Chapter 17: Alive, One Must Be Seen; Dead, One Must Be Witnessed
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By the time the elders came to their senses and tried to intervene, Mo Liuli had already vanished from sight. Only the suppressed, mournful roar of a dragon lingered in their ears, refusing to fade.
“Master, I have never seen the eldest young lady. How was I to know that she was the eldest young lady? Besides, what I cannot understand is why she would single out Yan’er like this and viciously poison me…” Blind in both eyes, Madam Qing spoke sorrowfully and agitatedly, proclaiming the truth as she understood it.
Mo Yuan was still shaken by Xiao Junwang’s fleeting glance. Without realizing it, he had made such a formidable enemy of the Mo family. The thought filled him with bitter regret.
If he had not nodded in agreement back then and allowed Yan’er to marry in Li’er’s place, perhaps Li’er would never have come to his door today to demand an explanation.
From childhood to adulthood, Li’er had always stayed quietly within her own courtyard, diligently cultivating. Without anyone to guide her, how could she possibly have found this courtyard and attacked his concubine?
Deep within the imperial palace of Huanlan City, that old woman’s voice suddenly erupted into a furious roar, shaking the entire palace.
“Huanlan Jing Duke, how have you handled matters? I ordered you to bring the legitimate eldest daughter of the Mo family into the palace. Why did you not do so?”
As soon as she finished speaking, a withered hand, thin as a bundle of bones, shot out from the darkness of the inner palace and seized Huanlan Jing Duke by the throat. His veins bulged, his pupils widened abruptly, and terror spread across his face as though he were witnessing Death itself descend upon him.
“Speak! Are you trying to escape my control? Have you grown tired of being emperor? Do you wish to abdicate early and surrender this empire? Is that why you disobeyed me and failed to bring her back to the palace in time?”
“Ah! Ah! Ah!”
The hand lifted the Huanlan Emperor bodily from the ground. His neck was squeezed until he could no longer breathe and turned purple, while the veins across his face swelled grotesquely. His features twisted in agony. He tried to speak, but only meaningless cries escaped him.
Just as the Huanlan Emperor was about to die beneath her grip, the owner of the hand released him. He immediately collapsed onto the ground like a lump of mud, coughing violently.
“G-Grand Empress Dowager! Jing Duke had already followed your command and ordered the Crown Prince to receive the legitimate eldest daughter of the Mo family as his Crown Princess. This subject is terrified; please forgive this subject’s dullness, but what do you mean…” Once his coughing had eased, the Huanlan Emperor hurriedly knelt upright and addressed the hidden doorway with great care. He could not understand why the Grand Empress Dowager had suddenly become so enraged.
The legitimate eldest daughter of the Mo family was named Mo Liuli. He had arranged for her to be summoned to the palace long ago. He had met the girl himself, and she was indeed exceptional. Her becoming the Crown Princess had also been widely regarded as an excellent match.
The instant the Huanlan Emperor finished speaking, a resounding slap struck his face. A vivid handprint appeared at once on his greasy, swollen cheek.
“Fool! The Crown Princess brought into this palace is an impostor! Remember this: tomorrow, at the third quarter of the Hour of the Horse, send men to the abandoned courtyard beyond the eastern residence and seize her for me! I want to see her alive—and find her corpse if she is dead!”
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“Yes!”
“Remember, it must be tomorrow at the third quarter of the Hour of the Horse! I do not care what method you use. You must bring her back to me!”
“Yes, yes, yes!”
The Huanlan Emperor answered repeatedly, trembling with fear. Only after no further sound came from beyond the hidden doorway did he shakily rise to his feet. Carrying his heavy bulk, he hurried away to arrange the capture for the following day.
Since the current Crown Princess was an impostor, once the turmoil had settled, he would certainly punish the Mo family severely. Mo Yuan had actually dared to substitute a fake for the real thing and deceive the imperial clan! Hmph—what unbelievable audacity!
By the time the elders came to their senses and tried to intervene, Mo Liuli had already vanished from sight. Only the suppressed, mournful roar of a dragon lingered in their ears, refusing to fade.
“Master, I have never seen the eldest young lady. How was I to know that she was the eldest young lady? Besides, what I cannot understand is why she would single out Yan’er like this and viciously poison me…” Blind in both eyes, Madam Qing spoke sorrowfully and agitatedly, proclaiming the truth as she understood it.
Mo Yuan was still shaken by Xiao Junwang’s fleeting glance. Without realizing it, he had made such a formidable enemy of the Mo family. The thought filled him with bitter regret.
If he had not nodded in agreement back then and allowed Yan’er to marry in Li’er’s place, perhaps Li’er would never have come to his door today to demand an explanation.
From childhood to adulthood, Li’er had always stayed quietly within her own courtyard, diligently cultivating. Without anyone to guide her, how could she possibly have found this courtyard and attacked his concubine?
Deep within the imperial palace of Huanlan City, that old woman’s voice suddenly erupted into a furious roar, shaking the entire palace.
“Huanlan Jing Duke, how have you handled matters? I ordered you to bring the legitimate eldest daughter of the Mo family into the palace. Why did you not do so?”
As soon as she finished speaking, a withered hand, thin as a bundle of bones, shot out from the darkness of the inner palace and seized Huanlan Jing Duke by the throat. His veins bulged, his pupils widened abruptly, and terror spread across his face as though he were witnessing Death itself descend upon him.
“Speak! Are you trying to escape my control? Have you grown tired of being emperor? Do you wish to abdicate early and surrender this empire? Is that why you disobeyed me and failed to bring her back to the palace in time?”
“Ah! Ah! Ah!”
The hand lifted the Huanlan Emperor bodily from the ground. His neck was squeezed until he could no longer breathe and turned purple, while the veins across his face swelled grotesquely. His features twisted in agony. He tried to speak, but only meaningless cries escaped him.
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Just as the Huanlan Emperor was about to die beneath her grip, the owner of the hand released him. He immediately collapsed onto the ground like a lump of mud, coughing violently.
“G-Grand Empress Dowager! Jing Duke had already followed your command and ordered the Crown Prince to receive the legitimate eldest daughter of the Mo family as his Crown Princess. This subject is terrified; please forgive this subject’s dullness, but what do you mean…” Once his coughing had eased, the Huanlan Emperor hurriedly knelt upright and addressed the hidden doorway with great care. He could not understand why the Grand Empress Dowager had suddenly become so enraged.
The legitimate eldest daughter of the Mo family was named Mo Liuli. He had arranged for her to be summoned to the palace long ago. He had met the girl himself, and she was indeed exceptional. Her becoming the Crown Princess had also been widely regarded as an excellent match.
The instant the Huanlan Emperor finished speaking, a resounding slap struck his face. A vivid handprint appeared at once on his greasy, swollen cheek.
“Fool! The Crown Princess brought into this palace is an impostor! Remember this: tomorrow, at the third quarter of the Hour of the Horse, send men to the abandoned courtyard beyond the eastern residence and seize her for me! I want to see her alive—and find her corpse if she is dead!”
“Yes!”
“Remember, it must be tomorrow at the third quarter of the Hour of the Horse! I do not care what method you use. You must bring her back to me!”
“Yes, yes, yes!”
The Huanlan Emperor answered repeatedly, trembling with fear. Only after no further sound came from beyond the hidden doorway did he shakily rise to his feet. Carrying his heavy bulk, he hurried away to arrange the capture for the following day.
Since the current Crown Princess was an impostor, once the turmoil had settled, he would certainly punish the Mo family severely. Mo Yuan had actually dared to substitute a fake for the real thing and deceive the imperial clan! Hmph—what unbelievable audacity!
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