The Emperor asked Huang Feiye to speak. Huang Feiye who was still in his armour, half knelt in front of the Emperor. He explained how while all the previous Emperors had a single group of secret guards, the immediate predecessor of the current Emperor had two sets of secret guards as he didn"t trust them either.The basic principle of the secret guards is that the Emperor only knows the leader and only the leader knows all his members and the members didn"t know who other members were but only the leader. The strength of the secret guards is that they hid in plain sight and they just followed the orders of their leader obediently.
The two sets of secret guards worked well for the previous Emperor until the Emperor wanted to kill children born on new year"s day eighteen years ago. The leader of the group Feiye belonged to refused to kill children and was executed by the other leader who didn"t have any concerns towards killing children. But unknowing to others, Feiye"s leader slipped him the badge and ledger containing the members of their group before he died. Their group just dissolved itself for eighteen years until today.
But the other leader was killed by someone else and his badge and ledger was stolen and used by someone else. Feiye showed proof that the one who killed the other leader was Eunuch Xin and the detailed reports of the crimes done by Eunuch Xin in his life in the palace.
The Emperor got the report from Huang Feiye and he recognised Xing"s handwriting immediately.
So it all must be true!
The Emperor read the report on how the Eunuch collaborated with the previous empress and killed all women the previous emperor was interested in and their children, how he was responsible for the death of the prince who drowned in the lake, how he came personally to kill the third prince to the western Province and How he had killed the othe princes during the power struggle for the throne.
Feiye also told the Emperor how even today Eunuch Xin used them to eliminate the Ran Family in the name of the Emperor and so he had used his group of men to eliminate them and to return the badge of the leader to the Emperor.
He tried to kill third brother? Is that how she met him? So, that"s the reason she hated him right from the start! But why didn"t she tell me her speculations? I would have believed her! If she had told me, today" s incidents might have been avoided....Why did she act alone when I could have helped her?
The Emperor was saddened that Xing didn"t trust him enough to tell him everything but right now this Eunuch must be handled.
"Is this all true?", the Emperor asked the Eunuch who was looking like a wounded pet till now.
Shengli who was not patient in waiting for the arrival of the physician, came out of the bed chamber and listened to everything on the report.
As usual, she had figured out everything on her own! But is that why rhus Eunuch hurt her?
The Eunuch looked at the Emperor who was looking at him like a deplorable being and he felt like he could finally reveal his true wishes.
"I loved your mother... She was my little songbird. But her father sent her to the palace without considering her wishes. So I followed her because I knew women without powerful backings cannot live a pleasant life here. I lived my life hiding from her, secretly protecting her. Your Imperial father favoured her and she was conceived with your majesty and that"s when I vowed to myself that I"ll Protect you and make you Emperor.... All because you are her son... I was willing... ", he started weeping.
" I know... I know how cruel this place is... The Empress killed your mother... She killed her.... My little songbird.... She died by that malicious woman"s hands...",he was sobbing.
" So I killed her first born", the tear filled face of Eunuch Xin now only displayed pure hatred and pride and he kept on telling everything he did throughout these years by the side of the empress all the while killing her children too. He also mentioned how when Elder Shu spoke about the Divine Ruler, it was him who advised the Empress to ask the Emperor to kill all the children and he was sad that only now he knows how the divine ruler survived because of the traitor Huang Feiye.
"Enough!", the Emperor bellowed. "Just stop this...", he could not believe everything he was hearing.
Why did he do this? Who asked him to do this? How could he say he did this for me when I hated to be an Emperor? When did I ever want to hurt my siblings?
Shengli who was listening to everything found how all the puzzle pieces fit together and how Eunuch Xin is the only evil left in the palace for now. Just in two months, my smart wife teared out this ugly person"s mask!
"That b.i.t.c.h is evil! So I was the one who tried to Poison her till now... ", the Eunuch continued and the Emperor whose eyes were red of extreme rage, s.n.a.t.c.hed a sword nearby and unsheathed it to plunge it in that Eunuch"s heart.
The Emperor had lost all his rationality and as he was going to stab the Eunuch, it was Shengli who stopped him,
"Junjie! No..! Don"t soak your hands in blood. You are the Emperor. Only your words are enough. Don"t use your own hand to kill", he spoke in a soothing tone.
This is the same advise he gave Xing too. Only Xing and his brother are those he knew who has pure hearts. He cannot let them engulfed by darkness like him!
But this one who poisoned her cannot have a good death either. I can take care of that! Shengli gave a murderous glare at the Eunuch.
His brother"s words soothed the Emperor and he looked at the Eunuch, " Huang Shengli is my third brother and he is the lover of Huang Mingxia. Guess what, when I heard she was pregnant, my first thought was, "Good, if she gives birth to my third brother"s son here, I can pa.s.s my throne to him!"... That"s how much I love my third brother and how little I care about the throne! ", he smirked at the Eunuch.
The Eunuch"s face froze by the Emperor"s confession and Rijun, Feiye and Shengli were shocked too.
The Eunuch laughed hysterically.... All this time... All his efforts... For the one person who not only doesn"t appreciate it but also willing to throw it away... Just like that.... Je felt like he wasted his twenty tears of life in this place for the wrong person.... A person who is too n.o.ble, too high,too farfetched to appreciate the good things he had done...
"Who"s there?", the Emperor shouted and two guards came in, " Send Eunuch Xin to the prison. Death by thousand cuts to be done in three days", the Emperor commanded and the guards dragged the Eunuch away.
The Eunuch had a last look at the Emperor who had the firm and strong glance standing there with his imposing Imperial aura looking at him with indifference...
"You"ve grown up my little Emperor. You do deserve this throne!"
Shengli was relieved by his punishment too and just then the Head of the Imperial Physicians Xuan Li came in and greeted the Emperor.
He was brought to Xing by Shengli and he conducted various tests with various needles and other things for a good long time.
Shengli was biting his fingernails and was waiting outside as the doctor had asked for. After a while, the physician came out with sweat all over him and reluctant to speak.
He definitely brings bad news!
Shengli was trembling and fisted his hands to regain his composure.
"Speak!", the Emperor commanded.
The old physician who had a good experience in dealing with women"s ailment gave a deep bow,
"Your Majesty! Consort Huang had come across a distinct and more potent Poison. Although Her life is not in great danger, the Consort has lost the ability to carry a child in her womb".