23.
The regent's men had surrounded the entire imperial palace.
When I entered the main hall, I happened to see the sword in his hand pressed against the emperor's neck.
“Your Majesty, write an abdication decree.
“At present, the entire imperial palace is under my control.”
The emperor looked at the sword point at his neck without the slightest fear, his expression calm.
Then he slowly turned to look at me, his gaze growing more and more shattered.
Shattered? What was that supposed to mean?
Did he think he was Ultraman or something?
He asked hoarsely:
“Trần Uyển Uyển, are you involved in what’s happening today, too?
“Have you decided which side you’re on?”
I replied calmly:
“I have.”
His eyes reddened. That expression made me want to torment him a little.
Ever since I first met him, he had always been strong and domineering.
If he had looked at me like that sooner, maybe I would have willingly given my life for him.
The regent urged him coldly:
“Enough talk. Write!”
The sword in his hand dug in a little deeper, drawing a thin line of blood on the emperor's neck.
I narrowed my eyes and said coolly:
“I suggest you behave yourself.”
The emperor gave a cold laugh:
“I will not write it.
“You are traitorous rebels. Your claim to the throne is illegitimate.”
“How naive can you be?
“Have you forgotten that the two of you look exactly alike?
“Once he kills you, he can still hold on to the throne!”
“If that’s the case, you might as well abdicate now. At least you’ll live.”
The emperor gritted his teeth and glared at me, each word bitten off:
“If you want my life, come and take it yourself.”
I curled my lip and gave a soft laugh:
“Since you put it that way, I won’t hold back.
“As it happens, I also want to settle the score for all the times you tried to kill me.”
“Come on, bring me a bow and arrows!
“Today, I’ll use the very thing you taught me to end your miserable life with my own hands.”
The emperor laughed coldly:
“Good.
“Very good.
“I’d like to see just how ruthless a woman like you can be.”
I remembered what he had taught me: steady hand, unwavering eyes, aim true, and steel yourself.
The bowstring drew taut, and the arrow flew!
But…
The arrow didn’t fly toward the emperor. It struck the regent’s sword hand instead.
The sword fell to the ground.
At that very moment, the emperor seized his chance, drove his elbow hard, and charged toward the commander of the Imperial Guards.
The regent clutched his wounded hand and shot me a sharp look:
“Wanwan…”
I sighed regretfully and tossed the bow to the ground:
“Oh, I’m so sorry.
“It seems I haven’t mastered archery yet. I accidentally hit the wrong target.”
“I should’ve let you do it yourself.”
The regent’s face turned deathly pale; it was hard to tell whether from anger or from losing too much blood.
He ground his teeth and turned to the emperor:
“Even if you’ve temporarily escaped my grasp, it won’t do you any good!
“My men are everywhere inside and outside the palace!
“If you don’t want to see more people die, then submit to your death!”
The emperor gave a cold, scornful laugh:
“Open your eyes and see who truly rules this palace.”
With that, he clapped once.
At once, wave after wave of soldiers flooded into the hall.
Chen Shen entered in armor, carrying the severed heads of four of the regent’s generals.
“Your servant pays his respects to Your Majesty!
“All the remaining soldiers have laid down their weapons and surrendered!
“Your servant arrived late. I beg Your Majesty’s forgiveness!”
The regent stared at me in disbelief:
“Trần Uyển Uyển, you betrayed me!”
23.
That’s right. I changed sides.
Who told him to try to use me?
His biggest mistake was thinking Shangguan Yan would be tempted by his promise to make her empress.
How despicable.
Promising the same throne to two women.
Unfortunately for him, neither of us wanted it.
He urged Shangguan Yan to return to Phu Du and incite its people to attack Great Qin.
But even though Shangguan Yan wanted to enter the palace, she didn’t want to see the people suffer.
She understood that even a brief war could tear countless families apart and leave rivers of blood in its wake.
So she came to me and told me the truth.
The emperor had never wanted to kill me.
The regent had forced her to frame the emperor.
Back then, she poisoned me simply because I stood in the way of her future.
She wanted to climb to the top so she could help Phu Du.
But later, she felt guilty because of how well I had treated her.
When the truth came out, she begged to die to atone for her crime.
From this, I realized:
The assassination in the hunting grounds had probably been another scheme of his.
The assassins were his men, and he knew they wouldn’t truly endanger his life.
That was why he dared to shield me from the arrow, forcing me to make a choice.
I had almost believed him.
I sent Shangguan Yan back to Phu Du to carry out his plan.
But in truth, she never incited Phu Du to attack Great Qin.
Everything he heard was false information.
As for me, I also acted first and told Chen Shen that I would side with the emperor.
The regent was ambitious. If he truly took the throne, he would certainly fear that the Chen family’s achievements would overshadow his own.
Sooner or later, once he had secured the throne, the Chen family would be eliminated.
That was why everything today, from beginning to end… had been a trap.
24.
The regent suddenly burst into mad laughter, his expression twisted:
“Wanwan, I’m the real Tống Tư Kỳ!
“Why won’t you help me? Why?!”
I looked at him calmly.
“I know.
“You’ve said so much about our past. How could I not recognize that you’re Tống Tư Kỳ from the 21st century?”
But I curved my lips in a gentle smile, each word cutting like a blade:
“But you’re too deceitful.
“You never truly loved me, not once.”
He stiffened.
I continued:
“You said you’d never met Shen Yiyan?
“You lied.
“Because I could always smell her perfume on you.
“I gave her that bottle of perfume when we first met.
“Dare you deny that if the car accident hadn’t happened, you’d have left me for her by now?”
He was speechless, unable to answer.
There was nothing left to justify.
I ordered coldly:
“Take the regent to the dungeon and await further orders.”
The crime of treason was punishable by death.
The regent struggled, panic in his eyes. At last, he bowed his head and begged in a choked voice:
“Wanwan… please, ask them to spare me. I don’t want to die…”
I gave a cold laugh, my gaze icy.
“You worthless man. You deserve to die.”
25.
The regent was none other than Tống Tư Kỳ from the 21st century.
As for how the emperor knew who I was, I no longer wanted to pursue the matter.
All I wanted was to leave this imperial palace.
I asked the emperor to arrange for a recently deceased body and spread the false report that I had followed the late emperor into death.
From then on, I would change my name and identity, leave the palace, and live among the common people.
Of course, I would need to be given enough money and property to live comfortably.
Life in the palace was simply too stifling.
The emperor personally saw me off in a horse-drawn carriage.
Not a word was spoken the whole way.
It wasn't until we left the city that I spoke:
“Your Majesty, you needn't see me any farther.”
He got down and stood by the road.
I lifted the carriage curtain and gave a small wave:
“Hurry back.”
He looked at me, his voice trembling slightly:
“Trần Uyển Uyển… don't go. Please?”
I laughed:
“If I don't go, are you going to support me?”
“I will.”
The setting sun bathed his face as I looked at him.
Everything that had happened since I arrived here came back to me.
I quietly asked myself—had I fallen for him?
The answer was… yes.
I sighed softly and said slowly:
“I'm not easy to support, and besides… I believe in a marriage between one man and one woman for life. You understand that, right?”
He looked at me, his eyes lighting up.
“For you… I would gladly spend my life with only you.”
“I've already sent your younger sister out of the palace. From now on, you can take on the identity of Trần Hân Nhi and stay by my side forever.”
I froze for a moment, then burst out laughing:
“Why didn't you say so sooner?!”
“You made me travel all this way! Now get in the carriage. It's almost dark!”
He immediately leaped onto his horse, bent down, and kissed me deeply.
I glared at him and clicked my tongue:
“So… am I still a consort?”
He chuckled, his gaze as tender as water:
“When we get back, you'll be the one and only empress of Đại Lăng.”