She mistakenly got into the bridal sedan chair and married a sickly but powerful minister, becoming

Consort Ling has always been afraid of the dark. Only when the entire Yanxiang Palace is brightly lit with candles at sunset, leaving no darkness behind, does she feel at ease.

Now, in the entire inner hall of Yanxiang Palace, only a single candle is lit in front of the bed.

The swaying light and shadow gently illuminated the bed.

Prince Yu stood at the entrance of the inner palace, listening to the wailing of the palace servants, staring intently at the bed. He saw Consort Ling lying silently on the bed, the blood on her chin reflecting on her ashen face with a bluish tinge. Even the candlelight in front of the bed could not paint a warm hue on her pale face.

Every time his mother saw him, her radiant face would display a variety of expressions depending on her mood that day, including joy, sorrow, jealousy, and worry, before she would affectionately place her hand on his arm.

Now, one of her hands hangs limply by the bedside, her fingers clutching a rosary.

It was as if she was holding onto her lifelong faith.

She would never again wait at the palace gate, clutching his arm, saying, "Jing'er, you've come."

He used to think that this sentence was superfluous.

He's already here, why ask such a pointless question?

But now, the thought of his mother saying such a superfluous word to him has become a luxury.

why?

There are still 15 minutes left.

Why was he still late?

Prince Yu could not believe this fact and wanted to get closer to see his mother.

He walked step by step to the bedside.

Take another step forward to get closer to your mother.

At this moment, the rosary beads stuck in Consort Ling's finger fell to the ground with a "thud" and rolled to Prince Yu's feet, as if saying to him, "Jing'er, you've come."

Suddenly, Prince Yu's eyes reddened.

The "thud" struck his heart heavily, so dull it was almost suffocating.

Prince Yu stared blankly at the prayer beads at his feet, then at Consort Ling's pale face, and had no choice but to accept this cruel reality.

His hopes were shattered, and his eyes were filled with grief.

"Your Highness, what brings you here?" Hui Chun knelt by the bedside, looking up at Prince Yu, who was covered in blood. Suddenly realizing something, her expression changed drastically: "You've trespassed into the Forbidden City?"

She originally wanted to say that Prince Yu's actions had betrayed Consort Ling's good intentions.

But what's done is done, and nothing we say will change anything.

With tears streaming down her face, Hui Chun choked back sobs as she recounted the matter of Consort Ling: "Madam Ling instructed Xiu Dong to put lily powder and poison in the bird's nest that the Empress was eating. At first, the imperial physicians only diagnosed that the Empress's discomfort was caused by eating the lily powder."

"Afterwards, Her Majesty experienced hemoptysis again, so I hurriedly sent someone to fetch the imperial physician to treat her. However, the palace servant who was sent returned saying that the imperial physicians were all busy and had gone out to make house calls."

“This servant was not willing to give up and went to the Imperial Hospital in person, but I still couldn’t get a physician to treat Her Majesty… If… if a physician had come, Her Majesty would not have passed away a quarter of an hour ago.”

By the end, Huichun broke down in tears.

"A quarter of an hour ago..."

Prince Yu gripped the porcelain bottle tightly, his veins bulging.

When he learned that his mother had been poisoned, he immediately sent the Imperial Attendant to the palace to deliver medicine to her, which was two hours before his mother's death.

At that time, Emperor Jing'an did not see the Grand Tutor, but he felt neither hatred nor resentment.

But he came to the palace gate in person and specifically asked the imperial guards to report the situation to Emperor Jing'an.

As long as Emperor Jing'an still has a shred of affection for them, mother and son, and allows him to enter the palace to deliver medicine, he can save his mother in time.

But Emperor Jing'an did not waver in his resolve.

They forced him to trespass into the Forbidden City.

In the end, it was still too late.

All of this was caused by Emperor Jing'an.

It was Emperor Jing'an who killed his mother.

Emperor Jing'an prided himself on seeing through the ambitious nature of the mother and son, their lack of tolerance, and their ruthless pursuit of their goals. But did Emperor Jing'an ever consider that, if pushed to the brink, given his cruel nature, they might rebel?

Or did Emperor Jing'an anticipate all of this, and thus disregard his mother's life and death, using her as bait to lure him into a trap?

Kill two birds with one stone, completely eliminating the mother and son.

From now on, Emperor Jing'an and the Third Prince can rest easy?

Prince Yu's eyes were sinister, and hatred raged in his chest.

At this moment, a series of hurried footsteps came from outside Yanxiang Palace, accompanied by the clanging of armor and weapons.

Prince Yu turned his head and saw that the Imperial Guards had surrounded Yanxiang Palace in layers.

The commander of the Imperial Guards shouted from outside, "Surrender and you will not be killed."

Upon hearing the words of the Imperial Guard Commander, Prince Yu's face tightened.

While waiting at the Prince's residence for the Grand Tutor to deliver medicine to the palace, he prepared for the worst.

If Emperor Jing'an disregards their relationship and refuses permission for the Chamberlain or for him to enter the palace to deliver medicine to his mother, he will surely try to trespass into the Forbidden City.

Given Emperor Jing'an's attitude towards them, he would have assumed they were plotting a rebellion the moment he trespassed into the Forbidden City.

He was unwilling to take that step unless absolutely necessary.

Because he knew very well that in order to increase the chances of success in the rebellion, in addition to meticulous planning, it was even more important to seize the opportunity.

Now that Emperor Jing'an is wary of them, he will surely take precautions, so this is not the right time to rebel.

He originally planned to take things slowly and wait until the third prince was about to ascend the throne before seizing it back.

But now...

Prince Yu stared at the Imperial Guards, his eyes filled with a fierce look.

Before entering the palace, he had made two preparations and meticulously arranged everything.

If he did not give a signal half an hour after entering the Forbidden City, his subordinates who were waiting in place would split into four groups and act according to his instructions in the letter.

One group of men controlled the palace gates to prevent reinforcements.

One group of people took control of the palace armory.

One force stormed into the Taiji Palace, taking the emperor hostage to command the feudal lords.

The last group of people captured the Third Prince and took him to Yanxiang Palace.

In addition, he also set up two ambushes in the palace.

"Your Highness, please repent and turn back from your wrong path. His Majesty, out of consideration for the bond between father and son, will give you a chance to reform and will not pursue your crime of trespassing into the Forbidden City today." The commander of the Imperial Guards advised Prince Yu: "If you remain obstinate, even if His Majesty can tolerate you, this world will not tolerate a traitor who murders his father and usurps the throne."

"Give me a chance?" Prince Yu sneered. "Is it stripping me of my title and imprisoning me, or exiling me to a distant land?"

What difference is there between this and death for him?

There was no turning back when he trespassed into the Forbidden City.

The commander of the Imperial Guards led his troops into Yanxiang Palace.

The guards rushed to protect Prince Yu.

The atmosphere inside the hall instantly became tense and hostile.

The commander of the Imperial Guards was about to give the order for the Imperial Guards to kill the rebels on the spot and capture Prince Yu.

Just then, a series of messy, heavy footsteps sounded.

The commander of the Imperial Guards turned his head and saw a guard carrying the Third Prince towards them.

The commander of the Imperial Guards' expression changed drastically. He dared not order the killing of the rebels, nor did he dare stop the guards. He could only watch helplessly as the guards restrained the Third Prince and walked to Prince Yu's side.

After all, Emperor Jing'an wanted to make the Third Prince the Crown Prince, and he was afraid that if he gave the order, the Third Prince would be beheaded.

Just as the commander of the Imperial Guards was about to send someone to inform Emperor Jing'an, he heard Prince Yu speak up: "Send a message to the Emperor, asking him to come to Yanxiang Palace. If he is not here within two quarters of an hour, the Third Prince's head will appear before him."

The commander of the Imperial Guards dared not delay and immediately sent someone to deliver a message to Emperor Jing'an.

The Third Prince's already pale face grew even paler.

After Emperor Jing'an rejected Prince Yu's request today, he lost interest in discussing national policies and went to the Wenyuan Pavilion to discuss state affairs with his ministers.

He knew in his heart that Prince Yu was a madman at heart, and the only person he cared about was Consort Ling.

Now that news of Consort Ling's serious illness has reached Prince Yu's ears, he will surely try every means to enter the palace. However, the Forbidden Palace is not a place that Prince Yu can enter at will; the only way is to trespass into the Forbidden Palace.

He was in the Taiji Hall, reading Laozi while waiting for news of Prince Yu's unauthorized trespassing into the Forbidden City.

As expected, Prince Yu broke in.

However, he was waiting for news of Emperor Jing'an capturing Prince Yu, but instead he was met with several poison pipes, which forced him out of the Taiji Hall and into the hands of Prince Yu's men, who took him to Yanxiang Palace.

"You will not succeed." The Third Prince was filled with anxiety, but he forced himself to say, "Father has been prepared for this for a long time. You are destined to fail. For the sake of you being my brother, I advise you to pull back from the brink. It's not too late."

Prince Yu smirked and said mockingly, "Instead of worrying about my fate, you should think about how you'll die first."

The Third Prince's heart leaped into his throat when he saw the chilling murderous intent in Prince Yu's eyes.

Suddenly, the Third Prince caught a glimpse of the dead Consort Ling out of the corner of his eye. He was slightly surprised, but then a sense of pleasure welled up inside him.

The great revenge for his mother has been achieved.

At the same time, he also understood where Prince Yu's intense hatred came from.

He felt both exhilarated and terrified that he would not escape death.

The Third Prince secretly prayed that Emperor Jing'an could quickly eliminate the rebels and rescue him from Prince Yu's clutches.

"Protecting the Emperor——"

Just then, a rough voice rang out.

The commander of the Imperial Guards had a menacing look in his eyes. He led a group of Imperial Guards to the scene, only to see rebels emerging from all directions, a vast and menacing sight, like a thousand troops pressing in.

The longswords in their hands carried a sharp killing intent as they fiercely thrust them toward Emperor Jing'an.

The commander of the Imperial Guards reacted swiftly, leaping forward to stand in front of Emperor Jing'an, and a fierce battle ensued.

However, these rebels were all highly skilled and ruthless.

Their target was Emperor Jing'an, and they employed a human wave tactic, advancing relentlessly towards him.

Suddenly, a cold arrow pierced the air and aimed directly at Emperor Jing'an's forehead.

Emperor Jing'an broke out in a cold sweat, fell off his palanquin, and had not yet regained his footing.

A flash of silver light appeared, and with a "thud," a spear gleaming with a chilling light pierced his shoulder.

Emperor Jing'an cried out in pain and rolled over on the ground.

Suddenly, his eyes widened.

Several rebel soldiers thrust their spears forward swiftly.

Emperor Jing'an tried to dodge, but found his back pressed against a cold wall, with nowhere to retreat.

They could only watch helplessly as the spear pierced down.

"what--"

With a scream, Eunuch Cao collapsed onto Emperor Jing'an.

Emperor Jing'an stared blankly at the back of Eunuch Cao, which was riddled with holes.

-

Meanwhile, Prince Yu heard Emperor Jing'an's screams, which meant he had victory in his grasp.

The troops he sent elsewhere were all a smokescreen.

The real trap prepared for Emperor Jing'an was on his inevitable route to Yanxiang Palace.

If it weren't for the need to use the Third Prince as bait to lure Emperor Jing'an to Yanxiang Palace.

He had already taken the Third Prince's head.

Prince Yu was convinced that Emperor Jing'an could not escape this calamity, so he drew the sword from the waist of the guard beside him.

The guards, with keen insight, forced the Third Prince to kneel at Prince Yu's feet.

Prince Yu thrust his long sword fiercely at the Third Prince.

The third prince cried out "Ah!" and closed his eyes in fright.

I felt a sharp pain in my cheek, and then warm blood flowed down.

He opened his eyes and saw only a strand of hair falling to the ground.

The Third Prince's heart was in his throat, and he didn't dare to breathe.

Because he heard his father's screams, he feared that the worst was yet to come.

When Prince Yu saw the Third Prince's cowardly and afraid-to-die attitude, his hatred did not diminish in the slightest.

Despair filled the Third Prince's eyes: "Your Majesty..."

A cold, longsword was pressed against his throat.

If he's pushed forward even slightly, he'll be bleeding profusely on the spot.

The third prince dared not move an inch.

Suddenly, Prince Yu moved his hand.

"Wait a minute."

At that moment, a voice came from outside the hall.

Prince Yu suddenly turned his head and saw a majestic and imposing army escorting Emperor Jing'an.

The dragon robe worn by Emperor Jing'an was stained red with blood, which only accentuated his imposing presence, making him someone people dared not look directly at.

"How dare you murder your father and usurp the throne!" Emperor Jing'an's gaze was deep and imposing, exuding an aura of authority even without anger. "In the century-long history of the Great Zhou Dynasty, from the founding emperors down, there has never been such a precedent. Today, you have set a precedent for us."

As early as after Tan Rui went to Prince Yu's residence, he secretly deployed troops to hide in the Forbidden City to prevent Prince Yu and his mother from colluding with him to force him to abdicate.

In addition, he also changed the locations of all 36 originally set up duty points.

Unexpectedly, Prince Yu had connections that extended far and wide, and his influence had even penetrated the inner court.

If Prince Yu is allowed to remain in hiding until a good opportunity arises, replacing him would be an easy task.

Emperor Jing'an felt a chill run down his spine just from thinking about it.

Prince Yu's coup attempt today, though unplanned, almost succeeded simply by setting up an ambush.

He had just heard the news of Prince Yu's coup at Wenyuan Pavilion and quickly commanded the Twenty-Six Guards to kill the rebels.

When he arrived at Taiji Hall, he received a message from the Imperial Guards: "Your Majesty, Prince Yu has captured the Third Prince. He wants you to go to Yanxiang Palace. If you do not arrive at Yanxiang Palace within two quarters of an hour, he will kill the Third Prince."

Emperor Jing'an was not a fool. If Prince Yu wanted to force the emperor to abdicate, he had to kill him.

The fact that they went to such great lengths to lure him to Yanxiang Palace must mean they wanted to take his life.

There's either an ambush on the road.

Either Yanxiang Palace has laid a trap.

He reasoned that with Prince Yu's military strength, he should not be a threat, so he led several hundred personal guards to Yanxiang Palace.

As expected, Prince Yu set up an ambush on the only route to Yanxiang Palace.

There were several hundred people.

If he hadn't suspected Prince Yu's power, which had not only infiltrated the Forbidden City but also the Beijing Garrison, and if the reinforcements sent from the provinces hadn't arrived, he probably would have been doomed.

"Why have I come to this point?" Prince Yu sneered. "Don't you know?"