The second day after Ye Tinglan led his troops out of the city, the imperial harem descended into chaos.
The trouble began when the Empress Dowager suffered a stroke while meditating at Linghua Hall. The palace maids rushed into a panic, accidentally knocking over the candles on the incense altar.
The flames spread rapidly, engulfing the entire hall in moments. The Empress Dowager, already disoriented, inhaled the smoke. When she was carried out, her eyes were rolled back, and her limbs twitched uncontrollably.
When Feng Yinwan heard the news at Jiuzhou Xiangxie, the Empress Dowager had already been moved back to Shou Kang Palace. Ye Tingyun was by her side, and had summoned imperial physicians from the Imperial Medical Academy to attend to her.
The chaos did not end there.
Not long after the imperial physicians entered Shou Kang Palace, Ye Tingyan arrived upon hearing the news. The Imperial Guards and Imperial Forest Guards, under Ye Tinglan's orders, had been strictly guarding the palace gates. However, Ye Tingyan, with his arrogant demeanor, directly commanded his men to surround the palace.
The private soldiers he brought this time were several times more numerous than before. Even with the combined resistance of the Imperial Guards and Imperial Forest Guards, they were no match for him.
After a bloody battle, he entered the palace, stepping over rivers of corpses. His stated purpose was to "execute the traitors and rescue the Empress Dowager."
Soon, news spread from Shou Kang Palace: "Ye Tingyun, in collusion with Ye Tinglan, controlled the Empress Dowager and secretly poisoned her, causing her stroke."
With both eyewitnesses and material evidence, Ye Tingyun, one of the masterminds, was immediately ordered to be imprisoned by Ye Tingyan. Li Guifei, Rong Fei, Ye Ziyun, and others were also confined.
In just half a day, Ye Tingyan's private soldiers had completed their purge of the palace.
To maintain appearances, the imperial harem was spared direct imprisonment but was placed under heavy guard, their freedom effectively nonexistent.
Feng Yinwan had moved from Jiuzhou Xiangxie to the cold palace early that morning. In this time of widespread panic, she secretly turned her attention to Changle Palace.
Since Su Xi was captured, the Empress had made no further moves. When Ye Tinglan was present, he might have shown some consideration for her due to matters concerning the villain, but Ye Tingyan would not be so lenient.
With the armies engaged in battle and the city empty, Ye Tingyan's opportune attack would naturally leave no loose ends.
And falling into his hands meant only one outcome: death.
As darkness fell, Feng Yinwan quietly slipped out of the cold palace and, following their plan, hid herself near Changle Palace.
Changle Palace was just across the street from the Emperor's sleeping quarters, and the place she hid offered a clear view of a corner of the Emperor's palace.
After a long wait, the person she expected had not appeared. Instead, a commotion of footsteps could be heard, and two private soldiers dragged a woman into view.
Feng Yinwan squinted to get a better look. The woman's hair was disheveled, her moon-white dress stained with dirt. It was Qin Rulian, whom she had deliberately left behind in Prince Mo's mansion.
Apparently, she had been dragged all the way from the mansion and was now listless and on the verge of collapse, her head hanging low.
Ye Tingyan emerged from the Emperor's sleeping quarters and glanced at the woman with a look of disgust, waving his hand.
"Why did you bring her back? Who did I tell you to find?"
He refused to believe that Concubine Wan was dead. Ye Tinglan, having schemed so meticulously, must have hidden her away long ago.
The private soldiers exchanged a look and mumbled, "Reporting to Your Highness, we have searched Prince Mo's mansion thoroughly and found no other women."
This was the only one they found, and they had fished her out of the storeroom.
Anticipating that this would not go smoothly, Ye Tingyan frowned at their words and pressed further, "And the child? Where is the child?"
It was a known fact that Ye Tinglan had a son in his mansion!
To his surprise, the two men lowered their heads even further. "Also... not there..."