Transmigrated into a Scummy Alpha Playboy in Ancient Times - Chapter 110

“Guards, remove whatever is gagging those two wretches,” Shen Kaiyuan commanded coldly, his gaze fixed on Shen Yiqian and Shen Yijia.

The palace attendants hurried to obey. At this point, Shen Yiqian had lost all his former arrogance. The reason was simple: he had spotted, in the corner of the Hall of Diligent Governance, the archers he had sent to assassinate Shen Yining. He realized then that their plot had been exposed. In a panic, he quickly cried out, “Mother Emperor, please, listen to my explanation! I truly didn’t mean it! I was just jealous of Shen Yining. I never intended for her to die! I only sent people to scare her, just to frighten her, nothing more!”

“Still trying to justify yourself at this point?” Shen Kaiyuan’s brows furrowed as she glared at him. “You vile beast, lower than pigs and dogs, harming your own kin. I have no son like you. Is the throne really that important to you?”

At this moment, Shen Yijia began to laugh. Her laughter grew until tears streamed down her cheeks. She hadn’t expected the Empress to have them watched all along, nor that their plan would unravel so quickly. But what did it matter now that it had? Shen Yining was dead. With only herself and Shen Yiqian left, surely their mother wouldn’t execute both of them? Based on the timing, Shen Yining should have already died by now.

“You lunatic! You still have the nerve to laugh?” Shen Kaiyuan snapped. “You incited the commoners to surround Ning’er. Such a malicious scheme—how could you even conceive of it? Shen Yijia, your heart is as poisonous as a viper’s!”

Still smiling, Shen Yijia replied, “You flatter me, Mother Emperor. Growing up in the royal family—who among us isn’t venomous at heart? And Shen Yining is probably already dead by now, isn’t she? That leaves only me and Shen Yiqian. You couldn’t possibly kill us both, could you?”

Furious, Shen Kaiyuan staggered two steps backward. It was only with Shen Xingyue’s support that she managed to stay upright.

Her chest heaving with rage, Shen Kaiyuan pointed at Shen Yijia and Shen Yiqian. “So, this was your plan all along, wasn’t it? You assumed that if anything happened to Ning’er, I wouldn’t dare lay a hand on you even if I knew you were responsible. Is that it?”

“Mother Emperor is indeed wise,” Shen Yijia answered calmly. “Even a tiger does not eat its own cubs. And considering the current state of affairs, if Shen Yiqian and I were both gone, who would manage Beichuan in the future?”

In that moment, her fear seemed to dissipate entirely.

Shen Kaiyuan sneered coldly, her eyes narrowing. “Then I’m afraid your calculations are in vain. Ning’er is not seriously harmed. She’ll recover soon. And even if she weren’t, I would never entrust Beichuan to the likes of you. I still have Xingyue by my side. If I must appoint a successor, I would choose her over heartless scoundrels like you.”

Shen Xingyue, surprised to hear her name mentioned, quickly knelt and tried to lower her presence. “This servant is unworthy.”

“Rise, Xingyue. I speak from the bottom of my heart,” Shen Kaiyuan said, helping her up. Her gaze returned to Shen Yiqian and Shen Yijia. “You, the elder brother and elder sister, sent assassins after Ning’er, while your cousin Xingyue risked her life to save her. The heavens themselves cannot tolerate what you’ve done.”

“Heh. Mother Emperor, you’re only saying this to deceive the court officials. Throughout history, emperors have always passed the throne to their own blood. You’re just deluding yourself,” Shen Yijia mocked, still smiling.

“Enough!” Shen Kaiyuan roared. “You two are ambitious wolves, nothing more. Since you continue to harm Ning’er, I’ll grant your wish. Wenjing, fetch two cups of poison wine. I will not keep such traitors in my house.”

Shen Kaiyuan had made up her mind. Had Shen Xingyue not brought Shen Yining back in time, her beloved daughter would already be dead. Even now, Shen Yining was still in critical condition. If she allowed these two wolves to live, who could say what they might do in the future? Attempted regicide alone was enough to warrant their deaths.

Once greed takes root, it only grows. The first strike leads to the second, then the third—until countless attempts follow. With their influence in court, Shen Kaiyuan couldn’t afford another moment of regret. If sparing them now led to more harm befalling Ning’er, she would never forgive herself.

Wenjing stood frozen in shock but managed to bow and confirm, “Your Majesty?”

“Do as I say,” Shen Kaiyuan commanded sharply. “Shen Yiqian and Shen Yijia conspired to murder the Crown Princess. By law, they must die. I shall end this today—once and for all.”

Several court officials looked like they wanted to intervene. But seeing the Empress’s unwavering resolve—and recognizing that Shen Yiqian and Shen Yijia were clearly in the wrong—they could only remain silent, standing like wooden statues.

Shen Yiqian was truly terrified this time—his tears fell from fear.
“No, Mother! I’m your son, your firstborn! You can’t kill me! You can’t!”

Shen Yijia hadn’t expected Empress Shen Kaiyuan to actually go through with it either.
“This isn’t possible. You won’t really kill us.”

“I already said it—Ning’er is fine,” Shen Kaiyuan shouted, furious. “Even if she weren’t, the throne would never go to either of you.”

“Wretches?!” Shen Yijia shouted back, trembling with anger. “Shen Kaiyuan, have you ever once seen me as your daughter? Ever since I was a child, I knew you didn’t like me or Shen Yiqian. The only daughter you cared about—who you loved and raised—was Shen Yining. She was the only one who mattered. You treated us like burdens—nothing more. You never cared about us. You poured all your love and effort into Shen Yining. Why? What gave you the right to treat us this way?!”

“And what gave you the right to turn out like this?” Shen Kaiyuan snapped. “I gave you and Shen Yiqian your own estates early on, plenty of wealth, and hired the best scholars in Beichuan to educate you. And this is how you turned out?”

“When did you ever really care about us?” Shen Yijia cried. “When did you ever love my mother? After you had Ye Yuran, you forgot about us completely. Do you even remember the last time you visited my mother’s palace? Even if you did go, it was just a short visit before you left again. Were you ever a decent husband?”

Tears streamed down her face as years of hurt poured out in a flood of emotion.

She had always been jealous of Shen Yining—jealous of the love she received. The way the Empress treated her was no different from how a mother from a common family would love her daughter. Since she was young, Shen Yijia had tried so hard—studying, hoping for praise from her teachers—just for a small glance of approval from her mother.

At some point, that hope turned into resentment. She thought: If only Shen Yining were gone, maybe then I could finally be loved.

Shen Kaiyuan stared at her, eyes narrowed. After a long silence, she finally sighed.

“I failed your mother, that’s true,” she said quietly. “But I’ve never wronged you. Ning’er is completely innocent. And yet, you still sent people disguised as rioters to stir up rebellion. Do you realize what could’ve happened? One wrong move, and the capital could’ve erupted in chaos. The palace could’ve fallen. Beichuan itself could’ve been destroyed.”

“Do whatever you want,” Shen Yijia said, laughing bitterly through her tears. “It’s clear you don’t care whether Shen Yiqian or I live or die. We’ve never mattered—not even close to what Shen Yining means to you.”

Shen Yiqian dropped to his knees and began slamming his forehead against the floor.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
He didn’t stop, blood smearing across his face as he begged.

“Mother, please! I’m not like Shen Yijia! I know I was wrong! Please spare me this once—I’m your son, your eldest! When I was born, you were happy. You had high hopes for me! Please, I’ll let go of everything—I’ll live quietly, without ambition. I’ll never ask for anything again, I promise, Mother!”

Shen Kaiyuan clenched her jaw so tightly it trembled. After a long silence, she finally spoke, her voice low and heavy.

“It’s too late. If you had stopped back at the hunting grounds, maybe I could’ve forgiven you. But this is the second time. If I let you go again, there will be a third… a fourth. The people behind you will only grow bolder. You brought this on yourselves.”

With that, she looked away. No matter how hard Shen Yiqian continued to bang his head, she said nothing more.

Shen Yijia looked at her brother, then suddenly let out a loud, bitter laugh.
“Still don’t see it, Third Brother? She doesn’t care about us—not at all. We’ve been nothing but burdens to her for a long time.”

“Shut up! That’s not true! Mother won’t really kill me! She won’t!” Shen Yiqian cried, still knocking his head to the floor in despair.

The poison wine, prepared by Wenjing’s attendants, was now brought forward. Shen Kaiyuan ordered them to release the two siblings. Shen Yiqian tried to run, but the palace guards pinned him down. Shen Yijia, on the other hand, was incredibly calm.

She gently wiped away her tears, picked up one of the cups from the tray, and laughed as she held it in her hand.

“A bet is a bet—I lost. I didn’t expect Shen Xingyue to actually save her. I underestimated that useless girl. Mother, I don’t regret anything I did. The only thing I regret is that I didn’t kill Shen Yining back at the hunting grounds. She stole everything from me. She should’ve died a long time ago!”

Her voice trembled with rage.

“But it’s not too late. She must’ve been shot, right? Why else were all those doctors rushing around just now? I’m guessing she’s not doing well. Don’t be scared, Sixth Sister. I’ll go ahead and wait for you—at the gates of the underworld. I’ll drag you down with me.”

She laughed wildly.

Before the Empress could stop her, Shen Yijia tilted her head back and drank the poisoned wine in one swift gulp. As the tears flowed freely down her face, she laughed and cried at the same time.

“You never wanted us. Then why let our mothers give birth to us at all? I hate you. I hate you!”

The poison worked fast, coursing through her blood. Within a few breaths, Shen Yijia collapsed to the floor—lifeless.

Shen Yiqian was so frightened he nearly fainted. His forehead was covered in blood, his royal dignity gone.
“Mother! Please! Spare me! I’ll never do it again!”

Shen Kaiyuan, eyes filled with tears, finally spoke.
“Help him. Send the Third Prince on his way.”

Then she closed her eyes. She couldn’t bear to watch anymore.

Shen Xingyue looked up and saw tears already falling from the Empress’s face.

Her fingers trembled slightly as she listened to the sound of the poison being forced into Shen Yiqian’s mouth by the palace attendants. Shen Kaiyuan had feared that if she didn’t go through with it today, her heart would soften once again. But in the end, it was Shen Yining—her innocent daughter—who had been attacked twice.

If those two were allowed to live, there would be a third attempt, a fourth.

She would never allow that to happen again.

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