"Murder!"
"Soone, co quickly—"
The scream of i Xiang pierced the skies, startling the crows above Huixin Hall, their sudden flurry of flight weaving through the treetops like ssengers of lantable news...
Li Sangruo was already beyond saving.
When Feng Yun crouched down to examine her, her face was pale and contorted, her lips struggling to move but only able to part slightly—what ca out was blood...
"Li Sangruo?"
Feng Yun raised her voice as she gazed at her.
Li Sangruo’s chest still faintly rose and fell, her fingers weakly clawing at the ground, desperately searching for so form of support or redemption.
Feng Yun: "Who did this?"
Li Sangruo’s lips trembled slightly.
She could no longer make any sound, her throat choked with faint whimpers. Her eyes widened forcefully, her trembling fingers reaching toward her...
"Sister-in-law... save... ..."
With the fla of life flickering out, she summoned all her strength to voice her desperate longing for survival—
Calling Feng Yun "Sister-in-law" to assert her identity, she also hoped that this plea might buy her a chance at life.
Feng Yun furrowed her brows tightly, inspecting her wound with a cold and severe gaze.
"If you don’t want to die with a grievance, then tell —who was it?"
Li Sangruo suddenly grabbed her with all her might, her eyes flaring wide, staring into Feng Yun’s face with a deathly determination. Gasping and unclear, she rasped, "Tang... It was Tang..."
Her hand slowly fell.
The tips of her fingers still moved, but her breathing was faint—she no longer had any strength...
A lifeti of yielding to a thief as her father.
An aching devotion to her brother.
A son lost prematurely.
She was about to die at the hands of her lover, in front of Feng Shi Er Niang. Her brief existence had been utterly void of aning; the wealth and luxury she’d once held had turned to ash...
She hadn’t even had the chance to reunite with Pei Jue and call him "Brother" one last ti.
She was laughable, pitiful, tragic, hateful, shaful...
Like a moth plunging into a fla, she’d given up everything in pursuit of more, only to end up with nothing, shaving her head and entering a nunnery, her life ending within its walls...
·
"Quick! Inside!"
A cry rang out along with hurried footsteps. In no ti, i Xiang had led a group of people through the wide-open door and into the room.
The blood was jarring.
Everyone stood frozen in place.
The entire wing felt eerily silent.
"Your Highness!" i Xiang cried in anguish, falling to her knees beside Li Sangruo and crawling toward her, tears and snot streaming.
"Your Highness... Why didn’t you wait for ? How could you leave like this..."
She bawled and suddenly turned her head, locking her gaze, filled with a complex sorrow, onto Feng Yun’s face.
"Princess... Why are you so cruel? Her Highness has already reached such a dire state; from now on, there’s no way for her to rival you. Why do you still refuse to let her go? Why must you push her to her death?"
i Xiang’s expression shifted so suddenly that Xiaoman was caught completely off guard.
Her willow-shaped brows furrowed sharply, and she exploded on the spot.
"What nonsense are you babbling? Have you gone insane?"
i Xiang sobbed, tears freely flowing down her face, "I know the Princess’s status is exalted, and I am nothing but a lowly servant, but Her Highness treated kindly. Even in death, I must seek justice for her..."
As she spoke, she lunged toward Feng Yun.
Daman acted decisively, kicking i Xiang back.
Unable to withstand the force, i Xiang stumbled backward, collapsing onto the ground, and then simply curled up and wept bitterly.
"Your Highness, why didn’t you take with you? You should’ve taken with you..."
Xiaoman, already fuming with anger, cast a glance at Feng Yun’s icy deanor. Her face reddened further as she harshly pointed at i Xiang and began urgently explaining to the Huixin Hall abbess and others in monk robes surrounding them.
"When we arrived, this petty maid was already waiting outside, claiming the Forr Empress Dowager was inside taking an afternoon nap and asked to announce our arrival. Then she suddenly scread, and when we rushed over to check... we found the Forr Empress Dowager lying here, blood everywhere. My lady was trying to help..."
"Xiaoman," Feng Yun interrupted coldly, her tone like ice, and broke into a faint smile.
"Since the abbess is here to manage the aftermath, this is no longer our concern. Let’s leave."
Xiaoman protested, "My lady..."
Feng Yun’s expression darkened, "Leave!"
Xiaoman: "Understood."
All eyes were on Feng Yun. Without a hint of emotion on her face, she turned away and walked out.
Xiaoman shot i Xiang a venomous glare, huffed loudly, and tightly followed in Feng Yun’s wake.
The abbess in charge of Huixin Hall muttered a quiet "Amitabha," shifted aside to clear the path, and lowered her head, not daring to look any longer.
Feng Yun had inford her of her visit beforehand, so they all understood exactly who the young woman standing before them was.
i Xiang addressing Feng Yun as "Princess" was, in fact, inappropriate.
Feng Yun was no longer a Princess. Though not yet crowned Empress, she was the New Emperor’s sole woman—the wife he had wedded through proper ceremony.
An abbess held neither the privilege nor the authority to speak on a noble’s affairs, not to ntion matters of life and death.
Feng Yun walked out with a commanding presence, her sharp gaze cutting through the air.
Not a single person dared to stop her.
i Xiang wailed hysterically for her "mistress," the sounds of her lantations carrying far and wide as she decried the injustice of heaven...
Xiaoman was boiling with indignation as she heard.
"My lady, why didn’t you let explain?"
Feng Yun didn’t look back, rely smiling faintly.
"Explain what?"
Xiaoman anxiously replied, "The death of Empress Dowager Li had nothing to do with us!"
"Hmph!" Feng Yun gave her a cold look. "Whether they believe it or not, does it matter?"
Xiaoman was struck speechless.
The people of this nunnery had no claim over affairs concerning the Royal Family.
Hence, their belief—or disbelief—truly didn’t matter.
"But we can’t let that petty maid spout absurd accusations that sully your reputation."
Feng Yun replied, "Can’t you see? This was a pre-arranged trap."
A trap?
Xiaoman froze, looking at her with a mix of confusion and dawning realization.
"Then... what should we do?"
Feng Yun smiled tenderly. "Eat well, drink well."
Xiaoman: "..."
-
Feng Yun indeed followed through.
Back at her estate, she took a hot bath, erging fragrant and refreshed, behaving as if nothing had happened—eating, drinking, living as usual.
The news of Li Sangruo’s murder at Huixin Hall spread instantly, but its uproar only truly began fernting by the following day.
From the palace to the streets, everyone knew.
The feud between Feng Yun and Li Sangruo from years ago was common knowledge. Feng Yun had gone to Huixin Hall, and Li Sangruo had t an untily end there; even Li Sangruo’s maid had stepped forward to accuse Feng Yun. The evidence created a complete circle, leaving almost no room for doubt that another perpetrator could be involved in Li Sangruo’s death.
Despite Li Sangruo’s failures, even "self-requesting to take vows," she was still no ordinary citizen. The New Emperor’s title ca through the Yuan Family’s abdication; after taking the throne, he respected the Royal Family of the previous dynasty and treated their remnants kindly. Thus, Empress Dowager Li’s demise could not be swept under the rug as though it were aningless.
In Chongzheng Hall, court officials engaged in contentious debate.
The overwhelming sentint was that Feng Yun should not be crowned as Da Yong’s Empress.
And as the argunt continued, it spiraled into an even broader discourse.
At its core lay two issues: the violent death of Empress Dowager Li and Feng Yun’s Changn Forces...
This particular matter had long remained unresolved.
Critics of Ruan Pu’s erstwhile stance on the Changn Forces found themselves surprisingly switching positions after Pei Jue ascended the throne. Many who previously opposed Ruan Pu now argued that Feng Yun should not be allowed to maintain private troops.
The debate shifted to Pei Jue’s authority and crystallized into a unified demand.
If Feng Shi Er Niang wished to ascend as the paramount figure of virtue, she must disband Changn’s forces or place them under court control. Otherwise, she could not be crowned...
Pei Jue refrained from giving an imdiate response.
After court concluded, Tang Shaogong sought a private audience with him.
"Your Majesty, my condolences." Tang Shaogong’s face was solemn, his sorrow evident. "I had hoped the Forr Empress Dowager, after entering Huixin Hall and shaving away her troubles, could purify her heart and transform herself, but who could have foretold this tragic fate—her fragrant soul extinguished, parted now from this world forever..."
Pei Jue sat firmly upon the Dragon Throne, looking at Tang’s bloodshot eyes.
"You, too, have co to advise to deal with my wife and the Changn Forces?"
Tang Shaogong t his gaze with composure, hesitating for a mont before he spoke. "Your Majesty, the court is abuzz; public sentint is mounting, and unrest boils among the people—it cannot be easily quelled. I know Your Majesty holds Feng Madam in the highest regard, but to stubbornly persist could invite even greater troubles..."
Pei Jue pursed his lips silently.
Tang Shaogong continued, "The Changn Forces commanded by Feng Madam will inevitably beco a grave threat to the Imperial Court. If Your Majesty insists on protecting them now, it could destabilize governance and the nation’s stability..."
Pei Jue stared at him calmly.
"And if I remain steadfast in my support?"
Tang Shaogong paused briefly, then bowed deeply.
"The New Dynasty has just begun; there is so much to rebuild... Your Majesty must not let personal feelings jeopardize the affairs of the nation."
He spoke with upright conviction.
Pei Jue gazed deeply into his eyes.
"You’re right. I should not let personal desires lead to neglect Da Yong’s state affairs..."
Tang Shaogong breathed a sigh of relief.
"Your Majesty, you are wise."
Pei Jue glanced at him before waving dismissively.
"Leave . I will resolve this matter properly and provide the court with an answer."
Tang Shaogong bowed, "I take my leave!"
-
That night, Feng Yun was nearly asleep when Pei Jue returned.
He changed clothes and cleaned up, standing by the bedside and looking at her. "Are you asleep?"
Feng Yun slightly curled her lips, turned her face toward him, her pitch-black eyes shining distinctively in the dim light,
"She called ’Sister-in-law.’"
Pei Jue froze.
Feng Yun added, "People always say that a dying person’s words are kind. I think perhaps she said it with intent."
Pei Jue asked, "What else did she say?"
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