Chapter 322: I Will Take Her into the Palace

Chapter 322: I Will Bring Her Into the Palace

"Lu Mingchao, tell me, is it possible that Grand Director Shu isn’t actually dead?"

Lu Mingchao was inwardly shocked.

It was clear—His Highness Prince Duan had serious issues.

What kind of normal person would break into an imperial mausoleum to open a eunuch's coffin?

To the eye, Lu Mingchao showed no reaction, merely parting her red lips slightly. "Is that so?"

"Your Highness, I have no idea."

"I only ever saw Grand Director Shu from afar during palace banquets."

"When Grand Director Shu committed suicide to follow his master in death, I was still very young. I know little about the events of that time. Your Highness must be asking the wrong person."

Prince Duan scrutinized her for a long moment before suddenly smiling. "I believe Xie Sui is Grand Director Shu."

"Then, who is Xie Huaiqian?"

"Can you give me an explanation?"

Lu Mingchao remained unruffled. "He’s my stepson."

"Your Highness, your speculation is outlandish."

"Lu Mingchao." Prince Duan's expression turned grave. "I want to tell you that I have already formed an alliance with Her Majesty the Empress Dowager."

"My condition is that, once our goals are achieved, the Chu Clan’s exile from Lingnan be revoked, allowing them to return to the capital, with their descendants allowed to take the exams."

"When I first saw Xie Sui in Changhe County, I was suspicious right away. But my men were deceived by clever deceptions, clouding my judgment."

"I should have realized as early as last winter."

Lu Mingchao looked down silently.

She doubted Prince Duan’s motives.

Even if Prince Duan wasn't the current emperor's biological son, he still held the honor of being the eldest imperial prince, granted the title of Prince Duan.

Could he really abandon his upbringing and status?

"This really scares me."

"Your Highness, how could anyone come back to life?"

"I know little about Grand Director Shu's affairs, but regarding how to handle Master Xuanxi's remains, I have a rough idea."

"Those struck by lightning—who knows what dark energy they might carry? With this heavy rain, once it gets soaked..."

*Tch.* Lu Mingchao scoffed lightly. "Maybe the plague Lu Minghui predicted was caused by improper handling of Master Xuanxi's remains."

"Don’t Buddhists pride themselves on leaving relics?"

"You could ask His Majesty to transport Master Xuanxi's remains out of Wanxing County and burn them properly, to honor Master Xuanxi’s memory."

Prince Duan leaned in. "What if no relics appear?"

Lu Mingchao raised an eyebrow and said coldly, "Then it only proves that Master Xuanxi was a heinous and unforgivable demon monk, whose death was well-deserved!"

"If we follow your suggestion, His Majesty would surely fabricate a relic," Prince Duan remarked with a faint smile. "You may not know this, but Master Xuanxi’s prophecies were once the sacred justification His Majesty took pride in."

"Master Xuanxi held divine authority, and His Majesty ruled by the Mandate of Heaven."

Lu Mingchao drawled, "Your Highness Prince Duan, out here, the emperor’s reach is long but his arm is short."

The distant emperor in the capital, for all his schemes, could not reach them here.

Prince Duan deflected, "So you know that Master Xuanxi calculated destiny and aided His Majesty in seizing the throne."

"But do you know he also left behind a prophecy that the Xie family would inevitably rebel?"

Hearing this, Lu Mingchao felt a knot of fury twisting in her chest and throat.

The Xie family would rebel?

Given the present circumstances, the Xie family indeed harbored rebellious intentions.

But if the current emperor had not murdered his nephew to seize the throne, had not slaughtered the Xie family, would Empress Dowager Xie and A Yan have plotted so fiercely?

_Prophecy._

*What a prophecy!*

...

The sky churned like ink, blurring day and night.

Prince Duan and Director Yan’s memorial was rushed by courier from Wanxing to the capital.

Once again, the emperor raged.

He understood Master Xuanxi’s abilities better than anyone.

But this time...

Was it because Lu Mingchao was in Wanxing?

The emperor revived his plan to bring Lu Mingchao into the harem.

Someone who even the reborn Lu Minghui envied was no mere mortal. As the saying went, man and wife are one flesh—their fates and fortunes must be closely intertwined.

So what if she’s wed?

So what if she bore another’s heir?

He could see that Gu Huai still pined for her and could not let her go. Wrenching control over Gu Huai meant holding Lu Mingchao in his grasp.

Then, he would see for himself what made this fated pair so extraordinary.

"Empress, I wish to take someone into the palace," the emperor said outright.

The empress, oblivious, replied gently, "Which lady has caught Your Majesty’s eye? Your servant shall draft a decree to have her brought to the palace."

"Whoever Your Majesty favors, Your servant will safeguard diligently."

The empress was childless and of lowborn origins.

She maintained her position as empress solely because His Majesty had overridden all opposition.

"The adopted daughter of the Yongning Marquis."

The empress froze momentarily, thinking she must have misheard.

The adopted daughter of the Yongning Marquis?

Lu Mingchao?

She remembered Princess Lerong mentioning that Lu Mingchao was already married.

"Your Majesty," the empress pressed her lips together and spoke cautiously, "Taking Miss Lu into the palace might damage Your Majesty's reputation. The censors in the Imperial Censorate..."

"Empress, this isn't particularly troublesome," the emperor said, narrowing his eyes. "Fabricating a new identity for her is a simple matter."

The empress's chest tightened.

How could His Majesty be so shameless!

"Has Your Majesty made up his mind?" the empress asked patiently.

The emperor nodded.

"Empress, the real challenge isn't that Lu Mingchao is married, but Empress Dowager Xie and Yongming Grand Princess."

"Lu Mingchao is close friends with County Princess Le Rong, and Yongming Grand Princess thinks highly of her, shielding her like family."

"If I forcibly summon Lu Mingchao into the palace, Yongming Grand Princess would certainly beg Empress Dowager Xie to intervene."

"I need you to personally persuade the empress dowager. If both seals appear on the imperial decree, Yongming Grand Princess will have nothing left to say."

Empress: *Really now? You want me to run this disgraceful errand instead of facing Empress Dowager Xie yourself?*

"Your Majesty, I..." The empress longed to refuse.

There was no shortage of beautiful women in the realm—why was His Majesty so obsessed with Lu Mingchao?

Even without Yongming Grand Princess, there was still Imperial Censor Ming.

Did His Majesty think Imperial Censor Ming was dead?

If she dared issue such a decree, Imperial Censor Ming would surely file a petition calling for her deposition.

His Majesty truly didn’t value her life at all.

"Empress, do not disappoint me."

In a daze, the empress made her unsteady way to Changning Palace.

She braced for a slap from Empress Dowager Xie.

All she could hope for now was that Empress Dowager Xie would flatly refuse her plea, allowing her to fulfill her duty without becoming a public target.

But was that even possible?

Empress Dowager Xie would delight in seeing His Majesty’s reputation tarnished and him forced to abdicate in shame.

Changning Palace.

Empress Dowager Xie snapped the new string of beads in her hand, sending the beads scattering across the floor, bouncing and rolling.

"Is he out of his mind?"

"With natural disasters and human tragedies striking, all he can think about is abducting a common woman?"

The Empress held her breath. "E-Empress Dowager..."

Empress Dowager Xie's eyes turned frosty. "Silence."

The Empress: ...

At least she'd only been told to shut up and not slapped.

She considered herself lucky.

"Do you know the reason?" Empress Dowager Xie crushed a single bead in her fist, her voice low.

"Natural disasters are striking..."