COUP DE GRÂCE

             The Capital guards watching the city walls in silence were suddenly alarmed by the sound of the war trumpet.

             Their eyes turning eastwards they saw banners flying and approaching them and before long they spotted the Imperial Standard flying ahead.

             "Isn't that the Emperor's flag?" Some of them asked themselves when one of Consort Han's men in charge of the Capital's defenses stepped forward.

             "They are rebels." He ordered, "Prepare the cannons." He said while the guards immediately positioned themselves waiting for their enemies to come into close range.

              They suddenly halted beyond the danger zone and hoisting red flags instead the guards found the action suspicious.

             "What are they doing?" Han Guang asked when some of his soldiers wearing green bands on their foreheads turned on each other and started murdering their fellows in cold blood and throwing their bodies over the wall.

              "Kill the traitor Han Guang." They shouted and advancing towards him he along with his retainer withdrew from the battlement only to find the rest of the Capital guards fighting amongst themselves.

              "What's happening?" Emperor Ningzong asked hearing the fierce collision of the blades within the walls even where he was.

              "Your people are fighting for you Your Majesty." Shi Miyuan responded, "For  our enemies, there's no greater foe than he who resides within their walls, within their midst." He added as the Emperor nodding his head in approval.

              "We must get to the Palace to warn Her Grace." Han Guang's retainer said to him right when he got shot in his chest by a stray arrow.

              "It's an ambush." The rest of his guards said to him as he got onto his horse and surrounding him with their they guarded against other arrows as he charged towards the gates of the Imperial City through the streets.

             Taking the shortest route before him a trail of gun powder had been prepared and as he approached it without recognizing it, a flaming arrow from one of the close buildings flew right in front of his horse and ignited it.

              A massive explosion sent him flying onto the ground with his face forward while among the nearby crowds four skilled fighters dressed in rags leaped with their weapons towards him before he had the chance to comprehend what was going on.

              Driving their blades through him they ended his life pathetically while the people watched and coughing up blood, he ceased his movements and breathed his last.

              "Consort Han, what do you think you are doing?" Empress Yang inquired.

             "What does it seem like to you Your Highness?" Consort Han inquired.

             "How dare you in your capacity as a Consort of this Empire enthrone a new Emperor while the current is still living?" Empress Yang lashed out.

              "You must have lost yourself Your Highness, the Imperial Court was present at the final hour of His Majesty, while he took his last breath, they witnessed with their eyes and heard his final testament, Your Highness must travel to the nunnery to pray for his soul in the afterlife." Consort Han mentioned.

               "If all of you listen to this claim then you become sinners of this dynasty." Empress Yang said while everyone started murmuring amongst themselves suspiciously.

              Many of the officials that had gathered seemed doubtful and Han Touzhou quietening Consort Han acted up.

              "Your Highness claims that His Majesty is alive, then who was it that the Courtiers saw die?" She inquired while the Empress holding onto the scroll in her hands persistently kept quiet, guarded by her own people.

              "Can you prove it to us that His Majesty is alive?" She asked confidently with a ghastly smile on her face.

               "Yes." Empress Yang responded to the amazement of everyone in the square while she unfolded the scroll in front of everyone.

               "I have been given full command of the Capital along with its military divisions by His Majesty, as the Empress Regent of this our Heavenly Empire." She assured them.

               And how would you have an Imperial Edict now of all times?" Consort Han inquired.

               "There can be no coronation without the Imperial Jade Seal." Empress Yang mentioned, "you must all be wondering where it is, I'll save you the trouble and tell you all, it's in its rightful place, with its true owner, the true divine ruler of our Heavenly Empire, the August, the noble, the true son of heaven." She reported.

             Court Lady Liu standing close by one of the Eunuchs whispered something to her and herself surprised by what she had heard she rushed over towards Consort Han while the Empress was watching and reported to her.

             Consort Han infuriated she stared at the Empress who smiled at herself confidently.

            "What have you done?" Consort Han asked.

            "What do you think?" Empress Yang asked and at that very moment papers started falling from the sky into the Grand Square and also outside the Palace.

             Han Touzhou bending down he picked one and read its contents.

             "His Majesty is alive." It said while the Courtiers surprised they started murmuring amongst themselves.

             "What is Her Highness saying?" They asked Consort Han.

              "The Han Clan connive with the Grand Chancellor and Consort Han to enthrone a new Emperor while the incumbent is still alive and well, what could that be if it is not treason?" Empress Yang mentioned when the gates of the Grand Square were opened and another group of Imperial guards armed rushed in and filled the whole area surrounding the Empress.

            "A weak and sickly Emperor can not govern our Heavenly Empire." Consort Han mentioned.

            "But a weaned infant that has barely taken lessons and not undergone proper training befitting of a Crown Prince can?" Empress Yang asked.

            "You do not have the power Your Highness?" Consort Han mentioned.

             "And you are not the Empress of this country." Empress Yang retaliated aloud.

             "Seize her." Consort Han ordered and her men nearing the Empress and her own, arrows flying from the rooftops struck Consort Han's guards down instantly while she appeared startled and the young Prince Zhao Shen hid behind his foster mother.

            "You do not deserve the people's allegiance after lying to them Consort Han." Empress Yang mentioned, "and as His Majesty's Edict states that you shall listen to me submit or break under my yoke." She ordered.

             "I will not." Consort Han mentioned when her guards started throwing explosives towards the Empress and her men and chaos erupted, the Courtiers running back and forth while the people of the Palace tried to flee for their lives ended the initially unsuccessful Coronation as Consort Han and the Imperial Prince Zhao Shen were escorted away from the scene in the process.

             The Empress raising her eyes to the place where the Imperial Dragon throne had been set she could see Consort Han no more.

             "Find Consort Han, no matter what happens, she can not be allowed to leave the Palace." She ordered.

            "Yes Your Highness." The Imperial guards responded immediately as they dispersed at once all over the place.

             The Capital Patrol having been subdued by the Empress'loyalists, they hoisted green flags along the Eastern wall that were spotted by Shi Miyuan.

             "Our people are in control." He mentioned.

             "What do we do now?" Emperor Ningzong asked.

             "Welcome Your Majesty back into the Palace." Shi Miyuan responded as they rode towards the gates of the city which were opened to them.

             The Emperor on a white horse riding through the streets, people who had received the message of his survival and the Capital patrol bowed their heads and paid him their respects.

             Consort Han and her loyalists in the West Palace led by Court Lady Liu were dismayed while she furiously smacked the table with her right fist.

             "Twenty thousand troops were coming in from Jiangning, how could they have ended up in the far South?" She asked.

             "They were ambushed by a couple of bandits that seemed skilled, they were forced to retreat Southward." Court Lady Liu responded.

             "No." Consort Han refused, "the Empress must have been behind it." She said.

             "You must survive Your Grace." Court Lady Liu mentioned, "if they surround the West Palace then I am afraid that we shall have nowhere else to run." She remarked as another of her Court Ladies presented her with a simple attire.

            "It's the best way to make a run for it." Court Lady Liu pestered, "I can survive on my own Your Grace." She said when the doors being flung open another of her defenders rushed towards her and went onto his knees.

             "We have prepared a secret carriage for you Your Grace, we must hurry otherwise the Empress' men are headed this way." He reported.

              Empress Yang making her way towards the West Palace she mounted the stairs that led to its main quarters which were surrounded by her guards.

              Holding the door knobs she threw them open and walking in she found it empty.

             "Where are they?" Xiaoyang inquired while she smiled.

             "It doesn't matter what Consort Han does or doesn't, she won't leave this Palace let alone survive it that easily." She muttered when one of the guards rushed in.

             "Your Highness, we have spotted Consort Han." He reported as the Empress immediately charged out of the room.

             Veiling her head and still wearing the phoenix robes, she rushed across the Courtyard into the direction of the East Palace where another group of guards were coming from.

             Negotiating a corner she suddenly halted when a number of Imperial Guards blocked her path and in an instant, she turned to run away but others were waiting for her.

             In their midst, she was surrounded by vicious angry men who were pointing their swords at her.

             "Halt." A very loud voice ordered and the guards paving the way Beiyuan moved up to their captive and halted right in front of her.

             "It's already late Your Grace, give up fighting." He said as he seized the veil hanging over her head and pulled it down to reveal her face to everyone.

             "You're not Consort Han." Beiyuan muttered as he recognized the young woman as one of her Court Ladies and tried to arrest her.

             She bit the hidden poison begin her teeth and coughing out blood she fell down immediately as Beiyuan knelt down to check for her pulse.

            "She's dead." He pointed out as he closed her eyes while the guards unsheathed their swords immediately, "Search around the Palace, she couldn't have gone very far." He ordered while they dispersed again.

             Consort Han and the Imperial Prince Zhao Shen arriving outside the Palace there ordinarily dresses men who were armed bowed their heads.

            "You'll see to it that Her Grace is escorted to safety." Lin Xue ordered.

             "Yes Sir." They replied in unison while Consort Han along with the Imperial Prince got into the small carriage and locked themselves inside.

             The carriage set out immediately away from the Palace while Consort Han tightly held onto the Imperial Prince.

            "Don't worry my son, I shall protect you." She assured the little one as the carriage approaching a corner it was intercepted by a large group of Imperial guards that it abruptly halted.

             "What's going on there?" Consort Han asked Court Lady Liu who froze as she turned around and noticed another group of Imperial guards cutting them off from behind.

              "What swift feet you have Your Grace!" A familiar voice exclaimed and the guards paving way Empress Han walked forward until she stood in front of the carriage.

             Consort Han's men unsheathing their swords they charged towards her but were instantly shot down by a large group of arrows while others behind yielded once the Imperial guards' swords were placed close to their necks.

             "Drag them out." Empress Yang ordered and Xiaoyang with a couple of her ladies in waiting immediately ceased Consort Han from the carriage along with the Imperial Prince, separated them and dragged them amidst heavy resistance right in front of the Empress who kept her head high.

             "You wench." Consort Han cursed and the Empress stepping closer to her she slapped her across her face the first time while she turned her head hatefully and stared back at her.

             "How dare you look at the Empress of this country like that?" She asked as she slapped her the second time on her right cheek while her eyes travelled towards the young Imperial Prince Zhao Shen.

             "Remarkable, isn't it?" She asked, "to think that you could put that little boy on the Imperial Dragon throne." She said while Shi Miyuan's spy was brought to the front where she noticed her.

            "You..." She could hardly believe it.

             "I suppose you got ahead of yourself Your Grace, you thought that you had consolidated your self in the harem and in the Inner Court, that everyone in the Palace would do your bidding and they were so loyal and devoted, I guess it never occurred to you at any one point that I was watching your every move and hearing everything that you were saying and whispering in the deepest darkness of your Chambers." Empress Yang remarked.

            "If you expect me to beg for your forgiveness, for my life then I regret to inform you, I shall certainly not." Consort Han mentioned.

            "I love that you are feisty but I am touched that you seem to have forgotten who is in charge, you harmed the life of my Crown Prince and hearing that you are fond of the Imperial Prince Zhao Shen I am curious to see the look on your face when you stare at his coffin." Empress Yang said as she smiled at herself ghastly.

            "Seize that rebel." She ordered the guards who rushed over to the young boy and bound him with ropes.

            "No Your Highness, you can kill me if you want I don't care but please, spare him, he is just a child." Consort Han insisted.

            "What about my son, what about the Crown Prince of this country." Empress Yang asked her.

            "You can hate me all you want Your Highness, please don't take it out on him." Consort Han pleaded as she tightly held onto her feet and begged for her forgiveness.

            "You let greed corrupt you, most importantly your pathetic nature foolishly set you against me you brought harm upon my husband and tarnished the reputation of the harem and the Inner Court, you shall reap accordingly, that I shall make sure." Empress Yang said as she pulled her hanfu out of her grip while the ladies in waiting binding Consort Han with nylon ropes they dragged her away.

            The Gates of the Imperial City being opened up for the Emperor, he walked through accompanied by Shi Miyuan and Eunuch Deng along with a couple of Imperial guards.

            The Gates to the Grand Square being opened most of the Courtiers confined within, the Empress arriving just as well, he walked up towards the throne room while holding the Imperial Jade Seal in his hands.

             Slowly, he mounted the stairs that led to Han Touzhou who seeing him immediately, he bowed his head.

            "I recall that once I treated you like my own father, is this how you repay me?" He asked.

            "If I am guilty Your Majesty then it is that I allowed Consort Han to deceive me, I believed with the rest that the man that died in your bed was Your Majesty, I didn't know that you were even outside the Palace." He lied.

             "You expect me to believe that?" Emperor Ningzong asked.

             "I placed Your Majesty on that Imperial Dragon throne with all my might, since then I don't mind you questioning my loyalty but it has never changed because I believe I never made a mistake." He responded.

             "Of course you didn't." Emperor Ningzong mentioned, "I loved this country so much, apart from me who mourned with those people when they lost their loved ones, who cared when they slept hungry?" He said as Han Touzhou reserved his silence and he walked past him and stood in front of his throne.

             "What do you think His Majesty is going to do Your Highness?" Xiaoyang inquired.

            "Everyone of those officials, Han Touzhou not being an exception is a Rebel, His Majesty would be out of his mind to forgive them." Empress Yang confidently replied.

              "I am the Sovereign Emperor of this Dynasty, you connived with Consort Han and lied to the public, you imprisoned innocent officials and attempted to bring disorder to our Heavenly Empire by crowning an infant as your Emperor this is treason of the highest order and it won't go unpunished." The Emperor announced and the Imperial guards forcing the ministers onto their knees they started groveling for their lives.

             "As of today, you shall all be stripped of your titles and nobility and will go into exile, your property shall be confiscated and will be used to refill the State treasury, all those victims that were held captive by you will be freed and the institutions that you abolished will be reinstated while the officials will be given their respective positions, Consort Han the mastermind is sentenced to death in a way the Empress as the true head of the harem and the Inner Court will see fit and the Imperial Prince Zhao Shen will be demoted to the rank of Commoner and is banished from the Palace for life." Emperor Ningzong announced.

             "Yes Your Majesty." Everyone said in unison.

             "The Grand Chancellor however having led us through the ordeal of war shall be pardoned and shall retain his office." He suddenly announced and everyone including Han Touzhou himself was surprised.

              "But Your Majesty......." Shi Miyuan trying to speak up in protest the Emperor interfered.

             "This is my final decision." He said as he walked away while the Empress hatefully stared at Han Touzhou.

             She furiously marched into her Chambers and sitting down she angrily clenched her fists.

             "No." She said.

             "What are we going to do Your Highness?" Manyin asked.

             "Han Touzhou's survival is our doom, besides as the Grand Chancellor things could become worse." Xiaoyang supplemented.

             "I can't lose this way." Empress Yang remarked.

             "The Imperial Prince Zhao Shen will be sent out of the Palace soon, besides His Majesty said that you would decide the death of Consort Han." Manyin tried to console her.

              "What are we waiting for then?" She asked as she placed a small bottle onto the table, "Consort Han will die by my hand, the same way her sister did." She concluded furiously in front of them.

             Shi Miyuan returning to his study he started throwing things around.

             "How dare he?" He asked himself.

             "I don't know what His Majesty was thinking." Dong Hua pointed out.

             "We can't possibly let him do this to us." Shi Miyuan mentioned.

             "What are you going to do Your Excellency?" Dong Hua inquired while his master stood up.

             "I will speak to His Majesty." Shi Miyuan responded as he charged through his doors.

             Consort Han seated in her room, she was dressed in a plain white attire and quietly waiting for her sentence when the Empress' presence was announced.

             She walked in and halted in front of her.

             "Won't you at least offer me your respect?" She inquired.

             "You are here to see me, it's remarkable, I lost to you in the end." Consort Han mentioned.

             "Of course you did. " Empress Yang agreed, "you thought that by dragging down my people and stripping them of their power you would subdue me that easily? " She inquired as she looked at Manyin who put on the table in front of her clothes that were covered in blood.

             Consort Han seeing it her eyes widened with fright.

             "Whose is it?" She asked.

             "Whose do you think it is?" Empress Yang muttered when she ceased it in her own hands and embraced it.

             "What do you think makes you so great?" Consort Han asked.

             "You tell me, you must have realised it by now, I move the Emperor when I want, command the confidence of the Imperial Court the law becomes the law when I wish it and ceases when I feel the same, I own ministers, traders, prostitutes, nobles, Seigniors, monks, astrologers, soldiers and common people, all that is seen and unseen." Empress Yang replied.

            "And what have you established by creating your own state within this state? " Consort Han asked.

             "I am the State Your Grace and the State is me." Empress Yang replied as she walked closer to her and looked down upon her pitifully.

             "If you had not seen, if you had not heard, I would have held you within this castle lonely but peacefully. " She remarked.

             "Is that what you tell those wenches that are so afraid of you?" Consort Han inquired.

             "From the Empresses Gongshu and Ciyi at least you would have learnt that it isn't your specialty to supplant an Empress and uplift a concubine, it is mine." Empress Yang remarked.

             "Perhaps it happens to be so." Consort Han mentioned, "but I am not sorry, your husband, the man that watched my sister die and brought about his death doesn't have a long life to live, he'll die a painful death and if you tell me what the future generations will think of him, they shall call him weak, a man that lost to the Jurchens, without any strong sense of self-confidence." She insisted while the Empress smiled at her.     

           "Bring it in." She ordered while the doors being opened, Xiaoyang walked in bearing a white bowl in her possession which he placed on the table in front of Consort Han.

            "You went all that way to get vengeance for your sister, to make her soul rest in eternal peace, but you see you harmed my son and you ruined my husband, that's why I personally chose to punish you in accordance with the rules governing the harem and the Inner Court while considering you a traitor of this country. " Empress Yang mentioned and bending over she pushed the bowl closer to her.

            "I haven't changed anything in its composition, this is the exact cuckoo pint that I used to kill your sister the Empress Han." She said, "it is sad that I didn't get to see her face to face while she breathed her last that is why as compensation, I shall imagine how painful it felt, how it remarkably looked." She implied while Xiaoyang and Manyin moving forward they ceased her hands as she tried to fight in protest while the Empress picked the bowl herself and forced all its contents down her throat cheerfully until it was emptied.

              The poison started taking its effect immediately and painfully, her veins darkened and her eyes turned red that instant while she was gasping for air while coughing blood.

             "I'll have you erased from every record, no one will remember you, your body shall be fed to the hounds and not even your bones will be granted a proper funeral, you must die painfully and slowly for my heart to find peace." The Empress said as Manyin and Xiaoyang letting go of her, she couldn't end her own life in any way as some parts of her body became numb.

             After nearly thirty minutes fighting, at last she collapsed onto the floor dead with blood oozing from every one of her organs.

             The Empress contented she turned around and walked out of the room, hardly any regret in her heart, she'd never seemed so scary and cold in nearly five years.

              Emperor Ningzong in his study was lost within his thoughts when Eunuch Deng approached him.

              "Your Majesty, Shi Miyuan wishes to have an audience with you." He notified him.

             "I shall not see anyone." Emperor Ningzong refused when the doors flying open the latter walked in on his own accord.

              "I beg that you hear me out Your Majesty." He said.

             "How dare you?" Emperor Ningzong scolded as he went onto his knees immediately.

             "I come here to censure you." He openly asserted.

             "Are you not afraid that you dare to defy your Emperor?" He inquired.

             "If the Emperor wavers it is up to his loyal ministers to guide him and show him the right path, Your Majesty and I represent two institutions of equal significance and governance in the Country and as you might not be subject to the laws that govern our Heavenly Empire, you can not defy them either because they are a reflection of the order that is set by your predecessors." Shi Miyuan mentioned.

              "What are you trying to say?" Emperor Ningzong asked

              "The Grand Chancellor abused his authority and pushed this country into a war we were ill prepared for, let alone underestimating our adversaries, today he nearly errored in the Dynasty by supporting the ascension of the deposed Prince Zhao Shen, if you keep him alive and punish all the other officials then Your Majesty shall tarnish your reputation instead and the people will call you a partial monarch and me a disloyal servant." Shi Miyuan responded.

              "I understand your concern but I won't punish the Grand Chancellor." Emperor Ningzong insisted.

              "Think twice about your decision Your Majesty, your actions will disregard the Empress' efforts in trying to protect our Heavenly Empire." Shi Miyuan pestered him.

              "I already made up my mind and my decision is final." He lashed out while smacking the table.

              "Don't force me to do what I don't want Your Majesty." He muttered.

              "Are you threatening me?" Emperor Ningzong inquired.

              "I promised Your Majesty that with all my life whether it is long or short that I shall devote every ounce of my energy both physically and emotionally to protecting the Empress I won't go back on that word even if in the end the person I have to protect her from is you." Shi Miyuan replied.

              "Such remarkable devotion, see to it however that you do not forget that she is my woman above everything else." He seemed to remind her.

              "The Empress and Han Touzhou are two people that you can not have Your Majesty and as it so happens that I fear that your Grand Chancellor can harm her in many ways by merely living if you don't get rid of him with u our two hands then with whatever power I have I shall do it myself even if it means that I must lose my life doing so." Shi Miyuan said as he bowed his head and slowly withdrew from the Chambers.

             "I can't believe he could be this brazen." Emperor Ningzong remarked.

             "But I am afraid that it's likely that he is right Your Majesty, much of the general public is discontented with Han Touzhou's presence in the Imperial Court, what's worse is that the failed Revanchist policy he initiated fatally wounded the Monarchy and threatened our natural boundaries, you of all people are the only one willing to protect him from the wrath of the masses but the question is how long do you plan to hold out against the wrath of the nation?" He inquired.

              "The Empress Han died tragically because of me, her sister Consort Han just followed her into the grave, shall I be the one to lead the last of those prominent Hans to the edge of the sword?" The Emperor whispered somberly.

              "As always Your Majesty, we are not gods, however if there is one thing that I know at every one point in life, a man has to pay for his misdemeanors." Eunuch Deng replied.

            Daiyu watching the Grand Empress Dowager she suddenly opened her eyes coughing loudly.

             "Your Grand Highness!" She exclaimed as she struggled to sit upright.

              "I need to see the Empress." She mentioned.

              "You aren't yet alright." Daiyu pointed out.

              "Just hurry and summon Her Highness." Grand Empress Dowager Xie insisted and Daiyu getting up from where she was seated she rushed towards the Central Palace.

              Empress Yang seated she was sipping at a cup of tea when she heard her outside.

             "Your Highness it is I." She announced herself and the Empress allowing her to come in she rushed into her presence and bowed her head to offer her respects.

              "What is it?" She inquired.

              "Her Grand Highness has just regained consciousness and she requests your immediate presence in the Cifu Palace." Daiyu responded while Empress Yang getting up from where she was seated she led the way out.

              Joined by her retinue she strode through the gates of the Cifu Palace and mounting the stairs that led to the Grand Empress Dowager's Chambers, she flung the doors open and approached her bed where she found her seated while holding onto a scroll.

             "You called for me Your Grand Highness?" She inquired while bowing her head.

             "Yes." She responded, "I had a dream that His Late Majesty my husband was calling my name, heartbroken I realised that I have lived much longer than I supposed to have." She muttered as she turned to her.

             "You risked your life, you protected the Crown Prince for my sake and for the sake of our Heavenly Empire, how could I not be grateful?" Empress Yang mentioned.

             "You charged onto that battlefield, you fought for this country so much, when I look around perhaps of all the people in the world that I can see and trust, you are powerful enough to fulfill the task that His Late Majesty couldn't." Grand Empress Dowager Xie said as she handed over the gilded scroll to her while she seemed amused.

             "What is this?" She asked.

             "His Late Majesty's last request, the Xiaozong Emperor's Posthumous Edict." Grand Empress Dowager Xie replied as Yang Meizi opening it, her eyes landed on the words that were written inside.

              "HIS EXCELLENCY HAN TOUZHOU IS TALENTED BUT INSIDIOUS, HE CONJURES SCHEMES THAT DISRUPT THE IMPERIAL COURT AND DIVIDE OUR GLORIOUS EMPIRE WHILE TEARING DOWN OUR MAGNIFICENT DYNASTY, WHOEVER HEARS AND RECEIVES THIS ORDER IN MY NAME IS BLAMELESS FOR AS IT IS FOR THE SAKE OF OUR OUR HEAVENLY EMPIRE, YOU MUST SLAY HAN TOUZHOU." She read as her eyes widened.

              "All this time, you had it Your Grand Highness?" She asked.

          "I never got to see His Majesty, in his final hours and days at least, because he never hoped for anyone becoming suspicious, yet I sent snacks over to his Palace regularly and that's how I gained possession of it." She responded.

         "Even the Empress Ciyi couldn't have known, it must have been very difficult." Empress Yang remarked.

              "The only reason I strived to live long enough, the only reason I endured seventeen years of loneliness and darkness, silence and suffocation within the walls of this Palace." She responded.

              "Why didn't you give it to His Majesty?" Empress Yang asked.

              "He is benevolent, he is kind, it isn't in his nature to kill and only you are strong enough to do what His Majesty can not do, you have nothing to hold you back as well as your devotion to this country, your love for it, it surpasses even your sincerest thoughts." Grand Empress Dowager Xie said, "will you do this for me Your Highness?" She asked.

             "I can not repay you for everything that you have done for me, but if it is your will that I do so, I won't let you down Your Highness and neither shall I spare a single effort until I have finished the task that you have given me." Empress Yang responded as she bowed her head to her.

             "Now I can die in peace."Grand Empress Dowager Xie remarked and the Empress withdrawing from the hall at once with the scroll in her hands, she stood outside where Manyin and Xiaoyang joined her when they noticed that she was absent-minded.

             "What did she want to see you about Your Highness?" Xiaoyang inquired.

              "Heaven has heard my most sincere prayer, summon everyone, I want to meet them tonight." She said.

              "Yes Your Highness." Manyin responded and proudly she returned to her Chambers.

              Han Touzhou seated in his study, Lin Xue walked in with a chest in his hands and bowing his head he placed it on the table in front of him.

              "Forgive me Your Excellency, it just came from the Central Palace." He reported.

             "The Empress, she sent it?" He inquired.

             "Yes Your Excellency." Lin Xue confirmed as he took the lid in his hands and hesitantly he opened it to see a white hanfu stained with blood along with a hairpin that he realized immediately.

             "It's Consort Han's." He pointed out.

              "I heard that Her Highness sentenced her to death by poison." Lin Xue mentioned.

             "The same way that Empress Han perished." Han Touzhou remarked.

              "At least His Majesty spared you." Lin Xue mentioned.

              "Perhaps." Han Touzhou remarked as he returned the hanfu into its box and locked it in.

              The Empress' supporters gathered with her in their usual hall, she quietly sat in her seat immersed in her own thoughts.

             "His Majesty still protects the Grand Chancellor after everything that he has done to us, to our Heavenly Empire, to you Your Highness and to His Majesty himself. " Shi Miyuan protested.

             "He finds the old man pitiful." Empress Yang mentioned.

             "We nearly died by his hand, we were misbranded as rebels, we did everything for you Your Highness, do you share similar sentiments with His Majesty? " Peng Zishou inquired.

             "No." She responded, "you have all risked your lives for me and I am grateful for your silence, for your tolerance, your devotion, you aren't the only people that have lost something." Empress Yang remarked.

              "Then what are we going to do Your Highness?" Ye Shi inquired.

              "That's why I called you here, I realised that after everything that has happened we can't oust Han Touzhou from power peacefully and even if we did, considering the crimes that he has committed against the people of our Heavenly Empire, the atrocities that have threatened our national security and compromised the existence of our Dynasty I am determined to do the one thing that His Majesty is good merciful to do." Empress Yang confidently assured them.

              "What are you going to do Your Highness?" Shi Miyuan inquired while she ceased a scroll from within her sleeves and she placed it right on the table in front of them.

              "What is this Your Highness?" Yang Cishan inquired.

              "A gift from the Grand Empress Dowager, I happened to receive it the moment that she regained consciousness and I am sure that you must have heard of it at least, Han Touzhou equally dreaded it with his life in the past." Empress Yang replied as she opened it revealing its contents along with the Imperial Jade Seal.

            "It can't be!" Peng Zishou exclaimed.

            "His Late Majesty the Xiaozong Emperor's posthumous Edict, yes." Empress Yang muttered.

            "An Imperial Rescript to kill Han Touzhou and strip him of all his power, how could the Grand Empress Dowager have concealed such an important document?" Yang Cishan asked.

             "Because the time was never ripe, because she didn't trust anyone, an important document like this could have made her the target of political aggression, not to forget as well, Han Touzhou was powerful and with a majority of supporters in the Court it would have been difficult." Empress Yang responded.

             "But the times have changed, even if His Majesty were to protect him, he's still too weak." Peng Zishou pointed out.

             "What's worse is that the people's feelings are themselves still poisoned with the ill results of our revanchist campaign which is what we shall use to our advantage." Empress Yang said, "getting rid of Han Touzhou alone won't protect our power and our wealth." She insisted.

              "Do you have something else in mind Your Highness?" Yang Cishan asked.

              "We thrive at the expense of precious lives, the lives of our people that we loved and cherished, consecrated by their blood our actions in this case are justified that is why we mustn't just carry out this Edict to annihilate Han Touzhou alone but also to ensure that those who inflicted war upon us are not in the position to do so again." Empress Yang replied as she seized the scroll and placing it above the candle while every one watched, she burnt it down to ashes.

              "What are you doing Your Highness?" Yang Cishan asked, "that's our only way of getting rid of Han Touzhou." He insisted but it was a bit too late.

             "Not Just Han Touzhou, the entire Han Clan, it's nine generations and all those affiliated with him." Empress Yang said, "the Late Xiaozong Emperor's posthumous Edict will state like that." Empress Yang said as she turned to Beiyuan who brought another Edict forward and placed it on the table in front of them.

            "I wrote it myself." Empress Yang confidently mentioned while the entire room was tense, "I can't possibly cast my net into the sea to grab a single fish, I want an entire shoal." She mentioned while the silence persisting for a moment she could tell some of the officials gathered there were afraid of her.

             "As long as you remain loyal to me then I shall treat you like one, however, should my affections feel unable to contain you, not even the Emperor can protect my enemies from me." Empress Yang cautioned threateningly.

             "Yes Your Highness." They all side in unison bowing their heads to her while she smiled at herself contented.

             Returning to her Chambers, she sat down at her table while Beiyuan worried moved up to her.

             "Say it." She ordered him when she noticed how uneasy he was acting.

             "I am worried, if His Majesty finds out that you are involved with Han Touzhou's demise, wouldn't he be displeased?" He asked.

            "What have I done wrong?" Empress Yang asked, "as long as one of us survives, none of our two families could ever find peace, besides, even if he is biologically my nephew but this state after the turmoil it has been through is a more efficient and a much better institution without him." She remarked.

            "Forging the Imperial Brush can be equal to treason and once you revealed even that in front of those Courtiers I couldn't help but think that it was an unnecessary move that could jeopardize your reputation and could strike you back in future." Beiyuan mentioned.

            "Many Great statesmen believe that wrong can sometimes be committed in the best interests of the State but personally I believe that nothing which is committed in the best interests of the State is wrong." Empress Yang said while Beiyuan sighed.

             "Don't let it burden yourself, people lose themselves loving each other, until now I realised, I could also lose myself loving this precious country of mine so much which is why I am determined to go all the way even if I must." Empress Yang muttered.

             "Regardless of the path you choose, please feel my sincerity Your Highness, I shall accompany you as I have and as I am doing." He comforted her.

             "His Majesty pardoning  Han Touzhou merely left me without a choice, if I can not use the power of a living Emperor to annihilate him and end his tyranny then I shall borrow the power of a dead one." Empress Yang remarked as she clenched her fists tightly.

             The Emperor Ningzong in the East Palace he was seated right in front of the Crown Prince's bed watching him.

             The young boy seemingly energetic had been cured partially but was still unconscious.

             "What do you think about me my dear?" He inquired, "perhaps I failed to protect both you and your mother." He asserted as he held his hand slowly and lifting it closer to his cheek, he felt the warmth before he kissed it.

              The Crown Prince Zhao Xun immediately opened his eyes.

              "Father?" He called his name, "why are you crying?" He inquired while trying to force a smile onto his face he looked him back in the eye.

              "I am alright." He said, "I am relieved seeing you awake at last." He responded.

              "I am now fine." The Crown Prince mentioned as he smiled at him.

              The Emperor getting outside the building he saw the Empress standing right in front of him beneath the staircase.

             Slowly, he descended the stairs and walked up to her while she bowed her head.

             "Your Majesty." She said gracefully while he held her right hand in his.

            "You have been waiting for me?" He asked.

             "Yes." She replied.

             "Why?" He inquired.

             "I believe that is an answer that only Your Majesty knows." She responded.

             "Is it about Han Touzhou?" He asked.

             "Yes Sire." She replied.

             "You aren't going to tell me to do the same thing that everyone is pestering me to do." He mentioned.

             "You are the Emperor of this country, you are the ruler of this Heavenly Empire as you are my husband, I have always stood beside you in everything thick or thin and I have supported your every decision in all our married life, I have put you ahead of everything that I have done and dreamed of as the father of my children, have you not thought how hard it was for me leaving you within these Palace walls lying in your bed half dead and defenseless while those shameless monstrous beasts that call themselves your subjects surrounded you?" She inquired.

             "I understand the pain you must have been through." Emperor Ningzong responded.

              "No you don't." She assured him as she pulled her hand out of his hands, "perhaps I should first lie in a coffin for you to understand how heavy every heartbeat felt and how insecure I found every breath that I took." She pointed out.

               "Why are you saying this?" Emperor Ningzong asked.

               "Because I no longer care who you are or what you choose to think of me, the people are displeased as well as the Courtiers that risked their lives hoping you would give them justice, I have been through the hell of losing the children that I have given birth to and I am not ready to tread through those flames again." She responded.

             "Will you also stand against me?" He inquired painfully.

             "I don't care if you have to hate me for it later, but as your wife, as the woman who took those wedding vows to be loyal to both Your Majesty and this Dynasty I can risk everything that means even if I have to fight you, I will protect you my way." She responded.

             "You need to calm down." Emperor Ningzong insisted.

             "Kill Han Touzhou Your Majesty or else I shall be the one to bring an end to him ome way or another, this is the last shred of compassion that I can offer in my position as your Empress, with the power that it commands along with it." She whispered to him before she bowed her head and turned around to walk away.

             Han Touzhou seated in his study with his wife she noticed the sad expression on his face.

            "Milord?" She called him but the latter absent minded was lost in his own thoughts for a moment before he looked at her.

            "Shall I be the last of the Greatest Hans in this Dynasty?" He asked while she kept quiet very reluctant to give him a response.

            "As I thought." He mentioned.

            "Stop this already." Mrs. Han mentioned, "think about Tawan your son at least, he may not be your flesh and blood but you raised him, nourished him and sheltered him like your own." She remarked.

             "And it is because of him that I am doing this." Han Touzhou mentioned, "I am fighting for his future." He insisted.

            "You are only making enemies left, right and centre Your Excellency." Mrs. Han pointed out.

            "So what do you suggest I do, offer my head to the Empress and her people, bow to then?" He asked.

            "Make peace at least." Mrs. Han responded.

            "What do you take this world to be, I can lose anything but as long as I am still holding my life in my hands, I would rather not surrender, I would rather keep fighting, I'd rather face the storm no matter how strong and tough it may seem because without victory, there can be no survival." Han Touzhou mentioned.

           "Isn't it enough for me to lose my nieces, I can not bear to lose my husband too." Mrs. Han said as she heavily pounded her chest in tears while he struggled so hard to look away from her.

             "The people are against you, save your head at least." Mrs. Han insisted when a woman dressed in scarlet clothes with her head veiled approached Lin Xue who was standing right in front of his doors.

            "Who are you?" He asked as he studied her while she removed the veil to reveal herself to him.

            "Your Highness!" He exclaimed startled.

            "Yes." She responded confidently.

            "What are you doing here?" He inquired from her.

            "I want to have a word with the Grand Chancellor." She notified him.

            "His Excellency........" He was still saying when pushing him aside she threw the doors open only to gain his attention along with that of his wife.

            "What are you doing here Your Highness?" He asked while she walked closer towards him.

             "Leave us." She spoke commandingly to his wife and Mrs. Han standing up instantly she bowed her head as she withdrew from the room while Tawan at a distance outside the hall was watching everything before the doors were shut.

             The Empress taking her seat right in front of him he proudly raised his shoulders.

             "His Majesty spared my life and need I remind you it was Your Highness who made me the Grand Chancellor of this country after all, why then, should you look furious in my presence, it isn't good for your health is it?" He asked.

             "Perhaps it so happens that you are just testing my patience however I am thankful for your concern, let's recall it a bit deeply, I buried the Empresses Gongshu and Ciyi, your second pathetic niece as well on this very day, even if His Majesty wanted to keep you alive how much longer do you think he can save you from your enemies, how much longer do you think he can protect you from me?" Empress Yang asked.

             "So you are here to threaten me that when your next opportunity comes Your Highness won't let me off that easily?" Han Touzhou mocked.

             "In life you don't wait for an opportunity Your Excellency, you create one." Empress Yang said and placing her hands on the table she leaned closer to him, "this much I have learnt from you sir." She whispered with a ghastly smile on her face.

             "Going against His Majesty's orders isn't as easy as it may seem Your Highness, for all I know, it is no different from treason." Han Touzhou cautioned.

              "When treason succeeds, it becomes History, His Majesty along with you who put him on that throne, myself who became an Empress have only proven that theory sufficiently right." Empress Yang clarified as she stood up.

             "I once told you that even as a dog you shouldn't forget who is holding your leash." She said to him as he looked up at her.

            "We have a long way ahead of us before we can stand together as allies." He mentioned.

            "But don't forget, your days are numbered because I have decided it that you don't have a long life to live." She confidently said as she turned around and charged out of the room leaving Han Touzhou seated as he furiously clenched his fists.

              Stepping outside the hall Tawan saw her face before she veiled it and continued the way that she had come while Han Touzhou silently recalling the words that she had mentioned to him.

          The Empress returning to the Palace she sat within her Chambers and was joined by another able young man Xia Chen.

          "You asked for me Your Highness?" He inquired.

          "Yes." She responded.

          "How is it that I may be of service to you?" He asked.

          "As the current Imperial guard Commander where is it that your loyalty lies?" She questioned him while he silently bowed his head and she placed the Imperial Edict on the table in front of him.

          "What is this Your Highness?" He asked.

          "What do you think?" She muttered.

          "An Imperial Decree." He responded reluctantly.

         "I need you to help me get rid of someone." She finally mentioned while the latter stared at her fearfully.