Chapter 208: As Long As She Lives

Xiao Mingshu was frozen in place, the burning pain on her face nothing compared to the overwhelming terror and chill in her heart.

The Emperor's eyes told her he was serious.

She had touched an absolute forbidden zone.

She dared not say another word, not even cry, only trembling as she looked at the Emperor.

As if looking at a lion that had been thoroughly enraged.

Chu Yunzheng no longer looked at her, as if even one more glance would be too filthy, and said coldly, "Escort the Empress back to her palace."

"Without Our decree, no one is to disturb the Empress's 'quiet recuperation.'"

This was house arrest in all but name.

The Guanren stepped forward fearfully, supporting the nearly limp Empress.

They practically dragged her, quickly leaving this suffocating Grand Hall.

The hall fell silent again, leaving only Chu Yunzheng and Wan Tang, who was still kneeling on the ground.

【Tangtang, be careful. The Empress has already told the Emperor about your background.】

【But judging by the Emperor's reaction, he probably wants to protect you.】

【Just play dumb and act clueless.】

Wan Tang's heart tightened.

She secretly glanced at the Emperor, not daring to make a sound.

Empress Xiao Mingshu was supported by the Guanren but broke free.

Ignoring the red marks on her face, she looked at Chu Yunzheng with tearful eyes, her voice trembling with agitation and grievance.

"Your Subject has been married to you for over a decade, following you since the Qian Di days."

"Your Subject's heart, Your Subject's feelings—does Your Majesty truly not feel even a trace of them?"

She stepped forward, disregarding propriety to grab the corner of Chu Yunzheng's dragon robe sleeve, sobbing uncontrollably.

"Yes! Your Subject is jealous! Cannot tolerate Virtuous Consort!"

"But that is because Your Subject's heart only has Your Majesty! Watching you smile at others, be kind to others—here, in Your Subject's heart... it feels like being cut by a knife!"

She beat her own chest.

"Everything Your Subject has done, everything fought for—was any of it not to get closer to Your Majesty?"

"Was any of it not to uphold the dignity of the Empress and keep Your Majesty from worrying about the Imperial harem's affairs?"

She suddenly pointed at Wan Tang, her eyes filled with hatred and despair: "But what about her?!"

"Her origins are unknown, her movements suspicious, and she uses sweet words to bewitch the sacred heart!"

"Your Majesty, you have been wise your whole life—why are you so muddled when it comes to her?!"

"Look at her, look at those eyes of hers—is there a shred of sincerity?! She is clearly using you!"

The Empress Dowager stood to the side, her expression extremely complicated and grave. She looked at the out-of-control Empress, then at the Emperor's icy face, wanted to speak but stopped, finally letting out a heavy sigh.

Xiao Mingshu turned back, looking at the Emperor with sorrow, her voice dropping, filled with powerlessness: "Your Majesty... wake up... do not... do not let her blind your eyes and chill the hearts of those truly loyal and loving toward you..."

Wan Tang knelt to the side, her heart pounding with fear as she listened.

Xiao Mingshu's words, every word dripping with blood, though accusatory, laid bare a heart of utter devotion.

She nervously clutched her sleeves, secretly lifting her eyes to see Chu Yunzheng's reaction, afraid the Emperor might actually be swayed by such heartfelt words.

Chu Yunzheng listened with an expressionless face throughout, a fleeting, extremely complex emotion flashing in his eyes, but it was quickly covered by an even deeper cold.

Chu Yunzheng slowly pulled back his sleeve from the Empress's grasp, his voice cold without a trace of warmth: "Are you done?"

His gaze swept over the Empress's pale, tear-streaked face like a blade of ice.

"Your loyalty, your love—is it just staring all day at whom I favor, using the Empress's authority to eliminate rivals?"

"Is it standing before me, hysterical like a common market shrew, accusing me of being muddled?"

Every word struck Xiao Mingshu's heart like a heavy hammer; she staggered back, shaking her head in disbelief.

"Xiao Mingshu, you have disappointed me too much. Return to your Changchun Palace. Without my decree, do not set foot outside the Gongmen."

Seeing this, the Empress Dowager looked weary and flicked her sleeve to leave: "Enough! I do not wish to watch this farce any longer!"

"Mother, wait!" Xiao Mingshu suddenly crawled forward a few steps on her knees, desperately clutching the Empress Dowager's leg.

She lifted her tear-streaked face, her voice trembling violently with extreme fear and desperation.

"Your Subject... Your Subject has an important matter to report! It is of great consequence, concerning the royal bloodline, concerning Your Majesty's safety, Mother!"

She threw caution to the wind, suddenly pointing at Wan Tang, shrieking: "Her background is far from simple!"

"Xiao Mingshu!" Chu Yunzheng cut her off sharply, murderous intent flashing in his eyes.

The Empress Dowager paused, her gaze sweeping back and forth between Wan Tang's pale face and the Emperor's tense expression.

After a moment, she slowly said, "Emperor, since she works for the court and can share your burdens, her origins... need not be too strictly demanded."

"Heh." Chu Yunzheng let out an extremely cold sneer.

This cold laugh was like the final straw, completely crushing Xiao Mingshu.

All her pent-up grievances, fear, and unwillingness erupted, and she suddenly lifted her head.

Screaming with all her strength, her voice piercing the hall: "What if she is a remnant of the Mo Family?!"

"What if she is of the Mo Family's bloodline—does that not matter either?! Mother!"

The words "Mo Family" struck like a thunderclap!

The Empress Dowager sharply sucked in a breath, her body shaking violently. All her weariness and helplessness were instantly replaced by extreme shock and terror.

Her pupils suddenly contracted, staring fixedly at Wan Tang as if seeing her clearly for the first time.

That fear lasted only a moment before being quickly covered by a deeper, more ingrained emotion.

It was a hatred and murderous intent steeped in poison, slowly spreading from the depths of her eyes, bone-chillingly cold.

The air inside the hall instantly solidified like iron.

The words "Mo Family" splashed into the boiling oil like icy water, exploding instantly.

All emotion on the Empress Dowager's face froze in an instant, turning into bone‑deep ice and unabashed murderous intent.

She violently shook off Xiao Mingshu's hand, her gaze like a poisoned blade fixed on Wan Tang.

Chu Yunzheng stepped forward to block Wan Tang, his voice cold: "Mother Empress!"

"The Emperor still wants to protect her?!" the Empress Dowager's voice was sharp, bearing undeniable resolve, "What does the term Mo Family mean? You know better than I do."

"This woman must not be kept alive!"

Wan Tang felt an icy chill all over; she knew that only the Emperor could save her now.

She lunged to the ground, grabbing the hem of Chu Yunzheng's dragon robe; when she lifted her face, tears poured down like rain, her voice shattered:

"Emperor, Subject does not know."

"Subject knows nothing at all; when the Empress first mentioned this, Subject was terrified…"

She cried, trembling all over, pitifully helpless.

Chu Yunzheng lowered his head, his eyes deep: "Earlier, when I asked you, did you ever consider being frank with me?"

Wan Tang, eyes blurred with tears, nodded forcefully, choking out: "I have thought from the beginning that I wanted to tell you."

"But, but Subject cannot let go of Minghui."

"Our daughter is still so young, Subject fears… fears extremely…"

She portrayed a mother terrified of losing her child, utterly helpless, "But today Your Majesty asks, Subject just… just wants to be frank with Your Majesty…"

"Pretentious!" the Empress Dowager barked, her eyes full of disgust.

Xiao Mingshu also sneered beside her: "What a pitiful look!"

Chu Yunzheng was silent for a moment, then sighed, lifted Wan Tang, and shielded her behind him.

Looking at the Empress Dowager, his tone firm: "Mother Empress, I believe her."

"She entered the palace when she was still young, so she may not know the past affairs."

"She should not be punished for a baseless accusation of birth crime…"

"I have decided!" the Empress Dowager cut him off, her phoenix eyes showing no room for compromise, "Mo family remnant, better to kill by mistake than to release by mistake!"

"Emperor, would you disregard the realm for her?!"

Chu Yunzheng's face turned iron‑blue, confronting the Empress Dowager's icy gaze.

The atmosphere in the hall tightened like a string.

After a long while, Chu Yunzheng slowly released his clenched fists, his voice tinged with fatigue and helplessness, this being the limit he could muster: "Fine. But I want her alive."

Chu Yunzheng looked at Wan Tang, his gaze complex: "Virtuous Consort Wan Tang, misconduct, effective immediately, you are to be sent to the Cold Palace, strictly supervised, without my decree, no one may visit!"

Wan Tang's body went limp, collapsing to the ground, tears streaming, yet she also knew this was the best outcome the Emperor could fight for her under the Empress Dowager's absolute murderous intent.

At least, her life was spared.

The Empress Dowager's departing steps suddenly halted.

She slowly turned, a cold glint in her phoenix eyes, bearing a near‑cruel calm, speaking word by word to Chu Yunzheng:

"The Emperor wants her alive, that is permissible."

"But you must Answering me," her voice rose sharply, with undeniable resolve, "never see her again!"

"From now on, whether she lives or dies, whether she is mad or foolish, it has no relation to you Chu Yunzheng, not a single bit!"

Each word like a blade, cutting off all possibilities.

This is not a negotiation, but a final ultimatum.

He must make the most absolute choice between the stability of the realm, Mother Empress's life, and a woman's.

Chu Yunzheng's body swayed imperceptibly, his complexion turning paper‑white in an instant.

He looked at the limp Wan Tang on the ground, her face pallid, those tear‑filled eyes full of despair and pleading.

The entire Yangxin Hall's air seemed drained, heavy enough to suffocate.

After a long while, Chu Yunzheng extremely slowly closed his eyes, his Adam's apple struggling to move, forcing a broken syllable from between his teeth:

"Fine."

One word, weighing over a thousand pounds.

It sealed Wan Tang's eternal confinement to the Cold Palace, and also cut off the last thread of warmth in the emperor's heart.

The Empress Dowager, having obtained the promise, did not glance again, turned away decisively, her silhouette resolute.

The light in Wan Tang's eyes faded, bit by bit.

She watched Chu Yunzheng's receding silhouette, her nose tingling with sourness.

Xiao Mingshu slowly walked to the limp Wan Tang, crouched, and in a voice only the two could hear, her tone filled with jealous hatred and malicious delight.

Xiao Mingshu sneered: "Virtuous Consort, you truly have a good fate!"

"At this point, Your Majesty still dares to protect you, fighting for you this wretched fate."

"But so what? Who let you… specifically be the descendant of that traitorous traitor?"

"This is your original sin, you can never wash away in a lifetime!"

The Empress Dowager walked to the doorway, hearing this her steps did not stop, she coldly tossed out a sentence.

Her voice was not loud, yet clear enough for everyone in the hall to hear, bearing a cold indifference to life:

"Since the Emperor has Answering to keep her alive, Empress, the person is now entrusted to you for supervision."

She slightly turned her head, her peripheral glance over Wan Tang, adding coldly: "Remember, merely being alive is enough."