On that day, a great storm raged.
Prince Shun died miserably in the imperial prison.
Perhaps fearing he would be lonely on his journey to the underworld, Princess Dowager Mei in the adjacent cell also departed for heaven on the same day.
In Qianqing Palace.
Upon receiving the news, the Longshun Emperor became restless, snorting rough breaths through his nostrils, pacing back and forth in the hall irritably.
One moment he complained the incense was too cloying, the next that the tea was too hot, his eyes nearly shooting flames.
"Get out! All of you get out! Useless bunch!"
As he roared, he punched a nearby pillar.
The pillar remained unscathed, but his hand was injured.
Unfortunately, all those dog servants had already scurried away, so he had to shout again, "Come back! Summon the imperial physician!"
While waiting for the physician, Eunuch Feng glanced at the broken skin on his hand, thinking to himself: If the physician runs a bit slower, this wound will have healed on its own...
However, what he said aloud was, "Your Majesty, your dragon body is precious. Why quarrel with a pillar?"
The Longshun Emperor wasn't quarreling with the pillar at all.
He was at odds with that dead old woman!
A few days ago, rumors suddenly spread throughout the harem, buzzing about how Princess Dowager Mei was a princess from the previous dynasty.
Upon investigation, it turned out to be true!
The Longshun Emperor never imagined that the previous emperor was even more daring than him, brave enough to take remnants of the former dynasty into his harem.
After hearing this salacious gossip, he casually instructed the Imperial Household Department: "White silk or poison wine, let her choose one."
Who knew that Princess Dowager Mei had skilled guards protecting her? They nearly escaped, but at the critical moment, the Blackfeather Guard captured them and brought them back.
Just as the Longshun Emperor was about to order their immediate execution, Princess Dowager Mei suddenly spoke:
"Two lotus flowers on one stem, not of one heart, bloom to destroy each other. Emperor, are you sure you want to kill me? I've left quite a few good things in this imperial city. If I die, they might just come to light."
However, the current Longshun Emperor, indulging daily in wine and women, had long since emptied both his body and mind, and didn't understand her hint at all.
He impatiently said, "Stop dawdling, why haven't you killed her yet?"
After being reprimanded, as the Blackfeather Guard raised their blades, the old eunuch sacrificed himself to block the final blow for Princess Dowager Mei.
As warm blood splattered onto Princess Dowager Mei, her eyes bulged in rage, "Jinü, how dare you treat me like this?"
"Have you forgotten how you got your throne?!"
"Silence!"
Suddenly being called Jinü, the Longshun Emperor's eyes darkened abruptly.
Seeing his face turn ashen, Princess Dowager Mei cackled.
Years ago, the Empress Dowager had given birth to a pair of twins. If born to an ordinary family, this would have been a joyous occasion.
Born into the royal family, however, it was taboo.
Throughout the imperial generations, whenever twin princes were born, one was kept and one killed, to prevent the other from usurping the throne in the future.
The Longshun Emperor dismissed the Blackfeather Guard, leaving only Princess Dowager Mei in the room.
His eyes bloodshot, he asked, "Who exactly are you? And how do you know about Jinü?"
"Jinü, I am your savior, and also your benefactor," Princess Dowager Mei sat gracefully on a nearby rosewood chair, leisurely wiping the blood from her body.
"You were born just a moment later than Li Zongjing, and the previous emperor wanted to drown you. It was I who secretly saved your life."
"You're Aunt Mei?"
The Longshun Emperor finally came to his senses, his gaze complex and indecipherable.
He had grown up in a remote town, with only an old family servant as his companion. They lived a modest life, and the servant always said this was due to Aunt Mei's kindness.
For the first thirty-some years of his life, he was never allowed to interact with outsiders.
As a result, even at his age, he didn't have a wife.
Until one day in the tenth year of Longshun's reign, he was suddenly secretly brought to the capital, wearing a mask to seek pleasure at the Intoxicated Flower House, thus beginning a life of debauchery.
The outside world was so exciting; once he stepped into it, he quickly became addicted.
At this time, he was also told that he was actually the previous emperor's son!
The current emperor was his own brother.
When he learned the truth, his family servant complained for him daily: "You're twin brothers born of the same mother. Why should he sit on the throne ruling over thousands of miles, while you, Jinü, have been abandoned from birth, living like a rat that can't see the light of day?"
Indeed, why?
Under extreme psychological imbalance, the Longshun Emperor began to twist.
Not long after, the family servant told him again: "Jinü, our chance has come!"
"Your brother actually has a penchant for men, and has kept a young man outside the palace. But this young man is stubborn, hates your brother, and refuses to enter the palace with him. After becoming his secret lover, he tries to escape at every opportunity."
"He runs, your brother chases, but he can't fly away even with wings."
"However, Aunt Mei has already sent people to secretly contact this young man. The young man will slowly seduce your brother into obsessing over alchemy, provoking his volatile temper. When you return to the palace in the future, if you don't resemble him, you can use the excuse of alchemical poisoning."
"When your brother meets with the young man, the security is relatively lax, and even the Blackfeather Guard is dismissed to a farther position. At that time, Aunt Mei will find a way to arrange for you to hide inside beforehand, then the young man will help drug your brother. After it's done, you can impersonate him, call in our inside men, kill him, and then use his identity to become the ruler of the world!"
The old family servant handed over a thick stack of books, and continued, "In the beginning, you'll still need to pretend to be him."
The fake Longshun Emperor looked and saw that the real Longshun Emperor's handwriting was exactly the same as his!
He curiously began reading the books in his hand, his expression becoming indescribable as he said, "Everything else is fine, but I can't pretend to like men. I prefer slender-waisted, long-legged beauties."
"Don't worry, Jinü. The young man and your brother's bodies will soon disappear in a great fire. You won't need to continue pretending to be lovey-dovey with the young man. But before that, you must pretend to be angered by the young man and recall all the secret guards from the villa, so our people can take action."
"At the same time, don't immediately turn to favor women. Instead, slowly show interest, progressing step by step."
After that, the Longshun Emperor used all the acting skills and intelligence of his life during that period.
He frantically replaced the real Longshun Emperor.
He possessed thousands of miles of rivers and mountains, and had supreme power.
He began to let himself go wild, first ruthlessly sending people to kill the old family servant. Then he investigated Aunt Mei's whereabouts, but he had too few people he could use at the time and never made progress. Otherwise, he would have immediately nipped in the bud all those who knew his secret!
Recalling this, a poisonous light flashed in the Longshun Emperor's murky eyes.
When he first replaced his brother, he didn't immediately indulge in wine and women. He eliminated the old ministers he disliked one by one, then turned to getting the Marquis of Wei Yuan drunk at a palace banquet, drugging him to sleep with a palace consort, step by step framing him and throwing him in prison.
Although the Marquis of Wei Yuan was world-renowned and outstanding, he had two weaknesses: he loved drinking and beautiful women.
Halfway through the palace banquet, on his way to relieve himself, half-drunk and half-awake, under the influence of an aphrodisiac, he naturally had a tryst with a palace consort who was also drugged.
Then, he was "coincidentally discovered" by palace maids passing by a rockery.
Despite his accumulated military achievements, the fact that he had cuckolded the emperor was undeniable.
At the time, the entire court argued furiously over whether to execute or spare the Marquis of Wei Yuan.
At this moment, trouble also arose in the harem.
The Empress was actually investigating him!
She even mobilized the Imperial Diary!
