Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
That woman, with her bloodstained hands, was actually very lucky.
Because she had Epsilon.
Meng Fuyao sighed and turned to leave. Epsilon looked up suddenly and smiled at her.
“Thank you,” he said.
Meng Fuyao froze and then witnessed Epsilon quietly collapse.
He died.
Without any warning, the fourth in the Top Ten, the renowned Epsilon, had chosen to end his life after personally ending the life of his lover.
Perhaps he cut his own meridians, or perhaps, it was just the end of his natural life span. He had spent the latter half of his life living for her. Her death would mean the end of his purpose.
The last sentence he had said in his lifetime, was a ‘thank you’ to Meng Fuyao, the perpetrator that had destroyed his reputation completely.
To thank her for fulfilling his dreams.
He had stayed by the Empress’ side, never once thinking of taking her for himself. But when he had finally done so, he had finally felt that his life had not been in vain.
A lifetime of glory and admiration from others could not hold a candle to this final and last brilliance.
As Meng Fuyao came out from the Tenth Princess’ mansion, Meng Fuyao ordered her subordinates to cremate the Xuanji Empress together with Epsilon, according to the will the Epsilon had left behind.
At the entrance, she met the waiting Tang Yi Zhong. He had arrived with Zhangsun Wuji in order to take control over Tenth Princess’ 3,000 guards. Zhangsun Wuji had a discussion with him a couple of days ago. While Meng Fuyao had no inkling as to what had gone on in the discussion, Tang Yi’s actions today explained everything.
When he heard of Xuanji Empress’ death, his jaw dropped in shock. Upon hearing the news that she was to be cremated together with Epsilon, his jaw hit the ground.
“Are you crazy?! Aren’t you shaming the Xuanji imperial family? She is, after all, still the Empress! She will be buried in the mausoleum!”
“I have already shamed more than one, I do not care about shaming another one,” Meng Fuyao replied casually.
“But… But you can’t cremate her with Epsilon,” Tang Yi Zhong stuttered. “Won’t it be fulfilling her… wishes?”
“You’re wrong,” Meng Fuyao said calmly. “I am fulfilling Epsilon’s wishes, not hers. For a woman like her, her dream is to be buried in the mausoleum after her death, to enjoy the prayers of her royal descendants for eternity. Then, I will do the exact opposite.”
Beside her, Zong Yue, who had been silent ever since Xuanji Empress’ death, trembled slightly.
Meng Fuyao noticed but did not say anything. Instead, she turned to Tang Yi Zhong and said, “It is high time for the cat to be let out of the bag. Sir Tang, please make your choice. It is either you lend me your army of 100,000 soldiers to help me settle the issue, or I use Da Han’s army to settle the issue. Your choice.”
“What else is there to say.” Tang Yi Zhong shrugged. “I will listen to whoever has the Imperial Jade Seal.”
“Oh?” Meng Fuyao gave him a side glance. “What about the imperial edict?”
“Imperial edict?” Tang Yi Zhong laughed. ” The seal hasn’t be placed on the imperial edict!”
“Very well then, let’s go,” Meng Fuyao said simply and left on her horse. She did not bother to check if the two followed along.
Her not chasing them away was already a big step forward. The two would not mind her attitude.
From Tenth Princess’ mansion to the palace, it was the closest to go by the northern palace. To enter from that door, they would first have to pass by the northwest corner of the palace.
Meng Fuyao headed straight for the palace’s main hall. But suddenly, she stopped at a crossroads.
She tilted her head and looked towards the direction with a cluster of short trees.
Behind that thicket, was a wall that was sealed up. Behind that wall, it contained the memories of palace life.
Meng Fuyao stood there and suddenly recalled the experience of finding out this palace. The realization hit her, and then she turned to ask, “Zhangsun Wuji, that night, the black figure that guided us here, was it arranged by you?”
Behind her, Zhangsun Wuji nodded. “Yes.”
Meng Fuyao laughed. ‘He wanted to know how much I remembered, huh? But then, afterward, he dragged me away… Zhangsun Wuji, a man who has been decisive all his life, was so conflicted over this…’
She sighed and decided to pry the bushes apart, walking straight through.
Zhangsun Wuji followed suit, but Zong Yue stood frozen outside.
Zhangsun Wuji turned back and glanced at him. “There are some things that become more painful the more you hide it. To treat the root of the illness or to let it slowly kill you, you decide for yourself.” Zhangsun Wuji told him.
Zong Yue closed his eyes, and then quietly made his way across the thicket.
Meng Fuyao had already strode over the wall, pushed open the doors and made her way into the floor covered in dust. One could still spot footsteps that were left by them the other day.
The last footprint was right outside the tiny room, underneath the window. She saw the cupboard from the corner of her eyes and immediately blocked out her memories.
Meng Fuyao walked over. Her footsteps overlapped with the footprints made that day. She stood calmly in front of the window and then made her way into the room.
She saw the cupboard at first glance.
A black, aged cupboard stood there, with 14 years worth of dust piling upon it.
The cupboard was half-covered by a curtain, the exact replica of Old Lu’s second painting.
Meng Fuyao squatted down in front of the cupboard. The lock on the cupboard was long gone as the cupboard door hung loosely on its hinges, half-opened. A crack ran through the roof of the cupboard, and inside, there were pieces of cloth and black cotton wadding. These were made into a nest by the rats, giving off an unbearable strong stench.
Zhangsun Wuji suddenly turned away.
Zong Yue leaned against the extremely filthy door frame covered in dust and cobwebs. But yet, he himself seemed oblivious to it as he sank into his own thoughts.
Meng Fuyao suddenly wedged herself into the cupboard.
She crammed herself into, shrinking her bones into the size of a child. She gently closed the door from the inside and observed her surroundings from a silt in the cupboard door.
She stared at the bed.
Zhangsun Wuji stumbled a little. He paused and then took a step forward as if he wanted to pull her out of that place. He reached his hand out but somehow, he dropped it down to his side silently.
Zong Yue’s face was getting paler by the second. He leaned against the door frame as if wanting to put all his weight on that frail, brittle structure.
Meng Fuyao looked at the bed.
The candle was lit, flickering vulnerably in the wind.
Meng Fuyao started recalling…
She waited for her mother in the cupboard. Old Lu had already scurried away. Just as he was touching her, she suddenly remembered that she could move, so she retaliated, biting down his finger with all her might. Old Lu shrieked and darted away to find himself some medication and bandage.
Then, she could hear a racket from outside as a large group of people rushed in. Every part of the room was packed with people as countless legs paced around in front of her. The room quieted down and what followed was the sound of tinkling ornaments as a lady strolled in.
A luxurious, golden-red dress brushed past the floor. As if afraid that the floor would contaminate her long dress, two maids held the bottom of the dress up with their back hunched over.
That dress stopped in front of the cupboard. She hugged her knees tighter, afraid that this cupboard would be opened for the third time today. But instead, the owner of the dress snorted coldly and turned over.
Then, a piercing, sharp voice could be heard. “Bring Xu Wan that bitch here!”
Her eyes widened in fear. She could hear the muffled cries for help. It was the voice that she was very familiar with. It was the voice of her mother that had chatted with her every night. It was a voice she could recognize even if she only heard it for a split second.
But she could not see her feet. Those cloth shoes that were making their way over belonged to the eunuchs.
Then, she heard the sound of someone being thrown on the bed. “Strip this bitch! Let me see what body did she use to seduce the emperor!” a woman shrilled.
Amongst the sound of tearing fabric, she closed her eyes and bit her lip.
Suddenly, the air seemed to be more humid and warm. A servant had moved a bucket of burning water over, accompanied by the quiet clanking of metallic items.
“With this body?” That woman laughed sinisterly. “I wonder if I were to strip you of your skin, leaving nothing but white bones, would you still be able to seduce His Majesty?”
Whoosh!
The sound of hot water being splashed seemed to burn her heart. She trembled. In the warm room, her heart was frozen with fear. The struggle on the bed intensified as the muffled cries of pain got louder and louder. Yet, that woman was laughing. “Remove the cloth in her mouth. I want to hear this bitch cry. I wonder if she cried the same way in bed?”
Once the cloth was removed, Xu Wan’s raw, piercing screams erupted, seemingly shaking the whole palace to its core.
“Comb! Comb it thoroughly!” that woman ordered viciously. “Let this shameless bitch that seduced His Majesty take a good look at her rotten meat!”
“Vicious woman—” Xu Wan spat. Her body was completely burned, and amidst the rotten meat, she glared at that woman and cursed, “You will die in shame one day!”
“Oh? Unfortunately for you, you cannot let me die in shame. No one can.” That woman laughed coldly. Suddenly, she turned her head and said, “Such an interesting show. How can we not let the most important audience see it? Here, crack open the top part of the cupboard.”
With a flash, a crack opened on the cupboard, giving her full view of the situation.
Meng Fuyao shivered.
What’s on the bed…
A pool of blood… A bundle of meat… A skeleton taking shape… The iron comb being landed on the skin… Bringing with it pieces of meat as it was lifted back up… The blood dyeing the entire mattress red, seeping into the grains of the wood… Xu Wan’s miserable shrieks that told of her intense pain…
Grooming… Grooming… The cruelest torture method, one that she had heard of in her previous life, was happening to the woman that protected her for the past five years!
And she was in that dark corner, witnessing everything that happened!
She squatted in that cupboard, leaning against the cold wood. It was as though she was leaning against an icy mountain that was so cold, so cold. In that darkness, blood and meat seemed to rain down, suffocating her. It felt as though her intestines were being torn apart into many pieces…
“Ah… Look at the time. His Majesty is probably looking for me.” In that dimly lit room, the women with a headful of jewelry adorned turned and looked in the direction of the cupboard, unhappy that she could not continue.
A handsome young man in white, pure and untainted, was initially blocked by the woman. He walked over and politely bowed. “Aunty, leave it to me.”
“Mhm.” The Xuanji Empress patted his back. “Don’t let that woman die too quickly. Prolong her life, let her have a good taste of what it is to seduce my man. Oh, and don’t forget to get to the root of it.”
