Chapter 626: First Volume, Chapter 626: This Hatred Endures Without End

First Volume, Chapter 626: This Hatred Endures Without End

Li Xiaolan and the Empress had been enemies for life, and this was their first direct confrontation.

The Empress's scheming ran deeper than the abyss.

Her bright eyes radiated Buddhist serenity, gentle and virtuous.

She had forged a solid barrier through half a lifetime of cultivated calm.

Even Li Xiaolan could not read the Empress's slightest frown or smile.

"Your Highness, the Imperial Consort has arrived."

The maid's voice came from outside the temple, breaking the silent duel of gazes.

The Empress turned slowly, her gaze returning to the Guanyin Statue.

Her lips parted slightly.

Every word carried unshakable composure.

"Are you puzzled by what crime could drive me to kill the Buddha's favorite Imperial Consort?"

"Today, I shall resolve your doubts."

The Empress spoke with double meaning.

These words were addressed to Li Xiaolan—and also to the Imperial Consort outside the temple.

"Within Jingdu City, authority has clear, unbreachable boundaries."

"Anyone who crosses them is a latent enemy of the imperial throne."

"Like Qin Feng—the Buddha admires him, even tolerates him—but if he crosses the line, the Buddha will eliminate him without hesitation."

"When the Buddha ascended the Herald, his position was still unstable."

"The Lin Clan held the highest office, seated as Grand Protector; they were a Powerful Clan in Jiangnan, and within the Hou Gong, an Imperial Consort stood by them."

"Their status was unmatched."

"Until the Imperial Consort gave birth to the First Prince—this tolerance of power finally breached its limit."

At this, the Empress rose slowly and walked to the altar.

She cleared away the scattered incense ash, asking casually.

"Do you know what it meant for the Lin Clan to give birth to the First Prince?"

Though Li Xiaolan had been exiled among the Folk since childhood,

under the Qin Cheng Clan's tutelage, she understood well the power dynamics within Gong Zhong.

Facing the Empress's deliberate question,

Li Xiaolan did not conceal her answer: "It meant the Lin Clan would seize absolute authority."

The Empress nodded, deeply satisfied with Li Xiaolan's insight.

"Correct."

"The succession to the Crown Prince follows the law of seniority—this is true."

"The First Prince should naturally be the first considered for the Crown Prince."

"But who ultimately holds the Crown Prince position has never been fixed, nor can it be decided lightly."

"It concerns the entire Shedynasty, and the future of the Li Imperial Clan."

Li Xiaolan understood now.

The DaxiangPrinceDeath all those years ago was no accident.

It was a deliberate act by someone with intent.

They feared the First Prince's ties to the Lin Clan would one day force the entire Shedynasty into their control.

As a Prince, one must prioritize the future of Shedynasty!

Not be bound by any single Aristocratic Family.

The initial spark was when the First Prince beat the young Qin Feng, and the Qin Cheng Clan filed a formal complaint with the Dali Temple.

The Liang Emperor knew the First Prince lacked both character and ability to hold the Crown Prince position.

Yet his 'maternal lineage' was simply too powerful.

To depose him was impossible.

The Empress's plot to kill the First Prince may not have been known to the Liang Emperor—or even approved by him.

But the Liang Emperor certainly understood that the First Prince's death was the best outcome for Shedynasty.

That was why he never pursued the matter to its root.

Instead, he let the Qin Cheng Clan bear the blame.

Li Xiaolan took a deep breath; she could not judge whether the Liang Emperor or the Empress had been right or wrong in this matter.

As family, they had violated human ethics.

Yet preventing Shedynasty from falling into the hands of a possible tyrant was an act of righteousness that sacrificed kin.

Regarding such stakes, Li Xiaolan did not wish to dwell further—she asked only the question that mattered most to her now.

"My Imperial Consort accidentally discovered your plan, and that's why…"

Before Li Xiaolan could finish, the Empress nodded swiftly and admitted it outright.

"Correct. This matter is of utmost gravity."

"As Empress, Mother of Heaven, I personally orchestrated the elimination of the Crown Prince."

"Even on the smallest scale, this defies human ethics and invites universal condemnation."

"On the grandest scale, it is the collapse of ritual and order."

"This matter has nothing to do with you and your mother—even if it were anyone else, I would show no mercy."

Even though Li Xiaolan had sensed something amiss on her way back to the palace.

But now, hearing the Empress confess the full story of this grudge,

Li Xiaolan still closed her eyes, her turbulent emotions long unable to settle.

Meanwhile, outside the Guanyin Temple.

The Imperial Consort clenched her fists tightly, her eyes now entirely filled with hatred.

"All these years, I've told myself that the loss of the imperial son was merely an accident."

"My hatred toward the Cheng Clan was merely the selfishness of a mother."

"Yet all this time, it was you who schemed behind the scenes!"

The Imperial Consort ignored the strange-eyed attendant of the Empress, and paid no heed to Xiao Xiangxiang or Shu Feng.

Slowly turning, she gazed toward the direction of the Imperial Study.

Tears streamed down uncontrollably.

"Holy One, how cold is your heart?"

"I gave you my entire soul—this was your own flesh and blood—for the sake of your empire, for the prosperity of Shedynasty."

"Is this how you treat us, mother and son?!"

The Imperial Consort's tears burst forth, and she could clearly hear the sound of her own heart breaking.

Without a word, she turned and left.

In this moment, she was no longer the Imperial Consort—she was Lin Wenwan, daughter of the Lin Family!

Watching Lin Wenwan's resolute back vanish, the attendant hurriedly reported:

"Your Highness, the Imperial Consort has left."

The Empress gazed upward at the Guanyin Statue, her face filled with devout sincerity.

"Let her go."

"She is the foremost of the Four Great Experts of the Capital."

"Beneath the mountain-recluse masters."

"Who could possibly hold her back?"

The Empress had never hated the Imperial Consort—she simply had no choice, as Empress, but to act thus.

"You may all withdraw."

The Empress spoke softly, giving the order.

The Palace Guards hidden around the Guanyin Temple, secretly guarding, all withdrew.

Li Xiaolan turned to the Empress and asked sternly:

"All your careful planning, every scheme you devised—was it worth it?"

The Empress merely gazed at the Guanyin Statue.

She answered sincerely, without a trace of pretense.

"One who does not hold the position should not meddle in its affairs."

"As Empress, this is what I must do."

"The Princess has her own troubles; I have mine."

"Even the Holy One, with countless Harem Consorts, all as beautiful as Celestial Immortals—men envy him, resent him, hate him."

"But who knows that, in a year, the Holy One returns to the Hou Gong no more than… the fingers of one hand?"

The Empress slowly turned to Li Xiaolan, smiling gently, dignified and virtuous.

"You may hate me."

Li Xiaolan nodded firmly: "I certainly hate you."

The Empress still smiled: "But you will never avenge yourself."

"Now that you've returned, be a good Princess, and I will not harm you again."

Li Xiaolan rose to her feet, staring straight into the inscrutable Empress, showing not a trace of fear.

"Not necessarily!"