Chapter 527: Chapter 354: The Eight Bitternesses (3)

The whereabouts of Miao Ci, who was originally guarding outside Qianyuan Hall, are unknown.

Rong Jing thought to himself, he probably fled. At this point, staying in the Imperial Palace means certain death. Who wouldn’t want to escape?

When the hall doors opened just now, Rong Jing even heard the screams of the women from the harem and the heavy crashing sounds from the direction of the palace gates.

Today is New Year’s Eve, a day for family reunion.

This is his Imperial Palace,

but,

he has no family.

Never had.

The vast hall fell into dead silence once more, with only the dim glow of the lotus palace lanterns remaining.

The last segment of ambergris in the Piyao Incense Burner at the center of the hall was burned out, yet no palace attendant came to replace it with new incense.

The spilled medicine’s scent spread, making the surroundings even more bitter.

Rong Jing hated bitterness the most.

He sat back on the Dragon Chair, his face again hidden in darkness, striving to conceal his weakness, as if he was as elegant and noble as ever.

But for someone whose soul had decayed, with only a frail body supporting their spirit, his weakness and aura of death couldn’t be hidden from Rong Miaoyan.

"The palace gates won’t hold for long," Rong Miaoyan finally said after a moment of silence, "An hour, or half an hour, and Gu Lan and Rong Heng will seize this palace. Emperor, you may not be able to fulfill the promise to Commander Song."

"Is... that so," Rong Jing smirked indifferently, "It doesn’t matter, Sanliang knows, I love deceiving people the most, and he’s the easiest to fool."

Rong Miaoyan lowered her eyes and walked gracefully to Lan Nu, taking the medicine from his hands.

This medicine was prepared for Rong Jing by the Imperial Physician, no different from the bowl he had accidentally knocked over earlier, but it contained a poison crafted by Du Changning, added by Rong Miaoyan.

This poison is called "Eight Sufferings Poison", representing the eight sufferings of life: birth, old age, sickness, death, separation from loved ones, encountering the hated, unsatisfied desires, and the flourishing of the five aggregates.

The Eight Sufferings Poison does not take a life immediately, but causes the poisoned person to endure all eight sufferings, leading to slow despair and death.

This poison was chosen for Rong Jing by Su Zhixue.

Outside Qianyuan Hall, countless palace attendants were in chaos, fleeing with their belongings, the Emperor’s regalia discarded and scattered, jade and gemstones shattered into ashes, and maddened guards and eunuchs brandishing weapons. The formerly glorious corners of the palace were streaked with blood flowing like small rivers.

Su Zhixue paid no attention to the chaos around her, fixating only on the tightly shut palace doors.

Bloodstains tainted her skirt, and by her side were Rong Miaoyan’s confidants, left behind to ensure her safety.

Just a quarter-hour ago, as she was about to enter the palace and end it all herself, Miaoyan appeared before her. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

She pressed down on her shoulder, made her choose a poison, and then went inside in her stead.

That was Rong Miaoyan’s choice.

Su Zhixue’s vision blurred, as if she was transported back many years, to a gentle and handsome youth who smiled softly at her, waving as his silhouette vanished into the clouds.

He said, "Goodbye, Xue’er."

Inside the hall, Rong Jing’s gaze fell upon Rong Miaoyan’s face. For a fleeting moment, she seemed like the young Su Zhixue.

Rong Jing’s vision shifted to the bowl of medicine in her hands, a cold gleam flashing in his dark eyes.

Gu Lan, Xie Yun, Rong Qijun, and Ning An before him...

He understood everything.

So, Ning An didn’t come to reunite with him for the New Year.

She stayed to see him off personally.

"I don’t know if that fool rebelled, but I know... Gu Lan is outside attacking the palace gates, she simply has no time to surround the Second Prince’s Mansion. Ning An, you deliberately used this as an excuse to send Song Zhi away." Rong Jing stated word for word.

Why would Rong Qijun threaten Gu Lan with Xie Yun, even if he were foolish, he wouldn’t be brainless.

And Gu Lan, if she wanted to kill him, why would she care whether Rong Qijun rebelled?

Most importantly, Ning An was never attached to her brother Rong Qijun. She was his daughter, inheriting his indifference, and wouldn’t be so anxious to implore him for Xie Yun’s sake.

Thus, there’s only one possibility left—she deceived him.

"Was Lin He reminded by you to flee unexpectedly yesterday?" Rong Jing recalled, asking again.

Rong Miaoyan heard his words, feeling the shadow he cast in her heart drop like a massive mountain, suffocating her.

Suppressing her internal tension, she steadied her mind and coolly admitted, "Since the Emperor knows, you may rest in peace, Xie Yun is fine, safe at home."

"Why are you rebelling too, Ning An? I knew your ambition, but never thought you would... kill your father."

Rong Jing’s voice was ghostly and hoarse, the last light in his peach blossom eyes faded to gray, but still, he was puzzled.

Rong Miaoyan’s hands holding the medicine bowl trembled slightly, yet she resolutely advanced towards Rong Jing.

She knelt, presenting the medicine with both hands, her voice devoid of any fluctuation or hesitation:

"Ning An dared not, but thanks to the Emperor’s guidance, Ning An must act this way."

If she hadn’t come, it would’ve been her mother entering today.

Her mother’s entry would mean certain death.

Su Zhixue had suffered enough in her life,

So the father’s vengeance,

should be hers to exact personally.

"Ha ha, yes, I told you, the Emperor’s words are the least credible. To become... one must be ruthless."

Rong Jing murmured, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down, suddenly spitting out a mouthful of blood, further deepening the color of his Dragon Robe’s collar.

He covered his lips, blood dripping from his fingers.

Rong Miaoyan lowered her eyelids, unmoved by the scene before her.

Rong Jing stared at her, his inscrutable eyes turning as sharp as knives, his calm face suddenly fierce.

The next moment, he took the medicine bowl from her hands and drank it down in one go!

Rong Miaoyan’s mouth gaped, revealing an expression of shock.

Her eyes were filled with fear and disbelief, her fingers trembling uncontrollably.

Rong Miaoyan never expected Rong Jing to drink the poisoned bowl so decisively.

Rong Jing didn’t know about Su Zhixue’s involvement; in his heart, she was still his own daughter!

"Ning An, why is the medicine you prepared for me so bitter?"

Rong Jing’s shadowed eyes lowered, his thumb wiped the residual medicine from the corner of his mouth. He frowned at the bitterness, his teeth chattering slightly from the sudden cold.

It’s too bitter; how can there be such a bitter medicine in this world?

Bitter and cold, it felt like a hand ruthlessly twisting and tearing his insides into a mess, each breath carrying a chilling sensation.

This taste made him aware that he was still alive and conscious.

Rong Miaoyan took two steps back, placing the empty bowl down, and Lan Nu stepped forward to shield her from the Emperor.

Her red lips curled into a cold arc, a flood of hatred pouring from her eyes, as cold and merciless as ice.

"Doesn’t the Emperor think about the bitterness when you killed Cheng Yu, returning his corpse to me?"