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墨書 Inktalez
The dawn light had already begun to filter through the window, and Wei Zifu felt utterly exhausted. She slowly closed her eyes and soon fell into a deep sleep.
Suddenly, she vaguely heard an urgent voice calling out near her ear, "He's coming! He's coming!"
Wei Zifu jolted awake, sitting up abruptly, only to see Liu Che leap from the bed, disheveled and without a stitch of clothing, racing straight out of the room.
Her mind went blank for several seconds as she stared in shock before she frantically shouted towards the outside, "Protect the prince!"
It was only later that Wei Zifu learned that Liu Che had experienced a nightmare that night. In his dream, several puppet figures wielding sticks had viciously attacked him, causing him to wake up in terror.
From that day on, Liu Che lost his appetite and seemed completely lost, as if his soul had been taken from him.
Physicians came one after another to treat him but all shook their heads in despair, unable to find a solution. Reluctantly, he entrusted state affairs to the ministers and temporarily retreated to Ganquan Palace to recuperate.
However, as the saying goes, misfortunes never come singly; greater disasters surged forth like a tidal wave.
Jiang Chong, the Emissary in Embroidered Robes, brandished Liu Che's imperial edict and declared suspicion of someone secretly using witchcraft. He launched a widespread search within the palace.
In an instant, everyone in the palace was filled with anxiety and fear.
"Revenge! It must be revenge!" Wei Zifu instinctively recalled the methods used when Chen Ajiao was framed. She hurriedly sent people to carefully inspect her quarters to prevent anyone from framing her.
But what she never expected was that Jiang Chong unearthed numerous puppets inscribed with the emperor's birth date in Crown Prince Liu Ju's chambers.
With Liu Che currently absent from Chang'an, Jiang Chong acted on behalf of the emperor's authority and quickly besieged the Crown Prince's residence, attempting to capture him.
Upon receiving the news, Wei Zifu was frantic with worry. Without time for further thought, she summoned Jiang Chong to her secret chamber.
She bluntly questioned, "Jiang Chong, you can't possibly not know who the Crown Prince is, right? Why would you want to kill him?"
Jiang Chong feigned helplessness and shook his head. "When the puppet was unearthed, there were many people present. How could I possibly act with bias?"
"Stop lying!"
Wei Zifu glared angrily and scolded, "The Crown Prince is naturally kind-hearted and benevolent. Besides, he is already the heir apparent. How could he curse the Emperor? Someone is clearly framing him!"
Jiang Chong let out a cold laugh. "Framing and slandering—surely the Empress is more adept at that than anyone else."
"You..." Wei Zifu was momentarily speechless. "Are you trying to use this opportunity to eliminate me and the Crown Prince? Once he ascends the throne, you could be in a position of great power, right?"
"In a position of great power?"
Jiang Chong laughed loudly, his laughter filled with mockery. "Empress, you must think too highly of me. The Emperor has many consorts; even he might struggle to remember who he has favored. This secret is known only to you and me, along with the eunuch who records the Emperor's daily life. That eunuch has already been silenced. If there’s a chance to kill me, I believe you wouldn’t hesitate either, would you, my lady?"
"You..." Wei Zifu's tone softened immediately, almost pleading. "Jiang Chong, there must be a way to resolve this crisis. There must be! That is your own flesh and blood!"
"He is merely a tool for you to vie for favor and power."
Jiang Chong resolutely turned to leave. "He and I have never had a father-son relationship. Why should I bring disaster upon myself for him?"
"Did Chen Ajiao send you to take revenge on me?" Wei Zifu shouted hysterically, but Jiang Chong seemed not to hear as he turned and closed the door of the secret chamber.
At this moment, Liu Ju was already in a state of panic. Jiang Chong had sealed off Chang'an City, and news could not be transmitted outside. There were rumors that the Emperor had already passed away and that Jiang Chong intended to kill himself and install a puppet ruler.
In a moment of desperation, Liu Ju had no choice but to rise up in resistance, leading the palace guards to engage in fierce battles with Jiang Chong for several days, ultimately managing to capture him.
The atmosphere in Chang'an was tense, charged with an impending conflict.
In the Second Year of Zhenghe, Liu Ju declared to the officials that Jiang Chong was plotting rebellion and promptly executed him.
Upon hearing this news, Liu Che was furious and immediately ordered Chancellor Liu Qujian to quell the uprising.
A brutal battle unfolded outside Chang'an, lasting five days, resulting in countless casualties and a landscape strewn with corpses.
In the end, Crown Prince Liu Ju was defeated. After fleeing Chang'an, feeling hopeless and disheartened, he chose to take his own life.
Wei Zifu sat dazed in the palace, her face filled with confusion and helplessness.
She could not comprehend how things had spiraled into such chaos. In just a few short days, she had gone from being the revered mother of a prince to the mother of a rebel. The rapid turn of events felt like a nightmare.
At that moment, she longed for Liu Che to come before her, gently wrap his arm around her shoulders, and softly reassure her that everything would be alright as long as he was there.
Yet deep down, she knew this was merely a delusion.
From the moment she first laid eyes on him, she had already understood her fate.
From a lowly slave girl to the exalted position of empress, she realized that her ascent was not due to love but rather through cunning schemes, breathtaking beauty, and the title of the crown prince's mother.
But now, the conspiracy had finally been exposed; beauty would inevitably wither away, and the crown prince had met an unjust end. All that remained for her was endless solitude and the shadow of death.
She sat slowly in front of the bronze mirror, meticulously drawing her eyebrows stroke by stroke.
At that moment, she already knew how she should choose. If she wanted a man to remember her for a lifetime, the only way was to resolutely destroy herself at the moment when she was most radiant and dazzling.
On that day, she wore her favorite splendid attire, her makeup exquisite and beautiful, like a fairy descending to the mortal realm. Then, she suspended herself above a three-foot white silk.
However, she never expected that just as she kicked over the stool, someone would rush in from outside the palace.
She widened her eyes desperately, filled with disbelief, but ultimately, her breath gradually faded away.
The visitor was none other than Liu Che.
He walked expressionlessly to Wei Zifu's lifeless body and silently burned a stack of paper money.
His body trembled slightly, a manifestation of his effort to suppress the surging emotions within him, yet his face remained cold and impassive.
After a long while, he suddenly heard a voice behind him say, "So the Emperor can feel sadness too!"
He paused for a moment and slowly turned around, only to find a woman standing quietly behind him, though he couldn't recall when she had arrived.
Her attire was somewhat peculiar; her appearance looked familiar, but he couldn't quite place who she was at that moment.
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