498 I JW1

The heavy rains were still beating down on the buildings in the Royal Palace, and the hearts of the people in it. It was silent in Guangxin Palace, or maybe it was silent. The vicious words of the brother and sister were hidden by the sound of rain and thunder. Not a peep traveled outside the Palace.

Even so, there was still not a single person outside Guangxin Palace. Even old Eunuch Hong was not there. Everyone kept their distance. As long as they did so, they would be keeping their distance from death.

Eunuch Yao was still outside Eastern Palace, but his thoughts had long turned to Guangxin Palace. His hands and feet were cold, and his heart was dark. He didn't know what was happening in that Palace. Although he knew he shouldn't think of that scenario, he still couldn't help but do so.

He wiped the rainwater from his hand and carefully watched for movements in the Eastern Palace. Since the Emperor had given this Palace to him to manage, he couldn't let the empress and Crown Prince inside cause any ruckus.

Compared to Guangxin Palace, the situation with the Eastern Palace seemed much quieter. Although Eunuch Yao was nervous, he wasn't afraid. All the servants in the Eastern Palace had been beheaded. There was only the mother and son left alone in there. Eunuch Yao believed that, no matter what, they wouldn't be able to cause a ruckus.

Suddenly, his eyes that had been soaked by the rainwater suddenly became dry and began to burn.

What a powerful fire!

The powerful fire rose from the beautiful Eastern Palace and dissolved into countless fire spirits. It rose toward the rain scattering sky. The incredible heat accompanied the fire as it quickly spread in all directions.

Eunuch Yao's eyes suddenly constricted, but the red in his eyes did not decrease at all. The Eastern Palace was on fire. At this point, other than the mother and son lighting the fire themselves, no one else could do it. But, did the mother and son want to burn themselves?

Furthermore, the rain was coming down heavily, so how did this fire start? Why could the sky full of rain not be able to put out this fire? Eunuch Yao knew that this was not the moment to investigate how the fire started. He had to immediately make a decision whether to put out the fire or otherwise.

Should he let the empress and Crown Prince burn themselves to death in the fire? Eunuch Yao didn't spend too much time thinking. He knew that no matter how angry the Emperor was, if the empress and Crown Prince died under his watch before enduring the wrath of the Emperor, then that wrath would fall on his own head.

A moment later, Eunuch Yao's voice seemed to have passed through the fire as he yelled in a sharp but raspy voice, "Water!"

…

…

There were countless reservoirs of water in copper vats in the Royal Palace, and countless eunuchs and serving girls. When the fire started in the Eastern Palace, there were already people reacting and running toward it, working hard to put out the fire. Eunuch Yao tensely and carefully did not participate. Instead, he stood in the outer circle with a hidden face and watched the busy crowd. He was very careful to not allow anyone to take this opportunity to make contact with the mother and son in the burning Palace.

This fire was somewhat strange. It didn't seem like that the Palace itself had burned. Rather, someone had used highly flammable materials and oils. Thus, the fire was very powerful and couldn't be extinguished by the rain. However, after these resources were burned through, the fire had no further strength and was extinguished quickly.

A loyal eunuch broke down the burned and blackened Palace door wanting to charge inside to save the master and mistress inside.

Once the little eunuch broke through the Palace door, he found darkness in front of his eyes. Somehow, he was struck by a wooden stick on the head and fainted away.

Eunuch Yao coldly entered first. Behind him, the guards and eunuchs once again surrounded the Eastern Palace and kept the fire fighters, who were looking at each other, outside of the Palace.

The Eastern Palace had already been burned into a desolate place. On the rain splattered stone tiles in front of the Palace, the empress was being held by the Crown Prince in his arms. Other than the marks of having been singed by the fire on her body, she looked wretched after having been soaked by the rain.

Eunuch Yao bowed slightly. "The fire has been put out."

The meaning was simple. Since the fire had been put out, the two of them would still have to temporarily suffer the indignities and stay.

The Crown Prince, with a row of blisters from the fire on his hand, stared at Eunuch Yao's eyes. A glimmer of hatred flashed across his face. He spoke each word clearly, "Unless you kill me right now, otherwise, the entire Royal Palace will know the news of the Eastern Palace catching on fire. How long do you think you can hide it?"

Then, the Crown Prince raised his head and calmly said, "I am fine. It is only that mother has fainted from the smoke." His voice easily carried to outside the Palace and was heard by those who came to put out the fire. It put them at ease. As long as the empress and Crown Prince were fine, then they would not suffer.

As these words landed in the ears of the eunuchs and guards surrounding the Eastern Palace, they carried a different kind of meaning.

Eunuch Yao's body froze. He slowly lifted his head to look at this usually very normal Crown Prince and furrowed his brows. Only now did he realize that this Crown Prince was, after all, the Emperor's true son. When crisis came, this kind of decisiveness and self-immolation to force a result, was used to great effect.

The Emperor needed to deal with his family matters but also needed to maintain his face, so he had chosen the darkest hour before dawn. The heavens had joined in and poured down thunder and rain to add to the atmosphere. In the Royal Palace, over a hundred servants had already died to stop the people's incessant talking.

After the Eastern Palace caught fire, everyone knew that the Crown Prince and empress were fine. It was impossible for this matter to go by without a sound. The so-called family matter was going to gradually become a national matter.

Eunuch Yao looked at the calm Crown Prince and felt his heart jump. He found that when the usually rather stupid Crown Prince was faced with a crisis, regardless of whether it was his eyes or expression, he was very like the Emperor.

…

…

The woman with truly the most power in Qing Kingdom, that old woman, had actually woken up half an hour ago. The old woman needed to sleep for very little time, but the empress still habitually lay on the soft bed in Hanguang Palace with her eyes closed to rest her spirit.

For some reason, she had already been awake for a long time, yet the sky was still so dark. It gave one no interest in getting up to walk in the garden.

The sound of the wind, rain, and thunder made the empress dowager furrow her brows and close her eyes even tighter. She wasn't afraid of thunder, but she disliked it. She always wondered if the heavens had some complaint against the Li family and used this method to tell her.

After the wind and thunder, a clamoring sound came faintly from the distance. The sound disappeared very quickly, and the dark Palace once again recovered its silence.

The empress dowager did not want to lie there anymore. With the help of the old maids and serving girls, she slowly rose from the bed and shakily dressed. She tied a green ribbon smoothly around her head and was helped to a chair.

Serving girls quietly brought in a golden basin to help the old woman wash. Hot steam rose from the warm water in the basin.

The empress dowager stared at the hot steam in the basin in a daze.

A moment later, she sighed and gestured with her hands. "What was the noise about just earlier?"

The serving girls and old maids looked at each other. Although they had also heard it and vaguely guessed that it should be from the Eastern Palace, it was very early in the morning. No one had left the Palace, so no one was sure what had happened. Even if someone guessed that something had happened in the Eastern Palace, no one would dare say their guess in front of the empress dowager.

At that moment, the serving girl holding the golden basin opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something. However, an old and decrepit eunuch slowly walked in from outside the Palace.

In the entire Royal Palace, other than the Emperor, only this old eunuch could directly enter the empress dowager's sleeping Palace without needing to be announced. When the serving girls and old maids around the empress dowager saw the old eunuch come in, they fell silent. Only the serving girl holding the basin had hopelessness and conflict flash across her face.

Old Eunuch Hong slowly walked to the empress dowager and said, "A few days ago, the Eastern Palace caught a few dishonest servants. However, they were completely wiped out and caused some more trouble. I've sent Xiao Yao over. It is only a small matter."

The empress dowager furrowed her brows slightly and made a sound of understanding. However, her gaze slanted to the serving girl holding the basin.

Old Eunuch Hong also glanced at the serving girl with a cloudy and unclear gaze.

The serving girl's body shook, and she slowly lowered her head. However, she immediately raised her head and said, in a very fast voice, "The Eastern Palace…"

Having said these three words, she paused and stared in fear across from her.

The empress dowager used her old and shaky hands to hang firmly onto Eunuch Hong's wrist. She knew that if old Eunuch Hong wanted to, this old dog had countless ways to make sure the serving girl didn't say a single word.

"Water," the serving girl holding the basin said in a shaky voice. "The fire was so big, and the empress and Crown Prince were still inside."

Old Eunuch Hong slowly shook his head and pulled his hand back into his sleeve.

The empress dowager stared intently at the serving girl and said, "What about the Emperor?"

"His Majesty is in Guangxin Palace."

The serving girl bit her lip and helped her master send out these last words. They were also her last words in this world. Her left hand pulled out a hairpin from her sleeve and shoved the point of it into her throat. Fresh blood gurgled out.

The water basin in her hands fell to the ground with a crisp crash. Her body also fell to the floor with a muffled thud.

There was a death-like silence inside Hanguang Palace. All of the serving girls and old maids were shocked by this scene. No one could speak.

"Bastard!" The empress dowager stood up. Without even glancing at the body of the serving girl, she said, "Head to Guangxin Palace."

…

…

The rain outside Guangxin Palace gradually grew smaller, and the Eldest Princess' breathing also gradually weakened. The red of her face had already changed into the near-death deep red. Her large and alluring eyes gradually protruded out. It was extremely strange. Her body hovered on the beautiful Palace walls as her life completely hung on the large hand around her beautiful white neck.

Death was probably imminent. However, this woman, the strangest woman in Qing Kingdom these 20 years, was, in the end, crazy. There wasn't a glimmer of the fear of death to be seen in her eyes. There was only a faint mocking and ridicule.

The object of her mockery and ridicule was the most important person in the world, her brother, the Emperor of Qing Kingdom.

Perhaps because of this glimmer of mockery, the Qing Emperor's hand loosened slightly, giving Li Yunrui a slight chance to breathe. Li Yunrui breathed heavily. She suddenly raised her fists and hit them against the Emperor's solid body with all her might. Because her breathing was too rapid, her snot and tears all flowed out and lay on her still beautiful but twisted face

Perhaps death was not scary, but no one who suddenly grasped a chance at life as they are about to die would forget their will.

The Emperor looked at her with coldness and ridicule. He spoke each word carefully, "So, even a lunatic is still afraid of death."

The Eldest Princess spat in the Emperor's face. In a raspy voice, she laughed maniacally.

The Emperor slowly wiped away the spit on his face with no change in expression. He raised his hand and wiped away the things on the Eldest Princess' face. Slowly, he said, "You and I, brother and sister, seem to have rarely spoke honestly with each other these years. How about I give you a bit more time?"

"I don't need time." The Eldest Princess laughed with great difficulty. "I am just thinking, if you kill me today, are you going to kill Chen Pingping next? What is most curious is that for such a massive undertaking as purging the Palace, you didn't even bring a single Tiger Guard. Who are you guarding against? Fan Jian?"

Given the situation of the Qing court, once the balance had been completely broken, as the Emperor, he had to erect a new balance. The previous generation would become sacrificial items.

"Very good… It looks like after Fan Jian dies, Fan Xian will also die. With this many people leaving with me, what do I care?"

The Eldest Princess suddenly spat on the Emperor's face again and said in a raspy voice, "You are alone [JW2], you are cut off from others! Kill me, kill me! You don't have a son. You don't have anything… You are just a lonely spirit."

"An Emperor doesn't need friends, the Emperor said coldly. "As for sons, if they dare to rebel, then I can have more."

There suddenly came the sound of urgent knocking outside Guangxin Palace. The sound was very loud, as if the person outside was very rushed.

"In the end…you…are still unwilling to kill me." The Eldest Princess wheezed and stared at the Emperor in a daze. "You knew that I was stalling for time. Why did you let me stall?"

[JW1] It's an old first person pronoun for royalty or nobility. It also means something along the lines of "lonely/alone." The pun comes at the end of the chapter.

[JW2 ] Pun here. The characters used here are the same as the chapter title.