Chapter 56：Purge

Oh my. Why did her sister-in-law call her a fairy? Fu Tian Su blushed immediately.

The fairy was calling her a fairy!

She felt really flattered and happy. Anyone would feel great when being praised. Fu Tian Su was the same and did not shy away from the compliment.

"I am Fu Tian Su. This princess greets you!" She bowed in accordance with etiquette and had a loveable smile on her face when she raised her head.

"....princess.?" Zhao Yan repeated, looking terribly confused at the situation. Who was this cute girl? She looks very adorable. Zhao Yan almost had the impulse to pinch the girl's cheek but then her mind cleared and she noticed one important detail.

If she wasn't wrong, Fu Tian Su is Fu Yanqing's younger sister and she was also the princess!

Oh, dear. Zhao Yan immediately tried to sit up to offer her greetings. First impressions were important. She couldn't look bad in front of this little ancestor. She was Fu Yanqing's younger sister.

Naturally, Zhao Yan needed to establish a good relationship with her to avoid conflicts and whatnot.

Unbeknownst to Zhao Yan, Fu Tian Su already has a favorable impression of her. Any woman who was able to earn her big brother's affection would naturally be someone that she admires.

And mostly because Fu Tian Su couldn't wait to hold her little nephew.

Fu Yanqing placed his hands on Zhao Yan's shoulder to stop her from getting up.

"You are still weak. No need for formalities." He told her. "This is my younger sister and the princess, Fu Tian Su."

Zhao Yan blinked and glanced at the cute girl with a heart-shaped face and silky black hair.

She smiled and tried to look fine. "It is nice to meet you, princess. I am Li Zhao Yan." Zhao Yan did not elaborate on her background. She was not proud of her origins.

Even though she was a di daughter of the main wife, she was still the unfavored fourth miss whose existence was similar to grass. It was there but people don't really care about it.

Being a legitimate daughter of Prince Li's mansion was a great honor, they said. But behind the prestige and wealth, was a sad and cruel place where people lie and trick each other for power.

She was probably not the only one who has experienced growing up in that kind of environment but Zhao Yan still averted talking about it.

Zhao Yan also noticed the Empress Dowager and felt surprised as well but she quickly greeted her, "Greetings Your Majesty. My apologies for looking unsightly in front of you. Zhao Yan remembered smelling a strong bloody smell that caused Zhao Yan to faint which led to this current situation. Zhao Yan is ashamed to face her majesty this way. "

Which part of her was unsightly? All three people examined her up and down. Aside from her pale complexion, they really couldn't find any fault in her appearance.

What happened was unforeseen and wasn't Zhao Yan's fault. In the first place, when they heard she fainted from smelling something 'bloody,' they instinctively knew why.

All the people in the palace were aware of what happened one year ago along with the recent months. The palace was purged and combed thoroughly by Fu Yanqing's men.

In fact, all the snakes that had remained were merely a bunch of fishes trying to swim in the same water as sharks. They were easy to dispose of and control which was why they did not pose any problem to the throne. They were only there to be controlled and used.

The reason the rebellion occurred was because of the previous emperor's poor governance and public acts of debauchery that were tarnishing the royal family.

Concubine Xiang was one of the many culprits along with a few others.

Concubine Xiang's maternal and paternal family had also been executed for being accomplices. The woman who had the most powerful backing among the late emperor's concubines fell pitifully from grace.

She was forced to suffer when Fu Yanqing usually didn't torture women. However, Concubine Xiang's crimes were so numerous that there was simply no way for the woman to escape execution as punishment.

She had schemed at so many people and conspired with a lot of officials as well as assassinated other concubines which led to a mass execution when it was uncovered.

In the harem, the new concubines usually got abused or were brutally tortured by her to prevent them from trying to flirt with the late emperor.

Concubine Xiang was also brazen enough to ridicule the Empress Dowager because the Empress Dowager was not favored by the late emperor.

The Empress Dowager Fu Rong who came from a Duke family has a weak personality and rarely does she fight or win against Concubine Xiang.

This made Concubine Xiang's ego grow bigger to the point that she was bold enough to bribe officials during daylight.

Of course, Fu Yanqing made sure to expose every single crime that Concubine Xiang was involved in and had successfully grasp the throne.

Still, it was an unspoken thing that the Imperial Palace was a desolate and bloody place that was similar to a battlefield when the rebellion and purging occurred. Hundreds of dead bodies everywhere laid on the palace grounds.

It was a gruesome sight that came out of a nightmare and was etched deeply in the hearts of the surviving few who had remained neutral and low-key.

Still, it was because they remained neutral that they also became lower-ranked subordinates with only a superficial title to hold on to.

They had no real power and the memory of that bloody revolution was proof that they had chosen wrong for not choosing a side.

This bloody event was recorded in history in great detail because of Prince Jing's orders.

It was a warning to everyone and to all future generations.

That the palace where the son of the empire stays is no heaven but a living hell filled with greedy demons.

This was why when Zhao Yan blurted out the word 'bloody', they immediately understood and did not need any further convincing.

▪▪▪