Chapter 33: Chaos

The Emperor approached the doorway, and Fu Linhai, quick-witted as ever, kicked the door open with a single motion. Every maid and eunuch present strained their eyes, desperate to catch a glimpse of the scene inside. As the door swung open, a cloying, decadent scent wafted out, and the Emperor walked in with a dark, thunderous expression.

"Heavens!" Fu Linhai could not help but gasp.

Everyone had been speculating on just how miserable Su Zhinian’s end would be, but what they found was unexpected.

"Someone, come quickly!" Fu Linhai shrieked in a high-pitched voice. A few bewildered young eunuchs rushed in, only to be struck pale with terror by the sight that greeted them.

"What has happened?" the Empress’s curious voice echoed from behind.

The Emperor stepped out of the room, his face ashen, and blocked the Empress’s path. "It is too gruesome inside; it would be best if you did not look, Empress."

"Fu Linhai, investigate this for me. Spare neither of them!" the Emperor commanded coldly.

"Yes, Your Majesty." Fu Linhai’s own face was a mask of dismay.

The Emperor escorted the Empress back to the main palace, using the excuse of her pregnancy to prevent her from seeing the state of the room. Later, Fu Linhai had the two bodies carried out. The other servants dared only to peek, but someone soon noticed that the woman was dressed in the uniform of a palace maid.

Before this matter could even settle, chaos erupted at the Yanxi Palace.

"Reporting to Your Majesty! Something has happened at the Yanxi Palace!" A young eunuch came scrambling toward the Emperor, heedless of his master’s stormy expression, and began kowtowing violently on the ground.

"What is the meaning of this panic? Where is your decorum?" The Emperor, already vexed by the day's events, felt his eyelid twitch incessantly.

"Your Majesty, the body of the Noble Consort has gone missing!" The eunuch, knowing such a thing could not be hidden, had rushed to inform the Emperor the moment he discovered it.

Helian Yunhui’s pupils dilated in shock. "What?" How could a body simply vanish? After giving a few quick instructions to the Empress, Helian Yunhui hurried toward the Yanxi Palace.

Watching the Emperor depart, the Empress reclined on her daybed, looking entirely at ease. Yunling leaned in and lowered her voice: "It is said that the two of them strangled each other to death."

The Empress sneered. "It seems they knew there was no way out. Rather than endure the torture of the Imperial Household Department, they chose to end it themselves—quite clever, actually."

"It is all thanks to your brilliant planning, Your Majesty!" Yunling said with a narrow-eyed smile.

In truth, it was less her planning and more of Su Zhinian’s doing. The Empress curled her lips. "Su Zhinian is actually quite capable; I never realized it before." If Su Zhinian hadn't urged her to keep watch over the Yanxi Palace, her people would never have discovered the plot in time to let the conspirators reap their own destruction. It was just a pity that the wretch Ren Xixi had been lucky enough to escape unscathed once again.

"Even if Miss Su is formidable, she still relies on you and the Empress Dowager," Yunling said, keeping her head bowed.

"That may be, but I should be thankful Su Zhinian did not enter the palace. Otherwise, I fear neither I nor my aunt would be her match." The Empress remained wary of her. Suddenly, as if struck by a thought, she looked up. "Send someone to monitor the situation at the Yanxi Palace and report back to me."

"Yes."

At that moment, the Yanxi Palace was in utter disarray. Gu Shijin had pulled his hat low to hide his face, walking quickly as the events of the day replayed in his mind. A young maid had secretly told him that Su Zhinian wanted to see him. When he arrived at the side hall of the Jingren Palace, the doors were locked; just as he grew suspicious, he heard unspeakable sounds from within.

At that moment, it was as if he had been struck by a heavy blow. He was consumed by rage. Just as he was about to burst through the doors, the very maid who had led him there discovered the scene inside and screamed. Gu Shijin had not yet managed to see the people inside, but he could not leave. He had to know who had been dallying with Su Zhinian!

He could not swallow this humiliation. He had always known Su Zhinian was not a woman of virtue—first she had flirted with Prince Yu, and now, even within the palace, she was brazen enough to engage in such lewd acts. How could he possibly keep such a filthy woman as a concubine? It was a disgrace. He would certainly divorce this adulteress! Gu Shijin’s eyes were bloodshot, his teeth grinding together.

Before anyone could drag the adulterers out, the Emperor had arrived. Given the Emperor’s fury, Gu Shijin was certain that Su Zhinian would not survive the day. This was the inner palace, the Emperor’s domain; she should have expected execution for such a crime. Yet, the Emperor emerged with a dark, inscrutable expression.

When Fu Linhai ordered people inside, Gu Shijin seized the opportunity. He rushed in with the eunuchs and saw two naked bodies lying on the floor. He gritted his teeth, wishing he could drag the woman—whose face he could not yet see—out and whip her corpse.

He heard Fu Linhai command, "Take these two wretches away!"

Gu Shijin walked resolutely toward the adulterer, only to find a face he had never seen before—ordinary and unremarkable. So, this was the sort of man Su Zhinian had chosen? No wonder he had never noticed; this man was far less handsome than he was. Gu Shijin felt a sense of ridicule for Su Zhinian’s poor taste.

The others carried the woman out. She was dressed as a maid, her face bruised and purple, with deep, dark welts around her neck. It was clear she had been strangled. *Serves her right!* Gu Shijin cursed internally. They must have been caught and, fearing the Emperor’s wrath, strangled each other.

Gu Shijin’s heart burned with anger, thinking that letting her die so easily was too kind. He intentionally tripped the man carrying the corpse, causing it to fall heavily to the floor. If he were not trying to hide his identity, he would have kicked the body himself to vent his fury.

"My apologies."

"Watch yourself!" the accompanying eunuch glared at him viciously.

As the corpse was lifted again, its face turned toward him. The sneer on Gu Shijin’s face froze, and a strange, indescribable emotion filled his heart. He stood completely stunned.

"You fool! Move!" Only when urged did Gu Shijin snap back to reality. That corpse was not Su Zhinian! No wonder the Emperor’s expression had changed—this stranger was not her at all. A flicker of joy surged within him.

After dropping off the bodies, he hurried toward the Yanxi Palace, his heart filled with the relief that Su Zhinian had not betrayed him. However, he found the Yanxi Palace surrounded by guards. Gu Shijin’s heart sank, and he stiffened his face as he retreated toward the Imperial Household Department.

*Could something have happened to Xixi?*