Madness
“Your Majesty, even our Xu’er knows that his mother has served in the palace for many years. In all these years, have you ever treated me with the slightest bit of sincerity?!”
"You entered the palace at seventeen and have been by my side for over twenty years. I thought you were a gentle and virtuous woman, but I never imagined you would be so vicious and cruel! You plotted to murder Wan'er and her child, and now you are incorrigible and unrepentant, even trying to kill Heng'er!!"
Shangguan Qingyao glared angrily, kneeling on the ground and roaring, "I'm going to kill him! I hate myself for not killing him back then! Killing your and Su Wan's only son!!"
"Are you crazy?!"
"Qi Bohuan!!"
The two voices grew louder and louder, but when Shangguan Qingyao uttered those three words, almost everyone in the hall realized that she really didn't want to live anymore. Publicly calling out the emperor's name was no longer just a matter of disrespect, but a capital offense.
Then she scrambled to her feet from the cold floor, staring at the man on the dragon throne with an air of neither arrogance nor servility, her eyes shining like will-o'-the-wisps in the dark night.
"Yes, I've gone mad! All these years in the palace have driven me insane. I'm living like a ghost, neither human nor human. Just kill me and give me a quick death!"
Qi Junxu, kneeling beside her, clung tightly to her legs as if grasping at the last piece of duckweed, his eyes red and choked with sobs, "Mother! I beg you, please stop..."
"My son! Please let your mother tell you! If you don't, I'll really suffocate from holding it in!"
As she spoke, tears streamed uncontrollably from her eyes. She clenched her fist and pounded her chest. Her hysterical state had completely robbed her of any elegance and grace; she looked more like a woman driven mad by the humiliation of the common people.
Jiang Yi was shocked. Shangguan Qingyao was the younger sister of the former Prime Minister Shangguan Dehui, and the only imperial concubine in the harem. In the eyes of outsiders, she was deeply favored by the emperor. What kind of grievances had she suffered to become like this today?
Although she knew that she was the culprit who harmed He Lin and the mastermind behind it all, Jiang Yi still felt sorrow and sympathy for the woman in front of her.
Because her past knowledge of history told her that feudal society was cannibalistic; it could twist love into hatred, turn tranquility into madness, and drive normal people insane...
"Mother..."
Shangguan Qingyao took two deep breaths and forcefully broke free from Qi Junxu's hands. She looked up and glanced around at the magnificent Taiji Hall.
"Your Majesty, you married me into the palace back then only because you coveted my brother's power. You wanted his help when you ascended the throne, but why should my happiness be sacrificed in your agreement with him?! Because you wanted to marry me, my brother killed Shen Lang to make me give up completely! He killed the man I loved most!! I hate him! But I hate you even more!"
"Later, when I entered the palace, I naively thought that you would at least consider my brother's kindness towards me. I was wrong, terribly wrong! After you ascended the throne, you completely neglected me and happily married the woman you loved! And me? What did you take me for? Just a pawn, a plaything! You ruined my life, and I will kill the woman you love most, so that you can taste the pain of losing the one you love!"
"Ah, you probably don't know, but before Su Wan died, I took Qi Junheng's longevity lock to see her. I told her personally that her son was in my hands. Your beloved woman knelt on the ground, kowtowing until her head bled, begging me not to hurt your son. But how could that be? I said if she disfigured her face, I might consider it. And then, she actually pulled out the hairpin you gave her and slashed her own face. How could there be such a stupid woman in this world? Hahahaha..."
Upon hearing this, He Lin's chest heaved violently, his eyes turned bloodshot like a monster, and his fists clenched so tightly they cracked. As he moved, Jiang Yi immediately grabbed his arm.
“He Lin…”
Shangguan Qingyao laughed maniacally, her face contorted, tears streaming down her face. She stumbled and fell to the ground, the phoenix hairpin and jade hair ornaments she wore falling to the floor. Her long hair cascaded down her back, and her slightly lowered face made it impossible to tell whether she was crying or laughing...
Qi Shuangyun sighed deeply and slowly turned her face away, unable to bear looking any longer.
Emperor Liang sat on the dragon throne, staring at her silently for a long time. His eyes were both unfamiliar and cold, making it impossible to see what this emperor was thinking.
After a long while, he finally stood up.
Unexpectedly, Emperor Liang had only taken two steps forward when he suddenly bent over and spat out a mouthful of blood.
"Your Majesty!" Li Shengquan exclaimed in alarm, nearly scared out of his wits. "Guards! Quickly summon the imperial physician!"
Qi Shuangyun hurriedly lifted her skirt and ran up the steps to help him, "Your Majesty!"
Emperor Liang raised his hand to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth, then looked at the crimson stain on his hand and chuckled.
Shangguan Qingyao, panting, continued to provoke him: "Qi Bohuan, even if you die now, even if you search the heavens and the underworld, you'll never find Su Wan again! Because she's already been burned to ashes, hahahaha, you'll never be with her in this life or the next, hahahahaha..."
Qi Junxu was on the verge of collapse: "Mother! I beg you! Please stop talking..."
He knew that his mother had come to Taiji Palace today with the determination to die, but if she continued to say this, even if He Lin was willing to let her go in the end, his father would not forgive her easily.
Emperor Liang gently broke free from Li Shengquan and Qi Shuangyun's support, walked down the steps one by one, squatted in front of Shangguan Qingyao, and easily pinched her chin with one large hand.
"Father! Mother is ill, she didn't mean it! Father..."
Qi Junxu's hand had just touched Liang Di's arm when he was violently shoved off. Shangguan Qingyao smiled, but her eyes were full of stubbornness and unwillingness to admit defeat.
"Shangguan Qingyao, do you want to die?"
"Then kill me, Your Majesty! I killed the woman you loved most, and I'm going to kill you and her son too! Kill me!"
Emperor Liang shook his head slightly: "No, I will not let you die."
Upon hearing this, Shangguan Qingyao's pupils contracted, and she immediately realized what he meant.
"You want to die? I'll let you live, I'll make you wish you were dead, I'll make you spend your whole life atoning for your sins. As for your lover, I'll send people to dig up his grave, drag his body out and whip it repeatedly, then tear his bones into pieces and feed them to the beasts, throw them off a cliff, and throw them into the sea, so that he will never find peace in his next life..."
That's too cruel, absolutely too cruel!
Jiang Yi couldn't help but gasp. These two were more skilled than the other, constantly provoking and tormenting each other's lovers in various ways. This wasn't just a fight to the death, but a tug-of-war that would continue even in the face of death.
Shangguan Qingyao immediately went mad. First, she frantically pulled at her hair, her mouth agape but unable to utter a sound, as if all the pain was stuck in her throat. Then, she screamed and grabbed Emperor Liang's clothes: "Kill me! Qi Bohuan, kill me! Go ahead and kill me if you dare!!"
Emperor Liang ruthlessly shook off her hand, stood up and took two steps back so that the person in front of him could no longer touch him, and stared coldly at Shangguan Qingyao from his high position.
"Li Shengquan".
"His Majesty."
"By imperial decree, Consort Shangguan has suddenly fallen ill and died. Due to her lack of virtue during her lifetime, she is hereby deposed and confined to the Cold Palace. She should not have a funeral, but considering her merit in giving birth to the Second Prince, she is permitted to have a funeral as a commoner. Please inform the six palaces of this decree."
Everyone was shocked. Shangguan Qingyao was still alive, yet Emperor Liang had already ordered a funeral for her. This was clearly an attempt to conceal her identity and imprison her for life. He could have simply banished her to the Cold Palace, but Emperor Liang chose this method to ensure she could never appear in front of anyone again. It was an insult beyond measure.
"Your Majesty, this..."
Emperor Liang glanced at him.
Li Shengquan quickly replied, "Yes, this servant will take care of it right away!"
Shangguan Qingyao sat on the ground giggling, pulling her hair, tugging at her clothes, and clapping her hands, seemingly out of her mind.
Jiang Yi slowly turned her face to the side and pursed her lips.
Qi Junxu slowly stood up and walked out, looking as if he was going to chase after Li Shengquan to deliver an imperial decree. But to everyone's surprise, when he passed by Jiang Yi, he took advantage of her unpreparedness, grabbed her, pulled her into his arms, and pressed a sharp hairpin against her throat.
"Qi Junxu! What are you doing?"
"He Lin, let my mother go, or I will kill her."
"you……"
Jiang Yi was stunned until she saw the worried look in He Lin's eyes and slowly came back to her senses.
"No way, Qi Junxu, are you kidding me?! Why are you kidnapping me?!"
"I'm sorry, only He Lin can save my mother here, and the person he cares about most is you."
Jiang Yi sighed helplessly and obediently followed Qi Junxu backward.
Emperor Liang gave a light snort and uttered two words: "Take him down!"
Before those two words could even land, several people suddenly jumped down from the central beam of the hall, wielding long swords and pressing towards Qi Junxu. They were the Feather Guards of Yu Ling Pavilion, and Jiang Yi had seen them wearing the same clothes at Black Tiger Stronghold.
He Lin stepped in front of Jiang Yi and Qi Junxu, shouting, "Stop!"
As soon as he produced his pavilion master token, the guards indeed sheathed their swords, looked up at the roof beam in unison, released ropes from their sleeves, and pulled them back up, disappearing into the dark corners of the roof beam where they could not be seen.
Jiang Yi's eyes widened in shock. Could these be the legendary secret guards? Where were they all hiding? Did they know invisibility magic?!
"Heng'er, you..."
He Lin said firmly, "No one can touch her."
According to the rules established by the founding emperor, although Yu Ling Pavilion works for His Majesty, the highest orders belong to the Pavilion Master. As long as the Pavilion Master is present, even the emperor's orders are useless, making it practically the Pavilion Master's private army.
He Lin knew that the Imperial Guards would follow orders and would probably not care about Jiang Yi's life in order to capture Qi Junxu. In order to prevent the Imperial Guards from hurting Jiang Yi without restraint, he had no choice but to do this. Qi Junxu had taken this into consideration.
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