Conflict Escalates

The next day, the Empress drank tea in a very foul mood.

The night before, she had specifically gone to eavesdrop, only to crouch there for an entire night without hearing the sounds she had wanted.

"The Emperor really has changed her temperament. She could actually endure it even after being drugged." The Empress's face darkened.

First, she had suddenly erupted and killed Liu Fenggu. Now, she refused to bear children and remained unmoved even with a beauty in her lap.

One unexpected thing after another had happened. Though unwilling to admit it, the Empress felt a thread of panic creep into her heart.

What should I do? the Empress thought.

"Your Majesty, this servant has an idea." At that moment, the palace maid Chunhua suddenly said, "I wonder whether I should say it."

"Speak." The Empress said, "You have been by my side since childhood. There is no need to be so cautious."

"Yes." Chunhua nodded. "Since the Emperor is unwilling to bear a daughter and we cannot force her, then simply do not let her bear one. Announce to the outside that she is no longer capable, then directly adopt a daughter from the clan. Would that not solve everything?"

The Empress froze. "Adopt a daughter? No, that will not do."

She shook her head. "An adopted daughter will ultimately lack the legitimacy of a biological daughter. There are still people in court who support the Emperor. They will certainly make moves in secret when the time comes. It is not secure enough."

"Then what should we do?"

The Empress pondered for a moment, then waved her hand. "Double the dosage!"

Several more days passed.

Over those days, the dosage of medicine in Chu Lu's dinner doubled day by day. Before long, it had gone from adding medicine to the food to adding food to the medicine.

More and more consorts were sent over each day, until there was almost no room left in the chamber for them to lie down.

Though Chu Lu grumbled endlessly in his heart, he remained largely unruffled. The Empress, on the other hand, grew increasingly unable to sit still.

"This cannot continue. I must think of something. Otherwise, she will really think she is better than me!" The Empress bit her fingernails and spoke viciously.

She wanted to seek out Chu Lu herself, but her crushing defeat last time remained vivid in her mind. If she went again, she would most likely only bring humiliation upon herself.

"I should go find Liu Jin'er. Yes, I will go find her!" The Empress's eyes lit up.

She thought that her younger sister was full of strange tricks. If Liu Jin'er had been able to suppress her last time, she would certainly be able to suppress her this time as well.

"Let's go! To the Liu residence." The Empress rose.

Very soon, the Empress left the palace in her carriage and arrived at the Liu residence.

After returning home, she first visited her mothers according to propriety and exchanged warm pleasantries with them. Then she greeted several closer relatives before finally mentioning Liu Jin'er.

However, the moment the Empress mentioned Liu Jin'er, Mother's expression turned subtly strange.

"She is in her room right now."

"In her room? It is already afternoon. She is actually staying obediently in her room? That does not sound like her." The Empress said.

"It is not just this afternoon." Her younger mother spoke up. "She has shut herself in her room for several days already."

The Empress frowned slightly. "What is wrong with her? Did someone bully her?"

"We do not know either. She will not say when we ask." Her younger mother said meaningfully, "We only know that she became like this after returning from the palace last time."

The Empress's expression changed slightly, and unease suddenly surged within her.

"I will go take a look!" the Empress said at once.

When she arrived outside Liu Jin'er's bedchamber, she pushed the door open and entered directly.

Hearing footsteps and the door opening, Liu Jin'er instinctively shouted irritably, "Who is it?! Didn't I say not to come in?"

"It is me."

Upon hearing the Empress's voice, Liu Jin'er was startled. Only then did she come out. "Elder Sister?"

"What exactly happened to you? What happened after you went to see the Emperor last time?" The Empress asked bluntly.

"Um, I... I..." Liu Jin'er looked terrified.

"Do not be afraid. Your elder sister will support you. Just tell me everything truthfully!"

Only then did Liu Jin'er seem to find her backbone. She nodded and told her everything.

The Empress's face turned black as she listened.

She had thought Liu Jin'er had gone to bully the Emperor. She had not expected it to be the other way around.

"This is outrageous! Utterly outrageous! Who does she think she is?!" The Empress flew into a rage.

The grievance and dissatisfaction she had bottled up for so long erupted completely at that moment.

"Chunhua, we are leaving." The Empress said furiously. "This time, no matter what, I will have an explanation!"

Hall of Mental Cultivation.

Chu Lu was still leisurely basking in the sun.

Her complexion had grown somewhat rosier, clearly showing that her recuperation over this period had been highly effective.

"Dog Emperor! Get out here!" The Empress's furious roar came from outside.

"So she finally came?" Without even thinking, Chu Lu could guess the Empress's purpose. She rose to her feet, a silver needle pinched between her fingers, and walked out calmly with Xiao Lizi following behind her.

Very soon, they came face-to-face with the Empress.

The moment the Empress saw Chu Lu, she sneered and drew the Imperial Sword, pointing it at her. "Dog Emperor! You have quite the nerve! You even dared humiliate my younger sister!"

"Compared to you, who dared humiliate even the Emperor, this is nothing." Chu Lu said.

"Hmph. Enough. Stop showing off your silver tongue." The Empress said coldly. "I did not come here to trade barbed words with you. Go obediently to the Liu residence right now and carry thorns on your back to apologize!"

This again? How boring, Chu Lu thought.

"And if I refuse?" she mocked. "Will you threaten me with the Imperial Sword again? Then put on another performance of deep affection between mistress and servant?"

"Heh. Your Majesty, do you think I brought the Imperial Sword to deal with you?" The Empress's expression suddenly changed, revealing an incomparably venomous smile. "It is for self-defense. You used to be so wise and enlightened, yet now you have become so shameless and depraved. It must be Consort Ping's resentful ghost making trouble after her death, clouding Your Majesty's mind. If Your Majesty still refuses to admit your mistake, then I will scatter Consort Ping's ashes to the wind! I will make that Winnowing Basket Demon dare not cause trouble again!"

After saying that, the Empress felt utterly pleased with herself. Last time, she had used this same line of reasoning to force Xu Liniang to drink poison. She believed she would succeed again this time.

She looked at Chu Lu, expecting her face to twist with rage.

Yet Chu Lu remained utterly calm.

"Then scatter them." Chu Lu said.

"What did you say?" The Empress froze.

Then she said in disbelief, "I am going to scatter Consort Ping's ashes!"

"Mm. Scatter them." Chu Lu said. "If that is not enough, you can also burn Consort Xian, Consort Min, Consort Jing... Burn all the consorts of the three palaces and six courts, then scatter all their ashes. I will not stop you. Only..."

Chu Lu stepped toward the Empress one step at a time, showing no fear of the Imperial Sword in her hand.

Standing before the Empress, she said, "For every person you kill now, I will make you repay it tenfold in the future."

Chu Lu's words were calm, yet her tone carried the stench of blood.

A chill rose in the Empress's heart. It was as though the person speaking before her was not Xu Liniang's Emperor at all, but some madwoman who would wipe out an entire family at the slightest provocation.

The Empress instinctively took two steps back.

The instant she did, her expression changed. She realized something was wrong—she had shown weakness.

Her entire momentum immediately sank.

"Since you are afraid, then get lost." Chu Lu said.

The Empress's face reddened with fury, but she knew that staying would only make her lose more face. Therefore, without saying a word, she turned and left.

Only after returning to Kunning Palace did she begin venting her fury, shrieking as she smashed every table, chair, and stool in the palace to pieces.

"Ahhh! Xu Liniang! Xu Liniang!" The Empress screamed hysterically.

The palace maids beside her were frightened out of their wits and hid in the corners, not daring to approach.

"Hah... hah..." After smashing things for quite some time, the Empress finally stopped, panting.

"Chunhua, come here." The Empress suddenly called.

"Yes." Chunhua walked over, looking nervous. After that outburst, the Empress's expression had calmed, but her gaze had grown ever colder, as though she had made some kind of decision.

"I have decided. We will do as you said before."

"Ah? What?"

The Empress looked at her. "I am going to find the Emperor an adopted daughter!"

Early one morning two days later, Chu Lu was suddenly awakened and told to attend morning court.

This immediately put Chu Lu on guard.

Given that she was practically deposed, why would she be summoned to morning court?

Clearly, the Empress was up to some trick.

Xu Liniang: "Strange. Nothing like this happened in my previous life. What trick is she playing?"

Chu Lu: "It does not matter. When soldiers come, generals block them; when water comes, earth dams it. We will deal with whatever move she makes."

She rose, allowing the palace maids to dress her in a yellow robe before leaving the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

Gate of Heavenly Purity.

Chu Lu sat upon the throne, looking down at the civil and military officials below.

The officials did not dare raise their heads to look at Chu Lu, but even without seeing their expressions, she could sense that the atmosphere was somewhat strange.

Chu Lu: "Does something feel off here? What is the procedure for morning court on your side?"

Xu Liniang said, "Once everyone has arrived, they first perform one bow and three kowtows. Then officials from the Court of State Ceremonial report the number of people entering the capital to offer thanks and those leaving office and departing the capital. After that, the other departments report their situations one by one... Like today, with no one saying anything, is indeed very strange."

At that moment, a set of footsteps sounded. Surrounded by several palace maids, the gorgeously dressed Empress approached slowly.

The moment she arrived, she immediately drew the eyes of all the civil and military officials, who began kowtowing in salute one after another.

Chu Lu narrowed her eyes. Was the Empress here to make a show of force?

After arriving, the Empress went to her designated seat and raised a hand. "My beloved officials, rise."

Once the civil and military officials had all risen and the Gate of Heavenly Purity had fallen silent again, the Empress slowly spoke. "Today, I have an important matter to discuss with you."

"This matter is of great importance and concerns royal privacy. It should not have been brought out into the open for discussion, but the situation is urgent, and I have no choice but to make an exception." The Empress said slowly, "I intend to adopt a girl from the clan to fill the position of Crown Princess."

Chu Lu froze.

Xu Liniang immediately cried out in her mind, "What is she trying to do?!"

The civil and military officials also erupted into an uproar.

"Your Majesty, this must not be done!" An elderly woman stepped forward with a shocked expression.

She was the Vice Minister of Revenue, Zhao Chongli, one of the few people in the present Imperial Court who stood on Xu Liniang's side. She shouted, "The position of Crown Princess is of utmost importance. How can it be decided so casually? The Emperor is still young and strong. Bearing an heir is only a matter of time. Why is adoption necessary?"

"Sigh." The Empress sighed. "If the Emperor could bear an heir, why would I resort to such a desperate measure? This should have been a royal secret, not something to reveal to everyone, but I have no choice now. The Emperor... is no longer capable!"

Minister Zhao stood there blankly. "Ah?"

The Empress continued, "Though the Emperor is still young, her body has long been drained dry. Every time she enters the bedchamber, she has to make tremendous preparations, and after only a couple of strokes, she... cannot manage even a couple of strokes. That is why I have remained childless all this time."

After saying that, the Empress even began sobbing pitifully.

The atmosphere in the hall became exceedingly strange.

In Chu Lu's mind, Xu Liniang began roaring frantically. "Slander! It is all slander! Nonsense! I have not been drained dry! I am incredibly fierce! I can go seven times in one night! You venomous woman, you are talking nonsense!"

Minister Zhao also snapped back to her senses. In her shock, she directly looked at Chu Lu and asked, "Your Majesty, is this true?"

"It is false." Chu Lu said.

"Do not ask Minister Zhao. Who would admit to such an unspeakable matter?" The Empress said. "In the end, the Emperor has three palaces and six consorts, yet not a single one is pregnant. That alone explains plenty."

"Nonsense! Nonsense!" Xu Liniang continued roaring in Chu Lu's mind. "I only wanted Consort Ping to bear the first child, so I had been secretly controlling myself all along! How am I incapable? I am more than capable!"

Yet Minister Zhao eyed the two of them suspiciously and chose to believe Chu Lu.

"Impossible! Even if there truly is some hidden ailment, medicine should be taken first to regulate the body. Why rush so hastily to adopt someone from a collateral clan branch? I think it is the Empress who harbors ulterior motives!" Minister Zhao shouted angrily. "You want to depose the Emperor, install a young ruler, and seize control of the government!"

"Minister Zhao, you must not speak nonsense." The Empress narrowed her eyes.

"Fine. Empress, you previously claimed that the Emperor was gravely ill, which was why you reluctantly acted as regent. Now, I see that the Emperor is in good condition. Since you have no ambition, why not return governance to the Emperor?" Minister Zhao said.

The Empress's expression turned cold. Minister Zhao had touched her bottom line.

"Guards, Minister Zhao has suffered an episode. Drag her away to rest!" The Empress said.

Several soldiers immediately came forward and carried Minister Zhao out.

Minister Zhao flew into a rage and cursed, "Venomous woman! A venomous woman who brings disaster upon the nation and its people! You will die a miserable death!"

Minister Zhao's voice gradually faded away.

The Empress swept her gaze over the others. "My beloved officials, do you have any other objections?"

Those remaining were basically all members of the Liu Family, so naturally no one spoke.

The Empress revealed a satisfied smile, then looked at Chu Lu. "Your Majesty, do you have any objections?"

Chu Lu glanced at her, then looked at the civil and military officials below. "I am unwilling. But is anyone willing to help me?"

Silence filled the hall.

"I see." Chu Lu looked around, committing every face to memory, then said, "Since no one is willing, then we will do as the Empress says."

The Empress's expression grew even smugger. She rose and declared, "Court is dismissed!"

Back at the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

By then, Xu Liniang had gradually calmed from her rage and begun to worry deeply.

"Chu Lu, what do we do? I never expected that venomous woman, the Empress, to use such a vicious method!" Xu Liniang said. "How about... we give in? Cooperate a little and have a child. That is still better than watching her adopt an heir right before our eyes."

"No." Chu Lu shook her head.

"Chu Lu, do not be stubborn. Weren't you trying to buy time?"

"There is no need to buy time anymore."

"Ah?"