Chapter 85 – The Empress’s Ruthlessness

The two women didn’t say a word. One grabbed Noble Lady Shen, while the other slipped a white silk ribbon around her neck. Their eyes were vicious as they pulled tightly, strangling her in one swift motion.

Noble Lady Shen was suffocating. She tried to struggle, but her hands were firmly restrained. The strength of her assailants was astonishing—she couldn’t break free at all.

In that instant, it felt like her life was flashing before her eyes. Countless scenes flickered through her mind, finally settling on the seemingly dignified face of the Empress.

Hatred burst forth in her gaze.

It was the Empress. She had used her to get rid of the Second Prince, and now she wanted her life as well.

Once she had outlived her usefulness, she was deemed disposable.

Why had she been so foolish? Why did she ever think she could strike a deal with the Empress, that the Empress would keep her word?

The Empress… was utterly ruthless.

As the hatred surged, her consciousness began to blur. Gradually, the hatred faded, and past memories resurfaced. Back then, she hadn’t yet entered the palace. She was the legitimate daughter of the family, but her stepmother was unkind, and her father held no affection for her. Without cunning, she would have been completely controlled by her stepmother. She had clawed her way upward, knowing full well that everything had to be earned by her own means. Before entering the palace, that young man had once sought to marry her.

But he was just a palace guard. If she married him, her father would still look down on her, and so would everyone else.

She had refused him. She had already decided to enter the palace. She didn’t want to be looked down on by her stepmother. She didn’t want to be despised by her father. She wanted to rise above everyone else…

If—if she had accepted him back then… would everything have turned out differently?

In the end, she no longer had the strength to struggle.

The two palace maids came and went without a sound, leaving behind only a scene staged to look like a suicide.

Meanwhile, Jinzhi returned to report, “It’s done. The palace guard who had personal ties with Noble Lady Shen has been captured. The eunuch robes found in the room left him no room to deny it. As for Suqiu, who served Noble Lady Shen, arrangements have been made. To protect her family, she’ll insist that Noble Lady Shen, out of hatred for Consort Yu, acted alone in harming the Second Prince.”

She added another report: “The contraceptives we ordered to be planted—have they been placed properly?”

Jinzhi replied, “Yes, they’ve been hidden well. I’m not sure if Zhao Hai will be able to find them.”

“The more concealed, the better. That way, it explains why I have searched for so long but failed to uncover who drugged Noble Consort Xi.”

Jinzhi said, “Your Majesty is absolutely right.”

The Empress nodded. “From now on, stay out of this matter. We don’t want His Majesty becoming suspicious.”

Only then did her anxious heart settle. Thankfully, it was still nighttime—it gave her time to react. And fortunately, Zhao Hai wouldn’t immediately suspect Noble Lady Shen, giving her the window she needed.

This time, His Majesty’s suspicion of her had reached its peak. He hadn’t even officially asked her to investigate, instead ordering Zhao Hai to seal the inner palace. She had a strong sense that if she couldn’t clear herself of suspicion, His Majesty would not spare her lightly.

She could not be implicated in this matter. Not only must she remain uninvolved, she also had to make His Majesty believe that he had wrongly suspected her. Even if she could not win his favor, she had to make sure he would not continue to blame her for every mishap in the future.

Zhao Hai interrogated through the night. The palace guard bit off his tongue and killed himself. Only Suqiu gave a full confession. Zhao Hai then went straight to inform Emperor Xuanyuan Ling. By then, dawn had already broken.

“Suqiu said that Consort Yu had tormented her over the missing pearl incident in the Imperial Garden. Even after being exposed, Consort Yu did not relent. Noble Lady Shen grew to hate her deeply. Believing that Consort Yu’s most important treasures were her two children, she conspired with a palace guard, who disguised himself as a eunuch, to strike during the Empress Dowager’s birthday banquet.”

“In addition, one eunuch went missing from Noble Lady Fang’s palace. According to Suqiu, it was Noble Lady Shen’s plan to frame Noble Lady Fang. She had the palace guard kill and hide Noble Lady Fang’s eunuch to leave her speechless when accused.”

“What did the guard say?” Emperor Xuanyuan Ling’s face was ice cold.

Zhao Hai hesitated. “He bit off his tongue as soon as he was caught. I failed to stop him. But we found that this guard was close with Noble Lady Shen even before she entered the palace. It seems… he even proposed marriage to her, but her father rejected it. Afterward, Noble Lady Shen entered the palace…”

“Outrageous,” Xuanyuan Ling erupted in fury. “To enter the palace, she resorted to such methods! People might think I forced the minister to offer his daughter!”

He snapped, “Pass down my decree: The Shen family has failed to raise a proper daughter and committed a grave crime in harming an imperial heir. Strip them of their positions, investigate thoroughly, confiscate their assets, and exile the entire family. As for that palace guard’s family…”

“I already had them investigated,” Zhao Hai said. “The guard only had an elderly mother. Upon hearing of her son’s suicide, she took her own life with a pair of scissors while no one was watching.”

Perfect. Every relevant person was dead—there would be no further investigation.

Xuanyuan Ling’s face was thunderous. “So be it. Go inform Consort Yu, and then prepare for the funeral rites of the Second Prince.”

Zhao Hai obeyed and left to report the matter to Consort Yu. Once he departed, Consort Yu finally broke down, her emotions unraveling. “Impossible! There’s no way this has nothing to do with the Empress!”

The one who gained the most from all this was the Empress!

Consort Yu couldn’t let it go. “My child… he died such a cruel death.”

Wan Zhao said, “Why don’t we speak with His Majesty in private? Ask him to continue the investigation?”

“We can’t,” Consort Yu said bitterly, though her mind was clear. “His Majesty publicly tasked Zhao Hai to investigate. Now the witnesses are dead, and the physical evidence is solid. The Empress can’t be implicated. Even if His Majesty doesn’t fully believe in her innocence—after all, how could everyone die so conveniently, without even a chance to defend themselves—he has no proof. And she is the Empress…”

The Empress’s status alone was enough to shield her. Without evidence, how could anyone touch her?

This matter—it seemed—had to end here.

No. It couldn’t end like this.

“Bring me brush and paper. I need to write to my father.”

Shen Qing only learned of the entire aftermath once the funeral for the Second Prince was held. As she listened to the events, her expression darkened.

“The Empress is truly ruthless.”

Before, she hadn’t been sure if the Empress was involved. Now that Noble Lady Shen was dead, Shen Qing was certain.

It had to be Noble Lady Shen. Shen Qing had long suspected she would side with the Empress in her desperation to gain favor and bear a child.

So Noble Lady Shen had offered her loyalty. But when things spiraled out of control, the Empress didn’t want to clean up the mess, so she simply silenced her.

Otherwise, how could it be so coincidental that, while Zhao Hai was investigating, even something as minor as a palace maid burning papers was immediately reported?

At a time like that, even if someone saw something, unless it directly affected them, they’d normally turn a blind eye.

As for the guard’s eunuch disguise—that loophole was even more suspicious. After completing the task, how could he not destroy the evidence and keep it on him, waiting to be caught?

Clearly, Noble Lady Shen had been under surveillance the moment she acted. Everything had gone according to the Empress’s plan.

Truly, this was a case of the praying mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.

Noble Lady Shen was the mantis. The Empress—the oriole.

Using someone else’s hands to do the dirty work, while keeping her own spotless.

This… this is what it meant to be one of the Empress’s people. When you’re useful, she smiles sweetly at you. When you’re not, she’ll have you killed without hesitation.

The inner palace—was truly a place that devoured people.