145 Chaoyang
◎Your Majesty, please go forward with confidence. I am here with you.◎
The day Rong Qianyu went to see Xue Ji, the two of them had a tacit understanding that needed no words; they understood each other with just one glance.
"The wound to the ribs is not fatal." Xue Ji whispered, holding Rong Qianyu's hand and stabbing it into her body.
"Speaking of this, I must thank Your Majesty. If I hadn't pushed Her Majesty nearly to death, I wouldn't have this fake death potion, nor would I have had the time to prepare today's plan."
This is a long story. At that time, Rong Qianyu had been recuperating in the palace for a long time. It was Zhou Yanshu who brought her back to life and gave Xue Ji two pills.
"How dare you all!" Fu Hua swung his sword wildly. His face had turned the color of liver, and his expression was extremely ferocious. His smile was almost distorted.
"Xue Ji, you eunuch, you will not die well, and neither will you!"
The scale of the palace coup was not large, but the target was very clear, which was Fu Hua. In the past, many guards did not take sides, but today, fewer and fewer people are protecting Fu Hua.
Fireworks filled the sky outside the palace. Every fifteenth day of the full moon, in addition to the Ghost Festival, people would set off fireworks to celebrate. Today, the Imperial Astronomical Observatory was able to cover up the implication of a palace coup, turning this long-planned rebellion into an unexpected armed conflict.
But the emperor died unexpectedly.
Deep in the inner court of the palace, shadows are dim, the flames of palace lanterns sway in the wind, and two worlds are separated by a palace wall.
Fu Hua had no weapons and no support, so he could only hold his head and flee to the southwest. But it was useless. The harem was so powerful that he could not escape tonight.
Their intention wasn't to kill anyone; their only target was Fu Hua. Seeing the outcome was decided, Rong Qianyu fired a signal flare. The special fireworks exploded in the air, momentarily illuminating the night sky. Outside the palace, General Wu received the signal. Since the inner city was less guarded, he successfully reunited with Rong Qianyu's personal guards in the suburban camp, preparing to attack and protect the emperor with the empress's seal.
A few scattered people protected Fu Hua as he retreated, hoping to get reinforcements when the guards changed shifts, but all this was cut off in advance by Rong Qianyu.
Rong Qianyu's personal guards had trained for months with Subuda's Hu cavalry, and were more than capable of dealing with the inexperienced imperial guards. With a few hundred men controlling the inner palace and the remainder controlling the inner city, and with the support of Qianbei and the motherland, this rebellion was a surefire success.
"Rong Qianyu, you are committing treason. His Majesty will definitely kill you!" Cui Rumei was abandoned by Fu Hua and could only huddle in the corner alone, occasionally shouting a few words.
"You don't understand!" Xue Ji hated this woman the most in his life. He was so angry that he drew his bow and prepared to kill her.
"Jiming." Rong Qianyu called out to him, "Don't kill her. I need to take care of some things myself."
Outside the camp outside the capital, Wu Daiqin had already waited for someone to arrive at the camp, "Who's up ahead?"
He took out the Queen's seal and the Rong Kingdom document and presented them to the commander of the main camp. "We have received a signal that we have the Queen's seal. Your Majesty, the Queen has been deceived by a traitor and is in critical condition. I now order you to enter the palace to protect him!"
The commander did not dare to slack off. After confirming that it was a token from the palace, he immediately let them into the city. "Is it really the Queen's seal?"
"Sir, there is no time. We are the Queen's personal guards, and we also have documents from Rong State that need your review. There is no time to lose, sir!"
When the tree falls, the monkeys scatter. Everyone scatters like birds and beasts, leaving only Fu Hua, who is still naively waiting for support.
"Rong Qianyu, you are so insidious. You are waiting for me here. You are a bitch. I actually fell into your hands! I should cripple you and kill you. You really are having an affair with Xue Ji!"
He shouted and cursed more and more harshly, which made the guards present very unhappy.
Suddenly, an arrow flew past, steady and accurate, hitting the heart without a single deflection. Rong Qianyu looked in the direction of the arrow, which had been fired by a soldier in the distance. Moments later, Fu Hua collapsed to the ground, his blood staining the white marble tiles of the Imperial Garden red.
"You tyrant king, killing you would be considered as ridding the people of harm. Die!"
The soldier was taken away, and Rong Qianyu was still immersed in shock. Fu Hua struggled for a while and then closed his eyes completely. At this moment, he didn't know whether to be happy or sad.
He finally died. Xue Ji's eyes were full of contempt. In contrast, Cui Rumei fainted from fright, with blood oozing from her body.
Rong Qianyu stood there woodenly, having forgotten that one of her arms was still bleeding. The person she hated so much died, but she was not very happy.
"The late emperor has passed away. Please let the Empress take charge of the situation!" Xue Ji reacted very quickly. He was the first to kneel down and kowtow. Soon after, everyone knelt down and shouted "Long live the emperor!"
The stories within the yellow tiles and red walls were passed down through generations, and the joyous atmosphere of the new emperor's ascension to the throne almost instantly overshadowed the national mourning of the previous few months. Although it was called a national mourning, the only one truly heartbroken was Cui Rumei. By the time Wu Daiqin arrived to protect the emperor, everything had already been settled. Someone else had murdered the emperor, and the empress had released the captured children.
Everything is a new beginning.
"Your Majesty, do you really want to go see her? Tomorrow is the day the new emperor ascends the throne. It's really unlucky."
"I was the one who brought her into the palace, so it's only right that I should be the one to see her off. She's already weak after losing her child, so it's only right that I visit her. Have you prepared the things I asked you to?"
Cui Rumei's room was opened. She was sitting on the bed in her moon-white nightgown. When she heard footsteps, she stood up quickly. It was Rong Qianyu.
Rong Qianyu, dressed in casual clothes, sat down and said, "I think we have never spoken to each other on such an equal footing before."
Cui Rumei has aged a lot in the past few months. She has lost her children, husband, and all her wealth and glory. "Don't be so hypocritical. You come to ask for my life, and I will give it to you."
"You can die a hundred times without regret, but I won't let you die comfortably."
Cui Rumei walked to the window and looked at the new look of the palace. The eaves were all hung with colorful silk. "I believe in your methods."
Rong Qianyu didn't have any emotions towards her at the moment, but she had something to say. "After all these years, don't you feel any guilt at all? You framed me and hurt Shu'er, Liu Chunyan had a ghost during labor, and used your own child to win favor. You provoked An Moru, used the princess to frame the princess, and sold official positions and titles with Ruoyu, leading the late emperor to do his job. Which of these things did you wrong? Do I need to tell you about all the other things?"
Cui Rumei sneered, "I actually did so many things?" Then she changed her tone, crying and unwilling to give in, "So what if I did it?"
"Without you, I would definitely be the Queen of the Great Zhou. I don't need your charity! Who do you think you are? A princess who is not wanted by your own country, how dare you compete with me?"
Rong Qianyu sighed deeply. For so many years, Cui Rumei herself didn't even know what she was fighting for. "You're mistaken. What I'm fighting for is never the favor of the late emperor."
"You have Xue Ji, so go live with him. Why are you still holding on to the Queen? I will kick out anyone who competes with me for him. You daughters of aristocratic families, well-educated and well-dressed, have you ever seen what kind of life I lived before? I swore on the day I saw him that I would never go back to the past!"
"You think he loves you? Without someone standing in your way, you'll become queen?"
Cui Rumei wiped away her tears and said, "That's right!"
"Given your background, you grew up in a wealthy family, a branch of a wealthy family. Why do you think Fu Hua never fulfilled his promises to you? Because he cares about your status. He cares more about face and imperial power than loving you. How could he allow a street singer to become the queen?"
The dream she had worked so hard for for so many years was shattered. Cui Rumei was furious and grabbed Rong Qianyu by the collar and asked, "You are talking nonsense! You know nothing!"
Rong Qianyu sat on the chair and met her bloodshot eyes. She did feel sorry for this woman, but she really deserved to die.
"I don't understand. So tell me, if he loves you, why did he marry me? If he loves you, why didn't he take the initiative to ask for your status and made me ask for it? If he loves you, why did he have a child with someone else? If he loves you, why didn't he get rid of me earlier? If he loves you, why did he abandon you and hide away alone? Tell me!"
Rong Qianyu pushed her to the ground. Cui Rumei smiled bitterly. For so many years, it had all been wishful thinking. She couldn't answer these words, but Fu Hua's words and actions had already given her the answer. It was all in vain, making wedding clothes for others.
Rong Qianyu continued, "You think he loves you so much, you think I care about him? It's ridiculous. I wouldn't even look at someone like him in a crowd of people, and you actually think I'm competing with you for his favor? You love his status, and he can bring you and your family wealth and glory, so you try to please him. You're not that clear-headed."
"No, no..."
Cui Rumei slumped in front of the window, her eyes lifeless as she let the tears roll down her cheeks. At this moment, she had never felt so relaxed. She didn't have to fight for anything or read people's expressions.
"But if it were just for love, I wouldn't have taken your life today. But you're so blind that you want to fight for the position of Queen and Crown Prince, and you're doing all sorts of evil things with them! You come from a poor family, so what gives you the right to torture those innocent palace maids and children? I only ask for equality in marriage, nothing else. Since we're political enemies, it's a fight to the death."
Rong Qianyu finally put down the cup of poisoned wine and left. "Tomorrow is the day when the new emperor ascends the throne. Today you should go down and accompany the late emperor. Don't let me do anything."
Cui Rumei smoothed her hair, walked over, and picked up the wine glass. Her expression remained calm as usual. She downed the poisoned wine in one gulp. Even more bitter than the wine was the tragedy of not being able to swallow it. The poison's cruelty lay in its inability to kill instantly. The agonizing wails, suffocation, and convulsions would linger for hours. The lights dimmed, the sun set, and she died in despair on the night before the new emperor ascended the throne.
She spent her whole life chasing after fame and fortune, and even after her death, she suffered endless mourning. I wonder if she can still be as loving to Fu Hua as before if I go to see him now.
The greatest torture for her was to make two people who hated her share the same bed and death.
Before dawn the next day, officials from the Ministry of Rites came to instruct the young emperor on the final matters, followed by ceremonies to pay respect to heaven, earth and ancestors, and announce to the world that the new emperor had ascended the throne.
The eunuch's whip-blasting woke up the morning sun in the palace. Yu'er put on the crown and robes, looking like a little adult.
Xue Ji asked from outside: "My Lady, the time has come. Are you ready?"
Rong Qianyu came out wearing the empress dowager's court dress. She was very suitable for wearing such a gorgeous dress, which complemented her skin tone very well. Xue Ji seemed to be stunned. After all the hardships, he could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
"Are you ready, Yu'er?"
"I remembered everything my mother and masters said. The palm seal also reminded me to sit still and not move!"
At the coronation ceremony, Rong Qianyu held Yu'er's hand and walked up, step by step, just like the first time she entered the Zhou court, but the panic at that time had been replaced by calmness.
Rong Qianyu ascended the steps without looking away. Her elaborate court robes were heavy, embroidered with a phoenix spreading its wings. Her phoenix crown swayed as she walked slowly, but each step was firm and steady.
The road ahead is long, but looking back on the road she has come, she has no fear, only determination, and no one has ever been as determined as she is now.
Walking up to the top floor, Rong Qianyu personally handed the imperial seal to Yu'er. Looking at the civil and military officials below who were cheering "Long live the emperor", she couldn't help but have tears in her eyes.
The sun is shining brightly today, it is indeed a good day.
The two of them stood still. Xue Ji, who was standing behind them, adjusted the empress dowager's phoenix robe and said in a voice that only the two of them could hear, "Your Majesty, please go forward without worry. I am here with you."
This is similar to what he said back then, and he has indeed done it over the years.
That day, Xue Ji told her not to look back from now on, because things are different now. Rong Qianyu has someone behind her, and it happens to be a close friend.
The two looked at each other, their expressions normal, and they were filled with infinite relief in their hearts, fortunately you were still by their side.
【Author’s words】
The main text is finished. Thank you readers for your support and tolerance.
Thanks for your company, see you next time [Rose][Rose]
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