The mistress has no feelings, why do you provoke her?

Inside the Qiankun Palace, a stifling and deathly silence prevailed.

Emperor Wen lay weakly on his dragon bed, looking emaciated.

His face was as pale as withered autumn leaves, devoid of any life.

The lips were bluish-gray, clearly a sign of poisoning.

Suddenly, Emperor Wen coughed violently, and then spat out a mouthful of black blood to the side.

The emperor, who should have been the supreme ruler, didn't even have a single palace servant by his side.

Footsteps echoed inside the palace, and the Empress, adorned with jewels, entered.

"Your Majesty, it's time for your medicine." The Empress personally carried a bowl of steaming hot medicine to the Emperor's bedside.

With a slight smile on her face, she scooped up a spoonful of medicine with a silver spoon and gently brought it to Emperor Wen's lips.

However, Emperor Wen seemed to have seen something repulsive and abruptly turned his head away.

The spoonful of medicine spilled out instantly, splashing onto the bedding.

The Empress's smile froze instantly, and her eyes revealed a chilling coldness.

He then slowly placed the medicine bowl on a small table beside him, his gentle gaze instantly turning icy cold.

"Your Majesty, why are you doing this?" The Empress's voice was still gentle, but it carried a hint of threat: "If you don't take your medicine on time, how can this illness be cured?"

"I have treated you and your son well, so why, why do you treat me like this?" Emperor Wen looked at the Empress's beautiful yet unfamiliar face, and his anger erupted like a volcano.

He roared hoarsely, his body thrashing violently with such agitation that the chains on his wrists and ankles rattled as they were pulled.

The chains bound his hands and feet, and now, let alone leaving this room, even getting out of bed has become a luxury for him.

Emperor Wen never imagined that the Empress would poison him by putting poison in his food.

Even his loyal eunuch, Fu, became the Empress's man.

He didn't even know when Eunuch Fu betrayed him.

That's why the empress had an opportunity to take advantage of the situation.

"Your Majesty, you are the greedy one." The Empress's voice suddenly became sharp: "You have been occupying the throne and refusing to give it up. Although you have appointed a Crown Prince, there are rumors in the court that you have the intention to depose him. All of this is because you have been too fond of the Prince of Chu."

"If you had even the slightest favoritism towards the Crown Prince, would you have gotten this far?"

Emperor Wen's eyes widened in anger, and he shouted, "This is utter nonsense! I have never had the intention of deposing the Crown Prince. If I wanted to make the Prince of Chu the Crown Prince, I would not have made Yin'er the Crown Prince in the first place."

"My favoritism towards the Prince of Chu's residence is simply to make him willingly serve the Crown Prince. Why, why can't you see my good intentions..."

Emperor Wen's eyes were filled with sorrow and resentment, and his voice trembled as if he had used up all his strength.

He had always thought his plan was flawless, capable of both getting Xiao Ji to serve the court and securing the crown prince's position, but now he had ended up in such a predicament.

At this point, Emperor Wen became extremely agitated, his anger rising to his head, which triggered a violent cough.

Drops of crimson blood spurted from his mouth, dripping onto the pristine white bedding, a horrifying sight.

The Empress showed no emotion whatsoever; in fact, she smiled with relief when she saw Emperor Wen vomit blood.

She dropped her pretense, her tone turning cold and firm: "Your Majesty, I still advise you to obediently hand over the Imperial Seal and allow the Crown Prince to ascend the throne as soon as possible. Your Majesty is already old, why bother to work so hard? Wouldn't it be better to let Yin'er share your burdens?"

Emperor Wen smiled coldly and wiped the blood from his mouth with his sleeve.

He looked at the Empress with a sinister gaze and said through gritted teeth, "Now that I know about your and your son's wolfish ambitions, I will no longer hand over this empire to you. If you have the guts, then kill me."

"You..." The Empress gritted her teeth in anger, clenching her fists tightly.

Emperor Wen could not die before obtaining the imperial seal.

Moreover, even the empress cannot kill him.

If Emperor Wen were to die at her hands, Xiao Yin's throne would be illegitimate and unjust.

The Empress took a few deep breaths, her eyes filled with coldness as she looked at Emperor Wen: "It's alright, I can wait. I forgot to tell Your Majesty, the Prince of Chu's mansion plotted a rebellion and has already fled the capital. Your Majesty, your wishful thinking has failed."

Upon hearing this news, Emperor Wen's eyes widened suddenly.

His hands trembled slightly, and his eyes were filled with despair.

Seeing his expression, the Empress felt immense satisfaction: "You think you can protect Princess Chu by placing her under house arrest? Your Majesty, you are far too naive."

"You, you..." Emperor Wen's lips trembled with anger, but he couldn't utter a single word.

The Empress waved her hand, and Eunuch Fu walked in from not far away: "Your Majesty, are you wondering how the Empress knew your thoughts?"

Emperor Wen gazed at the familiar yet unfamiliar figure before him, his eyes glistening with tears.

Eunuch Fu had been by his side since childhood, and over the decades, they had weathered the storms of the palace together.

In Emperor Wen's heart, Eunuch Fu was no longer just an ordinary servant, but a friend.

However, at this moment, looking at Eunuch Fu's calm yet distant expression, Emperor Wen's eyes were filled with incomprehension and pain.

"Others can betray me, so why do you have to betray me too?" Emperor Wen's voice trembled, and he almost squeezed out the words through clenched teeth.

As soon as he finished speaking, he was overcome by a violent cough, his body trembling violently as if he were coughing up his internal organs.

Grandpa Fu lowered his brows slightly, but a faint smile appeared on his face, a smile that carried a hint of helplessness and a touch of determination.

“Your Majesty, people strive for higher positions, just as water flows downhill. This old servant is a rootless man who has served you for half his life, a servant for half his life. Now I also want to taste what it feels like to stand tall as a person.” His voice was calm, yet it struck Emperor Wen’s heart like a heavy hammer.

“Your Majesty, your power is waning, you are old,” Eunuch Fu continued, his tone devoid of its former respect and tinged with coldness. “Do you know what will become of this old servant after Your Majesty passes away?”

A hint of confusion flashed in Emperor Wen's eyes; he certainly understood the meaning behind Eunuch Fu's words.

Upon ascending the throne, the first thing a new emperor does to consolidate his position is to eliminate the power of the old emperor.

As the person closest to him, Eunuch Fu knew too many secrets of the palace, and only death awaited him.

Emperor Wen, however, disagreed: "How could you not know that I have already planned a way out for you? The King of Chu is benevolent and righteous; he will surely take care of you in your old age and see you off in your final days. But you have turned to the Empress and betrayed me."

"Your Majesty, this old servant is also a mortal, and all people have desires." A relieved smile appeared on Eunuch Fu's face: "The Empress has promised this old servant that she will give this old servant a sum of money so that this old servant can retire and return to his hometown. All this old servant wants to do now is to live out his old age in peace and has no more desire to get involved in these palace intrigues."

After finishing his speech, Eunuch Fu quietly retreated behind the Empress.