His fingertips brushed over the red jade bracelet on the young man's wrist. The crescent mark under the bracelet had faded a bit, no longer a rich cinnabar, but a slightly darker red. Xie Yutang's fingertips paused on that red mark before pressing on his pulse.

She could clearly feel two equally matched auras clashing within Su Lu's body, locked in a stalemate, each trying to overpower the other, yet neither gaining the upper hand. She tried to transfer her inner energy to him, but it immediately intensified the two auras. Seeing the young man's face turn pale instantly, Xie Yutang didn't dare to try again.

...

The crescent moon color faded a bit, turning into a light pink. Xie Yutang held Su Lu's hand until her originally cool fingertips were warmed by her touch before slowly letting go, and then took the thumb ring hanging from the red string from her neck.

"Tomorrow is my coronation ceremony. If you don't wake up now, you will miss it."

Xie Yutang kissed his finger, then took his hand and put the red jade ring on her finger.

The pure, flawless red clasp, worn between slender white fingers, boldly proclaims the aura unique to those in positions of power.

Xie Yutang stroked the thumb ring, feeling the warm texture of the jade, but her heart became moist. She couldn't help but think of that rainy night, his lips holding the thumb ring, his eyelashes covered in moisture from being teased by her, and the suppressed breath that escaped from his throat.

The coronation ceremony went smoothly, and Xie Yutang became emperor, changing the country's name to "Zhaohuang".

Not long after Xie Yutang ascended the throne, he had thoroughly grasped the power dynamics of various factions in the court. The 100,000 troops left on the border had also been reorganized and divided into several units, each assigned to a new post. In addition, with the intelligence network and secret guard organization that the Xie family had cultivated for many years, the Empress, despite being newly enthroned, had a stronger control over the court than most previous emperors, and was showing signs of being on par with the founding emperor.

Everyone expected that the new emperor would make sweeping reforms, but no one anticipated that Xie Yutang's starting point would be the Battle of Daomaguan thirteen years ago.

The annihilation of Xie Qinghe and his entire Xie clan of 107, along with the 30,000-strong Divine Wind Cavalry, was due to a different reason—the resale of military supplies, the leaking of military intelligence, and collusion with foreign tribes. The mastermind behind all of this was none other than the late Emperor Lin Chongjin.

Xie Yutang even presented Lin Chongjin's handwritten "edict of self-reproach" in court. The edict was sincere and he confessed to every single thing he had done back then.

The imperial edict caused an uproar throughout the court, and the officials were shocked.

Xie Yutang ordered Song Zhen, Ge Qing, and others to thoroughly investigate all those involved back then. Pulling out the radish brought out the mud, and along with it, many corrupt aristocratic families were uncovered. Under the corrupt atmosphere of Emperor Chongde's reign, where corruption, factionalism, and deception were rampant, officials who had been spoiled were all investigated and punished. For a time, the court was in a state of panic, and everyone was in danger.

*

Hall of Mental Cultivation.

Spring had arrived before they knew it. After being separated for several months, Huai Jin and Xie Yutang finally reunited and moved into the palace.

Zheng Qiushi, the former head of the guards in the mansion, was promoted, but he requested to go to the military camp and was sent by Xie Yutang to train under Yue Hongcai.

Xie Qi took the legitimate path and was officially appointed as the leader of the Imperial Guards, responsible for Xie Yutang's safety in the palace.

Everything seemed to be progressing smoothly, except...

Xie Yutang subconsciously rubbed the ring on her finger. After ordering a thorough investigation into the "Daoma Pass" incident, the memorials submitted every day were like snowflakes. After court, she only glanced at Su Lu before being urged to attend a meeting with the ministers waiting in the hall. By the time she finished, it was noon. Xie Yutang closed her eyes and pressed her temples, preparing to call someone to the Suixue Garden. A cup of jasmine-scented tea was gently placed beside her. Xie Yutang did not open her eyes: "Tell Huaijin to send the crabapple blossoms I picked this morning to the Suixue Garden, and also send lunch there. I will eat there."

There was no movement behind him.

The sun is shining brightly outside the window, and birds are chirping on the branches.

Xie Yutang paused, as if sensing something, and wanted to turn around to look, but stopped himself, sitting motionless at the desk, his shoulders and neck tense.

The chill of the snow felt real, mingling with the fragrance of jasmine tea, gently enveloping her.

A hand adorned with a red jade bracelet covered the red jade ring on her finger, and a smile lingered as it kissed her ear intimately: "A-Mian, did you pick the crabapple for me?"