086 Palace Coup
The implication was clear: the original plan to kill Beichen Yi had been orchestrated by Beichen Yu and the Southern Palace Empress Dowager together.
“Rest for a while; Beichen Yu is seriously injured and won’t make a move in the next few days. I don’t know why he came up with such a foolish method to assassinate you—perhaps he didn’t realize the Empress Dowager was already dead.”
Yun Feiyue entered from outside the hall, glanced at Beichen Yi’s pale face, and took a pill from her spatial storage stone, placing it in his mouth.
Beichen Yu would surely try to break through the city when he returned.
Tonight, Beichen Yu’s sole purpose in coming was to kill Beichen Yi, but he failed.
Concubine Yun had made her own decision in her heart.
She took a deep breath, her gaze tinged with guilt. “I know letting Yu’er go isn’t right, but he’s the child I raised. This is the first and last time. If he comes again, I will not beg you.”
Beichen Yi smiled and shook his head. “It’s fine.” Yet his incessant coughing and the blood at the corner of his mouth betrayed his true condition.
“Yi’er, are you alright?” Concubine Yun hurried to support him.
Beichen Yi pressed his lips together painfully. “Cough...”
He had just prepared to give chase, but Concubine Yun stopped him. “I beg you, don’t hurt Yi’er.”
He knew he wouldn’t be able to kill Beichen Yi today.
In the end, Beichen Yu looked at Concubine Yun one last time before slipping away.
The clothes of both men were gradually soaked with blood, eventually drenched.
Spider silk tangled with swords. Beichen Yu’s martial prowess far exceeded Beichen Yi’s, so even as Beichen Yi wounded him, he was also wounded.
Through the glazed tiles, the rooftop revealed the scene inside.
She wanted to see how it all ended.
Yun Feiyue lifted her sword, then fell silent.
The sound of weapons clashing, followed by shouts.
“Clang—”
“If I dare come, I know you can’t kill me!”
“Because I want to kill my royal brother!”
“I thought you wouldn’t come, but you did.”
“Royal brother, I hope you’ve been well.”
Fragmented voices drifted out.
Yun Feiyue leapt onto the rooftop, listening to the sounds within.
Once Beichen Yi entered, the guards outside grew even stricter.
“Mm.”
“Be careful.”
Outside Yunluan Hall, countless guards lingered, but none dared approach. The ones inside demanded that only Beichen Yi enter.
Yun Feiyue smiled at Beichen Yi, and the two walked toward Yunluan Hall.
He hesitated shyly, then turned to those beside him. “Let’s arrange for the Empress Dowager’s burial.”
Seeing Yun Feiyue leaning at the door, he smiled brightly. “Sister Yue, how long have you been here? If you’d warned me, I wouldn’t have cried.”
Beichen Yi’s tears vanished as if they never existed. He rose slowly, turned, and his face was clean, without a trace of sorrow.
The air was unusually clear; wild grass and leaves, even the pink-edged white peonies of the imperial garden, seemed exceptionally vibrant.
A sudden downpour ceased as quickly as it began.
The crying stopped abruptly, and the rain softened.
“Something’s wrong! Concubine Yun has been taken hostage! Prince Chu demands the Emperor meet him—or else she’ll be killed!”
A maid ran in hurriedly.
The sound of rain drowned out the crying in the hall, thunder rolling like the heavens’ mournful retribution.
At the door, that figure in red fluttered in the wind, then fell; willow fluff in summer turned into a relentless rain, beating wildly against the ground.
Perhaps having lingered long enough, Yun Feiyue merged with the scenery.
It was the first time she’d seen Beichen Yi cry; he had always smiled before.
Yun Feiyue leaned against the hall’s threshold, watching him.
At this moment, Xiaodouzi believed only Yun Feiyue could stop his tears.
He sent for Yun Feiyue.
He cried like an abandoned child, wailing bitterly.
“Now, my mother has betrayed me again—joined forces with Beichen Yu. But she is my mother; I cannot blame her. Still, why must she leave smiling? Does she have no guilt or regret toward her son?”
His voice was icy, like the frozen inferno of the ghost realm. “From the start, Father abandoned me, leaving a will naming Beichen Yu. Later, Mother said she would always stay by my side, and I believed her. But she used the power of the Nangong family to control mine. I am tired...”
The betrayal, abandonment, and disdain of one's closest kin.
She abandoned her own son—how could she leave smiling?
How could she leave smiling?
His tears were not for anything else, but for the fact that the Empress Dowager died smiling.
Yes, he hated that feeling.
Beichen Yi’s pale face seemed shrouded in even deeper gloom, like a sky about to rain—disgust!
“Please don’t cry, Your Highness...”
Xiaodouzi hurriedly used a crystal cup to catch his tears.
Beichen Yi knelt before the Empress Dowager’s corpse, his tears pooling on the floor.
So Concubine Yun cried, and Beichen Yi cried too.
Perhaps today the palace was destined for unrest, needing tears to wash it clean.
“Mother, I need your help.” On his handsome face was a scar—from the left of his forehead to the right of his nose—making his once beautiful features frightening.
Joy mingled with tears.
“Yu’er...”
She opened her eyes and saw Beichen Yu.
Concubine Yun awoke from sleep, shaken by dreams of Beichen Yu’s death, by corpses atop the city walls and bloodstains everywhere.
The splendid palace seemed frozen to its core—a chill not born overnight.
A figure leapt from the tent, bounding into the palace.
The night wind was cold and gentle, and outside the walls, the armies lay in wait.
All the questions pointed to one thing: who would negotiate?
For a moment, everything was stiff.
Jun Shaomo’s face stiffened; Yun Feng knew if he didn’t go, she wouldn’t leave.
Yun Feng pressed her lips in determination. “I’ll go.”
Yun Feiyue understood Jun Shaomo’s intent: a pledge to live or die together with Yun Feng.
Jun Shaomo shook her head and glanced at Yun Feng.
“Miss Jun, aren’t you leaving? If you wish to, come with me beyond the city.”
Jun Shaomo drew out a white jade token from her bosom.
She held Yun Feng’s sleeve. “I should return to the Jun family, but now I am trapped here. Father must have received news and will send people to rescue me. If my calculations are correct, it will be tonight. Feiyue, just take this token and meet them outside the city.”
“No!” Yun Feng firmly opposed.
“Let me take part. Beichen Yu’s army is outside; someone must deliver a message and negotiate. I believe I am the right person.”
She wanted to break this imbalance and take responsibility.
She wondered whether her arrival had plunged Chu into crisis, whether her presence had disrupted the balance.
Perhaps, as the Empress Dowager had said, she always had a knot in her heart.
But Yun Feiyue could not see it that way.
She’d always believed these were men’s affairs; a woman need only remain at home.
Old Master Yun Kuang had never wanted Yun Feiyue to participate in warfare, and this time was no exception.
“Feiyue, stay at the Yun family. If Beichen Yu breaches the city, the Emperor will activate the defensive array. The array will cost lives—even the most formidable experts are powerless before the generations of royal power infused in it. Martial level eight sounds impressive, but the array is invincible.”
The family gathered, the mood solemn.
To resolve Chu’s crisis, they needed a meeting.
A Yun family clan gathering.
An important issue: the meeting.
And she was forced to follow Mo Feiyuan.
Yun Feiyue was brought back to the Yun family.
Who could explain how this troublesome child was raised?
Luo Yunhuang truly felt like crying.
“No way! If Master doesn’t carry me, then I won’t let you carry Second Uncle...”
“From today, walk on your own. As your master, I must train you to be independent.”
But as she walked, she grew increasingly annoyed—why must she carry this brat when he could walk?
She carried Xiaomumu home.
She pretended she hadn’t heard anything.
Luo Yunhuang, “...”
“Master, what I love most is your gentle grace. If you get angry, you’ll be just like my mother. You definitely won’t get angry.”
“Brat, do you know the meaning of respect for your master?”
Luo Yunhuang, “...” dark face.
“Master, you’re already above standard.”
Xiaomumu clambered onto Luo Yunhuang, lying across her front, measuring with his little hand.
“Master, my mother taught me this—if you want to talk about attractiveness, Mother is even more so. You should teach her.”
Xiaomumu was aggrieved; this was common knowledge!
After a while, she finally reacted. “Brat, you’re getting more and more cheeky!”
Luo Yunhuang frowned—size?
Xiaomumu corrected seriously. “It’s 36D, of course it’s size.”
Now Luo Yunhuang remembered to ask, “What’s your relationship with Lefei? What is this ‘thirty-six D’ you all mention?”
Xiaomumu opened his mouth wide, full of appreciation. “Father is getting more handsome.”
But there was no way out; she couldn’t escape.
Yun Feiyue was helpless.
He scooped her up and carried her back to the Mo family.
“The military camp is too dangerous; this is not a game. Don’t be reckless.” This time, Mo Feiyuan didn’t give Yun Feiyue a chance to refuse.
He was clever enough to know her intentions. “I won’t return home until Beichen Yu is dealt with.”
“You know where I’m going?” Yun Feiyue was exasperated—sometimes intelligence was too much.
Mo Feiyuan affirmed, “Home.”
“You waited here for fear something would happen to me?” Yun Feiyue blinked at him.
Admire from afar, not to be toyed with.
Mo Feiyuan rode his horse, Treading Snow Without a Trace, his cold face expressionless, still shrouded in frost.
Rather than a chance encounter, it was clear Mo Feiyuan was waiting for Yun Feiyue and Xiaomumu at the palace gate.
They left the palace and met Mo Feiyuan at the exit.
She was angry about this matter.
Luo Yunhuang, “...”
Xiaomumu, “...”
“In the future, remember to leave one for Mother when you kill; otherwise she’ll be unhappy!”
Xiaomumu nodded deeply. “Understood, Mother.” His little face nuzzled Yun Feiyue’s.
“Don’t always make decisions on your own.”
Finally, Yun Feiyue picked him up.
Xiaomumu didn’t notice Luo Yunhuang’s possible reaction; he smiled and followed Yun Feiyue, trying every way to please her.
Who could tell her this wasn’t her disciple? Her disciple was supposed to be a little fool.
Luo Yunhuang’s ears twitched; she couldn’t help but have her lips twitch twice.
Xiaomumu was utterly unrepentant. “That guy deserved punishment.”
“He killed someone and ran! The palace is hunting him now.”
“Where’s Lefei?”
Xiaomumu sighed. “Mother, it wasn’t me—it was Lefei.”
Yun Feiyue said nothing.
“Mother, are you upset?” Xiaomumu looked innocent.
She said nothing—neither happy nor sad—just walked out of the palace.
Yun Feiyue knew what had happened as soon as she saw the Empress Dowager.
By the time Yun Feiyue arrived, the Empress Dowager was already dead. Xiaomumu and Luo Yunhuang waited in the palace for her.
Finally, there was no more exhaustion. She could go see the late emperor... How wonderful...
A faint smile appeared on her lips.
This was her life, after all.
Death came quickly, yet felt slow.
In shock and pain, the Empress Dowager gradually lost her breath and died.
“Empress Dowager, I’m sorry. I can't help you.” Lefei raised his hand and slapped her.
After much bargaining, the price for Lefei’s betrayal was fifteen maids with 36D.
“Deal!”
“Fifteen, no more.”
“Eighteen.”
“Thirteen.”
Lefei smiled, satisfied. “Too few—twenty.”
“Ten maids, 36D.”
Lefei nodded with a roguish grin. “Fine! Any payment?”
“Lefei, since you’re here, help me deal with the Empress Dowager.”
Luo Yunhuang became alert, while Xiaomumu just smiled.
When they’d wagered at the Yun family lodge, his draw had helped Yun Feiyue win much.
Luo Yunhuang frowned; this man was formidable.
Lefei had once opposed Yun Feiyue at the Abyss Above.
The Empress Dowager had recently relied on Lefei’s help, keeping him in the palace.
As she finished speaking, Lefei strode out with his broadsword.
The Empress Dowager snorted. “I have people... Come out!”
A small hand gripped a jade-green object.
Luo Yunhuang didn’t know what it was but was curious about its purpose.
Xiaomumu gripped the odd item again, the same one he’d used while talking with Luo Yunhuang.
He exhaled slowly. “Old lady, you know what you must do—die or leave the palace. I know you can’t bear to leave, so die. Mother won’t kill you, but I will.”
“What decision?” The Empress Dowager was confused.
Until the childish voice sounded again. “Mother will arrive soon. So, decide quickly.”
Silence reigned; the Hall of Wind and Glory seemed frozen, aging everything, all motion suspended.
Xiaomumu’s smile faded, his expression calm, as if pondering whether his mother was a demon.
The Empress Dowager shook her head. “No, she is a demon!”
Xiaomumu was clear-minded—he knew his purpose and understood his mother’s intentions.
He smiled brightly. “Actually, old lady, you’re mistaken. If you hadn’t provoked my mother, none of this would have happened. Reaching this point has nothing to do with her. Beichen Yu would have rebelled eventually, and Beichen Yi would have destroyed the Nangong family. My mother was just a catalyst.”
Always, from the beginning, she had been a disruptor, breaking every perfect moment.
The woman in red was a demon in the Empress Dowager’s mind—truly terrifying...
“Is she here to destroy peace and the world itself? Is she a demon?” The Empress Dowager’s voice trembled; she hardly knew what she was saying.
Everything would be reduced to ashes before her.
This world seemed to have nothing left to rely on.
She took a deep breath, her eyes full of confusion and helplessness.
The Empress Dowager regretted not eliminating Yun Feiyue sooner.
“My family’s hundred-year foundation, our thousand-year legacy—all ruined. I failed to kill Yun Feiyue; it was my dereliction.”
At last, the Empress Dowager whispered a soft laugh.
If Yun Feiyue killed her, it would not be wrong.
Oh, how could she forget—Yun Feiyue was the mistress of the Mo family.
“My mother,” Xiaomumu answered almost without thought, “is the mistress of the Mo family.”
“I was the ruler of Chu then—who would dare kill me?” The Empress Dowager was furious.
“Empress Dowager, my mother doesn’t want you dead only because of Beichen Yi. If Beichen Yi died, do you think you’d survive?”
He climbed onto the table, just barely able to reach the Empress Dowager’s height. One must not lose in presence.
But Xiaomumu seemed not to notice.
The Empress Dowager was truly angry. She was the Empress Dowager—why should she listen to Yun Feiyue? If she did, it would be a joke!
He smiled sweetly at her. “Old lady, why don’t you listen to my mother?”
Xiaomumu was still in the Empress Dowager’s quarters.
Now, they went to find Xiaomumu.
Yun Feiyue waited for Concubine Yun to fall asleep before leaving.
Her heart inexplicably calmed.
Concubine Yun seemed unconcerned, only slowly closing her eyes.
Yun Feiyue nodded. “Rest well, Aunt. Tomorrow I’ll send beauty products and holy relics for your care. Once today passes, all will be well.”
“All is over...” Concubine Yun smiled at Yun Feiyue. “Everything is over. I feel good now. If Beichen Yu must die, let him have a whole corpse. I don’t want to see my son mutilated—it would make me a useless mother.”
“Aunt.”
Yun Feiyue pursed her lips like a chastened child.
Exhausted.
In that moment, she seemed to age ten years; her beautiful face wrinkled, hair turning gray.
After a long while, Concubine Yun exhaled slowly.
Her hand was cold, as was her heart.
Yun Feiyue waited until they left before grasping Concubine Yun’s hand.
...
Xiaomumu glanced at the Empress Dowager. “Master, let’s follow.”
The Empress Dowager gritted her teeth and glared at Yun Feiyue, missing Xiaomumu as he headed to her quarters.
Luo Yunhuang watched coldly. “Don’t touch my disciple.”
Her hand was blocked by Luo Yunhuang.
She raised her hand to strike Xiaomumu.
Three words made the Empress Dowager’s forehead veins bulge with rage, teeth gnashing. “Little bastard! How dare you speak!”
Old—Lady—
Xiaomumu beamed. “Old lady, where are you going?”
At the door, he bumped into Luo Yunhuang and Xiaomumu.
The Empress Dowager stared at Yun Feiyue for a long time before turning away again.
“Take it, Empress Dowager!” Yun Feiyue spoke again.
She couldn’t do nothing.
Yun Feiyue sighed; she didn’t want to meddle, but having overheard their conversation and since Beichen Yi wanted her to handle it, she had no choice.
The Empress Dowager snorted. “Yun Feiyue, don’t go too far! This is the palace of Chu, not yours!”
Yun Feiyue pointed to the cup of Seven Deadly Flowers.
She turned to the Empress Dowager. “It seems you want me to do it myself?”
Now, she only wished to leave quickly.
She didn’t want to linger, knowing Yun Feiyue would not spare her if she stayed.
The Empress Dowager sighed and walked away.
“I thought he’d return quietly, but he brought an army. It’s all my fault...”
She understood now—she was wrong from the start. She shouldn’t have called him back...
This statement left Concubine Yun stunned.
Yun Feiyue considered, then shook her head. “If he wishes, he may. But he seems unwilling. With the army at the gates, do you think Beichen Yi will tolerate him? What do you think the purpose of Chu’s array is?”
“Is it hopeless?” Concubine Yun asked.
If there was any dissatisfaction, it was Beichen Yu—her son at the frontier.
What else was there?
Though only a concubine, she enjoyed higher status than the Empress Dowager. In reality, she was now the ruler of the harem.
In everyone’s eyes, she was happy.
Everything began and ended for the Yun family’s benefit.
It wasn’t that she didn’t love the Yun family, but as a court lady, she represented them.
Later, Beichen Yu became her sole hope in the court. Of course, the Yun family was another, perhaps negligible, reason.
Her happiest days were when the late emperor was still naive.
Suddenly, she felt tired, as if her heart no longer wanted to beat.
This was a dark palace tale—there had never been peace since entering.
The late emperor had only two heirs, Beichen Yu and Beichen Yi; all others were eliminated by her, the Empress Dowager, and Consort Gong Sun.
But as time passed, the Gong Sun family and other noble daughters entered the palace, and love faded, if it ever existed.
Back then, the late emperor was good to her.
She remembered her youth—practicing sword with him, dreaming of lifelong companionship. But he ultimately married the Empress Dowager.
Steadfast and painful.
Her final words were resolute.
“That line can never be crossed.”
“Daughters of Yun are always sacrificed for the family—me, Yue, we are all sacrifices chosen by the Yun family. Life in the Yun family was joyful, but after leaving, the palace was always dark. Beichen Yu was my only hope and support here. I also liked Yi’er, but his heart was always separated from mine.”
She looked at Yun Feiyue, her tear-streaked face forcing a smile, like a withered peony.
She suddenly felt a touch of resentment.
But legitimacy didn’t matter—the Yun family could have supported Beichen Yu, yet they did not.
Beichen Yu was not legitimate.
Concubine Yun’s noble face was stained with tears; she should never have expected the Yun family to help Beichen Yu.
Yun Feiyue’s words left no room for negotiation—she had decided, Beichen Yu must die.
“If he’d been recalled then, perhaps things would be different. But that’s only a possibility. Your son is too ambitious, and that ambition threatens the Yun family’s safety. So, he must die—whether by my hand or the Empress Dowager’s, you can choose.”
“Aunt, you know I won’t let you die. So don’t resist needlessly. Grandfather won’t let you die, so you can’t die. Aunt, if Beichen Yu truly loved you, he wouldn’t make things so difficult. Remember at the Dragon Banquet, I asked you to write a letter to recall him—did you?”
The flickering red was like boiling blood—terrifying and bloody.
Concubine Yun looked at the Seven Deadly Flowers poison, slowly reaching out. Her hand trembled, and the liquid in the cup quivered.
“He is my son, so even if I die, I will protect him. Yue, if someone must die, let it be me first.”
Why would her Yue say such words? Though it was true, she wanted Beichen Yu to live.
So cruel, Concubine Yun couldn’t accept it.
It was too cruel.
“Aunt, you know the Yun family always supported Beichen Yi. I should have never had that brother. The things my brother did for me and the Yun family were less than Yi’er’s, so I gave up on him. Aunt, if you still want the Yun family to endure, still want a peaceful life in the palace, then obey me.”
Yun Feiyue looked seriously at Concubine Yun, exhaling slowly.
Concubine Yun’s face changed. “Yue... Yue. No... He is your brother.”
She pointed at the poison on the table. “Since you know Beichen Yu, give it to him.”
Yun Feiyue supported her forehead with her left hand, a faint smile at her lips. “Perhaps I made it too complicated. Simply put, I dislike you but can’t kill you.”
“Our levels are too far apart. I don’t want to bully you, since Beichen Yi doesn’t want to. But you insist on bullying me.” The words were awkward.
Yun Feiyue simply watched the approaching figure, then flicked her hand and knocked her aside.
The Empress Dowager was too agitated, launching herself at Yun Feiyue.
“You’re hateful. Too hateful! Your presence destroyed Chu’s harmony, drove Beichen Yi mad. I wish you’d never appear again. Go die!”
As she spoke, her face grew uglier, her anger threatening to burst upon Yun Feiyue.
She stood, looking at Yun Feiyue. “You’ve been wrong from the start. Your many mistakes made Beichen Yi so miserable. Without them, he wouldn’t have learned forbidden royal arts and seized the throne. For me, the throne doesn’t matter much, but since the Nangong family fell, its importance only grew.”
The Empress Dowager felt no fear of Yun Feiyue, confident she wouldn’t be killed.
For Beichen Yi’s sake, surely she’d be spared!
Xiaomumu blinked, helpless, unsure how his mother would deal with the Empress Dowager.
He and Luo Yunhuang stood outside the palace, waiting for Yun Feiyue to handle it.
Yun Feiyue stared at the Empress Dowager, her cold gaze at odds with her smiling lips.
She nodded, her finger tracing the rim of the cup, then smiled brightly. “Perhaps others might find a reason not to kill you, but today, it’s the reason I will. You could have rested as Empress Dowager—why involve yourself in politics?”
The Empress Dowager snorted. “Don’t forget who I am! I am the Empress Dowager Nangong! Empress Dowager of Chu!”
“Empress Dowager, this Seven Deadly Flowers tea was meant for Beichen Yu. But since you’re here, it’s yours.”
After a while, Yun Feiyue broke the wintry silence in the room.
A deadly aura filled the chamber.
Concubine Yun and the Empress Dowager’s eyes fixed on the crimson tea, its alluring red threatening to drag them into hell.
The venomous red tea rippled gently.
Yun Feiyue sat and placed the poisonous tea on the table.
Concubine Yun nodded, indicating the seat beside her for Yun Feiyue.
“Aunt.”
Yun Feiyue ignored the Empress Dowager, not deeming her worth a glance. Her gaze remained solely on Concubine Yun.