Chapter 673

Chapter 673: Pitch Black

“What? Lu Chao Chao can enter the hall as she pleases, yet I, the Empress Dowager, am forbidden?”

The Empress Dowager cast a look of disdain at Lu Chao Chao, barely concealing her anger.

Her son had failed in the struggle for the throne, losing even his life.

Yet that lowly Lin Pin’s son had seized the opportunity and become emperor!

Every time she thought of this, it felt as if knives were carving into her heart.

The Grand Eunuch smiled obsequiously. “Oh, Your Majesty, you are the noble Empress Dowager. Even His Majesty must call you Mother. How could you be forbidden?”

“Princess Sunshine has performed a great service in saving the people. She is an esteemed guest from afar and the Empress of the Southern Kingdom… this…”

“Your Majesty, once His Majesty finishes handling state affairs, he will surely visit the Benevolence and Tranquility Palace to see you.”

“The people are displaced; they cannot wait any longer,” the Grand Eunuch spoke smoothly, his face adorned with a practiced smile.

The Empress Dowager glanced at Lu Chao Chao. A mere child—how could she be considered an esteemed guest?

A woman ascending the throne? The Southern Kingdom must be in chaos!

Beside her, a young girl tugged at the Empress Dowager’s sleeve. “Aunt…” Her eyes lingered on the great hall, her cheeks blushing.

The Empress Dowager patted her arm and spoke solemnly. “Tell the emperor this—”

“He is already eighteen, yet his harem remains empty, and he has no heir. Our Xuan family bloodline is thin, and our ancestors cannot rest in peace!”

“By his age, the late emperor already had three sons and two daughters…”

“How much longer does he intend to delay?”

“This year’s selection must proceed, whether he agrees or not!”

“Deliver this message to the emperor—tomorrow, the selection process will begin!”

With that, the young girl supported the Empress Dowager as they left.

The eunuch let out a deep sigh.

Just then, the doors of the grand hall swung open, and the officials and the Northern Abyss Clan stepped out.

The Grand Eunuch turned his head—

And nearly collapsed to his knees.

He clamped his hands over his mouth, eyes wide with horror. Then, in a moment of sheer disbelief, he slapped himself across the face!

Lu Chao Chao also covered her mouth tightly. Damn it, she had forgotten!

One must never eat mulberries before a council meeting.

Mulberries, also called “black fruit,” were deep black with a hint of red and burst with juice when bitten.

Now, all the officials leaving the hall had mouths dyed completely black, with their teeth showing red-streaked stains.

Lu Chao Chao’s shoulders trembled violently. She was doomed…

She turned toward the hall and saw Eastern Ling Emperor suspiciously wiping his mouth, hands innocently clasped behind his back, eyes fixed on the sky.

As the officials stepped out, Lu Chao Chao erupted into laughter. The old ministers exchanged glances, then clutched their mouths and fled in all directions.

Disaster!

“That amusing?” Eastern Ling Emperor crouched down, gently wiping the black-red stains from her fingertips.

Lu Chao Chao nodded fervently, laughing until tears formed in the corners of her eyes.

After dining with Xuan Ji Chuan, she decided to stay in the palace for the night.

When Lu Chao Chao woke, she yawned and stretched. “Where’s Xuan Ji Chuan?”

The palace attendants, hearing her call the emperor’s name so casually, dropped to their knees in fright.

“Last night, the Empress Dowager suddenly fell ill. His Majesty has been at the Benevolence and Tranquility Palace and has yet to return. Would Your Highness like to take breakfast first? The Imperial Kitchen has already prepared the meal.”

“Alright.” But even after finishing her meal, he had not returned.

She immediately decided to go to the Benevolence and Tranquility Palace. The palace attendants could not stop her and hurriedly followed.

Yet before she even reached the palace gates, she saw the area was heavily guarded.

“Where’s Xuan Ji Chuan? I want to see him!” The general guarding the gate, knowing her importance to the emperor, did not block her path.

However, the moment she stepped inside, she felt the weight of the oppressive atmosphere, suffocatingly heavy.

Several palace maids and nannies lay in the courtyard, covered in blood.

They seemed to have been recently caned—blood stained the ground in a gruesome display.

Their feeble hands drooped at their sides, eyes frozen wide open, lips marked by traces of blood.

Even in death, terror lingered on their faces.

The Grand Eunuch stood at the doorway, his usual mild demeanor gone. His eyes were filled with unmasked killing intent.

Of course. The tiger’s follower would never be a house cat.

“This is the fate of those who forget their master’s place!”

Inside, the Empress Dowager’s face was livid. “Insolent wretch! You’re just a eunuch! How dare you act tyrannically in my palace!”

The Grand Eunuch merely looked at her coldly, then took his place behind the emperor.

Eastern Ling Emperor, always immaculately dressed, now stood with slightly disheveled robes, his face dark with rage, his eyes brimming with murderous intent. Kneeling before him, her clothing in disarray, was a young woman—the same niece who had accompanied the Empress Dowager.

She was a stunning beauty, kneeling bashfully at the Empress Dowager’s side. “Aunt, please seek justice for me.”

Eastern Ling Emperor’s gaze was frosty. “Good, very good!”

“The noble Empress Dowager resorts to such despicable tricks…”

“Did you think I wouldn’t dare act against you? You actually dared to have this woman climb into my bed!” He almost laughed from sheer anger.

The Empress Dowager’s heart turned cold under his gaze. But she was the Empress Dowager, his nominal mother—surely, he wouldn’t commit matricide?

“Though you are not my flesh and blood, I have treated you as my own and never schemed against you.”

“My conscience is clear!”

“This palace maid must have harbored improper thoughts and ensnared Yu’er into this mess. That is how today’s events unfolded.”

“Yu’er is from a noble family. Now that her reputation is ruined, you must give her justice.”

Xuan Ji Chuan looked down at her. “Justice? Should I grant her the seat of Empress?”

The young woman’s face flushed red, her lips curving into a faint smile.

“You think you’re worthy?!” His cold words made her freeze instantly.

“Xuan Ji Chuan!” The Empress Dowager slammed the table, startling the surrounding attendants into kneeling.

“Yu’er possesses exceptional family background, beauty, and talent. How is she unworthy of you?”

“Since you returned from Northern Zhao, Yu’er has waited for you. She has waited three years!”

“You refuse to take a wife, refuse the selection. What exactly are you planning? The Xuan family bloodline is on the verge of extinction! Do you have no sense of duty to your ancestors?” The Empress Dowager’s voice dripped with grief. Why? Why did it have to be Xuan Ji Chuan who inherited the throne?

She had loathed Lin Pin, had deliberately sent Xuan Yin off to a political marriage, and had Xuan Ji Chuan sent away as a hostage.

Yet, in the end, he became the sole heir of the Xuan family.

She hated it. She hated it so much.

Years of scheming, only to let the enemy’s son take the throne! How could she not be furious?

Xuan Ji Chuan sneered. “Extinction? What does that have to do with me?”

The Empress Dowager nearly fainted from rage, her trembling finger pointing at him. “Ingrate! Ingrate! The Xuan family’s empire will be ruined by your hands!”

Xuan Ji Chuan ignored her indifferently.

“I will never allow it! Do you intend to wed that demonic woman from your dreams?!” the Empress Dowager screeched.

At her words, Xuan Ji Chuan’s gaze snapped toward her.

His eyes turned deathly cold—like a man looking at a corpse.