Chapter 38 Special Treatment

Seeing that her daughter was safe and sound, Madam Su followed Li Dehai. After delivering the imperial edict, Li Dehai glanced at the Su Wenyuan family, who were preparing to leave with the others. He immediately put on a perfectly respectful smile, stepped forward, and blocked the way for Su Wenyuan, his wife, and Su Jingxing.

“Mr. Su, Madam Su, Young Master Su, please wait.” Li Dehai bowed slightly, his voice neither too loud nor too soft, but loud enough for those nearby to hear clearly. “The night is cool and chilly. Her Majesty is in the palace and is most worried about her family. His Majesty has specifically instructed me to arrange warm sedan chairs and carriages to send the three of you out of the palace and back to your residence.”

Su Wenyuan and Madam Liu were flattered and quickly waved their hands to decline, saying, "This...this is too much to ask, we dare not trouble Steward Li..."

Li Dehai, however, had already gestured to the eunuch behind him to bring over a simply decorated but clearly sturdy and warm carriage. He even stepped forward himself, reaching out to gently support Su Wenyuan's arm, his attitude humble yet carrying an undeniable air of authority.

“Mr. Su, please don’t refuse. This is His Majesty’s order. His Majesty specifically said that Mr. Su and his wife are getting old, and if they catch a cold while walking out of the palace in this cold weather, His Majesty will be very upset when she finds out.”

These words indirectly transformed Yuwen Che's thoughtfulness towards Su Luoxue into concern for the Su family, making it impossible for anyone to refuse. Upon hearing this, Su Wenyuan and his wife were both moved and apprehensive, and could only thank him repeatedly before boarding the carriage with Li Dehai's help.

After settling Su Wenyuan and his wife in, Li Dehai turned to Su Jingxing, who was standing quietly to the side with a solemn expression, and his smile deepened: "Young Master Su Jingxing, His Majesty has also instructed that you do not need to worry too much about the Empress. Just focus on preparing for the upcoming imperial examinations."

He leaned closer, lowering his voice, yet it reached Su Jingxing's ears clearly: "His Majesty said... in the future, the dragon child in the Empress's womb will need its uncle's utmost protection."

These words struck Su Jingxing like a thunderbolt! They were tantamount to directly revealing His Majesty's future plans—Yuwen Che not only intended to support the Su family, but had already considered Su Jingxing as one of the core candidates to assist the future crown prince! This weighty expectation and sudden honor deeply shocked Su Jingxing, who immediately bowed deeply: "This humble subject... will certainly not fail Your Majesty's expectations!"

Li Dehai nodded in satisfaction and gestured for them to get in the car as well.

This scene was witnessed by the officials and their families who could only leave the palace on foot, filling them with mixed emotions. What was Li Dehai's status? The most trusted chief eunuch by His Majesty's side! His words and actions practically represented the Emperor's will. His personal assistance and arrangement of the carriage—this was absolutely His Majesty's intention!

Several ministers walking side by side exchanged glances and whispered among themselves, their voices filled with disbelief and deep apprehension.

"Your Majesty...are you already paving the way for the child in Consort Chen's womb?"

"The Su family... is about to soar to great heights."

"Be careful what you say! There are many eyes and ears both inside and outside the palace..."

The noble ladies and concubines, still reeling from the shock, only dared to relax their tense nerves slightly at this moment. Their legs were weak, and they almost couldn't stand, being quickly supported by their waiting maids. Recalling the bloodshed, the curses, and Shen's tragic end they had witnessed that night, and seeing the special treatment the Su family received, they were filled with awe for the Imperial Concubine Chen, and completely extinguished any thoughts of getting close to the handsome emperor. That man, his favor was as extreme as his cruelty, something they could not bear.

Several high-ranking officials, still shaken, offered each other words of comfort and advice before dispersing at the palace gates to board their own carriages. They dared not linger outside the palace or discuss matters loudly, for everyone knew that His Majesty's influence was boundless, with assassins and spies he had secretly cultivated not only in the court but also among the common people. Everything that had happened tonight, and His Majesty's attitude towards the Su family, would become crucial signals that they would need to carefully consider and respond to upon their return. The capital city, after this night of blood and fire, was no longer the same.

Inside the Cining Palace, though the faint scent of sandalwood still lingered and the furnishings remained as opulent as ever, the atmosphere was thick with an indescribable tension and oppression. Since the incident with the Shen family, although Yuwen Che had not openly broken ties with the Empress Dowager, the number of guards inside and outside the Cining Palace had increased several times over. The Empress Dowager's every move was under surveillance, and although she retained her dignity as Empress Dowager, she was in reality under near-house arrest.

Granny Qin was deathly pale and staggered as she practically tumbled into the Empress Dowager's bedchamber. She collapsed to the ground, her voice trembling with extreme fear: "Your Majesty! Something terrible has happened! Something...something terrible has occurred!"

The Empress Dowager was turning her prayer beads with her eyes closed when she heard the sound. She slowly opened her eyes, her brows furrowing slightly, with a hint of displeasure at being disturbed: "What's the matter that has caused such a commotion?"

"It's...it's the deposed Empress!" Qin Mama cried, tears streaming down her face, her words incoherent. "She...she attempted to assassinate Consort Chen at her birthday banquet! She wanted to kill Consort Chen and the First Prince! His Majesty...His Majesty shielded Consort Chen from the dagger with his arm and was injured!"

The Empress Dowager's hand, which was moving the prayer beads, suddenly stopped.

Granny Qin continued to weep, her voice filled with terror: "His Majesty is furious... He has already issued an edict... to have the deposed Empress... cut into human pigs and displayed at the palace gates! The Shen family... the Shen family will be exterminated, their entire clan wiped out, not a single one spared, Your Majesty!"

Clang—

The sandalwood prayer beads in the Empress Dowager's hand snapped in two, scattering the beads across the floor with a crackling sound, much like her suddenly shattered spirit. She abruptly stood up, her body swaying from the impact, her face drained of color, her lips trembling as she repeated incredulously:

“Human pig…extermination of nine generations…Yuwen Che…how dare he…how could he…that is my maternal family! The Shen family…no matter how wrong the Shen family was, they were still your first wife! How could you…how could you be so cruel…”

She had always known that her son was ruthless, but she never imagined that this ruthlessness would one day be so thoroughly inflicted on her maternal clan and the empress she had personally chosen! This was not just punishment; it was a complete trampling of her authority as empress dowager and the bond between mother and son!

A piercing pain and an icy chill swept over her. As if grasping at a last straw, she desperately grabbed Qin Mama's arm, her voice tinged with a dying hope: "Child... are there any young children left in the Shen family? Can... you find a way to save a few? To leave a bloodline for the Shen family, to leave an heir!"

Granny Qin shook her head in despair, prostrating herself on the ground and weeping bitterly: "Empress Dowager...it's no use...General Pei Xuan personally led the order to carry it out, swift and decisive...I'm afraid...I'm afraid it's already...Moreover, this servant also learned that Consort Chen was frightened at the banquet and suffered from severe abdominal pain. The imperial physician examined her pulse...it seems she is pregnant, but she has been bleeding heavily...We still don't know if the imperial fetus has been saved...His Majesty is furious about this, and even if there are still males being pursued and not yet executed, I'm afraid...I'm afraid His Majesty will never let them go!"

"Pregnant...I've started bleeding..." The Empress Dowager murmured these words, her body completely exhausted, collapsing onto her phoenix throne, her eyes vacant as she stared at the intricate coffered ceiling of the palace.

It's over...it's all over.

The Shen family was completely wiped out, not even a single bloodline remained. And that bitch Su Luoxue is pregnant and even has miscarriage problems...? Given Yuwen Che's personality, he's even less likely to let this go.

Everything she had meticulously planned, her power over the harem... all crumbled and vanished in the face of her son's merciless execution and his extreme favoritism towards that woman.

Overwhelmed by immense grief and deep-seated hatred, the Empress Dowager felt a sweet taste in her throat and a metallic taste rise to her throat. She coughed violently and vomited a mouthful of blood, which splattered onto her magnificent robes, a shocking sight.

"Your Majesty the Empress Dowager!" Granny Qin was terrified and rushed forward to help her up.

The Empress Dowager brushed her hand away, leaning weakly against the back of her chair, gazing at the gray sky outside the palace, tears streaming down her face, uttering sobs like a mournful beast. She had lost, utterly and completely. And her son, with the bloodshed of the entire Shen family and the tragic fate of the deposed empress, had staged the cruelest act of filial piety for her, and for everyone. From this day forward, the Cining Palace would likely truly become a magnificent prison.