Love In The Palace

Emperor

Chapter 46.

---

Recap: In the previous chapter, Crown Prince decided to stand up again fighting for the throne. He sought help from High Minister Harv and found out that General Wales had resigned. Emperor was already extremely ill. He asked Eunuch Fan to summon Consort Shine to his sacred chamber. Consort Shine could sense the Emperor's suspicions and she revealed that Third Prince was not the Emperor's son. He was Consort Shine's lover's son, Physician Lin, whom the Emperor had executed for failing to save a lowly concubine and her baby. Consort Shine had always planned her revenge against the Emperor by making Third Prince the Emperor. As she was talking with the Emperor for the last time, she took a piece of cloth to suffocate him.

---

Few moments have passed. Her fingers are still holding on tightly to the cloth, her eyes and stares are merciless and cold as death, or maybe she is death herself. After moments of submission and making sure that he no longer moves, she heaves a sigh of relief. She does not even break a sweat, to her, she has won her fight, that is all. She has finally won. Or has she, really? She has not paid attention to his last words, she has not truly understood the meaning of the late Emperor, who had gone through thousands of hardships of being an Emperor. Has she lost, or has she won? It is all up to her to decide, and soon, not too soon, she will judge, herself in terms of others.

She places things back to the way they were. Tears begin trickling down her rosy cheeks, her crocodile tears that have saved her countless times in times of need, her skill that requires effort to master. She weeps and weeps for a moment before she heads back to the wooden doors, pushing it open and dropping her body to the grounds.

Everyone sees her, all the concubines, all the young princesses, insignificant princes and the high-ranking officials.

"His Majesty has departed!" She announces in between her sobs. Her words send people to their knees, all bowing and kowtowing in the direction of his deathbed. All crying, all sobbing. He has left this world. He is finally freed of his tough and tiring journey. He can finally be free and leave this wicked world to the other side, to whomever is waiting there. Maybe the Empress is waiting, for they are still one pair of dragon and phoenix. However, she may not be waiting either. Maybe Magnolia is waiting. However, he is unsure if she is patient enough to wait for him for decades. At least, he has finally been freed from his suffering. Being a human is painful, but being an Emperor requires him to be more human than he already is and every moment of it is torturous.

Consort Shine in between her acting, looks over her shoulder at High Minister Shine. The old man whose face has been plastered with wrinkles and whose hair has greyed notices her signals and returns with a mild nod. Then he lifts his hand to adjust his black hat, sending codes to the people behind him. Soon, the people in the Shine faction already know what to do.

Unbeknownst to those in the Harv faction, the Shines have already made their moves. Those generals following the Shine has been informed in their respective manors to be prepared for a final battle for the throne, for their future. It is the last battle to let Third Prince ascend the throne without any disturbances.

The sun is soaring high and shining bright in the sky, though covered by the clusters of clouds that are seemingly swirling in their own particular shapes. The birds are clearing, as though they are able to expect something coming soon. Few of the palace guards have been dispatched to shout out the death of the Emperor as they run about the palace in their own designated paths. He has received the news, in his palace, while still thinking that he is being put under house-arrest. Now that the one who orders the housearrest has departed this world forever, his punishment has also left together with the Emperor. Immediately he makes a bee line to the gates of his palace, desperate to be at the Emperor's Palace, desperate to see his Father Emperor and to confirm the news with his own eyes. He is a Crown Prince, but he has shed so much tears ever since his love has left, ever since his Mother Empress has departed. He has not even gotten over the devastating melancholy, how can the Heaven be so cruel to add another reason to his tears? Has he not cried enough? Has he not been emotionally suffering enough?