Chapter 83 The Lady Is Missing!

**Chapter 83: Her Majesty Is Missing!**

The palace lanterns in the Hall of Heavenly Worship had long since been extinguished, leaving only a single candle burning. The Jingxi Emperor sat in silence, staring at the documents before him without uttering a word.

He remained like this for a long time.

The hurried script on the pages conveyed events with brevity, yet transformed into vivid images—clear and real—that surfaced in his mind, compelling him to relive her past again and again.

From the very beginning, he had known she was unlike ordinary women.

She had once given herself completely to the Crown Prince!

These memories had hung in his heart like bitter pills. Occasionally, he would tentatively taste them, only to recoil from the pain. Yet after some time, he couldn't resist tasting them again. Over time, it seemed he had grown indifferent.

When his wayward son seduced the wet nurse, he had known exactly what that wretch was thinking!

But he had never imagined that before the Crown Prince, there had been someone else—

Perhaps he had considered it, but dismissed it, unwilling to dwell on it.

That man turned out to be Lu Yunjian.

Only now did he recall that during the New Year's celebration, he had called A Wu to expound on Daoist philosophy. At the time, the Crown Prince had been present—and so had Lu Yunjian.

He let out a bitter, mocking laugh. So, all three men present that day had been her lovers!

He was the almighty emperor, yet he hadn’t realized that beside him stood Lu Yunjian and his own son—both of whom had had her before he did.

At this thought, hatred stabbed through him like a blade, wishing he could tear Lu Yunjian to pieces!

Yet amid this agony, a sudden emptiness hollowed him out.

He was thirty-four years old—not a young man anymore. His son was married, even with a grandson of his own.

Yet he had been fooled by a girl who could’ve been his daughter.

That siren had whispered sweet words, robbing him of all sense and judgment, bewitching this emperor into a daze, making him live only for their next meeting.

But what of her? What did she truly think of him in her heart?

A liar—this deceitful woman!

As the ruler who surveyed all under heaven, he governed the court with absolute authority, wielding imperial stratagems with masterful precision. Every official quivered under his rule.

What could escape his notice? Who dared not cower in fear before his majesty?

Yet it was her—

For the first time in his life, the Jingxi Emperor clearly understood that he had suffered a humiliating defeat—total and complete.

Once proud, holding himself above all others, he had naturally disdained A Wu, knowing she had been touched by other men. To him, she was just another conquest—no matter how entranced he became, he could always withdraw untouched.

A woman whose every scheme, whim, and inch of her lay entirely within his control. He could discard her at any moment.

She had been a distraction for his solitude, an outlet for his passions—a fine porcelain, a bouquet of flowers, or simply a plaything for his bed.

But when he found himself growing increasingly attached to her, after one last entanglement, he rose from the bed, straightened his robes, and cut her off without hesitation.

When he cut her off, the pain in his heart was undeniable, yet there was a savage satisfaction—look, he didn’t care for her. He was still his own man, untouched by her.

He was cold-blooded and ruthless, icy enough to be cruel. He paid her off and settled her elsewhere, so he felt not a shred of guilt.

But the events that followed became a turning point, sending him spiraling back instantly.

He could have killed her then—should have killed her—but he didn’t.

The kill-shot impulse surged, only to be abruptly choked back. In that moment, emotions erupted uncontrollably. This emperor, usually indifferent and restrained, who suppressed every thought and desire, nearly collapsed into hysteria before the girl young enough to be his daughter.

No one had ever seen this side of him—the hidden self beneath the emperor’s dignity!

He snapped, lashed out, lost all decorum, exposing his most wretched self to her. And in that moment, she became irreplaceable in his heart.

She was his—completely his.

Before this fragile creature, he could shed his mask and discover another version of himself.

It was as if he had returned to his sixteen-year-old self, indulging recklessly, making up for everything.

Beneath the emperor’s majesty lay an ocean of isolation, dark and suppressed within a confined world.

Only after she arrived did he find an escape valve.

Now, looking back on his past arrogance, he realized it had long since collapsed like rotten timber.

He had scorned her, yet step by step, he sank deeper. By the time he thought to turn back, he was already stuck fast!

Now, not only had he lost his pride, but he also had to watch her eat crow, suffer, and endure torment!

What could he do…

He remembered how she had once knelt so pitifully before him, begging for crumbs from his table.

Looking back now, he finally understood—she had been back against the wall, pleading for her last chance at survival.

Why hadn’t she struggled when he gripped her throat? Because there was no hope left.

She couldn’t escape!

Trapped, she had no choice but to play along.

The Jingxi Emperor stood before his imperial desk, gutted and numb, staring blankly into the void.

His shattered pride, his pity for this fragile woman, and the agony of betrayal—all of it chewed through him like acid.

A sharp thought pierced him—how could she do this? Why deceive him? A lowly, powerless woman—who did she think she was?

Then, in the next breath, another thought arose—A Wu, A Wu, she was his A Wu. She had suffered so much. He wanted to hold her, to comfort her.

His A Wu!

And in an instant, he was drowning in shame—hating his past self for failing to see, hating himself for being the last knife-twist in her heart.

For a fleeting moment, the Jingxi Emperor even burned to kneel—humbly, on the ground.

The arrogance of heaven's favored son had long since vanished. Now, he was just an ordinary man.

He wanted to piece together her suffering—but hesitated, flinching—from the hurt, the fury, and worse, the fear that he might cross some line there'd be no coming back from.

At that moment, the Crown Prince suddenly arrived.

After entering, he paid his proper respects, then slowly raised his gaze to meet the Jingxi Emperor's eyes.

Bloodshot eyes met the emperor's: "Father, Ah—"

He took a deep breath, choking back the word "Wu" with difficulty.

No matter what, A Wu had borne his younger siblings—she was now his stepmother. He could no longer address her by name.

He spoke word by word: "My first meeting with Mother Consort was indeed arranged by the Lu family. She and Lu Yunjian had been involved. They—"

The words were awkward and strained, but so what?

Suddenly, he was overcome with grief and indignation. If before it had only been suspicion, now the evidence was undeniable. There was no deceiving himself anymore—they'd been lovers!

Lu Yunjian—he had been with A Wu. All the intimate things they must have shared!

The Crown Prince couldn't believe it. How could this be? A Wu and Lu Yunjian—they'd actually been intimate!

The Jingxi Emperor kept his eyes lowered, resting on the documents on the desk. He gave no indication of hearing his son's words, not even lifting his gaze.

The Crown Prince: "Father, tell me, is this true?"

He said bitterly, "So from the very beginning, it was all a lie… It was all a lie… She deceived me…"

As he spoke, he saw his father slowly raise his eyes to look at him.

They were eyes of cold darkness, devoid of any emotion.

The Crown Prince froze. The man before him seemed a stranger.

His father had always been in firm control of everything. Even that night, when they had nearly come to blows over A Wu, he had still felt that his father held him firmly in check.

But now, he sensed that his father had changed. His emotions verged on losing control, barely restrained.

Finally, the Jingxi Emperor spoke, his voice slow: "So what if she deceived you?"

The Crown Prince was stunned.

The Jingxi Emperor: "She deceived even me. What does deceiving you matter?"

The Crown Prince was even more bewildered. He stared at the Jingxi Emperor, utterly at a loss for words.

The Jingxi Emperor signaled with his eyes: "Come here. I have questions for you."

The Crown Prince moved forward numbly.

The Jingxi Emperor gave a slight frown, his expression icy, yet he still asked: "Now, tell me—when you first got involved with her, did she—"

He lowered his gaze, finally forcing out the words.

The Crown Prince felt his mind reel.

He had never imagined that one day, his own father would broach such a subject with him.

He panicked, his eyes darting nervously.

He hesitated, longing to flee, but his father would accept nothing but an answer.

So he finally forced out with some difficulty, "No... but I don’t care about that."

In truth, he had never cared about that issue. A Wu was perfect—how could he possibly mind? What burned him was that A Wu had been involved with Lu Yunjian. How was he supposed to accept that? He felt utterly deceived.

So even their first meeting had been part of her scheme!

The Jingxi Emperor said, "Out."

The Crown Prince couldn't stomach being dismissed like some stray dog by his father.

He pushed, "Father, I want to know—"

At his question, the Jingxi Emperor exploded in rage.

He snatched the documents from the desk and slammed them into the Crown Prince's face. The papers scattered like snowflakes across the floor.

The veins in the Jingxi Emperor's neck stood out, his sternly handsome face taut with tension.

Through clenched teeth, he said coldly, "If you have eyes, read it yourself. Why ask? I don’t owe you a damn thing. Get out!"

The Crown Prince reeled. He had never seen his father lose his temper like this, nor heard him speak in such a manner.

But he swallowed his anger, knelt, and gathered every single sheet of paper, clutching them tightly in his hands before retreating to a side chamber with bowed head. There, he quickly began reading through them.

With just one glance, the Crown Prince felt hatred burn through his very soul.

"Lu Yunjian, I’ll make you die! I’ll carve you into a thousand pieces!"

Though he had long since given up any forbidden thoughts about his father’s concubine, those stolen moments he had shared with A Wu remained an indelible memory of his life.

He would not—could not—allow anyone to taint those dreamlike memories with filth!

Lu Yunjian would pay the price!

***************

The Jingxi Emperor made his solitary way toward Langhua Palace, without any attendants or guards.

Yet when he reached the gates of Langhua Palace, he suddenly stopped in his tracks.

Standing in a secluded corner of the long corridor, he gazed at the palace’s glazed lanterns, still burning as they always had. But now, the beauty of the past seemed like flowers seen through fog, reflections in water—he could no longer distinguish truth from illusion.

In truth, he had long suspected that she must have had a complicated past. At this point, none of that mattered to him now.

Whatever A Wu had experienced before, he would not blame her, nor would he consider it her fault. He had already accepted it all.

But…

He truly had never expected it to be Lu Yunjian!

If it had been someone else, someone distant, it would have been just a thing of the past. A Wu would not remember, and he would not dwell on it. They could have lived quietly, and who would have cared?

But it had to be Lu Yunjian.

Lu Yunjian—the man who had been a thorn in his side since he was nine, the man he had forcibly endured since he was fourteen—had once possessed A Wu!

This was simply—

The Jingxi Emperor took a deep breath, his heart aching. And precisely because it was Lu Yunjian, it meant that A Wu had kept so much from him, had dodged his questions.

She'd never really trusted him, because from the very start, she had never told him the truth.

He stood there desolately beneath the courtyard wall of the long corridor, staring at Langhua Palace’s lights. Even as night deepened, he still lingered there, unable to bring himself to step inside.

He thought perhaps A Wu already knew—perhaps she was anxious and fearful.

But he didn’t know how to face her.

Should he vent his anger and press her for answers? But what could she possibly say?

The Jingxi Emperor was actually afraid—for once. He regarded A Wu as his wife, the mother of his children. She was dear to him; how could he bear to confront her harshly? She would surely break down in tears, distraught.

He couldn't bear it. He feared frightening her. Should he instead go to her, comfort her?

Would he simply handle Lu Yunjian, then pretend it never happened, letting everything pass in silence?

As the Jingxi Emperor hesitated, he went to see their two children.

Now brought to Fengtian Palace, the two little ones had already fallen asleep.

The two small figures, fair and tender, lay with tiny fists curled beside their heads, sleeping soundly.

Looking at them, the emperor was overcome with memories.

To be honest, when the Crown Prince and De Ning were still in their mothers’ wombs, he had not been close to the Noble Consort or Consort Kang at that time. They had merely fulfilled their respective duties. Moreover, he had been young then, consumed by state affairs—what did he know about being gentle? At most, he had done what he could: instructing palace eunuchs to take careful charge and giving lavish gifts.

Many matters had been handled by the Empress Dowager.

Because of this, he had been largely absent from the pregnancies and all the stages leading up to the births. Even after they were born, he had only paid them cursory attention.

But with these two children before him now, he felt completely differently.

He had accompanied A Wu through her pregnancy, personally approving her meals, checking her health reports from time to time, asking after every change in her condition, holding her in his arms at night.

When she went into labor, he waited outside the birthing chamber, racked with worry.

After the birth, he joyfully took the wailing infant from a female official’s hands, experiencing for the first time the joy of becoming a father.

He had stayed by A Wu’s side as she recovered, watching as she began producing milk, even tasting it himself.

All of this had been new to him—magical, unforgettable for a lifetime!

All of it had cemented A Wu in his heart, making her part of him.

Yet now, he realized she had betrayed him so deeply!

The Jingxi Emperor hated—hated Lu Yunjian with all his heart, and A Wu too.

When I held you in ecstatic joy, what were you thinking? Did you remember the past?

The emperor shut his eyes in anguish.

He knew A Wu must be fragile now—he must not frighten her. But what should he do? How should he face her?

Just then, a palace eunuch hurried in, announcing that a female official from Huifeng Palace had arrived with urgent news.

With great effort, the Jingxi Emperor composed himself. After a long silence, he allowed her to speak.

Yet the moment the woman entered, she fell to her knees, trembling, and said, “The Empress is dead.”

Dead?

The Jingxi Emperor asked a few brief questions, then, expressionless, hurried to the Returning Phoenix Palace, only to see the horrifying condition of the empress.

Her killer had not been strong and clearly lacked experience, delivering several clumsy, unskilled stabs before finally causing her death.

Staring at the bloodstained brocade bedding, the emperor immediately ordered an interrogation. It was soon discovered that the Imperial Noble Consort had visited earlier.

The palace maids were pale and stammering; their meaning was unmistakable.

By now, the crown prince had also arrived, and the Jingxi Emperor instructed him to lead the questioning.

Meanwhile, the emperor himself strode hastily toward Langhua Palace, nearly charging inside upon arrival.

As he entered the courtyard, he found Langhua Palace unchanged from usual. The early autumn breeze stirred the plantain leaves, and pomegranate flowers bloomed. Several young maids waited dutifully beneath the eaves, while two little eunuchs swept the grounds.

At this sight, his tension eased slightly—but soon, he realized something was wrong!

His heart pounded wildly. He rushed forward without hesitation and burst into the inner chamber. A startled maid gasped, “Your Majesty?”

The emperor seized her: “Where is Her Highness? Where is she?”

The maid trembled in terror: “Sh-she’s inside… resting…”

He shoved her aside and dashed behind the screen, yanking aside the heavy brocade curtains to reveal a woman seated with her back to him.

His fears finally eased.

He gasped hoarsely, “A Wu, I—”

The words died in his throat. He lunged forward, grabbing and spinning her around—only to find it was De Ning!

Gripping her shoulders tightly, he snarled, “Where is she? Where is she?”

Princess De Ning, deathly pale yet defiant, met her father’s gaze: “She’s gone! Fled!”

The emperor’s eyes turned stormy as he growled, “What did you say?”

Princess De Ning: “She fled.”

The emperor stared at his daughter, then suddenly flung her aside.

Caught off guard, Princess De Ning sprawled on the floor, her hair disheveled, but she bit her lip and made no sound.

She believed she was right! She was a princess of Great Hui, and she had done what needed to be done!

For so long, she had bottled up resentment—or whatever it was—until today, when she finally let it out.

At least now she was free!

The Jingxi Emperor barked, “Guards! Confine her to her chambers! She is not to take a single step outside without my command!”

Then he strode out and bellowed, “Imperial Guard!”