It seemed that woman had some sense after all. She wasn't truly sick; it was merely a heartache.
Seeing the Empress remained silent, the responding eunuch quickly spoke, "This servant shall report immediately."
Mu Qingyao lightly shook her head, stopping his action. "Enough, there's no need to report. His Majesty and I shall enter directly."
With that, she turned to look at His Majesty. The Emperor withdrew his ambiguous gaze, a predatory chill curling at the corners of his lips. He led the way towards Guangyang Palace, Mu Qingyao followed, and then the eunuchs and maids. The group proceeded grandly towards the bedchamber.
Outside the bedchamber door, several maids were waiting. Upon seeing His Majesty and the Empress arrive, they were greatly startled. Just as they were about to cry out, Mu Qingyao waved her hand, signaling the maids to remain silent.
Warned by her, the maids dared not utter another word. They lowered their heads in fear and retreated to the side.
Mu Qingyao raised her gaze, silently indicating for the Emperor to wait outside. Soon, he would hear everything he wished to know.
On the large bed within the bedchamber, the Empress Dowager was reclining by the side. Her face, once adorned with dignified nobility, was now etched with sorrow.
Her eyes were bloodshot, and she appeared utterly pathetic, occasionally sniffling and wiping away tears with a silk handkerchief. Standing beside her was the eunuch, Eunuch Li.
"Your Highness, please do not be sad. Your health is not good; why dwell on these troublesome matters?"
The weeping figure paid him no mind, continuing to wipe away her tears, which seemed endless.
Eunuch Li sighed, looking helplessly at the Empress Dowager, her entire face deathly pale.
Most shocking was her raven hair, now more than half white. This clearly indicated the immense torment she had endured.
"Your Highness?" Eunuch Li called to his mistress. Just as he was about to offer further counsel, he looked up and saw the Empress, accompanied by two maids, walking in.
Eunuch Li's mouth fell open, rendering him speechless and stunned. What was the Empress doing here? Judging by the coldness emanating from her and the sharp glint in her eyes, was she planning to deal with the Empress Dowager? This was truly one crisis after another.
"This servant greets the Empress."
Eunuch Li quickly bowed to Mu Qingyao.
Upon hearing Eunuch Li's words, the Empress Dowager immediately snapped back to attention. She raised her bloodshot eyes and stared blankly at Mu Qingyao, completely devoid of her usual imperiousness, arrogance, and ferocity.
Looking at her now, she was merely an old, pitiable crone. Yet, the things she had done were truly despicable. Mu Qingyao, with a stern and somber expression, slowly approached and offered a bow.
"I greet the Empress Dowager."
As soon as the Empress Dowager saw Mu Qingyao approaching, she initially wished to ignore her. However, Mu Qingyao's icy demeanor inexplicably angered her, causing her to darken her face.
"Why has the Empress come?"
"I heard the Empress Dowager is unwell, so Qingyao has specifically come to visit. Is there anything wrong with that? Furthermore, the Empress Dowager's eyes are red and swollen, and her hair has turned white. You appear extremely worn and weary. What troubles you so much to cause such distress?"
Mu Qingyao spoke coolly. The Empress Dowager gritted her teeth and retorted fiercely.
"It's all because of you people! You married the Princess to the Wanhe Kingdom. I miss my daughter, which is why I am heartbroken and weeping, and my hair has turned white."
Mu Qingyao inwardly sneered. To think she was still fabricating stories at this point. It truly was a case of not seeing the coffin until one cried.
"Oh, since the Empress Dowager says so, it seems Qingyao's concern is unnecessary. Qingyao initially thought the Empress Dowager was troubled by this, but it appears I was mistaken."
Having spoken, Mu Qingyao took a Buddhist bead from her sleeve and placed it before the Empress Dowager. This was the very bead that Master Liaokong had broken in the prison, and she had picked up a single one.
Upon seeing the Buddhist bead, the Empress Dowager became dazed. She snatched the bead and roared at Mu Qingyao.
"You, what did you do to him? What did you people do to him?"
"Perhaps it is the Empress Dowager who did something to him. Without the Empress Dowager, what would have happened to him? Has the Empress Dowager not already caused him enough misery? Do you know that everyone, from the high to the low at Yuejue Temple, has been thrown into prison? Consider how deep your sins are. From the past until now, how much blood has stained your hands? And yet, you can still sit peacefully in this bedchamber, enjoying wealth and luxury with a clear conscience."
Mu Qingyao coldly snorted in anger. She truly felt injustice for those people, for a woman to possess such a murderous heart and commit so many actions that defied heaven's will.
"Me? Me?" The Empress Dowager was rendered speechless by Mu Qingyao's accusations. Her chest felt as if it were blocked by a breath, unable to rise or fall. Her complexion was pale and unsightly, and for a long time, she couldn't utter a complete sentence.
Eunuch Li, who had been standing by her side, quickly reached out to help her regulate her breathing, but he dared not make a sound, fearing the Empress's reprimand. The current Empress seemed like a Shura from the dark night, bloodthirsty and unyielding.
Mu Qingyao paid him no mind and continued.
"From the moment you began scheming against Empress Li, you lost your conscience. Your heart turned black. Empress Li treated you like a younger sister, yet how did you treat her?"
Mu Qingyao spoke fiercely. The Empress Dowager regained her breath and stared at Mu Qingyao in astonishment.
"How do you know?"
"How do I know about you and Empress Li? Heaven's net is vast, yet it misses nothing. Do you dare say you did not harm Empress Li?"
Mu Qingyao suddenly turned, glaring menacingly at the Empress Dowager. The Empress Dowager was startled by her overbearing demeanor and couldn't help but scream.
"I didn't mean to! She forced me, she forced me! I didn't mean to harm her."
As soon as her words fell, Mu Qingyao let out a sigh of relief within the bedchamber, while Eunuch Li's expression froze.
How could the Empress Dowager have said that? Her nerves were already close to breaking, and being provoked by the Empress, she had actually blurted out something like this.
"Your Highness?"
Eunuch Li called out. The Empress Dowager came back to her senses, shaking her head repeatedly. "I didn't say anything, I didn't say anything."
A tall figure clad in imperial yellow emerged from behind the screen. His handsome and exquisite features were now veiled with profound grief, and beneath the sorrow, a world-destroying tempest raged. His lips were tightly pressed, and his piercing gaze fell directly upon the Empress Dowager.
The Empress Dowager's face turned pale, and her body began to tremble uncontrollably. She reached out and clutched Eunuch Li tightly. "I didn't say anything, I didn't say anything."
At this moment, Eunuch Li dared not utter a single word, cautiously lowering his head.
Within the bedchamber, an atmosphere of death hung heavy, suffocating everyone. The icy air pressed down. The Empress Dowager hugged herself, shaking her head incessantly, her face covered in tears.
"I didn't say anything, I didn't say."
Murong Liu Zun spoke with immense heartache, "Tell me, how did you kill Mother? Why did you kill her?"
Mu Qingyao moved to the side and found a place to sit. The matter between the Emperor and the Empress Dowager was now their own. She had already made the Empress Dowager confess.