The Fearless Empress - Chapter 22.2

The Empress laughed, but the movement tugged at her wound, sending a sharp pain through her body. She trembled and gasped, “You, it hurts so much.”

Cheng Sangyi felt satisfied and reached out to pinch her cheek. “Who told you to advise me to recall Rong Han?”

“I was just giving you a way out. Seeing him once is better than pining for him day after day.” The Empress, caught between pain in her back and face, protested, “Let go. I’m not a kitten. What’s the point of poking my waist and pinching my face?”

“Gu Yunchu, I could strip you bare and lay you on the bed. Do you have the strength to resist?” Cheng Sangyi, provoked by her defiance, sneered coldly. “Do you want to try?”

The Empress immediately backed down, quietly covering the wound on her waist, her eyes timid and pitiful.

Just then, someone outside announced that the physician had arrived.

“After breakfast, you go buy fried dough sticks. You only wipe your nose when the snot reaches your lips. I’m already awake, why call for a physician now?”

Listen to that full of energy, not at all like someone severely injured.

Cheng Sangyi dismissed the physician and turned to see the little creature on the bed, cheeks puffed out and eyes wide with rare indignation.

He approached, his fingertips gently tugging at her collar. The snowy fabric slipped down inch by inch, revealing the fair skin of the young woman. “Keep making noise, and you won’t get to keep your clothes.”

The Empress clamped her mouth shut tightly.

Cheng Sangyi fed her another heart-protecting pill.

A palace maid brought a bowl of ginseng porridge, but the Empress wrinkled her nose in disdain. “There’s no meat.”

“You’ll have meat when we return. You’re not a fox, always craving meat.” Cheng Sangyi muttered strangely as he blew on the porridge. “Is meat really that delicious?”

The Empress remained silent, closing her eyes. For an earthly emperor, eating meat was simple, but she was just a little demon getting meat was hard. Over the years, she had worked hard. Life as a little fox was difficult; one shouldn’t casually ask if meat was that delicious.

As the spoon touched her pale lips, the Empress opened her mouth and swallowed, adding, “If you were gentler, they would all like you.”

Cheng Sangyi paused, his fair hand tightening around the bowl. “Who are ‘they’?”

“The Noble Consort, the Virtuous Consort, and the others.”

Cheng Sangyi ignored her. Even with such severe injuries, she couldn’t stay quiet.

In the afternoon, the Empress Dowager sent word that she would not leave until the assassins were found.

Upon hearing this, Cheng Sangyi’s eyes darkened as he glanced toward the bed. “Tell the Empress Dowager that if she does not return, I will issue an edict ordering the Prince of Guangling to guard the imperial mausoleum permanently, never to leave for the rest of his life.”

If the Empress Dowager left the imperial mausoleum, it would mean cutting ties with her troops, giving him the chance to eliminate them.

The messenger left and returned an hour later with the news: they would depart for the capital the next day.

After the eunuch left, the person on the bed sat up, tilting her head to look out. “Ayi, Ayi!”

Cheng Sangyi rubbed his forehead. The name “Ayi” felt like a feather brushing against his heart, both ticklish and unsettling.

“What is it?”

“I’m thirsty.”

Cheng Sangyi poured a cup of water and walked over. The person on the bed smiled at him brightly.

“We won’t return today, but the night won’t be peaceful,” Cheng Sangyi reminded her with concern.

After drinking the water, the Empress’s lips glistened, looking a bit redder. “Why won’t it be peaceful?”

“They’ll search the camp.” A mocking smile curled at the corner of Cheng Sangyi’s lips. “You won’t sleep well. I’ll leave a squad of guards in front of your tent.”

The Empress fell silent for a moment before asking, “Is the Prince of Guangling in good health now?”

Cheng Sangyi stared at her, then reached out to stroke her cheek. “I’m going to check on my younger brother. Rest well.”

“Will you be able to come out safely after you go in?” the Empress asked anxiously. Last night, she had nearly failed to escape, and she never imagined the Empress Dowager would be so bold as to dare to hold the Emperor hostage.

Cheng Sangyi remained composed, her expression cold and detached. She withdrew her hand, clasped it behind her back, and let out a cold laugh. “What is there to fear? She wouldn’t dare.”

If anything were to happen to her, the Prince of Qi would ascend the throne, and all of the Empress Dowager’s schemes would come to nothing. At this moment, the Empress Dowager had no choice but to pray for her safe return to the capital to destroy that edict.

The Empress, unaware of such intricate schemes, wore her worry plainly on her face.

Cheng Sangyi reassured her briefly before leading her entourage into the imperial mausoleum. This time, she brought half of her troops, stationed outside the hall, unafraid of any tricks the Empress Dowager might play.

The hall of the Prince of Guangling was strikingly different, floors paved with white jade, walls adorned with luminous pearls.

As she gazed at the pearls embedded in the walls, Cheng Sangyi felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity.

Blessed with a photographic memory since childhood, she never forgot anything she had seen. After a careful examination, she recalled having seen similar luminous pearls in the Pepper Chamber Hall.

However, the pearls on the walls here seemed different, as if they had not been set at the same time.

The Empress took another look, startling the palace maid beside her, who whispered nervously, “Some time ago, a thief broke in and stole the pearls from the walls. His Highness was furious, and the Empress Dowager ordered them to be replaced.”

A thief?

Cheng Sangyi was taken aback, the thief was none other than the one currently in her own camp. But the timing of the theft.

“When did the theft occur?”

“About half a month ago.”

Cheng Sangyi dismissed her initial thought. Half a month ago, Gu Yunchu had already entered the palace and would not have had time to come to the mausoleum to steal the pearls. It was likely the work of a previous intruder.

Still, were a few luminous pearls really worth such a fuss?

How petty.

I’ll send her a whole basket of them when I return!

Cheng Sangyi stepped into the inner chamber. The outer hall was clean and orderly, but the inner chamber reeked of alcohol. Covering her nose, she walked further in. The figure on the carpet stirred awake at the sound, a shadow of gloom darkening his eyes.

“Your Majesty has arrived,” said the Prince of Guangling, clad in thin, loosely fastened robes that exposed his abdomen.

Cheng Sangyi halted, frowning. “What kind of appearance is this, with your robes in such disarray?”

The Prince of Guangling scrambled to his feet, smashing the wine jar in his hand onto the floor, his resentment boiling over. “And who is to blame for this state of mine? You ascended the throne, imprisoned me here, and now you live in comfort while I suffer day after day. How dare you criticize my appearance? Your audacity knows no bounds.”

“You revel in power, stepping over my mother and me to claim the throne, and yet you have the nerve to speak. My mother weeps daily, while you enjoy yourself in the capital.”

“How could there be such an unfilial daughter in this world!”

Cheng Sangyi let out a faint, cold laugh. She was no longer the Cheng Sangyi of the past. Filial piety should be reserved for those who deserved it. When poisoned wine was handed to her, did they still expect her to serve the Empress Dowager?

“The Prince of Guangling is raving, drunk out of his mind. Guards, sober him up.”

As soon as the words left her lips, a squad of armored soldiers rushed in and seized the Prince of Guangling.

“Outrageous! How dare you! I am the Prince of Guangling! How dare you lay hands on me!”

“Cheng Sangyi, I am your own brother! What are you doing? I will tell the Empress Dowager! You intend to kill your own brother!”

Cheng Sangyi acted as if she heard nothing, casually touching her ear. What could the Empress Dowager do even if she found out? Could she strike her?

A palace attendant carried in a bucket and set it down with a loud clang in front of the Prince of Guangling. The water inside emitted a chilling mist, cold vapor swirling in the air.

With a slight nod from Cheng Sangyi, someone immediately gripped the Prince of Guangling by the neck and forced his head into the water.

In an instant, agonized screams echoed through the hall.

“Take good care of him, but don’t let him suffocate. I only want him to sober up, don’t frighten him too much,” Cheng Sangyi instructed leisurely. “Be gentle. This is the Empress Dowager’s treasure. If you break him no, wait, he’s already broken.”

The Prince of Guangling was repeatedly lifted up and plunged into the water, then lifted again and plunged back in. After several rounds of this, he finally collapsed, water continuously spilling from his mouth.

Cheng Sangyi stared coldly at her disheveled younger brother. “A doting mother spoils the son.”

Once the Prince of Guangling had been dealt with, she turned to leave. Passing by the wall adorned with luminous pearls, she glanced at it and commanded, “Dig them all out.”

By dusk, Cheng Sangyi returned triumphantly, carrying a chest full of luminous pearls, which she placed at the foot of the bed.

“These are for you,” she declared casually, seating herself gracefully on the divan. Her fair complexion and carefree demeanor added to her charm as she added, “They’re all yours.”

The Empress stared in astonishment at the chest by the bed. She carefully propped herself up, then couldn’t resist stepping down to approach it. “Did you dig them out from the Prince of Guangling’s wall?”

So it was her, the little thief after all!

Supporting her injured side, the Empress moved slowly, but as she bent over, a sharp pain shot through her wound, forcing a hiss from her lips.

Her waist ached, making it impossible to bend or straighten up properly.

Cheng Sangyi couldn’t help but cover her mouth and chuckle, resting her chin on her hand as she gazed over with an amused smile.

So full of herself, yet she can’t even bend over now.

The Empress circled the chest once, then, hearing the laughter, turned to glare at her. “What are you laughing at? Have you never had a sore waist before?”

Have you never had a sore waist before?

Cheng Sangyi’s smile vanished instantly, and the tips of her ears flushed faintly red. She glared back at the Empress. “You should think carefully about who you’re speaking to. I am the Son of Heaven.”

“Does the Son of Heaven never have a sore waist?” the Empress retorted skeptically, huffing in irritation. “You’re human too, aren’t you? All humans get sore waists and not just that, sore legs as well.”

Cheng Sangyi: “…”

What kind of outrageous talk was this now?

Seeing her smile fade, the Empress’s eyes curved with amusement. She walked right up to Cheng Sangyi and, without hesitation, grabbed her hand. “Help me pick one out.”

“You have hands of your own, do it yourself,” Cheng Sangyi replied, frowning slightly as she shook off the Empress’s grasp. “You made your bed, now lie in it.”

“You, do you even know how to charm a young lady?” the Empress grumbled, her face full of distress. “With an attitude like that, no woman would ever like you.”

Cheng Sangyi sneered. “I am the Son of Heaven. I don’t need to seek anyone’s favor. There are countless women in the rear palace which of them doesn’t crave my special attention?”

“Do they like you? They like the power in your hands, you self-important woman,” the Empress shot back, hitting her where it hurt. “Do you honestly believe that if you were an ordinary woman, anyone would put up with that foul temper of yours?”

“Look around, who besides me actually likes you? Your ‘white moonlight’ only cares about your power.”

“Your Majesty, have you lived all these years without realizing that aside from your authority, you have nothing at all?”

Cheng Sangyi remained unmoved, while the Empress fearlessly leaned in closer. Her dark, lively eyes sparkled with mischief, her long hair cascading loosely over her shoulders, giving her a rather endearing appearance.

The two locked eyes at close range. The Empress didn’t back away; instead, a playful smile danced across her delicate face. Cheng Sangyi maintained her cold expression and raised a hand to push that face aside. “You’re like an indestructible cockroach utterly fearless.”

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