When Shen Du woke up, the court officials were still shivering with cold at the imperial banquet. An imperial physician knelt nearby. After casting a brief glance at the physician and nodding slightly in acknowledgment, Shen Du rose from the bed.
Those nearby wanted to step forward to steady Shen Du, but Shen Du brushed their hands away directly.
“Lord Shen…”
The crowd dared only utter soft cries, not daring to interrupt Shen Du loudly.
No one dared to point fingers at Shen Du’s actions unless they had a death wish.
Shen Du opened palace doors and walked toward the banquet hall. Behind him, the Imperial City Guard followed closely and dutifully all the way to the entrance of the banquet.
Standing on the elevated dais with a cold expression, Shen Du radiated an aura of supreme authority. “Search everyone at the banquet thoroughly, one by one. Anyone found carrying poison or similar substances is to be detained immediately.”
Upon receiving Shen Du’s command, the Imperial City Guard sprang into action.
The court officials were dissatisfied yet dared not utter a word. After all, that cup of wine had originally been intended for His Majesty!
Shen Du had drunk it in place of the emperor to prevent the assassination of the sovereign of the state, so conducting a thorough investigation was entirely justified.
“Lord Shen, this person is carrying lethal poison!”
The Imperial City Guard spoke with stern gravity. Holding a small vial, they forcibly pressed a palace maid down before Shen Du. Shen Du raised his eyes to look at the maid, nodded, and signaled the imperial physician to step forward and inspect the poison.
The maid’s mouth was muffled; the Imperial City Guard gave her no chance to speak at all. It was not until the imperial physician examined the substance, looked up, and nodded to Shen Du to confirm that the poison matched the one in the wine cup—
That Shen Du gave a light wave of his hand, dismissing the imperial physician.
“Which palace does she serve?” Shen Du asked casually. With a flick of his hand, Deshun quickly handed Shen Du a cup of tea from the side.
Shen Du took a small sip, then set the teacup down on the table. The crisp sound caused the palace maid to tremble involuntarily. A pleading expression filled her face as she tried to say something, but not a single sound emerged because her mouth remained covered.
“Lord Shen… this person is a palace maid from the Empress Dowager’s quarters,” the Imperial City Guard said cautiously. Hearing this, the court officials turned pale with shock.
They had considered whether this maid might belong to another palace, or perhaps slipped into the crowd unnoticed, but they never expected her to be a maid serving right by the Empress Dowager’s side.
Who, then, could be the mastermind behind this? No one dared to think too deeply.
“You have immense audacity, actually daring to attempt regicide! And being someone from the Empress Dowager’s side, you tried to sow discord between the Empress Dowager and His Majesty—that is a crime compounded. If you had harmed the Empress Dowager and His Majesty, death would be too good for you.” After speaking in an icy tone, Shen Du fixed his gaze back upon the maid.
“Who served as your internal accomplice to smuggle the poison inside? If you refuse to speak, no matter—I will investigate them one by one.” Looking at the muffled maid, Shen Du felt a tinge of sorrow.
Yet this maid was someone Shen Du had carefully selected. Back in the day, she had served beside the Empress Dowager, poisoning numerous imperial concubines and even helping the Empress Dowager frame the current emperor’s birth mother, Consort An, sending her off to the cold palace.
Perishing in this manner was only a fitting end for her.
With this thought, the stone in Shen Du’s heart did not drop. Such matters, once started, would repeat endlessly. Shen Du knew that after today, his hands could never be washed clean again.
“To safeguard the security of His Majesty and the Empress Dowager, the Imperial City Guard will act under my orders to inspect all servants within the Empress Dowager’s and His Majesty’s quarters. Any individuals acting suspiciously are to be executed immediately without waiting for authorization.”
With that, Shen Du turned and left directly. Standing nearby, Xie Zhen remained silent. After watching Shen Du’s retreating figure for a moment, he attempted to follow, only to be blocked.
The court officials exchanged glances, too terrified to speak. Since the maid had been identified as belonging to the Empress Dowager’s palace, no one dared to raise objections, especially since Shen Du had framed it as the maid attempting to drive a wedge between the Empress Dowager and the emperor.
Who could argue otherwise?
To dispute it would be equivalent to proving that the Empress Dowager wanted to assassinate the emperor, which was an act of supreme treason!
The officials could only watch as the Imperial City Guard drew their blades and cleanly decapitated the maid. Meanwhile, attendants standing by with basins of water stepped forward the moment the body was dragged away to scrub the flagstones, erasing all traces of blood within moments.
The imperial palace was a man-eating devourer of souls, and everyone present witnessed Shen Du’s ruthless methods once again.
Inside the Empress Dowager’s palace, a luxurious teacup shattered into fragments on the floor, left uncleaned by anyone. The Empress Dowager’s expression turned hideous; she had never imagined that Shen Du would have Commander Kang confine her within her quarters, prohibiting entry or exit.
And he had done so under the righteous pretext of protecting her safety—utterly ridiculous.
The Empress Dowager’s face remained dark with fury. Even when she stood directly before Commander Kang, he refused to budge an inch, drawing his sword under the guise of protecting the Empress Dowager from being bewitched by wicked attendants. With no other choice, the Empress Dowager had no option but to retreat back inside her chambers and stay put.
“What a fine Commander Kang. Once Shen Du is dead, I want to see who will back him up,” the Empress Dowager muttered with chilling malice before her expression twisted in disgust.
Her personal maid, Shubai, spoke softly to comfort her, offering soothing words until the Empress Dowager’s anger subsided slightly. Suddenly, the door was pushed open, and a wave of coughing reached the Empress Dowager’s ears.
The newcomer strode in uninvited, taking a seat directly before lifting his gaze. “Thanks to Your Ladyship’s blessing, this subject is temporarily unable to die. However, someone in your palace attempted to poison His Majesty, and the evidence was uncovered by the Imperial City Guard. This subject suspects there may be an internal accomplice within your halls, which is why I came to inspect it personally.”
Shen Du almost wanted to pin the blame of the accomplice directly onto the Empress Dowager, though he kept his tongue in check.
Looking pale-faced, he still chose to sit there and watch Commander Kang and his men work. Shen Du truly felt he was an exemplary official.
The Empress Dowager’s expression shifted repeatedly. She had arranged scapegoats long in advance—there was no way this could be traced back to her palace. But since Shen Du insisted physical evidence was found on her maid, it meant…
Shen Du had orchestrated the entire setup!
Though the Empress Dowager realized this truth, she dared not voice it aloud. She understood that since Shen Du dared make such claims, he possessed foolproof proof linking the culprit to her household—likely planning to drag the evidence out before all the court officials.
The Empress Dowager had no choice but to let this farce play out.
Yet this single concession would become the Empress Dowager’s deepest regret.
Judging that enough time had passed, Shen Du rose to his feet as Commander Kang walked in reeking of blood.
“This subject has purged the palace of malicious elements on Your Ladyship’s behalf. Later, I will have the Imperial Household Department dispatch some well-behaved and nimble servants to serve you. With that, I take my leave.”
Nodding slightly without offering a formal bow, Shen Du turned and walked away.
The arrogant spectacle of his departure made the Empress Dowager wish she could tear him apart with her bare hands.
Stepping out the door, Shen Du did not spare a single glance for the pools of blood covering the ground. The remaining palace attendants stood paralyzed with fear, turning the Empress Dowager’s quarters into a veritable purgatory.
Looking thoughtful, Shen Du turned his head slightly toward Commander Kang. “Remember to leave a clear path next time.”
Walking through such carnage once would ruin a good pair of shoes.
Showing a hint of disgust, Commander Kang immediately dropped to one knee, placing his hands right into the blood-stained pavement upon seeing this.
Catching onto Commander Kang’s intention, Shen Du smiled faintly. “No need. I would hate to soil your hands.”
Shen Du walked straight through the crimson puddles. Commander Kang rose, gave further instructions to the Imperial City Guard, and then hurried to catch up with Shen Du’s stride.
Bloody footprints marked the ground behind them. Shen Du suddenly chuckled. “I wonder if the Empress Dowager will be frightened when she finally steps outside.”
Shen Du was in high spirits. The Empress Dowager had wanted him dead and gifted him a cup of poisoned wine.
In return, he would gift the Empress Dowager a palace bathed in blood.
[So bloody! Tsk, Commander Kang is completely marinated in the stench of blood at this point,] Shen Du muttered internally.
Hearing this, the system let out a cold snort, recalling how Shen Du previously claimed to be a pacifist.
Look at the mess he had left for the Empress Dowager now—she would likely start looking into relocating to an entirely different palace.
Hearing the commotion outside quiet down while no maids stepped forward to serve her, the Empress Dowager told Shubai to summon the attendants. Yet the moment Shubai reached the doorway, she froze in absolute terror.
Dissatisfied, the Empress Dowager stood up and walked over. Her personal maid had always been composed; why was she suddenly rooted to the spot?
A sea of blood, with the gore still slowly flowing across the flagstones. Bloody footprints led straight out of the courtyard without a single pause. Even though the Empress Dowager had executed numerous concubines within the inner palace, she had never witnessed such a staggering pile of corpses and a literal river of blood. Her knees weakened instantly.
Fortunately, Shubai reacted quickly, catching the Empress Dowager just in time. Though pale-faced and fighting her own rising panic, Shubai expressed concern for the Empress Dowager.
“Your Ladyship! Your Ladyship! Summon the imperial physician! Quickly summon the imperial physician!”
The palace attendants outside had yet to recover their wits, but their bodies began moving according to Shubai’s instructions.
Consequently, before the Empress Dowager’s courtyard could be cleaned up, the imperial physician arrived. Upon seeing the sea of blood, he was nearly frightened out of his wits and hesitated to step inside. But the Empress Dowager’s health took precedence, so he gritted his teeth and forced himself through the stench of blood, only to find the blood pooling thicker the further he walked until his senses grew entirely numb to it.
Along the palace path:
Commander Kang placed a clean pair of shoes and socks on the ground, then knelt on one knee to help Shen Du remove his soiled footwear.
As Shen Du chatted idly, Commander Kang listened quietly. The conversation touched upon various affairs for tomorrow’s early morning court session, which Commander Kang absorbed with utmost diligence.
Looking down at his pristine shoes and socks, then glancing at the blood-stained Imperial City Guards, Shen Du smiled at Commander Kang. “I am going to see His Majesty. You needn’t follow me further; head back and rest.”
Commander Kang nodded, offering words of concern: “Lord Shen should also look after his health. The poison has yet to be fully cleared from your system, so you must cherish your body.”
With a casual nod of acknowledgment from Shen Du, Commander Kang stood in place, watching Shen Du depart before leading his guards away.
This night was destined to be extraordinary.
Xie Min and the Grand Princess were inside the Imperial Study. The Grand Princess shared Consort An’s temperament, though she could not hide her anxiety, especially since Shen Du’s poisoning had occurred on Xie Min’s account.
“We owe Lord Shen a great debt this time. If not for him, the one poisoned would surely have been you, Min’er.” Looking at Xie Min with worry in her eyes, the Grand Princess spoke softly, “With Lord Shen by your side, I can finally feel at ease leaving you alone in the capital.”
Xie Min gave a low affirmation. Toward this older sister, his attitude remained gentle. Having grown up together, he held deep family affection for the sister who had shielded him through his youth.
Suddenly, the Grand Princess’s expression shifted, a coldness flashing across her face, which bore a striking resemblance to Xie Min’s own. “Still, you must remember that one can never be too careful in guarding against others.”