Chapter 107

Qi Xiao issued an order, and the Imperial Clan Court dared not delay. In just the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Prince Ming hurriedly arrived with his men.

Prince Ming entered the hall and first paid his respects to Qi Xiao. Qi Xiao waved his hand and said, "No need for formalities. Just now during the meal, the Second Prince suddenly fell ill from poison. It seems he ate something he shouldn't have. The life of a prince is tied to the fate of the nation, so it cannot be taken lightly. I'm afraid I must trouble you, Prince."

Prince Ming repeatedly said he dared not refuse, and softly asked, "May I ask, Your Highness, where are the Second Prince's meal items from earlier..."

"Wait!" Empress Feng, leaning on her elderly maid, forcefully stood up and said in a trembling voice, "This is my palace. Could it be that I would harm my own child? Just now... it wasn't poisoning, but rather Hua'er choked, coughing too violently, which is why he coughed up blood. There's... there's no serious issue."

Only then did Prince Ming notice Empress Feng. He hurriedly apologized while paying his respects to her.

Empress Feng, preoccupied with grave matters, had no time to pay him any mind. She averted her gaze, not daring to meet Qi Xiao's eyes. Qi Xiao calmly acknowledged her words and slowly said, "So that's how it is... then forget it. Jiang Deqing, pass on the order, no need to summon the imperial physicians. Since it was just choking, coughing it out is fine. Why request physicians?"

"How dare you!" Empress Feng instantly became anxious and said harshly, "If anything goes wrong with Qi Hua's life, I'll have you buried with him!!"

Upon hearing this, everyone in the hall was stunned. Having Qi Xiao buried with Qi Hua? For her to say such words, could Empress Feng have truly gone mad?

At this moment, Qi Xiao was in an exceptionally good mood. He leisurely laughed and said, "What's wrong with the Empress? One moment you say Qi Hua only choked, the next you say his life will be in danger without physicians... Prince Ming, do you understand this...?"

Prince Ming broke out in a cold sweat. Having managed the Imperial Clan Court for many years, how could he not know about the past scandals between the Emperor and Empress?

Back when the Emperor first seized the dragon throne from Qi Xiao, to appease the senior officials and imperial clan, he didn't strip Qi Xiao of his crown prince status, but rather had Qi Xiao adopted under his own name.

At that time, Prince Ming already knew a great upheaval would inevitably occur in the future. This deeply buried root of calamity had existed for a long time, and now that it suddenly erupted, it was indeed earth-shattering. Prince Ming only hoped he could remain uninvolved and survive this chaos.

Seeing Qi Xiao direct the question at him, he broke out in a full-body cold sweat. After some hesitation, he vaguely said, "Your Highness the Crown Prince, forgive me. I... This subject is foolish, but... since this has happened..."

Prince Ming glanced at Empress Feng from the corner of his eye and gritted his teeth. "It would be best to investigate thoroughly. Otherwise, when His Majesty awakens, this subject will have no way to explain it to him."

"You!" Empress Feng was enraged. Just as she was about to say something, a chuckle suddenly came from Consort Xue, who had been standing to the side.

Gently brushing her coral hairpin, she unhurriedly said, "Forget it, why are you all making things difficult for the Empress? If it were up to me, it would be better to make a big deal into a small one, and a small one into nothing. The Empress said earlier that His Majesty's health is poor right now, so the imperial physicians must carefully attend to him.

"These minor illnesses and pains will pass if endured a bit. There's no need to trouble the physicians... Now, the Second Prince merely choked. There's even less need to make a big fuss. In my opinion, everyone should just disperse..."

Consort Xue laughed contentedly. Previously, when Qi Qi was poisoned, a single dose of medicine could have saved his life, but Empress Feng insisted on blocking the physicians, thus delaying her own son's treatment. As a result, Qi Qi's health was still weak and frail.

The tide had turned, the heavens had opened their eyes, and now this vicious woman could experience the feeling of her own son's life hanging by a thread with no way to save him!

Empress Feng was nearly angered to the point of her lungs exploding by these people's comments. No longer caring about propriety, she pointed at the crowd and laughed coldly, "Good... good, haha... As expected, everyone pushes when the wall falls! Fine! Investigate! Immediately have the imperial physicians diagnose Hua'er. If anything goes wrong, I'll have the entire Imperial Physician Institute buried with Hua'er!"

"No rush." Qi Xiao smiled faintly and turned to look at Jiang Deqing. "Have the princes of our family been invited?"

Jiang Deqing bowed. "Reporting to Your Highness, people have already been sent to invite them. However, the princes' residences are a bit far from here, and the princes are also of venerable age, so some delay is to be expected."

Prince Ming was stunned. "Inviting... inviting the princes here for what?"

Qi Xiao calmly said, "Harming a prince is a grave matter. If the truth is investigated, can a mere commandery prince like you truly handle it?"

Prince Ming swallowed and shook his head with embarrassment. Qi Xiao lightly laughed, "That's why... with His Majesty unconscious, we must invite a few authoritative and capable imperial relatives to come. This prince is unfilial and can only trouble the senior princes."

Prince Ming secretly used his sleeve to wipe his sweaty forehead and nodded without a word.

Upon hearing this, Empress Feng's imposing manner diminished by another thirty percent. She turned her head and weakly leaned on the arhat bed.

Consort Xue inwardly praised and admired. Actually, when she first learned that Empress Feng wanted to poison Qi Xiao, she had hesitated for a while. After all, she had always harbored the desire for her own son to become emperor. This thought couldn't be erased in an instant.

At that time, she had secretly speculated that if she let things develop and allowed Empress Feng to poison Qi Xiao to death, she could then expose Empress Feng afterwards. When the Emperor awoke and dealt with this vicious empress, regardless of whether the Second Prince Qi Hua had truly participated in the matter or not, with such a mother, he wouldn't be able to become crown prince. Wouldn't the position of emperor then belong to her own son?

However, this idea only lingered in Consort Xue's mind for a moment before she suppressed it herself. Not to mention whether she could wait until the Emperor awoke, just considering who Qi Xiao was, could the information she could investigate not be investigated by him as well? If he later found out that she knew but didn't report it, the crime would be even greater.

Consort Xue had previously thought that Qi Xiao wouldn't attend the banquet, or that he would expose Empress Feng on the spot. She never imagined that Qi Xiao had long ago set up his forces and was waiting for Empress Feng to fall into the trap. He had imperceptibly dealt with Qi Hua while also completely pulling Empress Feng off her horse.

Killing two birds with one stone, the most remarkable part was that from beginning to end, he was completely uninvolved. The investigation was handled by the Imperial Clan Court, the testimony was given by the senior princes of the family. Even when His Majesty awoke, there would be no way to implicate Qi Xiao.

Consort Xue glanced at Qi Xiao, feeling fearful in her heart. Fortunately, she hadn't been muddled at the time. Someone like him... had never been someone she could provoke.

The imperial physicians treated Qi Hua in the side hall while everyone else sat in the warm hall.

After half an hour, several princes arrived. Qi Xiao stood up to greet them. The senior princes hurriedly responded. Their complexions were not good. Without regard for anything else, they paid their respects to Empress Feng and anxiously asked, "What exactly happened? Is the Second Prince alright?"

Empress Feng had already been scared by Qi Xiao half to death, her face deathly pale. Seeing the arrival of the old princes, she suddenly surged with a burst of energy, let out a wail and threw herself down, crying, "Uncles, you've finally come... If you had come any later, your grandson Hua'er would have lost his life..."

Consort Xue let out a mocking laugh. It was a desperate struggle - what could they accomplish?

The old princes were at a loss. Qi Xiao looked at Prince Ming. Prince Ming had already offended Empress Feng earlier, but at this point he no longer cared. He had no choice but to go all the way.

Stepping forward to separate Empress Feng from the princes, he bowed and briefly explained what had happened. Finally, he said, "The Empress claims the Second Prince choked, but I personally feel... the life of a prince is of utmost importance and cannot be taken lightly. I believe it warrants a thorough investigation. As the head of the imperial clan, I... For such a major matter, I still need to discuss and decide with my uncles. That's why after conferring with the Crown Prince, I troubled you uncles to come here."

Prince Shou nodded, "Indeed, indeed... With the Emperor still unconscious, if anything happens to the prince, wouldn't it be our fault? We must be cautious. Crown Prince..."

Everyone looked at Qi Xiao. Qi Xiao said calmly, "From the time of the incident until now, not a single thing in this palace has been touched. It's exactly the same as before. Everyone present can bear witness. Now that everyone is here, the clan heads can investigate."

Empress Feng wanted to say something, but after opening and closing her mouth a few times, looking at the hall full of people, she couldn't utter a word.

With all the evidence and witnesses present, and the case being straightforward, it was quickly investigated. It turned out there was indeed a problem with Qi Hua's bowl of rice. Prince Ming used his own silver needle to test it and stepped forward to bow, saying, "The rice is not poisoned. The poison was actually smeared on the bottom of the bowl. I don't know... I don't know why it wasn't detected before."

With this discovery, the rest was easy. From the silver chopsticks everyone used to the craftsmen who made them, everyone involved was brought out. They all confessed readily that it was indeed Empress Feng's doing.

The old princes looked at each other in disbelief. They never imagined it would be Empress Feng. Empress Feng shrieked her innocence, "Uncles, you've all seen, have I gone mad? Why would I harm my own son?! It's clearly Qi Xiao, that venomous snake. It's him!!"

Qi Xiao gave a faint smile, "Is that so? But those craftsmen outside aren't saying that. Besides... the poison was also found in your palace. What does it have to do with me?"

Empress Feng was suddenly at a loss for words. Consort Xue chose this moment to let out a cold laugh, "Of course the Empress hasn't gone mad. Naturally, the one the Empress wanted to harm wasn't the Second Prince either. Who she really wanted to harm... we all know in our hearts. It's just a pity that despite being so meticulous, she accidentally harmed her own child. Haha... how truly amusing."

"Shut up, you wretch!" Empress Feng turned to Consort Xue and shrieked angrily, "No matter what, I am still the Empress. When did it become your turn to point fingers?!"

Consort Xue's eyes were bloodshot. Just as she was about to retort, Qi Xiao said in a deep voice, "The Empress is right. No matter what, the Empress is still the Empress. The imperial family's dignity cannot be lost. The princes have all witnessed what happened today. Let them be the witnesses. When the Emperor awakens in the future... I hope you will all inform him of the truth. How to deal with this... is up to the Emperor."

Empress Feng collapsed onto the arhat bed, looking at Qi Xiao in panic. Consort Xue frowned in confusion as she looked at Qi Xiao. Qi Xiao's expression was calm as he slowly said, "Before that, let's place the Empress under house arrest in Fenghua Palace. What do you all think?"

Afraid of offending Qi Xiao, yet also afraid of not being able to explain to the Emperor when he woke up, Qi Xiao's reasonable suggestion struck a chord with them. Hearing this, they all nodded, "Indeed, indeed, that's for the best."

Qi Xiao lightly stroked the command token at his waist and said indifferently, "Then let's disperse." With that, he left without paying any more attention to the others.

Jiang Deqing was filled with confusion, but didn't dare say anything in front of these people. He could only follow Qi Xiao out. Only after leaving Fenghua Palace did he couldn't help but say, "Your Highness! Why is this?! We finally caught Empress Feng's wrongdoing, why not..."

"Why not what?" Qi Xiao turned to look at Jiang Deqing, "Directly kill her? I am the Crown Prince, she is the Empress. Can I kill her?"

Jiang Deqing was speechless. He said again, "Then you could also force the princes to make the decision, let the imperial clan decide whether to clean house!"

"No, I don't want that." Qi Xiao gave a cruel smile, enunciating each word, "I want that vile woman to die by my own hands."

"Eunuch Jiang, rest assured. His Highness has long had a plan in mind."

In the middle of the night, Bairen, dressed in ordinary clothes, quietly sat cross-legged on the couch, slowly reviewing the memorials from Lingnan. He said softly, "His Highness has always been a man of ideas. Others can't persuade him. Even I... can't in some matters."

Jiang Deqing was extremely anxious, "If even your words have no effect, then... then no one can persuade him. Such a great opportunity is right in front of us, yet His Highness is willing to let it slip by. This servant is going crazy with worry!"

Bairen smiled, put down the jade brush, turned to Jiang Deqing and reassured, "Eunuch Jiang, just rest assured. I've never seen His Highness miss an opportunity."

Jiang Deqing sighed, shaking his head, "Your Highness doesn't know, His Highness has been very abnormal these past two days! In front of you, he's naturally fine. But when no one's around... he often stares blankly, lost in thought! Today is even stranger. He actually let me return first to serve you, while His Highness himself stayed in the palace. It's already so late... isn't this worrying?!"

A glint flashed through Bairen's eyes. He said slowly, "Eunuch Jiang, don't worry. If I guessed correctly... the matter with Empress Feng will have a result tonight. Eunuch Jiang, don't overthink it. This matter... must be handled according to His Highness's wishes."

In Fenghua Palace, Qi Xiao waited in the main hall for a long time before Empress Feng arrived. In just two days, Empress Feng's appearance had completely deteriorated. Her hair was disheveled, her face dirty, her eyes sunken like an old crone's.

The palace servants in Fenghua Palace had all been detained, so no one was serving her. Qi Xiao poured himself a cup of tea and said casually, "Greetings to the Empress, long live, long live, long long live."

Empress Feng trembled with a cold laugh and said hoarsely, "How is my son?! Have you had people treat him with utmost care?"

Qi Xiao looked at Empress Feng with a smile. After a long while, he said, "What do you think?"

"You beast!" Empress Feng raged, roaring, "Do you have any humanity left?! No matter what, he is your uncle's son! He shares your blood as a brother, yet you treat him like this!!"

Qi Xiao couldn't help but laugh, "What you said is interesting, my brother... haha..." His laughter slowly faded from his face as he said coldly, "Then isn't the Emperor even more of a brother to my father? Qi Hua and I are cousins, but they are brothers with the same father. Heh... When he took my throne and slaughtered my maternal grandfather's family back then, did the Emperor ever consider that they were his brother's blood relatives?!"

Empress Feng was so startled by Qi Xiao's shout that she fell back into her chair. After a long while, she said in a trembling voice, "So you... know everything after all..."

Qi Xiao sneered, "Thanks to all of you, I dare not forget a single detail of what happened back then, not even for a moment!"

Empress Feng weakly collapsed into the chair, "I know you hold hatred in your heart, but at the time I had no choice. His Majesty... His Majesty wanted to take the throne, how could I have stopped him? I thought about preserving the lives of your mother and your maternal family, but..."

"But in the end, you still sent my mother a length of white silk," Qi Xiao mocked with a laugh. "And then you told my mother... the royal relatives felt it was improper for the Empress to rule from behind the curtain in the future. A hen crowing at dawn would ultimately bring great disaster. To avoid future calamity, it was best to nip the problem in the bud now.

"If the Empress wanted to live, then please send the Crown Prince on his way. With the Crown Prince accompanying him on the path to the underworld, the late Emperor would not be lonely. If the Empress loved the Crown Prince even more, then please follow him in death. In the future when the Prince ascends the throne, he will certainly adopt the Crown Prince as his own son and continue to crown him as such, eventually passing the throne to him."

Empress Feng's eyes widened in terror, unable to speak. She muttered, "You... you..."

Under the palace lanterns, Qi Xiao's smile was chilling, "Word for word, right? My mother told me this in a dream, do you believe it?"

Qi Xiao rose and walked towards Empress Feng. Frightened, she fell to the ground and crawled into the corner. Qi Xiao slowly approached, backing Empress Feng into the corner as she clutched her head, wailing incessantly, "Don't kill me, don't kill me..."

Qi Xiao smiled gently, "Empress, do not fear. I will not kill you." Hearing this, Empress Feng paused and looked at Qi Xiao in a daze. She asked in a trembling voice, "You... you won't kill me?"

Qi Xiao took out a length of white silk from his robes. The silk fluttered beautifully. Empress Feng looked at Qi Xiao in confusion. He smiled faintly, "If you take your own life, I will have the imperial physician properly treat Qi Hua, certainly able to save his life. If you fear death... that's fine too."

Qi Xiao smiled sinisterly, "However... Qi Hua will probably lose his life then."

Empress Feng was stunned for a moment before letting out a shrill scream, "You actually use my son to..."

With a loud smack, Qi Xiao viciously slapped Empress Feng across the face. He sneered, "Now you know I'm inhumane?"

Qi Xiao backhanded her again and roared, "Twenty years ago!! How did you force my mother?!! Huh?!!"

He threw the white silk onto Empress Feng's face and bellowed, "She was only twenty at the time! Had just lost her husband!! How did you treat her?! How did you treat her?! How did you treat her?!"

Qi Xiao was like a living asura, his eyes filled with murderous intent. Empress Feng was so oppressed by his killing aura that she couldn't utter a word. After a long while, she stammered, "You... you..."

Rarely losing control like this, it took Qi Xiao a moment to catch his breath. He closed his eyes and said in a deep voice, "I'll give you one night to think it over. If by dawn tomorrow I haven't received news of you taking your own life out of guilt..."

Qi Xiao smiled cruelly, "Then you'll receive news of your son being beyond help."

Tears spilled from Empress Feng's eyes as she shook her head incessantly. Qi Xiao had no desire to say another word to her. He turned to leave, but unexpectedly, Empress Feng crawled over and grabbed his pant leg after just a few steps.

Completely losing her composure, she begged in a trembling voice, "Don't take our lives. I know what you want, I... I'll help you. The Emperor is already useless. I'll get rid of him for you, and then... then..."

Empress Feng swallowed and quickly repeated Elder Feng's words, afraid Qi Xiao wouldn't listen, "Then I'll arrange for you to take the throne. I... I am the Empress. I can ensure you ascend the throne safely and smoothly. Isn't that good? It will save you a lot of trouble. Isn't that good? Isn't that good?"

Qi Xiao bent down and stared fixedly at Empress Feng's trembling eyes. He smiled softly, "Who told you I wanted to take the throne safely and smoothly?"

Empress Feng blinked in confusion and stammered, "You... you... you want to usurp the throne?!"

Qi Xiao smiled and kicked Empress Feng away as he walked out. She let out two bitter sobs and shrieked, "Wait!!"

Qi Xiao turned his head, "What else do you want?"

Kneeling on the ground, her face streaked with tears, Empress Feng choked out, "After... after I die... will you treat my son well?"

Qi Xiao sneered, "After my mother left, did you treat me well?"

Empress Feng was at a loss for words. Qi Xiao smiled gently, "But if you don't die, I definitely won't spare him. Empress, do you have a choice? No need to rush. You still have all night. The suffering my mother endured back then... take your time experiencing it."

Empress Feng completely despaired and collapsed to the ground in a heap. After a long while, she let out a hoarse scream, "Fate!!!"

Outside the main hall, hearing Empress Feng's distant howl, Qi Xiao smiled mockingly and strode out of Fenghua Palace.

It was already midnight. Qi Xiao rubbed his temples wearily and, leaning on the carriage driver who had been waiting outside the palace gates, boarded the carriage. He whispered instructions, "Go to..."

"The Imperial Ancestral Temple," Bairen smiled at Qi Xiao tenderly from inside the carriage. "Have Fuzi go ahead to clear the way. Don't let the night patrol disturb Your Highness."

Qi Xiao laughed in spite of himself, "How did you know I was going to the Imperial Ancestral Temple? You... how did you get out?"

Bairen lowered his hood and took a deep breath before burrowing into Qi Xiao's embrace. He said hoarsely, "I was worried."

Qi Xiao's eyes instantly reddened. After a long while, he lowered his head and kissed Bairen's forehead, whispering, "It's my fault for making you worry again..."

Bairen shook his head and gently nuzzled against Qi Xiao's chest. He said softly, "I want to go with you to offer incense to Empress Xiaoxian."

Qi Xiao nodded, "Alright."