He never told her he loved her, but she loved him madly.
But no one expected that he would die at her hands.
Yes, everyone thought that Princess Shanlai killed Emperor Yuming, but that's not true. He died at her hands, at the hands of his wife.
That day, she was chanting scriptures in the Buddhist hall of Phoenix Palace. Ever since her hands were stained with the blood of innocent people, she had made chanting scriptures a daily routine.
The eunuch she had placed by Emperor Yuming's side came to report that Princess Shanlai had entered the palace.
Cai Yuping hummed in agreement, but waited for the time it takes for two incense sticks to burn before getting up and walking towards the palace where Emperor Yuming was.
Princess Shanlai had already left by then. He did not swallow the medicine she fed to Emperor Yuming; instead, he pressed it under his tongue and waited for an opportunity to spit it out.
He vomited just as she entered, and Wuchang was standing nearby watching. Upon seeing her, he bowed respectfully. Wuchang was someone she had planted beside Emperor Yuming, or rather, a pawn she used to monitor him.
She walked to the bedside and sat down, calmly taking the towel from Minhua's hand and gently wiping the sweat from the forehead of the dying Emperor Yuming.
"Your Majesty... Your Majesty... You've come." Upon seeing her, Emperor Yuming seemed quite pleased, though his speech remained somewhat slurred.
Cai Yuping looked at him calmly, "Your Majesty, I have arrived."
His eyes were very cloudy. "You...you call someone to arrest Zhao and Mingmiao...and anyone else..."
“Your Majesty,” Cai Yuping interrupted him, “I understand what you mean, but could you please answer one question for me first?”
Emperor Yuming rolled his clouded eyes.
"When you ascended the throne, you said that the world's prosperity would be shared by you and me, husband and wife. But why has everything changed since Qin Niao entered the palace?" She smiled and said calmly, "Tell me."
Emperor Yuming seemed not to hear her question, and kept calling out Consort Qin's nickname, "Niao Niao... Yes, there's also Niao Niao."
"Heh." Cai Yuping scoffed lightly, "You've always been attached to her, which is why you've ended up like this. You knew perfectly well that she was sent to the palace by Qin Deng, yet you still obeyed her every word."
Cai Yuping put down the towel and glanced at him. "You're so good to her, but have you seen her come to take care of you?"
"Niao Niao... Where is my Niao Niao..." Emperor Yuming murmured repeatedly.
"Don't even think about it, she won't come." Cai Yuping's lips curled up, her eyes slightly cold. "After all, you went to such lengths to make me fall in love with you, even risking your life to lure me in. Let me see you off on this final stretch of the journey."
She took out a small porcelain bottle from her bosom, pried open Emperor Yuming's mouth, and poured all the liquid inside into it.
Emperor Yuming, as if experiencing a final burst of energy before death, struggled to his feet, but was held down by Wuchang, unable to move. He stared at Cai Yuping in disbelief, seemingly unable to comprehend that she would harbor murderous intent towards him.
Cai Yuping threw the bottle on the ground, her expression indifferent. "Your Majesty, may you have a safe journey."
Goodbye, Zhao Yunyu.
...
...
Empress Dowager Xiaozhen exhaled a sigh of frustration and turned to enter the imperial mausoleum.
She made too many mistakes in her life.
If she hadn't gone to Jinglin Temple, she wouldn't have been tricked by him and thus fallen in love with him without hesitation.
Because she loved him, she wanted to clear all obstacles for him. She killed many innocent people, whether they were his own people who resisted him or his own brothers who were vying for the throne.
Because she loved him, she restrained her temper and tolerated his closeness with other women.
Because she loved him, she treated his daughter with another man as her own. She even sent many assassins to kill Qin Qi, the one who had humiliated her, for her sake.
...
But none of that matters anymore; she won't do those things again. She will stay by his side and spend the rest of her life atoning for her sins.
'Yunyu, my name is Zhao Yunyu. Remember that.'
————
Empress Dowager Xiaozhen's side story, complete.
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