In the capital, along the main street, an ordinary-looking carriage moved slowly through the streets. Zhao Fenghua and the Imperial Guards rode on horseback alongside it.
Inside the carriage, Lu Qianning and Lu Jinshuang sat gracefully, sipping tea.
“By the way, Seventh Sister, how are Yue’er and Lan'er? Are they doing well? Did they say when they’ll be coming back?”
Lu Qianning’s expression was gentle as she asked. It had been so long since she had seen the two little ones that she was beginning to miss them.
At this, Lu Jinshuang’s smile grew even brighter. “Ninth Sister, they’re doing just fine. No matter how chaotic the world becomes, they’ll manage perfectly well. For all we know, they might be killing someone right now. As for when they’ll return, that depends on when they’ve had enough fun.”
As she spoke, she pointed toward a ceramic urn in the corner of the carriage. “Ninth Sister, this contains Old Nine’s ashes. Do you think those old fogeys in court will be furious when they see me bringing back an urn of ashes?”
Lu Qianning smiled indifferently. “Why would they be angry? If you didn’t bring back his ashes, were you supposed to bring back a corpse covered in rot and maggots? If they want someone to blame, they can blame Prince Kang. What does it have to do with you?”
Hearing this, Lu Jinshuang burst out laughing.
She put an arm around Lu Qianning’s shoulders and patted her. “Ninth Sister, you really are my good sister. This time, I’ve also brought back a mysterious and powerful weapon. Yue’er specifically told me to bring it back for you. It’ll be perfect for attacking the imperial palace.”
Lu Qianning rapped her on the forehead. “Stop talking nonsense. We’re princesses. If we want to enter the palace, we can simply walk in. Do we really need to attack it?”
Lu Jinshuang gave her a knowing smile. “You’re right, Ninth Sister. I was only joking. Of course, we’ll be respectfully invited inside.”
Afterward, Lu Qianning told her about the general situation in the capital.
The old emperor had grown increasingly frail after consuming the poisoned pills. From time to time, he would even vomit blood and faint. In court, the various factions held one another in check.
Great Jing had twelve princes. The first three had been made princes and sent to govern outside the capital. The Fourth Prince and the Tenth Prince were dead. The Eighth Prince had been crippled long ago. The Twelfth Prince had died young. When the Eleventh Prince had caused the Twelfth Prince’s death, he had been dragged down as well. Now he was so frail that he looked as though a gust of wind might knock him over, and at only twelve years old, he had no chance of competing for the throne.
Now that the Ninth Prince was dead as well, only the Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Princes remained in and around the capital.
The Sixth Prince was the empress’s legitimate son, but the empress had no real backing, and the Sixth Prince was such a spineless weakling that he was of no use. The Seventh Prince spent most of his time at the academy and rarely returned. On the surface, that left the Fifth Prince as the only one with a decent reputation.
As a princess, Lu Qianning frequently attended the morning court, which had naturally earned her the displeasure of many officials. However, she had the emperor’s permission, and since more than one faction existed at court, no one had paid much attention at first in the interest of maintaining balance.
Later, more and more people began to follow her. Some who openly opposed her were secretly her allies, while others switched sides and joined her midway. By now, she had firmly established herself in court.
After hearing all this, Lu Jinshuang could not help looking surprised. “Ninth Sister, the Eighth Prince still isn’t dead? Why haven’t you killed him?”
Lu Qianning rolled her eyes at her. “I told you so much, and that’s what you focused on? He’s bedridden and unable to move. He can’t even speak. Killing him would only be doing him a favor. These days, even the servants barely bother with him. He has to eat, drink, relieve himself, and do everything else in bed. You can imagine what his situation is like. There’s no need to rush to kill him.”
Her words made Lu Jinshuang burst into laughter. Somehow, this seemed even more satisfying than killing the Eighth Prince outright. She would have to go take a look at him someday.
Suddenly, Lu Jinshuang leaned close and whispered, “Ninth Sister, Prince Kang is definitely plotting a rebellion. I suspect he may have already rebelled and we simply haven’t received the news yet. Why don’t you just take the throne? The old man won’t last much longer.”
Lu Qianning neither agreed nor refused. She smiled and stroked Lu Jinshuang’s head. “Seventh Sister, we’ve arrived. The Ninth Prince was killed by Prince Kang, and he died so young. You should look a little more heartbroken.”
Lu Jinshuang glanced outside and saw that the carriage had stopped. She immediately began rubbing her eyes vigorously.
Then, as though she had thought of something, she took a small bottle Xi Qingyue had given her from her sleeve. She sprayed some chili water into her eyes. The intense burning sensation instantly brought tears streaming down her face, and she began sneezing repeatedly.
Since Lu Qianning was sitting close by, she was affected as well. Before she could react, Lu Jinshuang had already raised the bottle and sprayed several times into her eyes. Lu Qianning immediately began sneezing nonstop, tears running down her cheeks.
Lu Qianning was speechless. A little would have been enough for appearances. Was it really necessary to spray so much that she could barely see?
At the entrance to the imperial palace, the two sisters climbed out of the carriage together, wiping away their tears. Lu Jinshuang was still clutching the urn of ashes.
Her eyes red, she looked toward the guards at the gate. “Go and report to Father at once! The Ninth Prince was killed by that inhuman beast, Prince Kang! I have brought the Ninth Prince’s ashes back!”
The guards at the gate froze for a moment, then their hearts lurched. They quickly acknowledged the order and hurried away.
Only then did Lu Jinshuang enter the palace with Lu Qianning. As they walked, she continued crying and cursing. “Ninth Prince, what a tragic death you suffered! That bastard Prince Kang actually disregarded the bond between brothers. He is utterly unworthy of being an elder brother! Don’t worry. Father will surely avenge you.”
The scene at the palace gates was witnessed by several passing officials. As Lu Jinshuang continued walking through the palace, crying and cursing, the news had spread throughout the palace before they even reached the old emperor.
Soon, everyone knew that the Ninth Prince was dead—and that Prince Kang had killed him. The people in the palace began speculating wildly.
The old emperor was already in poor health. When he heard that Prince Kang had killed the Ninth Prince, he was so enraged that he suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood and fainted.
The palace attendants hurried to summon the imperial physicians, and the hall instantly descended into chaos.
When they reached the outer hall of the Hall of Eternal Life, Lu Jinshuang knelt at the entrance with a thud, still clutching the urn.
“Father, I’ve brought the Ninth Prince back to see you. You must seek justice for him!”
Lu Qianning also knelt beside her. Facing the hall, she spoke in a voice filled with grief and indignation. “Father, Prince Kang killed his own brother and framed Commandery Princess Cenyue. Such an inhuman act must be severely punished. He is trying to kill Commandery Princess Cenyue and sever your last hope of seeing her!”
The old emperor had only just been revived by the imperial physician’s acupuncture when he heard the voices outside. His anger immediately flared again.
Why had he indulged Lu Qianning so much? Wasn’t it because he was waiting for Xi Qingyue to return and extend his life, so that the Hall of Eternal Life would live up to its name?
At that moment, he was furious. Prince Kang was useless enough already, and now, on top of sending him defective pills, he had managed to offend the Longevity Noblewoman. The man truly deserved to die.
The old emperor knew his own condition better than anyone. Xi Qingyue had indeed made his body younger before, improving his vitality and raising his spirits in every way. If he had not later taken the pills Prince Kang sent him, how could he have ended up in his current state?
If he had known this would happen, he would never have taken those pills again, even if someone had beaten him to death. He had already been lenient by not settling accounts with Prince Kang, yet the man had gone and done something like this. He truly deserved to die.
“Guards! Invite the two princesses inside!”
The old emperor took a deep breath to calm himself. Xi Qingyue was still of great use to him, and he could take this opportunity to ask when she would be returning to the capital. Lu Qianning and Lu Jinshuang were both possible breakthroughs.
A short while later, Lu Qianning and Lu Jinshuang entered the main hall.
“Your children pay their respects to Father!” The two stood in the hall and bowed.
The old emperor looked at Lu Jinshuang, who was holding the urn containing the ashes, and said in a deep voice, “Wenyang, tell me exactly what happened. Explain everything from beginning to end.”
Lu Jinshuang did not answer at once. Instead, she furrowed her brows and looked at the old emperor with some hesitation. “Father, this matter also involves several court officials. It would be best to summon a few important ministers to witness it together. Otherwise, I’ll have to recount everything over and over again.”
