Killer Queen: Tyrant, prepare to die!

Chapter 92 The Tyrant's Heart Trembles at the Sight of the Portrait! Xuan Ying's Secret Report: The Old Servant Beside Her is Li Dequan

March 6th.

Yin hour (3-5 AM).

The lights in the Hall of Mental Cultivation stayed on all night.

Xuan Ying knelt three steps in front of the imperial desk.

His voice was extremely low, yet every word was clear:

"The old servant beside Lady Yehuang was hunched over, walked slowly, and was missing a finger on his right hand—a feature that matched that of Li Dequan, the chief eunuch of the Cold Palace back then."

"Li Dequan..." Nangong Ye slowly repeated the name.

More than two years ago.

After the fire in the Cold Palace.

Li Dequan then disappeared.

The palace records state that he "died for his master".

But the body was never found.

"Are you sure?" Nangong Ye looked up.

"My subordinates secretly compared the portrait from back then." Xuan Ying handed over a yellowed scroll. "The bone structure, physique, gait... are 90% similar."

Nangong Ye unfurled the scroll.

The paper depicts a hunched old eunuch.

Eyebrows and eyes lowered.

The right hand is missing its ring finger.

That was when Li Dequan was injured while testing poison during the reign of the late Empress Dowager.

"Why is he by Ye Huang's side?" Nangong Ye stared at the portrait.

"Your subordinate speculates..." Xuan Ying paused, "Li Dequan was a confidant of the late Empress Dowager, and Lady Yehuang possessed the late Empress Dowager's last will and testament. Perhaps... the late Empress Dowager ordered him to protect Lady Yehuang before her death."

protection.

Nangong Ye gripped the scroll tightly.

The late Empress Dowager did indeed hold his hand and say this on her deathbed:

"Ye'er, the daughter of the Shen family... I chose her for you. If she is in trouble, Li Dequan will protect her..."

But at that time...

"And another thing," Xuan Ying continued, "Lady Yehuang's guard leader is named 'Blood Blade,' a retired veteran from the Northern Border. He should have died in that ambush three years ago. The people who saved him... were the Shen family's caravan."

Shen family.

It's the Shen family again.

Nangong Ye closed his eyes.

"Go on."

"Lady Yehuang is accompanied by more than thirty black-clad guards, who are well-trained and well-equipped. The hidden weapons and smoke bombs they use are quite different in style from those made in the military."

"Different styles?"

"More sophisticated, more deadly," Xuan Ying said gravely. "It's like... designed specifically for killing."

Specifically for killing.

Nangong Ye felt a chill run down his spine.

"Why would a widowed merchant need such guards?"

Xuan Ying remained silent.

This is the problem.

He couldn't answer.

Chen Shi (7-9 AM).

Nangong Ye summoned the court painters.

"I want a portrait of Lady Yehuang."

The painter said tremblingly, "Your Majesty, that lady did not enter the palace today, and I was unable to see her face..."

"Then let's go to Phoenix Perch Villa," Nangong Ye said coldly. "Just tell them... I need to prepare seats for the palace banquet and know the proper etiquette for the guests."

"Yes, yes!"

The artist left in a hurry.

Two hours later.

The portrait is presented.

The woman on the drawing paper...

She was wearing a veil.

Only his eyes were visible.

Her eyebrows and eyes were long and slender.

The corners of her eyes are slightly upturned.

His gaze was calm.

But it seems to be hiding ice.

"Why are you wearing a mask?" Nangong Ye asked.

"Your Majesty, the lady said... she has an ailment on her face and cannot show it to others." The painter bowed his head. "But I have done my best to depict her figure and demeanor."

Nangong Ye stared into those eyes.

suddenly.

My heart clenched suddenly.

That look in his eyes...

He had seen it.

More than two years ago.

The night the Cold Palace caught fire.

She stood in the sea of ​​fire, holding her child.

Look back at him.

That's the look in her eyes.

Icy.

despair.

And... hatred.

"Your Majesty?" the painter called out cautiously.

Nangong Ye came to his senses.

"You may leave."

"Yes."

After the artist left.

Nangong Ye sat alone in the hall.

Looking at those eyes in the portrait.

The more I look at it...

The pain in my chest is getting worse.

It's like there's a needle.

Repeatedly stab the softest spot in the heart.

"Why..." he murmured, "Why does it hurt?"

afternoon.

Nangong Ye suddenly stood up.

"Go to the Imperial Hospital."

Xuan Ying was taken aback: "Your Majesty's health..."

"I need to check the archives."

Imperial Medical Academy.

A warehouse for storing medical records from previous years.

Nangong Ye stood in front of a row of wooden frames.

"Records of pulse diagnosis for Empress Shen from early March to June of the sixth year of Jinghe."

The abbot hurriedly searched for it.

Half an incense stick later.

Three booklets are presented.

Nangong Ye opened the first book.

March 9th, the sixth year of Jinghe.

Empress Shen, the deposed empress, had a smooth and rapid pulse, like pearls rolling on a plate. She was three months pregnant, and the fetal heartbeat was strong.

Imperial Physician: Chen Jizhou.

The second book.

April fifteen.

Ms. Shen is physically weak and her pregnancy is unstable. A prescription to stabilize the pregnancy is given: Angelica sinensis, Paeonia lactiflora, Ligusticum chuanxiong…

Imperial Physician: Chen Jizhou.

The third book.

June 23rd.

Shen was poisoned (suspected to be Zhu Yan who died), and the fetus was affected, so it is feared that it may not survive.

Imperial Physician: Chen Jizhou (Note: This record is not in the official archives; it is a private record.)

Zhu Yan died.

Nangong Ye's pupils suddenly contracted.

This poison...

He remembers.

The Secret Poison of Xiling.

Colorless and odorless.

The poisoned person's complexion gradually fades, resembling an aging face, hence the name "Zhu Yan Mo" (meaning "the death of a rosy-cheeked person").

Who in the palace has the poison from Xiling?

"Where is Chen Jizhou?" he asked, his voice strained.

The imperial physician's voice trembled: "Imperial Physician Chen... retired and returned to his hometown three years ago. It is said... he went back to his hometown in Jiangnan."

Jiangnan.

Night Phoenix.

Nangong Ye held the private notebook in his hand.

The knuckles are turning white.

"Your Majesty..." Xuan Ying asked in a low voice, "Should we summon Imperial Physician Chen to the capital?"

"Find him." Nangong Ye said, enunciating each word clearly. "We'll dig three feet into the ground if we have to."

"Yes."

When the news reached Huayang Palace, Liu Ruyan was doing her hair and makeup.

"His Majesty went to the Imperial Hospital?" Her hand trembled, and the gold hairpin scratched her cheek.

Blood beads seeped out.

"Yes... I heard they went to investigate the case of the deposed Empress Shen."

Liu Ruyan's face turned deathly pale.

That bottle of "Rouge Fades"...

She asked her father to get it from Xiling.

She bribed the imperial physician to put the poison in Shen Qingci's food.

She wanted that bitch to die... silently.

"No..." she jumped up abruptly, "I need to see my father!"

"Your Majesty, you are now under house arrest..."

"So what if I'm confined?!" Liu Ruyan shrieked. "Am I supposed to just sit here and wait to die?!"

She pushed the palace maid away.

They rushed out like madmen.

We just arrived at the palace gate.

They were stopped by the Imperial Guards.

"Please return, talented person."

"Get out of the way! I need to see His Majesty! I need to see my father!"

"His Majesty has decreed that no one is allowed to enter or leave Huayang Palace."

Liu Ruyan collapsed to the ground.

It’s over.

His Majesty has begun the investigation.

Those old grievances...

Those things that can't be brought to light...

"Father..." she murmured, "Save me..."

Hai hour (9-11 PM).

Nangong Ye was still looking at the portrait.

The candlelight flickered.

The reflection made the woman's eyes in the painting appear to flicker between light and shadow.

It's like they're talking.

"Your Majesty," Xuan Ying appeared silently, "Imperial Physician Chen... has been found."

"Where?"

"Hangzhou. But..." Xuan Ying paused, "When our people arrived, he had just died of a 'sudden illness.' His house was burned down, and all medical records...were completely destroyed."

Everything is ruined.

Nangong Ye smiled.

His smile was chilling.

"Good tactic."

"Your Majesty, there is one more thing."

Xuan Ying lowered his voice.

"Liu Chengming secretly met with a sorcerer from Xiling today. That person... entered a dark alley near the Phoenix Perch Villa."

Sorcerer.

Xiling.

Nangong Ye's eyes sharpened.

"What is he going to do?"

"I don't know," Xuan Ying said, bowing his head. "But the sorcerer always carries a pottery jar, and inside... there are signs of life."

Living things.

Gu worm.

Nangong Ye suddenly stood up.

"Go to Phoenix Perch Villa."

"Now?"

child time.

The Phoenix Perch Villa was quiet.

Nangong Ye, dressed in casual clothes, stood in the shadows.

Looking at that tightly closed door.

Several lights were on inside.

One of them is in the east wing on the second floor—according to Xuan Ying, that's Ye Huang's bedroom.

"Is she asleep?" Nangong Ye asked.

"That should be it," Xuan Ying said. "The lights were on an hour ago."

Nangong Ye remained silent.

He just stood there.

Looking at that window.

It's like trying to see through a window to see the person inside.

suddenly.

A figure flickered inside the window.

Someone walked to the window.

Open the window.

It was a woman.

She had long, flowing hair.

Wearing a plain white undergarment.

She looked up at the moon.

Her profile was clearly visible in the moonlight.

Nangong Ye's breath hitched.

That profile...

That curve...

"Qing..." He choked up.

The woman inside the window seemed to sense something.

I turned my head to look in his direction.

His gaze was calm.

Yet it is as sharp as a knife.

Nangong Ye subconsciously took a step back.

They hid in deeper shadows.

When I looked up again.

The window is closed.

The lights went out.

---

On the way back to the palace.

Nangong Ye remained silent.

Xuan Ying followed behind, not daring to speak.

Until they reached the palace gate.

Nangong Ye suddenly spoke:

"Mysterious Shadow".

"Your subject is here."

"You said..." his voice was low and hoarse, "Is it possible for a dead person... to still be alive?"

Xuan Ying's heart skipped a beat.

"His Majesty……"

"I was just asking." Nangong Ye chuckled self-deprecatingly. "Perhaps I've... gone mad."

He walked through the palace gates.

His silhouette stretched long under the palace lanterns.

alone.

And yet, it was lonely.

Xuan Ying stood still.

Looking at the emperor's back.

for a long time.

murmured to himself:

"Your Majesty, you're not crazy."

"only……"

"The debts owed should be repaid."

---

The Hall of Mental Cultivation.

Nangong Ye lay on the dragon bed.

Tossing and turning.

I closed my eyes.

It was those eyes.

The curve of that profile.

and also……

A strange pain in my heart.

"Qingci..."

He murmured.

"If it really is you..."

"I should..."

"What are we going to do with you?"

[Next Chapter Preview: A fleeting glimpse on the Imperial Street! Nangong Ye chases after the carriage, Ye Huang lifts the curtain: Tyrant, did you recognize me?]