The turtle was already shriveled and dead, its white hair resembling the corpse hair that grows after mold.
Xiang Fei looked at this oddly sinister thing and intended to call for an eunuch or palace maid to deal with it, but recalling the rumors about the Xiang Fei Hall inside the palace, she suppressed the urge to spread the news.
If others found out there was a dead white-haired turtle under her bed, who knows what gossip they might spread or rumors they might create about her.
What would she say if someone claimed that the Prince was born from her and the turtle demon?
That day, Xiang Fei was unable to eat or sleep in peace. It wasn't until night fell and the hall was once again filled with indistinct laughter and rage that she finally remembered the words once given to her by the Fox Immortal.
At once, Xiang Fei took out the portrait of Yu Qian, a Qing official from the previous dynasty, which she had treasured earlier. She burned incense and prayed in the hall, expressing her grievances.
At midnight, as Xiang Fei fell into a weary drowse, she suddenly dreamt of a tortoise carrying a stone tablet approaching her.
The tortoise spoke human words and said, "I was an official of the previous dynasty, now a ghost, yet unable to handle the affairs of this era. The injustice you suffer is an affair of this era, and I cannot manage it. Do not seek my help again in the future!"
Upon hearing this, Xiang Fei urgently replied, "I have heard that Lord Yu is an incorruptible official renowned for all eternity. Now that I've seen you, you too are someone who fears the wicked and bullies the meek, merely serving the men below."
"I bear grievances, seeking justice from you, yet I did not expect Lord Yu to be so fearful. Was it that, in life, you would pass difficult cases to others, which led to your reputation?"
Had it been someone else, no matter how they pleaded, it would have been hard to shake Yu Qian's resolve, but Xiang Fei happened to be someone who never let up in her speech.
The green-haired fox had seen through this from the start, otherwise, it wouldn't have guided her to seek the assistance of the incorruptible official from the previous dynasty.
Yu Qian claimed to be a ghost, and ghosts have their fixations; his was his integrity as an official.
Now hearing Xiang Fei's words, Yu Qian's mind was steadfast; he immediately responded, "I, Yu Qian, have never been afraid of the wicked or evil. In the past, I handled the evil deeds of the royal family in Qianxi, and now, encountering injustice in this era, I will handle it as well!"
Having said this, Yu Qian then instructed Xiang Fei to take out the white-haired turtle found earlier in the day, saying, "This turtle is a suppressor the current Empress used to harm you. If you wish to break this spell, you must smash the suppressor and throw it into a well. The turtle connects to the water's path, and once the suppressor is broken, it will trace back to harm the caster."
"Once the spell is broken, when the Emperor revisits this hall, you only need to explain the reasons to him and let him burn a stick of incense and call my name. I will come to him in a dream to clear your grievances."
Indeed, ever since Xiang Fei smashed the white-haired turtle and threw it into the well, the Empress suffered from headaches for several days without recovery, until talisman water from the Celestial Master's Mansion was brought, finally curing her ailment.
Less than half a month later, the Emperor moved to Xiang Fei's hall, and that night, the tortoise bearing the stone tablet arrived as promised.
Yu Qian revealed his identity, and only then did the Emperor realize the tortoise was the tomb guardian of the incorruptible official Yu Qian from the previous dynasty.
But by this time, Yu Qian had become a ghost!
Upon learning the inner story, the Emperor comforted Xiang Fei and also reminded her, "I know this matter, but remember, family scandals must not be spread outside, and issues within the imperial family must not be casually revealed; I will explain to Zitong, you need not worry."
Though he said so, how could Xiang Fei, who was unforgiving and straightforward, simply obey?
Just a few days later, the rumor spread through the three palaces and six courtyards, and even among the Capital City's streets, claiming the true spirit of the incorruptible official Yu Qian manifested to judge the Empress's plot to harm Xiang Fei and her child.
Hearing this, the Emperor was furious and within two days ordered the eunuch of the inner court to send white silk to bestow death.
Xiang Fei was shocked, unable to understand why, when clearly she was in the right, the Emperor would treat her so.
The eunuch said, "Blame yourself for not understanding your status. Do you think everyone can become Empress? In the end, you were just a chosen concubine, being made Xiang Fei was already the Emperor's grace. Who was the Empress by birthright? Perhaps you have forgotten the current royal family and its connections!"
"Not to mention the Empress, even Yu Qian, who meddled after death, had his resting tortoise smashed. I heard that when the tortoise cracked open, scarlet blood gushed out..."
The eunuch in front of the Emperor chuckled, "As I have explained, it's best if Madam doesn't strain the servants, after all, our hands are neither light nor heavy, and if it pains Madam, it wouldn't be good."
Seeing Xiang Fei still unwilling to relent, the eunuch spoke again, "Just rest assured, Madam, the Emperor has said you fell sick after giving birth to the Prince, died from serious illness, and will be posthumously conferred as Empress after death..."
Xiang Fei's eyes widened, a breath stuck in her throat, and she collapsed stiffly to the ground, no longer breathing.
It turned out her fate as Empress was as the Underworld Empress; the world can only have one mother of a nation, if there are two, one must have already fallen.
With the lantern parade over, the Sutra of Salvation offered a corpse evaluation: Medium Earth Grade.
The reward was a technique of nightmare suppression and a Celestial Fragrance Pill.
Survive in the gaps, live under the shadow of the stick.