I, Kangxi, am here to overthrow the Qing and restore the Ming!

Night falls.

The long-accumulated torrential rain finally poured down.

Large raindrops pounded furiously against the glazed tiles of the Forbidden City, creating a deafening crackling sound. Lightning flashed and thunder roared, illuminating the ancient palace in a flickering, ghostly light.

Jingren Palace.

The sleeping quarters were dark, with no lights on.

Only the occasional flash of lightning outside the window illuminated the figure curled up on the bed.

Tongjia was having another dream.

It's still that nightmare.

In my dream, there was a desolate mass grave where wild dogs howled and crows circled overhead.

She frantically searched among the nameless, lonely graves, calling out her son's name.

"Xuan Ye! Xuan Ye! Where are you?"

Suddenly, a small figure appeared in front of a new grave.

The child had his back to her, wearing a tattered little dragon robe, and was covered in blood.

"Mother...it hurts...I'm so cold..."

The child's voice was mournful and desperate.

"Xuan Ye!"

Tongjia cried out and rushed over, trying to hug the child.

But when the child turned around, she was horrified to find that the face had no features!

There was only a bloody, mangled hole!

"what!"

A piercing scream tore through the night sky above Jingren Palace, even drowning out the thunder outside the window.

Tongjia woke up from a nightmare, her whole body drenched in cold sweat.

She was breathing heavily, her heart pounding so hard it felt like it was going to burst out of her chest.

That dream was so real! So real it suffocated her!

"My son... my Xuan Ye..."

Tongjia covered her face and burst into tears.

Ever since the day she met the eunuch sent by Ao Bai and confirmed that the person sitting on the dragon throne was not her son, she has never had a peaceful night's sleep.

Guilt, fear, anger, despair... all sorts of emotions gnawed at her heart like venomous snakes.

She lost her own biological son!

That imposter took her son's place and is enjoying everything that should have belonged to him!

Where is my real son now? Is he dead? Or has he become a wandering ghost, just like in my dream?

"No! I can't just let this go!"

A crazy idea exploded in Tongjia's mind.

She's going to find that old hag! She's going to get to the bottom of this!

Even if it means death, I must know the truth!

……

"Boom!"

A thunderclap resounded over the Cining Palace.

Heavy rain.

The gates of Cining Palace were tightly closed, with only two palace lanterns swaying in the wind and rain, emitting a dim light.

The eunuch guarding the gate was dozing in the gatehouse when he suddenly heard a series of urgent knocks on the door, mixed with a woman's cries.

"Open the door! Open the door for me! I need to see the Empress Dowager!"

The eunuch was startled and quickly put on his raincoat and ran out to check.

In the pouring rain, there stood a woman, soaked to the bone.

Her hair was disheveled and stuck to her face, and her nightgown was soaked through, clinging tightly to her body, making her look utterly wretched.

But his eyes were frighteningly bright, revealing a kind of madness.

"You are..." The eunuch squinted for a long time before exclaiming in surprise, "The Empress Dowager?!"

Good heavens! What's wrong with this master in the middle of the night? He actually ran to the Cining Palace!

"I want to see the Empress Dowager! Tell her to come out and see me!" Ignoring the eunuchs' attempts to stop her, Lady Tongjia desperately pounded on the palace gates.

"Your Majesty, what are you doing? The Empress Dowager has already retired for the night..."

"I don't care! I'm not leaving until I see her today!"

The commotion quickly alerted those inside.

A moment later, the palace gates creaked open.

Sumalagu, holding an umbrella, helped the Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang, whose face was frosty, out.

Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang frowned deeply as she looked at the woman below the steps who resembled a madwoman.

"Tongjia woman, have you gone mad? Howling like a banshee in the middle of the night, what kind of behavior is this?!"

Tongjia raised her head and stared intently at Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang.

Rain streamed down her cheeks, indistinguishable from tears or raindrops.

"Discipline? Hahahaha! I've lost my son, what do I need discipline for?!"

Tongjia laughed loudly, her laughter shrill and piercing. She suddenly rushed forward a few steps, pointed at Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang's nose, and questioned her in a hoarse voice:

"You old hag! Where have you put my Xuan Ye?!"

"Who is that imposter sitting on the dragon throne?! Why did you do this?!"

"Did you kill my son?! Tell me! Tell me!"

Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang's face instantly darkened.

She never expected that this woman, who usually seemed so timid and submissive, would actually know the truth! And even dare to shout it out in public!

"presumptuous!"

Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang roared, "Do you know what you're saying?! Have you lost your mind? Guards, take her back to Jingren Palace and fetch the imperial physician!"

"I'm not crazy! I'm perfectly sober!"

Lady Tongjia had gone all out. She broke free from the eunuchs who tried to pull her away and roared at Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang:

"You won't admit it, huh? Fine! If you won't admit it, I'll go find Ao Bai!"

"I've already contacted him! I refuse to believe that the two of us can't expose your true colors, you old hag!"

Empress Xiaozhuang's pupils suddenly contracted, and a chilling killing intent, unlike anything she had ever seen before, flashed in her eyes.

This statement clearly crossed her bottom line.

Join forces with Ao Bai? Reveal the truth?

This is no longer a power struggle within the imperial harem; this is shaking the very foundations of the Qing Dynasty! This is threatening to completely destroy the situation that I have painstakingly maintained!

This woman cannot be allowed to live!

"Su Ma".

"Your servant is here."

Sumalagu maintained her submissive demeanor, but a hint of coldness appeared in her eyes.

"Empress Dowager Tong fell seriously ill, became delirious, and began to talk nonsense."

Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang turned around and refused to look at Tongjia again: "Take her back to Jingren Palace and take good care of her."

"Yes, sir."

Sumalagu responded and gave a wink to the trusted eunuchs behind her.

The eunuchs understood and immediately pounced on her like wolves, covering Tongjia's mouth and dragging her back.

"Mmmmmm!"

Tongjia struggled desperately, but how could a weak woman like her be a match for these strong eunuchs?

She could only watch helplessly as the palace gates, symbols of power and truth, slowly closed before her.

At that moment, she knew she was finished.

……

That night.

It rained heavily all night.

The rain stopped the next morning.

An astonishing piece of news spread to every corner of the Forbidden City.

Empress Dowager Cihe, of the Tongjia clan, suddenly fell ill last night and died in Jingren Palace.

He was only twenty-four years old.

……

Empress Dowager Cihe, of the Tongjia clan, passed away.

When the news came out, Hong Xiguan was having a meal in the Qianqing Palace.

"The Empress Dowager is dead?"

He paused for a moment, and the spoon in his hand fell into the bowl with a crisp sound.

I looked up and gazed at the sky outside the window, which was exceptionally clean after being washed by the rain.

There wasn't much sadness in my heart, only a deep chill.

A person who was perfectly fine yesterday is gone today?

Is this what palace intrigue is all about?

It goes without saying who did it!

Empress Xiaozhuang... she was truly a ruthless woman!

Hong Xiguan put down his bowl, having lost his appetite.

For the sake of the greater good, she could even eliminate the Empress Dowager without hesitation. Such decisiveness and ruthlessness are truly befitting of a woman who has served three generations of emperors.

He knew he could no longer treat all of this like a game.

"Your Majesty, please accept my condolences."

The young eunuch Zhao Chang lowered his head, his voice carrying just the right amount of sorrow.

Hong Xiguan grunted and stuffed a delicate bun into his mouth, his cheeks bulging.

Condolences? Condolences my ass.

He chewed while mentally ranting and raving.

We've barely met, and we've exchanged less than twenty words in total. It's a completely superficial mother-son relationship, even less intimate than the colleague relationship I had with someone I bought a bunch of things on Singles' Day in my past life.

She looked at me like a thief who stole her child, and I looked at her like an NPC bomb that could explode at any moment. Now that the bomb has been defused, I don't even have time to set off firecrackers to celebrate, so why should I mourn?

Of course, appearances still need to be maintained.

Hong Xiguan put down his chopsticks, let out a long sigh, and showed a sadness and confusion befitting his age.

"I understand."

He waved his hand, his voice slightly choked: "Let the Ministry of Rites handle this properly, it must not... lose face."

The news of Empress Dowager Cihe, of the Tongjia clan, passing away caused only a minor ripple in the Forbidden City before quickly subsiding.

The funeral was neither too grand nor too simple; everything was done according to established customs.

In the imperial court, the officials did not react much to this.

The affairs of the imperial harem have always been shrouded in mystery, and no one dares to speculate.

People would gather in twos and threes after the morning court session, lamenting "Heaven is jealous of beauty" and "The Empress Dowager is unlucky," before dispersing to attend to their own duties.

Even Tong Guowei, the younger brother of the Tongjia clan, who had just been promoted to Grand Minister of the Interior, did not notice anything unusual after the initial grief.

He assumed that his sentimental sister had truly died because she missed the late emperor and was consumed by grief.

Tong Guowei knelt before his sister's coffin, weeping uncontrollably, never imagining that a bloody political assassination was hidden behind it all.

Throughout the entire capital, only a handful of people truly understood the ins and outs of this matter.

Ao Bai was one of them.