"Furthermore, Miss Qin of the Qin Family had better extinguish any thoughts of suicide," Xiao Pingfeng stood with his hands behind his back. "You do not represent only yourself."
A naked threat from the Emperor.
If you dare to die, not one of the Qin Family shall be spared; all will descend to accompany you in death!
Qin Erya clenched the soft quilt on the couch, letting out a bitter laugh, as tears silently streamed down, soaking into her hair.
Most heartless are the affairs of the imperial family.
The heart’s unease must be the mischief of witchery. What, after all, was she hoping for?
"...This... woman... will heed the Crown Prince’s command."
Xiao Pingfeng’s tone was indifferent: "As for the elder Grand Tutor of the Qin Family, given his advanced age and the burdens of court affairs, he ought to have been enjoying his twilight years already. From now on, Dawei shall no longer trouble himself with these concerns."
He was relieving Qin Jun of his duties!
Qin Jun was a veteran official of three dynasties.
Inside and outside the tent, everyone was stunned.
"Your Highness must not—" The protest caught in his throat as the Crown Prince’s black eyes cut through the darkness and fell upon him.
Those eyes were chillingly indifferent, as deathly still.
Even clad only in a thin undershirt within this tent, he seemed to absorb the light of the sun and the moon, so noble that one dared not look directly at him.
"You may object to the decisions I make, but you should be clear about who ultimately holds the power of decision. I hope you, as subjects, understand this clearly."
Each word rang with force.
A jolt went through the crowd, realizing something intangible had changed.
This young Crown Prince, with his absolute formidable strength, told all the court officials that the era of an emperor who could be manipulated and swayed by them was over. From now on, they would enter an era of absolutely consolidated imperial authority!
Even the previous emperor, who was tyrannical and incompetent, had never dared to openly confront these subordinates.
But tonight, the Crown Prince, who had yet to ascend the throne, clearly informed them of this new reality.
The late Emperor had many heirs, but few were truly capable; and of those, the most dazzling was the least willing to listen to counsel.
"This official thanks the Crown Prince for his consideration!" Qin Jun was the first to recover, prostrating himself on the ground, knocking his head heavily, causing fresh blood to flow once more, stirring pity in observers.
Yet the very person making the decisions was the most merciless.
He deemed it still not enough: "From now on, unless summoned, the Qin Family shall not appear around the Crown Princess Consort."
With that statement, he simply turned on his heel and left, without a care for the lives and deaths of those behind him.
The Qin Family was abandoned by the soon-to-be reigning Crown Prince.
Before the eyes of all.
Qin Huai clenched his teeth and lifted Qin Jun off the ground: "Father."
"...It’s nothing. Go and see how Erya is," Qin Jun said softly, taking up his cane.
"She won’t die." Qin Huai glanced coldly over; the person on the bed was turned to the side, her body shaking involuntarily, likely weeping.
"Go and look!" Qin Jun emphasized.
Qin Huai could only walk over: "Qin Erya."
After calling out once and receiving no response, his tone lost its patience.
He had been unaware of what had happened, but now the truth was laid bare.
His once obedient and universally admired niece had actually used the Witch Poisonous Insect Technique in an attempt to control the Crown Prince and had angered the Crown Princess Consort nearly to the point of a miscarriage, risking two lives with one body. This great calamity that befell the Qin Family was her fault.
"You still have the face to cry! Do you realize you’ve implicated everyone with your actions?"
Not just the Qin Family, but also those with innumerable ties to the Qin Family.
Going forward, the Crown Prince would not favor them again!
Qin Erya sat up straight, her hair disheveled, her face as pale as paper: "...Uncle, are you blaming me?"
"Even now, you refuse to admit your wrongdoing?!" Qin Huai could hardly believe his ears.
"You do have some cleverness in everyday matters, but you should never have used those wits with the imperial family! I don’t know what you were thinking, but Qin Erya, harming others ends up harming oneself. You have brought this on yourself by falling to this point today."
Qin Erya heard this and let out a cold laugh.
"Yes... it’s all my own doing. If I had succeeded this time, with Yan Wanqing dead and me becoming the Empress, the Qin family would have awaited everlasting prosperity and wealth. At that time, would you still blame me?" Her eyes were brimming with tears, and there was a resolute clarity in her black and white irises.
"...You wouldn’t, father wouldn’t, and grandfather even less so." She clenched the fabric of her clothing tightly. "That’s why, as long as we can all enjoy good fortune in the end, that’s enough. I just failed this time. Who could say whether I might succeed the next?"
Now she was tied to the Crown Prince’s fate, living and dying together. As long as she did not die, there would always be a chance to start over.
Qin Huai shook his head, his eyes full of disbelief.
He turned to Qin Jun: "Father, aren’t you going to do something? She has lost her mind..."
But he saw Qin Jun with a calm expression, saying nothing.
Qin Huai was stunned.
He took two steps back, frowning tightly: "... Have you all gone mad? Giving up the good life you have, obsessing over things you can’t have."
"I promised Erya that I would make her the Empress of Dawei." Qin Jun said in a deep voice: "If I die in the future, this promise will be for you to keep."
"If you die, I’ll send her down to keep you company, you lunatic." This time Qin Huai didn’t even want to talk, he turned and rushed into the night, ignoring the resounding "unfilial" thrown at him.
Each one of them seriously ill.
Even if Qin Erya became the Empress, so what?
She has no chance of bearing children anymore.
"... You don’t have to worry about the matter of offspring, Erya. In the future, you can choose one you like from the concubines’ sons to adopt as your own," Qin Jun pondered and said inside the tent.
Qin Erya nodded: "I will listen to everything grandfather says."
"Does it still hurt?"
"It hurts, constantly." Qin Erya spoke in a pained voice, the sorrow earlier overshadowing her physical pain, but now that the effect had worn off, the torment began again.
"Endure it a little longer, your grandfather will go and ask the Crown Princess Consort for the antidote." Qin Jun sighed: "Before the Emperor’s passing, he granted grandfather a request, if the Crown Prince continues to be unyielding, then we have no choice but to resort to this last strategy."
"This time even grandfather got involved..."
"Silly child, we are all family, there’s no need for such formality. Qin Huai has been spoiled since he was young. Pay no mind to what he said just now." Qin Jun patted her shoulder: "All these years, they have enjoyed the benefits I’ve brought them. Not one strives for betterment, idly waiting for death, acting recklessly and arrogantly. It’s rare to have a girl like you who knows how to climb up. They don’t understand you, but don’t worry, your grandfather will always support you."
He worried that when his time came to pass away, whether these people could keep the great Qin family intact...
Qin Huai at least had the capability to shoulder responsibilities, but he was young and impetuous and still needed an event to really mature.
Beneath the night sky.
Xiao Pingfeng had not gone straight back but had instead gathered the officials from outside.
He had Ding Dang stand by with a register.
"Today, whoever feels disheartened and wishes to retire, come forward to register. After we return to the capital tomorrow, I’ll approve each of your requests one by one."
The group thought it might be something else, but after hearing this, they looked at each other in dismay.
So, they could not get past this incident?
This feeling of dismay was mentioned by the Qin family, not related to them... Since when did the Crown Prince become so petty?
Whenever it involved the Crown Princess Consort, the Crown Prince would never relent on any matter until everything was settled.
"Why are you all skulking back there?" Xiao Pingfeng scoffed.
As they saw him about to rage again, a palace maid came running over: "Reporting to the Crown Prince, the Crown Princess Consort has awoken."
Upon hearing this, everyone couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.
Finally, she had woken up.
If not, this lord would have flayed them alive.