Chapter 24 — Wedding Day Switch: My Husband Traded Me Away

He was gently and patiently wiping the young emperor down, his movements tender and meticulous, resembling an elder brother caring for his beloved younger sibling. Upon seeing my arrival, he offered a faint, reassuring smile.

Have all the arrangements been completed?

Yes.

I gave a respectful nod.

Three hundred thousand elite troops are armed and resting their weapons, awaiting only your final command. Word has also been successfully dispatched from my father's estate. Li Thanh has secretly sent trusted agents out of the capital to establish contact with the Prince of Yen and the Prince of So.

Hmph, precisely as anticipated.

Feng Yuan let out a cold, derisive laugh.

Those two aged foxes have long harbored treacherous ambitions.

My Lord, when shall we draw the net and close the trap?

I inquired.

There is no need for haste.

A chilling, lethal gleam flickered deep within Feng Yuan’s eyes.

Let them willingly jump into the snare themselves. Tomorrow will mark the seventh day. It is also the day the Emperor shall officially pass away.

The dawn of the seventh day broke with a piercing, desolate wail that shattered the profound silence of the deep palace, echoing ominously against the ancient walls.

The Emperor has passed away!

The piercing cry erupted from the Qianqing Palace, uttered by a terrified young eunuch. Immediately afterward, mournful death knells began to toll from the deepest recesses of the imperial city, note after heavy note ringing out in an unbroken, sorrowful chain that spread across the entire capital. A national tragedy. The Son of Heaven had departed from this mortal coil. The day had finally arrived. The whole capital was violently shaken from its slumber, countless ordinary citizens spontaneously pouring out onto the streets, facing the direction of the imperial palace, and dropping heavily to their knees. They wept silently, tears streaming down weathered faces. The civil and military officials scrambled in a chaotic frenzy to don their coarse mourning garments, rushing toward the palace gates in a massive, panicked tide. Every face bore an expression of profound shock and simulated grief. Of course, exactly how much of that sorrow was genuine and how much was mere pretense remained a secret known to none. Inside the Qianqing Palace, utter chaos had already taken root. The Empress Dowager wailed so violently she repeatedly fainted, collapsing against her attendants. Imperial Brother-in-law Li Thanh forced back his grief, stepping forward to take charge of the chaotic situation. Although residual tears still lingered upon his cheeks, his eyes flashed with an uncontrollable surge of burning ambition and wild desire. This was the exact outcome he had schemed for. With the young emperor dead, he could now rightfully and righteously use his status as the Imperial Brother-in-law to collude with the imperial clan and elevate a new puppet ruler to the throne. And that new sovereign would undoubtedly remain nothing more than a docile marionette within his grasp. When that day came, this vast realm would truly belong to the Li family. Feng Yuan and I stood quietly beside the dragon bed, our expressions grave and sorrowful. Feng Yuan’s complexion remained deathly pale, his eyes heavily bloodshot as though he had exhausted every last ounce of his remaining vitality.

My Lord, please restrain your grief.

Li Thanh approached Feng Yuan, offering a hypocritical display of condolences.

For the Emperor to perish at such a tender age is truly an unprecedented misfortune for our great nation. Yet the realm cannot go a single day without a supreme ruler. I implore Your Highness to place the affairs of state above all else and join us officials in deliberating the ascension of a new sovereign.

At last, the sly old fox had revealed his true tail, unable to wait a moment longer before seizing absolute authority into his own hands. Feng Yuan did not spare him a glance, fixing his gaze instead upon the motionless figure of the young emperor resting lifelessly upon the imperial bed. After a prolonged silence, he finally spoke in a raspy, ominous tone.

The Emperor’s death is exceedingly peculiar. I strongly suspect foul play at the hands of some treacherous plotter. Until the true culprit is brought to justice, absolutely no one is permitted to speak of establishing a new monarch.

Though his voice was weak, it retained an unshakeable, bone-chilling majesty. Li Thanh’s expression flickered uneasily.

My Lord, what is the meaning of these words? Are you implying that one of us here conspired against His Majesty?

The flock of sycophants standing behind him immediately chimed in with indignant protests.

Indeed, My Lord! Food may be consumed carelessly, but reckless words must not be spoken! The Emperor is the Son of Heaven; who would dare commit such an unpardonable act of treason?

One after another, they put on a righteous facade, acting as though each of them were the most loyal subject in the realm. Feng Yuan slowly turned around, his bloodshot eyes sweeping coldly over every single person present.

Whether it is true or not, this Prince has his own ways of knowing. Guards!

He suddenly raised his voice.

Bring the second young lady of the Prime Minister’s estate, Shen Rou, forward!

The moment his words fell, a group of imperial guards escorted a haggard, broken woman into the grand hall. It was none other than Shen Rou. She was dressed in the coarse grey robes of a Buddhist nun, her hair completely shaved off, her complexion chalky and devoid of any lingering trace of her former pride and arrogance. Roughly forced to her knees by the guards, the instant she laid eyes upon me and Feng Yuan, her gaze filled instantly with venomous hatred and stark terror.

Shen Hua! Feng Yuan! What are you trying to do? Let me tell you, I will not utter a single word!