Chapter 449 Patricide and King Murder: A Change of Fortune in Xijin
Two maids appeared, carrying fans, and knelt down respectfully to greet them.
Yuwen Tiancheng finally stopped acting like a wooden puppet; he turned around and faced the doorway.
A woman dressed in pure white, with a graceful figure, walked in. Her nails, painted with bright red nail polish, touched the curtain embroidered with a crescent moon pattern.
She was a woman as beautiful as a poppy, and time had left no trace on her face.
The old emperor's cloudy eyes were bloodshot. When he saw who the woman was who walked to his bedside, his eyes widened in horror, and blood spots bulged from his yellowish pupils.
He recognized her at a glance: "Gao Zhaoyue!"
“You…you’re not dead…” The old emperor vomited another mouthful of blood: “You actually…you…colluded together…” His voice was hoarse and mocking, extremely unpleasant to hear.
Gao Zhaoyue held a white silk ribbon in her hand, which seemed to shimmer with moonlight.
She greeted him, "Yuwen Shuo, long time no see, don't be so excited."
Gao Zhaoyue, her lips painted with alluring red lipstick, smiled and said, "I was afraid you wouldn't be able to find me underground, so I came here to tell you that I'm still alive."
Yuwen Tiancheng interrupted, "Mother."
Gao Zhaoyue said, "Alright, alright, I won't say any more. I won't reminisce. I'll get straight to the point."
She threw the white silk ribbon in her hand at the old emperor.
"What is this? Our arrogant emperor should know, right?"
The old emperor's head was resting on one side of the pillow, and the bright yellow brocade quilt was stained with blood. He stared at her with a crooked mouth and slanted eyes.
Seeing him like this, Gao Zhaoyue didn't feel relieved at all; her red lips curled into a mocking smile.
“Back then, you couldn’t stand the prosperity of my Tianyue clan. In order to wipe out my clan, you conspired with the family behind the Empress to frame me for adultery with a guard. You also spread rumors that my three-month-old daughter, Tianxin, was a bastard. I was forced to raise Tianxin outside the palace. It is said that even tigers don’t eat their cubs, yet you heartlessly had someone abandon her.”
Recalling the events of that year, Gao Zhaoyue said bitterly, "You sent people to force me to commit suicide, and you even used Cheng'er's life as a threat. I had no choice but to agree!"
“After I faked my death, you slaughtered my people and even made up an excuse that the Tianyue people went mad because of the celestial phenomena, and that they killed each other. You are not worthy of being a human being, nor are you worthy of being an emperor.”
Gao Zhaoyue wrapped a white silk ribbon around his unusually aged and loose neck.
"Now, I will let you taste what death is like."
The old emperor used all his strength to raise his hand to grab Gao Zhaoyue's neck.
At that moment, a man's hand pressed down on the old emperor's arm; the young man's muscles were strong and powerful, almost breaking his elbow.
The old emperor cried out in anguish, "You...you rebellious son...let go..."
Yuwen Tiancheng did not let go, remaining silent as he helped Gao Zhaoyue tighten the white silk. The old emperor quickly lost the strength to speak.
After he had done everything, he withdrew his hand and continued to stand by the bed.
Gao Zhaoyue tied one end of the white silk to the headboard. Looking at his gaunt face, she gracefully smoothed her dark sideburns, revealing her delicate and flawless profile.
She spoke casually, using the same tone she used when she talked to him about romantic matters.
"Yuwen Shuo, you've been bedridden and ill for years. Do you really think it's just a relapse of your old illness?"
The old emperor's eyes were somewhat unfocused, but he still looked at her with a venomous gaze.
Gao Zhaoyue laughed and said, "Wrong. From the moment you fell ill, I had the opportunity to kill you, but I didn't. Can you guess why?"
The old emperor let out a rough, labored breath.
Gao Zhaoyue said, "Don't overthink it. I have no lingering feelings for you. All I feel for you is endless hatred."
She squinted her crescent-shaped eyes and said contentedly, "Because there is nothing that pleases me more than letting a strong, self-reliant emperor of a country slowly feel his own aging, helplessness, and weakness."
As she spoke, she burst into laughter, which echoed throughout the inner hall.
The old emperor turned his gaze to the promising crown prince he had personally groomed.
"You...how dare you commit regicide...!"
Yuwen Tiancheng's face was completely numb.
He showed no emotion whatsoever towards the old emperor, who was on the verge of death, as if this man were not his biological father.
However, Yuwen Tiancheng was able to be made crown prince because his appearance was very similar to that of Yuwen Shuo when he was young.
"Punishment of father and regicide, isn't that the rule of Xijin? You taught it to Tiancheng!"
The woman's voice rang out, tinged with ruthlessness.
Gao Zhaoyue stared at him and said, "Didn't you get your throne by killing your father and brother?! Even Xiao Fangzhi was taken from you. She was originally your brother's wife, but she became your empress."
When the old emperor heard the empress's name, the light in his eyes returned, and he uttered something incoherently.
Gao Zhaoyue loosened her grip slightly, letting him breathe in a couple of breaths. He wasn't going to make it tonight anyway, so she was just keeping him company to kill some time.
"Xiao Fangzhi hated you until the day she died."
She gave a cruel smile. "No, the word 'hate' is too big. She never had you in her heart until her death."
The old emperor felt as if a howling sandstorm had swept through his throat; her words pierced his heart, and tears of blood streamed from his eyes.
"You...poisonous woman! How dare you...mention Xiao Zhi's name..."
Gao Zhaoyue said, "So what if I'm a poisonous woman? I'm still not as good as you, you're worse than a pig or a dog, a disgusting thing that should have gone to hell long ago."
She looked at him with disgust and said, "I'm not worthy, and you're even less worthy to mention her."
Xiao Fangzhi was a puppet in life, driven by her clansmen and abandoned by them. In the Xijin imperial palace, she was the person with the least control over her own destiny.
The old emperor loved her, but it was a distorted and morbid love.
Xiao Fangzhi couldn't even die, and in the end, she died peacefully without illness.
The old emperor coughed violently, his eyes greedy as he looked at Yuwen Tiancheng's face, which bore a resemblance to that of the deceased empress, as if he wanted to take a few more glimpses of him before he died.
Yuwen Tiancheng turned his head and reminded him, "The time has come, don't delay any longer."
Gao Zhaoyue looked at him, the hatred in her eyes fading slightly, and said repeatedly, "I know, I know."
She stood up and gestured for her two maids to come forward.
Then, the white silk was stretched taut. The old emperor tried to pull the yellow ribbon on the curtain, but his withered, thick fingers only grasped it lightly before falling limply off the bed.
Yuwen Tiancheng took a deep breath before revealing a hint of emotional fluctuation.
"The imperial family has been summoned to the palace to keep vigil; the Emperor has passed away."
The side hall of Tongde Hall in Xijin Imperial Palace.
Yuwen Tiancheng pushed open the palace door, already dressed in full white mourning clothes.
Gao Zhaoyue picked up a red apple from the fruit plate, took a bite of its crisp, sweet flesh, and heard the door open to see him come in.
He looked surprised and said, "Why did you come here? You're in charge of Yuwen Shuo's funeral."
Yuwen Tiancheng didn't say anything, but walked up to her and hugged her waist.
"Mother."
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