Chapter 32: The Mastermind Behind the Scenes

"My Lady, My Lady..."

Hearing this, Pan Yu struggled to scramble up in excitement, but the next second, realization dawned on him, and his heart sank.

"No, you are not the Empress Dowager. You are the nanny!"

"Nanny, save me, please save me..."

The person removed her hood; it was indeed the old nanny who served the Empress Dowager.

"Speak," the old nanny said in a low voice. "What important intelligence do you have? I can relay it to the Empress Dowager on your behalf."

"No, no, I must see the Empress Dowager in person!" Pan Yu shouted.

The old nanny snorted coldly. "What a joke. If the Empress Dowager wanted to see you, she wouldn't have sent me."

"Your time is running out."

"Speak quickly, and don't waste time with nonsense."

Seeing the old nanny’s indifferent expression, Pan Yu’s heart turned to ash. "Nanny, does the Empress Dowager already know that I... that I, back in my hometown..."

"What do you think?" The old nanny looked at him with disgust.

Pan Yu pleaded desperately, "I am wronged, Nanny, I am truly wronged! I have always been loyal to the Empress Dowager. How could I have done those things? It was my family—I simply failed to discipline them properly. I will certainly in the future..."

Before he could finish, the nanny threw a small booklet into Pan Yu’s face and said sternly, "Still trying to quibble? See for yourself what this is!"

Pan Yu tremblingly picked up the booklet, and his entire body froze on the spot. It was densely packed with records of all his crimes over the years: assassinating local officials, accepting bribes, abducting women, keeping a private harem, and treating human lives as worthless...

Pan Yu frantically tore the booklet to shreds, shouting, "This—how can this be? No, what is written here is fake, it's all fake..."

The old nanny sneered, "Fake?"

"Pan Yu, oh Pan Yu, how long do you intend to keep up this charade?"

"This was handed over by your trusted confidant, Zhang Meng. He has already confessed all your crimes in the imperial court, in front of all the civil and military officials!"

Pan Yu was stunned. "Zhang Meng? No, that’s impossible. He was already dead. I killed him with my own hands last night at Fan Dayou’s place. This—how is this possible..."

The old nanny interrupted him mockingly, "You didn't expect that he was saved by Fan Dayou, did you? And that he secretly recorded all your crimes!"

"You only have your own stupidity to blame for not realizing sooner that your subordinate was secretly documenting your every transgression!"

"You are truly pathetic—even your own confidant would betray you!"

"And it's no wonder. You were trying to kill him; having survived such a disaster, how could he not turn against you?"

"Fool!"

Seeing this, Pan Yu crawled to the cell gate and grabbed the nanny’s leg through the bars, weeping bitterly: "I was wrong. Please, Nanny, plead my case to the Empress Dowager. I truly know I was wrong. Please tell her that I will, in the future..."

The old nanny kicked him away and interrupted with a look of revulsion, "There is no future for you!"

"Pan Yu, do you know what your greatest mistake was?"

"In truth, no matter how many people you killed or how many crimes you committed, the Empress Dowager would have continued to protect you."

"Even when the young Emperor was assassinated in the palace last time, she had no intention of actually killing you."

"But you should never, ever have touched other women!"

"That has crossed the Empress Dowager’s bottom line!"

"The Empress Dowager has said that she will never believe a single word you say again, nor will she give you any more chances..."

***

As he spoke, Pan Yu suddenly shouted, "No, no, I am still useful! I can still help the Empress Dowager. By the way, guess who I saw at Fan Dayou’s house?"

"Zhou Suruo. I saw Zhou Suruo. The woman Fan Dayou brought back is the biological granddaughter of that little beast Ning Chen’s maternal grandfather, Zhou Suruo. She is not dead..."

The old nanny snorted coldly, "Nonsense. The body of that female witness has already been brought before the Great Hall. With so many eyes watching, how could it be Zhou Suruo!"

"Pan Yu, Pan Yu, you are at death’s door, and you still want to deceive the Empress Dowager?"

Pan Yu was stunned, his mind going completely blank.

"How is that possible?"

"That woman was clearly Zhou Suruo. I would recognize her even if she were turned to ash. How could it not be her..."

"What—what is going on here? What is really happening..."

"Could it be that Zhang Meng conspired with Fan Dayou to deceive everyone?"

"Yes, that must be it!"

"Nanny, it must be that Zhang Meng and Fan Dayou deceived everyone. They produced a fake corpse to fool you all..."

"Nanny, I am certain, that woman was..."

The old nanny seemed to have lost patience. Not wishing to hear any more of Pan Yu’s drivel, she turned and waved her hand. Two men holding daggers opened the cell door and walked toward Pan Yu.

Seeing this, Pan Yu was terrified. "No, no, what are you doing? What are you doing..."

"You cannot kill me, you cannot kill me! I am their..."

***

Yangxin Palace.

Ning Chen, who had slept until late at night, suddenly sat up and began talking to himself like a madman:

"No, Pan Yu must have held a secret about the Empress Dowager!"

"Otherwise, she would never have been so nervous the moment Fan Dayou mentioned him, nor would she have so decisively issued an edict to condemn him."

"Perhaps it is the secret regarding why the Empress Dowager did not hold court from behind the curtain this past year. Yes, it must be a secret from her time at the imperial villa!"

He suddenly shouted, "Xiao Anzi! Xiao Anzi!"

Xiao Anzi immediately rushed to Ning Chen’s bedside, asking nervously, "Your Majesty, what is it? Your Majesty?"

Ning Chen said in a low voice, "Go, send someone to find out exactly where Pan Yu is being held!"

"I must see him before he is executed. I will pry the Empress Dowager’s secret from his own mouth..."

Seeing Ning Chen’s grave expression, Xiao Anzi did not dare to waste time asking questions and hurried out.

Ning Chen sat slowly on the edge of the bed, his youthful face wearing an expression of extreme seriousness.

Though the plan against Pan Yu had been successful, they had used Fan Dayou and his cousin Zhou Suruo to lure the snake out of its hole without any actual evidence, successfully tricking Pan Yu into committing his crimes and forcing the Empress Dowager to abandon him.

Yet, he had always found it strange!

Especially the Empress Dowager’s nervous and uneasy look earlier, and her unhesitating decision to sentence Pan Yu to death.

Now, he had finally figured it out!

It must be because Pan Yu held a secret of hers. The Empress Dowager was worried he would reveal it, which was why she was so nervous. Once she confirmed Pan Yu had not confessed her secret, she was so eager to have him executed that she didn't even summon him to the palace for a confrontation!

He was now certain that the secret must be of great importance!

It might even be enough to deal a fatal blow to the Empress Dowager!

If he could grasp this secret, he might not need to expend so much effort to turn the tables and shake off her control!

He might even be able to force her to hand over the antidote!

Thinking of this, he could no longer sit still. He paced the floor barefoot, muttering to himself, "Xiao Anzi, you must be quick..."

***

Just as Ning Chen was anxiously waiting for Xiao Anzi to return, within the Fengyi Palace, the old nanny looked at the Empress Dowager, whose face was shifting between expressions, and said respectfully, "My Lady, it is done."

"He was stubborn at first, refusing to admit to keeping a harem, but..."

Before she could finish, the Empress Dowager interrupted, "Did he say anything else?"

The old nanny hesitated for a moment before saying, "He finally mentioned them..."

*Clang!*

Suddenly, the Empress Dowager slammed her teacup onto the floor and stood up, trembling with rage. "Scoundrel!"

"He actually had the audacity to mention them!"

"He truly deserves to die!"

Seeing the Empress Dowager so angry, the old nanny quickly changed the subject. "My Lady, Pan Yu also mentioned one more thing..."

"What is it?" the Empress Dowager pressed.

"He... he said the woman he saw at Fan Dayou’s house was Zhou Suruo—the biological granddaughter of the little Emperor’s maternal grandfather..."

Before the old nanny could finish, the Empress Dowager interrupted in a low voice, "What?"

"Zhou Suruo? That old bastard Zhou Xianzu’s biological granddaughter?"

"Isn't she dead?"

The old nanny hesitated. "This servant also finds it unbelievable. That wretch Pan Yu would say anything to stay alive, and besides, the body has already..."

As she spoke, the Empress Dowager frowned and shook her head, muttering to herself, "No!"

"If what Pan Yu says is true, why would Zhou Suruo appear now?"

"Could it be just to take revenge on Pan Yu?"

"Shouldn't the person she most wants revenge on be me?"

"Could it be..."

At this thought, a suspicion she had previously dismissed in the imperial court suddenly resurfaced.

If what Pan Yu said was true, if Zhou Suruo was not dead and had reappeared, and if her true goal was to deal with her...

In an instant, she connected all the recent events together, and a sense of foreboding washed over her.

She looked at the old nanny with a grave expression. "Tell me, is there such a possibility?"

"From Fan Dayou and Master Kong coming forward at my birthday banquet to force me to announce that I would never depose the Emperor, to the repeated assassination attempts on the young Emperor, and now Fan Dayou targeting the commander of my imperial guards..."

"Could there be a conspiracy brewing behind all this, aimed at me?"

Hearing this, the old nanny froze. "No... surely not?"

"If that is the case, then the person behind this is truly terrifying!"

The Empress Dowager frowned, feeling a chill run down her spine. She began to pace, muttering to herself, "Who could this person be?"

"No, I must piece this together properly. Recent events have been filled with too many oddities!"

"To know who is behind the curtain, one must first figure out who the greatest beneficiary of this series of events is!"

"The greatest beneficiary of my promise to never depose the Emperor is that little beast, Ning Chen!"

"Could it be..."