Qiuxi didn’t dare to actually send someone to kill Wei Yunzhao and Jiang Lin. Instead, she had someone rush to summon the Crown Prince while she stayed behind to try to soothe the Empress.
Unfortunately, her efforts were futile. The Empress kicked everyone out of the room and began smashing things inside, cursing Jiang Lin and Wei Yunzhao at the top of her lungs. The commotion was so loud that even Yue Heng, who lived in the rear palace, heard it. Out of kindness, he came to check on the Empress and even tried to calm her down.
Qiuxi didn’t dare let Yue Heng get involved. If the Empress, in her rage, said something she shouldn’t and Yue Heng found out, it would truly turn the world upside down.
“Your Highness, you’re not well. Please go back and rest. I’ll take care of Her Majesty. The Crown Prince will be here soon, and he’ll be able to calm her down.”
Yue Heng looked disappointed. “Alright, then I’ll leave it to you, Aunt Qiuxi.”
Yue Heng turned and left, regretful that he couldn't witness the Empress’s meltdown firsthand.
But it didn’t matter. He believed he would see it eventually. Over the past few days, he had been pondering Jiang Lin’s words. Whether Jiang Lin knew about his grudge with the Empress or not, the suggestion had potential.
A dog-eat-dog drama was always entertaining.
The Crown Prince arrived shortly after. He asked Qiuxi, “What’s going on? What’s wrong with Mother?”
Just then, a loud crash came from inside the room, a vase shattering on the floor. Qiuxi looked at the Crown Prince with a troubled expression. “Your Highness, someone wrote a frivolous book that’s circulating in the streets. Her Majesty found out and is very upset.”
“What book?” The Crown Prince was unaware of the matter.
“A script called The Tale of Love and Revenge of the Empress…” Qiuxi summarized the contents for the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince was still confused. “A script? What does it have to do with Mother? Is the Empress in the script supposed to be her? Who would dare to write about the Empress? I’ll have their head chopped off!” The Crown Prince thought the Empress was overreacting to a mere story.
But then Qiuxi nodded, her expression strange. The Crown Prince suddenly understood. “Are you saying…?”
Qiuxi replied, “The script is about Her Majesty and General Wei Su.” She leaned closer and lowered her voice. “And it’s true.”
“Impossible!” That was the Crown Prince’s first reaction. How could his mother have been engaged to Wei Su and then broken it off to marry his father? He refused to believe it.
The Crown Prince didn’t wait for Qiuxi to explain further. He pushed the door open and went straight to the Empress. After venting for a while, although the Empress was still angry, she had regained some composure. Seeing the Crown Prince enter, she straightened her clothes and hair, assuming her usual dignified demeanor. “Why are you here, Crown Prince?”
The Crown Prince glanced at the shattered porcelain and overturned furniture, recalling Qiuxi’s words. His expression darkened as he asked directly, “Mother, is it true? Did you really break off an engagement to marry Father?”
Suddenly, he remembered the Empress’s earlier comment about a vixen from the Wei family seducing his uncle. His curiosity about the book grew. He wanted to know the true nature of the relationship between his mother, his uncle, and the Wei family.
Without waiting for the Empress’s answer, the Crown Prince turned and left in a hurry.
The Empress was momentarily stunned. She called Qiuxi in and asked what she had told the Crown Prince. Qiuxi answered truthfully.
The Empress slapped Qiuxi across the face. “Fool! Who told you to tell the Crown Prince about this?”
Qiuxi quickly knelt. “Your Majesty, I was wrong. I only wanted His Highness to come and calm you down. I was wrong. Please punish me.”
The Empress coldly stared at her for a long moment before finally saying, “Get up, the Crown Prince would have found out eventually, but it shouldn’t have been from you. Consider that slap your punishment. Remember this.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. I will remember. I won’t speak of what shouldn’t be spoken,” Qiuxi replied, bowing her head respectfully.
Now calmer, the Empress devised a new plan. She ordered Qiuxi to arrange for the books to be confiscated and burned. Those who resisted were to be thrown into prison. The Empress added, “Make an example of the first few. Beat them until the others are too scared to resist.”
“As for the Wei family, if we can’t kill them directly, then set their house on fire. Let’s see how a bunch of dead people can oppose me.”
The Empress picked up a copy of The Tale of Love and Revenge of the Empress, tore out a page, and slowly shredded it into pieces. “This is the fate of those who dare to write such things.”
Her eyes were sharp, filled with malice and cruelty.
“But Your Majesty, if the Emperor finds out…”
Before Qiuxi could finish her advice, the Empress sharply interrupted her. “I'm the Empress. Am I not even allowed to destroy a book filled with baseless lies and slander?”
“What if the Emperor finds out? I’m not doing this for myself, but to protect him from being mocked by the world. He won’t blame me.”
Qiuxi didn’t dare say more and quickly agreed, rushing off to carry out the orders.
When Jiang Lin and the others learned that the Empress had sent people to confiscate and burn the books in the streets, they weren’t surprised at all. The Dong family had done the same, and look how that turned out.
The common people, who had initially treated the story as mere fiction, now knew that the villainous Dong family in the script was real. This time, with the Empress taking action, the outcome would be the same, or even worse.
Jiang Lin thought to himself, The Empress will regret this.
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