As night fell and the imperial city was shrouded in impenetrable darkness, a silent undercurrent of unrest surged.
At the stroke of midnight, a contingent of the Imperial Guard, already swayed by You Rong’s influence, silently approached the palace gates. The leading general signaled, and the soldiers lunged, swiftly dispatching the guards on duty. The palace doors were flung open, allowing Gu Hao Tian and his forces to storm into the imperial palace.
Qian Qing Palace.
The Emperor slept soundly when Eunuch Li burst in, a picture of panic. "Your Majesty, disaster has struck, disaster has struck..." he cried.
Reaching the Emperor's bed, Eunuch Li, overwhelmed by panic, tripped over his own robes and tumbled to the floor with a thud.
The Emperor, his brow furrowed, was rudely awakened. "In the dead of night, why such a commotion? What has happened?" he grumbled, displeased.
Eunuch Li, unable to rise, scrambled on all fours to the Emperor's bedside, stammering, "Your Majesty, it's terrible, someone, someone... is leading an army in rebellion, the rebels have already breached the palace and are heading for Qian Qing Palace!"
The Emperor jolted awake, flung aside the bed curtains, and descended from the bed, his voice thundering with rage. "Who? Who dares lead troops in rebellion? Daring rebels! Where are my Imperial Guards? Fetch someone to protect me! Quickly, someone protect me!"
Eunuch Li's face was ashen. "It, it... it is His Highness the Crown Prince, allied with the Great General who Guards the North, and a portion of the Imperial Guard, all in rebellion. The Imperial Guard within the palace has already been routed, and they are closing in on Qian Qing Palace. Your Majesty, we must flee quickly, it is still not too late..."
Before Eunuch Li could finish, the Emperor grabbed him by the collar, hauling him up. "What did you say? Say that again! Who is leading this rebellion?!"
"It, it..." Eunuch Li was so terrified he could barely form a coherent sentence, sputtering, "It is His Highness the Crown Prince, allying with the Great General who Guards the North, in rebellion!"
The Emperor's face turned a livid shade of green. He flung Eunuch Li to the ground, his features contorted with fury. "Rebellious son! This rebellious son dares to rebel! I will kill him! I will kill this rebellious son!"
"Your Majesty, as they say, if the green hills remain, there will be firewood to burn. The rebels are about to reach Qian Qing Palace, let us flee first," Eunuch Li pleaded desperately as he got back to his feet.
The Emperor, flustered and incoherent, stammered, "Yes, yes! I must remain... I need not fear not rising again in the future. Eunuch Li, quickly, help me to go!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
The Emperor, too panicked to even don his outer robe, was half-dressed as Eunuch Li helped him towards the exit. As they stepped out the door, they were blocked by You Rong, his long sword drawn and stained with blood.
You Rong, radiating a chilling aura, approached step by bloody step, his sword dripping crimson. The sight sent a wave of terror through the Emperor, forcing him to retreat.
You Rong spoke coldly, "Imperial Father, Qian Qing Palace is already surrounded by my troops, impenetrable. Do you really think… you can escape anywhere?"
The Emperor's chest heaved with rage, his finger, pointing at You Rong, trembling slightly. "You… you rebellious son! How dare you collude with traitors and rebels!"
You Rong's eyes burned with hatred. He gritted his teeth. "Imperial Father, you have forced my hand. Blame no one else!"
"I forced you? Nonsense, you rebellious son… I meticulously nurtured you, made you Crown Prince, and even allowed you to assist in court affairs, intending to pass the throne to you after my demise. I never expected you to be such an ungrateful wretch, harboring such treacherous ambitions!"
"Appointing me Crown Prince was because Imperial Father feared the military power held by the Gu family. It was to appease them. As for meticulous nurturing…"
You Rong's lips curled into a mocking smile. "On what grounds does Imperial Father speak of meticulous nurturing? After Mother’s passing, you imprisoned me in the Eastern Palace, severed my ties with my maternal uncle, and left me to fend for myself. If not for divine intervention and pressure from the imperial clan forcing Imperial Father to retract his decree, I might have soon become a废太子 (feì tài zǐ - deposed Crown Prince)!"
The Emperor was rendered speechless. However, seeing the blood-stained sword in You Rong's hand, he was overcome with fear and trembled. His earlier fury gave way to a plea. "Rong'er, no matter what, I am your Imperial Father. We are father and son, bound by blood. After my passing, this throne will ultimately be yours. Why must you do this?"
"Why must I do this?!"
You Rong advanced towards the Emperor, his demeanor ferocious. The Emperor, filled with dread, stared intently at the sword in his hand, fearing it would end his life.
You Rong reached the Emperor, swung his sword, narrowly missing a desk behind him, and pointed the sword at him. "Then I must also ask, Imperial Father, why did you kill Mother? Was it merely due to your deep suspicions, fearing the Gu family would amass power, and that their influence in court would eventually lead them to seize your throne?!"
The Emperor's panic intensified. "I, I… I never harmed your Mother. She died of illness. If anyone harmed her, it would be Consort Duan. If you harbor resentment because of this, I can issue a decree to investigate thoroughly, and I will surely uncover the truth for you!"
"Even now, Imperial Father still denies it to the bitter end?"
"I… I truly did not kill your Mother. That is the truth!"
You Rong's gaze grew colder. "Then I shall bring a person before Imperial Father, and you should recall what the truth truly is!"
You Rong gave a look to a soldier behind him. The soldier, understanding, turned and left. Moments later, he returned, escorting Chen Yu, and kicked him to his knees before the Emperor.
At Chen Yu's appearance, the Emperor's pupils contracted. He stared at Chen Yu in shock. "You… how are you in the capital! Weren't you sent out of the capital…"
Chen Yu cried, "Your Highness the Crown Prince, please spare this humble servant's life. I was ordered by His Majesty to tamper with the Empress's medicine. I truly had no choice. Please spare this humble servant's life..."
The Emperor, a mixture of anger and fear, sputtered, "You… you dare to slander me!"
Chen Yu continued to weep, "Your Highness the Crown Prince, this humble servant knows his mistake. Everything I say is true. Please spare this humble servant's life..."
You Rong's gaze was sharp as he stared at the Emperor, asking deliberately, "Imperial Father, with all this, do you still intend to deny it? For your own suspicions, you killed Mother, without any guilt or remorse?!"
With Chen Yu's appearance, the Emperor likely understood that the evidence was insurmountable, and he could no longer deny it.
He suddenly burst into loud laughter. "Hahaha… The facts prove that I did nothing wrong! The Gu family harbored ill intentions and plotted rebellion long ago. It was I who was not ruthless enough. If I had eliminated this rebellious son of yours earlier, all this would not have happened today!"
Looking at the Emperor's eyes filled with intense hatred, You Rong felt an indescribable sorrow.
The most heartless realm is the imperial family.
Brotherly affection, father-son bonds, marital ties—all were dwarfed by the allure of power. The schemes and deceit within the harem and court, the suspicions and calculations between father and son, the fratricidal struggles among princes, were all commonplace within the imperial family.
You Rong found it both laughable and tragic. He cast a glance at the Emperor, whose hatred was so fierce he appeared on the verge of madness, and turned to leave.
The Emperor roared, "Rebellious son! What do you intend to do with me! You beastly rebellious son!"
You Rong paused. "Effective immediately, His Majesty is unwell and unable to attend to state affairs. He abdicates to the Crown Prince who shall ascend the throne, and is hereby conferred the title of Emperor Emeritus. He shall be relocated to the Lì Gōng (离宫 - retired palace, often implying a place of exile or confinement) to recuperate and live out his remaining years."
The Lì Gōng was a cold palace, imprisoning him there to watch helplessly as the throne he cherished most was snatched away, living each day in torment—this was the price he paid for killing Mother!
"Then… then what about Feng'er? How will you deal with him?"
You Rong's gaze was chilling. "Consort Duan and You Feng conspired to murder the Empress. Immediate execution!"
The Emperor finally lost his mind, his face twisted and terrifying with rage. He roared, "Rebellious son! You led troops in rebellion, you will not die a good death… you will not die a good death! Rebellious son! You are worse than a beast!"
You Rong remained unmoved, his back straight, and left Qian Qing Palace without looking back.