CHAPTER 153: WHERE POWER LEAVES NO ROOM FOR REFUSAL
"I could not sleep, so I went out to walk for a while."
Her voice was soft, steady, carefully measured. She did not know how to face him at this moment—nor could she possibly tell him where she had truly been.
She had not expected him to be here tonight. He had sent no word, given no sign. She had no time to prepare herself.
For nineteen years, he had treated her well—better than many emperors treated their empresses. If not for the man she had loved before her forced marriage, perhaps she might have slowly, reluctantly, accepted him in her heart.
But there are no ifs in this world. Fate is a path carved long before one walks it.
She knew that when she had attempted to flee all those years ago, it had been the Emperor who informed her father and had her dragged back. She had hated him for it. But hatred had been useless. Perhaps this was the calamity she was destined to endure—perhaps a debt from a previous life, repaid in this one.
Still… why had he come to the Peace Palace tonight?
How long had he been waiting?
She had been gone for some time—longer than she realised.
"Your eyes are red. Why? Have you been crying?"
The Emperor stepped toward her. When he saw the faint swelling around her eyes, something flickered in his gaze—heartache, yes, but also a dark, oppressive displeasure.
In all the years she had lived in the palace, he had never once seen her cry. No matter how bitter her days, no matter how lonely her nights, she had never shown weakness before him. She had never relied on him. She had never treated him as her husband.
The Empress lowered her gaze, instinctively trying to hide the evidence of her tears. She had cried too long in that courtyard. She had assumed everyone would be asleep at this hour. She had not expected him to be here.
"I thought," he said quietly, "that my Empress does not cry."
She forced a breath. "A speck of dust… entered my eye."
Her voice was hoarse from weeping.
"Oh? Then this speck of dust must have been rather large."
His lips curved faintly, but his eyes sharpened.
He did not believe her.
Perhaps he had never believed anything she said.
And suddenly, he remembered the masked man's words. His hand tightened at his side.
What was she crying for?
Or rather—for whom?
Where had she gone?
Whom had she met?
She felt his suspicion like a blade against her skin, but she had no desire to explain.
In the past, she had compromised for one reason alone—Xin'er. She had known that only by securing her position in the palace could she protect her daughter.
But now… she had told Xin'er's father the truth.
Now, she no longer needed to fight alone.
Now, she could finally breathe.
"Strange," the Emperor murmured, "I was not aware of any sandstorm in the palace. Where exactly did the Empress go?"
His eyes narrowed, danger simmering beneath the surface.
"In the backyard," she replied softly. Her voice was tired, distant, almost perfunctory. She stepped past him, intending to walk away.
Tonight, she had done nothing to betray him. She had spoken no intimate words, made no promises, offered no affection. She had only begged for protection—for Xin'er's sake.
As for Xin'er's parentage, that had happened before she ever married him. If he had not forced her into the palace, none of this would have happened.
And her heart… her heart had belonged to another since she was sixteen. It had never changed.
Suddenly, he seized her wrist and pulled her into his arms. Before she could react, he lowered his head and pressed his lips to hers.
Her body stiffened.
For a moment, she wanted to push him away. But she did not.
She could not.
He was the Emperor. If he wanted her, she had no power to resist. She was only a woman—how could she fight him?
Unless she chose death.
And she would choose it—she would gladly choose it—once Xin'er was safely taken away by her true father. But not now. Not yet.
His lips were cold. His kiss was not tender—it was a claim, a punishment, a reminder of the power he held over her.
His eyes darkened.
He knew she accepted his touch not out of affection, but out of necessity. Nineteen years of marriage, and she had never once given him her heart. She had endured him because she had no choice. Because survival demanded it.
He hated her obedience.
He hated her silence.
He hated the way her heart remained sealed—locked away, unreachable.
And he hated, most of all, that she had gone to see another man tonight.
She would not refuse him?
Very well.
If she would not refuse, then why should he show mercy?
CHAPTER 154: WHOSE CHILD IS HERS
"Your Majesty…"
Her voice trembled as she spoke, her fingers tightening around the fabric of her sleeve as though it were the only thing keeping her upright.
She could not endure this—not tonight, not after everything.
Her heart had belonged to another man since she was sixteen. She had fallen in love once, deeply and irrevocably, and she had never been able to forget him. Yet she had married the man standing before her.
She did not love him.
But she had lived beside him for nineteen years.
And she knew she would likely remain by his side until the end of her life. That had been sealed the moment she became his Empress.
Her heart could never be his.
But her body could never betray him.
He was the Emperor. She was his wife.
And the man she loved was the Emperor of the Northern Kingdom—too distant, too exalted, too impossible. Their paths had diverged long ago.
From the day she entered the palace, she had never once considered betraying the Emperor. But tonight… tonight she could not bear to give herself to him.
The Emperor froze, surprise flickering across his features.
This was the first time she had ever refused him.
For years, he had wished she would speak honestly, that she would stop being so obedient, so silent, so distant. He had wanted her to show emotion—any emotion.
But now that she had refused him, his expression darkened.
In the past, she had never resisted.
But tonight—after seeing that man—she rejected him.
A violent impulse surged within him. He wanted to take her, to claim her, to force her to belong to him. Only then would he feel she was truly his.
But then he saw her eyes—red, swollen, exhausted—and something inside him faltered.
He could not be ruthless.
Not tonight.
Without a word, he turned and strode out of the room.
She stared after him, dazed. She had not expected him to leave so abruptly. She knew he was angry, but she had no strength left to care. She only wanted to be alone.
That night, the Emperor summoned Imperial Physician Liu and gave him a secret order.
The masked man had spoken with such certainty. There had to be truth behind it. The Emperor needed answers.
---
The Emperor's Suspicion
The next morning, Imperial Physician Liu returned with the results.
Through a blood test, it was confirmed:
The Fourth Prince was neither the Emperor's son nor the Empress's.
The Emperor's eyes narrowed, a cold, murderous chill settling over him.
So she had lied to him.
Eighteen years ago, she had insisted on giving birth outside the palace—conveniently at the same time as the Prime Minister's wife.
Why had she switched the children?
Why not keep her own daughter by her side?
Unless…
Unless Tang Kexin was not his daughter at all.
From the moment he discovered she was pregnant, he had harboured doubts. On their wedding night, she had not been a maiden. He had known then that another man lived in her heart. But he had not expected she had already given herself to that man before marriage.
He remembered the wedding night vividly—the shock, the jealousy, the fury. He had nearly killed her. And the next morning, when she awoke in despair, he had felt himself unravel.
But she had not noticed.
She had not cared.
She had locked herself away for two months, refusing to see anyone—especially him. And then, two months later, he discovered she was pregnant.
She had refused to let any imperial physician examine her. He had not known when she conceived.
He had suspected the child was not his. He had even considered forcing her to miscarry. But she had clung to her belly with such fear, such desperation, that he knew she would break if he harmed the child.
So he endured it.
And when the timing of the birth coincided with their marriage, he convinced himself the child was his. After all, the man she loved had not appeared for more than a month.
He had been overjoyed.
He had believed the child was his.
He had never doubted her again.
Until now.
"Is there any way to prove Tang Kexin's relationship with me?" he asked coldly.
Imperial Physician Liu hesitated.
"Miss Tang is the Prime Minister's daughter. It would be difficult to test her without arousing suspicion. And… Miss Tang is not in the estate at present. She left with the Prime Minister's wife. She is intelligent—she may notice something."
The Emperor frowned.
Tang Kexin had indeed grown sharper since her recovery. What worked on Ye Lanchen would not work on her.
He needed another method.
---
A Sudden Imperial Decree
On the third morning, the Emperor made a shocking announcement during court:
He bestowed a marriage between the Third Prince and Tang Kexin.
Such matters were rarely declared in the main hall. Yet he announced it openly, formally, without hesitation.
The court fell into stunned silence.
Tang Kexin's past was… complicated. Her reputation had been tarnished. Why would the Emperor bestow her upon the Third Prince? Would it not damage his standing?
"Your Majesty…"
The Prime Minister was horrified.
He had never wished for his daughter to marry into the imperial family. He only wanted her to find someone she loved and live a peaceful life. This decree filled him with dread, not joy.
"This matter is decided," the Emperor said sharply, cutting him off.
No room for argument. No room for refusal.
Ye Lanjue's brows twitched.
He was pleased—of course he was—but deeply puzzled.
The Emperor had not consulted the Empress.
He had not consulted him.
He had not consulted anyone.
Why such haste?
Why such force?
And when the Emperor made the announcement, his eyes had flickered—split between fury and something darker.
Ye Lanchen's expression darkened as well, though he exhaled in relief. He had long expected this outcome. He would bless his Third Brother and Tang Kexin.
But the atmosphere in the hall was suffocating.
No one dared speak.
The Emperor's face was thunderous.
What should have been a joyous decree felt like a storm gathering overhead.
---
The Empress Learns the News
After court, the Emperor did not return to his study. He went straight to Kunning Palace.
By then, the news had spread through the palace like wildfire.
"Your Majesty," a palace maid said breathlessly, "the Emperor has bestowed a marriage between His Highness the Third Prince and Miss Tang."
The Empress, who had been silent and withdrawn, jolted upright.
"What?"
Her voice cracked. Her eyes widened in disbelief.
Why would the Emperor suddenly grant such a marriage?
And to the Third Prince?
What was he planning?
At that moment, the Emperor entered the room. He had heard her reaction.
"Yes," he said slowly, each word deliberate, "I granted them marriage this morning."
"Why?"
The Empress stared at him, her expression tightening.
"Why would Your Majesty bestow such a marriage so suddenly?"
His action was too abrupt.
Too strange.
Too dangerous.
And she feared she already knew the reason.