"Your Highness?" She gracefully said.
"Ma'am?" He replied in a similar manner
"For your loss I am truly sorry yet as you seem unnaturally calm I ask that you accept my humble condolences." She said.
"Yes Ma'am." He replied calmly.
"Are you on your way to see His Majesty?" She asked.
"No Ma'am." He replied, "I am here to see you." He asserted.
"See me?" She asked.
"Yes Ma'am." He replied.
"What is this about?" She inquired.
"You might know Ma'am." He replied.
"I don't seem to read your thoughts." She mentioned.
"I grovelled in front of you Ma'am, I begged you for my mother's life, I pleaded with my heart ailing Ma'am, eventually she died painfully in my arms." He mentioned.
"How tragic!" She exclaimed.
"But she committed suicide and chose a painful death, simple poison would have killed her instantly but for minutes her innards burst open and one by one were painfully extinguished, she was losing herself every moment of every second." The Crown Prince Zhao Jun mentioned.
"Why are you telling me this Your Highness?" She asked.
"You are now implying that you don't know a thing?" He muttered.
"What have you to prove my dear Prince, what have you to deliver to the world, yesterday the Empress had her title and now she is without a name, yours I wish to remind you from the bottom of my heart that as it could be a full title it can become empty, at worst stripped, at most delivered to the arms of another." Yang Guifei said to the Prince as she took his right hand and held it in both of hers.
"How dare you?" The Crown Prince asked.
"Pardon my impertinence my Prince." She remarked.
"A lowly Imperial Concubine like yourself would dare to hold the hand of a legitimate Imperial Prince?" He muttered furiously and looking at the fire burning in his eyes she slowly let go of him.
"I shall remind you my Prince, I see that the lack of a mother has deterred you, but don't worry yet I tell you this, soon and very soon I can assure you that this lowly concubine before you shall become your most legitimate mother." She said as she got closer to his ear, "she will become a powerful Empress who rules the world." She asserted as she pulled away from him and looked him in the eye.
"You told me Ma'am that true power can not be shared and that's why two dragons can not govern the same nest nor can there be two suns in the same sky it is therefore only right that the winner takes it all and the loser keeps nothing." He said.
"And what's your resolve my Prince?" She asked.
"I shall take that power Ma'am, I'll do everything in my power, I shall rise to the dragon throne of my ancestors and on that day you can prepare for me the necks of my so called brothers because it is then that you shall learn to which Clan this world belongs to." The Crown Prince said as he bowed his head and he walked past her while she remained standing.
"Ma'am, what's wrong with you?" Manyin asked.
"Definitely he must hate on us." She replied.
"What are we going to do Ma'am?" Manyin inquired.
"I didn't come back to the Palace all those years prepared to make friends, I came prepared to make enemies and consequently to destroy them." She replied as she continued her way as well.
Han Touzhou arriving in his study he found the Minister Xie and Officer Jiang along with Xiang Mu seated they bowed their heads to him.
"You called us Your Excellency?" Officer Jiang inquired as he sat down in front of them.
"There's something that I wish to discuss with you urgently concerning the Crown Prince." He replied.
"What about him?" Officer Xie asked.
"I had an audience with him, apparently His Highness has already made up his mind and he intends to get rid of Yang Guifei and have her ousted from the Palace." He replied.
"Yang Guifei?" Minister Xie inquired.
"Yes." Han Touzhou confirmed.
"His Highness is young and perhaps infuriated about the loss of his mother the Empress he is heartbroken, Yang Guifei controls the Palace virtually and to oust her was something the Late Empress Mother and the Empress herself tried so hard to achieve but in the end they failed." Officer Jiang muttered.
"No one said that it would be easy." Han Touzhou muttered.
"Then you understand where we are coming from, we are already mourning the Empress as it is, if His Highness is careless he might jeopardize his position and as it so happens, he has a sickly brother while Yang Guifei has already given the Dynasty a son." Minister Xie said
"And that is the reason why we choose to support him." Han Touzhou mentioned.
"You couldn't be seriously allowing the Crown Prince to do this." Officer Jiang said.
"Then you suggest that we keep quiet?" Han Touzhou asked.
"The Empress is dead, what more do we need, if it's clear that we can not live with her then it's better enough that we do away with her just like that, we find a scapegoat and everyone gets away with it." He responded.
"She has once survived death you can't expect that it won't happen again and on top of that looking at the current state of affairs her supporters along with herself know that she might be the target of many if it is to meet head on with death you can trust that it is also something that she is prepared for." Han Touzhou remarked.
"I understand that Your Excellency is worried but now that things have come to this more than ever we should be cautious of our every move if we tell the Crown Prince to charge ahead of her then he is only asking for death." Minister Xie asserted.
"The Courtiers might seem quiet for now but sooner or later questions will erupt as the Nation shall most certainly need a Mother, they shall demand that a new Empress be installed and Yang Guifei in high Imperial favours shall most certainly be the only one on the Emperor's mind." He said to them as they kept quiet while for a moment he looked at them, "we can not move the Empress Dowager Xie peaceful and what's more is that if we are to be cautious it's likely that Yang Guifei perceived her as a potential threat she must have her tied down, in the very least the best that we can do is to take this gamble while we still can." He said.
"It's not like we have an option, either we charge towards death first or wait for it, it's not a fate that we are in position to escape." Officer Jiang said.
"Surely." Minister Xie said, "to die fighting will be more Honourable however if I must insist if we are to trust the Crown Prince we must just as well understand what it is that he is doing to take the necessary precautions." He added.
"You can as well leave that to me." Han Touzhou mentioned.
"Yes Your Excellency." They all replied in unison.
Cao Zhaoyi impatiently seated in her own Chambers, Linxiang walked up to her and bowed her head.
"Ma'am?" She said.
"Anything from the Crown Prince's residence?" She asked.
"The Empress committed suicide and Yang Guifei certainly had a hand in it, apparently the reason the Empress was weakly and in ill health was that she's been constantly poisoned with musk and cinnabar." She replied.
"Even we wanted the Empress dead and Yang Guifei beat us to it, now that I think about it she's only become worse than we expected and this problem is becoming much bigger than anything that we have ever faced." Cao Zhaoyi remarked.
"I heard reliably that the Crown Prince intends to have an all out confrontation of Yang Guifei, he made up his mind and asserted that he was going to have her sent from the Palace by all means as soon as possible and I suppose he is worried that the issue of the Empress' successor shall be raised sooner or later he is dreading that most likely possibility." Linxiang replied.
"Yang Guifei is his biggest issue at hand then we must equally be more useful to him." Cao Zhaoyi said.
"What do you suggest we do Ma'am?" Linxiang asked.
"I need to speak with my mother." Cao Zhaoyi replied.
"I'll see to it Ma'am." Linxiang muttered as she withdrew from the room.
"Did you hear it?" Bao Langya asked Shi Miyuan.
"What is it now?" He asked.
"Apparently the Crown Prince will get rid of Yang Guifei and have her ousted from the Palace." He replied.
"And where did you hear that?" Master Bao inquired.
"Eunuch Beiyuan." He replied, "who apart from us is much closer to her than we are and had it not been the case then why would she summon us here father?" He said when the doors of the room were flung open and Yang Guifei walked in and she stood before them.
"Ma'am." They greeted her standing up as they bowed their heads while quietly, she sat down before them.
"You may sit." She muttered and they immediately complied.
"You called us here Ma'am." Master Bao said.
"Beiyuan must have informed you about the Crown Prince's intentions." She said.
"He's paranoid, a little boy like him." He mentioned.
"It makes us all the more concerned." Yang Guifei replied.
"Is there something on your mind Ma'am?" Shi Miyuan asked.
"A desperate person would do close to anything above all we can not forget to fear the revenge of the foolish as it could take down pretty much anything." She replied.
"Now that you say it Ma'am, there's no compromise." Master Bao mentioned, "however at this rate judging how the Crown Prince is acting and as he might think of anything it might be very hard to predict his thoughts." He asserted.
"Why do you think the Empress chose this of all times to die?" She asked.
"Enlighten us Ma'am." Shi Miyuan replied.
"I have something that the Empress, Han Touzhou, Cao Zhaoyi and the Crown Prince don't have, I have something that no man in the world dares to possess but now that I have confirmed that His Highness will act up against me, be still and watch, I shall now deliver my gift." Yang Guifei replied as she smiled at herself ghastly.
The Crown Prince seated in his room in the darkness alone, Liu Zhan walked up to him and bowed her head.
"Your Highness." She said.
"You faithfully served my grandmother." He muttered.
"Yes Your Highness." She replied.
"There's something that I need you to do for me." He muttered.
"I am at your service Your Highness." She asserted.
"How many corners are around the Eastern Palace?" He inquired.
"Fourteen." She replied.
"I need fourteen white layers, fourteen shattered gourds, fourteen cowrie shells, fourteen red cotton ribbons and fourteen black and white talismans before tomorrow night." He said.
"Your Highness......." She spoke in protest.
"I have given you an order, unless of course you wish to obey me and you mean of course that I should do it myself." He muttered.
"Pardon me Your Highness." She replied, "I'll do as you wish." She assured him as she stood up and bowing her head she withdrew from the room at once and left the latter alone.
Cao Zhaoyi equally waiting the darkness had fallen and Linxiang walking into her Chambers, she led in the veiled Lady Yin before her.
"You called me Ma'am?" She said bowing her head before her.
"Please have a seat mother." She replied and the fairly old woman complied.
"Something appears to be bothering you Ma'am, what could it be?" She inquired.
"The Empress is dead, the nation needs a mother, sooner or later this issue will surface mother and I thought about it that you have patiently waited the time is now." She replied.
"What do you mean Ma'am?" Lady Yin asked.
"Lady Cao isn't an aid of mine and I heard that she used to mistreat you before, it's only right that she is eliminated from the equation so that power in this family may be balanced." She replied.
"Ma'am....?" The latter protested.
"You have struggled as a mistess and concubine all your life, they dictate for you what you can and can not do I won't hear any more of that." Cao Zhaoyi mentioned, "my mother, the mother of the future Empress of the Great Southern Song Dynasty shall not be a concubine to a Minister but rather the Legal Wife." She said.
The sun rising over the capital the Emperor Ningzong in his Chambers Lan He walked in.
"Reporting to Your Majesty." He said while the latter was preparing for the morning Assembly.
"What is it?" The Emperor asked.
"The Crown Prince won't be attending the Daily Assembly with Your Majesty today." He replied.
"How come?" The latter inquired.
"I was informed that he is a bit rundown with a fever and he isn't doing well." He replied, "he insisted that it is nothing serious and we shouldn't bother you with it." He added.
"He is the Crown Prince of this nation so surely I can't overlook everything that happens concerning his health." The Emperor replied.
"I'll send over the Imperial physician." Eunuch Deng mentioned.
"Make sure to do so." The Emperor replied.
"Yes Your Majesty." He replied.
Preparing to withdraw the Emperor spoke up.
"There's one more thing that I need to tell you." He mentioned.
"And what is that Your Majesty?" Eunuch Deng asked.
"I'll pass by after the Daily Assembly." He mentioned.
"Yes Your Majesty." The latter replied as he withdrew from her presence.
The Emperor arriving in the throne room the Courtiers were gathered.
"Your Majesty." They bowed their heads to him.
"At ease." He replied.
"Thank you Your Majesty." They replied in unison while the Left Chancellor Han Touzhou stepped out.
"Reporting concerning the Late Empress' mausoleum construction." He said.
"What is it?" He asked.
"With the Crown Prince's efforts the mausoleum of the Empress is nearly completed Your Majesty and as I speak in a months time the Complex shall be completed." He mentioned.
"Well done." Emperor Ningzong replied as the Grand Chancellor Zhao Zizhi stepped up into the open.
"The Grand Chancellor Zhao Zizhi, reporting to His Majesty." He mentioned.
"What bothers you?" Emperor Ningzong inquired.
"Forgive me Your Majesty, the people of Jinghu South have been thankful, it's been roughly a year since Yang Guifei was with them and the rain has been abundant, the produce has doubled and the people themselves have delivered to the Palace Six months worth of produce especially to the harem in gratitude." He replied.
"His Excellency mentions it, surely the people seem to be fond of Her Grace." Shi Miyuan mentioned.
"Your Majesty and Yang Guifei are in deed a match made in heaven." The Grand Chancellor asserted and meanwhile the Emperor smiling Han Touzhou was rather furious.
"The people show their gratitude, as Sovereign I can not turn it down, the dynasty is prosperous we have the gods to thank but most importantly you my Ministers for your tireless contributions I have decided that for this month, I'll cut down the costs of the Inner Palace to raise your allowances." He mentioned.
"But Your Majesty is already Sovereign in the state surely the Palace expenses are the duty of the Empress." Shi Miyuan mentioned.
"There is no Empress in the harem it is right that I share my ailing Empress Dowager's burden and the Retired Emperor has been quite sickly of late I must endure for a while." He mentioned.
"Thank you Your Majesty, Long Live Your Majesty." The Courtiers said in unison.
The Assembly dismissed, Han Touzhou and Minister Xie descended the stairs altogether.
"His Majesty purposely announced to the world that he is raising our allowances as an excuse of showing that the Empress' duties have been neglected for too long which compelled him to act up." Han Touzhou mentioned.
"There's an Imperial Noble Consort in the harem so what's bothering His Majesty?" Minister Xie mentioned.
"There's a Noble Consort and the Crown Princess to establish the Higher source of power in the Inner Court is itself difficult and the Crown Princess perhaps young it would imply that she is inexperienced and Yang Guifei though older she doesn't have a Crown." Han Touzhou mentioned.
"He's indirectly brining up the issue of investing an Empress." Minister Xie muttered.
"You might as well just say that he is engaging the Court to raise it up after all the mourning period might not take too long and even in the event that the Retired Emperor passes on, he'll have the morning period trimmed down to a year or two to hasten his dreams." Han Touzhou remarked.
"Then we don't have that much time to oust Yang Guifei out of the Palace." He mentioned.
"The Empress' seat can not be vacant for too long." Han Touzhou asserted.
The Crown Princess and Liu Zhan in the Crown Prince's Chambers, the Emperor walked in and the two standing up they bowed their heads to him.
"Your Majesty." They greeted.
"How is the Crown Prince?" He asked the Imperial physician.
"It's rather hard to establish." He replied, "His Highness is ailing but we can't come to a final diagnosis." He asserted.
"How tragic!" Emperor Ningzong exclaimed.
"Don't worry Your Majesty, we are doing our best to look after him and I trust that he shall be fine." The Crown Princess Cao Xuan said.
"Very well then." Emperor Ningzong replied.
"What, the Crown Prince is ill?" Xiaoyang inquired.
"Yes." Manyin replied.
"And what could be the cause?" She asked.
"It's rather hard to establish but I saw one of the Crown Princess' ladies around his residence and Court Lady Liu and the others were burying something outside his Palace." Manyin asserted.
"It's strange.," Yang Guifei suddenly spoke up.
"Surely." Manyin said.
"What do we do Ma'am?" Xiaoyang inquired.
"Since it's the Crown Princess you said, she is as well a useful piece to the Crown Prince and to Cao Zhaoyi, what we can do at the time is to get rid of it before it can become a thorn in our flesh." Yang Guifei replied.
"And how are we going to do that Ma'am?" Manyin asked.
"I need you all to do something for me." She replied as she smiled at herself ghastly.
One of the Ladies in waiting for the Crown Prince's residence with her colleagues were moving around the backyard when she caught sight of something.
"What is that?" She asked her friends.
"I don't know." One replied as they got closer.
She tested with her foot and saw that it was a cloth and kneeling down, they started digging.
After they pulled out the sack and opened it to see a dead chicken and other talismans and witchcraft materials that they all screamed aloud.
"What, someone attempted to bewitch the Crown Prince?" Emperor Ningzong asked.
"Yes Your Majesty." Eunuch Deng replied and the young man getting up onto his feet he immediately rushed out while he was followed by his Retinue.
The Emperor Ningzong making his way through the entrance of the young man's household he was greeted by Liu Zhan.
"Your Majesty." She said to him.
"How is the Crown Prince?" He asked.
"He is inside." She replied as she stepped aside while the Emperor mounted the stairs that led up to the room and the moment he had gotten inside he saw the young boy weakly seated right in front him behind a table with a couple of things in front of him.
"Your Majesty?" He said while the Emperor's eyes moved about the place and he studied the white fowls along with the calabashes, the eggs and all the other things.
"All this was unearthed around the Eastern Palace?" He asked.
"One of the cleaners happened to find a clue in my temporary ill health and the moment these things were unearthed around all the corners of my Palace." He replied and the Emperor Ningzong sitting down before him he held up one of the eggs.
"Someone wants the Crown Prince dead, but who in the world could it be?" He asked.
"That's why I asked it to be a secret father, I don't know anyone else that I could trust apart from you." The Crown Prince Zhao Jun replied.
"No one knows this you said?" The Emperor Ningzong asked.
"It's deliberate father, such is a precaution that we need in order to find out the real culprit." He replied weakly.
"And what is it that Your Highness suggests we do?" He asked.
"Father, only you have the power in the world I was asking that if you will it all Imperial Palaces be turned upside down and every nook and cranny be inspected until the culprit is found." The Crown Prince Zhao Jun replied.
"It is in deed the only way Your Majesty." Eunuch Deng suggested.
"Very well then." Emperor Ningzong said, "gather all the Eunuchs and Ladies in waiting including the Ladies' Investigations Bureau of the Palace and look about every residence." He ordered.
"Yes Your Majesty." Eunuch Deng replied as he bowed his head and immediately set out.
Yang Guifei who was seated in her Chambers alone in the darkness, Manyin running about the place made an entrance and halted before her.
"Ma'am, the Eunuchs and Ladies led by Liu Zhan are on their way here." She mentioned.
"Don't worry." Yang Guifei mentioned and hardly had she spoken when the doors of the room were flung open and at that moment Liu Zhan walked in while Manyin moved to the side.
"Ma'am?" She said as she bowed her head to her.
"Court Lady Liu?" She muttered.
"Yes." The latter confirmed.
"It is late and handling the harem affairs I was soon to retire, however now that you are here at this hour I am very much concerned and can't help but wonder what could be the matter?" She inquired.
"His Highness the Crown Prince happened to lose his mother and at that there are many people that are targeting him, surprisingly he fell sick and it only seemed natural until we unearthed witchcraft instruments and dark materials in each of the fourteen corners of his house." Liu Zhan replied.
"Someone cast an evil eye on His Imperial Highness you say?" She inquired.
"Yes Ma'am." Liu Zhan replied.
"But who could be that cruel in the world?" Yang Guifei asked.
"That's what we are here to verify and His Majesty has acquiesced I therefore beseech Your Grace to grant us permission to search your Chambers." She replied.
"You are suspecting me?" She asked.
"It's simply to get rid of any doubts that might cause harm to the reputation of both the harem and the Imperial family." Liu Zhan replied.
"Since you are concerned then it won't be fair if I declined and on top of that since His Majesty willed who am I to say no?" Yang Guifei remarked and Liu Zhan with a smile on her face she bowed her head and looking at the others behind her while Yang Guifei remained seated in her room they shuffled through all her belongings while she stared at Liu Zhan.
"Milady?" One of the men said as he rushed over to Liu Zhan while holding in his hand a sack of witchcraft and sorcery instruments along with dark materials.
"Ma'am?" Liu Zhan called to her as she poured all of them before Yang Guifei who didn't seem phased in the very least.
"I do not own those things." She mentioned.
"But Ma'am, none of us here are blind and you have seen for yourself and so have we, these things have been discovered in your room." Liu Zhan said.
"And I would be as foolish Court Lady Liu?" She asked.
"What other excuse are you going to give when what we have here is irrefutable proof?" Liu Zhan asked when the doors of the room were flung open and at once another of the ladies in waiting Xiaoyang rushed in.
"Ma'am." She said as she bowed her head before Yang Guifei.
"What is it?" She asked.
"The Crown Princess' residence." Xiaoyang replied.
"What happened there?" Yang Guifei inquired.
"Her Imperial Highness cast an evil eye on the members of the Imperial family." She replied.
"What?" Liu Zhan said.
"Yes Milady." Xiaoyang replied while the latter turned around and looked at the latter who smiled at her.
"Tell me Court Lady Liu what you claimed a while ago?" She asked.
"Ma'am...." She was still saying when Yang Guifei stood up from where she was seated.
"Take me to the Crown Princess' Palace." She demanded in front of Xiaoyang with Manyin behind her.
"Yes Ma'am." The latter replied and bowing her head she moved aside while Yang Guifei swiftly made her way past Liu Zhan and moved out of the room.
The Crown Prince and the Emperor Ningzong seated in the Grand Hall Eunuch Deng walked in.
"Your Majesty." He said while bowing his head to the two of them.
"What did you discover?" He asked.
"Your Majesty, pardon me......" He said hesitantly.
"Who attempted to bewitch me?" The Crown Prince Zhao Jun asked.
"Witchcraft instruments and Materials were discovered in Yang Guifei's Chambers by Court Lady Liu." Eunuch Deng replied.
"What?" Emperor Ningzong muttered very much surprised while the Crown Prince smiled from the corner of his mouth.
"Yes Your Majesty." Eunuch Deng confirmed.
"Impossible." The Emperor rebuked.
"Knowing Yang Guifei at least I couldn't think she'd devise such a devious scheme but something more surprising happened in the harem Your Majesty." Eunuch Deng said.
"Tell me what it is?" Emperor Ningzong asked.
"It's about the Crown Princess." He replied and at once he succeeded in winning the attention of the inwardly excited Crown Prince for a moment.
"The Crown Princess?" He said, "what about her?" He asked.
"Forgive me for saying this Your Imperial Highness but we have discovered in her Chambers as well dark instruments and witchcraft materials in abundance and all are hexed with spells against the Imperial family." Eunuch Deng said and at once the Crown Prince stood up from where he was seated.
"Impossible." He muttered as he rushed out of the building.
Yang Guifei rushing through the gates of the Crown Princess Cao Xuan's residence she was received by the Lady Investigators of the Ladies' Investigations Bureau of the Palace.
"Ma'am?" They bowed their heads to her as they paid her their respects.
"Where is the Crown Princess?" She asked.
"Inside her Chambers." Madam Rui replied and the latter mounting the stairs inside while they followed her along with Liu Zhan they halted in front of the Crown Princess and as she was the senior the older bowed her head to the fair dame.
"Your Highness." She said.
"Ma'am?" The Crown Princess replied.
"All this......" Yang Guifei muttered as she stared at the objects in front of her.
"Someone merely wishes to frame me." The Crown Princess Cao asserted.
"And does Your Highness suspect anyone?" Yang Guifei asked but the latter kept quiet.
"So you would want the Senior members of the Imperial family including your husband dead, why is that?" Yang Guifei asked.
"You tell me Ma'am, similar objects I hear were found in your residence." The Crown Princess Cao replied.
"But I didn't do it?" Yang Guifei said.
"Who knows Ma'am, each one of us here claims that they are innocent but what the world wants is the truth, I have no reason to kill my husband, even the Emperor but you on the other hand are old enough and nearly an acting Empress in the harem, you have Sired for His Majesty a son and adopted another in the event of his death and the Crown Prince's along with his brother's you'd have one of the two installed as Emperor and would rule as the Empress Mother and Regent." The Crown Princess replied.
"Pardon me Ma'am but the Crown Princess is logical." Liu Zhan replied.
"Your Highness was right when you said that each one of us here claims that they are innocent but what the world wants is the truth." Yang Guifei replied, "what's logical doesn't matter unless it's proven and since between the two of us there can only be one witch I have come to a resolve." Yang Guifei said.
"What is it Ma'am?" The Crown Princess Cao asked.
"There's only one witch between us there should be accomplices, the office of Investigations of the Ladies of the Palace shall not handle this issue but the State Tribunal shall take in all our ladies in waiting and have them interrogated." Yang Guifei replied when the doors of the room were flung open and the Crown Prince Zhao Jun rushed in between the two women.
"Your Highness." Yang Guifei offered her respects while the Crown Princess Cao stood up and did the same yet he ignored and stared at the voodoo dolls with the names of Yang Guifei, the Imperial Princes Zhao Tan, Zhao Zhen, Zhao Xun, Zhao Jun and the Emperor Ningzong himself.
A short while after him, the Emperor Ningzong walked into the room.
"Your Majesty." Everyone said in unison as they bowed their heads to him.
"What's all this?" He asked.
"Pardon me Your Majesty but it appears that someone wants to frame me." The Crown Princess Cao replied looking at Yang Guifei.
"Guifei?" He asked.
"Pardon me Your Majesty as you have known me for a while, I have never engaged in such mischief and mysticism Sire I have every right to believe and claim that I am innocent of these charges of witchcraft that have been placed on me." She replied.
"So you are saying that none of you did it?" Emperor Ningzong asked.
"Yes Your Majesty." The two women replied in unison.
"Father, the Crown Princess is graceful and silent, she wouldn't." The Crown Prince pleaded her case.
"Perhaps Your Majesty." Yang Guifei replied, "but it would reflect badly on the Inner Court if such an issue were left unattended too and besides many are waiting to exploit this opportunity to cause a rift in the Imperial family, I was merely requesting that you hear me out." She said.
"What is it?" The Crown Prince asked.
"Between the two of us there can only be one witch Sire and if we couldn't do it on our own we must have heard accomplices that we can trust." Yang Guifei replied.
"What are you saying?" Emperor Ningzong asked.
"The State Tribunal shall take in all our ladies in waiting and Eunuchs as the issue shall not be dealt with by anyone from the Ladies' Investigations Bureau of the Palace, only then can a fair verdict be reached and the true witch between both Her Highness and myself be brought to justice." Yang Guifei replied.
"It is only right that we do so." Emperor Ningzong said and the Crown Prince also nodded in approval while Yang Guifei looking at the Crown Prince and Princess she smiled at herself ghastly.
Cao Zhaoyi in her Chambers Linxiang walked in.
"Ma'am?" She said.
"What is it?" Cao Zhaoyi asked.
"Yang Guifei was accused of bewitching the Crown Prince and at the same time witchcraft and dark materials were unravelled in the Crown Princess' Chambers to kill every one of the senior members of the Imperial family including Yang Guifei as well." Linxiang replied.
"How strange!" Cao Zhaoyi exclaimed.
"Yang Guifei has forbidden the Ladies' Investigations Bureau of the Palace from intervening in the Investigations and has requested his Majesty to have the State Tribunal's Investigations team to bring both their servants into custody under interrogation." Linxiang muttered.
"But the State Tribunal falls directly under the control of Han Touzhou." Cao Zhaoyi muttered, "they'd do anything to protect the Crown Princess because that would be protecting the reputation of the Crown Prince." She remarked.
"Just as I thought Ma'am, Yang Guifei must have lost it, doesn't she realise that she's only throwing herself in the fire?" She inquired.
"What does it matter to us?" Cao Zhaoyi inquired, "Han Touzhou and the rest can do best what we can not do at this moment and that is to protect our dear Crown Princess." Cao Zhaoyi said.
"There's something on your mind Ma'am." Linxiang pointed out.
"In the very least if they make Yang Guifei the guilty scapegoat, they should have more reason to work against the Emperor and he wouldn't defend her." She replied.
"What should I do Ma'am?" Linxiang asked.
"The Empress Han's second brother Zhao Tan I heard is the apple of his brother's eye but he is quite sickly having grown poorly outside the palace, you understand what must be done." Cao Zhaoyi responded.
"Yes Ma'am." Linxiang replied as she bowed her head and moved out of the building leaving her mistress smiling alone at herself ghastly.
"Let's see how you shall make it through this Ma'am." She said to herself.
Master Bao, Bao Langya, Jinglan, Yang Cishan and Beiyuan seated in a room Yang Guifei appeared before them and she sat ahead.
"Ma'am?" They said in unison.
"Yes?" She replied with a smile on her face.
"We heard that you asked His Majesty to settle the issue of the Crown Princess and yourself?" Master Bao said.
"Yes." She replied calmly again with a smile on her face.
"But you had the chance to solely have the Crown Princess apprehended." Bao Langya said.
"And what would I achieve from that?" Yang Guifei asked.
They kept quiet.
"The Crown Prince merely wishes to repress me by using my similar technique of playing the victim, he desires to beat me at my very own game." She replied, "it's natural that I show him who is master, I'll teach him to know his place." She replied.
"But Ma'am, this puts you at risk." Yang Cishan pointed out.
"And who said that we will gain the world without a risk, the bigger the better and my whole life I have pushed to every limit now that the Crown Prince has presented himself before me it is the rarest and the most perfect chance to bring heaven and the people to our side." Yang Guifei remarked.
"And how shall we do that Ma'am, the State Tribunal is entirely controlled by Han Touzhou they'd merely struggle so hard to protect the Crown Princess because it literally means protecting the Crown Prince." Beiyuan said.
"And that is exactly what I want them to do." Yang Guifei replied.
"Ma'am?" Bao Langya mentioned.
"With a single move we shall decisively wrest victory from Han Touzhou at best even politically cripple him, stand with me on this and trust, Han Touzhou and the Crown Prince are about to get the biggest shock of their lives." She replied as she confidently smiled at herself while they looked at her suspiciously.
Xiaoyang and Manyin in a cell they faced each other.
"You remember what Ma'am said?" Xiaoyang asked.
"Under immense torture, the girls won't break and who is to tell they all have a personal grudge they are our people and sisters of the fraternity." Manyin replied.
"They'll bring us in first to protect the Crown Princess' ladies and Eunuchs from spilling their indulgences." Xiaoyang muttered.
"We trust Her Grace on this because it is only our triumph that shall grant her a stance." Manyin remarked.
Emperor Ningzong seated in his study Eunuch Deng stood beside him and watched diligently.
"Your Majesty, something appears to be on your mind." He mentioned.
"The State Tribunal." He replied.
"You are worried?" Eunuch Deng inquired.
"Who is to guarantee that their judgement shall be fair, at the very worst I fear that Yang Guifei's ladies and Eunuchs might confess under immense torture." Emperor Ningzong said.
"Your Majesty is Emperor, we can find someone that we can trust on the inside." Eunuch Deng replied.
"Those men have served in the Tribunal for years and on top of that if we act up the ministers involved will only get more and more suspicious?" Emperor Ningzong inquired.
"No one has to know." Eunuch Deng replied, "besides I am sure that Lan He would listen and record everything perfectly." He suggested.
"Send him over in secret." Emperor Ningzong said.
"Yes Your Majesty." Eunuch Deng replied and bowing his head he immediately withdrew from the hall at once and left the Emperor alone.
It was very early in the morning and Officer Jiang Chen and Xiang Mu along with the other Ministers arriving on the stage of the torture grounds, seven seats had been arranged for them where they sat down.
"Bring in Yang Guifei's Ladies in waiting first." Xiang Mu ordered and at once the cells being opened the two women were led with their juniors into the compound that had been filled with lots of torture equipment.
They were thrown onto their knees.
"Confess your crimes and you shall be forgiven, our punishments are very heavy and we don't want to harm you small delicate and innocent women who have a long life ahead of you." Officer Jiang Chen muttered.
"Please hear us out Your Excellency, Her Grace did nothing and she didn't bury those dark materials under the Crown Prince's Palace." Xiaoyang said.
"We shall see." Xiang Mu said and at that moment they twenty ladies were suspended on chains and flogged bitterly for a very long while as Lan He incognito with a couple of others watched keenly.
The whipping lasted an hour and the girls were bleeding when Officer Jiang Chen looked at the other officials who nodded as they had failed to confess.
A short while later they gathered inside a room alone.
"It's already coming to noon Your Excellency and these girls haven't even confessed a single word." One of the ministers said to Jiang Chen.
"They are surely very loyal to Yang Guifei and they wouldn't give her off that much regardless of how hard we tried." Xiang Mu asserted.
"I feel so too." Another supplemented.
"What matters is that we have only this opportunity to bring down Yang Guifei and have her threaten the position of the Crown Prince no more." Officer Jiang remarked.
"We haven't interrogated the Ladies and Eunuchs of the Crown Princess if they return to the palace without any proof then surely His Majesty may be suspicious." Xiang Mu pointed out.
"They are ordinary and women, immense torture would make them confess out of our favour, I suggest that we simply subject them to simple torture, in the mean time the servants from Yuxiangling Palace shall confess beforehand." Officer Jiang replied.
"And how are we going to do that Your Excellency?"
"We'll ask them to write their testimonies." Officer Jiang Chen replied as he smiled at himself ghastly.
Xiaoyang and Manyin exhausted from having been tortured along with all the other girls, the ministers returned being accompanied by guards that were each bearing a tray with a paper, a brush and ink and they stopped right in front of the young ladies.
"You all claim that Yang Guifei is innocent and I shall give you a chance to prove that." Officer Jiang said as the trays were lowered in front of them while the guards withdrew and they stood beside them.
In front of you each there's a piece of paper and a brush, along with ink and the red one in particular will be the one where you shall place your finger to stamp it as evidence onto the piece of paper." Officer Jiang said, "write down all your confessions." He demanded and the latter started doing so while he and the rest watched earnestly.
Han Touzhou in his own study Lin Xue walked in and bowed his head.
"Your Excellency." He said.
"How is it?" Han Touzhou inquired.
"Officer Jiang Chen has asked Your Excellency not to worry as he has everything under control." He replied.
"I hope so." Han Touzhou muttered.
"The Crown Princess' ladies in waiting kneeling down were being flogged on their calves but unwilling to yield one eventually spoke up.
"I'll confess." She mentioned.
"To what?" The officer asked.
"Her Highness the Crown Princess asked us to have the witchcraft materials sneaked into Yang Guifei's residence." She replied when one of Lan He's men was listening.
"Let them go." Xiang Mu said and at once the guards withdrew from them.
"Bring her in." He ordered as the young woman was dragged away while the others were watching.
Lan He still outside watched Yang Guifei's ladies in waiting concluding their confessions and handing the papers over they were carried after they were stamped with the thumbprints to Officer Jiang Chen and his colleagues.
"Return the ladies into their cells." He ordered and the guards bore them away while he and the others moved away with the documents back to a certain room.
"The testimonies as you asked Your Excellency." They were handed over to Officer Jiang.
"Get ten Irish potatoes and cut them into halves, boil them until they are somewhat soft." He ordered.
"Yes Your Excellency." They replied in unison.
"What do we need the potatoes for Your Excellency?" His colleagues asked.
"Leave that to me." He replied as he turned to another of the servants that were nearby and handed the letters over to him.
"Have the calligraphers at the back imitated each of these handwritings and besides remind them that they know what they should do." Officer Jiang Chen ordered.
"Yes Sir." The man replied as he got a way.
"Yang Guifei will collapse this time round." The Crown Prince said.
"Surely." Liu Zhan replied, "it didn't occur to me that she would try to use the Crown Princess as a scapegoat but we are very lucky after all that the State Tribunal is in the hands of your Maternal grandfather the Left Chancellor, they shall undoubtedly protect you." She said.
"Surely." The Crown Prince replied as she clenched her fists, "she might have been expecting to get off the hook I can already imagine the shock on her face." He mentioned.
"Yes Your Highness." Liu Zhan replied.
Beiyuan standing outside Yang Guifei's Chambers, someone whispered something into his ear and he carried the message inside.
"Ma'am." he greeted Yang Guifei who was anxiously seated.
"What have they said?" She asked.
"Officer Jiang Chen and the others have already started acting as you had anticipated Ma'am." He replied.
"Well done." She remarked happily.
Xiang Mu supervising the the calligraphers once they were finished, the boiled potatoes were carried towards them and at that very moment, squeezing them onto the original papers, they registered the thumbprints which they transferred to the duplicated testimonies which they handed over to Offer Jiang Chen.
"Well done." He said as he stared at all of them.
"They all agree that Yang Guifei was the mastermind behind the witchcraft scandal and her two Head Ladies agree here that they were sent into the Crown Princess' residence to have the dark materials buried there." Xiang Mu mentioned.
"And the one that confessed the Crown Princess' involvement?" He asked.
"She has been dealt with." He replied.
"It's time." Officer Jiang Chen muttered.
"What should I do Your Excellency?" Xiang Mu inquired.
"His Majesty will soon come to know, I want the Crown Prince, Princess, Yang Guifei along with him brought to the State Tribunal." He mentioned.
"Yes Your Excellency." He replied in unison bowing his head to him.
Emperor Ningzong in his study Eunuch Deng walked in.
"Your Majesty, The Ministers of the State Tribunal request your presence at the Tribunal's office immediately." He said.
"Officer Jiang Chen has solved this case that fast?" The Emperor asked.
"So I heard." Eunuch Deng replied, "however, he invites the Crown Prince and Crown Princess along with Yang Guifei to the hearing." He added.
"Make preparations for them to come along." Emperor Ningzong said.
"Yes Your Majesty." The latter replied as he withdrew out of the room at once.
Yang Guifei waiting impatiently she was seated in her Chambers when Beiyuan returned.
"Ma'am, you've been called upon at the Tribunal." He mentioned.
"Then we shouldn't keep the others waiting." She said as she stood up from where she was seated and she walked out of the room while he followed by closely behind.
Arriving at the State Tribunal, Yang Guifei intercepted the Crown Prince along with the Crown Princess.
"Your Highnesses?" She greeted them calmly.
"Ma'am?" They replied calmly as well while she smiled.
"Who would have thought that Officer Jiang would solve this matter so fast?" She asked.
"You tell me Ma'am?" The Crown Prince Zhao Jun muttered.
"What do you think Your Highness?" She inquired.
"There's one thing you can never escape in this world Ma'am, that is justice." He mentioned.
"Justice you say?" She muttered.
"Yes." The Crown Princess replied while the latter walked closer to the two.
"Look at me Your Highnesses." She mentioned, "listen to what I have to tell you." She added while they lent her their ears.
"If I call a black stone white, then it is white and if I call a white stone black then it is black as well." Yang Guifei asserted.
"You are implying that everything is as you wish Ma'am?" The Crown Prince asked.
"Let's take a gamble Your Highness, between the two of us one shall be the winner and the other shall lose, however one thing I shall make sure to you and that is the fact that the loser most certainly won't be me." She remarked as she bowed her head and walked ahead while they followed.
Arriving at the platform that had been arranged for the four guests, the three waited until the Emperor's presence was announced and they each paved way for him bowing their heads.
"Your Majesty." They paid their respects and himself sitting down first they followed his example and comfortably waited for the Ministers of the State Tribunal to make their way in front of them.
They all offered their salutations and the Emperor raising his hand he signalled for them to stand at peace.
"You requested my presence so surely, there must be something you wish to say." He mentioned.
"Your Majesty may be aware of the reason as to why and neither shall we rush about it." Officer Jiang Chen replied and at that moment the criminals were dragged out in front of them along with the guards that were each bearing their confessions as they bowed their heads before them while Yang Guifei's gaze for a moment moved on to the Crown Princess that was next to her husband on the opposite side of the Emperor she smiled.
"I'll ask once, do you agree that you wrote these confessions?" Officer Jiang Chen inquired as he looked at Yang Guifei's ladies in waiting.
"Yes Your Excellency." They replied in unison.
"And in so you admit that you wrote them without any duress but just as you each claimed?" He asked the second time.
"Yes Your Excellency." The ladies replied in unison and Officer Jiang looking at Xiang Mu, he bore the letters up to the Emperor Ningzong and bowing his head, he offered them to the young Emperor who opened them and perused through.
His eyes for a moment widening with surprise he froze and lowered two of the letters back onto the tray.
"What is this Officer Jiang?" He asked.
"Your Majesty heard for yourself what these criminals had to say, they confessed that they were in deed ordered by Yang Guifei to bring the witchcraft and the dark materials into the Palace to harm the Crown Prince and frame the Crown Princess." Officer Jiang Chen replied.
"What?" Emperor Ningzong muttered.
"Yes Your Majesty." The latter replied and the Crown Princess looking at Yang Guifei who stared back at her she smiled ghastly.