Killer Queen: Tyrant, prepare to die!

Chapter 47 The Poisonous Concubine Confesses in the Cold Palace: It Was the Liu Family Who Instigated Me to Kill the Prince!

The 29th day of the first lunar month, midnight.

In the dungeon of the Imperial Prison, Hongxiao was tied to a rack, her body covered in blood.

She couldn't remember how long she had been interrogated. Whips, branding irons, clamps... all sorts of torture instruments were used in turn, and she felt like she was about to die.

"Speak!" The eunuch from the Censorate grabbed her chin. "Who ordered you to poison Prince Chen?"

Hongxiao opened her mouth, making a hoarse sound in her throat, but she couldn't utter a complete sentence.

The eunuch released his grip and said to Xuan Ying beside him, "Lord Xuan Ying, this woman is very stubborn. We've been beating her all night, but she just won't give in."

Xuan Ying stood in the shadows, dressed in black, his face obscured. Only his eyes shone eerily in the dim candlelight.

He walked up to Hongxiao, his voice calm: "What benefits did the Liu family promise you? Money? Status? Or... the lives of your family?"

Hongxiao suddenly looked up, a hint of fear flashing in her eyes.

Xuan Ying caught this emotion.

"Your parents run a small embroidery shop in Jiangnan, right?" he said slowly. "You also have a younger brother who is twelve years old and studying at a private school. The day you were bought by the Liu family, they gave your parents one hundred taels of silver, saying they would send you to the palace to enjoy a life of luxury."

Hongxiao's tears flowed down her cheeks.

"Before you entered the palace, Prime Minister Liu met with you personally and said that if things succeeded, he would guarantee you a title of imperial concubine and ensure your family's wealth and honor. But if you failed... your younger brother will 'accidentally' fall into the water and die next spring."

Xuan Ying's voice was soft, yet it pierced Hong Xiao's heart like a knife.

"No...don't..." she finally managed to utter, her voice hoarse like a broken gong, "Don't touch my brother..."

"Then tell the truth." Xuan Ying looked at her. "Who ordered you to do this? Liu Ruyan? Liu Chengzong? Or... someone else from the Liu family?"

Hongxiao closed her eyes, tears mixed with blood flowing down her face.

She knew she was finished.

The Liu family won't save her, His Majesty won't spare her, and Shen Qingci... certainly won't let her go.

"It was...it was Consort Liu..." she finally spoke, her voice broken and intermittent, "She...she had Chunxing give me poison, saying...saying that as long as Prince Chen died, His Majesty would forget Tangli Palace, and would...would favor her again..."

Xuan Ying's eyes sharpened: "Where did the poison come from?"

"Chunxing said it was given to her by Prime Minister Liu... a rare poison from the Western Regions, called... called Nightmare Powder..."

"Does Prime Minister Liu know about this?"

"I...I know..." Hongxiao's voice trailed off, "He said...that if it succeeded, he would guarantee me a title of imperial concubine...but if it failed...then..."

She didn't finish speaking, but Xuan Ying understood.

He turned to the eunuch of the Censorate and said, "Have her sign it."

"Yes."

The confession was quickly written, and Hongxiao pressed her fingerprint on it with trembling hands.

Before the ink was even dry, Xuan Ying had already taken the confession and disappeared into the night.

---

The Hall of Mental Cultivation.

Nangong Ye sat on the dragon throne, looking at the confession in his hand, his face terribly gloomy.

The candlelight flickered, illuminating his cold profile.

"Liu Ruyan..." he murmured the name, each word seemingly squeezed out from between his teeth, "Liu Chengzong..."

Xuan Ying knelt below: "Your Majesty, Hong Xiao has confessed. We have both witnesses and physical evidence, the Liu family..."

"That's not enough," Nangong Ye interrupted him. "Hongxiao recruited Liu Ruyan, not Liu Chengzong. Chunxing said it was the poison given by Prime Minister Liu, but where is Chunxing?"

"Chunxing... has disappeared." Xuan Ying lowered his head. "When I sent someone to the Cold Palace, she was already gone. The eunuch guarding the gate said that a carriage took her away an hour ago."

"As expected." Nangong Ye sneered, "Sacrificing the pawn to save the king. That old fox Liu Chengzong had already prepared a backup plan."

He stood up and walked to the window.

Outside the window, the night was deep.

"Your Majesty," Xuan Ying asked, "Should we arrest Consort Liu?"

"Arrest him." Nangong Ye turned around, a hint of murderous intent flashing in his eyes. "But no need for interrogation. Place him under house arrest immediately. No one is allowed to enter or leave without my decree."

"Yes."

"Furthermore," Nangong Ye paused, "investigate the Liu family's businesses in Jiangnan. Salt, tea, silk... find out everything about these highly profitable industries. I want to see just how much this old fox has embezzled."

"I obey your decree."

Xuan Ying withdrew.

Nangong Ye stood alone in the hall, looking at the confession in his hand, remaining silent for a long time.

He recalled a similar testimony from years ago—the palace maid Chuntao testified that Shen Qingci had used witchcraft to curse him, and the evidence was irrefutable.

He believed it.

Then, she was deposed, her family property was confiscated, and she was banished to the cold palace.

Looking back now... how ridiculous.

"Wang Dequan," he called out.

Eunuch Wang hurriedly entered: "Your Majesty."

"Go to Tangli Palace," Nangong Ye said. "Tell Shen Qingci... Hongxiao has confessed. I will severely punish those who harmed Bao'er."

Eunuch Wang hesitated for a moment: "Your Majesty, should we... go in person?"

Nangong Ye fell silent.

He wanted to go.

I want to go see how Bao'er is doing, I want to go see her...

But he dared not.

I couldn't bear to look into her eyes.

Those eyes, once brimming with tenderness, are now nothing but coldness.

"I'm not going," he finally said. "Just pass on my message."

"Yes."

Eunuch Wang withdrew.

Nangong Ye sat back on the dragon throne and closed his eyes.

In my mind, Bao'er's little face appeared—it looked like him, and it looked like her too.

If Bao'er really died...

If Shen Qingci really died in the Cold Palace...

He dared not think.

"Your Majesty," Xuan Ying returned, his expression grave, "we have just received news that Liu Chengzong... has entered the palace overnight."

Nangong Ye opened his eyes, a cold glint flashing in them: "What's he doing here?"

"He said it was to apologize."

"Apologize?" Nangong Ye sneered. "Summon him."

---

Half an hour later, Liu Chengzong walked in shakily, knelt down as soon as he entered, and tears streamed down his face:

"Your Majesty! This old minister has failed in his duty to educate his daughter; he deserves to die!"

Nangong Ye watched his performance, expressionless: "What is the meaning of this, Prime Minister Liu?"

"This old minister has just learned that my daughter, Ruyan... she... she actually instructed Consort Hong to plot against Prince Chen!" Liu Chengzong kowtowed repeatedly, "This old minister failed in his duty of discipline, causing this calamity. I beg Your Majesty to punish me!"

"Oh?" Nangong Ye raised an eyebrow. "Does Prime Minister Liu mean that... you were unaware of this matter?"

"This old minister knows absolutely nothing about it!" Liu Chengzong vehemently denied it. "That child, Ruyan, has been somewhat... delirious ever since she was sent to the Cold Palace. She must have been misled to do such a foolish thing! Your Majesty, please be wise!"

What a blatant case of being out of one's mind.

What a convenient example of being easily misled.

Looking at Liu Chengzong kneeling on the ground, Nangong Ye suddenly felt nauseous.

This man, a high-ranking official with disciples all over the world, was willing to sacrifice even his own daughter for power.

"In that case," he said slowly, "Consort Liu shall remain under house arrest. As for you, Prime Minister Liu..."

He paused, looking at Liu Chengzong's back, which had instantly tensed:

"For failing to properly educate his daughter, he shall be fined one year's salary. In addition... I have heard that the Liu family owns several salt fields in Jiangnan, but their tax collection has not been very efficient in recent years. Prime Minister Liu is getting old, so let the court manage these businesses."

Liu Chengzong suddenly looked up, his face deathly pale.

saltworks!

That was the Liu family's most profitable business! It brought in over a million taels of silver a year!

"Your Majesty..." his voice trembled, "those salt fields..."

"What?" Nangong Ye interrupted him, "Does Prime Minister Liu have any objections?"

Looking into the emperor's cold eyes, Liu Chengzong suddenly understood.

This is not a matter for discussion.

It is punishment.

This is a warning.

"This old minister... obeys the decree." He lowered his head, each word seeming to drip blood.

"Step down."

Liu Chengzong rose shakily and withdrew.

His hunched back made him look ten years older in an instant.

Nangong Ye watched him leave, without a trace of pity in his eyes.

This is just the beginning.

---

The Cold Palace.

When Liu Ruyan heard the news that Hongxiao had been arrested, she was talking to herself while facing the wall.

"Is he dead?" she asked Chunxing—actually, it was just air; Chunxing had already been taken away by the Liu family. "Is that bastard dead?"

No one answered.

She didn't care and continued talking to herself, "It's good that he's dead... If he's dead, His Majesty will be mine... He'll be mine..."

Just then, the sound of a lock being opened came from outside.

The door opened, and several eunuchs walked in.

"Consort Liu," the head eunuch said expressionlessly, "His Majesty has decreed that you have instigated others to plot against the imperial heir during your confinement, a crime punishable by double. From today onwards, your guard will be tightened, and no one is allowed to visit you."

Liu Ruyan froze for a moment, then lunged forward frantically: "No! I want to see His Majesty! I want to see His Majesty! Shen Qingci ruined me! She ruined me!"

The eunuch kicked her away: "Take her away."

Two burly old women stepped forward, one on each side, and dragged her back to the innermost room of the Cold Palace.

The door slammed shut and locked.

Liu Ruyan pressed herself against the door, pounding on it desperately: "Let me out! I'm the Imperial Concubine! I'm His Majesty's most beloved Imperial Concubine! You dare lock me up! His Majesty will not let you get away with this!"

Outside the door, the eunuch sneered, "A concubine, huh? She's not even a commoner anymore. Just wait, once His Majesty investigates, she might not even be able to save her life."

The footsteps faded into the distance.

Liu Ruyan slumped to the ground, staring blankly at her surroundings.

This room was more dilapidated and colder than the previous one.

There were spider webs in the corner, mouse holes in the ground, and the window paper was torn, letting in a cold wind.

She suddenly remembered that it was also a winter like this back then, when she sent Shen Qingci to the Cold Palace.

At that moment, she thought: That bitch will never be able to turn her life around.

But now?

Shen Qingci gave birth to a prince and returned to Tangli Palace. His Majesty stood outside her palace every night.

And she herself...

He became a prisoner.

"No...it shouldn't be like this..." she murmured to herself, "It shouldn't be like this..."

She scrambled to her feet, rushed to the window, and cried out, "Dad! Brother! Help me! Help me!"

No one responded.

Only the sound of the wind.

Liu Ruyan slowly slid down to the ground, her eyes gradually becoming unfocused.

She thought of Hongxiao.

The beauty she personally sent to the palace.

Now, shouldn't he be being punished in the Department of Punishment?

Will they betray her?

Will they implicate the Liu family?

"No..." She shook her head desperately, "Father will save me... He definitely will..."

But inside, a voice was saying:

Your father... has already given up on you.

From the day you were banished to the cold palace, you were already a discarded pawn.

"No—" she covered her ears and screamed.

The sound echoed in the empty, desolate palace, mournful as a ghost's wail.

Meanwhile, in the Tangli Palace.

Shen Qingci held Bao'er, who had "recovered," in her arms, standing by the window and looking in the direction of the Cold Palace.

Jinshu whispered, "Your Majesty, this time, Consort Liu... I'm afraid she won't be able to recover."

"Can't turn things around?" Shen Qingci sneered. "This is nothing."

She lowered her head and kissed Bao'er's forehead.

"Bao'er, just you wait," she whispered. "None of those who harmed us will escape."

"Mother will make them...pay the price."

The moonlight outside the window was still bright.

But the bloodshed within the palace had only just begun.