This silver palace, which shimmered with an unusual glow under the moonlight at night, was naturally unforgettable to Yang Hao. It was here, just a month ago, that he had shared a wild, passionate night with Empress Ming. Yet since then, Yang Hao had never returned, and the empress seemed to have completely forgotten their secret affair, never once sending for him again.
But today, Empress Ming summoned Yang Hao directly to her private chambers without any attempt at discretion, causing his heart to rise to his throat with anxiety.
“Yang Hao!!” As soon as she saw him, the empress cried out, her voice filled with tension. Dressed solemnly today, she wore a strange white flower in her hair, as if mourning something. Her face bore clear traces of tears, undoubtedly shed in solitude just moments before.
“Your Majesty, you sent for me?” Yang Hao was still completely in the dark, unaware of what was happening.
“You’re in grave danger,” Empress Ming dismissed all the attendants and said through gritted teeth.
“Me?” Yang Hao was startled. His first thought was that their secret had been discovered. “Did Empress Danzhen find out about us?”
Seeing that Yang Hao still had no idea what she was talking about, the empress grew furious, her face turning pale with anger as she snapped, “Are you afraid of being found out? You don’t have to worry about that anymore!”
“What do you mean?” Yang Hao had never seen her so agitated. Even during their most intimate moments, she had never lost her noble composure. Now, however, she seemed almost like a furious, raging woman.
“Empress Danzhen is dead. He passed away suddenly last night,” each word from the empress struck Yang Hao like a nail hammering into his heart. “Now, the planet Leimeng has lost its leader and is in chaos.”
“How could this happen?” Yang Hao turned pale with shock. “Empress Danzhen is dead? How? I had just seen him a few days ago.”
“Last night—suddenly, he passed away,” Empress Ming took a deep breath, trying to calm herself slightly. “I thought you might know more about this than I do.”
Yang Hao, completely bewildered, replied, “How would I know anything? Why hasn’t any news about this come out yet? This should be a major event.”
“The royal family is in complete disarray, and I’ve suppressed the news of the emperor’s death,” the empress frowned, her expression filled with sorrow. “Leimeng was once fragmented, and it was Empress Danzhen who unified the entire planet. He was the pillar of the entire world. Without him, who knows what chaos will follow? Even other planets in the star system might be drawn into the turmoil.”
“So you’re keeping the emperor’s death a secret,” Yang Hao, unfamiliar with political intrigue, asked, “But how long can you keep this hidden? People will find out eventually.”
“I have other reasons for keeping this quiet,” the empress suddenly changed. When Yang Hao had first walked in, she had been a grieving, beautiful young widow. Now, she was like an enraged mother cat, sending chills down his spine.
“I just want to ask you one thing,” she stepped toward Yang Hao, not playfully as during their flirtations, but with a deadly, menacing air. “Did you kill Empress Danzhen? Did you?!”
“Me?!” Yang Hao nearly jumped out of his skin. “How could it be me? Why would I do such a thing?”
“Even though the empress distanced himself from me, he was still my husband, the man I revered most,” the empress trembled with pain and rage. “Why did you kill him? Why?!”
“You’re insane!” Yang Hao finally understood what she was implying, and it struck him like a thunderbolt from the heavens, leaving him dazed and confused. “Why would I kill Empress Danzhen? How could I possibly do that? This is absurd!”
“Absurd?” The empress looked as if she wanted to tear him apart with her teeth. “You had no opportunity to kill the emperor, and no one would believe you capable of it. But the truth is, the empress is dead—and somehow, you’re involved. Anyone could easily conclude that you’re the murderer.”
“Involved?” Yang Hao denied it vehemently. “That’s impossible. I’ve been busy at the company these past few days. I haven’t been to the palace since the last time I visited, and many people can confirm that.”
“You don’t have to kill someone with your own hands,” the empress continued relentlessly. “The emperor trusted almost no one, yet he trusted you. And because of that trust, he lost his life.”
“I didn’t kill anyone! Not at all!!” Yang Hao screamed, clenching his fists and shouting at the top of his lungs. He had no idea why the empress was accusing him of the emperor’s death. He knew his own innocence better than anyone. The emperor’s death was no good news for Yang Hao—his entire corporate empire relied heavily on the emperor’s support.
“You didn’t? You didn’t?” The empress repeated eerily, like a vengeful ghost. “Then why did the emperor die from internal bleeding after sleeping with a woman? Why did the royal physicians say he died from an overdose of drugs? And why was the only medicine he took recently your ‘Nine Heavens Ice and Fire Pill’? How do you explain that?”
This barrage of questions stunned Yang Hao. He collapsed into a chair, trembling with fear and losing control of himself. “He… he died from taking medicine.”
“He died from taking your medicine,” the empress corrected coldly. “Not only do the royal physicians believe this, but even my personal doctor agrees. Everyone in the palace knows that the emperor didn’t respond to any other medicine—only yours worked for him.”
Suddenly, tears streamed down the empress’s face. Her regal demeanor vanished, leaving only a fragile, ordinary woman. “The royal swordsmen are already coming for you. I specially ordered the royal guards to bring you here first so you wouldn’t fall into their hands.” Her expression turned cold and emotionless. “I just want to know the truth. If you really did kill the emperor, I won’t hesitate to kill you with my own hands.”
Hearing these desperate words, Yang Hao felt no fear. In fact, he could deeply understand the empress’s grief. If even an outsider like himself felt devastated by the emperor’s sudden death, then the pain and regret the empress must be feeling were unimaginable.
“She’ll die too if she kills you,” suddenly spoke Hunyuanzi, his voice unusually serious and devoid of its usual flippant tone.
“What?” Yang Hao looked up in shock. “Her? She’ll kill me and then herself?”
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