Kill someone? "Who?"
The Empress clenched her fingers and said, enunciating each word clearly, "Your Majesty!"
Huangfu Mi froze on the spot.
"Killed Father Emperor?" Thinking he had misheard, Huangfu Mi repeated incredulously, only to see the Empress still smiling at him, clearly indicating her tacit approval.
Huangfu Mi was even more astonished. He strode forward and rushed to her side in an instant: "Are you crazy? You actually want me to kill my father? I will not do that, absolutely not!"
"Very well, then I will kill Meng Wan!"
The two were very close, and he could even see a fleeting glint of light in her eyes. He believed, without a doubt, that she would really do that.
His thoughts suddenly became chaotic, and almost uncontrollably, he reached out and grabbed her neck, his eyes blazing with fury, as if he wanted to burn her to ashes.
"If you dare to hurt her, I will kill you!"
He was incredibly strong, gripping the Empress's neck tightly. Yueji, who was standing nearby, cried out in alarm. Immediately, the guards outside rushed in with their swords drawn, their cold glints flashing, and surrounded Huangfu Mi.
"If you have the guts, then kill me and let your Wan'er accompany me to the underworld, shall we?"
The Empress frowned in pain, but the smile on her lips did not diminish in the slightest. Looking at Huangfu Mi's pained expression, she even felt a bit of pleasure.
Yes, that's right, she wants to torture them, the Emperor and Huangfu Mi, the father and son, the two who made her originally brilliant and glorious life tragic, she wants to torture them to death!
Huangfu Mi loosened his grip after a moment. Looking at the Empress's face, which was contorted by her smile, he clenched his fists, trying his best to calm himself down. Looking at her, he said, "Why did you do this? You are the Empress, and your father is your husband. Why did you kill him?"
He couldn't understand, he really couldn't understand why the Empress would do this. She didn't even have a son, so why was she treating her father like this?
"Why?" The question startled the Empress, who then clenched her teeth. She was clearly smiling, but the hatred bursting forth in her eyes could not be concealed.
This is the question she has asked herself countless times since the day she learned the truth: Why, why? Why did the Emperor treat her that way?
Just because the Empress had been somewhat harsh to Consort Wen during her pregnancy, the Emperor secretly ordered her child to be aborted. And for many years, every time the two were intimate, he would have someone mix contraceptive drugs into her food, all to prevent the Empress from conceiving his child.
Oh--
How ridiculous, how utterly ridiculous! She loved him so deeply, more than anyone else, yet he treated her so coldly because of that woman. She was indignant, utterly indignant. So, for the rest of her life, she would torment him, torment him until the very child he cherished with that woman killed him with his own hands.
"You don't need to know the reason. Just decide who lives and who dies. If you decide to kill the Emperor, then I will release Meng Wan immediately after his death. Otherwise, I will kill the woman you love, and your father will be sent to see those ministers. As for what kind of man they will see, I cannot guarantee..."
Huangfu Mi narrowed his eyes: "What do you mean by that? What do you mean you can't guarantee what kind of person he will be when you meet him? What did you do to Father?"
"What could it be? It's just that we gave him more health-boosting and nourishing drugs to make him energetic, as if he'd returned to his youth. It's just... a little harmful to his body..."
"You..." Huangfu Mi exclaimed in shock, "You're utterly despicable!"
"Whether it's despicable or not is a matter of opinion. You just need to choose: the woman you love, or your father, who's barely clinging to life." With that, he raised his hand and said, "Think it over carefully. Rose, see the guest out!"
v81
Huangfu Mi stumbled out of Chonghua Palace, his head buzzing. He never expected the Empress to capture Wan'er to force him to submit. What? To make him kill his father? How could that be?
Upon returning to Zhengyang Palace, a group of people were waiting for him to give orders, but seeing him return absentmindedly, they immediately came to greet him.
"Your Highness—"
"Seventh Brother--"
Huangfu Mi finally came to his senses, looked up at everyone, and then glanced at Zhengyang Palace. His brows furrowed involuntarily. If saving his father, Huang Wan'er, meant certain death, what should he do?
"Seventh Brother, what happened? Did the Empress summon you just now? What did she say?"
Seeing this, Huangfu Yu took another step forward and whispered something.
Huangfu Mi shook his head slightly, signaling him to calm down, and then walked up to the ministers and said, "Gentlemen, please go back first. Father is resting now, so let's not disturb him."
One sentence stunned everyone, especially Huangfu Yu and Prime Minister Meng, who had no idea what he was up to. They had clearly agreed that they would see the Emperor no matter what, so why had he changed his mind now?
Without asking further questions, they knew something must have happened. So they told everyone to go back first, and only when the three of them were left did the two of them ask their questions.
"what is going on?"
Huangfu Mi's brows were tightly furrowed, his gaze falling on the guards standing watch outside Zhengyang Palace, each with a sword drawn. His face was extremely grim. Instead of answering, he asked, "Father-in-law, where has my elder brother been sent? When will he be back?"
The two men became increasingly confused, but upon hearing his question, Prime Minister Meng answered accordingly: "During the Western Shu National Day celebrations, the Empress conveyed the Emperor's decree to send Junheng as an envoy. I'm afraid he won't be back for a while."
Huangfu Mi's brows furrowed even more, his heart filled with unease.
If Meng Junheng doesn't return, then there's no hope left. Now, he can only follow the Empress's instructions: only one of them can survive—Wan'er, or Father.
At that time.
In a secluded hut in the backyard of Chonghua Palace, Meng Wan awoke with a headache. All she could see was darkness. She tried to see clearly, but no matter how hard she tried, it was all in vain. Only a faint smell of decay lingered in the air, reaching her nostrils.
Where is she?
She climbed up from the ground, supporting herself against the wall, and slowly walked along the wall. It was pitch black, and she couldn't see anything. But as she passed a certain spot, a faint breeze blew, which made her guess that it was probably a door or window.
She stood there, and sure enough, in the space between the two tightly closed wooden boards, a very narrow gap allowed a sliver of light to seep in. She bent down to look, but the gap was too small, and even the light and wind were thin, so how could she possibly see anything? She could only stand there, put her ear close, and listen to the sounds outside.
There seemed to be footsteps and children's laughter. It was too far away to hear clearly, but from the sounds, she could vaguely make out the movements of Prince Song. She couldn't help but frown.
Prince Song was raised in the Empress's Chonghua Palace. Could it be that I am currently in a certain place in Chonghua Palace?
Thinking of this, she clenched her fists tightly and pounded on the door with all her might, shouting, "Help! Someone help me!"
She wasn't hoping that Prince Song would save her; after all, she was such a young child and didn't understand anything. She was just calling out for help in the hope that someone around Prince Song would spread the word that there was a cry for help, so that Huangfu Mi and the others would have a chance to come and save her.