After Zhen'er's hands and feet, which had been bound by the bed curtains, were untied, she trembled and broke down, crying loudly around the quilt.
"Stop crying, how should we handle this?"
Compared to Zhen'er, Ji'er, who had just stabbed Huang San to death, was unusually calm, but her hands and feet were also cold and stiff, and she was momentarily at a loss.
Bloodstains were on the bedding, and blood continued to overflow from beneath Huang San's body on the floor.
Zhen'er was still sobbing, her eyes blurred with tears as she looked at Huang San lying in a pool of blood. The sudden glimmer of hope that she had escaped from the brink of death overwhelmed everything else.
"We must not let anyone find out. We must deal with Huang San."
Zhen'er is already in a precarious situation, and fearing that Xifu Palace will attract attention and bring trouble, she is determined to cover up the matter.
After thinking about it for a while, Jill also felt that this was the only way for now. She remembered that among the medicine powder she had brought into the palace, there was still a bottle of bone-dissolving powder that she hadn't used.
"Hurry up and get dressed, tidy up the room, I'll go get the medicine powder, and then call Runhe in so we can dispose of Huang San's body together."
As soon as Jill left, Zhen'er suppressed her emotions, trembling as she picked up a piece of clothing and put it on before getting out of bed.
The candlestick was still stuck in Huang San's back. Zhen'er pulled it out with force, but there was nothing blocking it. Blood from the wound spurted out, splashing all over her head and face.
The overwhelming smell of blood was too much for her to bear; she collapsed to the side, crying and vomiting at the same time.
On the other side, Jill couldn't wake Runhe, who was lying on the ground unconscious from the sleeping potion. After finding bone-dissolving powder in the house, Jill simply found a pot of cold tea and poured it all over Runhe's head.
After being woken up by the cold tea, Jill took Runhe into Zhen'er's room and locked the door.
Upon entering the room, Runhe was stunned by the strong smell of blood and the blood everywhere. Seeing Zhen'er vomiting under the bed, she hesitated and dared not approach.
"Go and bring the teapot over."
Jill instructed Runhe to fetch tea for her, and then sprinkled the bone-dissolving powder evenly on Huang San's body. After sprinkling it, she poured tea over it, and Huang San's body made a crackling sound.
Runhe watched as Huang San's body gradually turned into something unrecognizable, and she was so frightened that she fell to the ground with a thud.
"Hurry up and pack!"
While waiting for the body to decompose, Jill pulled Zhen'er and Runhe together to clean up the bloodstains and took the blood-stained bedding out and threw it aside.
After collecting them, Jill put the fabric into a copper basin, then took a candlestick and lit the fabric with a candle.
Unable to bear the choking, Zhen'er tried to open the window, but Ji'er stopped her.
"You're not allowed to open the window? Are you trying to make sure everyone knows?"
Fortunately, the palace maids and eunuchs of Xifu Palace were usually lazy and most of them were resting in the East Hall. It was the middle of the night, and everyone was dead. Even if someone heard a sound, they would only think that Huang San had succeeded in raping Zhen Cai Ren.
The three of them endured the choking smoke, and the liquid from the dissolved bone powder flowed everywhere, which Jill covered with a blanket.
"That's about it."
After a while, the blood-stained cloth burned out, and Huang San's remains were almost completely decomposed, but large pieces of bone fragments and flesh remained.
After taking the clothes out of the trunk, Jill and Zhen'er put the charred cloth, Huang San's body parts, and the quilt used for wiping the floor into the large wooden trunk.
The box was so big and heavy that neither of them could lift it.
"Go and wake Feng Qicai up. He's already asked to come and help move things. Just don't make any other noise."
After a busy day, Zhen'er forgot about her sadness and fear. Knowing that Feng Qicai was also sleeping in the side room of the West Palace, she asked Runhe to call Feng Qicai, the only eunuch she could trust, to come and help.
When Feng Qicai arrived, he was stronger as a man and was able to lift the box with Runhe.
“There’s a pond outside the palace. Carry the boxes over there and sink them in the pond. Xifu Palace is always secluded and the night patrols are lenient, so no one should see you. Go quickly and come back quickly.”
After instructing Runhe and Feng Qicai to move the boxes away, Zhen'er swallowed hard and continued cleaning the house with Ji'er.
"That's about it. If they ask tomorrow, just say you accidentally burned the blanket last night. If anyone asks about Huang San's whereabouts, just say you don't know. Anyway, if they can't find him, they can't suspect that we hid him."
After cleaning the house, Jill pulled Zhen'er into her own room.
As soon as she entered the room, Zhen'er couldn't stand up. She threw herself onto the bed, buried her face in the quilt, and cried bitterly, her voice sobbing and desolate.
Jill wiped her face, which was already streaked with tears. After this harrowing night, both of them knew in their hearts that they had no way out.
He walked over and put his arm around Zhen'er's shoulder. The two of them thought about the various disasters they were about to face and the dark future, and they hugged each other and cried bitterly.
Meanwhile, Feng Qicai and Runhe carried the box all the way to the pond and pushed it in, just as the guards watching them saw them. As soon as they returned to the palace, the box that had sunk into the pond was retrieved.
Upon opening the box, the leader of the secret guards was nearly nauseous at the sight of the scattered human flesh, organs, and fragments of bone. At the crack of dawn, he reported the news up the chain of command.
After the morning court session, Liu Heng learned of the news and sent men to detain and interrogate Zhen Cai Ren, Ji Cai Ren, and all the servants of the Xifu Palace.
The palace had a special interrogation office, and the interrogation room was fully equipped with all kinds of torture instruments. The eunuchs in charge were all trained.
After the interrogators discovered that the deceased was Huang San, they pressed them to reveal how they had managed to destroy the body in that state. Because the interrogations were conducted separately, Runhe was the first to succumb to the torture and confessed that Ji Cairen had used a mysterious powder to dissolve Huang San's remains.
The two concubines were treated slightly better, as the dignity of the imperial concubines was taken into consideration, and they were not directly tortured, but the focus was still placed on Concubine Ji.
Remembering what he had been told, Ji Cairen knew he had no chance of survival. Thinking of his family who were being held captive back in their hometown, he hardened his heart and bit off his tongue to commit suicide.
The eunuch in charge of the interrogation did not expect that Lady Ji, a woman and a delicate concubine, would be so decisive and ruthless. By the time he pounced on her and dislocated her jawbone, a piece of Lady Ji's tongue had already been protruded, and blood was dripping continuously. She died in less than a breath.
After Jill's death, Zhen'er's place was heavily guarded. Unable to withstand the torture, Zhen'er and Feng Qicai confessed to what they had done.
Back in the Wang family, the nanny who was in charge of training them used to be from a brothel. In addition to teaching them various bedroom arts, she also had a fortuitous encounter where she was taught a herbal medicine manual by a master, and was especially skilled in making poisons.
Jill was the nanny's favorite among them, so before they left, the nanny gave Jill various secret and magical poisons.
When Jill first entered the palace, she concealed the presence of these medicinal powders with Zhen'er's help, so Zhen'er knew almost everything about her carrying the mysterious poison.
When Zhen'er heard that Consort Lü suffered from a chronic cough and needed to go to the Imperial Hospital every month to get medicine, she had a thought. After trying to dissuade her for a while without success, Ji'er gave her the poison she could find.
Feng Qicai bumped into Wu Yi, who was picking up medicine, and took the opportunity to help him collect the herbs, including a poison from the Western Regions called "Soul Hook" which he put into the bag. Soul Hook is small in appearance, similar to Eucommia ulmoides, and is not easily distinguishable when mixed in with other Chinese herbs.
Moreover, the eunuchs who prepared the medicine were not able to distinguish the properties of the herbs, so the plan proceeded smoothly, and Lü Liangdi soon began to cough up blood.
The "Soul-Snatching" medicine is also known as "Seven Days of Blood," meaning that after taking this medicine, one will cough up blood continuously for seven days, resembling tuberculosis, making it indistinguishable even to experienced doctors. After seven days, the symptoms gradually disappear, but the toxicity remains deep within the body.
The poison quickly spreads from the lungs and internal organs to the brain. Seven days later, the person appears healthy on the surface, but their spirit is destroyed. Because the person becomes confused and disoriented after the poison takes effect, this poison is called "Soul-Hook."
Unexpectedly, Lü Liangdi was too weak and had a severe reaction to the poisoning. Her original cough worsened, and she died shortly afterward.
On the surface, this poison had no other obvious side effects, and the Soul-Reaping Poison was a rare and precious medicine from the Western Regions, so the imperial physicians in the Imperial Hospital did not find anything abnormal during their routine examinations. It was only after Liu Heng ordered an autopsy on Consort Lü that traces of poisoning were discovered.
The purse that Consort Zhen gave to Lady Baili contained powder made from ground acacia seeds, which was highly poisonous. It was mixed with aphrodisiacs and ground together. When sprinkled on the ground, it would be absorbed quickly without leaving a trace.
The scent of acacia seeds is both incredibly attractive and deadly to ants. So, when acacia seed powder is sprinkled on the ground and absorbed, it attracts a ring of dead ants.
What happened next was beyond Zhen'er's explanation. She didn't understand why the title she was originally supposed to have, "Consort Zhen," had changed to something else.
Her original intention was to use this opportunity to create an air of mystery and attract Liu Heng's attention. If Liu Heng trusted her even a little and favored her, she would have achieved her goal; she didn't necessarily need to be made a concubine.
After hearing the results of the court hearing, Liu Heng detained Lady Baili again. He sent someone to the Liuan Palace for questioning, but Lady Baili couldn't withstand the intimidation and confessed everything without much effort. Her words matched Lady Zhen's omnipotence, and Lady Baili didn't know what was wrong with her.
The fact that the ant prophecy had spread outside the palace so quickly led Liu Heng to believe that there must be an inside agent within the palace, Ji Cairen. Sure enough, his investigation confirmed his suspicions. Besides discovering that Bai Mo, a palace maid from the Shangyi Bureau, had visited Xifu Palace and had contact with Ji Cairen...
During the investigation, the secret guards unexpectedly discovered that Bai Mo and Xiang'er, a palace maid in Lü Liangdi's palace, had a very close personal relationship. The two not only had frequent contact but also addressed each other as sisters.
Later, Xiang'er also recruited someone. It was Bai Mo who gave her the medicine powder and asked her to erase the words that Bai Li Shi had written with the medicine powder with water after Bai Li Shi left, and replace them with the later prophecy.
When she was rewriting with the medicinal powder, Tian'er caught her. After managing to get away with it at the time, to prevent any accidents, Xiang'er tricked Tian'er out at night and pushed her into the well.
Subsequent investigations revealed that Bai Mo had extensive personal connections and had even recognized Xiao Luzi, a eunuch patrolling the outer gates of the palace, as her younger brother. Xiao Luzi frequently led errands outside the palace, which explained how news from inside the palace could travel to the outside world so quickly.
After his initial anger subsided upon learning this, Liu Heng began to ponder that there must be more than just these two people planted within the palace. Given the current situation, Bai Mo and Ji'er were undoubtedly controlled by the same master.
The person behind this must have a certain familiarity with the palace. Bai Mo had been in the harem for nearly ten years, so the person who could recruit her must have lived in the harem before and must have had a certain amount of power.
With this speculation, the person behind it all is practically obvious. Apart from the Prince of Xinyang having the help of his mother, a concubine who had controlled the harem for over a decade, almost no one else could possess such a meticulous and covert information network within the harem.
The palace maid Bai Mo was someone that Prince Xinyang had already planted, while Ji Cai Ren, whom the empress brought into the palace, was someone who had been used by him at some unknown time.
Regardless of the circumstances, it was the Empress's mistake to fail to notice Ji Cairen's impropriety and even recommend her to her side.
Liu Heng is increasingly disappointed with the Empress. Not only is she not virtuous and generous, but she also spends her days scheming to find fault with the Consort. The reason she promoted the two concubines was to share the Consort's favor, and she has always harbored resentment towards the Consort.
She was already the most honored woman in the harem, and her son had been made crown prince. What more could she possibly want? Liu Heng simply couldn't understand it. He had already given the Empress, his principal wife, all the respect due to her, yet she still behaved so disgracefully.
After showing the Empress the complete transcript of the court hearing, Liu Heng did not mention that he suspected the mastermind behind it was the Prince of Xinyang. Instead, he asked the Empress if she knew Ji'er's background.
"Your Majesty, I truly have no idea. Ji'er and Zhen'er were sold into the household when they were young. If I had known she harbored malicious intentions, how could I have dared to recommend her to Your Majesty? Furthermore, my family members were also completely unaware."
The Empress's attitude softened completely. She hadn't expected that the whole thing was orchestrated by Ji'er and the palace maid Bai Mo, and Ji'er was someone she had brought from the Duke of Cheng'en's residence. If Liu Heng truly intended to punish them, she wouldn't escape punishment either.
She was also aggrieved. She brought Zhen'er and Ji'er into the palace and the harem so that Liu Heng would have more people to serve him and be more comfortable in the harem.
Rubbing his temples, Liu Heng didn't expect to get any useful information from the Empress. He had only come to give her a warning.
All because she, as the mother, harbored such great hostility towards the Imperial Concubine, the Crown Prince also became uneasy after the prophecy was told. He was instigated by a few treacherous officials in the Eastern Palace and could no longer sit still.
Although Liu Heng was somewhat disappointed by the Crown Prince's wavering character and susceptibility to manipulation, he still wanted to give him a chance.
Young people are inexperienced and often lack composure. Moreover, the Empress, as the Crown Prince's mother, has a subtle but negative influence on him.
"From now on, the Empress must be even more careful in her words and deeds, and consider things more carefully. You are the Empress, and you must truly live up to the title of 'Mother of the Nation'."
By saying this, he meant that he would not hold himself or the Duke of Cheng'en's mansion responsible for the matter.
Hearing Liu Heng's words, the Empress secretly breathed a sigh of relief and quickly bowed, "Your Majesty, I accept your instruction."
Only after Liu Heng left did the Empress collapse onto the couch, clutching her chest. His departing words were cold and distant; he no longer addressed her as Wanrong, but rather as Empress.
A rift had indeed formed, and things could never go back to the way they were before. The Empress closed her eyes, concealing her pain and sorrow. It was for the best; from now on, she would no longer harbor such fantasies.
After leaving Kunning Palace, Liu Heng originally intended to return to Zhengqing Palace. When he discovered that the Prince of Xinyang might be manipulating everything, Liu Heng wasn't too surprised; instead, he felt a sense of relief, as if he had finally arrived at the right time.
Back then, various forces joined forces to overthrow the deposed crown prince, and he ultimately emerged victorious from among his brothers to claim the throne. He also knew that his brothers, who had orchestrated the downfall of the crown prince, were secretly accumulating power and would certainly not be content with their position.
To confirm his suspicions, Liu Heng had already sent his secret guards to investigate the Cheng'en Duke's mansion and Ji'er's hometown, and had also sent people to contact the pawns he had placed in several princely mansions.
When he first ascended the throne, the situation outside was unstable and there were various constraints. Now, thanks to his efforts, the situation has improved a lot. All the important positions in the court have been replaced. It is time to completely eliminate the threats and pull out all their claws.
After walking a few steps, Liu Heng realized that he hadn't been to Yanqing Palace for several days. Now that things were clear, he should talk to Madam Lin to prevent her from worrying.
When he entered the bedroom, Lin Yuqiao was having a late-night snack.
The room was filled with the sweet smell of milk, lively conversations, and the babbling of babies. Upon entering the room, Liu Heng, who had been on edge the whole time, couldn't help but feel as if he had stepped into another world.
"This is so delicious! Mengmeng, do you want some?"
Holding a milk tea corner in front of Mengmeng, Lin Yuqiao popped it into her mouth and smiled smugly.
Holding her wet nurse in her arms, Mengmeng waved her little arms at her and made babbling sounds, as if in protest.
"Want some? But you don't have any teeth! Look, these are teeth!"
Lin Yuqiao opened her mouth, revealing a set of neat, pearly teeth, showing them off to her son. Mengmeng, who is currently toothless, also grinned, but drool dripped down his face.
Liu Heng happened to witness this scene and couldn't help but laugh, rubbing his forehead.
"Why can't I grow up?!"
Upon hearing Liu Heng's voice, everyone stood up, bowed, and greeted him.
After hugging the heartbroken Mengmeng, Liu Heng looked at the table full of snacks and ordered them to be cleared away.
"But I haven't finished eating yet!"
Lin Yuqiao quickly grabbed an osmanthus cake in one hand and a milk sauce dumpling in the other. Seeing the snacks being efficiently removed, she stared at Liu Heng with wide eyes, full of resentment.
“”
Mengmeng leaned on Liu Heng's shoulder, still holding a strand of her father's hair in her hand, and muttered something no one could understand at Lin Yuqiao's expense, with an arrogant look on her face that said, "Just watch, my backer has arrived."
"Hey, you little rascal!"
Seeing Mengmeng being held in Liu Heng's arms, looking down at her with a happy smile on his chubby little face, Lin Yuqiao put down the pastries in her hand and was about to go over and pinch his chubby cheeks.
Liu Heng dodged her, then took two steps away from her while holding the child, looking at her hand with a hint of disgust.
"Call someone in to fetch water. Go wash your hands first."
Lin Yuqiao held up her two greasy paws to her eyes, looking at the father and son with their perfectly synchronized expressions. Then, remembering that there was no one else in the house besides the three of them, she smiled slyly and suddenly pounced on Liu Heng.
He even raised both hands high, insisting on touching Liu Heng and Mengmeng's faces.
After chasing each other around the house for a while, Liu Heng finally held the child in one arm and secured Lin Yuqiao to his side with the other.
His sleeves were already stained with oil, but the culprit was still laughing heartlessly. The little girl in his arms had been giggling as he ran around with her.
The atmosphere was peaceful and harmonious. Liu Heng breathed a sigh of relief, and before he knew it, the frustration he had been feeling for a while had completely dissipated.
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