Chapter 59: You Want to Patricide

Luo Yunqiao's pupils constricted sharply.

Xiao Muyuan was planning to fish in troubled waters!

Tonight was too chaotic; even if the Emperor were to pass away, Xiao Jinglin would be the one to bear the infamy. What a calculating scheme he had devised.

Yet, the Emperor, excessively suspicious and long harboring doubts about Xiao Muyuan's rebellious intentions, sensed something was amiss and instinctively dragged Xiao Jinglin, who was close by, right in front of him. Even so, the Emperor still managed to say, "Prince Yan, we are brothers. Can it be that you truly intend to kill me just for the throne? This is treason! Are you not afraid of the filthy mark it will leave in the history books?"

"Treason?" Xiao Muyuan curled the corners of his lips into a sinister, oblique smile. "If I ascend to that throne, naturally it will not be treason. But today, when I raised my troops, I did so under the banner of purifying the ruler's side. The one forcing the palace is your son, and the one whose reputation will be stinking for eternity is also your son. Even if I kill you today, there are countless witnesses to vouch for me... Royal Brother, on the day you joined forces with the Marquis of Jing'an to force the palace, did you never imagine that a day like this would come for you as well?"

Luo Yunqiao saw it clearly: the Emperor, who had initially been composed and at ease, lost his wits in a mere fraction of a moment.

"You... how could you know?" The Emperor suddenly turned his gaze toward Luo Chao, his eyes spitting fire. "Luo Chao! You actually spilled all of this? Could it be you thought this would make Prince Yan spare you? No wonder—no wonder you insisted on bringing about the marriage between your daughter and Prince Yan..."

"You killed the late Emperor and Consort Zhao; he will never let you go."

"Hahaha." The Emperor emitted a frantic, manic laugh.

Xiao Muyuan furrowed his brow and, taking advantage of the Emperor's momentary distraction, commanded the archers to prepare.

A myriad of arrows flew simultaneously.

The Emperor snapped back to his senses in an instant and used Xiao Jinglin as a shield right in front of him.

"No!!!" Consort Duan's heart-rending scream echoed in Luo Yunqiao's ears.

Consort Duan pressed the dagger in her hand another two fractions closer to Luo Yunqiao's neck, roaring, "Xiao Muyuan! You killed my son, and today I'll make this little bitch Luo Yunqiao be buried with him!"

Luo Yunqiao felt a wave of pain as fresh blood faintly seeped out.

She did not struggle, barely managing to maintain her composure.

"Consort Duan, Auntie, you had better see clearly: the one who shot the Third Prince into a sieve is none other than your own good husband. If he hadn't used the Third Prince as a human shield, the one dying tonight would have been the Emperor..." She rolled her eyes and continued to fan the flames. "If not for the Emperor's actions, the one sitting on the dragon chair tomorrow would have been your own son!"

"No! The Emperor loved Jinglin so much, how could he... how could he... It must be something you all deliberately orchestrated!" Consort Duan was verging on madness.

Realizing that something was deeply wrong with her and lacking the energy to continue entangling with her, Luo Yunqiao cast a look of appeal toward Xiao Muyuan.

Consort Duan's mental state was no longer quite normal, and relying on herself alone to break free was likely impossible.

Their eyes met, and Xiao Muyuan instantly understood what she had in mind.

He took a crossbow from the hands of a nearby guard and aimed the arrowhead directly at Luo Yunqiao.

Consort Duan curved her lips in derision and sneered, "Luo Yunqiao, for all your scheming for so long, in the end, isn't Xiao Muyuan still willing to abandon you? Luo Yunqiao, if you had gotten together with my Jinglin earlier and plotted the empire for him, you wouldn't be in this situation today!"

"Today I will surely make you go down and accompany my Jinglin!"

With that, she pushed Luo Yunqiao forward and urged, "Xiao Muyuan, I want to see if you are truly cruel enough to send her to her death!"

"You schemed for the empire on the Emperor's behalf, and what did it get you? He is the one who pushed your son out with his own hands to die for him!" Luo Yunqiao lowered her gaze to the position of the dagger and continued, "In my view, you clearly hated the wrong person."

"Impossible! The Emperor was deeply and utterly devoted to me! Luo Yunqiao, all of this is clearly your fault!"

Consort Duan's attention was completely drawn away, and seizing the opportunity, Xiao Muyuan loosed the arrow from his hand.

Risking a desperate gamble, Luo Yunqiao ducked down sharply. Though a long scratch was carved across her neck, fortunately, the arrow struck Consort Duan squarely in the forehead.

She was saved!

The fire spread through the palace. In the end, Xiao Muyuan did not take the Emperor's life, but instead had him placed under strict confinement.

Three days passed since that day.

The injury on Luo Yunqiao's neck had mostly healed. Although some traces of it could still be seen, it was no longer as horrifying as it had been at first.

The Marquis of Jing'an's mansion was deserted and cold. Luo Chao had not attended court for several days, instead coming personally to seek out Luo Yunqiao. Rubbing his hands together, he awkwardly began, "Qiaoqiao... After all, you and Prince Yan share a betrothal. Although the wedding was never completed, you are still considered family. Go and speak with him, so that somehow..."

"...So that somehow he won't pin the crime of treason on Father?" Seeing him stammering, Luo Yunqiao simply finished the sentence for him.

Although this was the truth, hearing it from a junior's mouth still made Luo Chao feel somewhat stripped of his dignity.

Driven by sudden anger, he retorted, "Why must you put it in such harsh terms? After all, the Emperor is still on the throne, and the empire hasn't changed hands. How can you speak of treason? I merely wish to ask whether Prince Yan truly harbors rebellious intentions."

"The Emperor is gravely ill, and the Crown Prince is currently acting as regent, assisted by Prince Yan—it is all proper and justified. Or perhaps Father is hoping that Prince Yan ascends the throne so you can taste the glory of being the father-in-law of the Emperor?" Luo Yunqiao said calmly, blocking all of his words before continuing, "However, since Father forced the late Emperor to abdicate, cast him among the common folk, and acted as someone else's executioner, I fear that even if Prince Yan truly harbors rebellious intentions, you will never get to be the Emperor's father-in-law."

"Whether you can even preserve your position as the Marquis of Jing'an remains unknown, let alone..."

Hearing this, Luo Chao's eyes turned red with fury as he cursed, "You want to commit patricide?!"

"Does Father not speak with an equally harsh tongue? How the future Emperor chooses to deal with you is an imperial decree, something neither I nor Father can control. Instead of delusions, Father would do well to reflect on any other malicious deeds you have committed and confess to them all together; perhaps you can still strive for lenient treatment!" Luo Yunqiao continued.

A life for a life was only natural and right.

That Luo Chao had been able to enjoy so many years of glory and wealth was already a stroke of fortune granted by the heavens.

Disdaining to waste any more breath, she stood up and said, "Grandmother is still staying at the country estate and is bound to be lonely. If Father finds me an eyesore these days, I can easily go live at the estate with Grandmother and return only after Father has settled these matters."

With that, she turned to leave.

Luo Chao stepped forward and blocked her path.

"Your grandmother has her own caretakers. Your most urgent priority right now is to go and set a wedding date with Prince Yan. The sooner the wedding is finished, the better."

Luo Yunqiao frowned. Before she could reply, a eunuch suddenly arrived from outside.

The moment he saw Luo Yunqiao, his face broke into a full smile: "Ah, so the Princess Consort of Yan is still at the Marquis's mansion. This humble servant is from the Crown Prince's side; the Crown Princess has nothing pressing today and has specifically invited the Princess Consort of Yan to come over for a chat."