Killer Queen: Tyrant, prepare to die!

Chapter Thirty-Eight: Smashing the Tyrant's Golden Lock! The Deposed Empress in the Cold Palace Goes Wild!

On the 25th day of the first lunar month, the sky cleared after the snow.

The courtyard of Tangli Palace was covered with a thick layer of snow, and the sunlight shining on it was so bright that people couldn't open their eyes.

But none of the palace servants were in the mood to appreciate the snow—the courtyard gate was piled high with gifts once again.

This time it wasn't just a few boxes or cartons, it was a full twenty large boxes!

Made of sandalwood and gilded, each box was so heavy that it took two eunuchs to lift it.

The box was open, and the jewels inside were practically overflowing.

The curtain is made of pearls from the East China Sea, each pearl as big as a longan.

The jade ruyi, a tribute from the Western Regions, is flawless and warm to the touch.

A Jiangnan embroiderer only obtains one bolt of Yun brocade every three years; ten bolts in total, shimmering and radiant.

There was also a box of rubies the size of longan fruits, a box of sapphires as red as pigeon's blood, and a box of jadeite so green it seemed to drip with water...

"Your Majesty," the head eunuch knelt on the veranda, his voice trembling.

"His Majesty said... these are all to calm the Empress and the young prince's nerves."

His Majesty also said that there are still some in the storeroom; if Your Majesty needs anything, please just ask.

Shen Qingci stood at the door holding Bao'er, her face expressionless.

Bao'er was in a great mood today, staring curiously at the shiny things with her big eyes, and even reaching out her little hand to grab them—but Shen Qingci gently pressed it down.

"Jinshu," she began, her voice as calm as if she were remarking on the pleasant weather, "register and put it into the database."

"You take the key. No one is allowed to touch it without my permission."

Jinshu was stunned for a moment: "Mother, Your Majesty, are all these going into storage? Then... then should we...?"

"No need." Shen Qingci turned and went inside. "Lock it up; it'll just collect dust."

The eunuchs looked at each other, but dared not ask any questions and could only do as instructed.

Twenty boxes were carried into the warehouse and locked.

Like twenty coffins, filled with the emperor's belated remorse.

---

This is just the beginning.

Over the next few days, the rewards continued to pour in.

On the sixth day, ten catties of bird's nest, five hundred-year-old wild ginseng roots, deer antler, lingzhi, snow frog... all the top-grade tonics from the palace were delivered.

The eunuch who delivered the order said that His Majesty had specifically instructed the Imperial Hospital to prepare the soup according to the recipe and send it to the Empress every day.

Shen Qingci had Physician Chen examine them one by one—they were all free of poison and were all good things.

"Keep it," she said, "but don't stew it. Give it to Eunuch Li when he wakes up."

Imperial Physician Chen hesitated, then finally whispered, "Your Majesty, His Majesty's intentions..."

"Physician Chen,"

Shen Qingci looked up at him.

"Do you think these things can withstand the wind and snow in the cold palace? Can they withstand the injustice done to my entire Shen family?"

Physician Chen remained silent, bowed deeply, and said no more.

On the eighth day, eight wet nurses were sent over.

They were all carefully selected, with clean backgrounds, plenty of breast milk, and good looks.

The head old nanny knelt down and said, "His Majesty is worried about the Empress's weak health and fears that breastfeeding the little prince will tire her out."

These wet nurses are all clean. The Empress will choose two she finds pleasing to the eye to keep, so they can take turns serving the young prince.

Shen Qingci was breastfeeding Bao'er at the time.

Upon hearing this, she pulled the child closer to her chest, her eyes so cold they could freeze.

"Jinshu," she said, "give each person ten taels of silver and send them out."

"Your Majesty..." the old nanny cried anxiously, "This is His Majesty's decree..."

"His Majesty's decree is to send someone here," Shen Qingci interrupted her, "What I mean is, no."

She looked down at the baby in her arms, her voice soft yet firm:

"I feed my own son."

"Nobody can touch it."

The eight wet nurses were returned untouched.

It is said that when Nangong Ye found out, he smashed a teacup in the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

But he still delivered things again the next day—

This time it's a complete set of gold locks, jade seals, and longevity threads, all in accordance with the regulations for a legitimate prince.

According to ancestral custom, these items should have been bestowed by the emperor himself when the prince was one month old.

Bao'er was only ten days old when Nangong Ye couldn't wait to bring her over.

The eunuch who brought the goods was trembling with fear:

"His Majesty said... Although the little prince is not yet a month old, he is, after all, the legitimate son, and the proper rites should not be omitted."

"When the baby is full-month celebration, His Majesty will issue a formal decree to confer the title..."

"Put it down." Shen Qingci didn't even look at it this time.

The eunuch felt as if he had been granted a pardon, and he dropped off the things and ran away.

Jinshu looked at the glittering gold set and asked softly, "Your Majesty, should this also be put into storage?"

Shen Qingci walked over and picked up the longevity lock made of pure gold and inlaid with gemstones.

Very heavy.

Very exquisite.

The inscription on it reads "Fortune, Longevity, Peace and Health," and is in Nangong Ye's own handwriting.

She stared at it for a long time.

Then, he let go.

"Clang—"

The gold lock fell to the ground, and one of the gemstones was chipped off.

"Oh!" Jinshu exclaimed.

Shen Qingci smiled.

She lifted her foot, stepped on the golden lock, and slowly rolled over it.

It's like crushing something dirty.

"Put it away," she said. "When Bao'er grows up, he can handle it himself."

"Yes..." Jinshu picked up the deformed gold lock, her heart pounding.

Her Majesty... hates you to the core.

---

At night, after Bao'er fell asleep, Eunuch Li finally woke up.

Although he can't get out of bed yet, although his martial arts skills are 80% gone, and although speaking is difficult—the fact that he's awake is fantastic news.

Shen Qingci personally brought the medicine in.

Eunuch Li leaned against the headboard, his face sallow, but his eyes were bright. He looked at Shen Qingci and said in a hoarse voice, "Your Highness... is the young master alright?"

"Okay." Shen Qingci scooped up a spoonful of medicine, blew on it to cool it down, "Bao'er is very good, very healthy. You should take care of yourself first."

After taking his medicine and pausing for a while, Eunuch Li suddenly asked, "While I've been unconscious these past few days... has His Majesty sent me quite a few things?"

"Um."

"How did Your Majesty handle it?"

"Keep what you can use, lock away what you can't." Shen Qingci paused, "The wet nurse has been sent back."

Eunuch Li's eyes lit up even more: "Your Majesty is right. The young master... can only be fed by Your Majesty personally."

Shen Qingci nodded, finished feeding the medicine, and then whispered, "Master, how's your investigation into what happened back then going?"

After a moment of silence, Eunuch Li beckoned her closer.

"This old servant actually discovered some things before the fire started," he said in a very low voice.

"There are two key pieces of evidence in the witchcraft case: one is the dummy with needles stuck in it, and the other is the secret letter."

"The needlework technique used on the small figure is not the embroidery technique used in the palace, but a long-lost technique called 'ghost needle piercing' from the martial arts world."

That kind of stitching technique is something ordinary embroiderers simply don't know.

"The paper used for the secret letter was not the 'Jade Xuan Paper' from Jiangnan that the Empress usually used."

The paper you usually use is fine and absorbs water evenly.

The "secret letter" was written on "bamboo-textured paper" produced in Sichuan, which is rough in texture and the ink bleeds easily.

Shen Qingci's eyes sharpened: "Back then, when the Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review jointly investigated the case, no one noticed?"

"It's not that no one noticed," Eunuch Li sneered, "it's that someone... didn't want to be discovered."

"Who?"

"The person who ultimately authenticated the evidence was Liu Wenyuan, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice. And Liu Wenyuan's wife... was the cousin of Liu Chengzong's wife."

Shen Qingci clenched her fist.

really.

Liu family.

"And another thing," Eunuch Li said, catching his breath.

"The personal maid Chun Tao who gave false testimony... all seven members of her family died 'accidentally' within three months after the case was closed."

Only her six-year-old brother, adopted by a wealthy merchant in Jiangnan, has disappeared without a trace.

"Can we find it?"

"The old servant's men are looking for him."

Eunuch Li looked at her.

"Your Majesty, this matter cannot be rushed."

The Liu family's influence is too deep. His Majesty's attitude towards the Empress is currently unclear; rashly overturning the verdict could backfire.

Shen Qingci took a deep breath: "I know. I can wait."

She can wait.

It won't make a difference if we wait a little longer.

What she wanted was not a hasty exoneration.

Rather... a complete reckoning.

---

Huayang Palace.

Consort Rou, Liu Ruyan, is almost going crazy.

He was confined to his quarters for half a month, with the palace gates locked from the outside, and only the eunuchs who delivered his meals were allowed to enter and exit each day.

She wanted to send a message, to see her brother, to see her father—but all channels had been cut off.

Nangong Ye was determined to lock her up this time.

"Your Majesty..."

The trusted palace maid knelt on the ground, her voice trembling.

"Just received news that... at Tangli Palace, that person threw away the golden lock that was binding the young prince."

"What?!"

Consort Rou turned around abruptly, her eyes wide open.

"Is she insane? That's the rule for a legitimate prince! How dare she break it?!"

"It's absolutely true... Xiao Shunzi, who delivered the items, saw it with his own eyes."

That person picked it up, looked at it, then threw it on the ground and stomped on it…

Consort Rou slumped into a chair, her face deathly pale.

Shen Qingci actually dared to smash the golden lock?

How dare she?!

That's something that represents royal status!

She didn't just smash a golden lock; she smashed the face of the royal family! She smashed the face of Nangong Ye!

But His Majesty... didn't get angry?

Not only did he not get angry, but he even delivered the gift again the next day?

"You vile woman..." Consort Rou gritted her teeth, "What kind of bewitching potion did she give His Majesty...?"

"Your Highness," the palace maid said cautiously, "the people we planted in Tangli Palace... have sent word."

Consort Rou's eyes lit up: "Speak!"

"That woman is very weak. She hasn't fully recovered after giving birth and coughs up blood every day."

The little prince is healthy, but the woman won't let the wet nurse touch him and breastfeeds him herself, which is exhausting.

And...that person seems to be secretly investigating something that happened three years ago.

"Investigate three years ago?" Consort Rou's heart skipped a beat. "Investigate what?"

"I don't know the specifics, but our people said they saw Jinshu, who was by that side of him, secretly go to the Imperial Hospital and meet with Physician Chen. When she came back, her expression was very serious."

Consort Rou's fingers gripped the armrests of the chair tightly.

Investigating three years ago...

Shen Qingci was indeed persistent!

"Tell our people," she whispered, "to keep a close watch. Especially on her investigation into what happened three years ago; report any developments immediately. And..."

She paused, a ruthless glint in her eyes:

"Find an opportunity to add something to her medicine. It doesn't have to kill her immediately, just make her... a little more seriously ill."

"But...but His Majesty is keeping a close watch on us now, what if we're discovered..."

"What's there to be afraid of?" Consort Rou sneered. "Isn't she weak? Postpartum weakness and a worsening of her condition are perfectly normal. Who would suspect anything?"

The palace maid gritted her teeth: "Yes, this servant will arrange it immediately."

After the palace maids left, Consort Rou walked to the window, looked in the direction of Tangli Palace, and a cold smile curled at the corner of her mouth.

Shen Qingci.

Do you think that just because His Majesty is protecting you, you can turn things around?

dream.

This harem will ultimately belong to me, Liu Ruyan.

And you...

Just hold onto your bastard child and wait to die.

---

Inside the Tangli Palace, Shen Qingci listened to Jinshu's report with a blank expression on his face.

"Consort Rou bribed Granny Liu and the cleaning maid Xing'er in the small kitchen," Jinshu whispered. "Granny Liu is in charge of brewing medicine, and Xing'er is in charge of relaying messages. They thought I didn't know, but I found out a long time ago."

"Okay." Shen Qingci nodded. "Have them pass on the message."

"Huh?" Jinshu was taken aback. "Your Majesty, what if they poisoned us..."

"They dare not use deadly poison," Shen Qingci said calmly. "Consort Rou is in dire straits herself, so she only dares to make me 'more seriously ill'."

Keep an eye on it and test the medicine before it's served.

If it's chronic and undetectable, keep it; if it's acute and could be fatal immediately, discard it.

Jinshu understood: "Your Majesty intends to... turn the tables on us?"

"Yes." Shen Qingci looked out the window. "Didn't she want me to get seriously ill? Then let her think that I'm about to die."

She paused, then said:

"Tell Granny Liu that I've been coughing up blood badly these past two days and haven't been sleeping well at night. Tell Xing'er that Bao'er seems to have caught a cold and has a slight fever."

Jinshu's eyes lit up: "Your Majesty wants to..."

"Let Consort Rou lower her guard," Shen Qingci sneered. "The more she thinks I'm about to die, the more likely she is to slip up."

"This servant understands!"

After Jinshu left, Shen Qingci walked to the cradle.

Bao'er was awake. When she saw her mother coming over, she grinned with her toothless little mouth and waved her little hand at her.

Shen Qingci's heart instantly melted.

She bent down, gently picked up the child, and kissed his little face.

"Baby," she whispered, "give your mother a little more time."

"Wait until Mother finds out the truth, wait until Mother is ready..."

"Mother will take you away from here."

Go to a place where there are no conspiracies, no schemes, and no harm.

Bao'er seemed to understand, and rubbed her little head against her chest, making satisfied babbling sounds.

Outside the window, the sun is setting.

The golden afterglow streamed into the room, shining on the mother and child, creating a warm and picturesque scene.

But Shen Qingci knew that this warmth was fake.

Just like Nangong Ye's reward, just like Consort Rou's smiling face, just like this magnificent palace—

They are all poison disguised as sugar.

But she won't fall for it again.