45: Chapter 45 Fourth Life, All-in Failure? Watch Me Turn the Tide (Twenty-Two)

King of Tianhuang Xiao Zhan opened his eyes, his gaze filled with resolute coldness.

"Consider this the final lesson I am giving to Heir Xiao Heng before passing on the throne.

A ruler must not have weaknesses, and must never be swayed in emotion or judgment by anyone, not even those closest to him.

Besides, removing such power-hungry individuals early on may not be a bad thing for Heir Xiao Heng or the Tianhuang Princes Mansion."

"As for the second son and the Lin family, they must be given an outlet for their frustrations, lest they cause greater trouble in the future."

Having made his decision, he summoned a trusted eunuch and whispered, "Go to the palace of Noble Consort Lin and deliver my oral decree..."

In the palace of Noble Consort Lin, there was dead silence.

The former luxury remained, but it was now shrouded in an aura of decay.

Noble Consort Lin sat alone before her vanity, staring at her reflection in the bronze mirror—still beautiful, yet faintly revealing a visage of despair and decline—and remained silent.

Her son had been deposed and confined to the backyard of the Tianhuang Princes Mansion, with no hope for this life.

Her greatest backer, the Old Prince, had ignored her since emerging from seclusion, clearly having abandoned her.

Her life seemed to have fallen from the clouds into the mud overnight.

Just as Noble Consort Lin was lost in thought, her maid cautiously knocked on the door and whispered from outside, "Your Ladyship, Head Steward Hu is here to deliver an oral decree from the Old Prince."

Her pupils dilated sharply, and immediately, immense joy and hope erupted in her eyes.

She murmured softly, "Old Prince, you have finally thought of Lin'er; it turns out you have not forgotten me."

She quickly composed herself and stumbled out, unable to wait to hear the arrangements of King of Tianhuang Xiao Zhan.

She didn't even care about the decorum she usually valued most.

Soon, after Noble Consort Lin dismissed her attendants, Head Steward Hu relayed the oral decree of King of Tianhuang Xiao Zhan word for word.

But when Noble Consort Lin finished listening to the decree, her joy was instantly doused by ice water, replaced by a chill that surged up from the soles of her feet.

She slumped to the floor, a miserable smile of mixed despair, resentment, and realization appearing on her face.

After being dazed for a moment, she slowly stood up and said to Head Steward Hu, who had come to deliver the message, "Please tell the Old Prince that Lin'er understands and will certainly not make things difficult for the Old Prince."

Afterwards, Noble Consort Lin waved her hand and turned to walk alone into the empty palace.

She sat back down before the vanity mirror, looking at that even more tragically beautiful face in the mirror, and suddenly laughed for no reason.

As she laughed, tears streamed down uncontrollably.

"Heh... Hahaha..."

She chuckled, her voice hoarse, "Old Prince, oh Old Prince, you really are... mindful of old affections.

Giving this concubine a chance for revenge?

Or... borrowing my hand to get rid of that slave who is also an eyesore to you?

Afraid that his power will become too great in the future and affect your good son, The New King?"

The one she hated most was naturally Heir Xiao Heng, that little beast who ruined her son and took everything from them.

Secondly, it was that eunuch dog named Wang Shi!

If not for his schemes, her Ze'er might not have lost so miserably.

Now, the Old Prince had pointed this eunuch dog toward her, yet clearly told her that she could only move against this dog, not the master.

She was unwilling, yet helpless.

"Very well... very well..." Noble Consort Lin wiped away her tears, her eyes filled only with the venomous spite of a viper and the madness of burning her bridges.

"If I cannot move against the master, then I will kill his most capable dog, which will also make that little beast suffer deep heartbreak.

Old Prince, this 'favor' of yours, this concubine... will remember it!"

She quickly calmed down and thought about how to proceed.

Do it herself? No, that wouldn't do.

The Tianhuang Princes Mansion was now the world of Heir Xiao Heng and Wang Shi; as a fallen Noble Consort, how many people could she still use?

She feared that as soon as she hinted at this, it would be leaked by those treacherous servants.

And once exposed, she and Yan'er would truly be doomed beyond salvation.

She had to use another's hand to kill, and quickly!

She had to act before the Old Prince and the four ancestors left, and before Heir Xiao Heng officially ascended the throne and his power became more solidified.

Noble Consort Lin immediately obtained permission to leave the mansion under the pretext of "returning to her maiden home to visit her ailing mother."

After all, although she had lost power, she was still a Noble Consort, the Noble Consort of the Old Prince, so naturally, no one dared to stop her.

And the newly empowered Heir Xiao Heng and Wang Shi, upon hearing this, did not deliberately make things difficult for her, perhaps also feeling that she could not stir up any waves.

Soon, she arrived at the Lin family estate located on the east side of the center of Tianhuang City.

This was a complex of buildings only a circle smaller than the Tianhuang Princes Mansion, with carved beams and painted pillars, magnificent and extraordinary, fully displaying the style of an established wealthy family.

The Lin family was an old, established clan that had been passed down for hundreds of years in Tianhuang City.

There were several Silver Marrow ancestors in the clan, and her father, the previous head of the Lin family, also possessed the strength of someone who had just entered the Silver Marrow Realm.

The family had a profound heritage and was also Noble Consort Lin's greatest reliance outside the Tianhuang Princes Mansion.

It was also her greatest aid in being able to fight against Queen Yuan for so many years.

However, when she knelt before her father and her eldest brother, the current head of the family, weeping about her son's miserable state and begging the family to step in and help her get rid of Wang Shi to vent her and her son's anger.

What she received in return was a long silence, and finally, a cold refusal.

"Your Ladyship," the old family head, who was also her father, said in a tone that was distant and polite.

"Regarding the matter of the Second Prince, this old man also feels deep pain.

But matters of the Tianhuang Princes Mansion have always been treacherous and unpredictable.

During the previous military remonstrance, our Lin family maintained neutrality and did not dare to take sides, only then were we preserved.

Now that the influence of The New King is established, the primary task of our Lin family is the continuation of the family.

We truly dare not involve ourselves in such dangerous situations again and gamble the lives and future of the entire clan."

"Father!" Noble Consort Lin looked up in disbelief, "Ze'er is your own grandson!

Now that we, mother and son, have fallen into trouble, is the maternal family unwilling to even move against a single eunuch for our sake?

Besides... besides, this is not without the tacit approval of the Old Prince!"

She could not help it in the end and implicitly pointed out that there was the Old Prince's instruction behind this matter.

A sharp glint flashed in the old family head's eyes, but he immediately shook his head, his tone even more resolute:

"Even if there truly is the intention of the Old Prince, that is a game between the Old Prince and The New King.

Our Lin family is unwilling to be this chess piece.

Your Ladyship, please return. In the future, just rest peacefully in the Tianhuang Princes Mansion.

The Lin family will never be short of any expenses for you."

Noble Consort Lin's hope was completely dashed; she looked at her father's cold face and the evasive eyes of her brothers nearby, her heart turning to ash.

She knew that the family had completely abandoned her and her son.

After the immense anger and unwillingness, there was a deeper despair.

Now, she truly had nothing left to rely on.

No, there was still one thing: money.

She took a deep breath, slowly suppressed all her emotions, and put on a look of miserable resignation:

"Father, brothers, since the family is unwilling to help, this concubine does not dare to force it.

It is just that the deep palace will be bitter in the future, and Ze'er and I will need some money to handle things in order to survive.

I beg Father, for the sake of our father-daughter relationship and for the sake of your pitiful grandson, to bestow a sum of wealth.

Let this concubine... find a way on her own, at least to handle things so that Ze'er can suffer a little less in the place of confinement."