Chapter 44: Yun Xiang's Grand Hall

  The flowers on the branches are swaying gently, and the golden wine cups are never empty.

  Arriving at this magnificent hall, Qing Xia finally truly understood the complete meaning of being drunk on wealth and status, and dying in a dream.

  Innumerable carved beams and painted rafters, flying eaves and corner brackets, were like a landscape painting done in bold brushstrokes, dazzling the eyes. Artificial hills and rockeries, long corridors with wall paintings, everywhere exuded a strong atmosphere of classical Chinese culture. Yet this massive palace was now deathly silent, without even a hint of human sound. Xu Quan shouted at the gate for a long time, but no one came to answer. Taking matters into his own hands, he walked forward and grasped the door handle, only to find that the vermilion-painted great gate slowly creaked open.

  Chu Li's eyes narrowed, her eyebrows furrowed, and it was impossible to discern what emotions lay hidden beneath. Her gaze swept coldly over the resplendent yet eerily silent Cloud Soaring Palace, where a low, dark undercurrent flowed quietly in her eyes. She let out a soft hum, urging her horse forward as she rode alone, with the black-clad guards following closely behind. Qing Xia, alias Summer Green, trailed behind Yang Feng, slowly entering the palace of the most powerful woman in the Southern Chu imperial court.

  Palace lanterns are hung high, flowers are clustered and brocaded, crimson silk carpets cover the entire main road, completely in line with the imperial welcoming ceremony.

  Chu Li rode on a fine horse, his cold iron armor shining with a clear light under the chilly moonlight, which made his face look pale, his lips tightly pursed, and his eyes staring straight ahead. The sound of horseshoes echoed slowly in the vast Cloud Soaring Palace, making it seem even more empty and quiet.

  This road seems especially long.

  At last, the four pillars that two people could not encircle appeared in sight. The magnificent Cloud Soaring Palace was resplendent with gold and jade. All eighteen large doors were wide open. Dan Fei wore a bright red embroidered golden phoenix robe, her hair styled high on her head, adorned with a golden phoenix hairpin, and a flowing silk ribbon hanging down from it. Her face was as lovely as a lotus flower in spring water, her lips like cherry blossoms, her neck long and slender, her back straight, and she knelt upright in the main hall of Cloud Soaring Palace. Behind her stood three hundred servants of Cloud Soaring Palace, lined up neatly. Outside the door of Cloud Soaring Palace, the ancestral tablets of the first family of Southern Chu, the Zhu clan, were quietly placed on a white cloth under the cold night sky. And before everyone, the corpse of a second-class maid dressed in Cloud Soaring Palace attire had been stiff for some time.

  Xu Quan recognized at a glance that it was the palace maid who had repeatedly asked to see the prince in the past few days, and seeing Dan Fei's calm and composed appearance, he couldn't help but take a look at Chu Li.

  The air was filled with undercurrents, and although there were many people present, it was eerily silent. Dan Fei held her head high, gazing straight into Chu Li's eyes, and suddenly spoke out in a clear voice: "I am guilty of a great crime, please punish me, Your Highness!"

  A cold voice broke the silence, echoing among the crowd. Chu Li slowly raised his head, his eyes revealing a hint of an inexplicable expression, emotionless as he gazed at the woman who shared his bed. His voice seemed to carry a faintly mocking tone: "Oh? What crime is this?"

  "I have six great crimes, I beg your highness to allow me to confess them one by one."

  "Is it?" Chu Li smiled indifferently and nodded slightly, "Speak."

  "The snow-white neck of the imperial concubine was held high, her sharp chin seeming like a knife in the night. In a low, measured tone, she said: 'Firstly, I am guilty for not regulating the behavior of my fellow sisters in the palace, and for dereliction of duty. Secondly, I tolerated the licentiousness of Concubine Lan, who disrespected Your Highness, but did not severely punish her, causing harm to the imperial family's reputation and bringing shame to our ancestors. Thirdly, although the four palaces are directly under Your Highness' control, not mine, the escape of the guilty concubine from the Cold Palace was due to my own negligence. Fourthly, after Concubine Lan went missing, I failed to report it to Your Highness in a timely manner, missing the best opportunity to capture her. Fifthly, I took it upon myself to use the White Guard to search for Concubine Lan, but after many days, there was still no result, showing my incompetence and uselessness. Sixthly, I am ashamed of betraying Your Highness' trust and the teachings of the late emperor, as well as the expectations of my family's elders. At this critical moment, tolerating the palace's licentious women to cause chaos among the people, damaging the imperial family's reputation and prestige, is indeed a grave offense of disrespect, disobedience, unreasonableness, unclearness, unclarity, and unfiliality. Three days ago, I have already submitted my confession to the Grand Temple, awaiting Your Highness' judgment.'"

  "Hmm..." Chu Li suddenly let out a cold laugh, the corners of his mouth rising in a sly smile as he gazed at the woman in brocade kneeling on the grand hall floor. He spoke slowly, "You keep saying you're guilty, but from what you've said, I don't see where your crime lies."

  The man on the war horse slowly removed his black iron helmet, revealing a head of jet-black hair that was neatly tied back. In a deep voice, he said: "Firstly, you say that you cannot regulate the behavior of the palace concubines, but in fact, you are hinting that your own position is not legitimate, and you do not have the qualifications to be empress. Secondly, the crime of Lan Fei was decided by me personally, so how can it be up to you to punish her severely? It's my mistake, after all. Thirdly, the four branches of the imperial guards are not under your control, so if they make mistakes, it cannot be blamed on you. Fourthly, I refused to see the people you sent, and the failure to capture them on time has nothing to do with you. Fifthly, the White Robed Guards were originally under your command, so it's only natural that you would dispatch them. If they couldn't find anyone, it's not something you wanted either. Sixthly, all these results are my own doing, and have nothing to do with Cloud Soaring Palace. If I say that I am unfilial, what does it have to do with you, Dan Fei?"

  "Zhu Dan Chen, what I said is correct, right?"

  Chu Li's voice was cold as ice. Dan Fei heard the words without changing her expression, and said in a clear voice: "Your Highness is the respected one of the nine five, the current Dragon Saint Son, with the heavenly mandate, there is no right or wrong in doing things. Right is right, wrong is also right, I as a person's wife, should share worries for Your Highness, mistakes and faults, I should bear them."

  "So you're saying this is all my fault?"

  "I dare not!" Dan Fei suddenly lowered her head, heavily knocking it on the ground, and loudly said: "All the faults are mine, please punish me, Your Highness." The elegant and noble woman's eyes were deeply sunken, as if she was fiercely staring with a gambler's gaze, her arms folded in front of her forehead, calm and steady, but the huge waves in her heart were overwhelming, only it was unknown what her stake was - the boundless power of the Zhu family or those nights spent sleeping together.

  "You deserve to die ten thousand times!"

  A low voice suddenly rang out, Dan Fei was startled and abruptly lifted her head, but it just happened to collide with a pair of pitch-black eyes. Chu Li's face was gloomy, without even a hint of a mocking smile, coldly staring at Dan Fei's eyes, his voice chilly as he said: "You went to such great lengths tonight, wasn't it just to wait for me to come, and then force me to say that you have nothing to do with all this?"

  "Your humble servant..."

  "Don't play with words anymore!" Chu Li suddenly shouted, saying in a low voice: "You are so careful and calculating, thinking you're the smartest and flawless. Indeed, you're good at doing things, being cautious and not revealing anything. But I'm telling you today, if Zhuang Qingxia disappears or dies unjustly, I won't let you off! Your Zhu family has been passed down for a hundred years, thinking you have deep roots, but remember this: in the south of Chu, for three hundred years, it's always been the Chu family!"

  "Summon the eunuchs! Pass down the order, Dan Fei has lost her virtue as a wife. From now on, all matters of the harem will be handled by Rong Fei. Starting from today, Dan Fei is to be confined in Yunxiang Palace for reflection, and the main gate of Yunxiang Palace shall not be opened until Lan Fei returns to court!"

  "Yes!" Several officials from the inner court who had rushed to hear the news responded in a low voice. Chu Li let out a cold hum, turned his horse's head and walked towards the main gate with his head held high.

  "Your Highness!" A shrill cry suddenly rang out, Chu Li didn't turn his head back, he just slightly reined in his horse and stopped in his tracks.

  "That woman deceived and harmed you, eating away at your insides, is she really that important to you? More important than your vast empire?" The Empress Dan stood atop the grand hall, her long crimson robes fluttering in the wind like a broken butterfly, her eyes blazing red, her nostrils flaring rapidly, her hands clenched into fists as if stiffened, deeply embedded in her flesh.

  "It doesn't matter," Chu Li said in a low voice after a long silence. "In this world, there is no one and nothing more important than the ten thousand miles of rivers and mountains of Great Chu."

  Tan Fei's eyes suddenly lit up with a hint of light, just as she was about to speak, Chu Li suddenly turned his head back, his voice even more low and solemn, seemingly carrying a hint of ruthlessness, his eyes black like the sky before a storm.

  "But that doesn't mean you can move her."

  In the darkness, eerie words floated in the air, Chu Li's eyes narrowed slightly as she slowly turned her head back, a cold smile spreading across her face: "Foolish woman, you've provoked someone you shouldn't have. If Zhuang Qingxia is dead, then go accompany her in death."

  The heavy palace gate suddenly opened, and Chu Li disappeared slowly outside the palace gate of Yunxiang Hall in a suit of silver-white soft armor. Dan Fei's face turned pale, and she finally fell heavily to the ground.