TGCFNM -Chapter 560 The Empress Dowager Again!

Chu Ling realized that she had spoken her mind, so after a light cough, she decisively continued, “After Your Majesty ascended the throne, you accomplished quite a lot. At that time, the Empress Dowager was in the harem—her life should have been fairly comfortable, right?”

The Empress Dowager nodded. “Yes, but I never forgot revenge. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have buried his remains under my bed. I wouldn’t have slept with him by my side every night.”

Chu Ling glanced at the evil spirit. “Actually, after becoming Empress Dowager, you must have thought about dying, right? So in the end, how did you manage to survive?”

“Yes. You only see the way forward after facing death once,” the Empress Dowager said, looking at Chu Ling. “For me, it was at the very moment my great vengeance was fulfilled that I wished to die. But in the end, I survived. So I helped him ascend the throne and secured my position as Empress Dowager.”

The words between Chu Ling and the Empress Dowager were like riddles; the others didn’t fully grasp them, but neither Chu Ling nor the Empress Dowager intended to explain further.

“Later, Your Majesty married, and the harem gained an Empress,” Chu Ling paused, feeling a tightness in her chest and a sting in her nose. “I know very little about the Empress, but everyone who did seemed to think she was the best. She was kind and generous, managed the harem well, and bore Your Majesty an outstanding eldest son—the Crown Prince…”

“So I want to ask the Empress Dowager: when Consort Tao conspired with the Tao family to rebel, was that your idea? And the Noble Consort Lian—the mother of Prince Qi—because of the Empress’s care, personally served her, but ended up being poisoned and dying tragically… That poison—did she think it was a divine medicine? Was it the medicine you gave her?”

The Empress Dowager didn’t deny it; she simply nodded.

“After the Empress died tragically, Noble Consort Lian realized it was you who harmed her, yet she died suddenly along with the Empress. Was that also because of the Empress Dowager?” Chu Ling asked further.

“Yes,” the Empress Dowager said, looking at her. “It seems you’ve uncovered a lot, so I’ll just tell you directly… Back then, the great chaos in the harem started with the Empress’s tragic death. Her death was indeed because of me—her very existence was an obstacle. Your Majesty, enraged by her death, slaughtered many people like a madman. I was there at the time, quietly watching this farce unfold.”

“You call this a farce!” The Emperor’s eyes reddened, tears spilling out. “Why did you kill the Empress?! She treated you with respect! She was so kind-hearted! What did she ever do wrong? She was so good…”

“She was simply too good,” the Empress Dowager clenched her fists. “The Xiao family should have perished long ago, but her existence prolonged their lives!”

The hall fell into stunned silence. No one had expected that behind the Empress’s death, the true culprit was the Empress Dowager herself!

The Empress Dowager snorted coldly, her gaze icy as she looked at the Emperor. “You suspected it back then, but you didn’t dare investigate. You feared that if the truth came out, your throne would be unstable. So you only vented your fury on the Crown Prince, to cover up your own incompetence.”

“So no matter what the Crown Prince achieved, no matter how good he was or how loved by the people, you hated him… You hated him like the Empress, and you hated that he might surpass you and take your place. So when the ‘evidence’ of rebellion was presented, you forced him to commit suicide!”

“That evidence was sent to me by Nangong Rong!” the Emperor bit his teeth in protest. “It was the evidence you prepared—it was you!”

The Empress Dowager’s cold gaze pierced him as she spoke each word deliberately: “So I contacted Prince Qi to handle matters for me, gradually eliminating those who were unfavorable to me, removing those around the Crown Prince… Later, with help, I dealt with this trouble smoothly.”

The Empress Dowager gave a meaningful glance at Chu Yue.

Chu Ling suddenly said, “General Chu also believed the Empress Dowager’s words, which is why he contemplated rebellion. But before he could act, he was killed by his beloved granddaughter. And this granddaughter, Chu Yue, used this as proof that General Chu died to clear his name, preserved the Chu family, and threw her allegiance to the Empress Dowager.”

“Yes.” The Empress Dowager looked at Chu Yue. “But she had everything so calculated, as if she controlled everything completely.”

Chu Yue’s face went pale. She looked at the Empress Dowager in disbelief, whispering, “I’m just a pawn too.”

The Emperor stared at Chu Ling in shock. “So these past few rebellions… were all orchestrated by the Empress Dowager? Her goal was to wipe out the entire Xiao family and place someone else on the throne?”

Chu Ling turned to the Empress Dowager. “Empress Dowager, you must be close to succeeding, right?”

The Empress Dowager smiled at her. “Yes… almost there. As for the Prince He going to Dongle City, he won’t gain anything, because I’ve already had people lying in wait near the capital. Tonight, they’ll strike and slaughter the entire Xiao family!”

The Emperor’s face changed drastically. He hurriedly looked toward Prince Rui and Prince Su. “Where are your men? Go, quickly stop them!”

Chu Ling, however, suddenly spoke. “Before we talk about the Empress Dowager, what about the Emperor? After all, everyone’s going to die tonight.”

The Empress Dowager couldn’t help but laugh. “Yes, he could kill everyone.”

Though Chu Ling said she wanted to talk about the Emperor, her eyes first fell on Fu Qingyu. “When you took the opportunity to go out back then… it was to kill Grand Tutor Fu, wasn’t it?”

Fu Qingyu nodded. “Yes, I killed him.”

Wan Sanjin froze for a moment, then whispered, “Why… why kill Grand Tutor Fu?”

Chu Ling took a deep breath. “Because Fu Qingyu was neither the crown prince’s surviving heir nor Grand Tutor Fu’s grandson. He was the son of Grand Tutor Fu’s concubine… Back then, Grand Tutor Fu abandoned the concubine entirely, caring nothing for their lives. But at that time, he learned from the Empress Dowager that the previous crown prince still had a surviving heir, one around the same age as his son. So he took Fu Qingyu away.”

Fu Qingyu looked at her, disbelief still in his eyes. “You really saw it, didn’t you?”

Chu Ling nodded, pointing at Fu Qingyu’s neck. “That rainy day, she lingered and wouldn’t leave, just wanting to watch her child grow. When she saw him, she finally left.”

Fu Qingyu let out a bitter laugh. “Good… she left. She really left.”

“Again… the Empress Dowager!” The Emperor’s fury flared as he glared at her.

The Empress Dowager sneered. “What’s wrong with me choosing an outsider as the Xiao heir? He’s talented both in civil and martial affairs. Is bloodline that important? Besides, didn’t the Emperor himself fancy him for his appearance, wanting to claim him and gain immortality?”

“Like… Bai Zhuoxing?” Chu Ling took up the thread, looking at Gui Wushuang. “You’re not Gui Wushuang. He may have despised us, but he never intended to kill us.”

The Emperor was startled and immediately ran to Prince Rui and Prince Su’s side.

Gui Wushuang smiled at Chu Ling, baring his white teeth. “Master Chu, you’re sharp. I am Bai Zhuoxing. I didn’t die.”