It was very early in the morning and the Empress seated in her Chambers, Cao Zhaoyi walked through the gates of her residence where she mounted the stairs that led to her door.
The closer she got Xiaoyang stood in front of her.
"Ma'am?" She halted her.
"Don't worry, I am here to offer my greetings to Her Highness as she is one of the elders of the harem and the Inner Court, surely she would agree." Cao Zhaoyi muttered and Xiaoyang looked at Beiyuan as he walked into the room.
"Your Highness." He said bowing his head to her.
"What's the matter Beiyuan?" She inquired.
"It's Cao Zhaoyi, Your Highness." He replied.
"What about her?" She inquired.
"She's requesting an audience with you, Your Highness." He replied as she fell silent for a moment.
"Should I let her in?" He asked.
"Surely, it won't hurt." She replied calmly and with a smile on her face, the latter withdrew and a short while later, Cao Zhaoyi made her way in.
"Your Highness." She said bowing her head.
"At ease." Empress Yang replied while she walked over and took the seat that was right in front of her.
"You visiting me I am certainly humbled." The Empress said.
"You flatter me, Your Highness." Cao Zhaoyi remarked.
"It's been a couple of months since we sat down at the same table." Empress Yang muttered.
"You must have missed me." Cao Zhaoyi mentioned.
"Naturally yes." The Empress replied, "there was a time that you and I agreed on everything in our glorious and splendid days of youth." She said.
"And now?" Cao Zhaoyi inquired.
"We disagree and fight over everything." She replied.
"After the accident as the highest of the Secondary wives in the harem, I needed to uphold decorum, that I pay you a visit in the very least, I was concerned for your health." Cao Zhaoyi said.
"As you can see I am perfectly fine, I have faced several things that a mere poisonous arrow can't possibly kill me, and neither can death hold me, it isn't yet my time." Empress Yang replied.
"I see." Cao Zhaoyi muttered.
"What doesn't kill me makes me stronger." The Empress remarked and Cao Zhaoyi stretched her right hand into her sleeve while the Empress was watching she pulled out something which she placed on the table.
"What is this?" She asked.
"Some medicine, I heard that it is effective for treating poison." She replied.
"You can save it please Ma'am, you'll need it much more than I will." The Empress said.
"What makes you think so Your Highness?" Cao Zhaoyi inquired while the latter kept quiet for a moment.
"It's nothing." She replied, "I was just wondering if you were curious." The Empress muttered.
"There's nothing more for me to seek Your Highness, you are in perfect health as though nothing happened, and that matters the most." Cao Zhaoyi mentioned.
"Then thank you for your concern, you may leave." Empress Yang said and standing up, Cao Zhaoyi bowed her head to her one more time and the two shared a smile, she walked out.
Halting right outside the door, Cao Zhaoyi looked back at the hall while Linxiang approached her.
"What's the matter, Ma'am?" She inquired from her.
"Nothing." She lied.
"It doesn't seem so to me," Linxiang responded.
"Something is going on in the Empress' mind." Cao Zhaoyi mentioned as she turned to her, "we have a lot to do as well." She reminded the latter as she descended the stairs.
The Empress seated in her Chambers was lost in her thoughts for a moment.
"Anyone?" She called when Xiaoyang heard her and immediately made her way toward her.
"What is it, Your Highness?" She inquired.
"There's someone that I need to pay a visit to." She replied.
"Who Your Highness?" She asked but Yang Meizi kept quiet her concern at that moment ceased.
Emperor Ningzong in his quarters the doors were flung open and Eunuch Deng beside him, Lan He made his way into his presence.
"Your Majesty." He greeted him.
"Arise." The Emperor ordered and he complied immediately.
"I bring you the news that could be of your liking." He replied.
"What is it?" Emperor Ningzong asked.
"The assassin that attempted to assassinate the Empress has been apprehended and brought into our custody." Lan He replied and the Emperor hearing this he stood up from his seat.
"Where is he?" He asked.
"He has been delivered to the State Tribunal." Lan He replied, "Yang Cishan and Peng Zishou amongst the many shall preside over his case." He added.
"Take me to him." Emperor Ningzong said.
"Yes, Your Majesty." Lan He replied and stepping aside, the Emperor walked out at once accompanied by his retinue.
Empress Yang in secrecy arrived at the Landing Court where she was welcomed by one of the workers and was further led into a very small and isolated storage room at the back.
The doors being shut behind her, she approached a table where there sat an old man with very long gray hair and a beard, his eyes were still brilliant and dark and he was someone that had been in the Palace long before her arrival.
The man had predicted to the Empress Wu the entrance of the Sovereign Star and consequently after the old woman had died, he'd been moved into her care.
"Your Highness?" He said.
"It is I." She replied as she moved up to the seat that was stationed right in front of his across the table and sat down.
"It's been a while since your visit, do you need my services once again?" He asked.
"I'll always be in need except that this time I have something else that I wish to discuss with you." She replied.
"As long as it's in my power and ably I can provide those answers you seek." He mentioned.
"Your service to Her Highness was merely an obligation, your service to me is gratitude." Empress Yang said, "you have been very useful to me over the years, you saw in me what the world couldn't see let alone myself." She muttered.
"This is not why you are here." He said.
"I could hardly sleep these past few days, I keep having the same dream, a man you see once told me that I would become very powerful, another that I could rise to the highest position any woman could attain, and another that I would become someone's shadow." Empress Yang responded.
"Everything in life has a season, everything has a time, men rise and fall, legends live and die." He replied.
"We are born, we live and we die amongst the supernatural, but those that ascend from oblivion reserve the right to be called gods amongst men." Empress Yang said.
"Surely." He affirmed.
"I was aware that from the day I ascended the Phoenix throne and became the Empress of this country, it was never the end, I don't believe that fates can not be changed have I a reason to fear greatly for today or tomorrow?" She inquired.
"Your magnificence is this century, you have every reason to fear every day Your Highness." He replied.
"I see." Empress Yang muttered.
"Then that's good Your Highness." The man replied, "before you had all the time in the world but now it seems that even heaven has turned that time against you, fight it." He added and hearing this the Empress stood up.
"Thank you for your wise counsel." She said.
"Except that you didn't need it." He replied.
"Peace is absurd if the governors of this nation do nothing to attain it and my people died to make me safe I shall certainly die to make men free." Empress Yang replied as she turned and walked out of the room leaving the old man seated alone.
Once she got outside the room, she moved up to the gates of the small yard in the back where she pushed them wide open to see Beiyuan, Manyin, and Xiaoyang waiting for her.
"Your Highness?" They said to her bowing their heads.
"There's something that you must do for me." She said.
"What is it, Your Highness?" Beiyuan asked.
"Gather strong, able, and skilled men that you can find." She ordered, "I don't know how you are going to do it but I want the deposed Crown Princess dead." She said.
"Yes, Your Highness," Beiyuan replied without any hesitation.
"There aren't many people that I can trust, as such I know I can not rely on a single person." She remarked as she descended the stairs and walked away while they all followed her.
Lin Xue walking through the Courtyard of the Han Manor found his master standing on the balcony that overlooked the flower garden.
"Your Excellency." He said to him bowing his head, "we have delivered the culprit to the Imperial State Tribunal as you'd asked with all the necessary evidence, he awaits trial." He said and the old man hearing this smiled at himself.
"Is it so?" He inquired.
"Yes." He replied while the latter sighed.
"What about the Emperor?" He asked.
"He's on his way there." He replied.
"Alright." Han Touzhou replied, "you may leave." He said and the latter complied while moving away.
Emperor Ningzong arriving at the Imperial State Tribunal, he was received by Peng Zishou who greeted him and then led the way inside into one of the dungeons underground.
The Emperor stopping behind the bars of the torture Chamber the door was opened for him and Peng Zishou and Lan He each cautious of his security was alert as they got closer to the man that was bound.
"So this is him?" He asked.
"Yes." They replied while the man raised his head and looked him in the eye.
His hair was falling over his face while he had a thick and unkempt beard, his eyes were bloodshot and he was muscular, his hands and torso were covered in many numerous scars.
"Be careful Your Majesty." Peng Zishou told him.
"So you attempted to assassinate the Empress?" He asked.
"Yes." The latter replied.
"Why should I believe what you tell me, my dear, why should I even allow my ears to embrace the words that come out of your mouth when you vanished without a trace from the Crime scene but were easily subdued and arrested?" He asked.
"Must you have a reason for doing everything Your Majesty?" He asked.
"Something this serious wouldn't have been for pleasure." The Emperor replied.
"What about the Crown Princess' banishment from the Palace?" The man asked while the Emperor kept quiet.
"Surely, the Empress' words were enough and who cares if somehow she knew the signs of heaven even the astrologers couldn't explain, you do notice that it was vague to rely on some superstitious signs to judge her." The man replied.
"So you are one of them." He mentioned.
"The Empress Mother Li, Empress Han, and the Crown Prince all died and the Crown Princess was deposed and banished yet consequently this simple woman without a name rose to the rank of Empress." The man said.
"A witch that even affixed the name of her own family, she brought dark materials into the Palace from which all other members in it suffered and now you are telling me that she is virtuous and dignified to wear the Crown of the Crown Princess?" Emperor Ningzong asked.
"How certain are you that she was everything that you claimed her to be?" The captive asked.
"All those women you pointed out the Empress personally defended up to their deaths, were you there with her like I was the times and nights that she grieved, all those people that she's saved with her visions and her virtue is it something that you are aware of?" He asked while the man kept quiet.
"Who asked you to do this, for a moment I would be full to believe that you of all people would have orchestrated this on your own." The Emperor Ningzong said.
"It was my own doing." The man replied.
"No." The Emperor refused.
"Yes." The man replied.
"Do you hate the Empress that much?" He asked at the top of his voice.
"You have all the evidence that you need, it was I that was behind the ploy, it was my own doing." He replied.
"We have you here, you understand that an attempt on the life of the Empress of this country is tantamount to treason I do not need to explain to you the punishment that traitors receive." Emperor Ningzong said.
"I am ready to die even if you kill me, I have no regrets." The man said and furious the Emperor clenched his fist and threw a punch at him in the stomach when Lan He and Peng Zishou were concerned.
"What's in this for you?" The Emperor asked.
"Time will tell Your Majesty, I came ready to receive my sentence, nothing will change that." The man insisted.
"You want to die so much but death will be your salvation and I can not let that happen." Emperor Ningzong said as he withdrew at a distance.
"Peng Zishou?" He called.
"Yes, Your Majesty." He replied.
"Does this man have any relatives?" He asked.
"Their whereabouts are unknown." He replied while the man looked at him with a ghastly smile on his face.
"Torture him, I don't care if it's a thousand slow cuts, or he loses his nails, you can gouge out his eyes, break his legs until he either gives us a confession of those that he was working with or he is dead and whoever lets him die so soon he will shoulder the weight of my wrath." Emperor Ningzong said.
"Yes, Your Majesty." He replied while the latter stepped out of the room at once while Lan He and Eunuch Deng followed him he halted outside.
"Your Majesty?" Lan He called him.
"He's a scapegoat." Emperor Ningzong replied.
"As such Han Touzhou is more than determined to protect his power, the Empress won't be happy about it, and more so, she might be frightened." Eunuch Deng said.
"I don't believe that he won't say a word." Emperor Ningzong mentioned.
"In such a manner how is it that we shall possibly seek justice for the Empress?" Lan He asked.
"We'll find all necessary ways." Emperor Ningzong replied confidently.
The Empress returning to her Chambers she sat down silently when Yang Cishan walked in.
"Your Highness." He greeted her while she smiled at him.
"Please have a seat." She said and the latter complied immediately.
"Han Touzhou's men brought to the Imperial State Tribunal a man they claimed to have been responsible for your attempted assassination." He said.
"I expected it." She replied.
"Are you alright?" Yang Cishan asked when he noticed that his sister was quite bothered.
"Don't worry, what's the worst that could happen?" She asked.
"The man claims his hatred was towards you for the banishment of the Crown Princess and it has been quite a great concern of ours of late, what's worse is that we found him with the exact type of arrows like the one that shot you and there are witnesses who spotted him in the area they each verified what he was wearing at that time." He replied.
"Now that we have a culprit and evidence what is it that we are waiting for?" She asked.
"Your Highness?" Yang Cishan insisted.
"He was sent as a scapegoat which means that he is ready to die, besides he is without any relatives in our possession and probably the worst part of it all is that we aren't in the position to spare him as that would cause a lot of questions which could reflect badly on all of us." Empress Yang muttered.
"What it requires is a martyr your Highness to give us a spark, a spark will give us resistance and resistance will give us Revolution." Yang Cishan cautioned.
"And what do you think it is that I want?" She inquired.
"It can't be." Yang Cishan mentioned.
"Han Touzhou and his clique are ready for a Revolution, they want a Revolution but trust me, they have no idea how hard it's going to hit them in the end." Empress Yang replied as she smiled at herself ghastly.
The Courtiers gathered in the Assembly Hall and the Emperor Ningzong seated ahead of them stared at each one of them intensely while a strong silence lingered in the atmosphere.
"You are well aware that a couple of days ago someone made an attempt on the life of the Empress during the Sericulture Ceremony." He spoke up.
"Yes, Your Majesty." They replied in unison.
"An attack on a member of the Imperial family especially the Empress in accordance with the laws and principles that govern our society is considered a traitor of this country, an enemy to our progress, and a rebel against the government." Emperor Ningzong muttered when the Grand Chancellor Zhao Zizhi stepped out from them.
"Your Majesty may grant him his sentence." He said and at that very moment, Han Touzhou stepped out from the Ministers and faced the Emperor as well.
"Your Majesty if I may speak up in opposition?" He requested.
"Have you any other suggestions?" The Emperor inquired.
"A crime as big as attempting to assassinate the Empress can not be handled normally and hastily." He replied.
"Does the execution of the attempted murderer sound hasty?" Emperor Ningzong asked.
"I am not content that the assassin in the possession of the Imperial State Tribunal acted independently I believe that he should be tortured until we are certain that he didn't have any other accomplices with whom he was acting." Han Touzhou replied.
"Please investigate the matter deeper, Your Majesty." His other supporters agreed and insisted on him.
"It is only right that you are concerned for the mother of the nation just like I am, in that case then we shall surely do so." Emperor Ningzong said.
"Long Live Your Majesty, Your Majesty is sage." They sang in unison.
The Grand Chancellor Zhao Zizhi and Yang Cishan along with all the other Courtiers walking out of the Grand Hall they stuck together amidst the murmurs that engulfed the whole place.
"I was surprised." Yang Cishan mentioned.
"His Majesty more than anyone is eager to have the culprit interrogated." Zhao Zizhi mentioned.
"It didn't seem that way to me." Yang Cishan mentioned.
"He was merely testing the response, it alone was sufficient for him to conclude their position and seeing that they are firm, an interrogation even of the most grievous kind will do nothing." Zhao Zizhi muttered.
"And that's what Her Highness is confident about, in fact, it's what she wants more than anything." He asserted.
"How certain are you?" He inquired.
"Very, she told me." Yang Cishan replied.
"That means that he'll either die under a death sentence or at the very worst under interrogation, a pardon is impossible it translates to his death being inevitable." Zhao Zizhi mentioned.
"But Her Highness is sure enough that the culprit's sacrifice will motivate resistance, how she earns from it I still don't know." Yang Cishan mentioned.
"I too wish I had an idea but I am just as ignorant, but whatever it is, surely based on Han Touzhou's reactions and Her Highness' expectations, she must certainly be on track regarding whatever it is that is transpiring." Zhao Zizhi assured.
"They didn't fall for your trap Your Majesty." Eunuch Deng said.
"Actually they did." Emperor Ningzong mentioned as he smiled at himself.
"I don't understand." Eunuch Deng remarked.
"There are some questions that are not meant to be answered for security, however, the Court and Han Touzhou's clique agreed unanimously to the interrogation they were not ready to shoulder the blame they will thus look faultless and on our part, it's of little importance if that bastard dies from torture then we can not be held responsible." Emperor Ningzong replied as he smiled at himself.
The dungeons being opened Empress Yang descended inside until she reached the cell that was holding her so-called attempted murderer.
"Open it." She ordered and the guards hesitantly looking at her they complied while she sashayed in confidently until she halted in front of him.
He had all his nails removed and burns across his skin, cuts all over his body, and brands on his face he could hardly be recognized.
His wounds were open and flies were on them while his white prisoner clothes had been stained with much of his blood his hair itself removed he seemed inhuman with his eyes gouged out.
"I admire your loyalty." She spoke up and himself seemingly asleep he immediately woke up and faced her.
"So you are the Empress?" He questioned.
"I am." She replied while bending with her hands on her knees and trying to study him, "let's face it, you didn't try to kill me." She remarked.
"I did." He said.
"No." She replied as she got close to him and with her head beside his right ear, she smiled.
"I did it." She whispered before she withdrew.
"No." He replied.
"It is so fun to see how your Masters are content they are protecting themselves, but at least when you die they must have told you you will be a hero, that you'll inspire a change in this society and that your death will bring me down to my knees before them but honestly we don't even know your name so how is it that it will go down into the history books?" She inquired as the man kept quiet.
"You will lose this fight Your Highness." He eventually said.
"The gusto with which you speak very much amazes me and indeed I am moved but it has taken me years to get this high you don't think that this simple reaction will bring me down." She said as she turned around and showed him her back.
"I am grateful to you and Han Touzhou as your death is exactly what I needed them to offer and the people will respond positively, even if we don't execute you it's only a matter of hours before the pain kills you and when that happens, the ultimate game will begin." She said as she walked out of the dungeon confidently leaving the latter behind locked in his cell.
The Empress arriving in her Chambers she sat down while Zhao Zizhi, Manyin, Xiaoyang, Beiyuan, Yang Cishan and Bao Langya sat in front of her.
"Your Highness." They offered their salutations while bowing their heads.
"I want you all to spread tail bearing that the man is dead, penetrate all the deposed Crown Princess' supporters, and convene them together, the war is about to begin." She said to them as she smiled at herself ghastly.
"Yes, Your Highness." They replied in unison before they stood up and bowing their heads to her, they dispersed from the place.
The Deposed Crown Princess Cao Xuan with her baby at the back of the temple Shaanxi approached her while the little one was asleep.
"Your Highness." She said to her while bowing her head.
"What is it?" She asked.
"I have received word from the capital, a couple of days ago, Her Highness the Empress was performing the Sericulture Ceremony to the goddess of silkworms when she was shot by an arrow, the anonymous person that was arrested was put under interrogation and word spread that he is your supporter.
At least at this stage, you know that not everyone is pleased with your deposal and banishment from the Imperial Palace." She responded.
"Matters concerning the Palace are the very least of my concerns, I trust that you would understand." Cao Xuan muttered.
"But Your Highness...." Shaanxi insisted.
"I have had enough of this, I don't want to have this conversation with you again." She scolded.
"Alright Your Highness, if you say so." She muttered.
"And don't call me Your Highness, call me, Milady." She said.
"Yes, Milady," Shaanxi replied when all of a sudden they heard the sound of blades clashing outside accompanied by screams of people.
"What is that?" Cao Xuan asked.
"Wait here Milady, I'll check it out first," Shaanxi responded as she got up and walking stealthily towards the door she looked out and saw a group of assassins dressed in black murdering all the nuns that were present she quickly gulped and covered her mouth as she turned to her mistress.
"What is it?" She inquired.
"Assassins." She replied.
"Assassins?" Cao Xuan said in disbelief.
"Yes, Your Highness," Shaanxi confirmed.
"Why?" She asked herself.
"Maybe...." Shaanxi hesitated.
"Impossible." Cao Xuan rebuked.
"Your Highness is the most important person in this place." Shaanxi asserted.
"And the Empress would have to wait until now?" She asked.
"It's impossible," Shaanxi mentioned.
"She knows about my baby, she knows about my son." Cao Xuan said as she stood up from where she was seated with her baby when Shaanxi rushed to her side.
"We should hide." She muttered when they overheard a group of people talking.
"Check that room." One said and the two women panicking they hid behind a small cupboard and blew out the light behind the screen.
Quietly seated with the baby the door was locked open and at that moment a group of three made its way in stealthily as they studied the place.
The deposed Crown Princess had lost track of her heart beat and she could no longer breathe well as she held onto her child tightly praying for it to remain asleep and equally for the assassins to depart.
"Someone is running into the woods." One of the assassins shouted at the top of his voice and two of the three moved out first after the individual.
The deposed Crown Princess breathing heavily one of the assassins halted in their footsteps and turned around to face the screen that was stationed right next to the cupboard.
His sword out of its scabbard and ready to strike, he walked closer and closer silently while Shaanxi ceased a club that was lying nearby tightly in her hands and prepared to smack the attacker's head.
She didn't have a moment to react when the man appeared in front of them with his eyes staring deep into their souls he looked cold and heartless while they barely had the strength to move already too frightened.
Alas, his eyes descending from the deposed Crown Princess' face they landed on the little one in her hands, and falling silent at that moment he returned his sword to his sheath and walked away leaving them.
"What just happened Your Highness?" Shaanxi asked, "he he....." She stuttered unable to complete her statement while the young woman looked at her son.
"I have to save him." She said, "we have to save him." She insisted.
The assassins gathering outside where a large number of corpses had been piled in the whole Courtyard one of them looked about the place.
"Was that everyone?" He asked.
"Yes." They replied and moving around they gathered all the lanterns and candles that they could find setting the whole place on fire before they departed.
Cao Xuan and Shaanxi along with the baby stealthily making their way out of the room noticed the whole place surrounded by flames that they struggled to make their way through, going through the gates one of the assassins at a distance saw them.
"There they are." He shouted as they ran away and the others turning around saw nothing that he chose to pursue them.
Cao Xuan holding the little prince in her arms negotiated a corner and entered the nearby trees with Shaanxi as she descended into a group of buttress tree trunks.
The baby awake at that moment had started crying aloud while the latter covering its mouth fixed her eyes outside.
The assassins walked past her and stood at a distance in front of the tree.
"Are you sure you saw someone?" One asked the other.
"Certainly, I couldn't be mistaken about that." He replied.
"But there's nothing here and it is dark, maybe it was an animal." He mentioned.
"I wish so." The other replied and afterward, the three moved away leaving the two women and the baby hidden under the tree.
"What do we do Your Highness?" Shaanxi whispered to the deposed Crown Princess under her breath.
"We'll stay quiet here a little bit longer until it is safe to move out." She replied while she finally let go of her baby's mouth and looked him in the eye.
"Your Highness?" She called.
"There is a chance that the Empress is aware that I delivered a child, it could be worse if she's aware that he is a Prince, all in all, I can't let my son die the same way that his father died without doing anything." Cao Xuan replied.
"What are you going to do Milady?" Shaanxi inquired.
"We shall go away from here, we shall go as far as possible." She replied.
"Yes, Milady." Shaanxi replied while the latter kept on looking at her child in that awful darkness.
The sun rising, Han Touzhou asleep in his bedroom with his wife Mrs. Han the doors were slid open as Lin Xue rushed in before their bed.
"Your Excellency?" He said while the old man hearing the noise was awakened by it.
"What are you doing here?" He asked.
"I have some bad news Your Excellency concerning the Deposed Crown Princess." Lin Xue replied.
"What about her?" Han Touzhou inquired.
"The temple...." He hesitated.
"What about the Temple?" He asked.
"The temple where the deposed Crown Princess was banished was gutted by fire last night and no one reportedly survived." Lin Xue replied.
"What?" Han Touzhou yelled at the top of his voice.
"Yes, Your Excellency." Lin Xue clarified his report.
Cao Zhaoyi in her Chambers she stood up in surprise.
"What?" She inquired.
"The Temple where the deposed Crown Princess was banished to by His Majesty was gutted by flames last night and reports have come in this morning that no one survived," Linxiang responded right when the doors of the room were flung open and another of the ladies in waiting made her way in.
"Ma'am, I have big news." She remarked.
"What is this about?" She inquired.
"The man that attempted to assassinate the Empress has passed on and according to the Imperial coroners, he bled so much and couldn't withstand the torture methods." The young girl replied.
"Really?" She asked.
"The dead body was removed from the dungeons and I saw it with my own eyes." The young lady confirmed.
"Very well then, you may leave." Cao Zhaoyi ordered and the latter withdrew immediately while she stepped out from behind her table and started pacing around.
"One person is afraid of the deposed Crown Princess and that is the Empress, the assassin that attempted to murder her is dead and he died in the hands of the Imperial State Tribunal of which we are independent." She said as she smiled at herself ghastly.
"This is even better Ma'am." Linxiang remarked.
"Alas, it is the spark that we needed." Cao Zhaoyi mentioned as she halted on her feet and turned to face Linxiang.
"What do I do Ma'am?" She inquired.
"It's time to strike the iron when it is still hot." Cao Zhaoyi replied.
The Empress Yang standing in her gardens she was tending to her flowers and carefully pruning them in silence when she caught sight of Shi Miyuan.
She halted as he slowly walked up to her and bowed his head.
"Your Highness." He said.
"Always a pleasure to see you isn't it?" She inquired.
"Surely." He responded and the latter putting down her scissors she led the way into the main hall where a tea set had been arranged for the both of them where they each sat comfortably as Xiaoyang and Manyin poured them some tea.
"Thank you." Shi Miyuan said.
"You may leave us." The Empress ordered and the two complied.
"Hasn't it been long?" She inquired, "at last, it feels like decades have passed since we last sat down like this." Empress Yang said.
"The Princess Imperial passed on, as her husband, it is moral for me to honour her." He responded.
"Another pone in our political game." The Empress remarked.
"She really loved that job." Shi Miyuan asserted.
"Much for her infatuation with the wrong man, the heavens were displeased, she chose the wrong people for enemies and sealed her bane but I bet her tragic life is no topic for discussion that brazenly brings you to my presence in search of an audience with me." Empress Yang muttered.
"Reliably I have been informed the man who attempted to assassinate you has died under investigation." Shi Miyuan responded.
"Nothing travels faster than gossip, but that's a good thing after all, I bet that the rumours spreading are stirring up some protest." She remarked.
"What's worse is that there's another piece of news that's circulating very fast for which the supporters of the Crown Princess hold you responsible, it seems that the temple to which she was banished was gutted by fire and no one made it." Shi Miyuan informed her.
"It's a good thing, revolt, resistance is what we are seeking." The Empress replied.
"Yet it could destabilize the capital." Shi Miyuan muttered.
"Our enemies started this hoping for the chaos which chaos could grant the people feelings of hostility towards my investiture as Empress, we'll play along the same game, but with a much more different goal." The Empress replied.
"How Your Highness?" He inquired.
"By gaining control of the local police and Imperial troops within the capital firmly." She replied.
The rumours travelling around the whole capital went out of order and could hardly be controlled and consequently, factions and cliques supporting the Crown Princess increased in number and started destroying property.
The Courtiers convened in Court while the Emperor Ningzong quietly watched them all.
"Why is everyone here so speechless?" He asked.
"Your Majesty..." Han Touzhou speaking he was short of words that he ceased.
"My people are being terrorized by villains claiming to be supporters of the Crown Princess to destabilize and bring chaos into the country, they even petition to me to depose the Empress." He said as he held up the memorial which he threw on the ground in front of him.
"Forgive me Sire." The Grand Chancellor Zhao Zizhi said.
"What if I did?" He inquired, "the Minister of State, the Superintendent of the Capital Police, the Left Chancellor and the Minister of Internal affairs are all people that are supposed to handle this issue but now it has become a gangrene that is preying off the monarchy, destabilizing the government for all we know the rebels might join in." Emperor Ningzong mentioned.
"If I may Your Majesty?" The Grand Chancellor asked.
"What is it?" Emperor Ningzong inquired.
"No doubt that the Empress is being held accountable but there appears to be no proof, yet I am concerned that after thorough investigation I am led to believe that there are masterminds that are involved in spreading these rumours and mobilizing the people in resistance." He replied while Han Touzhou and his supporters widened their eyes.
"Really?" The Emperor inquired.
"With your permission Your Majesty these people are after the Empress being deposed but I am confident that if they are dealt with then the turbulence within the Empire will cease and peace will prevail again." Grand Chancellor Zhao Zizhi replied.
"I see." Emperor Ningzong said.
"What has Your Majesty decided?" The Grand Chancellor Zhao Zizhi inquired.
"Allow me Your Majesty." Han Touzhou requested and all the eyes turned to him.
"What is it?" He asked.
"There's no doubt that we are concerned about the safety of the capital and the Crown but to bring all those ring leaders under our captivity is absurd I fear that it is bound to make matters worse.
"So you are suggesting that we do nothing?" Zhao Zizhi lashed out.
"No." He replied.
"Then give us a better idea." Yang Cishan demanded.
"We can't afford to use force on the people as it will eliminate all possible ground left for compromise, personally, before we can employ force with the people I think it best to reason with them." Han Touzhou replied.
"You aren't suggesting a round table negotiation and how is it that you'll give the leaders your word let alone them trust that they will go safe and unharmed?" Zhao Zizhi asked.
"It's a common grievance amongst the people." Han Touzhou mentioned.
"How logical is this?" Emperor Ningzong asked and Zhao Zizhi looked at him from the corner of his eye.
"The safety of the capital rests on our shoulders Your Majesty." Han Touzhou responded.
"And can you bear the responsibility of shouldering the consequences?" Zhao Zizhi asked.
"Yes." Han Touzhou replied impulsively that Shi Miyuan and the rest of the Empress' supporters looked at one another.
"Very well then." Emperor Ningzong said, "you shall ask the men to choose four representatives and we shall meet and discuss their grievances." Emperor Ningzong said.
"Yes, Your Majesty." Han Touzhou replied as he turned and looked at the Grand Chancellor.
"The Assembly is dismissed." The Emperor announced and standing up, he walked away through the aisle while the Courtiers bowed their heads as he passed.
The Empress Yang and Cao Zhaoyi walking through the Imperial garden they crossed paths with one another and they bowed their heads.
"Your Highness." Cao Zhaoyi mentioned with a brilliant smile on her face.
"Ma'am." She responded confidently.
"I suppose we think alike, after all the atmosphere in the Palace isn't as pleasant with all the rumours going around the capital Your Highness must surely be afraid for your Crown." She mentioned.
"Not at all." Empress Yang replied.
"Really?" Cao Zhaoyi inquired.
"The damage isn't too severe and resistance is itself a bit too exaggerated, what I mean to say is that I am not too confident in the triumph of the rebels." She replied.
"Is it so?" Cao Zhaoyi asked.
"The one person that should worry the most is you Ma'am because after everything I don't think you'll even have the will or the grace." Empress Yang muttered.
"I don't quite understand." Cao Zhaoyi pointed out.
"Don't worry, with time you will tell and clearly it seems as though that time is on my side." Empress Yang clarified and smiling at her she raised her neck higher while she moved past.
"She's arrogant but in a matter of time she'll collapse, she just doesn't want to show a loss of her confidence." Linxiang said.
"Certainly." Cao Zhaoyi agreed as she continued her way as well.
The Empress arriving in her Chambers she found the Grand Chancellor Zhao Zizhi seated with her brother Yang Cishan waiting for her.
"Your Highness?" They said to her bowing their heads as she moved up front and sat in her seat facing them.
"I heard that the morning Assembly was quite eventful." She remarked.
"We proposed a forceful suppression and rounding up of the ringleaders and Han Touzhou opposed as you had expected." Yang Cishan replied.
"Remarkable." The Empress muttered.
"How did you know that such would be the case?" Zhao Zizhi inquired.
"First thing is first, the ringleaders are Han Touzhou's very own people so it would be like himself cutting off his own arm, another thing is that he relies on the gravity of the situation though serious it's itself still in its infancy, thirdly one can imagine the damage that could befall the capital in the means of force it could even be an open violent revolt which Han Touzhou fears will discredit him amongst the people." Empress Yang replied.
"He suggested a round table negotiation between His Majesty and the ringleaders and I do not know how he plans to do that." Zhao Zizhi mentioned.
"For what it's worth any form of reason will not be reached and neither will there be a compromise as long as I am still the Empress." She replied.
"Then what will happen Your Highness, at the sound of it, your crown is in jeopardy." Yang Cishan mentioned.
"How many people do you think are eager for resistance?" She asked and the two uncertain kept quiet.
"Negotiation will fail and once it does since Han Touzhou claimed to take full responsibility for the situation we shall have him right where we want him." She assured them.
Han Touzhou and Cao Zhaoyi seated in her Chambers they looked at each other.
"The Empress is confident, the gravity of this situation is still weak but since His Majesty seeks reason then we shall grant it to him." She said.
"Rest assured the negotiation will fail and very soon His Majesty will have no alternative but to strip the Empress of her Crown." Han Touzhou assured her.
"I hope that we succeed this time." Cao Zhaoyi remarked.
"No worries Ma'am, a house can not last long without its woman and once the Empress is deposed then we shall push for you to inherit her Crown." Han Touzhou assured the latter.
The Emperor Ningzong walking to his Chambers was accompanied by Shi Miyuan while a powerful silence settled between the two.
"What do you think about the peaceful negotiation that the Left Chancellor proposed?" The Emperor broke the silence asking.
"Sure he has his reasons, as long as peace can return to the Capital." Shi Miyuan replied.
"Aren't you worried for the safety of my Empress?" He asked.
"Where is it Your Majesty?" Shi Miyuan asked.
"You tell me " Emperor Ningzong insisted.
"You keep quiet Your Majesty, they are determined to have the Empress deposed, the negotiation will happen but it won't solve anything, dispute and rivalry will continue unless Your Majesty keeps your word." Shi Miyuan replied.
"Is that so?" He asked.
"Han Touzhou admitted to the Imperial Court that he would bear responsibility, until now his people have done nothing to solve this issue at hand before it grows out of order you don't think the masses are happy, you don't think they have fulfilled their obligations as officers." He said when the Emperor halted in his steps.
"Could it be?" He inquired.
"The only way to protect Her Highness Your Majesty is before you and Han Touzhou has made it a lot easier, if a cow can no longer serve its purpose when alive it will serve its the purpose when it is dead." Shi Miyuan replied.
"Yes." Emperor Ningzong concurred with him immediately as though enlightened by his words.
The people inspecting the ruins of the temple and the corpses had gathered them in the open Courtyard while the magistrate looked through them.
He halted at that moment next to one of the officers that were present.
"How many corpses are they?" He inquired.
"Forty-eight." The man replied.
"They have all been burnt and can hardly be recognized." The magistrate mentioned when another of his subordinates rushed up to him.
"Your Excellency." He said while bowing his head.
"What is it?" He asked turning to him while the man handed over to him a small book whose pages he opened and perused through.
"What's this?" He asked.
"A record of all the people that were residing in this nunnery Your Excellency." He replied and lifting his arm he pointed at one of the names "Cao Xuan."
"It's the name of the former Crown Princess." He said.
"Is that so?" The magistrate inquired.
"Yes." He confirmed.
"But if there are forty eight bodies out of all the fifty names you are presenting to me then it is likely that there are two survivors." The man mentioned.
"As two bodies are missing whether they are alive or not it's uncertain but at least there's a chance that they could be." The man replied.
"Report it to the capital as fast as possible." The magistrate said and the man bowing his head he withdrew from the scene while the magistrate got closer to the dead bodies to study each one of them.
"Which one amongst you all is the former Crown Princess?" He asked while speaking to the corpses as though expecting them to give him a solid reply but instead, all he gained in return was silence as he got immersed into his own thoughts.
The former Crown Princess Cao Xuan, Shaanxi and the baby stepping out of the woods they found themselves standing in the middle of the road and at a distance there was a carriage being drawn by two powerful red steads headed their way.
The deposed Crown Princess for a moment could hardly lift her foot tired and the Coachman seeing her he tightly held onto the reins of the horses which ceased in their movements as the person inside lifting one of the curtains he looked out to see what the problem was.
"Why have we stopped?" He asked.
"There happens to be a set of two women in the middle of the road and they each look exhausted as though they will not make it." The man replied and the young man inside the carriage stepping out into their sight he quickly rushed over to the ladies as his personal retainer and Coachman both followed him.
"Sir?" The deposed Crown Princess Cao Xuan called to him as he got closer enough to notice that she was holding a baby within her hands.
"Save him." She said, "Milord, please I beg you, save my son." She pleaded when at a total loss of strength her feet failed her and she started to make a descent for the ground.
"Ma'am." The man called her as he tightly held her in his arms but at that moment, the latter was unconscious.
"Take them in." The young man said.
"Forgive me Milord but we don't know who they are." The Coachman said.
"Please save the life of my mistress." Shaanxi muttered under her breath herself old and panting.
"Just take them into the carriage." The young man ordered and the two men hesitantly, they complied as they sheltered the two women and the young baby into the carriage.
Lin Xue walking into the Courtyard of the Han Manor he mounted the stairs that led to Han Touzhou's study and throwing the doors open he walked in to find he staring at the map that was drawn behind him.
"Your Excellency." He said to the latter bowing his head.
"Have you done it?" Han Touzhou inquired.
"We've gathered representatives Your Excellency and they are more than ready, all that's left is for His Majesty to negotiate with them." Lin Xue replied.
"That's good." Han Touzhou mentioned as he turned around and he looked him in the eye.
"What's wrong Your Excellency?" He asked.
"What about the deposed Crown Princess, any news from the temple?" He inquired.
"The wounds on the bodies are fourth-degree burns, all women beyond recognition it is very much likely that the deposed Crown Princess did not make it but all in all, we have sympathizers that are ready to join hands against the Empress." He replied.
"Keep me informed if you happen to learn about anything." Han Touzhou said.
"Yes Your Excellency." Lin Xue replied as the old man turned around and stared at the map again.
Empress Yang standing on the bridge that overlooked the Imperial pond she raised her eyes up to the starry sky and she gazed at the Moon that shone with brilliance.
A mild wind howled about the place while there seemed to be small waves on top of the water below her as the fireflies gathered at a distance in one of the nearby peach trees, she closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath before she exhaled realizing that there was someone right there with her.
"Did you do as I asked?" The Empress inquired.
"We killed everyone that we could find Your Highness and we set the whole place on fire, there were no witnesses we made sure and there wasn't any evidence left behind at the scene." The man replied.
"Should I take it that the deposed Crown Princess and her child are dead?" She inquired while the man kept quiet long enough for her to find him suspicious.
"There's something that you're not telling me." She said.
"Fifty adults were registered and only forty-eight corpses were gathered from the ruins of the place, the baby's dead body was not found." The man replied.
"You mean to say that there is a chance that the Deposed Crown Princess and her child are alive?" She inquired.
"Their bodies must be somewhere in the surrounding area and if they survived then certainly they couldn't be very far I have posted my men to keep looking around the place and see if they can find anything." The man replied and the Empress turning around she looked at him.
"Do you think that I am afraid of the Crown Princess?" She asked.
"No Your Highness." He replied.
"Imperial blood flows through her child's veins which makes it eligible to inherit the throne, if that child lands into the wrong hands or the aegis of our enemies then it shall be the end of us all, the end of me and the end of our Great State." Empress Yang remarked.
"I'll do everything I can to prevent that Your Highness." The man said.
"Find the Crown Princess and her child, kill them, and deliver their heads to me, understood?" She inquired.
"Yes, Your Highness." The man replied and bowing his head, he immediately withdrew from the place while the Empress raised her head and looked up at the moon once again.
"Forgive me My Prince but apart from this State everything else is of secondary interest to me, for peace to reign this country must come under one Crown and for that to happen not Her Highness, not your child can live." She confidently whispered to herself.