After such a disaster, the Qingming sacrificial rites should have been postponed.
To everyone's surprise, however, Wei Zhao ordered Feng Chenyi to reorganize the procession and continue on to the imperial ancestral temple.
The eunuch Li Dehai advised him, "Your Majesty, the assassin has not yet been captured. If we continue to the imperial ancestral temple, I fear something may happen along the way."
Wei Zhao gave a cold laugh. His gaze swept over Zhou Ye, who had finished watching the drama and was now contentedly pretending to be invisible, and the expressionless Feng Minghe. Finally, it settled on Empress Feng, who was looking down at him from inside the carriage, and he spoke.
"Li Dehai, haven't you figured it out yet?"
"That assassin won't appear again."
Empress Feng's expression did not change. "Your Majesty is benevolent and decisive, and your imperial might shakes the heavens. If that assassin dares appear again, death is certain. Naturally, he is now hiding somewhere, too frightened to move."
Wei Zhao stepped up onto the carriage, and Empress Feng reached out to pull him aboard.
Taking advantage of their position, Wei Zhao whispered in her ear, "Empress, no one will fight you for the phoenix seal this time. You must be happy now, aren't you?"
Empress Feng glanced sideways and saw the venomous, wary expression on Wei Zhao's face.
For a moment, she was lost in recollection.
She had married Wei Zhao when he was still a prince, and together with her father and the Zhang Family, she had devised strategies to help him ascend the throne.
Back then, she had truly loved Wei Zhao.
After Wei Zhao ascended the throne, she became empress, but she was not jealous. She simply fulfilled her duties as empress, even helping Wei Zhao select prospective consorts and analyzing which officials' daughters could help him secure his throne if they entered the palace.
To her, the phoenix seal had not been essential.
Not until Wei Zhao moved against the Zhang Family and her Yu'er...
If Noble Consort Shu could guess the truth, how could she, the Feng Family's legitimate daughter whose beauty and talent had once surpassed all others in the capital, have failed to do the same?
But to protect her family, she had not dared make a fuss or cry. She had even forced herself to keep pretending that she and Wei Zhao were a loving, mutually respectful couple.
She had only hoped that Wei Zhao would be content to remain emperor, leave the Feng Family alone, and not harm Yu'er again.
But over the years, Wei Zhao had spoiled the Zhao Family, Noble Consort Shu, and Wei Chengye until they grew increasingly lawless, and he had even taken away the phoenix seal that belonged to her as the mother of the nation.
That had left her unable to hold her ground in the imperial harem.
Unable to protect her Yu'er.
In such circumstances, Empress Feng dared not imagine what would become of the Feng Family, herself, and her Yu'er if Wei Chengye became crown prince and then emperor!
So she accepted the favor Zhou Ye had sold her, and so did the Feng Family.
They would no longer sit and wait for death.
Today, she had brought down Noble Consort Shu, and Wei Zhao had come to hate her completely.
But so what?!
When she loved Wei Zhao, she would naturally devote herself to him and remain faithful to him alone. When she no longer loved him, he was nothing more to her than mud on a wall. Who cared whether a lump of mud hated them?
With that thought, she lowered her eyes, concealing the sharp glint in them, and assumed a mild, agreeable expression as she spoke.
"If Your Majesty thinks I should be happy about this, then naturally I must be happy."
"If Your Majesty thinks I should smile, then I will smile for you as well."
With that, the empress raised her head again, a smile already in her eyes.
Her whole approach was, "I'll do as you say and infuriate you to death."
Wei Zhao had intended to warn the empress, but her response left him choking on his own breath.
In the end, he simply flicked his sleeve, sat down on the other side of the carriage, and closed his eyes to rest, unwilling to waste any more effort on the empress.
The reason he had been wary of the Feng Family before was that he knew full well they were all gifted at governing.
His empress included; she was also extremely calculating.
They were not as easy to control as the Zhao Family.
Now that the Feng Family had indeed stopped pretending and bared its fangs at him, that was a good thing too.
It meant that from now on, he could openly make use of the Zhao Family faction, which had suffered a crushing loss at the Feng Family's hands and now bore a grudge, and make these wolves and tigers fight to the death and wear each other down.
The sacrificial procession was reorganized, but Noble Consort Shu, who had once enjoyed boundless favor, was no longer entitled to accompany it.
Palace attendants escorted her to a simple carriage, which was to take her back to the palace at once.
Ignoring the palace attendants trying to stop him, Wei Chengye chased after Noble Consort Shu and said, choking back sobs, "Mother, Mother, don't worry. Once Father's anger has passed, I'll beg him again to let you out!"
Wei Zhao had consigned Noble Consort Shu to the cold palace and confined her there for life. It was even harder to endure than a death sentence.
Noble Consort Shu reached out and stroked Wei Chengye's face, her heart aching.
She crouched down and told him, "Remember, you must not ask His Majesty to let me out before your uncle returns from Yu Town!"
"And stay calm when things happen. Think carefully before you act!" Her eyes were red from crying as she gripped Wei Chengye's hand and said, "Son, while I'm not at your side, you must take good care of yourself. Eat and sleep on time, study hard..."
"And you must remember what I told you that day at Shuyue Palace! You absolutely must not forget!"
"Your Highness, it's time to go."
"Third Prince, if you don't get into the carriage soon and delay the journey, I won't be able to bear the blame when His Majesty takes offense."
A eunuch stepped forward to pull Wei Chengye away, but the boy shoved him aside.
Wei Chengye fell to his knees with a thud. His reddened eyes stayed fixed on Noble Consort Shu until she boarded the carriage. Only then did he kowtow and say, "I bid you farewell, Mother!"
Afterward, he rose and strode into the princes' carriage.
When Wei Yuanshi saw him, his eyes darted about, but he did not call him Third Brother or come over to cling to him again.
Presumably, his mother, Consort Wan, had said something to him.
"You bootlicking lackey!" Wei Chengye cursed coldly.
He turned to Wei Mingxiu and Wei Zeyu, his eyes filled with rage and venom.
Especially when he looked at Wei Zeyu.
His gaze looked as though he wanted to tear Wei Zeyu limb from limb.
After all, he had watched with his own eyes as the Feng Family pointed out their mistakes, forcing his mother into her current predicament to protect the Zhao Family.
And Wei Zeyu, Empress Feng's son, was his enemy in his eyes, even if he was a fool. Wei Chengye loathed him!
Wei Zeyu shuddered.
He leaned against Wei Mingxiu and hid his head behind him.
Wei Chengye sneered at the sight, then looked at Wei Mingxiu. "Don't think you can live in peace just because you've latched onto Second Brother."
"There's a long time ahead of us. No one stands forever. With your lowly status, you'll only end up a sacrifice in this struggle!"
Wei Mingxiu shielded Wei Zeyu and smiled at Wei Chengye.
He said, "The future can wait. As for what happened today, I'm clearly not the one who fell."
Bang-
Wei Chengye kicked over the small table in the carriage.
The table flew toward Wei Mingxiu's knees, but he raised a hand with great speed.
And caught it firmly.
Zhou Ye had stolen a month's supply of tonics for him from Yun Shen, and with Wei Mingxiu's own diligent daily training, his physique and martial skills had long since surpassed Wei Chengye's.
If he couldn't even stop a table, that would truly bring shame on Zhou Ye.
He returned the table to its original position.
Wei Mingxiu raised his eyes to Wei Chengye, his expression as indifferent as ever.
But his words gave Wei Chengye a shock.
"Third Brother, instead of throwing these little tantrums, why not do something for real?"
He leaned forward, closing the distance between them.
In a voice only the two of them could hear, he said,
"At the imperial hunt in May, I'll give you a chance to kill me. If you can't, then one day, I'll take your life."