Chapter 96: Needed, Therefore Family
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The woman’s voice carried an ethereal beauty, like celestial music softly descending upon mortal ears. Yet, for the Carefree Prince and Minister Yu, it resonated as a sinister whisper, brimming with malice and derision. To their dismay, Yu Zhi Yi was openly mocking them.
Everyone in the room understood: her words were not just a rebuke—they were a public humiliation. Yet, no one dared to challenge her.
After all, the fact that she had managed to calm the maddened Empress Dowager demonstrated her unparalleled abilities. In this moment, she was their sole hope, the one person holding the Emperor’s survival in her hands. With countless eyes upon them, neither the Carefree Prince nor Minister Yu could afford to risk offending her. Should they push her to abandon her efforts, the blame for the Emperor’s death would fall squarely on their shoulders. Furthermore, without her intervention, the chaos unleashed by the Empress Dowager would escalate beyond measure. Even the Emperor himself would never permit them to jeopardize his life.
Clenching their teeth in reluctant surrender, they finally spoke. “Do it,” they said stiffly.
Yu Zhi Yi’s gaze remained steady, her voice calm yet cutting. “Am I a fraud?”
“…No!” they replied, their reluctance painfully evident.
Had the hall been any quieter, the grinding of their teeth might have been heard by all.
Satisfied, Yu Zhi Yi nodded. Her hands rose, weaving through a series of intricate gestures as she began to chant. Moments later, her voice rang out, thunderous and commanding: “Vile creature, retreat at once!”
The Empress Dowager let out an anguished wail, her body crumpling as though a puppet’s strings had been severed. A wisp of black smoke emerged from her, visible to all, and darted skyward as if trying to escape. But before it could ascend, a yellow talisman streaked through the air, emanating a radiant glow. In a flash, the talisman obliterated the black mist, leaving no trace behind.
As the Empress Dowager’s body sagged toward the floor, Yu Zhi Yi, who had stood dozens of meters away mere moments ago, suddenly appeared beside her. With a swift and fluid motion, she caught the older woman, preventing her from hitting the ground.
The Empress Dowager was over fifty years old, and for someone of her age, even a minor fall could have devastating consequences. Many elderly people, seemingly hale, never fully recovered from such incidents. Yu Zhi Yi’s intervention was not just timely—it was crucial.
The Empress Dowager’s eyes fluttered open briefly, her gaze weak and clouded as it landed on Yu Zhi Yi’s face. She attempted to speak, but strength failed her. Exhausted, she slipped back into unconsciousness.
The entire sequence of events had unfolded in less than a quarter-hour. The Emperor, though visibly shaken, managed to speak. “Official Yu, how is my mother?”
Gently placing the Empress Dowager onto the bed, Yu Zhi Yi replied with measured calm. “The evil spirit has been purged. Her Majesty’s body is frail but unharmed. With proper care and nourishment, she will recover. She also requires regular exposure to sunlight.”
The Emperor exhaled deeply in relief and immediately summoned the imperial physicians to attend to his mother. While they busied themselves, he turned his attention to graver matters.
“Colluding with assassins, impersonating a divine healer to poison the Empress Dowager, and deceiving me… Minister Yu, your family has grown audacious.”
Minister Yu trembled violently, falling to his knees. “Your Majesty, even if I had the audacity of a tiger, I would never dare deceive you! I, too, was deceived by that charlatan!”
Madam Yu joined her husband in supplication. “Yes, Your Majesty, we are innocent! Five years ago, that man genuinely cured our son. We believed he was a true healer!”
Consort Yu, sensing the danger to her family’s influence, could no longer remain silent. Should Minister Yu’s downfall occur, her own position as a favored consort would be jeopardized. After all, the fortunes of the front court and the rear palace were inexorably intertwined.
“Your Majesty,” she began, her voice steady yet pleading, “Yu Zi Xuan’s condition—his dullness of mind—was well-known throughout the capital. When he suddenly regained clarity five years ago, it became a celebrated story. Minister Yu did not lie. Perhaps there has been some misunderstanding.”
Chancellor Du interjected smoothly, his tone dripping with practiced diplomacy. “Your Majesty, this old servant also believes Minister Yu’s family should not bear the full blame.”
The room fell into stunned silence. Minister Yu and his family were elated; they had not expected Chancellor Du to speak on their behalf at such a critical juncture.
Minister Yu’s heart swelled with gratitude. He silently vowed to forge a stronger alliance with the Chancellor’s household in the future. But his relief was short-lived.
Chancellor Du continued, his words sharp as a blade wrapped in velvet. “After all, while they nearly caused Her Majesty’s demise, their intentions were pure. To cure the Empress Dowager, they even brought the Third Young Madam Zhang out of prison, asking her to perform a miracle under immense pressure. Such loyalty and dedication!”
The audience winced collectively. Chancellor Du’s words, though veiled as a defense, only underscored the Yu family’s culpability in exploiting the Empress Dowager’s plight to rescue Yu Jiao Jiao from imprisonment.
Had their gamble succeeded, it might have been forgiven. But it had failed, and the consequences were dire. One needed only to glance at the Carefree Prince, still struggling to rise after being flung aside by the Empress Dowager.
Minister Yu’s face turned ashen. He had placed his trust in the wrong man.
The Emperor’s expression darkened, his voice icy. “The Yu family… defiant and audacious, compounding crime upon crime. Unforgivable. Guards!”
Madam Yu, her desperation palpable, cried out, “Yi’er! Yi’er, say something! We are family!”
Yu Zhi Yi’s gaze flickered with derision before her eyelids drooped, her body swaying. Then, as though utterly drained, she collapsed.
Surely, exhaustion from excessive spiritual exertion was a reasonable excuse?
The hall fell silent.
Du Zi Heng instinctively stepped forward to catch her but was outpaced by another figure. Madam Yao moved with surprising agility, shielding Yu Zhi Yi from harm. Her own expression bore traces of confusion; she had not expected to act so swiftly.
Du Zi Heng, left awkwardly empty-handed, grimaced.
The Emperor, noting Yu Zhi Yi’s fainting and remembering his injured brother, ordered the two to be taken to separate palaces for treatment. He then resumed his focus on the Yu family.
“Minister Yu’s household… guilty of treason and endangering royalty. The punishment is death. Execute them all!”
…
Yu Zhi Yi slept soundly for half a day before stirring.
The evil spirit she had banished had not been particularly powerful; the ordeal had cost her little energy. But years of experience had taught her one thing: the easier she made such tasks appear, the more skeptically others regarded her abilities.
For most, exorcising an evil spirit was a monumental challenge, fraught with danger and effort. If she resolved it with a mere flick of her wrist, doubt would inevitably follow, questioning whether the spirit had ever truly existed.
Her elaborate preparations had served dual purposes: to stall for time and to convince onlookers of the effort involved. Feigning unconsciousness spared her further entanglements with the Yu family.
She knew them too well. Despite severing ties with her, they would readily discard their disownment if her skills proved useful, wielding their “kindness of upbringing” like a chain to manipulate her.
She had no interest in wasting words on them.