The Empress Dowager slumped into her chair in fright, the pearl hairpins in her hair swaying wildly, strands of graying hair falling across her chest. Her fingers gripped the corner of the table tightly, veins bulging on the back of her hands, and she laughed angrily, "I've raised you for decades, and you're not even as good as your new little sable!"
The Empress Dowager was heartbroken. Even though she didn't like this son, he wasn't even as important as a small sable, which made her feel extremely frustrated.
She was the daughter of a former prime minister, and from birth until now, she had always been the center of attention, enjoying a life of unparalleled glory. Entering the palace as a concubine in her early teens, she was constantly fawned over. In the end… she couldn't even compare to a little sable.
"So what if you are? In my eyes, you are nothing." He let the Empress Dowager do nothing because she hadn't done anything to offend him.
Once you anger him, you can't keep that person around.
A chilling light flashed in An Honghan's eyes, and his killing intent gradually became apparent.
Sensing the sudden change in the atmosphere between the two, Xi Xizhi also sat up straight, her two front legs tightly wrapped around An Honghan's arm.
An Honghan took out a small porcelain bottle from his sleeve and said, "Feed it to the Empress Dowager."
The small porcelain bottle was completely undecorated, without even a label. Xi Xizhi stared at the bottle, unable to guess what kind of medicine was inside.
"Yes, Your Majesty." The two shadow guards took the small porcelain bottle with both hands and uncorked it.
Wisps of white smoke drifted from the small porcelain bottle, filling the air with a pungent odor. Xi Xizhi covered her nose with her paw, blinked, and looked at An Honghan with confusion.
"Chirp chirp..." What is that? Xi Xizhi had no knowledge of poisons, but judging from the drifting white smoke, she knew that the poison must be very toxic.
Could An Honghan possibly intend to kill the Empress Dowager? The thought flashed through Xi Xizhi's mind, and she felt a pang of guilt. After all, that person was An Honghan's birth mother. Parricide and matricide were heinous crimes. Such grave sins would condemn one to eternal damnation in the underworld.
Why are you staring at that medicine so intently? Do you want to take it too?
This joke is not funny at all.
Xi Xizhi waved her paws, trying to convey to An Honghan that a little sternness with the Empress Dowager would suffice, and there was no need to make such a fuss. Many people in the palace knew about An Honghan's entry into Fengxiang Palace. If they left in the blink of an eye, and the Empress Dowager was dead, wouldn't that clearly show that it was their doing?
Having understood what the little ferret meant, An Honghan poked its forehead. "I'm not that stupid. Even the Empress Dowager knows that things should be done in secret. How could I not know? As long as she doesn't die tonight, even if the whole world suspects that I did it, no one will dare to stand up and accuse me."
"Little Mink is confused," what does that mean?
The Empress Dowager struggled violently, constantly using her hands to fend off the shadow guards' approach. But a woman like her was no match for two grown men. Soon, her hands were bound behind her back, rendering her immobile. The medicine in the small porcelain bottle was poured entirely into her mouth. Her makeup, smeared with rouge and powder, was ruined, and the Empress Dowager looked utterly disheveled.
The medicine slid down her throat like a fire, burning fiercely wherever it went. Her throat felt as if it had been severely burned. The Empress Dowager clutched her neck with both hands, coughing violently, so violently that she coughed up blood.
Just as she was about to question An Honghan about what he had given her, the Empress Dowager was horrified to discover that... she could not speak.
No matter how she opened and closed her mouth, she couldn't utter a single syllable.
That's a mute drug!
Sometimes, fearing their secrets would be leaked, they would often use a specially prepared potion to make them mute. This happened frequently in the palace. The Empress Dowager never imagined that she herself would one day have to swallow such a potion.
“That medicine is more terrifying than you can imagine. It can not only render a person speechless forever, but also…” He paused deliberately, successfully seeing the fear on the Empress Dowager’s face, and a cold smile appeared on An Honghan’s lips, “It can also cause a person’s skin to gradually ulcerate until death.”
Imagine that feeling, witnessing your own skin gradually festering before you die. Women have an innate love of beauty, and the Empress Dowager was no exception. She was struck dumb, her eyes glazed over. As she gradually came to her senses, her eyes suddenly widened, filled with intense hatred, staring intently at An Honghan.
Even though she couldn't speak, Xi Xizhi could still sense how much she hated An Honghan.
An Honghan gently stroked the sable's fur with his fingers, without even raising his head, and said, "You pinched and squeezed Fengyun Sable, leaving her covered in bruises. I will return the favor with a bottle of 'Red Beauty Elixir' so you can also experience what it's like to have no healthy spots on your body."
He once said... he would repay double.
Xi Xizhi was even more surprised than the Empress Dowager. She had heard many rumors about An Honghan's ruthlessness and coldness, but experiencing it firsthand was a completely different feeling. Thinking about how An Honghan had taken care of her these past few days, she had almost forgotten what kind of person he was.
"Let me tell you one last thing... My pets don't need anyone else to train them for me." The little ferret was his pet, and even if someone wanted to train it, that was his business, and no one else was allowed to interfere.
The Empress Dowager clutched her robes tightly, her throat aching, wanting to cry for help but unable to utter a sound. At that moment, she was like a trapped beast, struggling but unable to break free of her sturdy cage.
Put yourself in its shoes; back in the Imperial Garden, that little ferret was just as powerless to resist.
It was indeed a case of using their own methods against them.
Her skin gradually became itchy, as if a million ants were crawling all over her. The Empress Dowager reached out to scratch...
Before they could even touch each other, An Honghan's icy voice rang out again.
"Knock the Empress Dowager unconscious and throw her onto the bed. You two keep a close eye on her and don't let her have a chance to tell anyone about this." An Honghan glanced at the Empress Dowager one last time, then turned and walked out with the little sable in his arms.
Two shadow guards reached out and struck the Empress Dowager on the back of the head. They were very skilled at doing this, and it was obviously not the first time.
A large group of palace maids and eunuchs were waiting outside. When they saw His Majesty come out, they all knelt down and kowtowed to pay their respects.
"The Empress Dowager has already gone to sleep, so don't disturb her." After saying this, An Honghan led the eunuchs and palace maids back to Panlong Palace.
The little ferret chirped all the way, occasionally poking An Honghan's arm with its paws, but the other party still ignored it.
Was this level of revenge too extreme? Xi Xizhi looked down at her furry paws, lost in thought. If she hadn't picked that blue feather flower, none of this would have happened. It was all because of it, yet An Honghan would have to bear all the blame alone…
That's not fair...
"Chirp chirp..." Xi Xizhi called out to her master again.
There has still been no response.
Back in Panlong Palace, An Honghan dismissed all the palace maids and eunuchs. It wasn't until almost bedtime that he held the little sable and said, "That's how the palace is; it's either you die or I die. Excessive sympathy will only harm you."
If he releases the Empress Dowager today, he might very well face death tomorrow.
This is a cruel world; only the ruthless can survive.
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