Chapter 61

Prime Minister Pei and Grand Tutor Qi remained relatively calm. The other officials, pale-faced and weak-kneed, staggered up the steps and into the main hall.

Fortunately, there was no scene of bloodshed inside the hall. However, the sight of the curled-up figure in bright yellow, covered in blood, made Prime Minister Pei’s pupils contract.

Was that the Emperor? The Emperor, shackled and with one arm broken? It had only been a day and a night since they last saw him, yet the Emperor had fallen to such a state.

“Sheng Jing’an.” Feng Yaoguang returned to the hall, coldly looking at Sheng Jing’an, who was kneeling on the ground. “The Emperor is here, the Prime Minister and the Grand Tutor are here. You can now tell Her Highness why you poisoned the Grand Princess on your wedding night.”

Gu Chiran and Qin Yang stood at the entrance of the hall like guardians, not allowing anyone to enter without Yan Donghuang’s order or anyone inside to leave.

Sheng Jing’an looked up at Yan Donghuang, his eyes filled with guilt, his voice hoarse: “It was the Emperor’s order. Shen Yun was a pawn arranged by Consort De. Donghuang—”

Slap!

Feng Yaoguang gave him a hard slap, her voice icy: “Who allowed you to call the Grand Princess by her name?”

Sheng Jing’an was hit so hard that his head turned to the side, his mouth split open, blood trickling down.

The old lady was shocked and angry, but the scene before her made her afraid to speak. She could only tremble and remind him: “Jing’an, mind your… mind your tone, be… be respectful to the Grand Princess.”

However, Gu Chiran and Qin Yang’s eyes were on Feng Yaoguang.

The poisoning of the Grand Princess had clearly driven him to lose his mind. Such ruthless fury tonight had never been seen before.
If anything happened to Her Highness, he…

“Grand Princess.” Sheng Jing’an seemed scared, quickly changing his tone, his voice still filled with remorse. “It was the Emperor who ordered me to poison you and create the illusion that I favored my concubine over my wife, making you think… making you think that everything I did was to force you to accept Shen Yun as an equal wife. But I… I had never met Shen Yun before. These were all the Emperor and Consort De’s ideas…”

Prime Minister Pei said nothing, nor did Grand Tutor Qi. The other officials wanted to say something, but seeing the Emperor’s miserable state, it seemed pointless.

The Emperor was already a cripple. And there was irrefutable evidence that he had ordered Sheng Jing’an to poison the Grand Princess, which he could no longer deny.

Could a cripple still be an Emperor?
He might not even survive until dawn, so how could he continue to be Emperor?

“No, it wasn’t me! It wasn’t me…” Yan Ming struggled to straighten his body; his lips were pale, and his voice was angry and trembling. “Sheng Jing’an, how dare you slander me! I will execute your entire clan! You… you dare to throw dirt on me…”

Sheng Jing’an ignored the half-dead Yan Ming, his eyes full of pain as he looked at Yan Donghuang: “Your Highness, we grew up together. How could I harm you? But the Emperor’s orders cannot be disobeyed. He personally promised that the Seven-Day Poison would not be fatal. He said he had the antidote and that if I didn’t comply, he would… he would make your death even more miserable. I was worried about you. I didn’t want you to die, so I had to agree to the Emperor’s orders…”

“Rubbish!” Feng Yaoguang kicked him over in a rage. “What is Yan Ming? If you hadn’t poisoned the wine, the Emperor couldn’t have killed the Grand Princess!”

In his fury, he showed no mercy. The sound of ribs breaking was clear; Sheng Jing’an’s face twisted in pain, his complexion as pale as Yan Ming’s, soon covered in cold sweat.

“Jing’an!” The old lady was horrified, crawling anxiously to his side.

“Jing’an! Jing’an, are you alright? Jing’an!” Her voice was so piercing, yet it seemed distant, unreal.

Yan Donghuang felt dizzy. She wanted to raise her hand to her forehead, but as soon as she moved, she spat out a mouthful of black blood: “Pfft!”

Feng Yaoguang’s movements froze, the anger on his face visibly turning to fear. He staggered forward, rushing to Yan Donghuang’s side: “Your Highness, Your Highness.”

Gu Chiran and Qin Yang’s expressions changed, stepping forward simultaneously: “Your Highness.”

The process of the poison taking effect was painful and prolonged.

Yan Donghuang felt the intense torment in her lungs, like a sword cutting through flesh, like thousands of insects gnawing continuously. Even her bones were filled with pain. She gripped the armrest of the chair, trying to stay clear-headed and rational: “I summoned you all here today to reveal the truth. Sheng Jing’an is the Emperor’s most trusted minister, and Consort De is his most favored consort. They both confessed that the mastermind is the Emperor.”

“Grand Princess…” Prime Minister Pei hesitated.

“Yan Ming tried to kill me, couldn’t tolerate me.” Yan Donghuang’s lips curled into a mocking smile. “If I were an ordinary minister, I should swallow my grievances and be a loyal subject who ‘must die if the ruler wants him dead.’ But I am not.”

She stood up, holding Feng Yaoguang’s hand, and walked to Yan Ming, slowly squatting down to look into his fearful and desperate eyes. Her dark eyes were as cold as a deep pool, her authority undiminished despite the poison: “Yan Ming, your throne was given to you by me. I can put you on it, and I can pull you down.”

This seemed to provoke Yan Ming. He glared at her with hatred: “You are just a princess, born so lowly, not even knowing who your mother is. How dare you stand above me? Yan Donghuang, you think too highly of yourself! I am the Emperor, ruling the world, unparalleled in nobility. You are a traitor—”

“You are a deposed Emperor.” Yan Donghuang calmly interrupted him. “Tonight, I will personally depose you.”

“What right do you have to do this?!” Yan Ming suddenly became furious, his emotions intense, his face twisted. “Yan Donghuang, you are a bastard with an unknown mother! I showed you kindness, and you should be grateful! If I want you dead, you should obediently die—”

Bang! Feng Yaoguang kicked him flying.

Yan Ming screamed, his body hitting a pillar heavily, spitting out blood, trembling uncontrollably.

“Yan Donghuang, you… you are committing regicide tonight. Even if you succeed, history… history will remember you as a traitor. You will have no face to meet your ancestors. You are a traitor. I am the Emperor, I am the Emperor…”

Chapter 62

The concubines were already pale and trembling like leaves.

Yan Donghuang said nothing but slowly stood up and walked to the plaque in the main hall. “Chiran.”

Gu Chiran stepped forward: “Your Highness.”

“Behind the plaque of ‘Upright and Honorable’ is a will left by the late Emperor. Go and retrieve it.”

Prime Minister Pei and Grand Tutor Qi exchanged shocked glances at these words.

The late Emperor’s will?

Gu Chiran leaped up and swiftly retrieved a will from behind the plaque, respectfully presenting it to Yan Donghuang.

Holding the sealed will, Yan Donghuang turned around and walked out step by step. Fresh blood seeped from the corner of her mouth again. She frowned slightly, suppressing the intense pain, and unfolded the will before the ministers:

“Before my father passed away, he summoned me to his bedchamber and asked about the matter of appointing a successor. I recommended Yan Ming, but my father probably thought I had chosen the wrong person. Although he agreed to let Yan Ming ascend the throne, he left behind a will.”

Like a dying beast, Yan Ming roared in anger and despair: “Nonsense, nonsense! My throne was rightfully obtained, recognized by my father, who willingly passed it to me! Yan Donghuang, even if you spout lies, the ministers will not believe you! Your words will not deceive them!”

Yan Donghuang unfolded the will and handed it to Prime Minister Pei:

“Prime Minister and Grand Tutor, please verify its authenticity.”

Prime Minister Pei did not expect the late Emperor to leave a will.

If the Grand Princess had produced this will before initiating the coup, he would have considered it a hot potato, but now… now…

He looked at the Emperor with a broken arm, then at the hall entirely controlled by the Qingluan Army, suppressing his heavy unease, and carefully examined the handwriting on the will.

The late Emperor himself indeed wrote it. Because he often personally led military campaigns during his reign, state affairs were frequently discussed and decided by the Prime Minister, the Grand Tutor, and various ministers. At that time, there was also a wise prince, the same age as the late Emperor and highly trusted by him, who held significant power in the court. They governed together and knew many of the late Emperor’s habits. Ordinary edicts were usually written by the Hanlin Academy or the Emperor’s personal eunuch, but major decisions—such as conferring titles or appointing the Grand Princess—were written by the Emperor himself.

The Prime Minister and the Grand Tutor were very familiar with the late Emperor’s handwriting. After reading the will, Prime Minister Pei silently handed it to Grand Tutor Qi.

Grand Tutor Qi’s face was heavy as he read the will, then looked at Yan Donghuang with a complex expression: “So the Grand Princess intends to depose the Emperor today?”

The late Emperor’s will was clear. If Yan Ming proved unworthy, Princess Qingluan had the authority to depose him.

“Everyone… everyone shut up…” Yan Ming struggled to get up, but with one arm broken and having lost a lot of blood, he was already weak. His blood-stained dragon robe no longer looked noble as he staggered to his feet. “I am the Emperor; no one has the right to depose me; I am the Emperor…”

“Guards!” Yan Donghuang turned and commanded, “Drag Sheng Jing’an out and beat him to death.”

Sheng Jing’an’s face turned ashen: “Donghuang, Donghuang! I am innocent, I am innocent, don’t kill me, Donghuang. Have you forgotten our childhood friendship? My father even held you! Donghuang!”

Two soldiers from the Yaoguang Army came out and dragged him away.

The fear of death made Sheng Jing’an desperately beg for mercy, trying to soften Yan Donghuang’s heart with their past relationship.

The old lady of the Sheng family was almost fainting from fear: “Grand Princess! Grand Princess, please spare Jing’an. I know my mistake! I will kowtow to you, Grand Princess. Please spare his life, Grand Princess!”

Sheng Jing’an was pinned to the ground, and the heavy staff struck his body repeatedly, making dull thudding sounds.

Inside and outside the hall, there was dead silence.
Everyone was too terrified to speak.

The events of tonight, one after another, had pushed everyone’s shock to the limit. A coup, regicide, deposing the Emperor, beating a powerful minister to death—any one of these would be shocking on its own. But these events left people unable to react further, as their shock, despair, and fear peaked at the moment they learned of the coup.

Sheng Jing’an’s screams and the old lady’s desperate pleas were the only sounds, while everyone else remained silent in fear.

Yan Donghuang swayed, her face turning an abnormal shade of blue-black. The imperial physicians took turns checking her pulse.

“Give her the antidote, physicians, give her the antidote…” Yan Ming, disheveled and frantic, shouted, “No, kill her! Don’t give her the antidote. She is a traitor. She deserves to die…”

Feng Yaoguang, annoyed, turned and shouted coldly: “Drag him out and behead him!”

“General Feng, calm down.” Grand Tutor Qi frowned. “Even if the Emperor is deposed, you… you…” He hesitated for a long time, finally sighing in sorrow, saying nothing more.

What could be said at this point? What more could be said?

The sound of galloping hooves approached rapidly, stopping at the Feng Tian Gate.

Rong Ying hurriedly brought a middle-aged man, “Your Highness, the doctor is here. This is Doctor Hao, the most famous doctor in the capital.”

Feng Yaoguang, seeing a glimmer of hope, quickly pulled Doctor Hao to Yan Donghuang: “Quick, check the Grand Princess’s pulse.”

Doctor Hao, woken from his sleep and jostled all the way on horseback, was terrified by the scene in the palace. His face was pale with fear: “I… I, I, I…”

“Don’t ask anything. Just check the Grand Princess’s pulse.” Feng Yaoguang said coldly, “If you can’t cure the Grand Princess, I will bury your entire family with her.”

Suppressing his fear, Doctor Hao approached Yan Donghuang. Seeing her face and condition, his heart sank. This poison was likely incurable.

He spoke softly: “Please extend your wrist, Grand Princess.”