Chapter 115 The Truth: Yi'er, I'm Back

"Is that so? But I have no regrets." Feng Qing said calmly.

“In this deep palace, there is only deceit and treachery, a life-or-death struggle. I was able to become a Feng Qing entirely through my own efforts, not through Your Majesty’s favor.”

"Compared to that, what difference is there between the throne and the throne? If Jing'er wants it, I, as her father, will naturally help her."

"Now it's just a single misstep, and the whole game is lost. With Your Majesty by my side, and Jing'er by my side, I would die without regret..."

Footsteps came from outside the hall, interrupting Feng Qing's words.

"Your Majesty, I am late in coming to your rescue. I beg your forgiveness."

Yuan Yan stepped into the palace, not even glancing at Feng Qing, and bowed to Yuan Hao.

"Yan'er, help your mother up," Yuan Hao said.

With Yuan Yan's help, Yuan Hao managed to sit up.

She gazed at Feng Qing as if she were seeing this Zheng Qing, who had been by her side for many years, for the first time.

"I will ask you one last time, where is the antidote?"

“Your Majesty, I have already told you. This poison was carefully prepared for Your Majesty, and there is no antidote.”

Even at a time like this, Feng Qing can still smile.

"Hasn't His Majesty also noticed something amiss? Your current symptoms are almost identical to those of the Imperial Noble Minister back then."

Upon hearing this, Yuan Yan, who had been keeping his expression hidden as if he hadn't heard, couldn't help but raise his head, his gaze piercing Feng Qing like a sword.

"System, how exactly did the Imperial Noble Lady die?" she asked the system.

The system was bewildered, and cautiously checked: "[I don't know. According to my records, Lin Feng did indeed die of illness.]"

"..."

Yuan Hao stared at Feng Qing without speaking, but his breathing became heavier.

"You killed Feng'er."

"It's me," Feng Qing admitted frankly.

Yuan Hao's voice seemed to freeze: "Feng'er is gentle and kind, and has never intended to compete with you. Why did you do this to him!"

"Why? I've tolerated him for so many years, and Your Majesty still asks me why." Feng Qing's tone became agitated, as if a sore spot had been touched.

“I am the true Feng Qing, but His Majesty has only ever had eyes for that vile woman, completely ignoring me. I have endured this cold treatment for many years.” A dark flame seemed to flicker in Feng Qing’s eyes.

"I only regret that I acted too late, and I was also worried about being discovered, so I didn't poison Yuan Yan as well."

"If I had obtained the poison earlier, I could have eliminated Lin Feng while I was still in the Prince's mansion. I'm afraid none of this would have happened today, and my Jing'er wouldn't have ended up like this." He couldn't help but sneer.

When Feng Qing obtained the poison, it was during the period when the Lin family was most valued.

At first, he was skeptical about the effectiveness of the poison, so he secretly ordered someone to put the poison in Lin Feng's food and drink, just to give it a try.

As time went on, Lin Feng's health deteriorated, and no matter how the imperial physicians examined him, they could not find the cause of his illness, concluding that Lin Feng had contracted a strange disease. Yuan Hao was at his wits' end; even posting notices to seek a doctor could not cure the disease, and he could only watch helplessly as Lin Feng passed away.

Upon seeing this, Feng Qing felt a surge of satisfaction, but also regretted not having used the poison directly on Yuan Yan. Now that Lin Feng had just died, if Yuan Yan were to develop the same symptoms shortly afterward, it would surely be discovered that he had been poisoned. If His Majesty were to investigate thoroughly, he and the Sun family would be unable to escape punishment.

Regrettably, Feng Qing had no choice but to give up for the time being, carefully storing the poison for future use.

【No, this logic is so strange... Feng Qing thinks the emperor treats him badly, so why doesn't he poison the emperor? What's the point of poisoning a high-ranking official?】 The system couldn't understand this bizarre idea and was full of question marks.

"Because he wasn't smart enough, he felt that his lack of favor was all the fault of the Imperial Noble Minister."

Upon hearing this, Yuan Yan calmed down. "A normal person with this kind of poison would definitely prioritize eliminating the enemy who poses the greatest threat to them. Between the original owner and the Imperial Noble Minister, it would definitely be more worthwhile to poison the original owner, the imperial heir, but he chose the Imperial Noble Minister. Clearly, he has been blinded by years of resentment."

"Sun, Ru Hui...you poisonous husband!"

Upon hearing this, Yuan Hao was already furious, breathing heavily. He grabbed the nearest object with one hand and hurled it at Feng Qing, while his other hand gripped Yuan Yan's arm tightly for support, his chest heaving violently.

Feng Qing didn't dodge, letting the object hit him. Looking at Yuan Hao's current expression, he felt a strange, inexplicable sense of pleasure.

Yuan Hao's gaze toward Feng Qing was filled with barely suppressed disgust. "How could someone as ruthless as you be fit to sit on the throne? All these years, I have truly misjudged you."

Feng Qing: "At this point, I don't care what His Majesty says anymore."

Doesn't care? He's lost his daughter and is now seeking death, so of course he can be indifferent. But he hasn't avenged his father yet.

Yuan Yan thought to himself.

As if Feng Qing's words had involuntarily stirred up her pain, she looked at Yuan Hao with tears welling up in her eyes.

“My father always loved beauty, but before he passed away, he became so thin and frail that he dared not even look in a mirror. He was also afraid that his emaciated appearance during his illness would sadden my mother, so he refused to let me invite her over no matter what…”

Upon hearing Yuan Yan's words, Yuan Hao's breathing faltered slightly, and a hint of pain flashed across his eyes. He then had someone bring him the Heartbreak Powder.

The Heartbreak Powder is a secret poison of the Phoenix Kingdom, extremely potent. The pain suffered by those poisoned during the death process is terrifying, enough to make anyone shudder.

"Yan'er, your mother will avenge your father and send this poisonous man to apologize to Feng'er," Yuan Hao said.

Feng Qing looked at the bowl of poison, a hint of understanding in his eyes, and gave a self-deprecating smile. Just because he caused Lin Feng's death by poisoning, did Yuan Hao want him to experience the same agony of dying?

At Yuan Hao's behest, the attendant quickly brought poison, forcibly restrained Feng Qing, and forced him to swallow it.

"Ah...kill me...ahhh...!"

After swallowing a bowl of poison, Feng Qing's face contorted, her limbs convulsed, and foul blood gushed from her mouth and nose.

Before he died, his whole body convulsed uncontrollably, and his internal organs were torn apart by pain. In the end, he could not help but scream out in agony, begging Yuan Hao to finish him off as soon as possible.

However, neither Yuan Yan nor Yuan Hao paid him any attention, and simply watched in silence as Feng Qing struggled in pain and breathed her last.

"Cough cough cough..." Yuan Hao insisted on watching the whole scene, coughing violently, as if he had aged many years in an instant.

"King Qi has been executed for treason. Feng Qing deeply regrets her failure to properly educate her daughter, and feels deeply guilty, having no face to see the world. To atone for her sins and preserve the dignity of the royal family, she takes her own life." Yuan Hao closed his eyes.

In just a few words, Feng Qing's final fate was sealed.

Spots of blood splattered on the dragon robe. Yuan Yan's eyes paused slightly. He instructed the palace servants to help his mother back to her bed, his tone naturally tinged with anxiety.

"Your Majesty, I will have the imperial physician come immediately."

Yuan Hao stopped Yuan Yan's movements, looking dejected.

"Yan'er, it is I who have harmed your father... If he knew that Sun Ruhui was responsible for his death, would he resent me?"

The way he said that made it sound like Yuan Hao really loved Lin Feng so much.

He loved Lin Feng, but he used their daughter as a pawn to balance the power in the court, harboring resentment and suppressing her. If Yuan Yan hadn't transmigrated, the original owner's fate would have been even worse than Yuan Jing's.

The tragedy of Lin Feng and his original daughter stemmed entirely from the emperor before them.

What right does Yuan Hao have to say such things at this moment?

Yuan Yan felt a slight sarcasm in his heart, but he calmly comforted her, saying, "Mother Empress, the people Father has cared about most in his life are you and your son. If Father is alive, he would not want to see you in such distress."

"Your Majesty, I will now expedite the search for medicine. There are so many renowned doctors in the world; surely someone will be able to recognize this poison and cure Your Majesty." With that, Yuan Yan made a gesture to rise.

“I know my own body well. The poison has penetrated deep into my internal organs. Even if we find an antidote, it will probably be too late,” Yuan Hao said.

"No, the Queen Mother is the ruler of the Phoenix Kingdom, ordained by Heaven, and protected by the Heavenly Emperor. She will never be so easily harmed by a treacherous plot."

"I hope that Your Majesty will take good care of your health for the sake of our ancestral legacy and the well-being of our people, so as to ensure the safety of our nation..." Yuan Yan said earnestly.

*

When Yuan Yan came out of the palace, it was already late at night.

Xue Lang, Zhang Xiaoju, and others were kept behind by her to handle the aftermath.

The system carefully observed Yuan Yan's expression and whispered, "Sigh, host, if you're actually feeling down, I do have some antidotes you can exchange for..."

"Why would I exchange for that?" Yuan Yan was puzzled.

"Huh? But when I saw the Queen Mother vomiting blood, you seemed very worried, and you even said you wanted to find a good medicine for her to heal her body... Weren't you sincere?" The system was stunned and asked stupidly.

“Oh, no need. That was indeed an act for the Empress Dowager.” Yuan Yan admitted directly.

Given the Empress's personality, as long as she lives, she will keep all power in her own hands.

Now that Yuan Yan holds military power, his prestige is rising daily, and he has even gradually surpassed his mother, the Empress.

If the Empress Dowager recovers and returns to court, seeing Yuan Yan like this, how could she possibly sleep soundly?

I'm afraid they'll bring out some sixth, eighth, or ninth princess to challenge her.

Yuan Yan thought to himself calmly.

So why would she do something so difficult for herself? She could have simply played the role of a filial daughter for the sake of her mother and the court officials.

"Alright, host, you're right. I did oversimplify things." The system abandoned its original idea and said softly.

With the fates of Yuan Jing and Feng Qing, this power struggle has come to an end.

But there are still many messes to clean up afterward.

For example, the anxious court officials, the remnants of Yuan Jing's faction who should be punished, the princesses imprisoned by Yuan Jing, and the imperial family members and ministers waiting outside the palace...

However, Yuan Yan did not immediately address these issues.

"Your Highness."

A servant from the Prince's residence respectfully said, "Your Highness has ordered me to wait outside the palace for a long time. As soon as His Highness comes out, I will report the news that he is safe and sound."

Yi'er and the others waited for her to return all night.

"No need, I'll return to the palace now." Yuan Yan ordered his guards to bring Jingxue over, mounted his horse, and headed towards the palace.

Yang Lingyi stood in the front yard, having waited for an unknown amount of time.

The chill of the night seeped into her clothes, making them damp and cold, and freezing Yang Lingyi's fingertips.

The male servant advised his mistress to go back to her room and wait, but Yang Lingyi refused.

"Your Highness will be back soon. I can't rest easy until I see with my own eyes that Your Highness is safe and sound."

When the fire broke out in the palace, Yang Lingyi's heart tightened.