She Holds the World After Being Reborn
Chapter 206: The Zhang Family is Wiped Out, Past Scandals Resurface

Chapter 206: Chapter 206: The Zhang Family is Wiped Out, Past Scandals Resurface

In her early years, the Empress was but a lowly medical girl in the Imperial Medical Bureau. Later, through her own effort, she rose step by step amid the ebb and flow of the palace, eventually compelling the Emperor to set aside all opposing views and elevate her to the position of Empress. Her means and magnanimity were indeed exemplary within the palace.

However, over these years, the Emperor’s health has declined day by day, and imperial power has gradually shifted to the Crown Prince. Zhang Lanyi, finding no outlet for her ambitions, has had to curtail her actions somewhat.

Because of this, some veteran ministers in the court who disapproved of her conduct began to ally secretly against her, determined to nail this "Demon Empress" to the pillar of shame before their Emperor passed away.

But now, with both the Crown Prince and Prince Seven dispatched to the battlefield and her knowledge that Song Huaxu, that old Daoist, had also secretly followed them on imperial orders, and with the Emperor holding the rear... Zhang Lanyi stood before the bed, caressed the tip of her finger, and a cold, congealing smile curled at the corner of her lips.

She had heard that the Emperor was very fond of the elixir batch sent by Prince Seven before he left.

Yan Wanqing, that little wolf cub, was right. This Capital City had already decayed from within; there was no need for their intervention, these people would bring about their own destruction.

But what about the hatred she had suppressed all these years?

The group trying to present a facade of peace, the ones who forced her father to take on the sins all by himself, have not yet died. How could she content herself by merely sitting steady on her own seat of power?

"Lanyi, your heart is in disarray," a gentle voice suddenly came from behind her.

Zhang Lanyi leaned against the railing and did not move.

"Rushing to achieve quick success could cost us our opportunity. Wanqing is not in the Capital City right now; we can’t act rashly anymore," Yan Jing said calmly as he walked out from behind her, still clad in his saffron and crimson cassock, making him look both righteous and nefarious under the setting sun.

"It’s too late to say anything now, the Zhang Family is on the brink of annihilation," Zhang Lanyi turned to look at him, her eyes filled with satisfaction, "It’s almost the Cao Family’s turn."

"Nonsense!" Yan Jing frowned as he stepped forward, his face stern, "You should know the connection between Chief of Staff Cao and the Empress Dowager. If you move against him, the Empress Dowager will certainly not sit idly by."

"So what?" Zhang Lanyi remembered hiding under the bed as a child, her mouth covered by her nanny, watching her relatives fall one by one in pools of blood to protect her. Hate had soaked her eyes through and through.

"He won’t live much longer, and how could I know if my cooperation with Yan Wanqing will succeed? If it fails, who will avenge the blood feuds for me?" Zhang Lanyi clenched her teeth, her hands tightening, "There’s no room for discussion on this matter. Chief of Staff Cao just submitted his resignation yesterday. I suppressed it. If we don’t act now, once he leaves the Capital City for his hometown, it would be even harder to move against him."

"You should know..." Zhang Lanyi’s tearful eyes looked towards Yan Jing, "What kind of humiliation my father suffered back then. To protect me, he was sentenced to death by that dog Emperor, dying in excruciating pain!"

Yan Jing wanted to say something, but Zhang Lanyi reached out and covered his lips.

"...you don’t need to worry, I’m aware of the consequences. But the relationship between Chief of Staff Cao and the Empress Dowager is so delicate. I’ve already thought of a foolproof plan," she said.

Yan Jing sighed, still disapproving, "But in doing so, your identity can no longer be concealed."

"It was bound to come out sooner or later," Zhang Lanyi staggered ahead a few steps within the desolation of the Cold Palace, sneering, "The dog Emperor has already grown suspicious of me. Finding out about the past is just a matter of time. I’ve been driven to a point of no return; there’s nothing I can do."

"Yan Jing, you must help me. Our situations are the same now; like the Yan Family, I am cornered. This Western Expedition, with Yan Wanqing, a woman, serving as the Great Marshal, leading ten thousand soldiers—we both know well what they’re made of. If they return victorious, all is well, but if they lose..."

Zhang Lanyi abruptly stopped speaking.

A flicker of coldness crossed Yan Jing’s eyes.

Zhang Lanyi laughed softly to herself. She lifted her wrist and wiped away the tear from beneath her eye.

"Back when I rose from a mere medical girl to Empress, I relied on defying fate. Now that I am no longer what I was, why shouldn’t I be able to vindicate my father’s dishonor?"

Yan Jing parted his lips, but in the end, he just sighed, "...I will help you."

Hearing that Yan Jing had finally stopped trying to dissuade her, Zhang Lanyi breathed a sigh of relief, walked over to his side, and leaned her head against his chest, feeling the heartbeat beneath his robe.

"Do not worry; once successful, I will have the final say in the Capital City. If not, I will certainly not implicate you, nor the Yan Family," she assured.

Yan Jing frowned, reached out a hand to hold her chin, his tone slightly cold, "Say that again."

Zhang Lanyi looked up at him, the shimmering luster of her heterochromic eyes had captivated her at first glance, leading her to commit countless unfathomable acts, but she regretted nothing.

"Yan Jing, now that you have returned to the Yan Family, naturally I——uh!"

Before she could finish, his thin lips descended upon hers.

Yan Jing impatiently cut off her words, swallowing down the unpleasantries into his throat, then swallowed them.

After a while, he slowly raised his head, his voice hoarse, "Ever since eight years ago, my life has been yours. Don’t say these things I dislike hearing again."

Zhang Lanyi’s lips were slightly swollen and her gaze brimming with emotion, she foolishly stared at him for a while, then reaching up to hook her hand around his neck, she bit down on her tiptoes.

"Understood."

...

Meanwhile, at the Wang Family’s residence.

Wang Keren, accompanied by her maid, walked into the courtyard carrying some food.

Gloom that couldn’t be dispelled shadowed her brows and eyes.

Her father had just discussed with her the matters of the Zhang Family, expressing wariness over the situation in his words.

Furthermore, the news from the palace confirmed that this Zhang Nian was undoubtedly a hot potato.

She blamed her own soft heart for opening the door and letting Zhang Nian in.

Seeing Wang Keren standing at the doorway, the maid hesitated before speaking, "Miss?"

Wang Keren rested her hand on the door, her heart in turmoil, yet she had to force a smile and push the door open to enter.

Inside, Zhang Nian was wrapped in a blanket, her coiffure in disarray from crying, no longer the naïve and charming Miss Zhang she had been.

The woman before her was just a girl who had lost her parents, brothers, and sisters, utterly alone.

Upon hearing the noise, Zhang Nian looked toward the door, and seeing Wang Keren enter, she hastily threw off the blanket and rose, her eyes brimming with tears: "Keren..."

Wang Keren saw her crying pitifully and could only step forward to support her, "Nian Nian..."

"I, I’ve lost my father and mother..." she sobbed.

Wang Keren took out a handkerchief from her sleeve and handed it over, subtly turning aside to avoid Zhang Nian’s tear-stained, dirty little face, and gently said,

"Disasters that fall from the sky are unavoidable. Now that you’re the only one left in the Zhang Family, what are your plans?"

Zhang Nian wiped away her tears with the handkerchief, shaking her head in helplessness.

"I have no idea who did it, those people were all dressed in nightwear. I just saw the flash of blades, the flash of blades—" Zhang Nian gestured, her eyes filled with fear as she clamped her hand over her mouth: "...If it weren’t for the nanny risking her life to protect me, I could never have escaped."

Listening, Wang Keren’s eyes flashed with impatience, yet her face remained as gentle as water.

"Nian Nian, don’t be scared. Now that you are at our house, we will certainly not let you be in danger," she patiently continued.

"It’s just that our opponent is in the dark while we are in the light. It’s only a matter of time before they find out you’re with our Wang Family. My father and I have discussed this, and we’ve decided to arrange for a carriage to take you this evening to our estate outside the city. We’ll also arrange for a few strong bodyguards to protect you until my father helps your family uncover the truth. Then you can come back. What do you think of this plan?"

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