Chapter 376: There Are Ghosts
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
Su Ying slowly shook her head after listening. “Perhaps he didn’t expect the Empress Dowager to end her own life.”
She felt that the Empress Dowager’s appearance and Prince Ma’s actions must have been discussed beforehand. “Is there a possibility that he wanted the Empress Dowager to frame you after killing the Emperor? But he didn’t expect the Empress Dowager to kill herself.”
“You’re right.”
“If the Empress Dowager hadn’t killed herself, what would you have done?”
A dark glint flashed across Xiao Jin’s eyes. “Then I would have helped her kill herself.”
The Empress Dowager did not only hate the previous Emperor but also all the members of the Imperial Family. Xiao Jin had no feelings for this so-called grandmother. Even when he was bullied when he was young, she pretended not to see it even when she witnessed it.
How could he feel conscience-stricken about killing such a person when she became his enemy?
However, be it Emperor Kangze or the Empress Dowager, their era would eventually end with their fall.
After eating her fill, Su Ying saw that the two children’s eyes had turned red due to the incense fumes, so she let them rest in the side hall. She then instructed Wang Su to guard them while she followed Xiao Jin back to the mourning hall.
Meanwhile, Consort De and Xiao Li were sent back to Consort De’s palace.
The Imperial Guards placed them in the room. The moment the door was closed, Consort De got up from the ground and banged on the door furiously. “Open the door! Open the door! Quickly open the door for me. Don’t tell me the Crown Prince wants to silence us!”
However, no matter how much she shouted, there was no response from outside.
After Consort De confirmed that there was no one outside, the angry expression on her face gradually subsided. She no longer had the ferocious and angry look displayed earlier. She turned around and sat down on the chair.
“This Xiao Jin is really too despicable. It’s fine if he killed Emperor Father and Dowager Grandmother, but now he’s even locked us up. 1 think he’s clearly waiting for the dust to settle before he gets rid of us!”
“He won’t.”
Xiao Li looked at Consort De’s confident expression in surprise and couldn’t help feeling curious. “How can Consort Mother be so sure that Xiao Jin won’t do this? Didn’t you say that he was going to kill all of us?”
Consort De glanced at him. “That’s why I asked you to make such a scene today. If anything happens to us in the future, the matter will naturally be blamed on Xiao Jin. As a new Emperor who has just ascended to the throne, will he dare to shoulder such suspicions and infamy?”
The realization dawned on Xiao Li suddenly. “Consort Mother, you mean you deliberately made me go to the mourning hall to cause trouble?”
Consort De nodded. “That’s right. Your grandfather said that after such a ruckus, Xiao Jin won’t dare to touch us again.”
Xiao Li had always listened to Consort De’s words, but he also felt that this matter was a bit precarious.
“Later, your grandfather will propose to Xiao Jin during the court session to give you a fiefdom. After you get the fiefdom, you will immediately leave with me. If the Emperor is far away, what can he do to you?”
Xiao Li nodded his head doubtfully, but for some reason, he felt that things would not go so smoothly.
At nightfall…
Darkness enveloped the entire sky above the Imperial Palace, making the white banners hanging in the palace seem particularly eerie.
Xiao Jin, Su Ying, and some of Emperor Kangze’s concubines were still keeping watch in the mourning hall.
The officials who came to the palace to pay their respects could only hang around in the side hall outside the mourning hall.
Dong! It was already midnight.
Xiao Jin told these concubines to rest first and asked the next group to come and kneel down.
“If you’re tired, go and rest for a while.”
Xiao Jin looked at Su Ying and saw her kneeling on the praying mat with her eyes lowered. When he turned to look, he thought she was too sad and in low spirits.
However, when he got closer to her, Xiao Jin realized that Su Ying had actually fallen asleep.
Nonetheless, as soon as he got close to her, she woke up instantly.
Su Ying looked at him sideways. “What’s wrong?” Although her almond-shaped eyes were bright, if one looked closely, one could still see a trace of fatigue in her eyes.
A trace of heartache flashed across Xiao Jin’s eyes. “Go with the palace maid to the side hall to rest.”
Su Ying yawned. “I’ve already slept for a while. I’ll stay for a while longer. I’ll go when it’s about time. You should go and take a look at the children.”
Xiao Jin nodded upon hearing this. He only got up and went to the side hall after instructing the palace maid to bring Su Ying some tea.
Wang Su had been standing guard outside the side hall. When he saw Xiao Jin coming over, he opened the door and let him in.
After making sure that the two children were sleeping soundly, Xiao Jin walked out of the hall.
“Your Highness, Prince Jiangning has arrived.” The eunuch rushed in and reported to Xiao Jin.
Prince Jiangning was Emperor Kangze’s half-brother from a different mother. After he was conferred the title of Prince, he did not go to his fiefdom but stayed in the capital as an idle Prince.
With his status as Prince Jiangning, he should have arrived early in the morning. However, it was not known why he had only rushed over at this hour.
“Where is he?”
“He has already entered the palace.”
Xiao Jin nodded and stood up to go and receive him. This was the etiquette one should have for an elder.
As soon as Xiao Jin left, Su Ying grabbed some incense paper and threw them into the brazier in boredom.
The flames instantly engulfed the thin incense paper.
At this moment, a gust of cold wind suddenly blew through the mourning hall and penetrated the spines of the people, causing goosebumps all over their bodies.
Su Ying shuddered and straightened her back. When she glanced outside the door, she only saw a white banner fluttering outside the door, giving off an eerie air.
The drowsiness of the concubines kneeling in the inner hall was instantly blown away by the cold wind. They were so frightened that they became alert.
Bang!
Suddenly, a knocking sound came from inside one coffin.
“Argh!”
The concubines were so scared that they cried out in shock.
Su Ying’s eyebrows twitched as she stood up from the praying mat at once.
The concubines curled up in fear and looked around in horror.
The cold wind grew stronger and stronger, sending a chill that rushed to the top of everyone’s heads.
Bang!
There was a commotion inside one coffin again, and some concubines were scared to tears.
Su Ying stared in the direction of Emperor Kangze’s coffin. She was sure that the sound came from inside that coffin.
She slowly walked to the coffin and waited quietly.
Bang!
When the third sound rang out, Su Ying pushed the coffin open.
“Argh!”
The concubines had already dashed out in fear.
Su Ying stood at the side without any emotion, looking at the seemingly asleep Emperor Kangze in the coffin. She didn’t notice anything unusual.
She waited for a moment, but the strange sound did not ring out again.
Just as she was about to close the coffin, the sound rang out again.
However, this time, the sound came from inside the Empress Dowager’s coffin.
The Imperial Guards and eunuchs standing guard outside the entrance heard the commotion and surrounded the mourning hall. However, they did not dare to enter.
Su Ying pursed her lips, then walked over to the Empress Dowager’s coffin and lifted the lid in one move.
The Empress Dowager lay quietly inside without any unusual signs.
Su Ying’s gaze quickly swept over the Empress Dowager’s corpse before turning to look at the people outside the entrance.
“What are you guys afraid of? They’re just two dead people.”
Su Ying turned around and her back was facing the coffins. Just as she was about to let the Imperial Guards come in and close the coffins, she saw the terrified expressions on their faces.
“Argh! Argh! There… there are ghosts! Ghosts!”
“Help! There are ghosts!”
Su Ying frowned slightly and slowly turned her head, only to see Emperor
Kangze and the Empress Dowager sitting upright in their coffins..