Chapter 380

The young eunuch felt a sharp pain in his toes. With a pale face, he clenched his teeth and pleaded, “I’ve confessed everything I know. I beg Her Majesty the Empress to spare my life.”

How could that be possible?

Jiang Xinyue’s lips curved into a sweet smile, but anyone who saw it would not mistake her for an innocent soul.

With a graceful wave of her delicate hand, Xi Que, understanding the order, yanked down the lever of the mechanism. The young eunuch’s face twisted in terror, but before he could even scream, he was swallowed into the gaping mouth of a massive fish.

In an instant, half of his body vanished. His face, once pale from pain, turned ashen in the blink of an eye.

A thick, metallic stench of blood filled the dungeons of the Investigative Bureau. Even the guards, who were accustomed to witnessing brutal tortures, were overwhelmed by the gruesome scene, retching in disgust.

The horrifying sight of scattered organs and intestines was something no one could ever grow used to, no matter how many times they saw it.

Yet, Her Majesty the Empress remained unfazed. She watched coldly as the eunuch was devoured, her eyes icy and unfeeling. “Harming me is one thing, but harming my child? This is the consequence.”

She didn’t care if her ruthless reputation spread among the people of the Investigative Bureau. In fact, she wanted them to fear her.

Only through fear and awe would they dare not lay a hand on the Crown Prince.

Failure would bring consequences they could never bear.

Xi Que’s stomach churned, but she held herself together, her face only slightly paler than usual.

The crunching sound of the piranha’s teeth crushing the eunuch’s skull sent shivers down the spines of the less resilient guards. When they glanced at the Empress, their eyes betrayed a subtle mix of respect and fear.

If such a merciless woman wasn’t the queen of palace intrigue, who else could dominate the harem?

The people of the Investigative Bureau had seen many things in their years of navigating the palace, but they had never encountered a consort as bold and ruthless as Jiang Xinyue.

The palace was neither too large nor too small, but finding someone who had disappeared was still a challenge.

Jiang Xinyue wasn’t in a hurry. The imperial decree naming her Empress had been issued the day before, and she had many matters to attend to.

First and foremost was the move to Kunning Palace, a task of utmost importance.

Previously, the Emperor had not wanted the Dowager Empress to reside in Cining Palace, so he had arranged for her to live in Kunning Palace instead. As the Empress, she had been relegated to Yikun Palace, but for the Dowager Empress, Kunning Palace symbolized the pinnacle of power in the harem, and she was content to stay there.

Later, when Yikun Palace was destroyed in a fire and rebuilt, and the Dowager Empress was confined to the detention hall, both palaces, representing the highest status of women in the harem, were left vacant.

Now, Kunning Palace was about to welcome its new mistress.

Although the head of the Internal Affairs Department had been displeased with Jiang Xinyue for her alleged role in the death of the previous Empress, he dared not disobey the Emperor’s order to renovate Kunning Palace.

The palace was now a sight of fresh splendor. The old, somber dark red wooden decorations favored by the Dowager Empress had been replaced with the elegant, delicate furnishings Jiang Xinyue loved.

Kunning Palace had been completely transformed.

After the Imperial Astronomers selected an auspicious date, everyone from Hexi Palace packed up and moved in.

In the courtyard of Kunning Palace’s front hall, a large section of the wall was adorned with a fence, over which climbed clusters of vibrant multi-petaled roses, blooming brilliantly under the sunlight.

Pink, red, white, and pink-and-white roses…

Amidst ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‍the rose bushes, a swing had been installed, identical to the one in Hexi Palace.

“Woof, woof, woof!”

The dog, now much larger, spotted the swing and ran excitedly around the Crown Prince, who was wobbling on the grass. Then, with a swift leap, it jumped onto the swing.

The Crown Prince was startled and fell onto his bottom, his lips trembling as he was about to cry.

The Fourth Prince was the first to step forward. He picked up the Crown Prince and patted him gently. “Don’t be scared, little brother. Fourth Prince is here… I’m here. The dog was just playing with you. It ran too fast and startled you, didn’t it?”

The Crown Prince pointed at the dog happily swinging on the swing and then at the green grass, babbling, “Waa waa la la yue yue yue, a wu yi ya wu wu…”

“Fourth Prince understands, Fourth Prince understands. The dog was being naughty, scaring the Crown Prince on purpose, and the ground was mean too, making you fall, right?”

“Ang wu yo ye ye, wa ye ye wu yo wu a la…”

The Crown Prince’s angry little expression made it clear he was tattling.

Jiang Xinyue was amused by his cuteness, but the next moment, the Emperor took her hand. “Let Little Man and the Crown Prince play for a while. I’ll take you inside to have a look.”

Of course, leaving the Fourth Prince to play with the Crown Prince didn’t mean just the two children would be outside.

Wang Dequan, Tang Shiliang, Nanny Xiang, Wet Nurse Lu, Xi Que, Shuang Jiang, and others were to remain outside, while Xiao Xiangzi, who was still recovering from his injuries, was allowed to rest in his assigned room.

Ever since Jiang Chuan had been seen crying uncontrollably while holding Xiao Xiangzi, with snot and tears everywhere, he had been avoiding Xiao Xiangzi out of embarrassment.

What were those young palace maids saying?

That he liked Xiao Xiangzi? That he coveted Xiao Xiangzi’s body? That they were a couple?

Even though they were eunuchs, devoid of certain parts, they were still normal men, weren’t they?

How could a man like another man? That would be a case of homosexuality!

The thought alone made his skin crawl.

But it seemed like everyone in Hexi Palace thought so. Recently, even Xi Que had been trying to comfort him, saying things like… there’s nothing shameful about love, it’s just that he happened to love a man, and that he should bravely pursue his feelings.

The silly girl had no idea that Xiao Xiangzi had always had feelings for her. How could she be so clueless and yet try to play the role of his emotional guide?

Jiang Chuan pushed open the door, and Xiao Xiangzi on the bed cautiously wrapped himself in the blanket, afraid that Jiang Chuan might actually lose control and take advantage of him.

Meanwhile, Jiang Xinyue was led by the Emperor into the inner chambers.

All traces of the Dowager Empress had been completely erased. The decor was elegant and refined, similar to Hexi Palace but with a more dignified and stately atmosphere.

The biggest difference was the walls of Kunning Palace, which were adorned with the powder made from the flowers of the pepper tree.

Since ancient times, the walls of the Empress’s chambers were painted with pepper tree flower powder, symbolizing warmth, fragrance, and fertility.

This was the origin of the term “pepper chamber favor,” a metaphor for the Emperor’s utmost affection and the highest honor in the harem.

The Xuanwu Emperor was making it clear to the world that his favor toward Jiang Xinyue, the Empress, was unparalleled and irreplaceable.

The Internal Affairs Department couldn’t have been so meticulous. Every detail reflected Jiang Xinyue’s preferences.

Her eyes glistened with unshed tears as she leaned softly into the Emperor’s embrace, her voice tender. “What have I done to deserve Your Majesty’s boundless favor? Did you design Kunning Palace yourself?”