"Who is it?!" Su Yun cried out in fright, only then paying attention to the person who had crashed down. Upon seeing the person, she was immediately terrified, her face turning as white as if it had been painted.
"Your Majesty! What has happened? How dare someone lay a hand on Your Majesty? Guards! Guards!"
Emperor Liang Yuan had never been so disheveled in his life. His robes were covered in dust, blood dripped from the corner of his mouth, and he coughed every now and then, causing the blood to flow even faster. His meticulously combed hair was in complete disarray, and his hair ornament had fallen to the ground.
Su Yun was extremely flustered. Who on earth had the audacity to lay a hand on the Emperor? And why had no one responded to his calls for so long?
He had just sent everyone out of the palace, leaving only two or three trusted confidants by his side, all in an effort to torment Bai Yiran. This was intended to make things easier, but he hadn't expected this to happen.
"Alright, stop arguing. Even if you shout yourself hoarse, no one will come in." A clear, cheerful female voice, tinged with laughter, lashed in like a bucket of cold water, causing Su Yun's rapidly beating heart to slow down.
The newcomer wore a light blue palace dress, with flying white cranes embroidered on the collar and cuffs, each feather distinct and lifelike. A faint smile graced her refined and mature face, and her gaze was calm and serene.
"Consort Xian?" Su Yun recognized her at a glance. Who else could it be but Consort Xian, who was in charge of the harem?
He had already taken over the palace affairs from Consort Xian and had the Emperor confine her to Chaoyang Palace, preventing her from leaving. How could she walk out so openly? What exactly were the guards responsible for protecting Chaoyang Palace doing?
"Consort Xian, how dare you lay a hand on the Emperor! This is treasonous and suspected of rebellion. I advise you to surrender, or your family will be implicated. Your entire Bai family will never have a good life."
Su Yun helped Emperor Liang Yuan up, glaring fiercely at Wu You, his mind racing. Although he wanted to kill Emperor Liang Yuan, it wasn't the right time yet. If the other party died now, he wouldn't have an easy time either; they were now in the same boat.
"Su Yun, you've only been in charge of palace affairs for a few days, do you really think you're the mistress of the harem? Don't think that just because the emperor listens to you, you can control the world." Wuyou sat lazily on a chair placed to the side with a mocking smile on her lips.
"And do you really think you and the Emperor can leave Fengyi Palace smoothly today?" Wuyou raised her hand slightly, and under the sunlight, her fair hand was almost transparent, and you could even see the bright red color of the blood flowing through it. Her tone was nonchalant.
Su Yun's face turned pale instantly. He understood what Wuyou meant: the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. He had thought he was the one reaping the benefits, but little did he know that someone else had already become the oriole behind the scenes.
"Consort Xian, even if you control the entire palace, the Emperor's sudden death, my death, and the Empress's deposition will benefit you the most. Aren't you afraid of being criticized by the world? A thousand-mile dike can be breached by an ant hole. Do you want to watch your son be criticized for the rest of his life because of this?"
Su Yun was eloquent and insightful, and he quickly grasped Wu You's plan: to kill all those in the know so he could elevate his son to power. But every coin has two sides. If he could seize this other side and exploit the other party's weakness, he wouldn't be without a way out.
"So what do you want?" Wuyou raised an eyebrow, showing some interest in Su Yun's idea.
"If Your Highness spares my life, I can let the Emperor die slowly, leaving behind an imperial edict that will make the Crown Prince's ascension to the throne legitimate." Su Yun suddenly became energized, crawled two steps to his knees, stared straight at Wuyou, and his eyes gleamed with determination.
Emperor Liang Yuan was completely captivated by him, and whatever he said went. Moreover, it was incredibly easy for him to imitate the emperor's handwriting and forge an imperial edict by following him around.
"It seems that Consort Su has been hiding a lot of things from us!" Wuyou's lips curled up. It was indeed similar to her previous life. However, in her previous life, Su Yun forged an imperial edict in her own son's name. In this life, Su Yun probably will never have the chance to be a mother again.
"Cough cough, you...you are utterly rebellious! I...I will kill you!" Emperor Liang Yuan had already woken up and heard the two women's conversation clearly. He mustered all his strength and glared fiercely at them. "Consort Xian, I have treated you well, yet you treat me like this..."
"Your Majesty is mistaken. Ever since the day you married my sister, you have owed us, mother and son, a debt. More than a decade has passed, and Your Majesty has enjoyed so much freedom. It is time for you to repay it."
These were words that Bai Wuyou had kept in her heart for a long time. Today, she finally had the opportunity to say them, and Wuyou felt a sense of relief and triumph.
"You vicious woman!" Emperor Liang Yuan's eyes widened in surprise. So the Virtuous Consort's magnanimity and kindness all these years had been an act; she was truly cunning and shameless. What did it matter if a man had three wives and four concubines? To hold a grudge against him over this—was she even a woman?
Wuyou slowly stood up, surrounded by his trusted confidants, so there was no need for him to be discreet. He slowly approached Emperor Liang Yuan, a pill the size of a thumb in his hand, and swiftly stuffed it into the emperor's mouth.
"Don't worry, Your Majesty, I never intended to kill you. I'm just asking you to move to a different position. I will take good care of you and have people serve you well."
Gently patting the other's cheek, Wuyou's smile looked to Emperor Liang Yuan like a vengeful ghost.
"Ah ah..." He wanted to open his mouth to scold, but he couldn't utter a single sound. Emperor Liang Yuan tried to touch his throat, but he didn't even have the strength to move. His whole body was as limp as a noodle.
"From now on, you will obediently serve as the Retired Emperor, and I will certainly not mistreat you." Wuyou smiled and waved her hand behind her. Two tall and burly eunuchs immediately lifted Emperor Liang Yuan up and escorted him away from Yiyuan Palace. Si Xi, who was guarding outside the door, looked at his former master in such a state with sympathy and followed him back.
The Imperial Concubine promised him that as long as he handled this matter well, she would be allowed to leave the palace to live out his days. After spending his whole life in the palace, it would be good to have a peaceful end, especially since the current emperor was no longer the emperor he once was.
"Consort Xian, I never imagined I'd underestimated you all this time. You're truly a master of deception! You've schemed against everyone, even instigating the conflict between me and the Empress, haven't you?"
Su Yun's eyes widened in disbelief. Seeing Wuyou's skillful maneuver that rendered Emperor Liang Yuan a cripple, he felt a surge of panic. This Consort Xian was too cunning. The court and the harem praised her for her virtue and kindness, yet she concealed herself so perfectly because of past grievances, which was enough to show how deep her scheming and cunning were.
It seems that nothing in the harem escaped the other party's notice, and many things were orchestrated by him. Despite his self-proclaimed status as a female strategist, he fell into this person's trap from the very beginning.
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