Fear finally gave him some strength. He looked at Jun Jiuli, preparing to use his good looks to stall her.
"Zitong, it was all my fault before. I apologize to you here. I will compensate you in the future. Just tell me what you want, Zitong, and I will satisfy you," he said, attempting to showcase his fine facial features and give Jun Jiuli a hug.
Jun Jiuli kicked him in the stomach, and he fell heavily to the ground again.
"Who exactly are you? You're not Xiao Wenxuan! Xiao Wenxuan knows no martial arts. You dared to lie to me! The Prime Minister's manor is deceiving the emperor. I will exterminate your entire family."
"Why can't you see the situation clearly? You have quite the spirit, though."
Jun Jiuli walked over and slapped him several times to vent her anger. This man was truly disgusting.
Zhao Jingheng clutched his face, furious. It was as if he had returned to the moments when he was bullied.
He had sworn to reach the highest point. Now that he had achieved it, why did someone still dare to treat him this way?
However, in his current predicament, he dared not retort. He silently recited, "A gentleman's revenge is never too late." He closed his eyes, hiding all his emotions.
"Didn't you ask what I wanted? I want this world. Since you said you were willing to give anything, you won't go back on your word now, will you?"
Zhao Jingheng, though aware of her boldness, hadn't expected her to demand the world. The words blurted out of his mouth without thought.
"Are you insane? You're a woman! This is my Zhao family's world. If you want to cause chaos in the court, you'd better see if I and the ministers agree."
Jun Jiuli stomped on his face and ground her heel into it.
"Does your agreement matter? I didn't ask for your opinion. I've already prepared the imperial decree. You can forget about sitting on this throne."
"Hahaha, you're crazy, completely insane. You're seeking your own doom. Forging an imperial decree is a crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of your family. Ten Prime Minister's manors wouldn't be enough to confiscate. Xiao Huai'an, Xiao Huai'an, you've truly raised a good daughter."
"Don't worry, no one knows it's forged except you."
"You... don't come near me. What do you want to do? You're committing regicide and patricide. Aren't you afraid of divine retribution?"
"If heaven were that responsive, it would strike you down first."
Jun Jiuli forcefully grasped his jaw, forcing his mouth open, and made him drink the poison from the bottle, drop by drop.
Before long, Zhao Jingheng's eyes rolled back, and he foamed at the mouth, losing consciousness. The next morning, Zhao Jingheng left the Weiyang Palace "refreshed."
However, within two days, he fell ill and became severely emaciated. The imperial physicians could find no cause and could only prescribe tonics.
Ministers visited him in droves. The emperor's condition, coupled with previous rumors, caused a stir.
Currently, there were no promising candidates among the imperial clan, and the emperor had not revealed any clear intentions. Everyone began to panic, except for the Left Prime Minister, who remained unfazed.
...
"Brother, who could be so heartless as to plot against you, sob sob sob~"
"Don't worry, Brother. Yi'er will never leave you. Yi'er will always love you and be by your side."
Now, Zhao Jingheng was paralyzed in bed, unable to move his entire body. His limbs were twisted in strange ways, his bones protruding noticeably, looking extremely terrifying.
"Why has Brother become like this? Everything was getting better. Please get well soon, Brother. Yi'er won't be willful anymore and will listen to everything you say. I haven't even become your empress yet, nor have I had babies for you."
Zhao Jingheng's heart ached as he watched his beloved cry her heart out. But he couldn't even speak a word or stroke her head to comfort her.
He only hated his own uselessness, unable to protect her as he once did. That vicious woman knew about their relationship, and he didn't know how she would treat his Yi'er from now on.
He only hoped Yi'er wouldn't act impulsively and would not confront that bitch Xiao Wenxuan too quickly.
"Brother, it's Xiao Wenxuan, isn't it? It must be that bitch who harmed Brother. You ended up like this after just spending one night at her place."
Zhao Jingheng mustered all his strength to tell her it was Xiao Wenxuan, but to no avail. He remained motionless, his expression unchanged from before.
However, after so many years of shared affection, Zhao Jingyi sensed something was amiss.
"It was her. Don't worry, Brother. I will avenge you. I will skin her alive."
Her heart filled with rage, she completely failed to notice someone entering. Zhao Jingheng wanted to warn her, but he couldn't.
"Tsk tsk tsk, what a display of sibling affection."
Jun Jiuli said this while clapping her hands. The large group of palace attendants behind her remained as quiet as chickens. What royal secrets were these? They all wished they could bury their heads in the dirt.
Zhao Jingyi turned her head in shock. Glancing at the bustling crowd, her anger surged to its peak.
She wanted to kill them all. She didn't care if they had all heard.
"Xiao Wenxuan, you bitch, take this!"
As she spoke, a purple whip lashed out towards them, its spikes looking extremely sharp.
If it had truly struck flesh, it would have caused gaping wounds that would take months to heal.
Jun Jiuli feigned panic and threw the food box she was carrying forward. It happened to hit the whip, and the barbs on the whip became embedded in the carpet.
The bowl of chicken soup that had spilled from the food box flew directly towards Zhao Jingyi's face, scalding it and her neck, instantly causing large red blisters.
"Ahhhh! Xiao Wenxuan, you're dead."
She then rushed forward in a frenzy, turning the scene into utter chaos.
"Protect Her Majesty the Empress, protect Her Majesty the Empress!"
"Help! Help! Princess Jingyi has gone mad."
Jun Jiuli, protected by a group of people, retreated outdoors. The imperial guards also arrived and subdued the frantic Zhao Jingyi.
Zhao Jingyi recognized the situation; she had no chance of winning. It wasn't Commander Zhu here, and she was destined not to capture these people today.
She swept her cold gaze across everyone, engraving their faces in her mind. Then, she glanced at Xiangxiang and immediately feigned unconsciousness.
Xiangxiang immediately burst into tears and knelt on the ground. "Your Majesty the Empress, Your Majesty the Empress, have mercy! My princess must have been misled by someone and did not intentionally target Your Majesty."
"Wuwuwu, my poor princess! Please wake up quickly. You and His Majesty have been deeply affectionate since childhood. You cannot bear to see His Majesty harmed in the slightest. This time, you were truly blinded by worry. How could Her Majesty the Empress harm His Majesty?"
She emphasized the words "brother and sister affection," making the atmosphere eerily tense. Several imperial guards looked at Jun Jiuli.