Chapter 90 Extra: Past Life (Part 6)
Chapter 90 Extra Chapter: Past Life (Part 6)
After the ban was lifted, she saw Mu Hanyan for the first time when she paid her respects.
The woman was indeed beautiful, with a cool and otherworldly beauty, completely different from herself.
An uncontrollable fire of jealousy burned fiercely in her heart. From then on, whenever she encountered Mu Hanyan, Su Su couldn't help but attack her with the most vicious words:
"Sister Wanpin's attire is quite simple and plain. If you didn't know better, you would think that a nun with hair has come to the palace to practice Buddhism."
"I've heard that my sister is skilled in medicine? You must be careful, lest it be some kind of unorthodox or heretical practice that taints the tranquility of the palace."
"Who are you trying to impress with that aloof act all day? His Majesty is just temporarily infatuated with you because of this one thing that makes you different!"
Consort Zhuang was delighted with this outcome and even secretly fanned the flames, sending the "out-of-mind" Su Su to deal with the newly favored Consort Wan.
Later, when Consort Zhuang learned that Mu Hanyan was pregnant, she felt a sense of crisis.
She was determined to kill two birds with one stone: to eliminate the future threat and to send Su Su to hell.
She ordered someone to find the secret medicine from the southwest called "Ru Meng Ling" and gave it to her sister, Princess Ning, intending to use her to cause Mu Hanyan to miscarry at the plum blossom banquet and frame Su Su for the crime.
However, Princess Ning backed out at the last minute and didn't want to do it.
Consort Zhuang, not one to back down, personally arranged for her trusted palace maid to carry the "Dream Token" and find an opportunity to get close to Mu Hanyan.
Meanwhile, she secretly put the remaining spices into the wardrobe in Su Su Changxin Palace.
At the time of the incident, Su Su was still immersed in the suffocating pain brought about by the news that "Mu Hanyan is pregnant with the imperial heir".
It felt like a hole had been ripped open in my heart, and a cold wind was rushing in.
Before she could recover from the shock and heartbreak, an even fiercer storm descended upon her—the charge of plotting to murder the imperial heir struck her like a flying boulder, leaving her dizzy and speechless.
She was almost stunned, even her grievances were slow to come. The immense injustice and the previous heartache intertwined into a tangled mess, making it difficult for her to even form a complete explanation.
In this confused state, news arrived that the Empress Dowager had personally visited Changxin Palace.
She did not enter, but stood outside the palace gate, her phoenix face frosty, her gaze falling on Su Su, who was kneeling and crying, as if she were looking at filth.
"Su Su!" The Empress Dowager's voice was colder and sterner than ever before, trembling slightly with extreme disappointment. "You actually committed such a heinous act as murdering a royal heir! Have all my teachings over the years failed to reach you in the slightest?!"
"Aunt, it wasn't me! It really wasn't Susu, you have to believe me..." Susu sobbed uncontrollably, struggling to step forward.
"shut up!"
The Empress Dowager interrupted sharply, each word like an ice pick striking down, "Imperial heirs are my bottom line, and the bottom line of the royal family! You have now become so depraved, touching this sore spot, no one will tolerate you! From now on, whether you live or die, I will no longer care—you, you'd better watch yourself!"
"Aunt!" Su Su reached out, wanting to tug at the Empress Dowager's clothes as she had when she was a child, begging for her pity, but she only grasped a piece of cold, bone-chilling air.
The Empress Dowager gave her one last look, her eyes devoid of any warmth, filled only with utter disgust and resolute determination. She uttered those same two words through her teeth: "Foolish!"
Having said that, she turned away resolutely, her phoenix robe trailing on the ground, showing no trace of regret.
Su Su slumped to the cold ground, watching the figure disappear mercilessly at the end of the palace road. She felt as if the last mountain of support in the world had collapsed and shattered into dust before her eyes.
She could no longer hold on and collapsed to the ground, weeping bitterly. Her cries were so mournful and desperate that they echoed for a long time in the desolate Changxin Palace.
This matter involves the imperial heir and is of utmost importance; an explanation must be given to both the imperial court and the harem.
Driven by Consort Zhuang's faction and the overwhelming "public opinion," despite his lingering doubts, Li Qianche issued an edict to demote Consort Su to the Cold Palace amidst a chorus of petitions.
He thought that although the cold palace was a hardship, at least it could temporarily save her life, keep her away from these troubles, and allow her to calmly reflect on her actions.
Once he finds out the whole truth, he will clear her name and be able to bring her out soon.
"It wasn't me! I didn't! Your Majesty! I'm innocent!" Su Su cried and struggled as she was dragged out of Changxin Palace.
The palace servants who came to escort her had already received instructions from Consort Zhuang, so they didn't allow her to explain and roughly shoved her.
Seeing how they treated her mistress, Qiuju was heartbroken. She rushed forward to protect Su Su, crying out, "You are not allowed to touch our mistress! Our mistress is innocent!"
An impatient guard tried to pull her away forcefully. Qiuju struggled desperately, and the guard lost his grip. He was already ruthless, and his sword was drawn half an inch from its sheath during the shoving. The cold blade instantly sliced across Qiuju's slender neck!
Fresh blood, like red plum blossoms, suddenly bloomed on the cold palace path.
Qiuju stared wide-eyed at the guard in disbelief, her body going limp as she collapsed, maintaining her protective posture until her death.
"Qiuju—!" Su Su let out an extremely shrill scream, her vision went black, and she almost fainted.
As she watched Qiuju's body grow colder and the glaring crimson blood, her entire world seemed to collapse before her.
Consort Zhuang was overjoyed upon hearing the news, thinking that the obstacle had been removed and the position of Empress was within her grasp.
She began to frequent the imperial study, bringing pastries and soup, in an attempt to win back the emperor's favor.
However, she caught Li Qianche staring blankly at a simple jade hairpin several times, his fingertips repeatedly stroking the hairpin, his eyes filled with a melancholy and tenderness she had never seen before. It was clearly an old item belonging to Su Su!
On another occasion, she clearly heard Li Qianche instructing Shen Gaoyi outside the palace: "Find a beautiful place with clear waters and lush mountains to properly bury Qiuju. Then go to the Shenxing Division, bring Chunlan out, find a reliable imperial physician, and make sure she is cured."
She bit her lips tightly until she tasted blood, and jealousy gnawed at her heart like a venomous snake.
She never imagined that even in this state, the Emperor would still be so attached to that wretched woman, even to the point of loving her so much that he extended that affection to her as well!
"Su Su...you are still my biggest obstacle!" Consort Zhuang's eyes flashed with murderous intent. "Since the Emperor still has you in his heart, I cannot let you live!"
Shortly after Su Su was banished to the cold palace, Su Mufeng and Su Jizhi were heartbroken upon hearing the news.
The father and son knelt outside the imperial study overnight to request an audience.
"Your Majesty," Su Mufeng said, his head touching the ground, his voice heavy with sorrow yet resolute, "My daughter, Susu, is young and ignorant. I swear on my life that she could never have harmed the imperial heir! There must be some injustice involved. I beg Your Majesty to investigate thoroughly! My daughter's current state is entirely due to my poor upbringing. I am willing to resign from my post and retire with my entire family, never to return to the capital. I only ask that Your Majesty grant me the grace to take her away... In this way, I can give an explanation to the court and the harem."
Su Jizhi also kowtowed heavily: "Your Majesty, please grant our request! We are willing to return all our titles and honors in exchange for our sister's life!"
However, no matter how earnestly they pleaded, the emperor on his throne never relented.
After a long while, Li Qianche let the two into the imperial study, where they continued to kneel and beg for mercy.
"Su Qing," Li Qianche's voice came from above, revealing neither joy nor anger, "She is my concubine. Whether she stays or leaves is entirely up to me. I have my own arrangements for this matter."
His gaze swept over the two of them, finally settling on the mountain of memorials. His tone softened slightly, "Let's go back to the manor and wait." Li Qianche thought to herself that she would be out soon.
Seeing that the Emperor had not yet made a definitive statement and that his mind was made up, Su Mufeng and Su Jizhi exchanged a glance, and finally kowtowed deeply: "Your subject... obeys the decree."
Stepping out of the palace gates, a biting wind swept through. Su Jizhi looked back at the towering palaces, a bitter taste rising in his throat.
The only solution now is to secretly investigate the connections between the steward's son, the second wife, and even the Zhuang family. If we can achieve something, we might be able to plead with the Emperor to grant Su Su a pardon and release her from the palace.
Thinking of this, he withdrew his gaze, and could only place all his worries and concerns for his sister's safety on the emperor's weighty words, "There are other arrangements."
Meanwhile, while investigating the old case of the Prince of Ning's heir, Li Qianche followed the clues and found that the origin of the "Dream Order" was related to the Grand Tutor's Mansion.
He was filled with shock and anger, realizing that a larger conspiracy was hidden behind it, so he immediately and secretly summoned Su Mufeng and Su Jizhi.
Inside the imperial study, candlelight flickered. The Su family father and son presented all the clues they had secretly gathered regarding collusion between the Zhuang family and the Su family, which corroborated the evidence of the Grand Tutor's Mansion's crimes held by the emperor.
After a secret discussion, they devised a plan to lure the snake out of its hole.
To lull Grand Tutor Zhuang into a false sense of security, Li Qianche feigned compliance and imprisoned Su Mufeng and his son on charges of "treason and collusion with the enemy." In reality, he secretly ordered Ye Ying to intensify the collection of irrefutable evidence that the Grand Tutor had formed cliques, framed concubines, and might even have colluded with foreign enemies.
When Consort Zhuang learned that Li Qianche still cared about Su Su, her murderous intent intensified.
She couldn't wait any longer; she had to take advantage of Su Su's time in the cold palace and the Su family's downfall to completely eliminate this major threat!
She took a desperate gamble and forged an imperial edict ordering her death.
That day, Mu Hanyan went to the Imperial Study to ask Li Qianche about Pei Xuan's recent situation. From afar, she saw Consort Zhuang holding a bright yellow imperial edict and leading her trusted confidante Yingchun, hurrying towards the Cold Palace.
Her heart tightened, sensing something was wrong, and she immediately quickened her pace to the Imperial Study.
The years spent in the cold palace have long since worn away Su Su's former radiance; now she is emaciated and disheveled.
The image of Qiuju's tragic death haunts her dreams every night. Chunlan was dragged to the Imperial Prison on the very day she was imprisoned in the Cold Palace, and her fate remains unknown to this day.
The palace servants were adept at changing their tune depending on the wind. Her food and clothing were rationed, leaving her hungry and cold all day long, suffering from illness and pain. She could only barely survive by digging up grass roots and tree bark.
Only because Xiao Anzi remembered her past kindness and occasionally managed to secretly bring her some food, she was able to barely survive.
All around her were the incessant screams and wails of the former dynasty's disgraced concubines, which gnawed at her remaining sanity like maggots clinging to her bones.
In this boundless despair, she had only one thought: why did she end up like this?
That day, she finally succumbed to her illness and collapsed heavily onto the cold ground. Her consciousness was blurred, and she felt cold all over, as if her life was slowly slipping away.
Perhaps... dying like this would be for the best...
Just as she lay dying, the dilapidated gates of the Cold Palace were kicked open with a loud bang. Consort Zhuang, holding an imperial edict, strode in arrogantly, surrounded by a group of eunuchs.
"Drag that criminal woman over here!" Consort Zhuang commanded coldly.
Two strong, burly old women roughly dragged the dying Su Su into the courtyard and forced her to kneel on the cold snow.
Zhuang Shuning unfurled the forged imperial edict and proclaimed loudly: "You sinful woman, Su, are of despicable character and have plotted to harm the imperial heir. Your crimes are unforgivable! His Majesty is benevolent and grants you a complete corpse, but hereby awards you a cup of poisoned wine. You shall be executed immediately!"
Su Su lifted her heavy eyelids, staring at the bright yellow scroll, shaking her head repeatedly, her chapped lips moving: "No... impossible... he wouldn't... I need to see the Emperor..."
She couldn't believe that the man she had grown up with and who had given her countless tender moments could be so heartless.
Consort Zhuang grinned maliciously, squatted down, and forcefully grabbed her chin: "You wretch! You're about to die and you still have delusions! Your father and brothers have treasoned and are already in prison, to be executed soon! The Emperor hates your Su family to the bone, how could he possibly see you again? Obediently drink this cup of wine, so you'll suffer less!"
Su Su struggled desperately, her vision blurred by tears mixed with snow water.
Consort Zhuang lost her patience and gave the old nanny a meaningful look.
The old nanny stepped forward and held Su Su down tightly, while Consort Zhuang pried open her mouth. She then personally picked up the cup of poisoned wine and forced it down Su Su's throat!
The burning, spicy liquid rushed into her lungs, and Su Su coughed violently, her body writhing in pain.
She lay on the cold snow, her gaze unfocused as she stared at the gray sky, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth, staining the white snow beneath her.
This life has been absurd; if there is an afterlife… if there is an afterlife… she never wants to fall in love with him again…
Consort Zhuang watched with satisfaction as she looked at her suffering, a cruel smile on her face.
Just then, her trusted confidante Yingchun rushed over, her face filled with panic, and whispered in her ear, "Your Majesty! Something terrible has happened! The Emperor... the Emperor is coming towards the Cold Palace! It seems he knows! We must leave quickly! If His Majesty sees us, we'll be in grave danger!"
Consort Zhuang's expression changed drastically. He really... still couldn't let go of that wretched woman! And she arrived so quickly!
She glared hatefully at the dying Su Su on the ground and spat, "You wretch!" With that, she hurriedly led her people and fled through the back door of the Cold Palace.
The wind and snow grew stronger, mercilessly covering this filthy land and gradually silencing Su Su's faint breaths and the tears that had not yet dried.
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