Chapter 605 - Chapter 605: Life and Death

Chapter 605: Life and Death

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

At this moment, a prince suddenly asked.

‘Who’s Li Niang?”

Crown Prince Shen Zhuo immediately looked in the direction of the voice and realized that the person who spoke was his uncle, Prince Jia.

This time, the Empress Dowager’s birthday was very grand. Not only did many envoys from the neighboring countries come, but even many princes far away came. Prince Jia was one of them.

Deng Yuchuan seemed to be waiting for Prince Jia’s question. Almost as soon as Prince Jia finished speaking, Deng Yuchuan quickly gave an answer.

“Li Niang is the biological sister of my mother. She and the current Empress Dowager are also sisters. Back then, the sisters entered the capital together to participate in the talent show. In the end, Li Niang was disfigured and forced to leave her hometown. She drifted for many years and finally died in a foreign place. Before she died, she left a letter and told the entire truth about her being plotted against by her biological sister.”

Everyone present was shocked. Many guesses involuntarily appeared in their minds.

In an instant, everyone’s expressions kept changing. As one of the parties involved, Empress Dowager Deng felt like she was in an uncomfortable situation, and her expression became even uglier.

Prince Jia looked puzzled. “In your words, could it be that Li Niang’s death is related to the Empress Dowager? That’s unlikely. The Empress Dowager has always been very benevolent. How can she be so ruthless to her own sister?” The old emperor slammed the table. “What nonsense are you talking about?! ”

The cups, bowls, and plates on the table trembled.

Even the hearts of everyone present skipped a beat.

Prince Jia also seemed frightened and bent down in fear.

“Your Majesty, calm down. I spoke nonsense.”

Then, he turned to look at Deng Yuchuan and reprimanded with a dark expression.

“Don’t spout nonsense without evidence. The Empress Dowager is the mother of a country. Everyone knows that she’s benevolent. How can you slander her with a few words?!”

Deng Yuchuan said loudly, “Who said I don’t have evidence? This charred corpse beside me is evidence! Back then, the first person Imperial Concubine Meng liked was Li Niang. After she wanted Li Niang to enter the palace, Deng Yuluo was jealous and deliberately plotted to disfigure Li Niang and snatch her chance to enter the palace. Li Niang was unwilling to be schemed against just like that, so she plotted against Deng Yuluo and plotted for her to have an affair with another before she got married…’

“Shut up!”

The old emperor stood up angrily and roared at the top of his lungs.

“Nonsense! It’s all nonsense! Someone, drag this lunatic down and tear him into pieces!”

However, the imperial guards did not dare to move.

They were all afraid of the box of gunpowder.

Deng Yuchuan looked like he had really risked everything. He could not be afraid of death, but the others had to be.

Empress Dowager Deng seemed to recall the scenes back then. Her hands hidden in her wide sleeves were clenched into fists, and her lips, which had been smeared with lip fat, were pursed into a straight line.

She was clearly the legitimate daughter of the first wife. Be it looks or talent, she was not inferior to her sister. However, outsiders felt that her sister’s status was more precious than hers and their attitude towards her was clearly more respectful. Even her father valued her sister more, let alone her brother. He only had Li Niang in his eyes and did not take her seriously at all.

She hated such a sister.

She even hoped more than once that she would not have such a sister!

Actually, she had a man she liked back then, but in order to compete with her sister, she took the initiative to abandon that relationship and follow her sister to the Imperial Capital.

She wanted to use this opportunity to prove to everyone that she was more outstanding than her sister and deserved to be valued!

She tried her best to perform, but Imperial Concubine Meng seemed to be blind and fell for her sister at a glance.

Once her sister entered the palace, she would be a high and mighty empress.

And she could only go home with her tail between her legs as a loser.

How would she face her parents then?

And the lover she had abandoned would definitely laugh at her, right? If she took a step forward, she would be rich. If she took a step back, she would have nothing.

Who could resist such temptation?

Deng Yuluo could not resist.

In the end, she still used the most despicable method to disfigure her sister.

When she saw her sister crying in despair while covering her unrecognizable face, she actually felt guilty. She thought that when she became empress, not only would she bring glory to the family, but she would also find a good family for her sister.

It did not matter even if she lost her beauty. Her sister was the legitimate daughter of the Deng family and had a sister who was the empress. Her husband’s family would probably not dare to underestimate her.

She could still live well for the rest of her life.

Deng Yuluo thought about it again and again. After thinking too much, she believed in her own rationalization. Even the last bit of guilt disappeared.

Unfortunately, reality did not go as planned.

Li Niang did not admit defeat obediently as she had expected. Not only that, but Li Niang also schemed against her.

She had underestimated Li Niang’s temper.

Even if she had to fight to the death, Li Niang would let her have a taste of living a life worse than death.

What happened that night became a nightmare that Empress Dowager Deng did not want to remember for the rest of her life.

Even though her parents had sent someone to smooth things over and help her bribe the people in the palace tasked to check the concubines’ bodies so that she could bluff her way through, she still felt afraid.

She was afraid that the matter would be exposed and the truth would be known.

Especially on the night of the wedding. She was trembling with nervousness and almost couldn’t hold back from telling the truth.

Fortunately, in the end, logic prevailed.

She gritted her teeth and endured.

Perhaps God was helping her too. The emperor was in a good mood that night.

He had drunk a lot before entering the bridal chamber and was no longer sober.

Deng Yuluo took the opportunity to pour him a few more glasses of wine. While he was drunk, she pretended to consummate her marriage with him.

The next day, the emperor woke up and forgot most of what had happened on his wedding night. He thought that he had already slept with the empress, so he did not think too much about it.

The matter was closed.

All these years, Deng Yuluo had been careful with her words and actions. She took every step in the palace. Not only did she stabilize her position as the empress of the Central Palace, but she also let her son inherit the throne.

And she had also become Empress Dowager Deng, the most respected woman in the entire Dayan Dynasty.

Now that she had gray hair, her life had come to an end.

She thought she would have no regrets in her life, but the secret that had been sealed for years was suddenly revealed.

The past she had deliberately forgotten came flooding back.

The intense uneasiness and fear almost engulfed her.

Empress Dowager Deng stared fixedly at the charred corpse, thinking that the secret she had hidden for many years was about to be made public. She felt her vision darken and a fishy sweetness well up in her throat. She opened her mouth and spat out a mouthful of blood.

Then, she closed her eyes and fainted.

The old emperor was anxious. He wanted to rush over, but because he moved so much, he accidentally bumped into the corner of the table. The cups on the table were knocked over, and tea spilled all over the ground.

“Imperial physician! Call the imperial physician!”