Killer Queen: Tyrant, prepare to die!

Chapter 101 The City is in Turmoil! Xuan Ying Investigates Thoroughly: Who exactly is she?

March 18th, late Yin hour.

As dawn approached, a layer of hazy mist enveloped the entire imperial city, creating an oppressive atmosphere that made it hard to breathe.

Inside the Hall of Mental Cultivation, the lights shone brightly all night.

The strong smell of medicine mixed with the lingering, faint stench of blood permeated the hall.

Several imperial physicians knelt in the outer room, their foreheads dripping with cold sweat, not daring to even breathe loudly.

Suppressed coughs came from the inner palace, each one tugged at the heartstrings.

Nangong Ye leaned against the dragon bed, his face as pale as paper, but his lips were flushed with an unusual red.

The collar of the bright yellow nightgown was slightly open, revealing a white cloth wrapped around the neck, with specks of dark red seeping through it.

His eyes were closed, his chest rose and fell slightly, and his brows were furrowed, as if he were enduring great pain.

"Your Majesty, the medicine is ready." Xuan Ying held a bowl of thick, dark medicine, her voice extremely low.

Nangong Ye didn't open his eyes, he just waved his hand.

Xuan Ying held the medicine bowl, caught in a dilemma.

Last night at midnight, His Majesty was rushed from Taiji Hall back to Yangxin Hall, where he vomited blood incessantly and remained unconscious for nearly two hours.

The head of the Imperial Medical Academy personally administered acupuncture and strong medicine, which pulled the person back from the brink of death.

But when the person woke up, it felt like half of their soul was gone.

"Xuan Ying." A hoarse voice suddenly rang out.

"Your subject is here!"

"Outside..." Nangong Ye slowly opened his eyes, those eyes that were once as sharp as a hawk's.

His face was now covered in bloodshot veins, staring blankly at the intricate dragon patterns on the tent ceiling. "How is it?"

Xuan Ying's throat tightened, and he said in a low voice, "The palace gates are already locked, and everyone who was in the Taiji Hall last night has not yet been released. The news... should not have spread yet."

"Should?" Nangong Ye forced a smile, a smile more painful than a grimace. "Xuanying, you've served me for so many years, when did you learn to deceive yourself?"

Xuan Ying knelt down: "Your Majesty, I have failed in my duty! I have already dispatched more people to seal off all the palace gates and strictly prohibit palace staff from entering or talking."

"But..." he paused, then forced himself to speak.

Yesterday's palace banquet was attended by a large number of people, and there were many informants.

The words, "The deposed empress returns with her son, and His Majesty vomits blood on the spot," are likely... likely to spread like wildfire, and the palace walls cannot contain them.

"Wildfire...spreads across the plains..."

Nangong Ye murmured repeatedly, a dull pain shooting through his chest. He couldn't help but cough a few more times, and traces of blood seeped from between his fingers.

He wiped it away nonchalantly, but his gaze gradually focused, taking on an almost obsessive ruthlessness. "Investigate."

"His Majesty?"

"Investigate for me!"

Nangong Ye abruptly sat up, aggravating his injuries and turning even paler. His voice, however, suddenly rose in pitch, carrying a desperate, resolute tone.

"Thoroughly investigate 'Night Phoenix'! No, it's Shen Qingci! Investigate where she's been all these years! What she's done!"

How did he become the richest man in Jiangnan? And who were the people around him?

That child… Bao’er… I need to know everything that has happened to her since she was born!

He stared intently at Xuan Ying, enunciating each word clearly:

"Use all available covert networks, including those planted in Jiangnan and Xiling."

"At all costs, within ten days, I want to see all the files on this couch!"

"Yes! Your Majesty, I obey!"

Xuan Ying responded resolutely. He knew that this time, His Majesty was truly going all out.

This is no longer a simple case of imperial suspicion, but a reckless pursuit mixed with regret, rage, and even a hint of despair.

"And also," Nangong Ye gasped, leaning back and closing his eyes wearily, "keep a close eye on the Liu family. After yesterday, they won't sit idly by. Especially Liu Chengming..."

"Your subject understands."

"Go."

Xuan Ying bowed and withdrew, his footsteps quickly disappearing outside the hall.

Nangong Ye lay alone on the empty dragon bed. The candlelight crackled in the hall, casting his lonely shadow long on the wall.

He raised his hand, looking at the dark red bloodstain on his fingertip that hadn't been wiped clean.

What flickers before my eyes is that cold and stunning face in the Taiji Hall yesterday, that cup of wine raised in the distance, and that heart-wrenching words, "To your future death."

And... Bao'er's clear eyes, just like his, yet saying "Daddy's bad."

"Qingci..." he groaned softly, burying his face in his hands, "You hate me... I know..."

"How could you... how could you bring our child to take my life..."

---

Outside the palace walls, the sky was gradually brightening.

Just as Xuan Ying had predicted, the tall vermilion palace walls could not contain the earth-shattering news from last night.

The first to stir up trouble were the teahouses and taverns.

"Have you heard? Something big happened in the palace yesterday!"

"What is it? Has war broken out again in the North?"

"More terrifying than war! It's that... Empress Shen, who died in the cold palace three years ago! She's not dead! She returned to the palace banquet yesterday with a little prince!"

"What?! Impossible! Didn't they say they burned to death back then?"

"It's absolutely true! My second maternal uncle's third grandson's brother-in-law works in the palace, and he secretly passed on these words!"

It is said that Empress Shen has now changed her name to "Lady Night Phoenix," and is a wealthy and powerful woman from Jiangnan!

She's...tsk tsk, like a celestial being, but her aura is even more terrifying than His Majesty's!

"And that little prince! I heard he looks exactly like His Majesty! He scared Prime Minister Liu so much he almost fainted on the spot!"

"Where is His Majesty? What was His Majesty's reaction?"

"His Majesty? Ha... He vomited blood on the spot! His dragon robe was stained red! The palace is still in chaos!"

"My God...this...this is going to be a disaster!"

Rumors spread like wildfire through the morning mist, as if they had grown wings.

From the bustling East City, teeming with high-ranking officials and dignitaries, to the chaotic West Market, from the counters of silk shops to the meat stalls in the vegetable market, everyone was whispering among themselves, their faces a mixture of shock, excitement, fear, and intense curiosity.

Empress Shen is not dead!

She even brought the prince back with her!

His Majesty vomited blood on the spot!

The Liu family members looked ashen-faced!

Each one of them was enough to shake the entire capital city to its core.

---

The Liu residence, study.

The doors and windows were tightly shut, but they couldn't shut out the faint sounds of panicked footsteps and whispers coming from outside the mansion.

Liu Chengzong seemed to have aged ten years overnight, still wearing his official robes, sitting in a grand chair.

His eyes were glazed over, and his hand holding the teacup trembled uncontrollably, the lid clinking against the body of the cup, making a soft and annoying sound.

Liu Chengming sat at the lower end of the table, his face equally gloomy, but his eyes held a cold calculation and ruthlessness.

"Father, now is not the time to daydream."

His voice was hoarse, revealing the exhaustion of not having slept all night.

"At last night's palace banquet, our Liu family... has suffered a complete defeat."

Shen Qingci is not dead, the prince is not dead, and they have returned with such a powerful presence. His Majesty... his mind is completely in turmoil.

"It's chaos...it's more than just chaos!"

Liu Chengzong slammed his teacup on the table, splashing tea everywhere, and growled.

"He's insane! For that bitch, he actually..."

He actually did it in front of the entire court... Our Liu family is finished! Completely finished!

"It's not over yet!"

Liu Chengming interrupted his father's desperate roar, a venomous glint flashing in his eyes.

"As long as we are alive, as long as my sister is still in the palace, and as long as our power in court and among the people hasn't been completely eradicated, this isn't over!"

He stood up, walked to the window, opened a crack, and looked out at the gray sky.

"Shen Qingci has returned this time for revenge."

Our Liu family will be the first to be affected.

His Majesty is currently in a state of mental confusion, making this the perfect opportunity for her to strike, and also our... only chance to retaliate.

"Counterattack? How can we counterattack?"

Liu Chengzong said dejectedly,

"That child's face... it's irrefutable proof! What we did back then..."

"Father!"

Liu Chengming turned around abruptly, lowered his voice, and spoke in a chilling tone.

"What happened back then is now impossible to verify! Everyone in the Cold Palace is dead!"

The "evidence" in the witchcraft case has long since turned to ashes!

"As long as we can get past His Majesty before he regains consciousness, or... make sure His Majesty never regains consciousness and can overturn the verdict for her..."

Liu Chengzong shuddered, staring at his son in horror: "You...you want to..."

"Last night, His Majesty was so enraged that he vomited blood and fell into a coma. It was a relapse of an old illness that damaged his heart meridian."

Liu Chengming spoke slowly, each word dripping with venom.

"If a dose of 'potent medicine' is administered, or if there is a slight 'carelessness' during acupuncture... the Imperial Hospital might not be without our people."

The study was deathly silent.

Only the heavy, suppressed breathing of the father and son remained.

---

Prince Jing's Mansion, waterside pavilion.

Nangong Shuo, dressed in plain white clothes, was feeding the koi in the pond. As the bait was scattered, the fish scrambled for it, stirring up the spring water.

"Your Highness, news from both the palace and the outside world has been sent out," a trusted advisor reported in a low voice, standing behind him with his hands at his sides.

As Nangong Shuo listened, a faint smile remained on his lips.

"Shen Qingci... Ye Huang... Interesting."

He finished scattering the last handful of bait, then clapped his hands.

"Three years ago I felt that the fire burned too cleanly."

Sure enough, the phoenix rose from the ashes, reborn in flames. It even brought back a baby phoenix.

"Your Highness, this matter is very serious for us..." the advisor probed.

"It's better to be in chaos, the more chaotic the better."

Nangong Shuo turned around and looked towards the palace, his eyes deep and unfathomable.

"My royal brother sits too comfortably in that chair."

So stable... we've almost forgotten that this land should rightfully belong to someone of greater virtue.

The Liu family has been fighting him for so many years; it's time for them to have a new opponent.

"Does Your Highness intend to..."

"When the snipe and the clam fight, the fisherman benefits."

Nangong Shuo chuckled lightly.

"Give the order that our men remain stationary for the time being."

But we need to stir the water up a little more.

Especially the miraculous story of Empress Shen's "resurrection," and the doubts surrounding the young prince's "unknown origins"... these should be given more discussion by the censors and the upright officials.

"Yes. There's one more thing. After the palace banquet last night, Xuan Ying mobilized a large number of secret guards, seemingly doing everything he could to track down Ye Huang... and Empress Shen's whereabouts over the past three years."

"Investigate?" Nangong Shuo's smile deepened. "Let him investigate. The clearer the investigation, the more pain my elder brother will likely suffer."

As for Shen Qingci… since she dared to come back, she couldn't have been unprepared. This drama is getting more and more exciting.”

---

Phoenix Nest Courtyard.

Compared to the bustling chaos outside, this place seemed like a secluded sanctuary.

Morning light streamed through the carved window lattice into the warm chamber.

Ye Huang—Shen Qingci, dressed in a simple white undergarment, her black hair loose and draped over her shoulders, was sitting by the couch, patiently dressing Bao'er.

Bao'er rubbed her sleepy eyes, letting her mother do as she pleased, and mumbled, "Mommy, are we going to eat something delicious again today?"

"We're not going out today." Shen Qingci fastened the last button on his shirt and said softly, "How about Bao'er plays in the yard?"

"Okay." Bao'er nodded obediently, then, remembering something, she looked up at her with her little face, "Mommy, was that...uncle who vomited blood yesterday, Daddy?"

Shen Qingci paused almost imperceptibly.

"Why did Bao'er ask that?"

"Bao'er overheard Aunt Jinshu talking to Grandpa Fu."

Bao'er blinked her big eyes,

"They say Father is vomiting blood and is sick. Mother, is Father very ill? Will he die?"

The problem with children is both innocent and cruel.

Shen Qingci looked into her son's clear eyes and saw a trace of childlike, innocent worry.

A corner of my heart softened almost imperceptibly, but was immediately covered by an even harder layer of ice.

She patted Bao'er's head without answering, only saying, "Bao'er, remember, some people get sick because they did wrong. They deserve it."

Bao'er seemed to understand, but not quite.

At this moment, Jinshu entered quietly, her expression somewhat grave, and said in a low voice:

"Girl, the rumors outside are quite serious."

Furthermore, Eunuch Li discovered that the number of people keeping watch around the villa had increased several times over. Judging from their skills, they didn't seem to be from the Liu family, but rather... the palace's most elite secret guards.

Shen Qingci remained expressionless, simply saying, "I understand. As expected."

She got up, walked to the window, and pushed it open halfway.

The morning breeze carried a chilly edge.

She gazed toward the imperial city, her eyes cold and aloof.

Nangong Ye, you can't stand it already?

Vomiting blood and falling into a coma?

This is just the beginning.

You owe me a debt, you owe the Shen family a debt, you owe Bao'er a debt...

I will personally collect it back, penny by penny, with interest.

With your regret, your pain, your empire...

We came to pay our respects.

She withdrew her gaze and said to Jinshu, "Go and invite Eunuch Li and Mo Shisan over. There are some things that need to be arranged."

"Yes."

Shen Qingci turned around and looked at Bao'er, who was trying to put on her little socks on the bed. Her expression was complicated and hard to read.

The storm is coming.

This grand feast of revenge has only just begun.

Her blade was already gleaming.