My Lady Always Lacks Ambition

Chapter 1293 - 1215: The Fall of the Ziwei Star

The Eastern Palace Crown Princess Consort had been sickly and bedridden for a long time, well-known among the powerful people in the capital. Now, with her passing, no one was particularly surprised or felt anything was amiss. On the contrary, many felt that enduring for a year was already a stroke of luck for her. With her death now, quite a few people are stirred in thought.

At the time of establishing the Crown Prince, a concubine was appointed from the Mu Family, and the Saint gave the Crown Prince Concubine positions to one Second Attendant and one Third Attendant. But the Crown Prince was restrained regarding feminine charms, so the Eastern Palace’s rear court only had three concubines. Now that the Crown Princess Consort is gone, this position will not remain vacant forever.

Hence, many marriage arrangements for noble ladies of proper age have been postponed since the Crown Princess Consort fell gravely ill. The reason why is clear to everyone.

With the Crown Princess Consort gone, the Crown Prince fell ill due to overwhelming grief, and the two Young Princes of the Eastern Palace were taken to Fengyang Palace for care, with the funeral matters being organized by the Ministry of Rites.

Qin Liuxi also learned of her death from Mu Jin, unrelated to any competition within the household; it was because the Saint wanted her dead, likely due to seeing the Mu Family thriving and getting anxious.

Indeed, this year brought great joy to the Mu Family. After years of declining fortunes and a lack of male heirs, suddenly the tide turned. Mrs. Mu, who had been without children for three years, bore two precious treasures, and Mu Xi was no longer the sole heir of the two mansions.

Now that the Mu’s two mansions have descendants, albeit newborns, it’s a promising start, symbolizing the breaking of the Mu Family’s curse of declining fortunes.

The Mu Family boasts two Marquises, with one daughter serving as Empress in the palace, another as Crown Princess Consort, and the Crown Princess Consort having two sons. If her sons become Emperor in the future and she becomes Empress Dowager, the Mu Family will have descendants to continue the lineage, signaling a strong royal family. From the perspective of Emperor’s Mind, this cannot be tolerated.

The Saint almost regrets appointing Qi Qian as Crown Prince; it seems appointing Prince Cheng would have caused fewer troubles.

But the Saint will never admit mistakes; he will only make these mistakes right.

Good fortune cannot be monopolized by one family, so Mu Jin must die. Most importantly, the medicine that led to her death was a bowl she regularly drank, served by Qi Qian under unwitting circumstances.

"I do not resent it; dying by his hand is still better than some other Hidden Guard."

That was Mu Jin’s sentiment, a message she also conveyed to Qi Qian.

Qi Qian once knelt before Zhongqin Palace, begging for a life.

The antidote didn’t matter; he understood that as long as the Saint nodded, Mu Jin could live.

But the matter went against his wishes.

She was destined to die.

The Saint’s words weighed down on him like a shackle.

To be an Emperor is to be a lonely one; the eyes should only be on the mountain and not on some so-called friendship.

The most heartless is the imperial family.

This is an age-old truth.

The Saint used Mu Jin’s death to create a rift between the Imperial Family represented by Qi Qian and the Mu Family. When he ascends the throne in the future, as the Mu Empress rises to Empress Dowager, she will recall her young sister Mu Jin who passed away, or his two sons will also know the reason and manner of Mu Jin’s death.

Perhaps even the Mu Family and the two Imperial Grandsons will come to understand this was due to the greater good, but can they really rest easy?

The Saint exploits human nature.

As long as one side remains unconvinced, this rift will persist.

Emperor’s Mind - he plays it wisely.

"No need to be dissatisfied; soon two will come to receive him. One wears a white hat, and one a black hat. If you encounter them on the Yellow Spring Road, mention my name and they will make it easy for you." Qin Liuxi opened the Ghost Gate, saying so to Mu Jin.

Mu Jin departed without a trace of worry, as she put it, having done what she must, sacrificed what she should; the future of Mu Family and Qi Qian is for time to decide, and she need only focus on reincarnation.

Sending off Mu Jin, Qin Liuxi looked up again at the Emperor Star, sneering.

The death of the Eastern Palace Crown Princess Consort appeared peaceful, but many astute officials sensed an undercurrent flowing beneath the surface, not merely concerning the selection of a new Crown Princess Consort, but indicating a crisis of changeover between the old and new generation.

This sense of crisis persisted until the end of the Kangwu year thirty-two.

Heavy snow fell on New Year’s Eve.

With the Crown Princess Consort not yet past her seventh seven, all entertainment and weddings were prohibited, so even New Year’s Eve saw few families dare to indulge in celebrations. They simply gathered quietly for reunion meals. Even the palace refrained from holding a palace banquet.

However, by the second hour of the evening, the people of Shengjing felt the ground tremble. Following last year’s earthquake, they were startled, fearing another quake. But after listening closely on the ground, it seemed more like the gathering of a thousand horses and soldiers.

Instinctively, households shut their doors tightly, especially in the capital, where the powerful officials waited silently.

Lin Xiang and other high-ranking ministers of the court had already entered the palace.

Qin Liuxi emerged from Jiuxuan’s alchemy room and leapt onto the rooftop, gazing at the Ziwei Star until the last faint light extinguished, resembling a swiftly falling meteor.

The Ziwei Star fell.

The dust settled.

The era belonging to Kangwu came to an end.

Qin Liuxi lowered his gaze, seeming to hear the sound of sword fighting and commotion from the palace gate. Then he vanished from the rooftop, arriving at the Imperial Palace, just in time to see Black and White Impermanence leading Emperor Kangwu’s soul.

To think the Emperor of an era passed, Black and White Impermanence personally came to hook the soul and guide the way. After all, he was the Human Emperor of the Human World.

Emperor Kangwu still appeared dazed, unable to believe he was already deceased, until the ghosts in black and white hats saluted someone, prompting him to look instinctively.

Qin Liuxi approached, appearing in the form of the State Preceptor, and Emperor Kangwu immediately became agitated: "State Preceptor, quickly save the widow."

"Open your eyes wide and see, am I the State Preceptor?" Qin Liuxi reverted identically to his real self bit by bit.

This metamorphosis frightened Emperor Kangwu into shouting, "Fiend! You are all fiends. Audacious, the widow is the True Dragon Emperor, the Emperor, and you dare to mock the widow?"

"What are you saying? Weren’t you looking for me to treat your illness? Here I am, but unfortunately, you have passed away." Qin Liuxi glanced at the corpse lying rigidly on the imperial bed, sneering lightly: "I don’t know what to say about you. When you wanted immortality, you appointed some State Preceptor to practice Alchemy, causing the people of Da Feng to suffer. Later, when you ceased to believe, you suppressed the Taoist Sect to death. Now when your health failed, you listened to your son and believed once more, seeking Taoist Sect people to save you; where do you find the nerve? I, a Taoist Sect member, do not take such lightly. If you request a rescue, does it warrant one?"

"You, you, you, you." Emperor Kangwu pointed at her, infuriated to the point of incoherency.

Qin Liuxi said, "What about it? I am the Master Buqiu of Qingping Temple you were seeking, was I not right? Our Taoist Sect is not like the Buddhist Sect, which just grins and bears. You dream of salvation! Oh, by the way, the State Preceptor you appointed was killed by me long ago; the State Preceptor of these two years was merely a puppet. Yes, it was me!"

Emperor Kangwu raged so severely that his merit dissipated.

Qin Liuxi hurriedly fetched it, a merit stained with national fortune, not to be wasted.

Black and White Impermanence: "..."

Was she doing this on purpose?