After the Seventh Prince left, Ji Junye waved his hand to dismiss the attendants and then strode towards the Shoukang Palace.
The gate that had been closed for many days finally creaked open with a heavy sound.
The Empress Dowager was lying on the bed with her back to the door. She didn't react at all when she heard the sound of the door opening.
Ji Junye ignored her. He found a chair and sat down, crossing his legs. He was in no hurry.
After a while, when there was still no sound, the Empress Dowager finally turned around. When she saw who it was, there was finally a glimmer of different emotion on her face that had been lifeless for days.
"What on earth do you want before you'll let Yan'er go?"
As soon as she opened her mouth, her voice was hoarse and shrill, like the sound of a saw scraping against a bed leg. Even she herself was shocked. She covered her throat in horror.
Ji Junye kindly handed her a bronze mirror. The mirror clearly reflected the Empress Dowager's face. She couldn't help screaming and stared at it in disbelief. How could she have become such a hideous creature?
"What the hell is this?!"
"Take it away!"
"Take it away!"
The Empress Dowager struggled to smash the mirror. It seemed that only by doing so could she continue to deceive herself that the old and terrifying person in the mirror wasn't her.
Ji Junye pinched the Empress Dowager's chin, forcing her to look at the person in the mirror who looked just like her. He watched all this with a leisurely air. Because of her panicked and resentful expression, the wrinkles on her old face even seemed pleasing to the eye.
"When did I ever say I'd let him go?"
"Mother, you'd better take a look at yourself first. You were once a favored concubine. How did you end up like this?"
"Looking like this, even Father might not recognize you when you get to the underworld."
It would have been better if he hadn't said this. As soon as he did, the Empress Dowager stared at him like a venomous snake.
If it weren't for him, how could she have become this way?
"If you have the guts, kill me too..."
"What are you saying, Mother? If it weren't for you, there wouldn't be me today. How could I let you die?"
Ji Junye pinched her chin. "Look at the wrinkles on your face. No matter how much you try to maintain it, you'll never get back your former delicate skin, will you?"
"Don't worry, Mother. I'll keep you alive. Moreover, I'll maintain your honor as the Empress Dowager. I'll let you watch your favorite son be beheaded with your own eyes."
"Ji Junye, you'll die a terrible death!"
The Empress Dowager cursed loudly.
Ji Junye acted as if he hadn't heard her. "You don't need to worry about whether I'll die a good death or not. After all, you're so old. If I'm going to die, it'll be after you."
Ji Junye's voice suddenly turned cold. "None of you have gone to hell yet. How could I possibly die?"
Ji Junye flung the Empress Dowager away. "Servants!"
Zhuiyun came in with a bowl in hand. Without waiting for Ji Junye's order, he pinched the Empress Dowager's chin and poured the contents into her mouth.
The Empress Dowager tried to vomit it out by sticking her fingers down her throat. But once the stuff entered her stomach, it seemed to be completely digested. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get it out.
"What did you give me to eat?!"
"Of course, it's a good thing that can detoxify you," Ji Junye said slowly. "You've been tortured by the bone - eating pain for so many years and couldn't sleep at night, right? Well, I've been sending you the newly developed medicine as soon as it's ready so that you can sleep peacefully. You must take it on time. I'll send someone to supervise you."
Because of the blood - gu worm, Qin Ye had recently developed many new methods. Let the Empress Dowager be the first to try them. Who said he wasn't filial?
"Ji Junye, you're cruel and heartless. Even if I go to hell, I'll curse you. I curse you to never get the one you love, to have no descendants, to suffer from illnesses all your life, and to die alone!"
"Hahaha..."
The Empress Dowager's shrill and mournful laughter echoed over the Shoukang Palace and lingered for a long time.
Suffer from illnesses all his life and die alone?
He didn't believe it.
He only believed that one's fate was in one's own hands.
However, his mood was still affected by the Empress Dowager's words.
He really wanted to see Shen Qing now. It seemed that only by burying his head in her neck and smelling her gentle body fragrance could he feel a bit more at ease.
In this vast world, only the place where she was was the place he wanted to go.
Wei Chun felt the change in the atmosphere around Ji Junye and sighed again that serving the emperor was like being with a tiger. The position of the emperor's chief eunuch was not for everyone.
Just as they were leaving the Shoukang Palace, Zhuiyun rushed over. His words changed Ji Junye's complexion.
"Your Majesty, the King of Jin died suddenly in prison."
The sky was overcast on this early winter day. The thick clouds blocked out all traces of the moonlight. The air was filled with the damp cold of autumn rain and a faint musty smell. It was desolate and depressing. It seemed that it was going to rain.
"Return to the Imperial Study."
...
In a farmhouse not far from the outskirts of the capital, the King of Jin took off the human - skin mask on his face. "Thanks to the help of the Marquis of Guangping this time. Only then could I use a substitute and escape from the prison."
Xu Yanchi was sitting opposite the King of Jin. He was dressed in a black robe, and the long brim of his hat cast a large shadow, making it impossible to see his expression clearly.
He poured a cup of tea and pushed it in front of the King of Jin, then poured one for himself. "Your Highness is blessed. I'm just following the will of Heaven. I still have some things that can help Your Highness. I only hope that Your Highness will not forget me when you ascend to a high position in the future."
"Of course."
The two of them raised their cups, using tea instead of wine, and drank it all in one gulp. Everything was understood without words.
...
"You said Xu Yanchi went out to meet someone. Who did he meet?" Shen Qing asked Zhuxing.
Zhuxing replied, "The people we sent to keep watch in the front yard reported that the marquis disguised himself and left the city. Now he's in a farmhouse on the outskirts of the capital. There are many guards around. Our people were afraid of alerting the enemy, so they didn't get close. Therefore, we don't know who he met."
At this critical moment, the person Xu Yanchi met, combined with the guards around the farmhouse, must be someone extraordinary.
Who could it be?
"Has the punishment for the King of Jin been decided?"
Zhuxing nodded. "His Majesty sentenced the King of Jin to be beheaded for the crime of treason, and his family members will be exiled. The execution will take place in three days. The King of Jin should still be in the prison now."
In the prison, not in the imperial prison?
Shen Qing's face changed suddenly. "No good!"
Ji Junye had already arrived at the prison and saw the body of the "King of Jin" on the ground.
Zhuiyun stepped forward and felt around the body's chin. Sure enough, he tore off a human - skin mask. They had seen the face under the mask before. It was one of the King of Jin's secret guards.
Zhuiyun didn't even dare to look at Ji Junye's face.
No wonder His Majesty was angry. Since the King of Jin's crime had been determined, he shouldn't have been in the imperial prison. But who could have thought that their people had even infiltrated the prison?
The King of Jin had actually managed to escape right under their noses.
That night, Ji Junye issued several imperial edicts. On one hand, he ordered people to make the King of Jin's crimes and his prison break public. On the other hand, he ordered a nationwide manhunt. In addition, he specially sent people to arrest the King of Jin's family members.
After finishing all these things, this assassination finally came to an end. Ji Junye finally had time to see Shen Qing. He didn't have to just see her occasionally and leave after only saying a few words.
But before that, he did one more thing.