"You…"
Pang Zihuang clutched his chest with eyes wide open. He felt as if he had trouble breathing, and shot a deathly glare at Imperial Concubine Lin.
He had never felt such hatred in this entire life. Even if he had eaten her flesh and drank her blood, it would never dissolve his loathing.
"It was you," he said aghast. "You were behind the First Prince’s sudden death, you were also behind the deaths of the Second and Fourth Princes! Lin Fengyi, if We do not dismember your corpse piece by piece, how shall We ever face Our dead sons or the Empress whose tears wash down Her Imperial Majesty’s face every day?"
He let out a huge roar, spurting out a mouthful of blood, his pale face turning chalk white. Pang Zihuang raised his head and glared at Concubine Lin, saying, "What did you do to Us?"
With a frosty smile, Concubine Lin eerily said, "Did Your Imperial Majesty really think I would let You live after my grand confession? Even though I used to harbor feelings for You, I still cherish my life. If I let You go, my death is certain. Therefore I placed a fatal poison on You during the accusation. Oh, and do not bother seeking the guards outside for help, for they have long allied themselves with my brother! What a useless Emperor You are! Not only are You only capable of producing good-for-nothings or dead princes, even the underlings have betrayed You! But worry not, we would definitely need a scapegoat after Your death. Seeing as the Sixth Prince was just here for a visit, my brother will be sending his men to the Sixth Prince’s estate to capture the person responsible for assassinating You—justice is assured!"
Tsk, tsk! she thought.
Pang Zihuang was so enraged, he spat out another mouthful of blood. With his eyes ablaze at Imperial Concubine Lin, he spoke slowly, "Imperial Concubine Lin, if you dare lay a hand on the Empress or Pang Ran, even if We were to become a ghost, We would never let you get away with it!"
In that instance, his face became even whiter with an awe-inspiring expression. For one fleeting moment, Imperial Concubine Lin felt panic, but she quickly regained composure. She curled her enchanting lips and said, "Have You forgotten who my brother is, Your Imperial Majesty? He is a celestial being—respected by all! Do You think that a celestial being would fear ghosts? Besides, with my brother’s prestigious rank in the country, if he says that the Sixth Prince was responsible for poisoning You, no one would suspect his words! Besides, as an Imperial Advisor who can read fortunes, his words will never be seen as falsehood. So rest assured, the Sixth Prince and the Empress will be accompanying You very soon. Hahaha!"
Imperial Concubine Lin burst into a laughing fit, looking like a lunatic. Her beautifully coiffed hair had now come loose, masking her gorgeous face.
My Empress, for years I could not match up to You, and His Imperial Majesty remains utterly infatuated with You! She thought jealously. But soon, my son will become the Emperor of Black Tortoise Country, and then death will come for You!
As if she had seen the usually grand Empress crawling at her feet, Imperial Concubine Lin grinned and grinned, looking increasingly deranged.
The Xia family would be the ones to choose the next Emperor, and they would choose members of the royal household. Because the few princes of Black Tortoise country were either dead or good-for-nothings, the only eligible candidate was her own son, the Third Prince. After all, who else but the Third Prince would be qualified enough to sit on the throne?
"Imperial Concubine Lin, you conniving pair will die a horrible death!"
Pang Zihuang gritted his teeth, his mouth dripping with blood. He had been far too careless to meet Imperial Concubine Lin alone. He could only hope that Pang Ran would remain safe under Lady Gu’s shelter. Even if he could not inherit the throne, at least he could have peace…