Chapter 1582

Li Chen Zhou led men to surround the Prince Consort's Manor; since the death of Prince Consort Hong Xinglian, the manor has in fact been occupied only by the widowed Grand Princess Xue Lingjun. After Xue Lingjun married into the Hong family, the Hong family suffered successive misfortunes, and she gained the reputation of a husband‑killer. After Hong Xinglian's death, every man who had any contact with her met disaster, none escaping ill fate, making her an ominous figure everyone shuns. Though she is peerlessly beautiful and has many admirers, very few dare to approach her, for the saying goes, "Even if one dies beneath a pomegranate skirt, they'd be a romantic ghost," yet few would truly give their life for a woman.

Li Chen Zhou took a deep breath, expelled the foul and stifling qi from his chest, then gave a shake to his black sable fur robe, and walked slowly toward the gate; everything was under his control.

A subordinate came up to him and whispered, "General! The Grand Princess is inside; should we seize her and bring her out to see you?"

Li Chen Zhou gave that subordinate a cold glance, obviously rebuking his rudeness; at present the Emperor has not punished the Grand Princess, so what reason is there to seize her?

The subordinate, frightened, lowered his head.

Xue Lingjun sat quietly in the room, personally applying makeup so exquisite that, looking at herself in the bronze mirror, she was confident not a single flaw could be found on her lovely face, and she then smiled with satisfaction.

The scout who had gone out for news, Jian Ping, hurried in, her voice trembling: "Your Highness… Li… Chen Zhou has come…"

Xue Lingjun placed the purple‑gold phoenix crown from the vanity table squarely on her head and said softly, "Go invite him in!"

Jian Ping nodded, inwardly admiring Xue Lingjun's composure; she showed not a trace of panic, even though the Prince Consort's Manor was surrounded by a great army and everyone inside was terrified and bewildered. Xue Lingjun remained as if nothing had happened.

Led by Jian Ping, Li Chen Zhou came to Xue Lingjun's bedchamber; normally he would not dare set foot here, such an act would surely invite gossip, but today is different—the situation is now in his grasp.

Xue Lingjun wore a splendid gold robe of the Phoenix Flying Nine Heavens and a purple‑gold crown; though only her back faced Li Chen Zhou, she still bore an air of lofty nobility. Hearing his footsteps, she said softly, "Li Chen Zhou, you have surrounded my palace with troops, disturbing my sweet dreams—who gave you such audacity?"

Li Chen Zhou clasped his fists and said, "Your Highness Grand Princess, I came not to disturb your sweet dreams intentionally, but to report an important matter!" He paused, then added, "The Grand Empress Dowager passed away two hours ago!"

Xue Lingjun's delicate frame trembled; a chilling coldness shot through her body. She was sure she hadn't misheard—the Empress Dowager had died? Li Chen Zhou would not lie about such a major event. After the brief grief, she quickly regained composure, began to consider her situation and the true purpose of Li Chen Zhou's troop advance. She slowly turned; her eye sockets reddened slightly, but she shed no tears—tears would serve no purpose and would ruin her exquisite makeup. Xue Lingjun loved beauty to the extreme; she would not allow herself to appear unsightly before anyone. Yet what use is sorrow? The sudden turn of events left her somewhat at a loss; she had schemed endlessly but never imagined the Empress Dowager would depart so abruptly, the pillar she relied on had collapsed completely, and now she could rely only on herself.

Li Chen Zhou could not help but admire Xue Lingjun's calm; upon hearing the Empress Dowager's death she showed no panic, whereas he himself might not manage the same.

Xue Lingjun asked, "Are you here to accompany me to Cien Garden?"

Li Chen Zhou shook his head: "Based on the current information, the Grand Empress Dowager began to suffer abdominal pain after taking the prescription prescribed by Liu Changsheng, and by the time the imperial physicians arrived it was already beyond saving."

Xue Lingjun fully understood: Liu Changsheng and his son had been rescued by her pleading with the Empress Dowager, who had used the excuse of letting them treat her illness to free them; now Liu Changsheng and his son had become murderers, and it was she who had sent them to Cien Garden, so her responsibility is clear. She nodded and said, "So you came to escort me there—no wonder you mobilized such forces." As she spoke, her heart turned to dead ash; she had originally intended to use this affair to have Hu Xiaotian help eliminate Jian Rongxin, thereby striking at Li Chen Zhou, but she had not expected her cleverness to backfire; her meticulous schemes had not even been enacted before someone exploited them, using Liu Changsheng and his son to murder the Empress Dowager and then point the blade at her—she could be said to be Entrapping Oneself.

Xue Lingjun asked, "Does the Emperor suspect me?"

Li Chen Zhou said, "It is said the Grand Empress Dowager summoned Liu Changsheng and his son to Cien Garden because of the Grand Princess; I do not know whether this is true or false."

Xue Lingjun gazed at Li Chen Zhou, despair flashing in her beautiful eyes: "Your trap is nothing but an attempt to rid the palace of me; death is death, what is there to fear?" Her voice suddenly turned sharp.

Li Chen Zhou smiled and said, "Death can be as light as a feather or as heavy as Mount Tai; Grand Princess, are you truly willing to meet death in this way?"

Xue Lingjun shouted, "Why would I plot to kill my own mother? What benefit would her death bring me? Even a commoner could see this logic; if the Emperor wishes to remove me, why need such a ridiculous pretext?" Her heart was steeped in sorrow; the Emperor needs no excuse to eliminate a person, and after the Empress Dowager's death no one can check him. Perhaps this is her ultimate fate, and she is now powerless.

Li Chen Zhou nodded and said, "Actually, the Grand Princess poses no threat to the Emperor, and it is not you whom he wishes to remove."

Xue Lingjun detected the hidden meaning in his words; she was naturally extraordinarily clever, especially at a life‑and‑death juncture, becoming acutely sensitive to any glimmer of hope, and she whispered, "How do you know the Emperor's thoughts?"

Li Chen Zhou said, "The Grand Empress Dowager has recently summoned several senior officials in quick succession, secretly plotting to overthrow the Emperor."

Xue Lingjun bit her cherry lip, shook her head, and said, "I know nothing of this."

Li Chen Zhou said, "What the Grand Empress Dowager knows she may not tell the Grand Princess, and the Grand Princess's thoughts may not be shared with the Grand Empress Dowager. I, Chen Zhou, am not talented, but I have noticed some things happening around the Grand Princess." He then handed her a letter he had prepared earlier.

Xue Lingjun took the letter, unfolded it, and instantly her lovely face drained of color, terror flashing in her beautiful eyes: "You…"

Li Chen Zhou said, "You need only know that in my heart I hate him just as you do; I will not tell anyone what is written here, so rest assured."

Xue Lingjun bit her cherry lip, and with trembling hands she held the letter to the candle flame and burned it; she had completely lost her composure.

Li Chen Zhou said, "No one in this world hates him more than I do; he took everything from me, I can only watch helplessly as the woman I love marries another, I can only watch her suffer and be unable to help—do you know what kind of pain that is?" His eyes burned with fury.

From his gaze Xue Lingjun sensed something; she stepped toward Li Chen Zhou, her splendid robe slipping away like water to reveal a pure, mature figure beneath, every inch of her skin exuding a deadly allure.

Li Chen Zhou looked at her, his gaze turning scorching and mad; he lunged forward without restraint, embraced Xue Lingjun, his hands tearing at all her bindings, kneading her flesh fiercely, and sealed her cherry lips with his. Xue Lingjun responded with equal frenzy, her throat emitting a deadly alluring sound: "…I will give you everything…" She reached to undo his garments, but Li Chen Zhou seized her wrist in one grip.

With such force, the grip twisted Xue Lingjun's lovely face in pain; she bit her cherry lip and coquettishly whispered, "It hurts…"

Li Chen Zhou released her, stepped back, turned slowly, and said softly, "Put your clothes on!"

Xue Lingjun obediently nodded, picked up the robe from the floor, put it back on, tiptoed to Li Chen Zhou's rear, stretched out her tender tongue and lightly licked his earlobe, and said softly, "I know how you view me? You look down on me."

Li Chen Zhou suddenly raised his right palm and slammed it toward the window; the palm wind split the window open with a crack about three feet long, accompanied by a sharp cry—Jian Ping, who had been hiding outside the window eavesdropping, was struck by Li Chen Zhou's invisible palm blade, her head severed from her body, her limbs still twitching in the snow.

Cold wind carrying snowflakes blew through the crack into the room, the indoor temperature plummeting; Xue Lingjun, whether from fear or cold, lunged at Li Chen Zhou's back, tightly embracing his body: "Chen Zhou! I love you; even if you kill me now, I would have no regrets!"

Li Chen Zhou closed his eyes tightly and said softly, "Jian Xihe is dead; Jian Rongxin has been abducted!"

Tears gushed like a spring from Xue Lingjun's tightly shut eyes, and she quavered, "I can do anything for you!"

Li Chen Zhou shook his head; he did not believe her.

Xue Lingjun clung ever tighter: "I know what you fear; I know, because I am afraid just as you are…… Chen Zhou, I care for nothing else, I only care for you……"

Li Chen Zhou whispered, "Why did you save Liu Changsheng and his son?"

Xue Lingjun said, "Because Hu Xiaotian sought me."

Li Chen Zhou's heart shuddered violently; no wonder he had felt an ominous premonition—had Hu Xiaotian arrived? He suddenly recalled Jian Rongxin's disappearance; could all of this be connected to Hu Xiaotian?

First Update delivered; tonight there should be a second update, Zhangyu says being busy is no excuse—he is indeed truly busy, very busy lately! (To be continued~^~)