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"Exquisite, this tragic tale of a mother killing her own son is truly captivating!"

Xiao Fu wiped away the tears that had welled up from laughter, then turned to Gu Changjin. "Yan'er, you've done splendidly! It should be this way; only by severing emotions and love can one become a great emperor!"

After Rong Shu's passing, Gu Changjin was as normal as could be.

He dedicated himself to governing the nation, working tirelessly day and night, attending to state affairs and striving for the welfare of the people.

Xiao Fu hid in the shadows, listening to the praise others heaped upon him, wondering if she had misunderstood him.

He did not give Rong Shu's death much thought.

Hiding Rong Shu in the Sishi Garden was not out of great love for her; it was simply due to his innate kindness. He had sensed her intent to harm Rong Shu and thus concealed her away.

Xiao Fu looked at Gu Changjin with admiration and reluctance in her eyes.

She didn't have long to live.

What had sustained her all these years was the goal to elevate Yan'er to the throne, so that she could posthumously honor her elder brother, the former crown prince, and give him a rightful burial within the imperial mausoleum of the Xiao clan.

When Xiao Yan ascended the throne, he bowed to public opinion, which deeply despised Xiao Qiyuan, and demoted him to a commoner, removing his name from the Xiao family registry and forbidding him entry into the royal mausoleum.

Gu Changjin gazed at Xiao Fu.

He then drew a jade pendant from his waistband and said to her, "This is the pendant Xiao Yan gave me before he died. Guard Ni said that if anyone in our Gu family found out about Xiao Yan's death, we would all have to die with him. To ensure my survival, Xiao Yan bestowed this pendant upon me, allowing me to live on in his identity."

Xiao Fu's eyes widened. "Nonsense! You are Xiao Yan! The old court physician examined you personally!"

"Even though I hated you because of Xiao Yan, I never intended to reduce Xiao Qiyuan to ashes, denying him reincarnation," Gu Changjin looked at Xiao Fu. "Unfortunately, my mind has changed. I will crush Xiao Qiyuan's bones before your very eyes and feed them to stray dogs."

A hint of crimson flickered in his eyes as he smiled gently and said, "Begin."

Shiiun and Heng Ping responded with a respectful "Yes" before stepping forward to slowly push away the coffin next to Empress Qi.

Only then did Xiao Fu realize that inside the coffin by Empress Qi's side was not Emperor Jia Yu but a skeleton.

"The late emperor was merciful. Even though he stripped Xiao Qiyuan of his title, he still had him buried in the royal mausoleum. Back then, when Xiao Qiyuan was injured in Su Prefecture, it was your father who risked his life to save him. Look—"

Empress Qi pointed at the shoulder bone of the skeleton, a hint of a smile curving her lips. "This injury on the shoulder bone looks familiar, doesn't it? When Xiao Qiyuan went to Liangzhou to fetch you, wasn't he injured right here? It was precisely because his shoulder bone was fractured, making it impossible for him to use his right hand effectively, that he had a legitimate reason to leave the border region."

Xiao Fu's gaze darted between Empress Qi and Gu Changjin, and soon, she realized, "You've joined forces? You were faking your illness?"

Empress Qi remained silent.

Shiiun and Heng Ping approached the coffin, lifting the remains of Crown Prince Qiyuan out and tossing them onto the ground with a loud clatter, breaking the bones into pieces.

Xiao Fu's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets as she shrieked, "How dare you!"

She turned around in panic, calling out, "Nanny! Nanny! Stop them!"

It was then that she noticed that Nanny An and several guards from the Western Regions had already silently fallen to the ground.

With a thud, Xiao Fu pounded the floor, staring at a shattered thigh bone before crawling towards the pile of bones, "No! You can't treat him like this!"

Halfway through her crawl, a pair of pearl-embroidered phoenix shoes, symbolizing ascension to greatness, stepped on Xiao Fu's wrist, grinding it harshly.

Xiao Fu lifted her head, letting out a piercing cry at the grim-faced Empress Qi, "Qi Zhen! May you die a miserable death!"

Qi Zhen chuckled. "Xiao Fu, it's your prince brother who will die a miserable death. Don't worry, I won't let you off easily!"

Amidst the unpredictable spring weather, snowflakes fell gently.

A pile of white bones was crushed into dust and blended into the vast expanse of snow.

Xiao Fu screamed as she tried to grab the powder that had been blown into the air, but her frail body could not break free from Empress Qi's grasp. She could only watch helplessly as the powder was swept away by the wind.

Gu Changjin entrusted Xiao Fu to Empress Qi and returned to the palace that very night.

Empress Qi stayed behind at the Imperial Mausoleum.

Emperor Jiayou's body had long been interred there. Next to his tombstone were two empty royal coffins. One contained a jade Buddha bead and a blood-stained, gold-embroidered red pleated skirt adorned with a hundred plum blossoms.

The following day, Liu Yuan rushed into the Qianqing Palace accompanied by a haggard-looking woman.

"Your Majesty, Lady Shen is here."

Putting down his imperial edicts, Gu Changjin acknowledged, "Hm. Bring her in quickly."

Liu Yuan's slender phoenix eyes lowered slightly as he acknowledged respectfully. Just as he was about to exit the hall, he seemed to remember something and turned back, saying, "There's one more matter."

He paused before continuing, "The Taoist the Emperor instructed me to find, I've located him in Dragon Yin Mountain. The Taoist, with the religious name Qing Miao, is now imprisoned in the Eastern Depot's holding cells."

Gu Changjin paused for a moment before nodding gently. "Well done. Hand him over to Heng Ping."

Liu Yuan took his leave and exited the hall.

Silence fell within the inner chamber for a few breaths before an attendant led Shen Yizhen inside.

As Shen Yizhen was about to bow in obeisance, Gu Changjin raised his hand to stop her, saying, "It's just you and me here, Mother. There's no need for formalities."

However, Shen Yizhen insisted on adhering to etiquette and bowed solemnly.

Gu Changjin didn't stop her this time. After she finished her bow, he personally helped Shen Yizhen up, his gaze softly sweeping over the blood stains on her indigo blue dress.

"Mother has already met with Shen Zhi?"

"Yes," Shen Yizhen replied calmly. "I stabbed him three times. One for my son Zhaozhao, one for my father Shen Huai, and another for the innocent civilians he wronged. I left Shen Zhi with a breath of life. Whether he lives or dies, it's up to Your Majesty's discretion."

Gu Changjin nodded. Shen Zhi had been imprisoned for half a year, and not an inch of healthy flesh could be found on his body; he was not expected to live long anyway.

"I have come before Your Majesty today to request a favor," she said.

"Speak."