Chapter 8

The Old Madam turned pale with fear: “Yan Donghuang, you… cough cough cough, you actually mobilized troops without an edict? Mobilizing troops without an edict is treason… it’s treason. Are you trying to get us all killed?”

“So what if I am?” Yan Donghuang tilted her head to look at her, her expression cold and murderous. “I only have seven days left to live. I’ll use these seven days to throw the imperial city into chaos, make his throne unstable, throw the court into disarray, overthrow the dynasty, and take the entire empire to the grave with me!”

The Old Madam’s face turned ashen, unable to say a word out of fear.

Yan Donghuang had gone mad.

She was truly mad.

“Want my military seal?” Yan Donghuang curled her lips, her smile carrying a chilling coldness. “I’ll personally hand it over today. Let’s see if he dares to take it.”

The Old Madam’s voice trembled: “You… what exactly do you want? Grand Princess, don’t act rashly. I… I won’t let Jing’an take concubines anymore, nor will he marry a secondary wife. We’ll treat you well from now on. Grand Princess, don’t act rashly. Treason will lead to the extermination of nine generations!”

“Who are my nine generations?” Yan Donghuang coldly looked down at her. “Aren’t they just you ungrateful, selfish, despicable people? What does it matter if you all die?”

After saying this, she ignored the old lady and turned to give orders: “Chang Yue, Chang Feng.”

“Here!”

“Sheng Jing’an gave me a seven-day poison. Without an antidote, I only have seven days to live. From this moment on, he is no longer my husband but my mortal enemy!”

“Yes.”

“I’ve been away from the battlefield for half a year without shedding blood. Today, I’ll kill again.” Yan Donghuang commanded, “Guard all the entrances and exits of the Sheng Residence. Kill anyone who tries to escape without mercy!”

“Yes!”

A young man in black stepped forward, unfolding a red cloak and fastening it for Yan Donghuang. His expression was blank, and his eyes were slightly lowered: “No matter what Your Highness wants to do, I will follow to the death.”

“Grand Princess.” The Old Madam turned pale with fear, no longer caring about putting on airs, only begging Yan Donghuang to be rational. “You can’t, you can’t mobilize troops…”

Yan Donghuang coldly looked at the Old Madam’s repulsive face.

Calling her the Old Madam wasn’t because she was truly old. In fact, Sheng Jing’an was only twenty-one this year. Sheng’s mother, Madam Wei, married Sheng Jing’an’s father at fifteen and gave birth to Sheng Jing’an the following year. She was not yet forty. But because Sheng Jing’an inherited the Duke’s mansion, and Madam Wei’s son was the one in power, she naturally became the Old Madam of the house, enjoying wealth and honor, respected and flattered, and even married a grand princess as her daughter-in-law. At a young age, she was already glorious and thought of herself as the empress dowager.

From her reaction to Shen Yun earlier, it was clear she knew Shen Yun was pregnant. Shen Yun entered the mansion without a title, and today, they wanted to force her to agree to the marriage of both wife and concubine.

The Sheng family was full of despicable people, none of whom deserved forgiveness.

Yan Donghuang gently closed her eyes, her voice cold and merciless: “Rong Ying.”

“Here.”

“Call the elite troops outside the mansion. Not a single box of my dowry is to be left behind. Move everything to the Grand Princess’s residence.” Yan Donghuang ordered, “Anyone who dares to stop them will be killed without mercy!”

“Yes.”

“No, no,” the Old Madam’s face changed drastically, hurriedly trying to stop her. “You are married into the Duke’s mansion and have no right to return to the Grand Princess’s residence. The emperor’s decree, you—”

Yan Donghuang kicked Sheng Jing’an to the ground, stepping on his back and staring silently at the Old Madam. Her sinister gaze successfully choked the Old Madam’s words in her throat, turning her face pale and stiff.

“You can continue talking.” Yan Donghuang’s tone was indifferent, utterly merciless. “Let’s see if your words can threaten me or if my foot will break Sheng Jing’an’s spine first.”

The Old Madam’s face turned ashen, a chill running up her spine, making her shiver.

“Don’t provoke me again.” Yan Donghuang warned for the last time. “To someone with only seven days left to live, do you think anything in the world can still threaten her?”

The Old Madam’s teeth chattered: “Seven… seven days?”

“To be precise, it might only be six days now.” Yan Donghuang smiled slightly, a smile that sent chills down one’s spine. “Thanks to your son, I have lost trust in everyone in the entire Yong Kingdom.”

Shen Yun crawled forward, hugging her leg and trembling as she pleaded: “Grand Princess, there is an antidote. I dare not lie to you. It can really be made. Please, believe me, give me two days…”

“Yes, yes, Shen Yun is right.” The Second Madam’s spirit lifted, quickly speaking. “Grand Princess, there is an antidote to the seven-day poison. Don’t act rashly, don’t act rashly…”

“I just said I have lost trust in everyone.” Yan Donghuang squinted her eyes. “From now on, everyone shut up.”

“But… but sister-in-law is bleeding.” A tearful voice sounded, Sheng Chuyue pointing in horror at a pool of blood on the ground where Shen Yun had fallen. “Quick, find a doctor, find a doctor!”

Yan Donghuang coldly looked at the pool of blood: “The child is already gone. What’s the point of finding a doctor?”

“Yan Donghuang, you are truly ruthless.” Sheng Jing’an gritted his teeth, his voice filled with venom. “You are so heartless, you won’t even spare a child—”

“Not as despicable and shameless as you.” Yan Donghuang’s tone was indifferent. “That child was fortunate, leaving you heartless parents early. That was his luck.”

With that, she threw the whip in her hand to Chang Lan: “You two watch here. Don’t let anyone out. Kill anyone who tries to escape without mercy.”

“Yes.”

Yan Donghuang walked out.

The sound of orderly footsteps echoed as a group of armored elites, led by Si Ying, came straight to the Eastern Mansion. They carried out box after box of dowry temporarily placed in the Ling Shui Pavilion and sent them to the Grand Princess’s residence.

Yan Donghuang stood outside the main gate of the Eastern Mansion, watching the endless stream of dowry being carried out of the Duke’s mansion. Her stunningly indifferent face was calm and unruffled. She was a princess with great military achievements, and her wedding was strictly according to royal protocol, so her dowry was naturally abundant. The emperor’s desire to kill her was a dark thought hidden deep in his heart, but on the surface, he would never mistreat her. If she really stayed in the Duke’s mansion, or if she died there, this dowry would be enough for the Duke’s mansion to live in wealth and luxury for three generations. Unfortunately, they had personally destroyed this wealth and honor.