Miss Jun looked around.
Yes, she knew this place.
This wasn't the Empress Dowager's palace, but the Emperor's favorite tea house.
It was also where she had died before.
In the winter of the third year of Taikang, she came here dressed in extravagant formal attire, just like now.
Sitting opposite the Emperor, she pressed down on the long sword hidden at her waist.
Miss Jun's hand was at her waist.
Just like now.
The Empress Dowager made a muffled sound, breaking the bewilderment of not knowing the time.
At that time, the Empress Dowager wasn't here.
"Be quiet." The Emperor raised his foot and kicked the Empress Dowager irritably.
The originally upright Empress Dowager suddenly toppled.
Only then did Miss Jun see that the Empress Dowager's hands were bound behind her, and she saw the anger on the Empress Dowager's face.
Somehow, she couldn't speak.
She could only express herself with louder muffled sounds.
"I've been annoyed by you for long enough." The Emperor said again, "Can't you just not speak?"
The Empress Dowager's face was pale with anger, twisting her features into something quite comical.
Miss Jun truly laughed.
Is there anything more amusing in this world than mother and son fighting?
Especially this pair of treacherous mother and son.
The laughter echoed in the hall, making the atmosphere somewhat eerie.
The Emperor looked at her coldly.
"You still have the nerve to laugh, truly audacious." He said, "But did you anticipate I would wait for you here?"
Miss Jun shook her head.
"No, I thought you would hide behind the scenes, letting others play the villain." She said, her gaze falling on the Empress Dowager.
The Emperor's expression slightly hardened.
He noticed that she was no longer addressing him as the servant and the majesty, but as you and I.
"Who exactly are you?" He asked, examining her, "Are you the remnant of the former Crown Prince?"
Using the name of a woman he beheaded to disgust and frighten him?
Miss Jun looked at him.
"Does Your Majesty not plan to openly discuss who should be the prince with me before the people?" She didn't answer but asked.
The Emperor laughed heartily.
"You think you're worthy." He said, with some sarcasm, "Who becomes prince is decided by me, not something you can meddle with, thinking you can force me, you're dreaming."
"So you plan to kill me?" Miss Jun said, "Do you think that by killing me, no one will pressure you anymore? When someone dies, it's not simply over, there always needs to be an explanation."
The Emperor kicked the toppled Empress Dowager again.
"The Empress Dowager reprimands you, you arrogantly defy, intending to harm and coerce the Empress Dowager, the Empress Dowager is harmed, you are then killed by the eunuchs collectively." He said, with a relaxed expression, eyes joyful, "This is the explanation."
The Empress Dowager's expression twisted more, struggling to let out louder muffled sounds, with the Emperor's foot on her, he squatted down.
"Mother." He sighed lightly, "Haven't you always said that everything you did was to make me the Emperor?"
He spoke, counting on his fingers.
"You let Father Emperor not redeem Imperial Ancestor and Imperial Uncle, you let Father Emperor hide all that money in my fief."
"You told me to pretend to be honest, not to enter the capital, hiding in Shandong like a ghost."
"And..."
He paused here as if seriously contemplating, with some mockery.
"Was there anything else? Mother? I remember you constantly talking about these things every day." He said, "Why can't I recall it when I seriously think about it?"
The Empress Dowager glared at him furiously, trying to struggle to sit up, muffled as if cursing.
The Emperor looked at her.
"Actually, you did nothing." He said coldly, "What you did was useless."
"Imperial Ancestor didn't return because the prince could become emperor."
"Hiding the money in my fief only made it dead money, I made it alive."
"Do you think you can say a few good words for me in the palace so the throne becomes mine?"
"Do you think pretending to be honest and hiding in Shandong, people in the court would praise me everywhere? That was bought with money."
He pushed the Empress Dowager to the ground, stood up pointing around.
"This throne, this world, was obtained by me with means, you're the worthless one."
Saying this, he looked down at the Empress Dowager.
"However, now Mother, you can finally do something truly useful."
Raising his hand, he pointed at a tea cup placed nearby, his expression relaxed and joyful.
"Drink this tea later, and peacefully on your way, it would be a worthy death, your son will remember your great service."
Although many things had been guessed, indicating this Imperial Uncle's nature, but seeing this scene and hearing these words firsthand, Miss Jun was still chilled.
"Really a beast." She said, looking at the Emperor, "How did the prince and crown princess consort, and the first Emperor die?"
Just like before, she asked this question.
The Emperor looked at her.
"You indeed have connections with those dead spirits." He said coldly, but also as before, not answering the question, "But none of this matters, no matter who you are, you'll ultimately become a dead person."
He said, sitting down, waving his hand.
"Kill her."
With those words, there was a crashing sound, but it was not the surrounding eunuchs killing Miss Jun, rather a group of Qingshan Army rushed in from the outside.
The Qingshan Army that rushed in immediately surrounded Miss Jun, their long knives pointed at the surrounding eunuchs and the emperor in the center.
Li Guorui stood among them, seeming to have lost his soul.
He didn't know what was happening, especially when he saw the knife in his hand pointed at the person, it was only then that he shivered awake.
That was the Emperor!
The Emperor!
He was pointing a knife at the Emperor!
Could it be that he was about to rebel?
No, no, of course, he wouldn't rebel; he was dragged into it.
He knew he was just a puppet in the Qingshan Army.
Li Guorui almost cried, but perhaps it was a formed habit standing in the lineup of the Qingshan Army, making him hold the knife and stand steadily.
The hall fell into stagnation, even the Empress Dowager's muffled sounds disappeared.
"So bold, you're not just defying orders and rebelling now." The Emperor sitting high said, breaking the stagnation, with some anger and fear, "You intend to rebel!"
Miss Jun's expression was calm.
"This isn't rebellion." She said, "This is setting things right, a king lacking virtue can't rule the world; a usurper can't be the Emperor."
The Emperor coldly laughed.
"How did I lack virtue and usurp?" He said, "What evidence do you have?"
Miss Jun glanced at one of the Qingshan Army beside her.
That Qingshan Army nodded, giving a whistle outside.
Four or five Qingshan Army escorted a palace maid inside, it was Xue'er.
Her expression was trembling but carried some determination.
"This palace maid once served the prince medicinally; she can prove the prince had recovered and didn't die of illness." Miss Jun said, looking at the Emperor, "Since it wasn't an illness, it must have been murder."
The Emperor looked at her and then at the palace maid, his expression changing, suddenly standing up.
"You're talking nonsense!" He shouted, "It never happened!"
Miss Jun stepped forward.
"I said when someone dies, it's not simply over; there must be an explanation." She said.
As her words fell, she saw the Emperor in front of her suddenly sit down.
"Really tedious." His voice returned to calm, "So the negligence lies here; no wonder that woman went mad back then."
What?
Miss Jun's expression stiffened.
Not good!
But it was still a step too late, as the Emperor sitting above casually waved his hand.
"Now everyone is here." He said, "Take them all down."
With his words, the surroundings became noisy again, more people poured in, this time still eunuchs, but not only with swords but with bows.
The previously surrounding eunuchs retreated, aiming the piercing arrows at this group of Qingshan Army.
Yuan Bao stood among them, with some smugness.
Through the dense layers of eunuchs, Miss Jun saw the Emperor sitting above.
"Miss Jun, this is my imperial palace." He said lightly.