Madam, don't do this!

Chapter 505 Slept (7,000 words)
have you slept?
They must be asleep.

After all, being in a coma is a form of sleep.

At this time, Song Yan was in a very strange state.

He could feel his own consciousness, but he couldn't perceive his own body.

Consciousness was like floating in an eternally dark place, boundless and devoid of any other color. He was like a mayfly, drifting and swaying in the darkness, never finding a place to settle.

The inability to be grounded in reality caused Song Yan to feel inexplicably panicked.

Beneath his consciousness seemed to lie a gigantic vortex, swallowing everything. His consciousness sank lower and lower and lower... an eternal free fall. For Song Yan, this was an absolute and cruel torture. He tried to struggle in this darkness, but he could do nothing. That profound sense of powerlessness was almost driving him mad.

He lost his sense of time and didn't know how much time had passed.

Worse still, he couldn't feel his body, but the pain was clearly transmitted to his consciousness, as if a scorching sea of ​​fire was burning his soul, or as if countless sharp knives were wandering aimlessly in his consciousness, almost tearing his soul into pieces.

The pain in one's mind and consciousness is far more unbearable than physical torture.

Song Yan even had a premonition that if he continued to be tortured like this, even if he were to wake up in the future, he would probably become an idiot who only knew how to stare wide-eyed, open his mouth, and drool.

He desperately tried to wake up, but he was unable to break through the endless darkness.

Suddenly, a strange feeling surfaced in my consciousness.

Like a sweet spring, it silently extinguished the restless flames burning within me.

It's like a gentle little hand, removing the blades that recklessly cut into your soul.

It's more like a moist little mouth, the tip of the tongue soothing the cracked wounds in the soul.

All the pain simply vanished.

Even the endless darkness was gradually dispelled, replaced by an endless sea, with low-hanging clouds pressing down on the restless ocean. Waves rippled and surged, and he was like a fish adrift on the crest of a wave. A wave suddenly arched, like a taut string, and with a pluck of the wind's fingers, it trembled, scattering tiny silver sparks. The sound of the tide grew faster, white foam crashing against the rocks, turning to dust—it was the first encounter between clouds and waves, impetuous and tentatively tinged with youthful awkwardness.

The clouds finally descended, and the waves rose to meet them. The boundary between sky and sea was torn apart, water vapor evaporated into fog, and the fog condensed into sweat, flowing hotly down the undulating curves.

Until lightning cleaved through the chaos, the crest of the wave suddenly flattened, and a sliver of sunlight pierced through the clouds—after a moment of silence, only the lingering echo of the receding tide remained.

A night breeze blows, and the lamplight flickers gently.

Ningguo has little money; the national treasury is empty.

But even at night, the palace was brightly lit. And they didn't use ordinary lamp oil.

Oils such as lard, mutton fat, beef tallow, and fish oil, when burned, either produce a lot of smoke, a strong odor, and easily leave black ash, hence the term "smoky and smoky," or they have an extremely strong fishy smell. These were mostly used by ordinary people for lighting. Sesame oil was not used, as it produces less smoke, provides higher brightness, and is considered a higher-quality lamp oil. Naturally, it was more expensive and was mostly used by nobles and temples, hence the term "incense money."

The fuel used in the palace was beeswax.

It burns cleanly and without smoke, and even has a unique fragrance.

Undoubtedly, the cost is extremely high.

Look at the vast palace, its lights twinkling.

The twinkling lights resembled a starry sky reflected on the ground.

The amount of amber used in one night was definitely not small. I wonder if it was because the national treasury finally had money recently due to beheadings and confiscation of property, so they indulged in a little extravagance, or if it has always been like this? Although Emperor Ninghe was working hard and trying his best to change the status quo of Ningguo, he probably didn't even notice these small things.

But emperors are probably all like that.

Although the Chu emperor was diligent in governing the country and advocated frugality, the situation in the palace was actually quite similar.

"It's good that you know this." Hua Lian Yue breathed a sigh of relief. "I was a little worried that once you found your biological mother, you would be bewitched by her."

Luo Tianyi simply sat quietly in the back, listening to her two older sisters talk. She was not a talkative person to begin with, nor was she particularly bright. Sometimes she was confused by what the two of them were saying and did not quite understand what they meant, such as being bewitched by her own mother.
She thought the Empress was actually a good person, beautiful, generous, dignified and gentle. She even gave her a pure gold hairpin as a gift. Her words seemed to only mention her debt to her elder brother and sister, and she didn't seem to talk about anything else.

However, she also knew that she wasn't clever enough to compare to her sister, much less to Sister Lian Yue… Sister Lian Yue was truly shrewd; since she had said that, there must be something she didn't understand. She scratched her head, and her mind involuntarily drifted back to her brother-in-law's evaluation of her: "With your brain, if it weren't for your excellent martial arts skills, you might get sold out someday and still be helping someone count the money." She smugly hummed inwardly. So what if she wasn't very bright? As long as she was good at martial arts… Apart from her brother-in-law, probably no one could take advantage of her.

Her dark, bright eyes would occasionally sweep over the vast palace before her, a small curiosity rising in her heart: who was her biological mother?
However, this curiosity would soon dissipate. She knew that her mother couldn't live without them. If all her siblings left, her mother would definitely cry alone.

As for her biological mother, she had virtually no memory of her, and naturally, she had no feelings for her.

The words "biological mother" are merely a symbol and do not carry much significance.

Hua Lianyue's voice continued, breaking the small distraction in Luo Tianyi's mind: "After all, there was a sentence on the note your mother left behind... Be careful of the Empress."

"Huh?" Luo Tianxuan tilted her head, her expression clearly puzzled. "Is that so?"

Hua Lianyue nodded: "Yes, there is."

"Don't look for me, be careful of the Empress," was the entire contents of the note, except that the latter part was torn off by my husband. Hua Lianyue explained with a smile, "Don't blame your husband, I know what he's thinking. No matter what, the Empress is still your biological mother."

"Right now, your mother suspects that your biological mother is up to no good. You must be in a difficult position, right? What if you also develop misunderstandings, such as Luo Yuheng trying to sow discord between you and your biological mother?"

Luo Tianxuan shook her head: "I wouldn't think that way."

Although her mother's temperament was sometimes a bit unreliable, Luo Tianxuan still understood that everything her mother did was for the good of her brothers and sisters.

"Of course, I know you won't, but what if you do? After all, she is your biological mother. My husband probably hopes that this family can continue to be well, so he wants to handle this matter himself and not let you and Princess Yuheng get involved. He is always like this, he likes to shoulder everything himself."

Hua Lianyue stretched her arms again. Although it was late and she was a little tired, the feeling of the wind blowing on her face while sitting on the roof was still very comfortable.

"I always felt that my husband's habit was not good."

“My husband is a very capable person, but everyone has their limits. I would be very happy if you could help us share some of the burden,” Hua Lianyue said with a smile.

Luo Tianxuan remained silent.

She knew why Song Yan had developed this personality.

It was probably the shadow left by fifteen years of living in the Duke of Song's mansion that made him habitually unwilling to rely on anyone. Even though the women had been accepted by their husband, this habit, almost ingrained in their instincts, was not easily changed.

"Originally, I wasn't very interested in the Empress's decree that we all had to enter the palace."

“The palace in Ning Kingdom is probably not much different from the palace in Chu Kingdom, but since you sisters were told to be careful of the Empress, I followed you.” Hua Lian Yue interlaced her fingers and spread them above her head, stretching her waist to reveal her graceful curves. After all, the Empress was Luo Tian Xuan’s biological mother. Even with the warning to be careful of the Empress, Hua Lian Yue couldn’t just sneak into the palace and take the Empress’s life. She was also worried that Luo Tian Yi and Luo Tian Xuan would suffer a loss or be tricked, so she could only come along: “At first, I was worried that there might be many experts in the palace in Ning Kingdom, like in Chu Kingdom, where there were two Grandmaster-level retainers in the palace.”

"You two sisters are extremely important to your husband. I worry that if the Empress were to capture you and use you to threaten him, what would happen?"

"The result was a bit disappointing. In this huge palace, the most powerful people were actually four old eunuchs."

"Moreover, even these four old eunuchs are only ninth-rank martial artists. As for grandmaster-level experts, there isn't a single one of them. These four old eunuchs might pose a slight threat to you, but they are far from enough to capture you alive."

Luo Tianxuan smiled quietly.

Hua Lianyue was speaking, and she listened quietly.

Although Hua Lianyue is much older than her, almost the same age as her mother, she used to call Hua Lianyue "elder sister" because they were both her husband's women. But now, they are like real sisters.

"I can somewhat understand what my husband is thinking. Although he saw the sentence 'Be careful of the Empress,' he is not actually very worried. In my opinion, the Empress has been able to sit firmly in the harem for twenty years, so she must be very smart."

"Anyone with a brain can see the current situation in Ningguo. Although the Yang family's power in the court has been eliminated, Bailu Academy has suffered a heavy blow, and the imperial power seems to have suddenly expanded a lot, and we no longer have to live as cautiously as before, this expansion is actually all based on my husband. As long as the Empress is not out of her mind, she will never break ties with my husband at this time, let alone do anything to offend him or even get rid of him."

"They will most likely try to please, win over, and deepen the relationship between the two sides."

"And you are a natural link."

"After all, if my husband were to pass away or cease to support the imperial power, Bailu Academy and the Yang family could make a comeback at any time. Those officials who switched their allegiance to the imperial power during this period could also potentially attach themselves to other forces at any time."

"Then, the imperial power that has been so hard-won and expanded may very well be reduced to its original state in a single day."

"Therefore, breaking off relations would not be good for either the Empress or my husband; it would be a lose-lose situation."

"Even if one wants to get rid of the Prime Minister, that would only be after the imperial power is completely consolidated and one has enough strength to fight against the border troops under the Prime Minister's command."

Luo Tianxuan listened and nodded slightly. Although she had thought of some things, it was clear that her analysis was not as detailed as Hua Lianyue's.

As for Luo Tianyi, she was still confused, feeling as if she understood something but didn't quite grasp it.

After a brief pause, Hua Lianyue continued, "But it seems that although the Empress is not stupid, she is obviously a bit anxious."

"Perhaps it was Emperor Ninghe's desire to pass the throne to your husband that deeply provoked the Empress. The things she said to you today, especially her concern, worry, and the pain and danger she endured for you and your brother, as well as her constant mention of Luo Tianshu and her sister's support for her brother, were all meant to move you and make you say that you would persuade your husband to give up the throne and fully support Luo Tianshu to sit on the dragon throne."

"From the Empress's perspective, this is perfectly understandable."

Ultimately, she still hoped that her own son would sit on the throne.

what.

Then, Luo Tianyi made a strange sound.

It wasn't until Hua Lianyue explained it to this point that she finally understood.

Wow, there are so many intricacies involved... These people are really something, can't they just speak directly? Is it fun to beat around the bush and make people guess?
Luo Tianxuan shook her head: "Then she is overthinking it. As far as I am concerned, whatever my husband wants to do, I will do it. If my husband wants to ascend to the throne, then I will be the empress; if my husband wants to lay down his responsibilities and retire to the mountains, I will accompany him to live a carefree life; if my husband wants to roam the world, then I will accompany him to be a pair of immortal lovers."

"No matter what, I will only help my husband, and I will not force him to make any decision based on my own reasons."

Even Hua Lianyue's smile became even brighter.

Therefore, since she was not raised by her side from a young age, the empress did not understand her daughter's personality well enough.

In Luo Tianxuan's heart, the most important people are Song Yan, Luo Yuheng, and her younger siblings. Everything else, including her biological mother, is probably not that important. She knows that such a person exists and that she is her biological mother, and that's about it.

"Right now, Her Majesty the Empress must be furious in her palace."

In the palace, the empress's beautiful face appeared somewhat embarrassed.

She naturally missed her two children who had been sent out of the palace. However, given the current situation in Ning Kingdom, she had no time for such sentimentality. If she didn't do something, the throne of Ning Kingdom would fall into the hands of an outsider. How could she accept such a thing?

Today's family reunion was rather abrupt.

She didn't even consult Emperor Ninghe; it was a decision made purely in private. Fortunately, Emperor Ninghe was currently too busy to consider her. Of course, as Hua Lianyue speculated, the reunion was real, but establishing a good relationship with Luo Tianxuan and then using her to persuade Song Yan to relinquish the throne and instead support Luo Tianshu to ascend it was even more true.

Based on the information she received, Song Yan valued Luo Tianxuan, his legal wife, highly. Therefore, she felt that if she could persuade Luo Tianxuan, the plan would have a high success rate. Besides, she was the Empress, and Tian Shu was the eldest son of Emperor Ninghe; the throne naturally belonged to Tian Shu.

Unfortunately, all the hard work of the night did not bring the reward it deserved.

No matter what she said, Luo Tianxuan's expression remained indifferent, and upon closer inspection, one could even discern a slight aloofness. Even though she had stated quite frankly that Luo Tianshu was her younger brother from the same parents, and that if she were to be bullied by Song Yan in the future, only Luo Tianshu could stand up for her, Luo Tianxuan remained unmoved.

She even wanted to grab Luo Tianxuan's ear and shout loudly in her ear, "Support your own brother to become emperor! Don't you like Song Yan? If you have Tian Shu as your biggest backer, Song Yan would never dare to wrong you in the slightest. Even if you asked Song Yan to drive away all the women around him and never take a concubine again, Song Yan wouldn't dare to say anything. Then you could have your favorite man all to yourself... Of course, as the empress, she still had to maintain her dignity. Such a thing was just something she thought about in her heart and could never actually do."

Moreover, the Empress even suspected that even if she did do that, Luo Tianxuan wouldn't show much other expression on her face.

It's like a beautifully crafted doll, always so plain and unremarkable.

This made her feel like she had punched cotton; all the words she had prepared had been in vain.

She was raised outside the royal family and never received any royal education. She's so ignorant and lacks common sense. Doesn't she understand that she and Tian Shu are the family members who share the same blood? Even if Song Yan is her husband, he's still just an outsider.
How can you not even agree to help your own brother, something that's so obvious?

The attempt to mend the bond between mother and daughter failed, and she even developed some aversion towards her daughter.

However, the Empress is still the Empress. She has experienced a lot over the years, and she always maintains her dignity no matter what. The scene of Hua Lian Yue's imagination of smashing, cursing and hurling insults will never happen.

The Empress took a deep breath and calmed herself down.

Eyelids droop.

To allow Tian Shu to ascend the throne, Song Yan's support was indispensable. To change Song Yan's mind, they needed to work on Luo Tianxuan, a point the Empress understood. Therefore, even though she harbored some dislike for Luo Tianxuan, she controlled her feelings and decided to treat her even better in the future. Perhaps this would rekindle the bond between mother and daughter, giving her plan a chance to succeed.

Just then, a series of hurried footsteps came from outside.

A palace maid, disheveled and covered in dust, rushed towards the Phoenix Palace, her face filled with utter horror. The eunuchs guarding the gate wanted to stop her, but seeing that the princess was Ping'er, the Empress's personal maid, they let her pass.

Rushing to the palace gate, the maid immediately knelt on the ground with a thud, screaming, "Your Majesty, something terrible has happened..."

The Empress frowned slightly. This Ping'er had been by her side for many years, so why was he still so reckless and lacking in composure?
Displeased, he thought, "What's the matter with this panic?"

"The Silver Armored Guards... the Silver Armored Guards have rebelled." The palace maid's voice trembled, her tone changing. "Hundreds and thousands of Silver Armored Guards are heading straight for the Phoenix Palace."

hiss.

The Empress, who had been inwardly criticizing Ping'er for not being steady enough, gasped sharply upon hearing this and stood up abruptly.

Silver-armored guards?
Under Song Yan's command?
They've rebelled?
Could it be that Song Yan is so impatient that he is unwilling to wait even for Emperor Ninghe's abdication?

But why did they head straight for the Phoenix Palace?
Could it be that Song Yan already knows about my plan to use Luo Tianxuan?

Damn.

Even though the Empress was usually calm and composed, she couldn't help but feel a little flustered at this moment.

However, the panic did not last long. The Empress took a deep breath, and the deathly pallor on her still beautiful face gradually faded, replaced by dignity and composure. With a flick of her sleeve, she walked out of the house.

The door opened.

A cool breeze then brushed against my face.

Under the moonlight, the phoenix robe shimmered with a bright glow.

He glanced at Ping'er kneeling on the ground and uttered a cold voice: "Get up."

"What kind of behavior is this, all flustered and in such a hurry?"

Ping'er looked anxious, tears welling up in her eyes: "Your Majesty, those rebel troops are about to... about to attack! You'd better go out and hide quickly."

With a scoff, a hint of disdain flickered across the Empress's face: "Hiding?"

"I am the Empress of Da Ning, why should I hide?"

"I'd like to know what kind of trouble these people can cause. Get up and come with me to take a look."

As he spoke, he lifted his foot and walked towards the gate of the Fengyi Palace.

Where else can they hide?

If the other side were to truly rebel, the entire Fengyi Palace would probably already be surrounded.

At this moment, the empress displayed the aura of someone who had long held a high position, with graceful demeanor.

The eunuchs and maids in the Phoenix Palace, though frightened, had no choice but to hurry and follow behind.

Even the three people on the roof noticed something was wrong, and their eyes showed a hint of curiosity. They all jumped down from the roof.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Before long, heavy footsteps echoed in everyone's ears.

Even before they arrived, the overwhelming pressure was already palpable.

Many of the eunuchs and palace maids were trembling with fear, yet they still stood firmly in front of the Empress, showing no intention of backing down or running away. From this perspective, the Empress was actually a very skilled woman at winning people over; however, she had been a bit too hasty in her dealings with Luo Tianxuan today.

Boom... Boom... Boom!

The ground beneath their feet, and the entire Fengyi Palace, trembled faintly.

Finally, a silvery-white figure appeared before everyone.

A group of people stood in neat rows, all tall and imposing. Their gleaming silver armor reflected a chilling light in the moonlight, and their silver masks concealed their faces, making them seem less like a group of people and more like ghostly messengers emerging from hell to snatch souls and take lives.

The Empress could even hear the sounds of the palace maids and eunuchs around her, their legs trembling and their teeth chattering.

Looking at this group of silver-armored guards, the Empress sighed. Putting aside everything else, Song Yan's ability to train troops is truly extraordinary. Even the War God of Ning Kingdom, Master Mei Wu, could not train the army to this extent.

Unfortunately, these are Song Yan's troops, not Tian Shu's troops.

The two leaders had cold and stern faces and were not wearing masks, so their identities were immediately obvious.

The two commanders of the Silver Armor Guard, Lei Yi, a lieutenant general, and Zhang Han, a lieutenant general stationed in the palace, were both Song Yan's confidants.

The Empress let out a soft breath, pushed aside the people blocking her way, and stepped forward. Her gaze swept over them, her face cold and hard: "Generals, why have you led your troops to trespass into the inner palace? Do you know that this is a capital offense?"

"Retreat immediately, and I may forgive and forget."

A cold rebuke, laced with anger and helplessness.

The palace now looks like a sieve.

Previously, the Yang family and Bailu Academy could freely place their people in the palace, including the Imperial Guards and the Imperial Medical Academy, making them practically rotten to the core. Now, Song Yan has driven out the Yang family and Bailu Academy, but he seems even more arrogant than the Yang family, with his soldiers even daring to lead troops to storm the Empress's palace.

She was arguably the most aggrieved empress in Ningguo's more than 100 years of history.

The cold rebuke had no effect on Lei Yi and Zhang Han, whose faces were filled with barely suppressed anger. Upon hearing this, Lei Yi merely snorted and said, "This humble general has come to the Phoenix Palace to find my three ladies. If I have offended them, I hope Your Majesty will forgive me."

"May I ask, Your Majesty, where are my three ladies?"

Three ladies.

Luo Tianxuan goes without saying.

Hua Lianyue is getting married soon.

As for Luo Tianyi, it was only a matter of time before anyone could see it, so calling her "Madam" in advance was nothing unusual.

Just then, Luo Tianxuan, Hua Lianyue, and Luo Tianyi came out from behind. Seeing such a large commotion, their hearts skipped a beat, especially Hua Lianyue, whose brows were furrowed: "General Lei, General Zhang, has something happened?"

Lei Yi said in a deep voice, "Reporting to the three ladies, the Marquis has been assassinated and is seriously injured and unconscious."

Upon hearing this, the three women's expressions changed drastically.

"Princess Yuheng is also unconscious."

Upon hearing these words, both Luo Tianxuan and Luo Tianyi trembled involuntarily, almost collapsing.

Hua Lianyue's face was also extremely gloomy.

The Empress summoned all of Song Yan's most powerful confidants to the palace for a banquet, after which Song Yan was assassinated and fell into a coma.

How could there be such a coincidence in this world?

My lord, you've miscalculated after all.

He thought the Empress was a smart woman, so nothing would happen. But who could have imagined that the Empress was even more foolish than her husband had predicted?

The next second, Luo Tianxuan turned around in a flash, her dark eyes fixed on the Empress, a chilling coldness emanating from the depths of her gaze.

Luo Tianxuan's gaze sent chills down the Empress's spine, making her feel as if she had fallen into an ice cellar.

In those eyes, the Empress even saw a bottomless killing intent.

She realized with horror that Luo Tianxuan wanted to:
Matricide?

(End of this chapter)