“Wonderful. Tell my maternal grandmother to keep on eye on the various exits the Caos may have in the area. A family like theirs will certainly have some secret passageways in case they ever need them. They’ll come out in unsuspecting locations, but the exits won’t be too far away from the capital. But with how smart my grandmother is, I’m sure she’ll think about this without me reminding her. Additionally, please tell her to leave quickly after she takes revenge. Don’t relax her guard just because she’s achieved a long-term goal.”
“Don’t worry miss, I’ll bring all these words to them.”
Qin Yining gave a few more instructions before feeling assured that she’d covered everything. After leaving the Zhongs, Mu Jinghu asked, “Are we going to watch the show?”
“Watch the show?” Qin Yining smiled. “My identity is a bit too special. I’d love to, but I have to avoid situations like these.”
Mu Jinghu frowned with great regret. “What a pity, royal conflict like this is a rare sight, one that I haven’t seen before!”
His childish words teased a smile out of the fourth miss. It was very difficult to imagine that someone like Pang Xiao would have a friend as pure and somewhat simple as the gentleman.
Because he had to keep watch over Qin Yining, that ruled out Mu Jinghu having a grand time on the streets. He escorted her back to the manor.
In the palace, the empress’ trembling body was curled up in the emperor’s arms, her tears having soaked through the shoulder of his robes.
“Your Majesty, I’ll stay, you go! The Prince of Ning obviously wants your throne. I’ll stay behind to handle him. You should think of a plan and hide!”
“What kind of words are these? How could I leave you behind?” The emperor cuddled the empress, pressing their cheeks to each other.
Sounds of fighting outside the hall grew ever louder. The prince’s rough voice roared out, “Royal brother, hand over that slut! I must give an accounting to the people. I won’t lay a single finger on you!”
* * *
Chapter 221: Forsook
Chapter 221: Forsook
How could the emperor have fathomed that the normally submissive Prince of Ning would suddenly erupt in all-out rebellion, right after gaining control of the armies? He really wanted to wring the prince’s neck!
Sadly, there were limited numbers of royal guards and imperial bodyguards around. Most of them were various noble descendants to boot, serving just for the title. They were no match for properly trained troops. The prince may not be terribly accomplished at anything else, but he was a dab hand at fighting wars.
That he would one day be in such bedraggled straits had never occurred to the imperial majesty. He shot angrily to his feet and pressed the empress back down onto the round chair.
“You just sit right here today,” he commanded sternly. “I will protect you. I am the son of heaven, can I not protect a little girl like you? I’d like to see who dares harm you while I’m here!”
The empress’ makeup was in streaks down her face. Her hands were shaking from terror. She too knew that the emperor was the only person she could rely on now. If the Prince of Ning still had any respect for his imperial brother, she might have a chance to live. Otherwise, given her history of conflict with the prince, there was no reason whatsoever for him to let her off the hook.
“Your Majesty, I’m not afraid. As long as you still want me, I’m willing to stay forever by your side.” She looked piteous at the emperor, her tear-filled eyes and gentle tone bestirring in him a protective urge that he’d never felt before.
The doors to the hall were flung open at this time.
The prince entered slowly, treasured sword in hand. Soldiers from the army outside the capital followed behind. Each of them bore vicious looks and were stained with blood. Every single one of them looked like they wanted to rip the empress apart where she stood.
A regal look spread across the emperor’s face. He stretched his arms out and stood protectively in front of the empress. “Prince of Ning, what do you want?!”
“Royal brother.” The prince made a cupped fist salute with sword in hand. Fresh blood dripped down the tip of his sword, leaving brown spots on the crimson red carpet beneath.
The emperor had enjoyed the lap of luxury for quite a few years, when had he ever been faced with a situation like this? Blood and violence wafted off of the prince and soldiers behind him. Every single one of them looked savage enough to eat people. When he met the prince’s stern look, the emperor’s heart skipped a beat and he almost wet his pants!
“Royal brother used to be diligent and earnest. You loved the people like your own and the entire world remembers your might of yesteryear. I looked to you as a most respected ruler. You used to keep wise subjects close at heart and kept a distance from petty social-climbers. You could’ve founded an era of peace and prosperity, but you changed after meeting that slut!”
“Is it me who’s changed or that you want to sit on this throne?!” Though the emperor was frightened, he was angrier even more. How could his authority be trampled on like this?! “I say your ambitions have grown increasingly greater over the years!”
The prince arched an eyebrow, hurt flashing through his eyes.
“I handed over military control when you grew wary of my power. I’m a good-for-nothing imperial prince because you don’t like me participating in politics. The earth and heavens can bear witness to my loyalty! Royal brother, you know full well the depths of my allegiance to you. How else would you have tolerated me to this day otherwise?”
“What I regret most of all right now is precisely that I’ve tolerated you to this day!” The emperor angrily upended a square table and dashed all of the cups and plates on it to the ground.
“Forget it!” The prince heaved a long sigh and gave up on talking reason into the emperor. His gaze turned resolute and he pronounced coldly, “I have no other choice since you insist on thinking of me this way! I bear no regrets for my actions. To tell you the truth, royal brother, do you know how the guards and your bodyguards reacted after I surrounded the palace and made my way in? When I told them I’m here to kill that slut?”
The prince slowly approached the empress. She scampered behind the emperor and the couple backed up continuously.
The Prince of Ning sneered derisively. “They applauded and cheered! Most of them let me through easily. How else could I have gotten here so quickly? Hahaha!”
Hearty laughter from the prince made the empress shake all over. She shrilled, “You villainous traitor! A painful death waits for you!”
“So be it.” The prince laughed uproariously. “From the day I was born into an imperial family, I knew that I wouldn’t enjoy a long life ending with a peaceful death. It doesn’t matter whether I die from attempting a coup or schemes from others. But you, bitch, won’t have an easy death because I won’t allow you to!”
“Your Majesty! Look at him! He wants to take your throne!” The empress had her arms around the emperor’s waist and her face in his chest. She trembled from tears, but it was unknown whether she was crying out of anger or fear.
The prince was wholly indifferent. He smiled. “Royal brother, the throne or this woman, make your choice!”
Askance, the empress stared at the prince. Was he really here to kill just her?
The emperor was equally surprised. The imperial couple had been married for a long time, so they shared the same thoughts. When he’d seen how ferociously the prince had charged in just now, he’d lost hope for the future. Though he’d presented a tough front, he was calculating furiously on how to keep his life.
Who would’ve thought that he would have to decide between his throne and the empress?
He lowered his head, looking soulfully at the empress. She shook even harder and wrapped her am firmly around the emperor’s waist. “Your Majesty, I don’t want to leave you! I don’t want to leave you!”
The prince chuckled mockingly to see the empress try her wiles at such a time. “I
t’s not up to you anymore. What do you say, royal brother?”
The emperor swallowed hard. “And what if I don’t choose?”
“Don’t choose? It looks like you still don’t understand the situation, royal brother.” The prince paced in front of the couple. “Let me put it another way. Either hand over that wench and continue being the emperor, or I can send both of you to the afterlife together. I would be very willing to send such star-crossed lovers off on a journey together.”
“You!” The emperor pointed a shaking finger at the prince. “Don’t you try to scare me! You’ll let me stay as the emperor? Aren’t you afraid that I’ll take you to task for all of this?”
The prince arched a provocative and confident eyebrow. “If you’re willing to give her up, you’ll naturally have the chance to decree punishment for me. Well? Do you want that chance, royal brother?”
The empress shook her head rapidly, sending tears flying off into the air. “Your Majesty, I don’t, I don’t want to die! I want to stay by your side! My family has achieved great things for the government, Your Majesty! You can’t…”
“Yurou.” The emperor stroked her head lovingly, but his other arm forced away the woman’s arms around his waist. “Yurou, I know you love me truly. Because of that, you don’t want to see the nation fall into chaos and someone else occupy our country, right?”
Flabbergasted, a chill stole through the empress’ heart. Tears streaked soundlessly down her face. “Your Majesty, don’t you want me anymore?”
“I’ll remember you fondly.” Reddened eyes spoke of the emperor’s pained heart. “But as a ruler, I must protect the nation even though I love you. I have to do this.”
“No, no, no! Your Majesty, you love me dearly! You say I’m your goddess, you show me favor that you don’t show anyone else! You can fight for me! Why don’t you?”
The emperor flicked a glance at the prince. He’s clearly watching a good show. He smiled wryly. “Yurou, that’s enough.”
* * *
Chapter 222: A Human Candle
Chapter 222: A Human Candle
A loud hum filled the empress’ mind when she heard this. In utter despair, she fell to a seated position on the ground. She stared straight ahead, forgetting to even cry in her distress.
“Liar! Liar! You said I’m to have a life of unparalleled fortune! What kind of prediction was that?! Liar!” The empress roared furiously and burst into loud sobs. She suddenly shot to her feet and charged a nearby pillar.
However, having anticipated this, the Prince of Ning stopped the woman with a quick forward grasp. He adroitly dislocated her jaw, then broke all of her limbs with a few sharp twists and loud cracks. He tossed her carelessly to the men behind him.
Shrieking and howling with pain, the empress’ face was a mess of tears and snot. Because she couldn’t close her mouth, drool puddled on her collar.
The prince smiled at the emperor. “Royal brother, it’s getting late. Would you like to go outside with me and see what the people are doing?”
The emperor didn’t dare meet his brother’s eyes. He was both frightened and livid, having no idea what the prince would do with the empress. Imperial tears streaked down his face.
When the prince failed to receive an answer, he pretended that his royal brother wasn’t present. He turned to address the soldiers.
“Take her away. Stuff oil rags into all of the openings in her body, wind two dense layers of hemp rope around her, then stick her in a vat of oil. Tell the whole city that this prince will put on a show for them today. I’ll show them a human candle at the hour of the dog in front of the meridian gate! It’s going to be a good one! Hahaha!”
He burst into rowdy laughter at the end and continued, “Go tell the families that suffered the most from this slut that I’m turning her into a human candle today. I’ll save them front-row seats, so come early! We wait for no one!”
“Understood!” The soldiers nursed a bone deep hatred of the trampress for ruining their country. Not only did they not think this punishment was cruel and unusual, but they were greatly looking forward to it.
As for the trampress, she’d already fainted from terror when she heard the words ‘human candle’.
The emperor yanked at his brother. “Prince of Ning! Killing someone is easy. If you still treasure the bonds of brotherhood between us, give her a quick death! She’s just a weak woman!”
“A weak woman? Where was that weakness when she was busy cooking people and frying them? I’ve never seen her show a shred of compassion either. Royal brother, in my opinion, you should focus on how you’re going to punish me after this and get revenge for your empress.” The prince saluted casually with cupped fists and left with a flourish of his sleeves.
Intense pain assaulted the emperor’s heart. He pointed accusingly at the prince’s departing figure for a long while, shaking from from anger. An excess of emotion finally sent him crashing to the ground in a dead faint.
When the prince exited the palace, the empress was duly immersed in a vat of oil as per his orders. Three thousand men were left to guard the meridian gate as he charged to the Cao Manor with the remaining seven thousand.
Chaos was reigning supreme when he arrived. Servants were running for their lives, some clutching packages and others holding vases or other valuables. Anarchy was the theme of the day.
The prince didn’t stop to question anyone when he rushed in. He just killed everyone he saw, whether a servant or Cao family member, plunging the manor into a sea of blood.
Some protested that they hadn’t done anything wrong, that they were just a servant. The prince answered all of those with a cold thrust of the blade.
“There’s nothing good in Cao Bingzhong’s family! Have any of you shied away from lording it over others normally? I’m exacting justice on behalf on the heavens today to take care of all you scum!” He turned back to yell at his troops. “Kill them all! Don’t let a single one live!”
“Understood!” The soldiers were gripped by frenzied bloodlust. Some of them tucked valuables away, to which the prince pretended he didn’t see anything. This further spurred the soldiers onto greater efforts.
And so the Cao Manor was raided and looted.
Six hundred Cao family members and servants were slaughtered.
……
The prince checked all of the bodies carefully, stabbing them a few more times when he saw anyone surnamed Cao. His only regret was that Grand Preceptor Cao wasn’t home!
When the soldiers searched the premises, they discovered a hidden door behind a bookcase in an inner residence study. The prince and his men charged in with torches, emerging in the firewood shed of a residence on the outskirts of the capital.
The prince and his men looked around and searched the residence carefully.
“Your Highness, there was a fight here four hours ago. There’s footprints and traces of blood on the ground, but no one to be found.”
The prince snorted coldly and spat through grit teeth, “That old fart probably ran away with part of the family fortune when he received word of what was happening. He threw away even his own family! How ludicrous.”
The soldiers found these actions equally reprehensible. After a short discussion, their leader asked, “Your Highness, what do we do now?”
“Let’s go back. It’s about time. If we grab some horses, we’ll make it in time for the show.”
The soldiers assented loudly at this.
……
The hour of the dog.
Dusk had fallen; the last patch of sunset was about to vanish behind distant mountain peaks.
A tall stage had been set up outside the meridian gate, a wooden cross at the top of it.
Beneath the stage, someone fished out a woman from a large vat. Her mouth was gagged, messy slicks of hair scattered wildly, and soaked hemp ropes wrapped around her.
The Prince of Ning placed his hand on his trusty sword at his waist and stood atop the stage. His voice
carried on the wind as he faced the dense crowd. “Today, I, Weiching Jinming, captured the scourge of our nation and exterminated the trampress’ family. From today onwards, there will be no one bedeviling the emperor!”
“Good! Good! Good!” Soldiers beneath the stage called out in unison, accompanied by cheers from the citizens.
The oil-soaked empress was forced upside down and tied to the wooden cross. The prince accepted a torch and strode slowly to the woman.
The empress wanted to faint from the stench from the oil around her. Her head to the ground, she watched despairingly as the prince approached with measured pace. Sobbing sounds emitted behind the gag as she begged for mercy.
“The trampress is a blight on our nation and has harmed loyal officials,” the prince denounced coldly. “Not only did she influence the emperor with temptations in bed, but she wiped out Imperial Physician Tang’s family, convinced the emperor to destroy the Duke of Ding’s household, and eliminated opponents by frying and eating Consort Shu and Honored Concubine Xiang. Her crimes are too numerous to record. Today, we see how one like her ends up!”
He didn’t skip a single beat and brought the torch close to the well-lubricated ropes at her feet. They ignited with a whoosh!
It rather did look like lighting a candle from the distance.
The empress screamed with pain and twisted desperately. However, her struggles were futile given the ropes wrapped around her. Enduring the pain and despair spreading from her feet was the only thing she could do.
She quickly fainted from the torment.
The Prince of Ning kindly woke her up with a pail of water.
He also personally relit the human candle whenever the fires went out.
After repeated suffering, the trampress finally fell still when the fires reached her calves. Sheer pain had been the death of her.
However, the prince didn’t stop. He ordered his troops, “Burn it, keep it burning! Turn her into ashes for those she killed. I don’t want even residue to remain!”
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