Chapter 75: A Tragic Death

  Ling Wang Fu

  "Old Master Wang, since you've already come, why not go in and take a look at Young Master Wang?" The butler closed the door and turned around to see Old Ling Wang Zhang Zhen, who hadn't had time to hide, and spoke respectfully.

  He also remembered that Zhang Xiao was particularly cute when he was young, and he was the only son of Old Master Zhang Zhen. Everyone in the Wang Fu was especially fond of him, almost giving him whatever he wanted, never going against Zhang Xiao's wishes.

  I don't know when it started, but the feelings between the father and son have become so distant. What overnight grudge can a father and son have? Can't they just talk things out?

  It's just that the two people have such similar personalities, they like to keep everything in their hearts and never say it out loud.

  "Is he asleep?" The voice was pressed very low, with a thick and hoarse tone that revealed a strong sense of vicissitudes.

  In less than a month, he seemed to have aged ten years, his whole person looking old and worn, watching the turmoil in the imperial palace, thinking about the future of the Ling Wang Fu.

  The Zhang family, from now on should go with what, is what this family head should think about.

  "Master Wang has not rested yet." The housekeeper's head hung very low, his mood was very complicated.

  Since Zhang Xiao's engagement with Leng Ziyue was cancelled, he had never seen Zhang Xiao's smile from the bottom of his heart again. The marriage with the fourth princess of Beihan Country broke up a pair of mandarin ducks in distress. If Leng Ziyue hadn't fallen off Zhuque Platform and hadn't changed her temper, maybe everything that happened afterwards could have been solved.

  First, they made a big scene at the wedding banquet, tore down the new house, and smashed the nuptial bed, causing the Ling Wang Fu to lose face and become the laughing stock of the imperial city.

  Then again, she crippled the Fourth Princess of Beihuang Country, making her unable to stand up for the rest of her life, living a weak and feeble life like an insect.

  Finally, even in front of the king and his ministers, he had the elder king's own sister, Princess Zhuang, beaten to death, shocking the entire court.

  Little by little, their feelings for each other reached a point of no return.

  Even if Little King Zhang Xiao's heart is filled with thoughts of Miss Leng Ziyue, there are too many obstacles between them that can't be explained away with just a few words.

  Even if Old Master Wang were dead, he would never agree to Young Master Wang marrying Leng Ziyue.

  In his view, Leng Xue also wouldn't accept Young Master Wang again, otherwise, she wouldn't have done things so absolutely, leaving no room for turning back.

  "Take good care of him." Zhang Zhen glanced at the bright candlelight in the window and resolutely turned to leave.

  It was he who underestimated Leng Ziyue, a weak woman. At first, Zhang Xiao and she were engaged, looking at the two talented men and beautiful women, even if Leng Ziyue did not get the love of Gongzhu Cold Zheng, just because of her legitimate daughter's identity, he also agreed with their marriage.

  The sudden appearance of the Fourth Princess, Beidong Xiner, broke the original tranquility. Compared to the legitimate daughter and the princess of a country, the princess was naturally more capable of showing off her status as the Ling King's wife. Therefore, he chose Beidong Xiner, only hoping to enhance Zhang Xiao's power and status.

  He had planned everything, first according to Beidong Xiner's request, let Zhang Xiao abandon the marriage between him and Leng Ziyue, until he married Beidong Xiner into the Wang Mansion, stabilize everything before making further plans.

  If Zhang Xiao still can't let go of Leng Ziyue, then it's fine to make her a concubine, and it won't be unfair to Leng Ziyue either.

  Unexpectedly, the name of "unmarried and already rested" spread more and more. Those thousand gold misses who were jealous of Leng Ziyue's beauty, as well as the unreasonable Fourth Princess Beidong Xiner, ridiculed and mocked her, forcing Leng Ziyue to jump off the Zhuque Platform.

  If she had died, it would have been clean and simple, and none of what followed would have happened.

  But she woke up, and in those clear phoenix eyes, the weakness and timidity had faded away, replaced by strength and recklessness. Every move she made was captivating to people's eyes, as if she were a radiant being, existing like a queen.

  She is no longer a helpless prey for anyone, but a bloodthirsty demon who can take lives with just a gentle smile.

  "The old slave understands, Old Master Wang can rest assured." With a respectful gaze, he saw Zhang Zhen off as he walked away with big strides, looking at his slightly hunched back, feeling quite unbearable in his heart.

  After the death of Princess Zhuang, the Ling Wang Fu was no longer as prosperous as it used to be. Those officials who had been fawning on them before now kept their distance, fearing that they would be tainted by some kind of bad luck.

  The once bustling and extraordinary Wang Fu is now cold and deserted.

  "Your Highness, Miss Leng returned to the Hou Mansion just an hour ago." Jin Hu said with a serious expression, in his opinion, two people who had no intersection with each other, why couldn't his master let go?

  Thinking of Leng Xue's ruthlessness, and seeing Zhang Xiao's almost self-abusive behavior, he really couldn't help but rush to the Zhong Junhou Mansion to scold Leng Xue severely.

  Although he had not personally witnessed the scene of Leng Ziyue killing someone, he had heard many versions of it. For example, how she used the exquisite Blood Wei dagger to destroy the four princesses' North Tang Xiner's entire meridian system, making her unable to stand up again and become a useless person. Another example was that she brazenly painted a painting called "Blood-stained Rivers and Mountains" with North Tang Xiner's blood in front of the emperor.

  These are all the most popular ones in the city, and with his martial arts skills, he is really not her opponent.

  Want to go, but don't have the guts.

  "Before that, she was with whom?" He told himself again and again not to care about her anymore, but it's clear he couldn't control his heart.

  Zhang Xiao stared at the discarded paper on the ground, he had been staying in his room for days, not going anywhere or seeing anyone, and even writing couldn't calm him down.

  He desperately wants to find Leng Ziyue and win back their feelings for each other.

  When he rushed to the entrance of the Ling Wang Fu, his footsteps stopped. He went to find her, what could he say and do? His father hated her so much, she even killed his own aunt, causing the status of the Ling Wang Fu to be precarious, how could they still be together?

  "Prince Wang, this... that... is the Wangye sending Miss Leng back to her manor, and all along the way, he held Miss Leng's hand, and gently brushed off the snowflakes on her shoulder. The two of them looked very happy as they returned from outside the city." Jin Hu swallowed his saliva, he really didn't want to tell Zhang Xiao this news.

  Xue Wang Baili Chenyuan and Leng Ziyue, how did these two people end up together, it's hard to understand.

  Even in the past when Wang Ye was with Leng Ziyue, he had never seen such a serene and joyful smile on her face.

  "Really?" Something was broken, bit by bit, scattered and fragmented, a sour and astringent taste stuck in the throat, making it especially uncomfortable.

  Zhang Xiao blinked, trying his best to hold back the tears that still gently fell onto the white rice paper, spreading out and leaving a water mark. The brush in his hand, unable to withstand the external pressure, snapped with a loud crack, and the thick black ink dropped onto the rice paper, messy and disordered.

  Yuer, have you fallen in love with Xue Wang Baili Chuanxuan?

  Before, even when you were with me, your smile was only faint, light, and fleeting like the clouds at the horizon, making it hard for me to believe it's real.

  Yue'er, or maybe in your heart, you never truly loved me.

  "Prince Wang, don't be angry, it's not worth it for that kind of woman." Jin Hu tightened up and opened his mouth to comfort him, without considering whether he should say it or not.

  Zhang Xiao raised his head, his eyes flashing with anger and a hint of redness, staring coldly at Jin Hu. "Get out," he said in a low voice. "No one is allowed to scold her, no one is allowed..."

  His legs gave way beneath him, and Jin Hu fell to the ground in a sorry state. Without stopping to think, he scrambled to his feet and made a frantic dash for the door, as if an evil spirit was hot on his heels, determined to snatch his life away.

  How scary, he had never seen Zhang Xiao look at someone with that kind of gaze before.

  "Haha, Zhang Xiao, you're really so pitiful, so pathetic. No one wants to listen to your voice, no one wants to be by your side. Even the woman you love most is now holding hands with someone else. You're really so stupid...". With a weak sigh, Zhang Xiao slumped back into his chair behind the desk, half-crying and half-laughing in self-mockery.

  Father is right, only with the supreme and unparalleled power in one's hands can one get whatever he wants.

  There isn't a single woman under the sky who can resist the temptation of power and status, and his Yue'er is no exception. As long as his position is high enough and his power great enough, he will definitely be able to make her change her mind.

  Even if she was unwilling, he would stop at nothing to bind her to his side.

  "Zhang Xiao, remember from now on what you should do and shouldn't do. As long as you have that kind of ambition, there's nothing you can't get." The originally weak voice in the depths of his heart became loud and clear, Zhang Xiao's handsome face was half-hidden in the darkness, flickering with a fierce light.

  Yuer, if I can't have you, I'll destroy you, no one else will get you.

  Baili Chenyuan, you're an unfavored prince who's also come out to join the fray. I won't let you have it easy. You've been inauspicious from the start and should have gone to hell long ago, haha...

  In everyone's heart there is a gate of justice and a gate of evil, and he opened the gate of evil in his heart.

  It will also seal his fate for the rest of his life, unable to turn back and only becoming more miserable.

  What will happen to him, of course, is still a later story.

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  Coiled Dragon Hall

  "Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager has arrived." Liu Gonggong pushed open the door and quickly walked to the side of Emperor Yuè, whispering in his ear.

  "Hmm." The Emperor's eyebrows furrowed slightly, his heart tightened, and the answer he had been trying to avoid finally began to surface.

  Judging from the Empress Dowager's expression last night, he had already figured it out in his heart and didn't want to admit that his mother was so ruthless, willing to sacrifice anything for power.

  "Your Majesty..." Liu Gonggong spoke with extra caution, and even though he tried his best to lower his voice, he couldn't hide that sharp and shrill tone.

  "Have all the guards retreat one zhang outside the palace. No one is needed to attend here." The Moon Emperor ordered in a deep voice, "Please let the Empress Dowager come in, and no one is allowed to follow her."

  "Yes, Your Majesty." Feeling the Emperor's suppressed anger, Liu Gonggong wisely refrained from speaking further and quietly led the young eunuchs and palace maidens out of the hall.

  The Empress Dowager wore a majestic purple robe, looking elegant and noble. Her neatly combed hair was tucked away at the back of her head, and her exquisite makeup made her look exceptionally spirited.

  "This humble servant greets Your Majesty the Empress Dowager. The Emperor is waiting for you in the inner palace, and His Majesty also said that it would be best if Your Majesty came alone." Eunuch Liu bowed respectfully and spoke with a slight smile.

  As the saying goes, don't hit a smiling face. He's an old man by the emperor's side, and the people in the harem still give him some respect.

  "Your Ladyship, I'll still accompany you inside!" Qin Ayi supported the Empress Dowager's arm. If not for the makeup on her face, the Empress Dowager's pale complexion would be frightening to behold.

  The image of Princess Zijin's dying appearance floated in her mind, shocking her so much that she trembled all over and only wanted to faint without caring about anything.

  "I'll go in myself, you just wait here quietly." Shaking off Qin's hand, the Empress Dowager walked step by step towards the inner palace.

  This day will come sooner or later, and from this moment on, the mother-son relationship between her and the emperor will also be completely over.

  If one day, the Emperor himself wanted to kill her, the Empress Dowager would not have any complaints.

  "Yes, mistress." Qin's aunt replied quietly, kneeling on the ground and watching the empress dowager's departing figure. Perhaps only by kneeling could her heart be slightly calmed, her trembling legs making it better for her to kneel than stand.

  Even if someone noticed her trembling, they would think she was just unable to withstand the cold wind.

  A heavy creaking sound echoed as the Moon Emperor turned his head to gaze at the Empress Dowager, who was walking towards him step by step. His eyes were dim and unclear. "Mother, please take a seat."

  Perhaps this was the last time he addressed this elegant and noble woman as his mother.

  "Your Majesty, it's been a long time since you've had a good talk with the Empress Dowager. Are you still resentful towards her about that matter?" The Empress Dowager sat across from Emperor Yuè, her sharp eyes fixed intently on his face, as if trying to see through to his soul.

  She has already lost her biological daughter and now she is about to lose her son as well.

  "Resentment, none." The Moon Emperor shifted his gaze away from the Empress Dowager's face and stared at the candle flames on the table.

  "Isn't there really no resentment towards Mother?" Not resenting her, why has she been cold and distant to her for twenty years, on the surface still listening to her words, but in reality cultivating her own power, with a mind set on overthrowing her and replacing her.

  Are his wings hardened now and he no longer needs this mother?

  "Resentment, so deep." The Moon Emperor's gaze suddenly turned fierce and cold, staring straight into the Empress Dowager's eyes, his voice coldly saying: "If you weren't my mother, I would have killed you with one sword long ago."

  Ning Er has never hindered her position, and she can even watch her die with a cold eye, without being willing to stand up and say a word.

  If she was willing, Ning Er wouldn't have had to die.

  His son didn't even recognize him and treated him like a stranger.

  "Haha...!" The Empress Dowager threw back her head and laughed out loud, until tears of joy appeared in the corners of her eyes. Indeed, she was not a good mother.

  Laughter filled with desolation and loneliness, no one can understand.

  "Is power really that important to you, worth sacrificing everything?" The Moon Emperor also smiled, but it was an extremely cold smile. She could abandon a daughter, and one day she could also abandon this son of hers.

  If there is an afterlife, he would never want to be born into a royal family again.

  Ordinary and simple, being a common folk, at least can have a humble but happy and warm home.

  "Power is important, and you are also very important to our family." The Empress Dowager lowered her head, the jade ring on her finger gleaming green in the candlelight, dazzlingly bright.

  Her life has been surging with rights and desires, apart from rights, she doesn't know what else she owns.

  At the age of sixteen, she entered the palace and lived in the cold and icy deep palace for many years. When she walked out of her courtyard, what she saw was the high palace wall. She was a small bird with broken wings living in a golden cage. Whenever the emperor was in a good mood, he would come to tease her, but when he was in a bad mood, he would throw her aside and ignore her.

  Who knows how she got through those years without a holy blessing, night after night, in the silent depths of the night, she had long been familiar with the number of stone bricks on the walls of her room and the number of floorboards on the ground.

  Time and time again, etched in memory.

  "Heh heh, if we were really that important to you, would you still come to tell me the news you brought?" The Moon Emperor looked away, ignoring the pain and desolation in the Empress Dowager's eyes.

  He really didn't want to admit that this ruthless woman was his mother. Although he understood in his heart that ruthlessness was necessary for survival in the imperial palace, he couldn't accept that his own mother would even harm her own children.

  "Yes, I have come to inform Your Majesty that it is now possible to send someone to the Princess's residence to collect Zijin's body. As for how to arrange her, Your Majesty can decide on your own." The Empress Dowager raised her sharp eyes and fixed them on the Emperor, her voice low and husky, with an air of not allowing refusal that was no less than the dragon's might of a monarch. "Your Majesty, this great empire was handed over to you by me personally, and no one should think of taking this right away from you. Your Majesty shouldn't be thinking about those frivolous things either, take good care of Baili Chongyuan, the promise made back then is no longer valid now."

  She even abandoned her own biological daughter, what else could make her give up the power she had held tightly in her hands for years.

  "You think you can still move him, you think he's still the same infant lying in his crib, letting you bully him, not knowing how to fight back." The corner of Yue Di Xie's mouth curled up, and his icy voice was laced with anger. He wouldn't allow anyone to touch Bailing Chenyuan's hair.

  Even if that person was his most respected mother.

  "He's really that capable, I'll definitely consider him a formidable opponent. If he can avenge his mother with his own hands, I'll accept my fate." The Empress Dowager stood up, her crimson imperial robe glistening in the candlelight like dark red blood, with a hint of eeriness.

  She knew that the current Baili Xingyuan had unfathomable martial arts skills, and perhaps there was a master hiding behind him who was skilled in using sonic attacks. But so what? She didn't believe that with her own abilities, she couldn't defeat a young whippersnapper like him.

  Soon, her people will be able to figure out Bai Li Chen Yuan's every detail. She never fights a battle she is not sure of winning, grasping all the information about her opponent and carefully planning has always been her usual style.

  And her only failure was because of that cheap woman, Leng Ziyue.

  Everything started because of her, not only did she lose her beloved daughter, but also lost her son.

  It's her, one day she will personally end Leng Ziyue, making her regret standing on the opposite side and opposing her.

  "After this, the Empress Dowager is the Empress Dowager, and I am myself. No one can influence my decisions, including you, noble Empress Dowager." The Emperor's heart was bleeding. He had thought that as long as she put down her power and quietly acted as the Empress Dowager, he would still be willing to treat her with filial piety.

  But she didn't give up, instead her ambition grew even bigger.

  Even went so far as to really kill her own daughter, Princess Zi Jing.

  Since she can be so ruthless and heartless, why should he still consider their mother-son relationship.

  "May Your Majesty rest well, I am also tired." The Empress Dowager turned her back, her footsteps heavier than ever, yet more determined.

  Her decision, once made, no one can change it, and she will stick to it until the end.

  "I will arrange it properly." The Moon Emperor waved his hand, smashing everything within reach, his face darkening to the extreme, his chest heaving up and down.

  It turns out that the one who hurts you the most is often the one closest to you.

  Zi Jing, my good sister, since you were young, you have been arrogant and willful, doing whatever you want. Who would have thought that you wouldn't die at the hands of your enemies, but rather at the hands of your own biological mother, whom you trusted the most.

  May you be reborn in an ordinary family in your next life and never again be born into a royal family.

  Liu Gonggong, who was standing outside, stared blankly at the Empress Dowager, whose face was as pale as paper, as if she would collapse and faint at any moment. His heart rose to his throat, he opened his mouth wanting to say something, but ultimately didn't say a word.

  As the loud noise echoed through the inner palace, the Empress Dowager lay elegantly on the cold ground, startling all the eunuchs and palace maids who rushed to her side, supporting her body as she murmured softly: "Return... return to Yongshou Palace..."

  Never woke up again.

  "Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager has fainted. You... Liu Gonggong tightly grasped the feather duster in his hand, and despite the cold weather, he suddenly broke out in a sweat. Look at him, this servant is really not pleasing to either side."

  "Get out! I am not a doctor, if you want to faint, go back to your own palace. How annoying!" The Moon Emperor roared with anger, accompanied by the sound of shattering vases.

  Liu Gongzi trembled with fear and backed out with his head bowed.

  "Your Majesty, how are you?" Qin auntie knelt on the ground and supported the Empress Dowager's body, gently patting her chest to help her breathe. "Your Majesty, I'll send you back to the palace."

  "Back...to...the...palace..." The Emperor's angry roar She had heard it, heh heh, she had given birth to a good son!

  If she really died somewhere, he might not even shed a single tear.

  "Yes." Qin's aunt panicked and summoned several small eunuchs to carefully carry the Empress Dowager towards Yongshou Palace.

  In a daze, the Empress Dowager slightly opened her eyes, and all around was quiet. She seemed to see her Zi Jing standing alone in the thick fog, tears falling down in streams without her realizing it.

  "Zi Jing, don't blame the empress dowager, the empress dowager didn't do it on purpose... Zi Jing, you... don't go...". The intermittent voice continued until they entered the Yongshou Palace.

  Qin aunt followed behind the imperial physician and anxiously asked: "Imperial Physician, how is Her Majesty?"

  "It doesn't matter, I'll prepare some soothing medicine for you. After a good rest for a few days, you'll be fine." The old imperial physician nodded at Qin's aunt and beckoned a small eunuch to take him to the imperial pharmacy.

  On the luxurious large bed, the bed curtains fluttered gently in the wind, and the empress dowager, who slept extremely restlessly, had a sweaty face, with intermittent murmurs that never left her ears.

  "Empress Dowager, why did you have to go that far?" Princess Zijin pinched her own neck, trying to spit out the poison she had swallowed.

  It turned out that all her actions were under the eyes of the Empress Dowager, and previously she threatened Leng Yinling to kill Leng Ziyue in exchange for her life, but unexpectedly that foolish woman failed.

  The Empress Dowager only spared her life because she shared the same goal, and in her eyes, this biological daughter was truly not worthy of being mentioned in the same breath as the power that lay within her grasp.

  When the two conflicted, she chose the cold and icy power.

  "The Empress Dowager is also helpless, the Empress Dowager has thought of many ways, but none can save your life. Zi Jing, it's the Empress Dowager's fault towards you. In the next life, I only wish for you to be born into a good family, don't enter the imperial palace again." The Empress Dowager stood in front of Princess Zi Jing, her eyes filled with tears, but deep within them was an unyielding determination.

  "Hehe... Mother, you have a ruthless heart, actually bribing my maid to poison me. Hehe..." Princess Zijin didn't want to say anything more, she just felt that her whole body was extremely cold, an unprecedented chill."

  She just wants to live, is it really that hard?

  In the end, even her own biological mother didn't let her off.

  "Princess Zijin, take a good look, I am not your maid." Yuegui walked up to Princess Zijin and tore off the human skin mask from his face, revealing his true identity as a man.

  The purple crystal princess stared blankly at her mother and the stranger standing beside her, her heart as dead as ashes. Moonlight, a personal maid she had raised with her own hands, was probably already dead; otherwise, she wouldn't have fallen for it, poisoned by a deadly toxin.

  Chun Tao rushed to the side of Princess Zi Jing with tears in her eyes, hugged her arm and said: "Your Highness, I'll go with you."

  Just based on what she saw, wanting to survive was futile, it's better to take matters into her own hands and die a quick death.

  "Mother, I hate you...I hate you..." With her last breath, Princess Zijin glared at the Empress Dowager with a fierce growl.

  As soon as his voice fell, he died with his eyes open and slumped to the ground at an angle.

  Chun Tao saw this, wiped away her tears, and knocked herself dead beside Princess Zijin.

  "Zi Jing, the medicine used by the empress dowager won't hurt you, go in peace!" Witnessing her own daughter's death with her own eyes, the Empress Dowager sat on the ground in a daze, hugging Zi Jing Gongzhu's warm body, both crying and laughing.

  "Haha... haha... I personally killed my own daughter, haha..." She raised her head, tears streaming down like rain, and the Empress Dowager burst into loud sobs.

  This was her last cry, and from then on there would be no more tears, never again.

  She who inflicted all this pain on her will have it returned doublefold, kill, kill, kill.

  Digression

  Mumu