Chapter 90 – Rebirth: The Poisonous Concubine (31)
That night, the Cining Palace finally quieted down.
The Empress Dowager had finished her meal, taken her medicine, and gone to sleep. The palace servants had undergone inspections, with no issues found, and the imperial physicians had returned to the Imperial Medical Bureau. It seemed as though everything had settled.
But outside the window of the Empress Dowager’s bedchamber, a shadow flickered past.
The Empress Dowager, who had been sleeping uneasily, woke with a start. She wanted to call for her attendants, but to her horror, she couldn’t move.
She couldn’t make a sound, either. Only her neck could still turn.
With terror in her eyes, she watched as the window slowly creaked open.
A strip of white silk slithered in from outside like a ghostly apparition, silent and unnatural, slipping into the room without alerting the guards outside—coming to claim her life.
“Hhngh… hhhngh…!”
The Empress Dowager tried to force out a sound, desperate to attract her attendants’ attention, but her voice was so faint that even the rustling of the tree leaves outside was louder.
At that moment, the candlelight flickered and died.
When she turned back to the window, the white silk was gone.
No trace of it remained—as if it had never been there.
The Empress Dowager stared at the half-open window, and despair spread through her heart.
It was inside.
That thing… had already entered.
“Empress Dowager~ It’s so cold down here, and my neck hurts so much…”
Hiding under the bed, Bai Mo spoke into the voice changer that Xiao Bobao had kindly provided. The hauntingly hollow and echoing female voice drifted through the room, sounding as if it were both far away and right beside the Empress Dowager’s ear.
“Ah… Ahhh!”
Overwhelmed with terror, the Empress Dowager finally found her voice. “Consort Yu, no—y-you… don’t come any closer! It wasn’t me who harmed you!”
Back when the Empress Dowager was still a concubine, she had eliminated many of the former emperor’s consorts and heirs. Among them, Consort Yu had been the most beautiful. She had also given birth to the emperor’s most beloved prince, threatening the Empress Dowager’s position and earning her endless mockery from the other concubines.
The former emperor had even considered making Consort Yu his empress.
To secure her own power and status, the future Empress Dowager framed Consort Yu for having an affair with a palace guard. She orchestrated a scene where multiple consorts “accidentally” witnessed their supposed illicit encounter.
Once Consort Yu was banished to the Cold Palace, the Empress Dowager personally ended her life with a white silk cloth, staging it as a suicide from despair.
The former emperor, having long grown tired of Consort Yu, reacted with nothing but disgust when he heard of her death. He refused to bury her in the imperial tombs, instead having her body dumped in the wild to be eaten by stray dogs. A woman so tainted and unclean had no right to enter his royal mausoleum.
And once the Empress Dowager had committed her first murder, there came a second, then a third.
From then on, one consort after another, one prince after another, met tragic ends at her hands. But by that time, she had already climbed to the rank of Imperial Noble Consort, a position just below the empress herself.
Countless people flattered and fawned over her, eager to please. She no longer needed to dirty her own hands. A mere command from her lips was enough—there would always be someone willing to do her bidding.
These dark secrets had been purchased at great cost by Xiao Bobao, who had spent a hefty amount of points to obtain them. Between the Xiao Bobao and the Empress Dowager, Bai Mo naturally chose to trust Xiao Bobao.
“Look at me, dear sister… My neck… The marks you left on me are still here.”
The “female ghost” reached out, grasping the edge of the Empress Dowager’s bed.
Slowly, she crawled out from underneath—dressed in white, hair disheveled, her neck marred by dark, glaring strangulation marks.
“It hurts so much… My neck hurts… My head hurts too… Sister, why don’t you try it yourself?”
Bai Mo offered the Empress Dowager an invitation, ever so sincerely.
Of course, he had no intention of taking her life.
This was simply meant to scare her.
“No, no! Don’t come any closer! I was wrong! I know I was wrong! I’ll burn paper money for you from now on, just go away…”
At some point, the Empress Dowager regained control of her body. She curled up in the corner of her bed, trembling violently under her blanket, as if hiding from sight would make the ‘female ghost’ disappear.
Bai Mo had watched countless horror films, but he had never seen such a weak protagonist. Even supporting characters in horror movies put up a better fight—at least they tried to run.
And the Empress Dowager?
She could move now—so why wasn’t she running?
Didn’t she know that his dear Chenyi was still waiting for his cue?
Playing his role as the ‘female ghost’ with great dedication, Bai Mo slowly reached for the Empress Dowager’s blanket.
The fabric inched downward, little by little.
Just as the Empress Dowager’s face was about to be fully exposed to the ‘ghost,’ she let out a piercing scream, leapt off the bed, and bolted.
Now that’s more like it!
Bai Mo smiled and turned to watch the window.
The door was too far from the bed, so logically, the Empress Dowager should choose the closer escape route.
Sure enough, she rushed straight for the window, desperate to climb out.
But just as she reached it—
A shadowy figure suddenly appeared outside.
Draped in pure black, the figure clutched a soul-reaping chain.
“B-Black Impermanence!”
The Empress Dowager staggered backward in terror.
A ghost behind her. A ghostly warden in front of her.
Where was she supposed to run?!
At that moment, Black Impermanence spoke.
“It’s almost time for your reincarnation. Hurry up—if we don’t complete the exchange, you’ll have to wait another ten years.”
The Empress Dowager’s pupils dilated.
An exchange… an exchange of lives.
They had come to take her life!
“No, no! Great Ghost Warden, Consort Yu, I admit it! It was all my fault! I was the one who wronged you!”
She collapsed to her knees, frantically pleading.
“Please don’t take me! I’ll do anything! I don’t want to die!”
She hadn’t enjoyed enough of her wealth and power in this life. She couldn’t die just yet.
Bai Mo, still pretending to be Consort Yu’s vengeful spirit, exchanged a knowing glance with Chenyi, who was playing Black Impermanence.
Then, clearing his throat, Bai Mo spoke through the voice changer.
“You wronged me… I suffered… I refuse to accept this… Give me your life in return—”
The vengeful ‘Consort Yu’ lunged forward, sharp nails aimed at the Empress Dowager’s throat.
A putrid stench filled the air.
A suspicious puddle spread across the floor.
Bai Mo, nearly stepping into it, silently took a few steps back, expression unreadable.
Ew~ She wet herself.
Stay away. I have a cleanliness obsession. This Empress Dowager is filthy.
Bai Mo’s disgust was written all over his face. He turned to Chenyi with a pleading look—
Chen Yi, save me! This person is too dirty!
Chenyi’s dark eyes shimmered with amusement.
With a swift motion, he looped the soul-reaping chain around the Empress Dowager, pulling her away from Bai Mo as she desperately kowtowed and begged for mercy.
And now—it was time for negotiations.
Black Impermanence declared that the Empress Dowager’s lifespan had not yet ended.
If Consort Yu didn’t take action soon, she would miss the opportunity for the exchange, and her chance for revenge would be lost.
Hearing this, the Empress Dowager panicked and doubled down on her pleas, spilling out promises as if they cost her nothing—
Burning paper money, making offerings, taking care of Consort Yu’s family… anything!
But none of that was what Bai Mo wanted.
His demands were simple:
The Empress Dowager must not target the Bai or Yu families.
However, if he stated this too directly, she might suspect that someone was deliberately orchestrating this.
So, Bai Mo took his time, drawing out the negotiations.
At last, he reluctantly agreed to her terms—but on one condition:
She had to write down every single evil deed she had committed and make amends to all those she had harmed.
She also had to sign a formal pledge promising never to harm the innocent again— including Bai Mo, Madame Bai, and Madame Yu.
And if he ever discovered that she had broken her word—
Or, worse, doubled down on her wicked ways…
Then he would gladly stay in the underworld for another ten years.
After all, he had plenty of free time.
He would make nightly visits to the Empress Dowager—
For “heart-to-heart” chats.
At first, the Empress Dowager thought that writing a confession and a pledge would be the end of it.
But the moment she heard that Consort Yu would visit her every night, she nearly stopped breathing on the spot—
She would have rather offered up her own life for the exchange.
Fortunately, Chenyi stepped in at the critical moment.
With a precise strike of his soul-reaping chain, he hit an acupoint on the Empress Dowager’s body—saving her life and restoring her breath.
Hands trembling, the Empress Dowager signed the confession and pressed her fingerprint onto it.
Bai Mo glared at her fiercely.
“Black Impermanence will bear witness to this. If you fail to keep your promise, I won’t just visit you myself— I’ll bring some friends along to meet you too.”
“Y-yes, yes, yes…!”
The Empress Dowager nodded frantically, too terrified to say or even think of anything else.
Just then, a chilling gust of wind swept through the room. Scrolls and papers swirled into the air, scattering across the chamber.
Forced to shut her eyes, the Empress Dowager waited for the storm to pass.
When she finally opened them again—
The two figures were gone.
But the red fingerprint on the document, along with the chaotic mess left behind—
Proved that everything had been real.
She pinched herself—
It hurt.
It was real.
It was all real.
“Somebody! Somebody—!”
The Empress Dowager screamed at the top of her lungs.
The night attendants rushed in, pushing open the doors. With candles relit, the chamber brightened once more. Seeing the mess scattered across the floor, the palace maids’ faces filled with shock.
“Empress Dowager…”
One of them stepped forward to support her—
Only to catch a whiff of an awful stench. Glancing down, she spotted the large wet stain on the Empress Dowager’s robes.
D-Did she… wet herself?!
“You worthless fools! Did you not hear me calling for you?!”
The Empress Dowager snapped in fury. The palace maids dropped to their knees, hastily pleading for forgiveness.
“We were right outside, Your Majesty! W-We truly didn’t hear anything…”
But the more the Empress Dowager thought about it, the angrier she became. She was convinced they were lying to cover up their negligence.
How could they possibly have missed all that noise?!
Meanwhile, a senior maid, who had twisted her back earlier, hurriedly crawled out of bed after hearing the Empress Dowager’s outburst.
She scolded the attendants for failing in their duties—
And just as she uttered the words, “Drag them out and behead them!”—
A sudden gust of wind blasted through the chamber. The candle flames flickered violently, on the verge of extinguishing.
Terrified, the Empress Dowager shrieked, “I won’t do it! I won’t! Please, no more—!”
The wind ceased immediately.
“Shut the windows! Now—close them all!”
Her voice cracked as she screamed, clawing so hard at the maid’s arm that it drew blood. With the windows sealed tight, the warm glow of candlelight filled the room once more.
Only then did the Empress Dowager regain her composure.
She grudgingly spared the attendants—
But warned them never to make such a mistake again. As the palace maids finished cleaning the mess and were about to leave, the Empress Dowager spoke up.
“No. None of you are to leave.”
“You will stay here.”
“And keep me company while I sleep.”
Though she was surrounded by several people, thanks to the Long Night, Many Dreams Potion Bai Mo had slipped her earlier—
The Empress Dowager still slept restlessly. In her uneasy slumber, she mumbled apologies, then suddenly spat out cruel words.
Here and there, shocking royal secrets slipped from her lips—
Leaving the palace maids pale with fear.
How unlucky were they to be on night duty tonight?!
They had heard far too much.
Would they even live to see the next sunrise?
…
Meanwhile…
Outside the Empress Dowager’s chamber, two figures quietly packed away their hidden wind machine.
Hand in hand, they snuck off to the Imperial Kitchen—
For a well-deserved midnight feast. (A.K.A. stealing food.)
Chen Yi, once the very picture of a refined gentleman, Had officially fallen to Bai Mo’s level.
Xiao Bobao covered its face in despair—
It couldn’t bear to watch.
Do you even realize your character setting is completely ruined?!
Yu Chenyi had no idea that Xiao Bobao was roasting him in its mind.
Even if he did, he wouldn’t care. So what if he spoiled his wife?
It was an honor!
After all, his whole family had the ‘wife-pampering’ gene.
…
The Imperial Kitchen was empty—
Only a young eunuch sat dozing off at his post. With a quick tap to his sleep acupoint, Yu Chenyi knocked him out completely.
Now free to move, Bai Mo and Yu Chenyi slipped inside without a hitch. Gathering firewood, lighting a fire, boiling noodles—
A simple midnight snack.
Yet, because Yu Chenyi personally made it, Even Bai Mo, who had tasted countless delicacies, found it extra delicious.
“Brother Chenyi, you eat too. You worked hard tonight.”
If not for him controlling the wind machine outside,
The eerie, bone-chilling atmosphere wouldn’t have been half as convincing.
As she spoke, Bai Mo pulled out the Empress Dowager’s handwritten confession and guarantee letter and stuffed it into his hands.
“I don’t really get this stuff,” she admitted, “but it might come in handy for you.”
In the original storyline, Brother Chenyi managed to persuade the army to rebel with him. Though she didn’t know how he convinced all those soldiers, It couldn’t have been an easy process.
But now, with this evidence in hand—
If the Empress Dowager ever dared to harm them again,
Yu Chenyi’s rebellion would be justified.
And the whole process would go much smoother.