Chapter 66: Both of Their Expressions Were Very Strange

"It's you?"
"Huo Renli?"

Yuan Ning exerted all his strength to drag Huo Renli out of the well, only to discover that the man was none of other than his most hated enemy, the one he wanted to kill the most!

At this moment, Yuan Ning felt as if he had been struck by lightning, completely losing his mind.

He pounced forward, gripped Huo Renli tightly by the throat, and said with bitter hatred, "It was you! Back then, you were the one who murdered Consort Shu. Don't think you can hide it from everyone. Consort Shu once said that one day your family would be found, and you would taste the torment of being threatened."

"You wicked ghost, did you ever expect this day? It must be Consort Shu's spirit manifesting, giving me the chance to avenge her with my own hands!"

Yuan Ning roared, but was accidentally shoved to the ground by Huo Renli.

At this moment, Huo Renli had no intention of tangling with him. He assumed this entire ordeal was a scheme orchestrated by Liu Jian, designed to use someone else's knife to kill him.

Severely wounded, Huo Renli was no match for Yuan Ning. His top priority was to escape this place immediately. Once he reached the palace gates and caused a commotion, he would no longer have to fear.

However, after crawling just a few steps, Yuan Ning quickly noticed that Huo Renli was covered in blood, his right hand was virtually crippled, and only his left hand retained any strength. Yet, given his grave injuries, he was utterly harmless.

Seeing this, Yuan Ning became even more convinced that Consort Shu's spirit had manifested, choosing him as the executioner to slay Huo Renli personally.

Without any rush, Yuan Ning picked up a heavy stone and smashed it fiercely onto Huo Renli's foot.

Accompanied by a painful roar, Huo Renli's eyes reddened terrifically, as if soaked in blood.

Yuan Ning showed no fear at all. Instead, he threw his head back and laughed heartily, gazing up at the pitch-black night sky. "My Lady, this servant can finally avenge you!"

"May your divine spirit rest in peace from this day forward."

With that, two lines of tears streamed down his cheeks.

Over on the stairs, the Emperor and the Empress were crammed together. Just as they poked their heads out, they saw the disheveled old eunuch suddenly look up toward the heavens...

Startled, the two of them shrank back instantly, colliding squarely with each other.

With a loud "thud," both cursed each other inwardly—cowardly, reckless, overzealous, and a dozen other scathing remarks.

Fortunately, Huo Renli was in agonizing pain and breathing heavily, which prevented their presence from arousing suspicion.

When they peeked out again, both of them moved with extreme caution, terrified of repeating the recent tragedy.

However, no matter how they scanned the surroundings, there was no trace of Lin Yue or Xiao Huaizheng.

Just as they were feeling puzzled, a voice suddenly echoed from the dense tree branches: [Damn, am I seeing things? The Emperor and Empress are actually climbing the wall together!]

The Emperor and Empress hurriedly retracted their heads again. This time, neither of them bumped into each other. Just as they were feeling relieved, the Empress accidentally lost her footing and tumbled backward.

Panicking, she grabbed blindly and successfully dragged the Emperor down with her.

Following two dull thuds, the Emperor wiped the mud from his forehead and glared fiercely at the Empress, silently condemning her violent act.

The Empress smiled sheepishly, carefully straightening her crooked hair bun, and pointed to the dilapidated section at the base of the wall, signaling that if they dug it out a bit, they could continue eavesdropping.

The Emperor looked disgusted; the spot looked remarkably like a dog hole.

Ignoring him, the Empress began digging with her bare hands until she finally cleared a passage. Not only could they hear clearly, but they could also see everything.

Soon enough, that hole was usurped by the Emperor.

The Empress: "..." ??
You scoundrel!

Fortunately, the Empress could still hear by pressing her ear against the wall. Yet, as she listened, the expressions of both husband and wife turned deeply peculiar.

Earlier, they had turned their heads suddenly because they heard Lin Yue's inner voice. But what about the other person?

Was it a coincidence... or...

Terrified, the two began observing each other intentionally or unintentionally.

Even the usually domineering Emperor took the rare initiative to yield a little space so the Empress could get closer to facilitate observation.

His gaze drifted intentionally or unintentionally toward the Empress's fair neck. Since the Empress could also hear Lin Yue's inner voice, should he strangle her? Or pinch her? Or both strangle and pinch her?

Sigh, this was his original, wedded wife; he couldn't just silence her!
What a headache!

Meanwhile, the Empress was thinking along similar lines: If the Emperor could genuinely hear Lin Yue's inner voice, should she directly back the Crown Prince's ascension, or hint to the Emperor that his throne was on shaky ground? Or perhaps... declare that she had gone mad with the desire to become the Empress Dowager???

He was the Emperor, after all; she couldn't just strike first!
If she wasn't careful, she might be the one getting eliminated!!
What a worry, such a heavy worry!

Down in the courtyard, Yuan Ning poured all his remaining strength into torturing Huo Renli as he spoke, "You have a fine pair of children, Liu Dahui and Liu Erxi."

"It turns out your surname isn't Huo at all. To deceive the palace staff into believing you were related to the Noble Consort, you threatened her into privately changing your name to Huo Renli!"

"Magnanimous and courteous!"

"Bah! You ungrateful scoundrel, you ruined the Consort so utterly, yet you comfortably bore the name she gave you. Do you deserve it?"

"I have already told your daughter your true identity. She waits anxiously by the palace gates every single day. The moment she sees you, she will pounce. She only knows you as Liu Strong, the man who abandoned them to live a life of luxury in the capital."

"Just wait, I will expose your identity to the world and ensure you die without a burial place."

With that, Yuan Ning raised the stone and shattered Liu Strong's other leg.

The excruciating pain cleared Liu Strong's mind completely. Knowing Yuan Ning intended to kill him, he realized he had to save himself.

He couldn't afford to die just yet. Besides, since Yuan Ning already had his children as hostages, he should be quite easy to manipulate.

Thinking this, Liu Strong quickly rallied his spirits. After pondering carefully, he decided he first needed to make his voice intelligible.

He coughed with all his might until he hacked up a clot of blood from his throat, clearing his voice instantly. He then spoke hurriedly, "Don't rush to kill me yet. Have you forgotten about the Fourth Prince?"

"He is Consort Shu's only flesh and blood left in this world, yet he is currently controlled by the chief eunuch Liu Jian. Even I cannot get close to him, just like Consort Shu back then!"

Refusing to believe him, Yuan Ning sneered, "Do you take me for a three-year-old child to fall for your ghost stories? Based on what you just said about Consort Shu alone, I want to tear you to pieces right now!"

Liu Strong gasped, "I am already half-dead, what else is there to fear? Why don't you think about how you managed to enter the palace? Wasn't it through Liu Jian's connections?"

"Don't you understand why I ended up in that well?"

"If I die, there will be no one left by the Fourth Prince's side who is loyal to Consort Shu. Liu Jian's power is immense, and he was originally planted by the Emperor's side—who else can rival him?"

"Your top priority is to go out and find help, while I help you expose Liu Jian. Since death is certain either way, I only ask that you spare my two children when the time comes and keep them out of this."

Though still skeptical, Yuan Ning was already wavering.

The Fourth Prince, left behind by Consort Shu, was his sole weakness; he could not afford to take risks.

Just as Yuan Ning was weighing his options, Liu Strong seized this sliver of hope and pressed on, "My children are still in your hands, and I am severely wounded. How could I possibly fight you?"

"If we don't overthrow Liu Jian, the Fourth Prince will become the next Consort Shu. Can you bear to watch that tragedy repeat itself?"

Frowning deeply and filled with intense reluctance, Yuan Ning looked at Liu Strong's ghastly, ghost-like appearance and finally compromised, "Fine, I will take you out to see the Emperor. We will lay everything out in the open and seek justice for Consort Shu."

Coughing instantly, Liu Strong put on a weak and feeble act.

Yuan Ning went to fetch a wheelbarrow to haul Liu Strong out.

The moment Yuan Ning turned his back, a vicious glint flashed in Liu Strong's eyes.

His gaze swept across the stones on the ground. The second he grabbed one, he prepared to smash it into the back of Yuan Ning's head.

Having practiced martial arts, though only one hand remained functional, it was enough for a fatal counterattack.

Yet, just as he gathered his strength, a small piece of silver flashed from the shadows of the trees and shot through the air.

With a soft "thud," it blasted right through his head.

With his eyes wide open, Liu Strong slumped limply to the ground, never understanding what had truly happened.