After Transmigrating as a Wealthy Woman: Don’t You Dare Touch My Baby! [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 81

The entire Imperial Palace was filled with the sound of wailing. Concubines knelt in droves outside the Emperor’s chambers, their cries reaching the heavens. Zhu Xingtong and Jing Rui bypassed them and stepped inside.

Within the bedchamber, imperial physicians knelt on the floor while Imperial Guards detained every concubine and maid suspected of involvement. At the sight of the two royals, the guards immediately dropped to one knee.

“We pay our respects to the Eldest Princess and the First Prince.”

“Have the facts been cleared? What happened?” Zhu Xingtong asked. These guards were the very men Jing Rui had strategically placed beforehand.

“Reporting to Your Highness: the physicians have confirmed it was poison. The source has been located—the food brought by Consort Chen was tainted.”

Consort Chen, who was pinned to the floor nearby, shook her head in terror. “Your Highness, it wasn’t me! It really wasn’t me! How could I possibly have the courage to assassinate His Majesty? Someone has framed me!”

“Since you claim a frame-up, then use your own means to find the culprit,” Zhu Xingtong said. “Identify the poisoner, and I shall spare your life.”

The Imperial Guards exchanged bewildered glances. Was it not standard practice to prefer killing an innocent to letting a culprit escape? Why was the Princess being so lenient?

They did not realize that both she and Jing Rui already knew the truth. Consort Chen was merely a convenient scapegoat.

“Yes! Yes! I will go at once!” Consort Chen scrambled up from the floor. “I will start with the Imperial Kitchens. I will find the murderer!” She wiped her tears, breathless with gratitude. “Thank you, Your Highness, for believing in me.”

“I never said I trusted you,” Zhu Xingtong replied coldly. “Men, follow her. If she fails to find the culprit, execute her to accompany the late Emperor in death.”

“As you command!”

Zhu Xingtong didn’t truly care. Consort Chen had survived the harem’s schemes for years; while finding direct evidence against the Second Prince might be difficult, rooting out his moles within the palace would be simple enough for her.

“And the Second Prince? Has anyone seen him?”

The guards shook their heads. Just then, an agent from the Martial Judiciary rushed in.

“Your Highnesses! The Second Prince has gone to the Hall of Eternal Glory. He has forced the Head Eunuch to issue an edict summoning all ministers to the palace. By all appearances, he is staging a coup!”

Zhu Xingtong sighed. She truly wondered if Jing Yi lacked a functioning brain.

“A coup? He’s already killed the man on the throne. Who is he revolting against?” She flicked her sleeve and produced a jade tally from her waist. It was not the General’s Tiger Tally, but a jade pendant carved with a soaring dragon—the Flying Dragon Tally.

It was the key to commanding the one hundred thousand troops stationed outside the capital. Jing Rui stared at the tally handed to him, stunned.

“Imperial Sister, this is…”

Zhu Xingtong smiled. “While the Flying Dragon Tally can summon an army, distant water cannot quench a nearby fire. What few know is its second purpose: it summons the Shadow Guards of this palace—a secret force left to me by our Mother for my protection. A single Shadow Guard is worth a thousand men. Protecting you tonight will be effortless for them. To be honest, I’ve never used them once, but surely Mother wouldn’t have lied to me.”

Jing Rui was speechless. Her giving him this tally at this moment spoke volumes.

“To say I do not want this would be hypocrisy,” Jing Rui said softly. “But I fear I cannot repay such a debt. This was meant to save your life, Sister.”

“If I wish to leave, no one in this palace can stop me,” Zhu Xingtong said nonchalantly. She turned to the silent Zhong Ying with a grin. “Isn’t that right, my Lady?”

“Mhm,” Zhong Ying replied.

“I give you the military power on two conditions.”

“Please, name them.”

Zhu Xingtong leaned in and whispered a single sentence to him. Jing Rui’s eyes widened in shock. He looked at Zhong Ying, hesitated for a moment, and then replied, “If it is merely a title, I have no objection.”

“Good. Then take the tally and find Qiu Qin; she will arrange your protection.” He was the last male heir of the Jing family; he had to survive.

“And what of you, Sister?”

A flash of ruthlessness crossed Zhu Xingtong’s eyes. “I’m going to find Old Second and avenge our Father.”

When they arrived at the Hall of Eternal Glory, the ministers had not yet appeared. The Second Prince, Jing Yi, sat on the steps leading up to the Dragon Throne, a sword gripped in his hand.

“I didn’t expect my first visitor to be you instead of my kneeling ministers,” Jing Yi said. He was no longer smiling; his face was a mask of brutality and cruelty. “Is Jing Rui dead? Did you come alone? I suppose he’s already perished on the road?”

“Jing Rui is doing quite well. At this moment, he is likely using my Flying Dragon Tally to gather his forces. Your plan has failed.”

“Hahaha… The Flying Dragon Tally! You even gave him that!” Jing Yi spat through gritted teeth. “He is a walking corpse! Even if the poison didn’t kill him, how many days do you think that sickly body of his can last? Sister, how am I inferior to him? Why do you treat me this way!”

“No matter how many days he has left, you will never sit on that throne,” Zhu Xingtong replied with a look of disdain. “You murdered our Father and expect me to support your ascension? You think too much of yourself. As for why you are inferior to Jing Rui, let me tell you.”

“Jing Rui, for all his faults, would never commit parricide. Great Rong has never seen such madness. Though we were never the most harmonious of siblings, none but you have been this deranged. If you had treated me as a true sister for even half a moment, I would not be doing this. You only viewed me as a tool for your rise. If I didn’t hold the military power, you wouldn’t even bother to greet me.”

Zhu Xingtong looked at him steadily. “The sword is in your hand. Will you do it yourself, or must I?”

Her words stripped away Jing Yi’s delusions, exposing his absolute selfishness. It was true—he cared for no one. He only wanted the throne.

“Are you so sure you can kill me?” Jing Yi laughed coldly. “You brought only a handful of guards.”

“Are a few guards not enough?” Zhu Xingtong glanced at the men behind her—the elite masters of the Martial Judiciary.

“Men! To me!” Jing Yi roared.

Rustling sounds erupted from the shadows of the hall. The light from the entrance vanished with a heavy creak as the great doors were slammed shut from the outside. Countless black-clad figures emerged from the corners of the hall, surrounding them.

“Sister, did you really think I would wait for you here without an army?” Jing Yi sat back on the steps. “Kneel, call me Emperor, and I shall spare your life.”

Zhu Xingtong was almost amused by his stupidity. “And did you really think I would come here with only these few men if I didn’t have a trump card?”

“Sister, there is no need to maintain this facade of calm.”

“Oh? Then why don’t you ask your men why they aren’t moving?”

Jing Yi froze. He realized his men were all standing at the periphery, refusing to advance. “What are you doing?! Move! Seize Jing Xia! No… kill her!”

The leader of the black-clad men looked at Jing Yi with difficulty. “Your Highness, we…”

“I am the Emperor! Do not call me ‘Highness’!”

The man looked behind Jing Yi, his voice trembling. “Your Highness… behind you…”

Jing Yi realized a shadow had fallen over him. Someone was standing behind him. How long had they been there? Cold sweat drenched his back. He turned slowly to see a tall, masked woman gazing down at him.

It was the woman Jing Xia had married. When did she get behind me? Does she know martial arts?

In a desperate panic, Jing Yi swung his sword at her. Zhong Ying simply raised a hand and flicked her finger against the blade. The steel shattered like fragile glass. The force of the impact sent Jing Yi stumbling back; his legs gave out, and he tumbled down the stairs.

He hit the floor with a heavy thud. Before he could scramble up, Zhong Ying was already before him. She swung the broken blade with surgical precision.

“Your Highness!!”

Amidst the cry of his men, Jing Yi’s head left his shoulders. Blood sprayed across the hall.

Zhu Xingtong turned toward the doors. “Open the gates! Welcome the new Master!”

“Open the gates! Welcome the new Master!!”

At that precise moment, Jing Rui arrived, flanked by the Shadow Guards. The gloom of the weather seemed to break, and light flooded the hall.

The Master of Great Rong had changed.