Chapter 112: Hitting a Raw Nerve

“No, who was it I heard last time? They said the eldest legitimate son of the Minister of Revenue was actually involved in that incident behind the scenes.”

“So what? Even if he was involved, His Majesty wouldn’t do anything to him. Enough, let’s not speak of things that aren’t ours to discuss. Get back to work.”

The old emperor, overhearing this from behind the wall, clenched her teeth tightly.

Li Xi was the deepest wound and the greatest fear in the old emperor’s heart.

If protecting people like Xue Huaiyi and Lai Wangcai was a mistake, then killing Li Xi was an even greater one.

But she was the sovereign; once she decided to kill, she did so regardless of regret.

What she hadn’t expected was that Wu Yanji was also involved?

No, it couldn’t be. How old was Wu Yanji then? Fourteen or fifteen? How could he have been involved?

Or perhaps…

He saw something?

The old emperor’s heart chilled, and she immediately ordered the arrest of the two eunuchs who had just been talking on the other side of the wall.

Unfortunately, she found no trace of who they were.

Eunuchs’ voices were all quite similar, and when speaking in private, their tones were low. The palace corridors had many branches—paths often traveled by palace servants.

The old emperor was tempted to issue an order: execute all eunuchs passing through those corridors at that very moment.

But just as the words were about to leave her mouth, she held back.

She remembered the impassioned and candid admonitions of Di Ying.

She endured again and again, but her anger grew until she summoned the Zhang brothers to the palace.

When the Zhang brothers left the palace, they were seated in a sedan chair, looking somewhat unsteady and dizzy.

The two of them agreed: they needed to recuperate properly.

Otherwise, if they couldn’t serve His Majesty well, they would be useless.

“Then let’s go to the ‘Medicinal Cuisine Hall’?” Zhang Yao and Zhang Wulang suggested.

Zhang Rao and Zhang Liulang immediately nodded.

…

At that moment, in the Medicinal Cuisine Hall, Wu Yanji was dining with Li Xianxian.

Li Xianxian was pregnant and had a poor appetite during her evening meal at the residence.

A cookmaid suggested that the soups at the Medicinal Cuisine Hall were nourishing and delicious.

Li Xianxian wanted to get some fresh air, so she asked Wu Yanji to accompany her, and they came together.

It was quite late.

But the late hour in such a place was actually an early hour in another sense.

What did this mean?

Listen to the murmur and laughter in the main hall outside, and hear the lewd banter from the private rooms next door.

They were discussing the figures of certain ladies, and the affairs behind the curtains of various households.

Li Xianxian was naturally someone who enjoyed listening to gossip.

In a place like this, just by overhearing, one could hear much.

As she listened, Li Xianxian heard people mention the Zhang brothers and couldn’t help but discuss them with Wu Yanji.

Their discussion was crude and… utterly base.

Wu Yanji, however, was concerned about one thing: “How did they gain free access to the palace?”

Li Xianxian laughed coquettishly: “If one can please the master, being at their beck and call, they can come and go freely.”

In other words: as long as one could serve His Majesty comfortably, entering and exiting the palace walls at will was allowed, no matter who.

What the couple didn’t know was that their words were overheard by the Zhang brothers in the adjacent private room.

Recognizing their voices, the Zhang brothers were immediately deeply displeased.

The couple had described them in such a disgraceful manner… They were men who kept submissive roles only in private; how could they be so openly shameless before others?

They harbored resentment.

When they heard Wu Yanji’s final remark, Zhang Yao’s mind raced.

After whispering to Zhang Rao, the two brothers quietly left, returning to the palace under the cover of night to report the couple’s exact words to His Majesty.

Now, the old emperor could no longer contain her wrath and completely disregarded Di Ying’s counsel.

She sent Su Hong with men to the princess’s mansion and presented Wu Yanji with a cup of poisoned wine.

Eunuch Su Hong smiled silently, and even to the end, Wu Yanji never understood what he had done wrong.

Li Xianxian, witnessing her husband’s poisoning, immediately experienced fetal distress and wailed for two days and nights before dying in childbirth.

After hearing the news, Wu Chengsi quietly buried the two bodies without making any fuss or public announcement.

Li Zhe, upon learning that his daughter and son-in-law had been personally executed by the emperor, sobbed quietly under his quilt for a long time.

Just when everyone thought the matter had ended, the Prefect of Jingzhao, Song Wen, requested an audience with His Majesty.

Upon seeing the emperor, Song Wen reported: “Your Majesty, after the Yongtai Princess’s residence was left without an owner, I personally led a team to prepare for its closure.

Unexpectedly, in the backyard of the residence, we unearthed dozens of skeletons.

Upon personal examination, I confirmed they were all young women killed by various methods.

I dared not take this lightly, and after thorough questioning and investigation, I have confirmed that these murders were committed by Li Xianxian in a fit of rage.

Li Xianxian was jealous; any woman who caught Wu Yanji’s eye could no longer remain alive.

Among them, only a maid named Cui’er, who had no contract of servitude, survived but was imprisoned under accusations of theft.

I have also verified that Cui’er was innocent.

All these files concerning Li Xianxian’s crimes include testimonies from witnesses and even her personal attendants.

The evidence is in my office, and this case must be reported to Your Majesty for judgment.”

Having finished, Song Wen handed the thick file he was holding to Eunuch Su, who came to receive it.

The old emperor casually flipped through it.

Her eyes, eyebrows, and lips gradually curled upward.

Looking at Song Wen’s lean, dark figure, she found him more agreeable by the page.

This was truly timely rain; now, the stain of having killed her own granddaughter and grandson-in-law could be completely erased.

The more the old emperor thought about it, the happier she became, and she immediately issued an edict:

“Li Xianxian and Wu Yanji, deeply favored by the imperial grace, yet ungrateful to the state and neglectful of the people, have wantonly slaughtered their servants with brutal methods that outrage all sense of decency.

Their numerous crimes were uncovered by the Jingzhao Prefecture office days ago.

Only because I could not bear their demise and disgrace, I quietly ordered their execution.

However, national law and public sentiment forbid such actions.

After much reflection these past days, I have resolved to publicly reveal their crimes as a warning to all.

I hope all imperial kin and high officials take this as a lesson, henceforth speaking cautiously, behaving properly, and loyally serving the court!”

With this decree, those who understood knew what it meant.

Those who did not clasped their hearts in admiration: “Her Majesty is truly a benevolent sovereign. Though her own grandchildren erred, she dealt with them privately and bore the ill repute alone—truly admirable and worthy of respect.”

Upon hearing this, the old emperor felt as refreshing as drinking iced water on a scorching summer day.

But this relief lasted only one day.

She then decreed the appointment of Di Ying as the Governor of Ningzhou, ordering him to leave the capital immediately.

…

Upon receiving the imperial edict, Di Ying bid farewell to his family, who had already prepared themselves, and, along with his packed belongings and his horse Peng Liang, set out directly for Ningzhou.

[This novel is set in an alternate era; all content is purely fictional. Any resemblance to actual persons or events is purely coincidental. Please do not draw direct parallels.]