Volume 3 Chapter 1
Chapter 1: A Lie Filled with Half-truths
"Do you know how the empress died? Are those rumors true?" When Ye Junqing heard that this was related to Yao Moxin's death, he abruptly stood up and looked toward Wang Qinruo nervously. His hands subconsciously tightened into fists. He had been investigating this entire time these last couple days, but the only information he was able to obtain were those medical records.
"Not all rumors are baseless." Wang Qinruo poured herself a cup of water. It was clearly tasteless, but for her, it tasted bitter.
"Junqing asks that Consort Shu reveals the truth!" Ye Junqing took a step forward and looked beseechingly towards Wang Qinruo.
"Qinruo can tell Esteemed Prince what she knows, but Esteemed Prince must promise to help Qinruo and Huo Feng out of the city safely." Based on what Yao Mowan said, Ye Junqing wouldn't believe her words if she didn't add on conditions.
"This prince will guarantee your safety with his life!" Ye Junqing immediately made this solemn oath as his eyes shone with hope.
"As those rumors say, the empress hadn't died of difficult childbirth. She had been murdered." Wang Qinruo's expression was solemn as she slowly said these words.
Ye Junqing's heart clenched in pain. It felt like someone threw his heart into an intense fire; that scorching pain spread through his body until every inch of him seemed to convulse from that intense sadness, hatred, and regret.
"Who was it? Why did they target her?" The hoarse voice was dangerously low. Ye Junqing's black eyes were like two dark whirlpools that wanted to engulf everything.
"Yao Suluan. The reason is simple. She wasn't willing to settle for her position. She wanted to become empress, so she got rid of Yao Moxin in order to take her place," answered Wang Qinruo calmly.
"It was her… Moxin was the empress! And His Majesty loved her so much, so how could Yao Suluan ever have enough power to murder Moxin? And how did Moxin's child die? Tell me!?" Ye Junqing's sorrowful rage overflowed and his knuckles cracked from how hard he was clenching his fists.
"Qinruo doesn't know too much about it, but Yao Suluan had probably stolen the empress's newborn child to use it to lure her to the cold palace and force her to sign the confession statement. Afterwards… Afterwards Yao Suluan must have hurled that child down, killing him. The empress must have felt that she had let down her own child, so she picked up the child and hugged him as she committed suicide…" Although she hadn't witnessed that scene with her own eyes, she could imagine how terrible that blood-filled tragedy must've been.
"How could this be… How could Moxin die so tragically? Then what about His Majesty? Why didn't His Majesty get revenge for Moxin? Why is he tolerating Yao Suluan!?" Ye Junqing's eyes were bloodshot and his lips were pressed into a tight line as he shouted this angrily.
"All His Majesty saw was that confession and the scene Yao Suluan had created. You shouldn't forget, the empress had committed suicide! If it wasn't due to intense guilt, why would the empress commit suicide? This is probably what most people would think," replied Wang Qinruo.
"How could Moxin have committed suicide… How!?" Ye Junqing slammed his fist on the table, his eyes filled with unconcealable sadness and heartache.
Wang Qinruo never knew that the former god of the battlefield, the valiant esteemed prince, was also capable of shedding tears. As she watched those tears fall, she suddenly felt a bit envious of Yao Moxin. Although she had died tragically, there existed in this world a man that cared so deeply for her. In comparison, she was the one who truly had a sad life.
"The mother and child are inherently linked. The empress had to see her newborn child who hadn't even gotten to live a day smashed alive in front of her, so it's not strange that she would do something this drastic," said Wang Qinruo as she looked down.
There was no greater sorrow than a withered heart. For a woman to see their own flesh and blood being smashed to death by the father, forget Yao Moxin, there was probably no one who'd still have the courage to live after that. She could understand Yao Moxin's choice. Meanwhile, she herself had clearly known how heartless and ruthless Ye Hongyi was, but she still didn't even have a trace of caution. She had truly been possessed.
"Moxin… Moxin…" Ye Junqing's eyes overflowed with tears and his trembling lips repeatedly formed Yao Moxin's name. It felt like a sharp blade had been stabbed into his heart and was now twisting to mangle everything.
"The empress must have died without any regrets knowing that she had a good friend like Esteemed Prince." As Wang Qinruo took in Ye Junqing's pained expression, tears also silently streamed down her face. Who said that men didn't cry easily? Those men had simply never been hurt to the core.
"This prince won't let her death go unavenged! Yao Suluan! This prince will definitely make you pay in blood!" The intense pain spread through his body like the raging flames of hell. Every single drop of blood in his body seemed to be boiling.
As Wang Qinruo watched Ye Junqing storm off, she couldn't help but sigh.
"He'll get into trouble in this state," sighed Wang Qinruo. Suddenly, a figure landed in front of her.
"Master naturally has ways to handle it. The carriage and luggage are prepared. Master instructed Liu Sha to make sure Consort Shu reaches Mangyuan safely. That place isn't territory of great Chu, so it'll be relatively safe for you, Consort Shu," said Liu Sha respectfully.
"Noble Consort Yao is truly considerate. Assist this consort in helping Huo Feng into the carriage…"
The wheels creaked as they rolled forward. Inside the carriage, Wang Qinruo gently stroked Huo Feng's forehead as tears glided down her cheeks.
"Huo Feng, this consort will definitely carry out what this consort has promised you. We're leaving the imperial palace now. The people and events there no longer has anything to do with this consort. From now on, this consort will go back to being herself like you wished. Huo Feng… This consort wishes so much that you could see all of this. Sorry… Sorry…" Wang Qinruo slowly pulled Huo Feng's into her arms while weeping softly.
Inside Pure Flowers Palace, Yao Suluan was sitting straight up on the chair, her eyes completely cold. It felt like someone was squeezing her heart, causing it to pulse with pain. Right at this moment, Ye Junqing suddenly appeared in front of her while emitting an intense murderous aura.
"Yao Suluan! Why did you cause Moxin's death!? She's your older sister, so why!?" Ye Junqing glared that Yao Suluan, his eyes filled with bloodthirst. He felt like there was a blade in his throat that ripped open new wounds every time he swallowed and beneath the sharp pain was extreme rage.
"Older sister? She's just a bastard born of a mistress! What right did she have to be this consort's older sister!? What right did she have to be empress!? That position belonged to this consort! But she actually occupied it for such a long time!" Yao Suluan abruptly got up, her gloomy eyes flickering with cold light.
"You're admitting to it? You admit to stealing Moxin's child and personally killing him!?" Ye Junqing's last straw snapped and the enormous grief and rage that flooded his heart seemed to transform him into a completely different person.
"Yes, I was the one that took the child, I was the one that forced her to sign the confession! I was also the one that personally smashed that child onto the ground until he was just mangled flesh… Ugh…" As Yao Suluan was snarling this, her throat was suddenly seized. The sensation of suffocation came so suddenly, she didn't even have a chance to get ready before she was suspended in the air.
"Give my Moxin back to me! You deserve to die! Yao Suluan, you really deserve to die! Ah!" Ye Junqing's eyes were bloodshot. This was the first time he had ever got violent towards a woman, and it was his first time wanting someone to disappear from this world so much. His eyes were cold as ice as he clutched Yao Suluan's neck.
Just as Ye Junqing was about to increase his force, a black figure flashed past and in the blink of an eye, Yao Suluan had already fallen to the ground and was coughing hard as she gasped for air. Yin Xue stood in front of her calmly.
"Get out of the way!" Ye Junqing was like a crazed lion. He charged towards Yao Suluan, but Yin Xue blocked his way.
"Master doesn't wish for Yao Suluan to die, so Prince, please calm down." Yin Xue was expressionless as she said this firmly.
"Do you know what she's done!? She killed her own nephew and made her own older sister commit suicide! If she doesn't die, it's unjust to the entire world! How will Moxin be able to rest in peace!?" bellowed Ye Junqing as he pointed at Yao Suluan, his eyes bloodshot with anger.
__________Credits: Translated by Chiyomira
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