Emperor Cheng purged the court and the country, struck at Dongyang, and greatly enhanced the prestige of the nation.
This news also reached the ears of Prince Yuan, Emperor Jingyuan, who was stationed far away on the frontier. He was wearing armor and riding a horse on the desolate icy riverbank, with a faint sadness in his deep eyes.
He's been having recurring dreams about the Imperial Concubine lately, dreaming of their first meeting and her tragic death. He can't help but wonder if something has truly happened that his elder brother has taken such drastic action.
But if someone had really been in trouble, why didn't the palace announce a funeral? His unease made him restless, and he decided to go back and see her, even if it was just to catch a glimpse of her from afar. If she was safe and sound, he would be fine even if he was punished.
Ignoring his soldiers' advice, Emperor Jingyuan rode away from the camp that very night, heading towards the capital. The weather was freezing cold, the roads were difficult to travel, and his horse slipped and fell, injuring himself in several places, but he still refused to stop.
What should have been a seven-day journey, he pushed his horse at breakneck speed, traveling day and night, killing several fine steeds in the process, and finally returned to the palace in three days.
He rode into the palace, ignoring the imperial guards' attempts to stop him, and went straight to the entrance of Emperor Jingcheng's bedchamber. He dismounted and looked at the palace, which remained unchanged, eerily silent.
He stood there, feeling a mix of trepidation and unease, unsure how to face her.
At this moment, Zheng He'er and Cheng Yi led a group of men carrying a person over. Emperor Jingyuan looked closely and saw that it was a corpse, Cheng Si, the secret guard by his elder brother's side.
What's wrong?
Zheng He saw Emperor Jingyuan from afar on the palace road and hurriedly stepped forward, saying, "(Your subject) This servant greets Prince Yuan."
The people behind bowed one by one, and Di Jingyuan stepped forward to examine the corpse: "What happened here?"
"Does Your Highness wish to see the Emperor? This servant will inform him on your behalf." Zheng He'er replied irrelevantly, ordering his men to carry the corpse inside.
Inside the inner palace, Emperor Jingcheng was in a dark room with Ranla Azi, holding her as they lay on an ice bed, talking to her in a somewhat eerie atmosphere.
Zheng He Er walked in quietly and sighed silently: "Your Majesty, Prince Yuan has returned, and Cheng Si's body has been found."
"Mmm." Di Jingcheng slowly got up, gently placed Azi on the ice bed, and kissed her tenderly for a while before getting up.
Zheng He followed the emperor out to the front yard.
Di Jingcheng stood on the steps, looking at the stiff corpse in the snow, his eyes filled with venom. He died just like that, too easy for him.
I never expected to raise such an ungrateful wretch: "Drag him away, tear him to pieces, and then feed him to the dogs."
"Yes, Your Majesty." Cheng Yi immediately ordered the body to be dragged away and disposed of, and then began to tell the truth in detail.
"As Eunuch Zheng has found out, Cheng Si and Consort Xian had an affair, which caused Her Majesty to suffer. It was all my dereliction of duty that I failed to detect it in time. I beg Your Majesty to punish me."
Cheng Yi knelt down in the snow with a thud, ready to die, overwhelmed with self-reproach.
"Now is not the time to punish you. Where are those two vile women?" Emperor Jingcheng could no longer suppress his anger and spoke fiercely.
"Your Majesty, they have been brought here. I have them brought in."
Cheng got up and walked outside.
Emperor Jingyuan was already barging in, and the guards couldn't stop him. When he burst in and saw his elder brother filled with murderous intent, he pushed aside the guards blocking his way without a second thought.
"Get out of my way, don't stop me."
Emperor Jingyuan ran over and said, "Your subject greets Your Majesty."
Di Jingcheng looked at him, feeling somewhat guilty: "Why did you come back? I didn't give you any orders to come back."
"The palace is in such chaos, does Your Highness intend to face this alone? Also, where is the Imperial Concubine? What happened to her?"
Seeing that Di Jingcheng was about to fly into a rage, Zheng He'er quickly stepped forward and winked at Di Jingyuan: "Your Highness, you must be tired from your journey. Why don't you go back and rest for a while?"
"Hmph, what exactly happened to her? Tell me, Your Majesty!"
As Di Jingcheng listened to his heart-wrenching question, his eyes turned bloodshot as he looked at him, filled with rage but also with deep sorrow.
Neither of them spoke again, but stood silently facing each other in the snow. Both were dressed in black, and their once tall and straight backs seemed to have become much more hunched.
The snow that had stopped in the morning began to fall again, landing on the two men's hair and bodies, making their two tall, dark figures stand out starkly against the snow.
The two most distinguished people remained silent, and none of the servants and guards dared to move, remaining quietly in the snow.
It wasn't until Cheng Yi brought the Empress and Consort Xian in that the cries of the two women echoed in the front courtyard. It was Consort Xian, Mu Wanyu's delicate voice, tinged with anger: "Your Majesty, I am innocent! Your Majesty! You damned servant, release me at once!"
"Your Majesty, it was all the Empress who forced me! I am innocent!"
Empress Nalan Yun'er, escorted by guards, staggered in, her face numb. Her family had already been exterminated, and she knew she wouldn't escape either. She wondered how the foreign woman was doing; she was truly tenacious, managing to survive even after all that.
Nalan Yun'er glanced disdainfully at the weeping Consort Xian, thinking, "What a fool."
The guards threw the two women into the snow and made them kneel, pressing the hilts of their swords against their necks, rendering them unable to move.
The two of them were used to being pampered and spoiled, and had never suffered like this before. They were shivering, probably from both cold and pain.
Zheng He walked up to Emperor Jingcheng and whispered, "Your Majesty, the person has been brought."
Di Jingcheng looked away and glanced at the two disheveled women in the snow. He stepped forward and kicked one of them. Caught off guard, the two women cried out in pain as they were kicked by the emperor.
Bright red blood seeped from the corners of their mouths, dripping onto the snow-white ground. They felt as if their ribs were about to break, and the pain was so intense that they couldn't straighten their backs.
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