Chapter 172: Yu'an: Papa Is Gone!

What?!

Outside the hall, Shen Yuxi froze on the spot, her hands clamped tightly over her mouth, her eyes wide with disbelief.

Her mother actually killed her eldest imperial brother!

How could this be?

Clearly, in her memory, her mother had always treated her eldest imperial brother very well.

From as early as she could remember, for every necessity of life—food, clothing, daily use—whatever the Crown Prince had, her mother would always prepare an extra set and send it to her eldest imperial brother's palace.

Because of this, the Crown Prince would often complain that their mother was biased.

Her eldest imperial brother had no interest in the throne, only wanting to be a great general galloping across the battlefield, defending the country.

The person he admired most was the old Pingnan Marquis.

And Father Emperor had already banished her eldest imperial brother to the border, so he had even less chance of contending for the throne against the Crown Prince.

Why would her mother still do this?

At this moment, Shen Yuxi could not help but begin to doubt.

Was the ruthless person in that room really still her mother?

Or rather, for over twenty years, her mother had been putting on an act, and this was her truest face.

Shen Yuxi's expression grew dazed. Her feet unconsciously took two steps backward, and the hem of her wide skirt caught on a branch in a flower pot. As she stepped back, the branch snapped with a faint *crack*.

At this moment, Shen Yuxi's heart nearly leapt into her throat.

Oh no!

She won't be discovered, will she!

"Oh, Your Highness!"

Inside the room, Hua Ru spoke as she took two plates of pastries from a food box and set them on the table.

"These are the date-paste cakes and chestnut cakes this servant specially made for you. Please try them and see if they still taste the way they used to."

"It has indeed been a long time since I've tasted pastries made by your own hands."

The Empress smiled, picked up a chestnut cake between her fingers, and took a bite near her lips.

She nodded in satisfaction.

"Not bad. After all these years, only the pastries you make still suit Her Highness's taste best—they're even more delicious than before."

Hua Ru offered a cup of tea with a flattering smile.

"This servant thinks it's because Your Highness is in a good mood, which is why they taste especially good."

The Empress smiled and gently tapped in her direction with one finger.

"Oh you, always so good at picking pleasant things to say."

Hearing the sounds inside and knowing she hadn't been discovered, Shen Yuxi breathed a sigh of relief, steadied herself, and continued listening.

No wonder there wasn't a single palace servant outside—turns out they had secrets to discuss and had sent all the servants away.

But that did make things convenient for her.

After eating two more pastries, the Empress held her teacup and slowly sipped her tea.

"Her Highness's mood is indeed excellent."

"If the Eldest Prince hadn't already been six years old when Her Highness married the Xiyue Emperor, he wouldn't even have had the chance to be born!"

Saying this, the Empress let out a cold laugh.

"That old thing, the Empress Dowager, guarded her precious grandson like the apple of her eye, leaving Her Highness not the slightest chance to make a move."

"While she was alive, guarding him so thoroughly down to every last detail was one thing—but before she died, she even arranged for him to be sent to the border."

"The Empress Dowager's natal family's power is all over there, so Her Highness was even more out of reach!"

Hua Ru echoed softly from the side, going along with her words.

"So what? Hasn't Your Highness now gotten her wish and eliminated the Eldest Prince?"

Back in Dongxun, she had already been by the Empress's side, serving as her trusted confidante for so many years—she knew all too well what to say to please the Empress.

"Haha!"

The Empress laughed as expected.

Perhaps because a matter that had weighed on her heart for years was finally done, and there were only the two of them here, the Empress poured out everything in her heart like spilling beans from a jar.

"It's just a pity it took so many years, and cost Her Highness nearly all of her people!"

"And that vile woman, Noble Consort Jin. Back then, once she was pregnant, the Cheng Family guarded her with layers upon layers of protection—Her Highness simply couldn't find a chance to tamper with anything."

The Empress laughed, smug and wild.

"But in the end, wasn't that bastard child still bought off by the Emperor—a midwife who smothered him the moment he was born?"

"Even a vicious tiger doesn't eat its cubs, but our Emperor here has no heart at all—not even a wild beast that drinks blood and eats raw flesh can compare!"

"How could he have imagined that the son he killed with his own hands was the last son he would ever have!"

Outside, hearing all this, Shen Yuxi's face went deathly pale. She clamped her hands tightly over her mouth, barely able to stay on her feet.

Her mother had actually done so many things.

And Father Emperor—had he really killed Noble Consort Jin's child with his own hands, killed his own flesh and blood?!

"Bad news!"

"Something terrible has happened, Empress!"

A little palace maid rushed in from outside. Shen Yuxi panicked and darted into a corner to hide.

The Empress frowned in displeasure.

"What is the matter, so panicked?"

The little palace maid was huffing and puffing, gasping for breath between words.

"It's Your Majesty—His Majesty fainted during Early Court!"

Hearing this, the Empress pursed her lips and muttered under her breath.

"If he fainted, go find the Imperial Physician! Her Highness doesn't know how to treat illnesses!"

"Ahem!"

Hua Ru gave two light coughs.

"Imperial Consort (Gongzhu)?"

Seeing her look, the Empress rose rather unwillingly, putting on an anxious expression as she walked outside.

"How could this happen? Has the Imperial Physician been summoned?"

"Your Majesty, you absolutely must not come to harm!"

The little palace maid from earlier rubbed her ears where she stood.

Could it be that she had run too fast and was now hallucinating?

Clearly, the Empress Dowager who had just rushed past in such a panic was the normal Empress Dowager.

Thinking this, the little palace maid nodded firmly.

That's right, it must be so—she had simply misseen things earlier!

……

When the news of the Eldest Prince's murder reached the ears of the Cheng Family, it arrived alongside another report: the Cheng Family Army had successfully suppressed Prince Kang's rebel forces and was marching with a great army toward the Western Border.

Cheng Qiuluo still couldn't quite believe it.

"The Eldest Prince was killed? How could this happen? Who did it?"

The Eastern Border was the Eldest Prince's territory—how could they not have guarded against this?

Cheng Qiuyun continued reading on.

"It was on the road back to the border. Qin Shou led men to assassinate the Eldest Prince, and after they succeeded, another wave of assassins appeared and killed Qin Shou."

"Qin Shou is dead too?!"

Cheng Qiuluo clenched her fist and gave a little wave.

"Truly a cause for great celebration!"

Then she shook her head and sighed.

"It's just a pity about the Eldest Prince. A rare good shoot from a bad bamboo grove—he was the only decent person in the entire imperial family."

"Ahem!"

Wang Shi suddenly covered her mouth and coughed twice. She glanced at the Old Madam, who was sitting with lowered eyes and silent, then spoke softly to her own little daughter.

"That's enough, Luoluo, say a little less."

Cheng Qiuluo nodded and pursed her lips.

"Oh, alright."

Not letting me speak won't change the fact that there are no good people in the imperial family!

She looked around the room and said, puzzled.

"Huh? Why isn't Yu'an here today?"

At this hour on a normal day, shouldn't the little fellow be in the courtyard going 'hah, hah, hey' while waving his little wooden sword?

No, wait—recently he's switched to wooden sticks.

Tian Qin had also been somewhat absent-minded, looking as though her body was present but her soul was elsewhere. Upon hearing Cheng Qiuluo mention Yu'an, a little light came into her eyes.

"Yu'an is in his own room."

Today Yu'an had seemed even more excited than the past few days, looking around expectantly every now and then.

Could it be that…

Suddenly, a wailing cry reached the ears of the few people.

"Waa waa waa…"

"Wuu wuu wuu! Daddy!"

Hearing the crying, the few of them sprang to their feet. Tian Qin reacted fastest, her face lighting with joy as she hurried out in three quick strides.

Seeing her expression, Cheng Old Madam's eyes flickered slightly.

The others followed behind and arrived at Yu'an's room.

The Ancestors crowded at the front; Cheng Qiuluo, blocked at the doorway, craned her neck to peer inside.

"What's wrong, Yu'an? Did you have a nightmare?"

Tian Qin held Small Dumpling in her arms and soothed him gently.

The little fellow sobbed so hard in her arms he was hiccupping, his little face flushed red.

Yu'an clung to his mother's neck with one arm while wiping his tears with the other, throwing his head back and wailing at the top of his lungs.

"Wuu wuu, Daddy!"

"Daddy's gone, Daddy's lost!"