Chapter 128 [VIP]

Xie Danling grabbed Gu Zhizhuo's sleeve, dumbfounded.

They weren't far from Xie Jing, and they could only catch bits and pieces of what the two were arguing about, from shouting loudly to speaking softly. But they heard Wei Jiu's report clearly.

"Dead?" Xie Danling blurted out. "Really? Wasn't she faking illness?"

Gu Zhizhuo calculated with his fingers: "Heavenly Thunder Without Error."

"What's the meaning?"

"The upper trigram is Qian, the lower trigram is Zhen, thunder moves under heaven, this is Wuwang..."

Xie Danling: "I don't understand, speak like a human."

Gu Zhizhu pondered, "When one's mind is filled with delusions and eagerness for quick success, one ends up reaping what one sows and becoming trapped in one's own web."

Xie Danling was completely confused; she seemed to understand, yet she also seemed not to.

Gu Zhizhuo made a shushing gesture: "Keep it down, or if we're discovered, you'll have to go back to the palace with me to be a 'filial daughter'."

Xie Danling immediately covered her mouth with both hands.

Gu Zhizhuo pulled her to hide behind the carriage, saying, "You stay hidden, I'll go find the young master."

Xie Danling winked at her, "Oh, oh, oh~"

Gu Zhizhuo left Qingmei behind to ensure Xie Danling's safety. Turning around, he saw Ji Nanke and Xie Jing also getting into a carriage.

Throughout the journey, Ji Nanke was anxious and uneasy, her fingers unconsciously tightening around the jade pendant at her waist.

She left the palace in the morning, and her aunt was perfectly fine.

She asserted, "Someone in the palace must have harmed her."

Xie Jing stared at her slightly distorted face, feeling an indescribable sense of suffocation.

"No one who was close to her ended up well." Gu Zhizhuo's words from back then resurfaced in his mind once again. Xie Jing shook his head vigorously, telling himself: I shouldn't be thinking about these things now.

He coldly replied, "What you should be worried about now is whether your witchcraft will lose its effectiveness after the Ji family dies, and whether Father will let you go."

Ji Nanke's breath hitched, and she pulled back the carriage curtain in frustration, looking outside.

The carriage passed through the chaotic Meridian Gate and quickly entered the palace gate.

After entering the palace, Lady Ji lived in the emperor's Hanzhang Palace, and the two were almost inseparable.

The palace maids and eunuchs in Hanzhang Palace were kneeling all over the ground. Ji Nanke was a little nervous. However, Xie Jing did not protect her as usual, but walked past her and continued to walk forward.

They weren't the first to arrive; almost all the older princes were already there. When they saw Xie Jing bringing Ji Nanke along, they exchanged knowing smiles.

The eldest prince, fanning himself with a folding fan, said, "We just arrived too. My sisters are still praying at the Imperial Ancestral Temple."

The emperor had previously ordered the princesses to go to the Imperial Ancestral Temple to pray for the Ji family, but they had not yet returned to the palace.

"Get out!"

A sudden, loud shout came from inside, and the eldest prince immediately fell silent. The other princes didn't even dare to breathe.

"...Get out. What use are you to me?"

"Get out."

"I want you all to be buried with Ruo'er!"

Several imperial physicians tumbled and crawled out of the room, not daring to leave, and knelt outside, shuffling along.

Xie Jing stepped forward and asked the imperial physician directly, "How could he have died so suddenly?"

Xie Jing often heard that Ji was ill, and every time she "fell ill," Ji managed to achieve a certain goal. He assumed she was just faking it, so how could she suddenly die?

"Your Highness, Third Prince," the imperial physician said with a pained expression, "it's urticaria."

"Urticaria?" Xie Jing didn't understand. Ji Nanke interjected, "You mean, the Imperial Noble Consort died from a rash?"

How is that possible?

Ji would have an allergic reaction to peaches, but it would only cause a small red rash and at most a fever.

The emperor was hesitant and indecisive, so Ji Nanke taught Ji Shi to eat peaches, using illness as a pretext to force him to eat them.

I've never been sick before; as long as I don't eat it, it will get better on its own.

Ji Nanke's pupils contracted sharply, and she pursed her dry lips.

Xie Jing caught a glimpse of Ji Nanke out of the corner of his eye. Seeing her pale face, his heart sank. "Go on," he said.

The imperial physician knelt on the ground and explained in detail: "The Imperial Noble Consort had been suffering from a rash, which had been fluctuating since she entered the palace. Starting yesterday, the rash worsened, with some of it beginning to ulcerate, and her high fever wouldn't come down. She had taken some medicine and felt slightly better. However, after lunch, the Imperial Noble Consort suddenly developed a fever again, and her breathing became rapid and she couldn't catch her breath. In the end, there was nothing that could be done."

The imperial physician was wrongfully executed. They discovered that Ji's rash was due to her not following dietary restrictions as soon as she entered the palace. He had carefully questioned her about what she had eaten recently, but she hesitated and refused to give a clear answer. Judging from her pulse before her death, she hadn't even taken her medicine properly.

Will this be okay?

Urticaria can range from mild to severe. Mild cases present with red rashes on the face, while severe cases can involve persistent high fever, respiratory obstruction, and even death.

"Your Highness, it's because the Imperial Noble Consort didn't follow the dietary restrictions properly."

As a result, the person died, and the emperor blamed them for their poor medical skills.

With the death of the Imperial Noble Consort, the Emperor was furious. They were almost certainly going to lose their lives, and they were afraid of implicating their families.

"How dare you!" Ji Nanke rebuked. "You still dare to shirk responsibility and say it's the Imperial Noble Consort's fault. I think it's clearly your poor medical skills that delayed my aunt's treatment!"

The imperial physician did not refute. He wiped his face with his sleeve, his face showing only grief: "Your Majesty is saddened, it is all our fault. We have failed Your Majesty's great kindness."

"you……"

"Alright, Ke'er, the imperial physicians have done their best, why are you taking your anger out on them?"

"Where did I take my anger out on her?!" Ji Nanke wanted to retort, but he had already stopped looking at her.

The emperor's sorrowful voice echoed throughout Hanzhang Palace: "Ruo'er, Ruo'er, look at me quickly. Don't leave me alone. Ruo'er."

"Third brother," the eldest prince raised an eyebrow and urged, "why don't you want to go in and take a look? Alas, I'm afraid that Father's grief might harm his health."

Xie Jing: "You're afraid to go in?"

The eldest prince chuckled dryly, inwardly rolling his eyes at them. They weren't as favored as him, and if they went in to comfort him now, who knew whether his father would be moved or angry?

Xie Jing hesitated and said, "I'll go."

He still wanted to confirm as soon as possible whether his father's attitude towards the Ji family had changed.

"Ke'er, come here too."

He pulled Ji Nanke inside, and when they were alone, he asked in a low voice, "Did you have anything to do with the death of the Ji family?"

Ji Nanke shook her head: "No! What good would it do me if my aunt died?"

Xie Jing remained noncommittal and walked into the inner hall.

He quietly pushed open the door. The emperor was sitting on a round stool beside the bed, holding Ji's hand tightly, weeping. There was a broken medicine bowl on the floor, with black medicine and shards splattered on the floor tiles.

Granny Wan knelt there, her heart filled with despair, as if she were dead.

Xie Jing stood far away and could vaguely see that Ji Shi's face was covered with red rashes, each one bright red like blood. Her eyes were not closed, her lips were white, and her face was extremely pale, without any breath.

"My deepest condolences to my father."

Xie Jing sighed inwardly, thinking: It's better that Ji Shi died like this, so that Ke'er won't keep causing trouble by taking advantage of her aunt.

From now on, Ke'er will be able to settle down.

The emperor sat motionless, weeping uncontrollably.

"Ruo'er".

The emperor lifted her cold hand and pressed it to his lips, tears streaming down his face, soaking the back of her hand.

Ji Nanke pursed her red lips, her beautiful face showing relief.

Thankfully, the emperor's attitude towards her aunt remained unchanged, and she breathed a sigh of relief. But when she looked up, she suddenly met Ji's unseeing, lifeless eyes, and a chill ran down her spine.

"emperor."

Ji Nanke was startled and jumped at Li Deshun's voice.

"Your Majesty, the Prince of Jin requests..."

"I won't see him." Before he could finish speaking, the emperor's voice was hoarse. "I won't see anyone. Let him go... Waaah, Ruo'er, don't leave me."

"Get down!"

Yes. Li Deshun dared not say anything more and bowed as he withdrew.

Upon seeing him emerge, Prince Jin straightened his official robes and prepared to go inside, but Li Deshun quickly stopped him.

Li Deshun gestured for him to be quiet, closed the palace door himself, and said, "Your Highness, the Emperor has said that no one will be seen."

"I will not see you either?"

"Yes," Li Deshun said softly, "Your Highness, why don't you go back first?"

Prince Jin paced back and forth, then said firmly, "I have brought Master Changfeng with me. He must see the Emperor! This is very important."

The Prince of Jin brought a Taoist priest into the palace. He was dressed in a yellow Taoist robe, appeared to be around forty or fifty years old, and held a whisk in his hand. He had a handsome and otherworldly appearance. He did not grow a beard and looked exceptionally young, quite different from the weathered Qingping Zhenren.

Master Qingping frequently entered and exited the palace, but Li Deshun had never even heard of Master Changfeng.

“Your Highness,” Li Deshun said politely, “the Imperial Noble Consort has just passed away, and the Emperor is deeply grieved. You should not go in.”

Li Deshun is truly impervious to reason! Prince Jin peeked in; the door was tightly shut, and through the door, he could faintly hear the emperor's suppressed sobs.

"The Ji family... no, is the Imperial Noble Consort really dead?"

Li Deshun nodded: "He's really dead."

Alas, these past few days, she has been pestering the emperor to grant her some excessive requests, and she fell ill before her wishes were fulfilled.

This illness truly led to his death.

The Prince of Jin said, "Then I must see him." As he spoke, he tried to barge inside.

"Your Highness, let it go." Changfeng flicked his whisk to stop him, his tone flat and even. "Things have come to this point, there's no going back."

The Prince of Jin turned to look at him in astonishment.

Changfeng shook his head and said, "It's too late."

Prince Jin pulled him a few steps to the side, away from Li Deshun, and then quietly asked, "Are you saying there's no way to solve this?"

Changfeng came to the capital at the invitation of Prince Jin. He arrived more than a month ago and has been traveling around the capital ever since. After Prince Jin noticed that the emperor was acting strangely, he searched everywhere for him and finally found him with great difficulty.

Unexpectedly, Lady Ji died.

Changfeng's fingertips brushed across the silver threads of the whisk, the movement gentle and slow, as if holding a rare treasure in the palm of his hand.

"The one who cast the curse died, thus bearing the karmic consequences ahead of time."

The blessing spell will not disappear.

"It's all over, it's all over, it's all over!" Prince Jin paced anxiously. "Will the emperor continue to go this crazy?"

"It will take at least three months."

The Prince of Jin was relieved: "Thank goodness."

Xie Jing and Ji Nanke came out one after the other. When they saw the Prince of Jin, Xie Jing nodded slightly in his direction.

Changfeng's usually expressionless gaze suddenly lit up when he saw Ji Nanke.

"who are they?"

"The Third Prince and Ji's niece."

Changfeng calculated with his fingers and murmured, "He is a person with great fortune. No wonder he was able to receive the protection of Heaven and turn danger into safety."

Prince of Jin: ?

"This young lady has great fortune. However..."

Changfeng narrowed her eyes. The aura around her was not as dazzling as she had imagined. Moreover, there were strands of black threads mixed in with the white light around her, like stains on the pure white jade.

"But what?" the Prince of Jin pressed.

Changfeng couldn't tell where these black lines came from. He didn't answer, but calmly said, "If Your Highness wants to earn another merit for following the emperor, you can choose the Third Prince."

"Huh?" Prince Jin couldn't help but exclaim, "The Third Prince has a dragon's destiny? Him..."

With his dull and stupid appearance, the emperor is infatuated with Lady Ji and neglects state affairs. Xie Jing, as the legitimate son of the empress, should have at least some ambition to network with his superiors and seize the opportunity to enter the court and let the people see him as the grown-up third prince. Instead, he spends all his time following in Ji Nanke's footsteps. Xie Yingchen has long since taken control of the government, while he remains a useless piece of trash.

Changfeng sensed the disdain in his tone and smiled, saying, "Your Highness, think back to Prince Rong back then."

The Prince of Jin fell silent.

Back then, the deposed crown prince's position was secure. Who could have imagined that the inconspicuous Prince Rong would be the ultimate victor?

"Does Your Highness still remember what I said to you?"

The King of Jin couldn't help but ponder and compose a poem.

He met Changfeng in Yongzhou. He was just an ordinary guerrilla general, while Changfeng was just a wandering Taoist priest who practiced Taoism in the world.

He saved Changfeng's life from the clutches of bandits.

Later, Changfeng chose Prince Rong over the deposed crown prince for him. Changfeng said that the dragon's fortune lay with Prince Rong, and that helping him when he was still in obscurity was the true merit of following the dragon's lead.

He believed it, and what he gained in return was the wealth and honor he enjoys as a high-ranking official.

It was really inconvenient to say too much here. The Prince of Jin nodded, indicating that he understood, and stared thoughtfully at Xie Jing.

After Xie Jing came out, he went straight to the princes: "Eldest brother, second brother, you two go and invite Prince Li and the other princes over."

"What's going on?" The eldest prince was completely bewildered. Surely they wouldn't make Prince Li and the others observe mourning for Lady Ji? She couldn't bear it. In his opinion, it must be because his father insisted that the princesses pray for her, and Lady Ji couldn't bear it and shortened her lifespan.

Xie Jing grabbed his collar, pulling him forward slightly. Just as the eldest prince was about to curse, Xie Jing leaned close and quickly said, "Father wants to posthumously confer the title of Empress on Lady Ji and also make Lady Ji's son the Crown Prince."

On what grounds?!

The eldest prince's eyes widened. He didn't think he had a chance to become the crown prince, but that didn't mean he would let an illegitimate son climb over him and act arrogantly. As the eldest son of the emperor, he would never kneel at the feet of an illegitimate son.

"I'll go see the cabinet."

The eldest prince, along with his younger brothers, left Hanzhang Palace.

Xie Jing also left in a hurry.

Ji Nanke stood there, lost in thought.

Everything was completely different from what she had expected, like a kite with a broken string, slipping out of her control.

Since coming into this world, everything Ji Nanke has done has gone smoothly. She doesn't need to think much at all; as long as she wants, everything can achieve the most ideal result.

But now, it's completely out of control.

She didn't even know what to do next: whether to go with the flow and help Gu Yan become the crown prince, or to humble herself and reconcile with Xie Jing first.

"Miss Ji."

Ji Nanke turned around at the sound and saw it was the Prince of Jin.

"Miss Ji, how is the Emperor?" he asked.

Ji Nanke glanced at the Taoist priest who had come with Prince Jin and nodded expressionlessly.

Prince Jin continued, "Why does His Highness the Third Prince look so pale?"

Without thinking much, Ji Nanke subconsciously said, "His Majesty wants to make Gu Yan the Crown Prince."

The emperor, exhausted from crying inside, held his aunt's hand and vowed that he would make Gu Yan the crown prince and posthumously honor her as empress. Xie Jing panicked upon hearing this, pulled her out, and now abandoned her and ran away.

The Prince of Jin's expression changed: "I will go and persuade him." He ignored the obstruction and rushed into the inner room, only to be driven out by the furious emperor.

Changfeng left the palace first, and soon after, several princes of the imperial clan and members of the cabinet arrived. The Grand Secretary asked Li Deshun to go in and convey a message: "The Ministry of Rites has prepared the funeral rites for the Imperial Noble Consort, which need to be decided by His Majesty."

Finally, the emperor emerged from inside, his face streaked with tears and his body filled with grief.

The Minister of Rites, Fan Heng, had indeed prepared a memorial, as was the precedent. He presented the memorial, and after the emperor read it, he threw it hard at Fan Heng's head.

Bang!

One of the sharp corners of the folding stick struck Fan Heng on the forehead, causing him to bleed profusely.

The chief minister's heart tightened. Before he could speak, Fan Heng immediately knelt down, bowed his head, and said, "Your subject is guilty."

His head was still bleeding, and the blood flowed down his forehead into his eyes.

The emperor, still furious, gripped the armrest and declared emphatically, brooking no argument: "Issue an edict: the coffin shall lie in state for forty-nine days. The concubines and imperial daughters shall wear mourning clothes and observe mourning. All officials shall wear the lowest mourning clothes for twenty-one days. A national mourning period shall be declared, slaughter shall be prohibited for ten days, and temples and monasteries in the capital shall ring their bells thirty thousand times..."

"After the body has been laid to rest, the coffin will be placed in the imperial mausoleum and buried with me."

"All those in Hanzhang Palace were to be buried alive with the Imperial Noble Consort in the underworld."

He said with extreme hatred, "The entire Imperial Medical Academy should be executed alive."

The imperial physician was trembling like a leaf, and the other imperial physicians also looked up in disbelief. The eunuchs and maids of Hanzhang Palace were terrified and dared not leave the palace crying.

The Minister of Rites was shocked by every word he heard.

That's going too far.

After Emperor Taizu ascended the throne, he abolished the custom of burying the deceased with the deceased emperor. How could a wicked woman be worthy of that?

"No!"

Prince Li arrived, supported by Xie Yingchen. His voice was booming, but he was still not very agile and needed someone to lend a hand. Gu Zhizhu followed closely behind.

Is it Prince Li?

"Your Highness!"

Many people witnessed Prince Li suffering a stroke and collapsing. At that time, he was barely breathing, but now he can actually walk?

"Why should we bother with such a wicked woman?"

"Does she deserve to make the people of Daqi mourn for her?!"

"You're willing to let a living person be buried with her? Aren't you afraid she'll go to the eighteenth level of hell and die again?"

The emperor was furious and slammed his fist on the table.

He walked step by step until he stood face to face with Prince Li.

"Prince Li, you have repeatedly shown disrespect to me because you have the whip bestowed upon you by the founding emperor, and I have tolerated it all. Do you really think I dare not kill you?!"

The emperor smacked his nose and scolded, "If you dare to be disrespectful again, I will have you dragged away right now and buried with the Imperial Noble Consort."

Prince Li's face showed deep disappointment.

"A decree was drafted. Imperial Noble Consort Ji was posthumously honored as Empress, and the entire nation was ordered to observe mourning."

"The son of the Imperial Noble Consort is hereby designated as the Crown Prince..."

“Your Majesty. It seems that the son of the Ji family has the surname Gu.” Gu Zhizhuo interrupted her gently, “Are you about to abdicate and hand over the Great Qi Empire to the Duke of Zhenguo’s family? Shouldn’t I, your humble daughter, thank Your Majesty for your great favor on behalf of my brother?”

emperor:!

His eyes were wide open in anger, and the corners of his eyes were bloodshot.

He grabbed at Gu Zhizhuo: "Guards, drag him away... beat him to death with sticks."

Xie Yingchen stopped him: "Your Majesty, please calm down."

"This humble woman dares not."

Gu Zhizhuo shouted "I dare not," and a thin silver needle, as fine as a cow's hair, appeared between her two fingers. She used her back to block the view of others and quickly and accurately stabbed it into the back of the emperor's neck.

A note from the author: