Empress Ming let out a bitter, mournful smile. “Do you think I can escape blame? There’s no such thing as a secret that won’t eventually come out. Sooner or later, people will discover the truth about us. You’re the supposed murderer of Empress Dan Zhen—if that’s the case, then in the eyes of others, I’ll be an accomplice.”
“But I didn’t kill Empress Dan Zhen!!”
“Who would believe that?” Empress Ming said coolly. “Not even I believe it.”
“What’s going on? How could it come to this? Those damn medicines of yours—could they really kill someone?” Yang Hao suddenly exploded, furiously shouting at Hun Yuan Zi. If he could, Yang Hao would have torn Hun Yuan Zi straight from his stomach and strangled him.
“I don’t know,” Hun Yuan Zi mumbled. “It’s possible.”
“Possible?” Yang Hao grew even angrier. “Why have you never mentioned this before? Why didn’t you say anything earlier? Why do you always wait until something goes wrong to tell me about all these consequences? Why can’t you warn me beforehand!!”
“I should talk about it? Like hell!” Hun Yuan Zi raised his voice too. “Every medicine has its toxicity. Besides, everyone in this world is just gambling with fate. One second they’re alive, who knows if they’ll still be breathing the next? I’m not a god—how could I possibly foresee everything?”
Yang Hao was stunned. Although he blamed Hun Yuan Zi bitterly, even believing that all this misfortune stemmed from him, he felt even more guilt himself. He clearly understood that Hun Yuan Zi’s words were true. Every medicine, every action, carried both benefits and risks. The final outcome was always decided by fate—humans simply couldn’t control their own destinies.
This time, it seemed Yang Hao had exhausted all his luck.
“Fine. Kill me then.” Yang Hao slumped back down weakly, his voice sounding strange even to himself. “If you think that’s the best thing to do, then just kill me.”
“You admit it—you killed the Emperor?” Empress Ming showed no surprise at Yang Hao’s outburst moments ago. “At last, you’re finally admitting it.”
“I didn’t kill her… at least, I never intended to.” Yang Hao muttered. “No one would be stupid enough to use their own method to commit murder—it’s like telling everyone who the killer is. I never planned to do anything like this. I guess my luck was just really bad.”
“We both had terrible luck,” Empress Ming nodded. She raised her hand, the same delicate hand that had brought Yang Hao indescribable pleasure, and it began to shimmer with a strange, jade-like glow.
This was Empress Ming’s unique martial skill, a finger technique known as “Heavenly Silkworm Finger,” said to originate from ancient sorcery. She had learned it from an ancient, mysterious manual. Few had ever witnessed this technique, but Empress Dan Zhen had once said that if Empress Ming truly intended to kill, only a handful of people within the entire palace would stand a chance against her.
Everyone knew that the Royal Guard and the Royal Swordsmen were stationed inside the palace of Remon Star—experts abounded there. Clearly, Empress Ming belonged among their ranks.
Now, this rarely-seen martial technique shimmered before Yang Hao, her slender fingers poised like orchid blossoms, ready to pierce through his throat at any moment.
“Who’s currently in charge of the palace?” Yang Hao, who had already closed his eyes and braced himself for death, blurted out this question at the last second.
Empress Ming hesitated slightly, almost instinctively replying, “Me… and the Royal Swordsmen.”
“The Swordsmen?” Yang Hao’s eyes flew open. “You mean Wang Tao’s Swordsmen?”
“You know Commander Wang Tao?” The glow between Empress Ming’s fingers dimmed slightly.
“Wang Tao’s Swordsmen were sent by the Empire. How could they end up in charge of the palace?” Yang Hao couldn’t understand. Wang Tao wasn’t even part of the royal family—how could he have gained such power?
“The Swordsmen are nominally the Royal Swordsmen of Remon Star, but in reality, they were sent here by the Empire to monitor the royal family,” Empress Ming sighed, her expression tinged with helplessness. “When Empress Dan Zhen was alive, of course they couldn’t stir up trouble. But now that she’s passed away, they’ve taken advantage of the investigation to seize actual control of Remon Star. Even I have been isolated and can do little anymore.”
“He who benefits the most is the culprit,” Yang Hao’s expression changed rapidly. The deep sense of fatalism he’d felt moments ago vanished, and a courage long suppressed within him began to rise again.
“What are you saying?” Empress Ming sensed the shift in Yang Hao.
In truth, Yang Hao had genuinely accepted his fate before, even thinking that dying at Empress Ming’s hands might not be such a bad end. But just as her fingers were about to strike, Hun Yuan Zi had clearly told him to ask who was really in control of the palace.
This was one of the few genuinely helpful things Hun Yuan Zi had done—perhaps even the most important. This question allowed both Yang Hao and Empress Ming to quickly see through the reality of the situation.
Empress Ming understood the cruelty of political struggle better than Yang Hao did. But the sudden death of her husband had clouded her judgment, preventing her from thinking clearly about the truth. Only now, after Yang Hao’s reminder, did she truly awaken. In this entire matter, neither Yang Hao nor she herself stood to benefit. The real beneficiaries were the Swordsmen. Therefore, Yang Hao had no reason to kill Empress Dan Zhen.
Yang Hao wasn’t stupid. Though he didn’t understand politics well, once he calmed down, he began to grasp the truth of this matter that so directly affected him: “Empress Dan Zhen wasn’t killed by me at all—it must have been the Swordsmen. To gain control of the royal family, they framed me for the Emperor’s murder, then used that to bring you down. Once that’s done, Remon Star would fall completely under the Empire’s control.”
Empress Ming caught on immediately: “For years, the Empire has been buying up massive quantities of special medicinal herbs produced on Remon Star. The resulting trade surplus has become unbearable for them. They’ve tried many times to export technological goods to reverse this imbalance, but they’ve never succeeded. Even their flagship product—aphrodisiacs—has been ruined by you. Therefore, the only way for the Empire to gain control over Remon Star’s resources is to seize power here…”
“Exactly. So Wang Tao and his Swordsmen must have killed Empress Dan Zhen, then framed us. Once both Empress Dan Zhen and you were dead, Remon Star would be left without leadership, and the Swordsmen could easily take control of the royal family.” Suddenly, Yang Hao thought of someone. “Isn’t the headmaster of the Remon Star Advanced Academy the royal heir? Wang Tao is close to him—perhaps they’ll install him as a puppet emperor…”
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage