The shattered jade pieces bounced a few times on the gold-brick floor before rolling to the edge of the palace gate.
The Empress covered her forehead, and drops of blood dripped from between her fingers onto her plain white palace dress, blooming into glaring bloodstains.
He was knocked to the ground, his body limp, his lips trembling, staring blankly at the man with a ferocious face on the dragon bed.
The emperor leaned halfway against the edge of the couch, the wrinkles at the corners of his mouth stretched out, his lips parted to reveal his yellowed gums.
He forced out a single word from his throat, hoarse, broken, and filled with a tearing malice.
"Useless...!"
With that one word, all the breathing in the Hall of Supreme Ultimate stopped for a beat.
Gu Nian'an was so frightened that he burst into tears, his face covered in snot and tears. He lay on the ground and shrank back as far as he could, not daring to look at his mother, whose head was covered in blood.
Gao Fu stood to the side of the dragon bed. Upon hearing this word, his eyelids drooped, and he tucked the whisk in his hand into the crook of his arm.
The old eunuch, who had served two emperors, did not hesitate for even a second before turning around and shouting in a high-pitched voice towards the outside of the hall.
"By imperial decree! The Empress's position is hereby abolished, and her imperial seal and ceremonial robes are stripped away!"
The criminal woman was immediately taken to the detention center for safekeeping, awaiting further judgment from the Imperial Clan Court!
"Boom--"
The tightly closed vermilion gates of Hall of Supreme Ultimate Taiji Hall were pushed open from the outside, and armored imperial guards rushed in with heavy steps.
The cold iron armor, carrying the chill of the wind and snow outside, filled the entire hall.
Two burly Imperial Guard captains strode forward, grabbed the Empress's shoulders with iron gloves, and dragged her up from the ground.
"Release me! Gu Chengshi, you tyrant!"
The empress was disheveled, her face covered in blood, and her hands were flailing wildly in the air.
"Without my maternal family, would you have been able to sit securely on this dragon throne back then?"
Don't worry, Gu Mochen from Anyang will be the first to turn against you!
Gu Moran of Jiannan Circuit won't let you off the hook either!
Chu Tianxing picked at his ear, muttering, "Tsk, even when he's about to die, he still drags others down with him."
"His Prince Yi is living a life of luxury in the southwest, what did he do to offend you?"
The Imperial Guard showed no mercy, tying thick hemp ropes directly around the Empress's arms, causing her skin to turn blue.
The sixth prince, Gu Nian'an, was dragged out of the Hall of Supreme Ultimate gate by the back of his collar like a Xiaoji by a guard, his cries echoing through the wind and snow.
The heavy palace doors slammed shut again, completely shutting out the ear-piercing shouts and curses from outside the corridor.
The hall fell silent once more.
A winding trail of blood remained on the floor tiles, still emitting faint steam.
Old Elder Shen collapsed to the ground, his robe soaked through with cold sweat.
He stole a glance at the emperor on the bed, then at Gu Moli standing at the head of the bed, his throat so dry he couldn't swallow a single drop of saliva.
Chu Tianxing, on the other hand, looked relaxed. He squatted down and picked up the gold needles that had been scattered on the ground one by one, wiped them clean with a cloth, and put them back into the needle case.
"Alright, Elder Shen, stop pretending to be dead."
Chu Tianxing stood up and dusted off his long robe. "His Majesty has calmed down. He spat out that phlegm, so he won't die anytime soon."
However, this hall is filled with smoke and fumes; if I stay any longer, my nose will be ruined by the incense.
Gu Moli stepped forward, took out a piece of silver from her sleeve, and gently handed it to Chu Tianxing: "Today, thanks to Physician Chu's keen observation."
"Physician Chu, you've worked hard. Go back to the Imperial Medical Bureau and rest."
Chu Tianxing took the silver, weighed it in his hand, and grinned, "Your Highness is too kind. Treating the royal family is a life-or-death matter; I'd be perfectly comfortable accepting this fee."
Elder Shen quickly got up from the ground, grabbed his medicine box, and pulled Chu Tianxing's sleeve to back out.
They ran faster than rabbits, fearing the emperor might change his mind and detain them both.
Only Gao Fu and Gu Moli remained in the main hall.
The old emperor was panting heavily; throwing the jade cup had almost exhausted all his strength.
He lay half-reclined on the soft pillows, staring blankly at the bright yellow dragon-draped canopy hanging high above.
Gao Fu bent down, took a clean handkerchief, and gently wiped away the white foam from the corner of the emperor's mouth.
"Your Majesty, what about the Sixth Prince..." Gao Fu asked in a low voice.
The old emperor's eyes flickered, and with great effort, he squeezed out a single word through clenched teeth. "Close..."
Gu Moli lowered her head, slowly walked to the bedside, and tucked the blanket around the old emperor.
Her fingers were fair and slender, and her movements were so gentle and graceful that there was not a single flaw.
"Father, you are in poor health, please don't get angry again." Gu Moli spoke softly, as if coaxing a child.
"The affairs of the court are handled by the senior ministers of the cabinet."
As for matters in the harem, the Empress Dowager, your mother, and your daughter will all look after them for you.
Rest assured, our Great Yan dynasty will not fall.
The emperor closed his eyes, his eyelids shriveled, and he no longer had the strength to move.
Gu Moli turned around and slowly walked out of the hall.
The boots trod across the bloodstains on the blue brick floor without making a sound.
As she walked through the long white marble corridor, the cold wind, carrying snowflakes, lashed against her cloak, chilling her to the bone.
Gu Moli stood at the top of the steps, looking down towards the direction of Palace of Phoenix Ceremony in the distance.
Several squads of armored Imperial Guard had completely surrounded the magnificent palace, and cries and the sound of banging on doors could be faintly heard through the wind and snow.
She tucked her hands into her warm gloves, her gaze passing over the thick palace walls to the gloomy sky to the southwest.
He looked down at his fingers, reddened by the cold wind, and murmured to himself:
"Brother Ran, I've cleared another road for you in the capital."
You need to work hard too.
A thousand miles away, at the Prince Yi Prefecture's Residence.
The two heavy nanmu wood door hinges, carved with intertwined peonies, made a very slight scraping sound as the person inside pushed them open a crack about three fingers wide.
The morning breeze swirled through the crack in the door, immediately dispersing some of the thick, warm fragrance that filled the room.
Lin Qingdai stepped out of the threshold first, and as soon as her right foot touched the bluestone slab on the steps, her knees sank down uncontrollably.
She grabbed the protruding brass corner of the door frame with her backhand, the veins on the back of her hand throbbing twice, and forced her back to straighten up again, trying to adopt the cold-faced swordsman's stance as she usually drew her sword.
But his usually aloof face was now strangely pale, with dark circles under his eyes, and even his ponytail, which was tied behind his head, had loosened and was drooping limply over his shoulders.
Murong Xue, who followed closely behind, fared no better.
This once fierce woman, who rode a spirited horse and drew a heavy bow, now rested one hand on her aching lower back and used the other to press on Lin Qingdai's shoulder for support.
She took tiny steps as she descended the stairs, and beneath her wide pomegranate-colored skirt, her legs trembled slightly at an extremely subtle frequency.
"You've practiced internal martial arts, so you should be more careful with your footing."
Murong Xue gritted her teeth, her voice weak, but she still wanted to fight for her pride.
"Don't let those rough housekeepers outside see this and laugh at us. If word gets out, they'll say that our Prince Yi's Residence's backyard can't withstand any damage."
Lin Qingdai slapped away the hand that was on her shoulder, stomped her heel heavily on the stone bricks, and said coldly.
" Miss Murong, you should take better care of yourself."
Just now, I don't know who was holding onto the brocade quilt inside the room, and they even put on their boots with their eyes closed.
If I hadn't pulled you up, you'd still be dangling from the pedals.
From the half-closed warm chamber behind the two, a groan filled with deep weariness came from within.
" Ruyan, draw the curtains tighter... the light is blinding..."
Su Yao's voice was as soft as mushy dough spread out in a pan, accompanied by the soft rustling of the quilt turning.
"What exactly did the Prince eat to grow up so strong? Shen Ling'er, is the tonic you prescribed a potent tonic or a deadly poison?"
"Don't wake me up today. Just throw the keys to the accounting office to the butler."
[Thanks to: the King of Gifts of One Hundred Million, the Show-off I Like, the Emperor's Urging Charm, the Silly Milk Tea x2, 777's Love Letter, Naizi's Flowers and Likes, Fenfang, Youshui, the Likes from Decomposition, Yan Yan's Flowers, and everyone else who contributed their love!]
[I'll update more once I'm done with this! Wishing everyone a smooth and successful September! May all your wishes come true! ✧⁺⸜(●˙▾˙●)⸝⁺✧]