Ask the Nine Ministers

Chapter 469: Bloodthirst
The prison was damp and dark.

The flickering light of the oil lamp illuminated Xuanjizi on the rack.

His hair was disheveled, and he was covered in bruises and cuts, yet he still stubbornly refused to utter a word.

Yuan Cang lashed out with his whip again.

Even with his Taoist robe torn, he kept repeating the same sentence.

"What I did was to refine elixirs to prolong His Majesty's life; I was never instructed by anyone... If Your Highness does not believe me, I have nothing more to say..."

Li Zhao leaned lazily against the armchair, his fingertips tapping the armrest idly, his expression indifferent.

"Then I will ask you one more time. Who provided you with the elixir formula? Who brought you into the palace? Tell me, and I will grant you a swift end."

Xuanjizi looked up, a strange smile spreading across his face, blood still clinging to the corners of his mouth.

"Why waste your energy, Your Highness? The victor is king, the loser is villain. Kill me or torture me, it's all up to you."

Enraged, Yuan Cang stepped forward, raising his whip to strike again—

"Yuan Cang".

Li Zhao spoke calmly, "Don't kill him. We can't let him die so easily..."

Yuan Cang paused, put away his whip, and stepped back.

Li Zhao stood up, walked slowly to the rack, and looked down at him.

"Do you think I won't find out if you don't talk? Or do you think the person behind you can get you out of here?"

Xuanji Zi spat out a mouthful of blood, then simply closed his eyes, appearing completely unmoved by reason.

At this moment, Xue Sui, who had been sitting quietly to the side, also stepped forward slowly.

"Your Highness, with this kind of interrogation, I'm afraid we won't get any results even if we keep asking until next year."

She held a handkerchief between her fingers, her simple dress highlighting her fair complexion and aloof demeanor.

"How about we try a different approach... waiting for that person to walk right into our trap?"

Li Zhao turned to look at her: "What insightful opinion does Ping An have?"

Xue Sui raised the corners of his lips slightly, glanced at Xuan Jizi, and revealed a faint hint of coldness.

"Have someone spread the word that Xuanji Zi couldn't withstand the torture and has confessed, even revealing who was behind him..." Her voice was soft yet firm. "If the person behind him can't hold back, they will definitely send someone to silence him—if they can hold back, then they are confident in their abilities, and there is no need to keep Xuanji Zi alive."

Li Zhao understood, a smile of appreciation flashing in his eyes.

"Alright, then I'll accompany you to watch the play."

He waved for Yuan Cang to come closer and whispered a few instructions.

Yuan Cang accepted the order and left.
-
Two days later, late at night.

At the end of the prison passage, faint footsteps could be heard.

A lowly soldier dressed in menial clothes, head bowed, carrying a food box, walked over timidly.

He walked to the cell door and whispered, "Sir, I'm here to bring you food..."

The jailer didn't suspect anything, bent down to unlock the door, and waved him in.

The soldier lowered his head, quickly walked to Xuanjizi, put down the food box, and opened the lid...

Inside were two simple dishes.

"Eat quickly, it'll be hard to chew if it gets cold." He glanced quickly at Xuanji Zi in the shadows, and seeing that he didn't react, he coughed lightly and patted the food box.

"There are tonics given by the adults downstairs, remember to take them."

After saying that, he turned to leave.

A cold shout suddenly came from behind.

"Take it!"

Two guards appeared silently and grabbed his arms from the left and right.

The soldier was startled and let out a low growl. He turned his head and met Li Zhao's icy gaze.

He was terrified.

"Your Majesty, the Crown Prince..."

Li Zhao stood in the passageway, with Xue Sui standing quietly beside him.

The two walked slowly towards each other, one after the other.

Li Zhao asked, "Who sent you?"

The soldier's legs buckled and he collapsed to the ground, clenching his teeth and remaining silent.

Yuan Cang exerted a little force, and he screamed in pain as he was thrown to the ground.

The food box overturned, spilling food all over the floor, and a black pill sealed with wax rolled out from it.

Xue Sui bent down, picked up the pill, and gently sniffed it, a chill suddenly appearing in his eyes.

"It's poison. It kills instantly upon contact with blood."

The soldier, his face ashen, kowtowed with tears streaming down his face.

"Your Highness, spare me! Spare me! It was... it was Eunuch Liu from Cixi Palace who sent me... He said that if I delivered this food box, he would give me one hundred taels of silver... I don't know anything, Your Highness..."

Li Zhao sneered: "Take him away and interrogate him carefully."

"Yes!"

Yuan Cang picked up the limp soldier as if he were a chick and quickly left.

Xuanjizi watched this scene with his eyes shattered and his face ashen.

Li Zhao turned to look at him again, "Now, can you speak? Death is not terrible; what is terrible is wanting to die but being unable to. You must have heard of my methods of interrogating people. Xuanjizi, don't force me to take action—after all, I'm about to get married and don't want to get too much blood on my hands." Xuanjizi trembled, his face full of defeat.

"This humble Taoist...this humble Taoist may tell Your Highness without hesitation..."

He paused for a moment, then spoke in a hoarse voice.
"Your Highness is probably already aware that it was Eunuch Liu, who served the Empress Dowager, who approached me, saying that the Empress Dowager was unwell and, having heard that I was skilled in health preservation and alchemy, invited me to the palace to treat her... Later, it was also Eunuch Liu who introduced me to His Majesty..."

"Is that all?" Li Zhao's voice grew even colder. "Controlling His Majesty and bewitching his heart, is that also the Empress Dowager's intention?"

Xuanji Zi's lips trembled slightly.

"The Empress Dowager did not instruct me to do so. It was His Majesty who was greedy for immortality, so I catered to his desires... Eunuch Liu knew about this matter, but did not stop it..."

Xue Sui suddenly spoke up, "Where is Prince Duan? What did he say?"

Xuanji Zi hurriedly denied it.

"No, no... This humble Taoist doesn't know His Highness Prince Duan..."

Xue Sui and Li Zhao exchanged a glance.

For many years, Empress Dowager Chengqing favored Prince Wei, the son of her niece. Now that Prince Wei is imprisoned, it's understandable that she might want to use him to control the emperor and profit from it, but poisoning the emperor may not have been her idea.

After all, the emperor was her own son...

So, is there someone else who used the Empress Dowager to stir up trouble?
For example, Li Huan, who has always been quiet?

"It seems you won't shed a tear until you see the coffin..." Li Zhao stood up, dusted off the dust on his sleeves, and spoke in a flat tone.

"I gave you a chance, but you insisted on courting death... I'll see how long you can hold out..."

Xuanjizi's face was drained of color, yet he still stubbornly shook his head.

"Your Highness... even if you beat me to death today, I won't be able to say anything more..."

Li Zhao snorted, picked up the torture instruments, glanced at Xue Sui, then casually tossed them aside. He turned to Yuan Cang and ordered, "Continue the interrogation. Don't let him die."
-
The sky cleared after the snow.

Inside the Cixi Palace, Empress Dowager Chengqing was sitting in front of her dressing table, applying makeup. The silver comb brushed against her gray hair, her movements slow and leisurely, just as always.

Last night, Liu Zhong, the eunuch in her palace, disappeared. He was nowhere to be found, neither alive nor dead. She had already guessed what was going on.

Upon hearing that Li Zhao had arrived, she put down the silver comb, picked up the teacup, took a sip, and didn't even lift her eyelids.

Until Li Zhao strode in and bowed to her.

She put down her teacup, her voice kind and smiling.

"What brings the Crown Prince to my humble abode today? Could it be that you've come to deliver some good news?"

Li Zhao waved his hand, ordering someone to bring Liu Zhong in and push him forward.

"Grandson has come to present a gift to the Empress Dowager..."

Liu Zhong knelt down with a thud, his head bowed, trembling so much he couldn't speak.

“Grandmother,” Li Zhao said bluntly, “were you aware that people from your palace had infiltrated the imperial prison with the intention of poisoning a wanted criminal?”

The Empress Dowager paused, her fingertips turning the tea lid, and glanced at Liu Zhong with a smile:
"I am old and frail, and I was unaware that such an audacious scoundrel had appeared among my servants. Such a treacherous and wicked lackey should be dealt with by the Crown Prince according to the law. Why bother asking me?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Zhong's face turned deathly pale.

"Your Majesty! You can't...you can't betray me after I've served my purpose! It was clearly you..."

"You audacious lackey, how dare you slander me!" Empress Dowager Chengqing interrupted him sharply, slamming her hand heavily on the table.

"This servant must have been bribed to deliberately slander me. Your Highness, you don't believe his nonsense, do you?"

Li Zhao smiled.

"Liu Zhong is no one to be pitied for dying. But I cannot disregard my grandmother's reputation."

He stepped closer, his voice lowered.

"Liu Zhong has confessed that it was the Empress Dowager who instructed him to lure Xuanjizi into the palace, and that it was also the Empress Dowager who ordered him to poison the Emperor and then silence him in the imperial prison. Empress Dowager, tell your grandson, what is the punishment for plotting against the Emperor and disrupting the court?"

Empress Dowager Chengqing's smile faltered slightly, then she let out a cold snort:
"Has Your Highness become confused during the trial? This is clearly a frame-up against me. If you want to condemn someone, you can always find a pretext!"

“The Empress Dowager is the one who’s senile.” Li Zhao’s gaze was sharp, staring at her like a knife.

"Everyone in the court knows that Xuanji Zi entered the palace on the recommendation of the Empress Dowager. Now that he has caused such a big incident, who will believe you if you say you are unaware of it? Is the Empress Dowager going to take the blame for this heinous crime of plotting against the Emperor alone, instead of revealing the truth?"

The Empress Dowager's expression finally changed, and she slammed her hand on the table, her voice trembling.

"Your Highness, stop talking nonsense! I am the late Emperor's widow and His Majesty's mother. How could I do such a morally reprehensible thing?"

“Grandmother knows perfectly well.” Li Zhao’s tone deepened, carrying an air of absolute authority. “Tell me, is it Li Huan, Li Yan, Li Qian, or Li Shao? What are you after if you help them?”

The Empress Dowager looked at Li Zhao's cold face, then glanced at Liu Zhong, who was slumped on the ground. After a moment of silence, she suddenly stood up, calmly straightened her palace dress, and spoke in an unusually calm tone.

"I am old and useless, and I can't manage so many things. Since the Crown Prince thinks I am an eyesore and wants to frame me, then do as you please. Anyway, I've lived long enough. I'd better go down and join your imperial grandfather, so I won't have to suffer in this palace."

The smile in Li Zhao's eyes grew even colder.

The evidence was irrefutable, and she had no way to refute it.

This shows that he dared not be ruthless towards his own grandmother.

"It seems that the Empress Dowager is willing to take the blame in order to protect that person."

Li Zhao nodded slightly, then suddenly turned around with his hands behind his back and gave a cold order.

"Guards, the Empress Dowager cherishes the memory of the late Emperor and is deeply grateful for his kindness day and night. She has requested to leave the palace to go to the imperial mausoleum to pray for his well-being."

He claimed it was a voluntary request, but in reality, he was placed under house arrest.

Empress Dowager Chengqing was taken aback by his ruthlessness, and the color drained from her face instantly.

"Your Highness! How dare you expel me?"

(End of this chapter)