As soon as he finished speaking, someone couldn’t hold back any longer and stepped forward, filled with righteous indignation. “You have no—”
“Ah—”
Before the man could utter more than a few words, an arrow from nowhere swiftly pierced his heart.
As his body fell, the people around scattered in panic, especially those ministers who had not yet pledged allegiance to Xie Changlin. Furious and resentful, those with unwavering loyalty who dared to speak up were struck down one after another, their blood staining the ground.
Looking up again, the surroundings were now filled entirely with Xie Changlin’s men, who had instantly encircled the vast imperial palace. The entire process had taken only a moment.
With this display, it would have been effortless for him to force the emperor to abdicate and declare himself emperor on the spot.
Now, no one dared to be the first to speak out.
The ministers exchanged glances, each harboring their own thoughts.
In recent days, the Eastern Depot and Western Depot had seen many traitors, resulting in numerous deaths. These traitors were, of course, the handiwork of some of those present. Xie Changlin had come today to make an example of them.
However, the veteran ministers who knew a bit about Xie Changlin understood that if you opposed him openly, he might still argue with you. If you schemed against him in secret, he might turn a blind eye and play along. He had never caused such a major commotion before.
This time, it seemed the line had truly been crossed.
He wouldn’t have made such a grand show just because a few traitors had been planted among his ranks. Rather, among those traitors were many of Xie Changlin’s own people—loyal followers who had served him for years. Now, they had been turned by a few old ministers, and this troubled him greatly.
The fate of those people would be far worse than the few minor officials who had died here.
They were likely still somewhere, unable to live or die.
Jiang Wan was utterly stunned.
Wait, how could this be? So many people dead right from the start? And all of them were court officials?
She glanced at the young emperor, whose face had turned ashen.
“Boring. Only a few dared to make a sound.”
“Dismissed. Rong Qing, escort Her Majesty back to the palace.”
Xie Changlin didn’t even blink, as if he truly found it dull. After speaking, he turned and left, as leisurely as when he had arrived.
Rong Qing stepped forward, bowed slightly, and extended an arm. “Your Majesty, please.”
Jiang Wenshan’s expression changed completely at this moment, his hands clenched so tightly beneath his robes that they turned white.
Xie Changlin was using Jiang Wan to threaten him. From the moment the imperial edict appointing her as empress was issued, he knew he now had a weakness in the hands of this eunuch.
He still remembered Xie Changlin’s words that day: “Old man, at least I’ve given her the position of empress. I’ve shown enough sincerity.”
Yes, such sincerity.
His daughter would now be under Xie Changlin’s watchful eye every day, a shield that could be sacrificed for him at any moment.
Jiang Wan pursed her lips, glanced at the extended hand before her, and gently shook her head at Jiang Wenshan below, signaling him not to act rashly. Only then did she take Rong Qing’s arm and leave.
Before leaving, she couldn’t help but take another look at Xie Changlin’s tall, slender figure.
Eternal Joy Palace was the empress’s residence, opulent and extravagant.
Palace maids and eunuchs knelt in neat rows, bowing in unison. “We welcome Her Majesty the Empress. May Your Eminence live for a thousand years, ten thousand years.”
Rong Qing stood to the side, his head lowered, his voice clear and crisp. “Your Eminence says that if there is anything Her Majesty finds unsuitable, you may send someone to the Ceremonial Directorate to report it.”
“Convey my thanks to Your Eminence.”
After Jiang Wan spoke, she released his arm, and he took a step back. “This servant will remember.”
After he left, Jiang Wan instructed the others to rise. She completely forgot her mother’s advice about admonishing or rewarding the palace staff and couldn’t be bothered to say anything. Instead, she entered the main hall with her personal maid.
After all, they were all people from the Ceremonial Directorate. What was the point of saying anything?
“Qiaoqiao, have the meal served.”
After a whole day of exertion, she was truly starving.
“Your Majesty, I’m afraid it’s too late for a proper meal at this hour. Perhaps you could have some pastries to tide you over?”
Qiaoqiao had been serving Jiang Wan since childhood and had intensively studied palace etiquette before coming. The Prime Minister’s wife had instructed her to keep a constant eye on Jiang Wan to avoid any missteps.
In this palace, aside from the Nine Thousand Years, anyone who failed to follow the rules invariably met a grim end.
Though her heart ached for her mistress, Qiaoqiao felt compelled to remind her, “Tonight… is Your Majesty’s wedding night.”
“…”
Jiang Wan fell silent for a moment. “Bring some pastries first.”
After speaking, she walked to the mirror. Her pupils briefly shifted to a dark golden hue before returning to normal—a subtle change no one could have caught.
After eating just a few pieces, Jiang Wan allowed the palace maids to attend to her: taking down her hair, removing her makeup, and then bathing and changing clothes.
During this time, she inquired about the emperor’s situation and learned that after returning, he had been smashing things in his palace in a fit of rage.
Commonly known as impotent fury.
Soaking in the hot pool, Jiang Wan relaxed with a sigh and glanced at the young maids beside her, all of whom appeared quite youthful.
“Are you all from the Ceremonial Directorate?”
They hurriedly pledged their loyalty. “Your Majesty, we were, but from now on, we are servants of Eternal Joy Palace, obeying only Your Majesty’s commands.”
Jiang Wan smiled, finally appearing much gentler.
It wasn’t that she wanted to put on a stern face, but during the grand ceremony, she had to maintain a dignified smile until her face stiffened.
Next, she inquired about Xie Changlin, making no effort to conceal her curiosity.
The palace maids naturally only knew what could be openly discussed.
For instance, the Ceremonial Directorate, Eastern Depot, and Western Depot housed many capable individuals and experts. Their exact origins were unknown, but they all followed the Nine Thousand Years’ lead.
Xie Changlin had entered the palace as a eunuch at fifteen. Now twenty-four, he had been in the palace for nine years.
Eight years ago, remnants of the fallen Ling Kingdom attempted to assassinate the late emperor. The Nine Thousand Years saved the late emperor, rendering a great service and winning his favor. He was then appointed Seal Keeper of the Ceremonial Directorate by the late emperor. At just sixteen, he had already become the head of the Twelve Directorates. No one knew what kind of bewitching potion he had fed the late emperor.
A year later, the late emperor fell ill and passed away, passing the throne to the seventh prince, Huan Cheng. However, the prince was young, only ten years old, so Prime Minister Jiang and the Seal Keeper of the Ceremonial Directorate were ordered to jointly assist in governance.
This decree was controversial at the time, but the late emperor had few heirs—some ill, others dead—leaving only this young prince to inherit the throne.
As for the Prime Minister and the Seal Keeper, both were valued by the late emperor for their respective talents, making them qualified to assist in governance.
Jiang Wan could roughly guess the subsequent developments.
With the new emperor so young, there were bound to be those scheming in the shadows. Xie Changlin played the fool on the surface but wielded iron-fisted tactics behind the scenes. He secretly brought the Western Depot and Eastern Depot under his control and, ahead of the Prime Minister, seized control of the emperor, catching them off guard.
To this day, few in the court could rival him. Yet, after seizing power, Xie Changlin acted without humanity, frequently killing innocents and revealing his true intention to plunge the world into chaos.
Her father, the Prime Minister, was a veteran of two dynasties and still held command of the Imperial Guards, wielding real power. He could indeed be considered a formidable adversary.
Jiang Wan reflected that, at the very least, she had clarified that Xie Changlin was the ultimate villain. But how she should position herself remained to be seen.
Unbeknownst to her, her few inquiries had already reached Xie Changlin’s ears.
At that moment, Rong Qing was attending to Xie Changlin as he washed his hands, repeatedly changing the bloodied water while reporting the matter of the empress.
Xie Changlin didn’t even lift his eyelids, letting out a light scoff. “Did Jiang Wenshan not prepare her at all?”
Rong Qing chuckled in agreement. “Should we have the palace servants keep their mouths shut?”
“No time to bother with her. Quickly drag these people away and feed them to the dogs.”
After wiping his hands, Xie Changlin didn’t spare a glance at the corpses scattered haphazardly on the ground. He led a few men to the Eastern Depot.
The sky had completely darkened, and the faint chirping of cicadas could be heard from the trees.
At this moment, Jiang Wan was escorted to the emperor’s bedchamber.
As expected, she saw Huan Cheng lying on the bed, his face pale.
The eunuch Li Dequan looked worried. “Greetings, Your Majesty. We haven’t had time to send someone to inform you yet. Just now, His Majesty was overwhelmed by pent-up frustration and fainted. He hasn’t woken up yet, so I’m afraid the wedding night cannot proceed tonight.”
Jiang Wan feigned surprise, inquired about the situation, and even hypocritically offered to stay and care for him.
Who would have thought Li Dequan immediately agreed with a smile.
…Shouldn’t have said too much.