Darkness completely swallowed me. The sharp pain at the back of my neck felt like a dull saw, repeatedly sawing away at my nerves.
I don't know how much time had passed when I suddenly snapped my eyes open and sprang up from the cold stone bed. The torches in the imperial prison were still dim, but I could feel the stone bricks on the floor vibrating faintly. That was a commotion that only occurred when a large force of heavy armored cavalry was being deployed. Wei Wuyuan was starting to pull in his net. The auspicious hour had already passed. The wedding banquet at the Eastern Palace had already begun.
I rushed toward the cell door like a madman, only to find that the door wasn't locked at all. Wei Wuyuan was standing in the shadows right outside the door, wiping a blood-dripping spring and autumn blade in his hand.
"Take me to the Eastern Palace. Wei Wuyuan, I'm begging you. If you don't take me, I will smash my head against these prison bars and die right now. How will you explain that to Zhang Beiyu?"
Without a moment's hesitation, I pressed my forehead directly against the sharp iron bars. If he dared to refuse, I would instantly end my life right then and there.
Wei Wuyuan looked up. In his habitually cold eyes, the flickering torchlight of the prison was reflected, revealing a chilling sense of witnessing history.
"Since you want to watch her die with your own eyes, this commander will grant your wish. Let's go. Go and see how that legitimate elder sister of yours is dragging the crown prince's faction to hell."
The moment we rushed out of the Eastern Depot, I saw a capital city that looked like a living hell. Not a single curious citizen was left on the grand streets. The streets that were originally draped in red silk had at this moment been completely taken over by the Eastern Depot operatives and the royalist Imperial Guard. The ground was covered with bodies strewn everywhere. Those were the crown prince's hidden agents who had tried to revolt early. The heavy stench of blood completely overpowered the festive scent of cosmetics.
Wei Wuyuan led me, fighting our way unobstructed all the way to the vermilion gates of the Eastern Palace. At this moment, the gates of the Eastern Palace were tightly shut, yet the inside was terrifyingly quiet. There was no sound of music, nor the clinking of wine cups. This was not a wedding banquet at all. This was a massive tomb.
Wei Wuyuan kicked open the side door of the Eastern Palace. I rushed into the front courtyard like a mad woman. The sight before me made my legs go weak, and I nearly collapsed to the ground.
Outside the main hall of the Eastern Palace, countless corpses lay scattered. They were all guards and maids of the Eastern Palace. Every single one of them killed with a single slit to the throat. The doors of the main hall had been locked tight from the inside, with iron chains as thick as a wrist through the carved window screens.
The hall inside was brightly lit. I threw myself against the window, gripping the window frame with all my might, desperately trying to look inside.
In the center of the hall, Li Chongjing was curled up on the floor in agony. His hands were tightly clutching his own throat, his eyes bulging as dark purple-black poisoned blood kept spilling from the corners of his mouth.
"You. Zhang Beiyu, how dare you put poison in the nuptial wine?"
Like a dying stray dog, Li Chongjing writhed and convulsed in agony on the luxurious carpet. Zhang Beiyu stood just five paces away from him. In her hand, she held the golden goblet, which still contained half of the poisoned wine. At this moment, Zhang Beiyu was as calm as an emotionless stone statue.
"Is Your Highness very surprised? You had three hundred axemen stationed in the side hall and placed Shiyan poison in the wine jar meant for the toast, planning to slaughter my entire Zhang family right here in this hall the moment the illicit silver was handed over. What a pity. You won't get the chance. This cup of Jiuchong poison was bought specially for Your Highness with three million taels of the Zhang family's illicit silver. The road to the underworld is cold, Your Highness. Allow me to send you on your way."
Li Chongjing was dead. He died on the eve of his rebellion, which he thought was destined to succeed, and at the hands of the very woman he despised the most.
Outside the hall, I clawed desperately at the window lattice, my fingernails snapping, dripping with blood.
"Zhang Beiyu, Li Chongjing is already dead. Open the door. Open the door. Wei Wuyuan is here. The Eastern Depot army is here. You are safe now. Please open the door."
Inside the hall, Zhang Beiyu finally turned her head. She looked out the window at me. In those eyes, which had always been filled with calculation and cold frost, large heavy tears finally spilled over. She shook her head at me.
"Nanji, once this door is opened, someone must take the blame for the crown prince's poisoning. His Majesty wants ironclad proof that the crown prince plotted rebellion and set himself on fire out of guilt. Only then can he rightfully annihilate the empress's clan. The Zhang family is already finished. The evidence of Father's embezzlement has been handed over. Sooner or later, the entire Zhang family will be executed. Today, I will use this fire in the Eastern Palace to burn away all the sins. Nanji, live well. Carry your mother's share of life with you. Never return to the capital."
After saying her last words, Zhang Beiyu spun around abruptly. With one kick, she knocked over the man-sized everlasting lamp in the center of the hall. The lamp oil spilled out instantly. She then grabbed the candlestick from the desk and pointed it toward the hanging silk curtains around her without hesitation.
"Don't. Zhang Beiyu, get out of there. I won't let you die."
"The die is cast. The fire is already out of control. You're going to your death if you go in now. Zhang Beiyu sacrificed her life to end this deadlock. Do you dare to let her die in vain?"
The fire spread wildly along the beams and pillars. The roof of the entire hall began to shake violently. Tiles continuously crashed down along with sparks. A terrifying heatwave instantly swept through the entire courtyard, accompanied by a deafening roar. The load-bearing pillars of the main hall of the Eastern Palace were burned through by the fire. The entire roof collapsed with a crash. The soaring flames lit up the night sky of the capital as bright as day.
I was held down firmly on the ground by Wei Wuyuan, watching helplessly as the palace that had imprisoned Zhang Beiyu and ended all the conspiracies and sins turned into a burning heap of ruins.
I could no longer make any sound. There was only the crackling sound of the burning fire, which was so much like that night of heavy snow when my mother's breath gradually grew cold in the woodshed.
Zhang Beiyu, you won. You schemed against everyone, including yourself, in the most tragic way possible. For yourself, for my mother, and for the Zhang family, before the emperor's guillotine could fall, you secured a dignified end where we all go down together.