Chapter 096

Chapter 96: They Needed Her, So They Called Her Family

The woman’s voice was clear and airy. Saying it sounded like music from the heavens would not be too much.

But in the ears of Prince Xiao Yao and Minister Yu, it felt like a demon’s whisper, full of malice and mockery.

Yu Zhi Yi was slapping their faces in public, bright as day.

Yet they had no way to fight back. Just that one move of stopping the crazed Empress Dowager meant she truly had skill. Right now, she was their only hope. Besides, the Emperor’s life was in her hands too. With all eyes watching, if they dared to say anything that upset her and she threw up her hands and refused to help, the two of them would be blamed for killing the Emperor. And if no one calmed the Empress Dowager, the aftermath would be worse. Most important of all, the Emperor himself would never allow them to let him die.

So the two could only grit their teeth and say: “Do it.”

Yu Zhi Yi asked: “Am I a fraud?”

They answered after a beat: “No.”

If the hall had been a little quieter, people could have heard their teeth grinding.

Yu Zhi Yi nodded, then formed hand seals while chanting under her breath. Soon she snapped coldly: “Wretch, fall back.”

The moment her words fell, the Empress Dowager let out a painful wail. Then she collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut. A thread of black smoke, visible to the naked eye, seeped from the Empress Dowager’s body and rushed upward, as if trying to escape. Just as the smoke was about to shoot into the sky, a strip of yellow talisman paper sliced through the air with lightning speed. Light burst from the talisman, and in the blink of an eye the black smoke vanished without a trace.

Inside the grand hall, the Empress Dowager was about to hit the floor. Yu Zhi Yi, who should have been dozens of meters away, flashed into the hall and caught the Empress Dowager around the waist, saving her from a hard fall. The Empress Dowager was around fifty, and older people feared falls most. Some elders, even if still strong, lose their strength after just one bad fall.

Suddenly, the Empress Dowager opened her eyes. Her gaze, still unfocused, slid over Yu Zhi Yi’s face. She parted her lips to speak, but her body was too weak. No words came out before she fainted again.

All these changes took less than half of a quarter-hour. The Emperor was still shaken, but he did not forget his Empress Mother. He asked anxiously: “Official Yu, how is the Empress Mother?”

Yu Zhi Yi carried the Empress Dowager to the bed and said calmly: “The malevolent spirit has been purged. Her Highness is weak, but she is not in serious danger. With a period of careful care, she will recover.” She paused and added: “She should sit in the sun each day.”

The Emperor let out a long breath, then hurried to summon the imperial physicians to diagnose the Empress Dowager and write her prescriptions.

While the physicians busied themselves, the Emperor moved to the next matter. He said with a dark face: “You colluded with an assassin and used a fake divine physician to harm the Empress Dowager. Your whole family joined together to deceive Me. Minister Yu, you are very bold.”

Minister Yu shivered hard and fell to his knees with a thud: “Your Majesty, even if I had the guts of a bear or leopard, I would never dare deceive the throne. I was fooled by that fraud too.”

Madam Yu also knelt and begged: “Yes, Your Majesty, you cannot blame us for this. Five years ago our son truly was cured by him. That is why we thought he was a real divine physician.”

Consort Yu could no longer stay out of it. If Minister Yu fell, her favor would shrink too. The court and the Inner Palace rose and fell together. Without Minister Yu, a third-rank official, to help gather support among the ministers, the prince she bore would have no chance to sit on that throne.

She spoke softly: “Your Majesty, everyone knew Xuan’er was simple-minded, and his sudden recovery five years ago became a strange tale in the Capital. Minister Yu and his family did not lie about that. I believe there may be some misunderstanding.”

Chancellor Du said in an even tone: “Your Majesty, this old subject also thinks we should not punish Minister Yu’s family.”

Everyone was stunned. Minister Yu and his household were overjoyed. They had not expected Chancellor Du to speak for them at such a time. Minister Yu was moved and secretly swore to build a good relationship with the Chancellor’s Manor from now on.

The thought had barely formed when Chancellor Du added: “After all, although they nearly killed Her Highness the Empress Dowager, their hearts were in the right place. To treat Her Highness, they even pulled Third Young Madam Zhang out of prison and forced her to atone with service under great pressure.”

He sighed and said: “Such loyal hearts can be seen.”

Everyone: “…”

He sure knew how to stir the pot. It sounded like he was excusing the Yu clan, but in truth he nailed them for using public affairs for private ends. On the surface it was to treat the Empress Dowager, but in reality they used the Empress Dowager as a raft to fish Yu Jiao Jiao out. If they had truly cured the Empress Dowager, that would be one thing. The key point was, they had not. They not only failed to cure her, they almost caused a disaster. No, it had already become a disaster. Prince Xiao Yao had not managed to get up since the Empress Dowager slapped him flying.

Minister Yu went stiff: “…” [I trusted the wrong person.]

The Emperor’s gaze turned cold: “Yu clan, you never change your ways. Your crimes pile upon crimes and cannot be forgiven. Guards…”

Madam Yu saw the Emperor was about to act. In panic she shouted without thinking: “Yi’er, Yi’er, say something. We are family.”

Yu Zhi Yi’s eyes flashed with mockery. Then she closed them and “fainted.”

[Fainting from overexertion is a perfect excuse.]

Everyone: “…”

When Yu Zhi Yi started to topple, Du Zi Heng wanted to rush forward to catch her. But a figure moved even faster. Madam Yao swept in and shielded Yu Zhi Yi so she did not hit the ground. A look of confusion crossed Madam Yao’s eyes. [When did I get this fast?]

Du Zi Heng, who reached out to empty air: “…”

Seeing Yu Zhi Yi faint from exhaustion, the Emperor finally remembered his brother. He ordered people to carry them to two different palaces for treatment, then went back to deal with the Yu clan.

He said coldly: “Minister Yu’s household deceived the throne and plotted against the royal family. The punishment is death. Drag them all out and behead them.”

…

Yu Zhi Yi slept half a day before she “woke up.”

The malevolent spirit had not been strong. She had hardly used any spiritual energy at all. But her experience over two lives told her this: the lighter you make it look, the more people doubt your skill. In most ordinary minds, malevolent spirits are very powerful. Clearing one might not be nine deaths and one life, but it should still take great effort and cost a lot of strength. If you wave your hand like it is nothing and the spirit is gone, people start to doubt whether the spirit was even real.

Setting up the altar did two things. First, it bought time. Second, it showed the watchers: I spent real effort.

As for pretending to faint, she simply did not want to waste more words on the Yu clan. She knew them too well. They were the ones who asked to cut family ties first. But once they confirmed her ability and saw she was useful, they would treat those words as wind and claim the great weapon they thought could bind her, the so-called debt of being raised.