It was completely dark outside the Xuanzhi Hall, but flames still blazed high. Granny Feng, Granny Yao, Hongling, Lüyi, Liandong, and other palace maids whose names she didn't know were all pinned to the ground, crowding the entire open space. The boards pounded on their bodies relentlessly, making dull, heavy sounds, and the powerful eunuchs administering the punishments resembled vengeful demons.
Xie Ninglu was among them, blood flowing beneath her. Gone was her former glory; now disheveled and wretched, she could barely make a sound, only gasping for breath. Those palace servants who had been beaten to death were quickly dragged away, while those not yet punished filled the empty spaces. Some palace servants wailed, but their mouths and noses were covered, forbidding them from making a sound.
Outside the palace, blood flowed freely, countless groans and cries filled the air, and the air reeked of blood, like a living hell.
Zhang Yu stood with his hands behind his back outside the main hall of Xuanzhi Hall, coldly observing everything, his expression remaining indifferent and unmoved. Zhang Jin took two steps back, wanting to go over and persuade Zhang Yu to stop, but remembering what he had said that afternoon, she stopped. She glanced at the people below the steps one last time, and finally lowered her eyes in unbearable pity.
Empress Dowager Feng forced Song Shuhao to drink poisoned wine, intending to kill her. Once she was certain Song Shuhao was safe, Zhang Yu began to settle scores one by one. Zhang Jin remembered arriving at Xuanzhi Hall at noon; the atmosphere inside was so oppressive it was almost suffocating. She hadn't seen Zhang Yu so enraged in a long time. At that moment, Zhang Yu glanced at her, and she could no longer utter a word in defense of her mother.
He ignored whatever Empress Dowager Feng and the others said, and simply ordered an investigation. Once the investigation was complete, any palace servants even remotely connected to the matter were taken outside the Xuanzhi Hall and punished one by one. Unable to touch Empress Shen and Consort De, he made them stand outside the hall and watch their closest relatives be beaten to death right before their eyes.
Zhang Jin recalled Empress Dowager Feng saying that Song Shuhao had drunk the contraceptive soup without permission, which was tantamount to plotting against the imperial heir. Zhang Yu, however, simply said that it had nothing to do with her. Such blunt words meant that no one was allowed to interfere with Song Shuhao's actions, whether he liked them or not, even though she was his own mother.
Out of the corner of her eye, Zhang Jin noticed someone coming out of the hall. She looked over and saw that it was Song Shuhao, but Zhang Yu had already walked up to her. Zhang Jin couldn't help but sigh and looked at Empress Dowager Feng, only to see that Empress Dowager Feng, Empress Shen, and Consort De were all looking at Song Shuhao.
Ling Xiao ultimately felt that many people were innocent and couldn't bear to see them beaten to death, so he whispered a few words to A-Hao. When she wanted to leave, Ling Xiao didn't stop her.
Ah Hao walked out of the hall, and with just one glance, she was stunned by the scene not far away, her head buzzing. Zhang Yu walked up to her, but she didn't notice, just staring at the people below the steps, and unconsciously took a few more steps forward. Zhang Yu pulled her back, and seeing her body trembling slightly, he reached out and covered her eyes, his brows furrowing slightly, and said gently, "Don't look."
She reached out and touched Zhang Yu's arm, slowly prying his fingers apart. The bloody, horrific scene hadn't disappeared; it had become even clearer and more undeniable. Ahao opened her mouth, but her throat seemed to be constricted, unable to utter a sound. She finally turned to look at Zhang Yu, but her grip on his fingers loosened weakly.
Painful groans and low sobs echoed in Ah Hao's ears. She stared blankly at Zhang Yu, her heart feeling as if something was blocking it.
How long did it take, and how many people were involved, for things to turn out like this? Those palace servants who were actually innocent... What she had never thought about before, and what she had worried about later, ultimately happened in a way that far exceeded her imagination.
"Why did you do this?" Even knowing she shouldn't ask, knowing he was seeking justice for himself, A-Hao still asked. She hated those who repeatedly only thought of taking her life, but she couldn't bear the thought of innocent people dying because of her. She wasn't an executioner, and neither was Zhang Yu. How could human life be so cheap…
Zhang Yu glanced indifferently at the scene below and said coldly, "They deserve it." He then looked at Ahao and saw the disgust in her eyes. He forced a smile and asked, "Do you want to plead for them?" That smile was not a bit kind; it only made him look more indifferent and ruthless.
Ling Xiao followed them out of the hall and saw Zhang Yu and Song Shu seemingly arguing, but he couldn't hear what they were saying. Then he saw Zhang Yu pulling Song Shu into the hall, and Ling Xiao quickly stepped aside.
Feeling Zhang Yu glance at her, she stiffened involuntarily, thinking how terrifying this man truly was. She had no idea before that the emperor could be so tyrannical.
Before Ahao could answer Zhang Yu's question, he forcefully dragged her into the hall. Once inside the private room, the sound of the swaying crystal beaded curtain hadn't subsided when Zhang Yu forced her against the wall. Ahao's face was frozen in place. Zhang Yu forced her to look him in the eye and asked, "What right do you have to despise me?" Zhang Yu pinched Song Shuhao's delicate chin, and thinking of that look she had given him, he wanted nothing more than to crush her.
“No, it’s always been His Majesty who dislikes me.” A-Chi was in pain, but she didn’t cry out; she just gritted her teeth and said. She looked at Zhang Yu, unable to smile. Knowing she would displease him, she still said, “So many innocent lives have been lost just like that. His Majesty may not care, but for me, it’s just a nightmare. Nobody wanted you to do this.”
The time the little princess ran to Jiutuo Mountain, she was happy that Zhang Yu didn't punish innocent people. But thinking back to herself then today, she was terribly naive.
She suddenly understood why Empress Dowager Feng was growing increasingly disliked her. Who would want to see His Majesty the Emperor do such an inhumane thing for a woman? Even she herself couldn't accept such "kindness."
"So?" Zhang Yu's hand reached down to Song Shuhao's neck, gently caressing it, then he leaned close to her ear and whispered. Ahao couldn't help but tremble, and when she tried to speak again, Zhang Yu pressed his lips against hers, giving her no chance to speak.
The kiss was aggressive, domineering, and violent, devoid of any gentleness. Zhang Yu's tongue roamed freely between A Hao's lips and teeth, occasionally biting and sucking at her lips forcefully. His hands, however, reached under her clothes, touching her soft breasts, kneading and playing with them lightly or heavily.
Tasting the salty, fishy flavor in her mouth, Ah Hao, feeling violated, desperately tried to escape and pry Zhang Yu's hands off, only to have her clothes unbuttoned, making it easier for him. With both legs pinned down by Zhang Yu, Ah Hao had no choice but to feign a response. When Zhang Yu's tongue probed in again, she was bitten hard.
The pain forced Ah Hao to let it go for the time being. Still weak, she leaned against the wall, unable to stand, and felt her hands and feet trembling involuntarily. She straightened her slightly disheveled clothes, wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, and found that she was indeed bleeding, but she was unable to get out of Zhang Yu's arms.
Ah Hao looked up at Zhang Yu, her emotions slightly out of control, and said, "In His Majesty's eyes, what am I? As long as His Majesty is not tired of me, everything is good. But if His Majesty gets tired of me one day, then how am I any different from those who are being punished outside the palace? I am nothing more than someone whose life can be taken at any time, someone who is insignificant."
Zhang Yu lowered his head, looking at her with a half-smile, "You went to Ling Xiao yourself to ask for the contraceptive soup, when have I ever said a word against you? You know yourself whether there's anything wrong with the pills you take every day, what have I said about that? I've done everything you wanted. I'm trying to seek justice for you, but instead I've earned your dislike."
“I drank the contraceptive soup because I couldn’t have children…” Ah Hao said softly, “I remember how good His Majesty has been to me, but I don’t want to live in constant fear every day. Even though His Majesty tries his best to protect me, things still turned out like this, didn’t they?”
“Those innocent palace servants who died tragically because of me are the sins I committed. This time, I can never repay them in this lifetime.” Ah Hao lowered her eyes and said, “His Majesty has countless beauties in his harem, and there will be new ones in the future. One day, His Majesty will get tired of me. Because I knew from the beginning that such a day would come, I flattered him, but it was never my true heart.”
"Your Majesty, those who are together must part ways. Please spare this servant." And spare yourself as well. Ah Hao thought, she truly could no longer stay by the Emperor's side. As long as the Emperor treated her well, someone would want her dead. If she had a child, her child would suffer along with her.
The Empress Dowager has completely lost her tolerance for her. She may not have been able to take her life today, but there will always be another chance. Can she protect her once, twice, three times, or even ten or eight times? The longer it goes on, the more problems will arise, and there's no escaping them. Besides, the Emperor is also not safe from her.
Does sincerity even matter? She shouldn't have gotten involved in the first place; she only brought trouble upon herself. She did gain a lot of good things, but one shouldn't be so greedy, wanting everything.
"Let her go?" Zhang Yu chuckled, raising his hand to grab Song Shuhao's shoulder, then using his other hand to hold her face. "When I saved you, why didn't you say you'd let her go? When I wanted you, why didn't you say you'd let her go?"
Zhang Yu tapped her left chest with his finger, suppressing his anger, "Only today do you come to ask for forgiveness. Even if what I did was not what you begged for, but it's been so long..."
Flattery? None of it was genuine? So all this time, it all turned out to be fake. Only he felt happy, like a complete fool.
"Do you even have a heart?"
Chapter 76 Update
Zhang Yu threw down the crystal beaded curtain and went out. Ahao collapsed to the ground, panting heavily, and it took her a long time to calm down. (For the best novel reading experience, visit [ ] ) Afterwards, a palace servant entered the room, helped Ahao up from the ground, and took her elsewhere.
The people who had gathered outside the main hall of Xuanzhi Hall dispersed, and the previous wailing and weeping ceased. The bloodstains on the open ground below the steps were washed away repeatedly with clean water and disappeared without a trace. Only a faint smell of blood remained in the air, faintly indicating that what had happened before was real and not an illusion.
Ah Hao's original room was in a mess, so Zhang Yu ordered someone to clean a new one. The palace servants then took Ah Hao to her new residence, saying that Zhang Yu had instructed her to stay there temporarily to recuperate. Knowing that her body couldn't withstand the strain, Ah Hao complied, and Zhang Yu did not reappear.
As night deepened, she was still asleep, but she was constantly dreaming. Sometimes she dreamed that she was being forced to drink poison, sometimes she dreamed of blood everywhere and hearing endless wailing, and sometimes she dreamed that palace servants covered in blood and flesh forced their way to her, saying that she was innocent and that she had harmed them.
The scenes in the dream kept changing. Ah Hao tried her best to shake off the dream and wake up, but when she opened her eyes, everything was unfamiliar, and she was disoriented and didn't know where she was. Sweating profusely, Ah Hao sat up, clutching the brocade quilt, and then realized that someone had placed the glass rabbit lantern on the small table.
There were no lights in the room; the rabbit lantern was the only source of light. Ah Hao stared blankly for a while, then threw back the covers and got out of bed to put the things away. But her legs went weak, and she tripped and fell as soon as she stood up. She struggled to get up and sat back down on the edge of the bed, feeling useless and wanting to laugh instead.
A smile brought tears to her eyes, and not knowing if anyone was watching outside, she didn't dare make a sound. So she sat there quietly crying for a while, thinking she was being silly, and then reached out to wipe away her tears.
Ah Hao lay back down, carefully covering herself with the blanket to keep warm. She thought about how she was soaked in sweat and how she should wash and change her clothes in the morning, and soon fell asleep again. But even in her sleep, the same dreams kept recurring, and the constant waking and sleeping only made her more tired.
As the sun rose, a young palace maid whispered outside the door, asking if Ahao was awake. Ahao responded, and two maids entered to help her wash and groom herself, without saying a word. Ahao asked them for a box and put the glass rabbit lantern inside.
Ling Xiao came over to take A Hao's pulse and saw that her eyes were swollen and dark circles under them, clearly indicating that she hadn't slept well all night. A Hao only said that she had been having dreams all night and asked Ling Xiao for some sleeping pills, which Ling Xiao agreed to.
Recalling Zhang Yu's suppressed anger when he came out of the palace yesterday, and seeing Ahao like this, Ling Xiao hesitated, but finally asked, "You and His Majesty..." Before he could finish speaking, Ahao shook her head and interrupted him.
“It will all pass.” Ah Hao looked at Ling Xiao and said softly, “I don’t want to experience anything like what happened yesterday again. I always dream about those palace servants who died unjustly at night, seeing them covered in blood… It’s not worth it for His Majesty to bear those infamy for my sake.”
"My father and mother were once very loving, a couple that the neighbors envied. But... my father lost his life for my mother, and my mother went insane. She may only live a muddled life from now on. It's probably better to stay away from things like love that hurt so much."