Chapter 9: Blood and Gold
The great hall of the palace was suffocating with silence. Golden pillars stood tall like silent judges, their dragon engravings glinting coldly under the late afternoon sun. Ministers in stiff robes lined both sides of the chamber, gazes lowered, faces unreadable. At the far end of the hall, the dragon throne loomed. Upon it sat Emperor Gaozong, regal but wearied, his features shadowed by uncertainty. Beside him stood Wu Zhao, dressed in mourning silk , yet her presence drew more eyes than the emperor himself.
Two figures were dragged to the center: Empress Wang and Consort Xiao. Gone were their fineries. Their hair was unpinned, robes plain and stained, wrists bound in silk cords that showed no mercy.
"Bring forth the charges," Gaozong's voice rang out , brittle, but commanding.
A eunuch stepped forward, unrolling a long scroll. His voice echoed:
"Empress Wang and Consort Xiao stand accused of conspiracy against the throne, the murder of an imperial heir, and treason through manipulation of court affairs."
The accusations pierced the hall like knives.
Wang raised her chin, the proud curve of her neck untouched by fear.
"Lies," she said, her voice steady. "This is her doing." Her eyes flickered to Wu Zhao. "She poisons your ears, Your Majesty."
The emperor's jaw tightened.
"The child you tried to kill was mine."
"I had no reason!" Wang snapped. "Why would I harm your child?"
"She hated me," Wu Zhao spoke, her voice calm, even gentle. "She hated what I meant to the emperor. To the future of the dynasty."
Xiao trembled. "I... I didn't know... I only wanted to protect the palace from ruin."
"Enough!" Gaozong cut in sharply.
The doors opened again, and the old midwife was led in under guard protection. She bowed deeply, her face pale.
"Speak the truth," the emperor said.
The midwife shook as she spoke. "The child was healthy when born. But when I stepped out ,
at the empress's order , I heard… I heard the child cry once more before it went silent. I found Lady Wu weeping, and the child…" She choked. "The child was dead."
Gasps rippled through the room.
Wang's face drained of color. "You believe her?" she pointed, voice rising. "A low-born, power-hungry..."
"Silence!" Gaozong thundered, his voice like a lash. "The court has heard enough."
For a long moment, only the emperor's breathing could be heard. Then he stood.
"Empress Wang. Consort Xiao. You have both betrayed the sacred trust of this throne. For the crime of conspiracy, the murder of my child, and for threatening the harmony of the empire..." , his voice cracked slightly, but he steeled it , "I strip you of all titles. You are to be executed by imperial decree."
"No…!" Xiao cried out, collapsing. "Please, Your Majesty, spare me...."
Wang did not scream. Her gaze was fixed on Wu Zhao, sharp and burning.
"You've won," she whispered. "For now."
Guards moved forward. The women were dragged out , Xiao sobbing, Wang silent and proud to the end.
Wu Zhao said nothing. But as the doors shut behind the condemned, a whisper drifted through the chamber like smoke:
"The phoenix rises where others fall.
The air was thick with incense and iron. The execution courtyard, hidden deep within the inner palace, had been cleared at dawn. The stone tiles had been scrubbed, but the scent of old blood lingered like a warning.
Noble ministers, court officials, and a few handpicked eunuchs gathered in silence, their gazes flickering between curiosity and fear. It was not often that royalty was executed.
A hush fell as the condemned were brought forward.
Empress Wang walked first, her once-lavish robes now reduced to a plain white mourning dress. Her hair blew softly in the wind. Yet she held her head high, eyes burning with pride.
Consort Xiao followed, less composed. Her steps faltered, lips trembling as she scanned the faces of the crowd for sympathy. Her eyes locked on no one.
From the dais above, Emperor Gaozong watched. He sat on a raised throne flanked by guards, but his face was pale. Beside him stood Wu Zhao, dressed in crimson. Her gaze was calm, regal.
The herald stepped forward, unrolling the decree with shaking hands
"By the will of His Majesty, Son of Heaven, Protector of the Realm — Empress Wang and Consort Xiao are hereby found guilty of treason, witchcraft, and regicide. For crimes against the crown, they are sentenced to death, stripped of title, name, and honour."
A low murmur rippled through the assembly.
Wang finally turned her head, eyes locking with the emperor's. "Coward," she said, her voice clear.
Consort Xiao began to weep openly. "Please... I beg you. Spare me. I only wanted to protect you."
The guards stepped forward, dragging them to the execution platform. A heavy axe gleamed in the light.
As Wang knelt, she whispered something inaudible. A prayer? A curse? No one could tell.
The executioner raised the blade.
Thud.
Her head fell to the ground, eyes wide open.
Another cry. Another fall.
From the dais, Gaozong turned away, hand covering his mouth.
Wu Zhao, unmoved, stepped forward, staring at the lifeless bodies.
A eunuch bowed low beside her. "The court awaits your next command, Lady Wu."
She nodded slowly.
"Let the court know," she said, "that loyalty will be rewarded. Treason , no matter how noble the face will always be punished."
She turned, her red sleeves swaying behind her like fire.
Blood had been spilled. Now came the gold.
Night had fallen over the palace.
The torches flickered softly in the imperial study, casting golden light over scrolls, maps, and half-drunk tea.
Emperor Gaozong sat alone. The echoes of the judgment chamber still haunted him , the scream of Consort Xiao, the cold defiance of Empress Wang.
He held his head in his hands, fingers trembling. "She was my wife."
The door creaked open behind him. It was Wu Zhao.
He turned slowly, eyes red-rimmed , vulnerable in a way no emperor should ever be.
"Was it right?" he asked, voice cracking. "I condemned my wife."
Wu Zhao knelt beside him. "You condemned someone who tried to destroy your future." She dabbed gently. "She killed an innocent child."
"But she loved me once. I remember her laughter, her letters, her loyalty."
Wu Zhao rested a hand over his. "And yet, power changes people. Time unmasks them."
He closed his eyes briefly. "She died hating me."
"No," Wu Zhao said, her voice low. "She died fearing you."
Gaozong looked at her , this woman who was so soft in voice, yet so iron-willed.
"I don't know who I am anymore."
Wu Zhao smiled faintly. "You are the Son of Heaven. A ruler brave enough to make the hard choices no one else dares."
"Tell me I'm not a monster," he begged.
"You are a king," she said, drawing his head against her shoulder. "And kings must walk through blood to reach gold."
Wu Zhao held him close, her lips curling slightly over his head , where he couldn't see.
The news of Empress Wang and Consort Xiao's execution spread faster than fire on dry grass. From the jade halls to the smoky alleys of Luoyang, the people whispered.
Servants gossiped in the kitchens. Merchants muttered at the market stalls. Nobles lowered their voices behind silk screens.
"The empress is dead?"
"Two heads rolled in the palace courtyard. Can you believe it?"
"They say Lady Wu stood and watched like... a god of death."
But one thing was certain , the empire had changed.
Inside a side hall of the palace, ministers began to move , cautiously, carefully , toward the one they now recognized as the true rising power.
Minister Li Jinxuan, old and cunning, was the first. He knelt at Wu Zhao's feet with a sealed document.
"Your Ladyship, the western provinces have submitted new tax reports. With your wisdom… I believe only you can advise His Majesty appropriately."
Wu Zhao accepted the scroll without a word. His fingers brushed the silk , soft like a promise.
Next came Chief Eunuch Zhou, a man known for switching allegiances as easily as his robes.
"Noble Lady Wu," he said with a bow, "I have seen many reigns. But none with your clarity. I pray you allow me to serve more closely… at your discretion, of course."
Others followed , small gifts, whispered praise, subtle nods. Poems. Precious stones. Even a white fox pelt, symbol of cunning and spiritual favour.
Wu Zhao accepted all with measured stillness. She gave little in return , just a glance, a word, a slight tilt of her lips.
But those things meant everything.
The imperial gardens were quieter now.
Where once Empress Wang had strolled with her court ladies and Consort Xiao had thrown peacock-feathered banquets, now only the rustle of silk lingered.
Wu Zhao, cloaked in crimson, walked beside the emperor.
"Your Majesty," she said softly, "you've not eaten all day."
He turned to her. "No one dares speak to me the way you do."
Wu Zhao reached for a fallen flower and offered it to him. "Because they fear you. I do not."
The emperor accepted the jasmine flower, inhaling its fragrance.
"They say I am cruel," he said. "A man who kills his wife and concubine. Do you think so?"
"No," Wu Zhao replied. "A cruel man acts for pleasure. A just ruler acts for peace."
He reached for her hand.
"Every time I fight myself, I find you. Every time I lose sleep, it's your voice that soothes me."
They stood beneath a willow tree, the lake reflecting their blurred figures.
"Wu Zhao."
"Your Majesty?"
"This court is hollow without a queen. The people need stability. I need someone to restore it."
Wu Zhao's eyes flickered. She had waited for this.
"The wind whispers many names, Your Majesty. But it is yours I hear clearest."
The emperor smiled and brushed her cheek.
"Very soon," he muttered.
When morning broke, a new silk robe embroidered with dragons and phoenixes was delivered to Wu Zhao's residence , symbols once reserved for an empress.
She didn't wear it yet. But it hung in waiting.
The Great Phoenix Hall stood silent, golden light pouring through latticed windows, illuminating ancient carvings and the empty throne that once belonged to Empress Wang.
The doors creaked open.
Wu Zhao stepped in.
She was cloaked in flowing golden silk, the sleeves embroidered with fire dragons. Her hair was arranged high with phoenix pins. Her footsteps echoed in the vast chamber , slow and deliberate.
Court ladies watched from the shadows, whispering:
"She dares walk in
here… she's not even crowned."
Wu Zhao said nothing. She climbed the dais.
One step. Two. Three.
She raised her hand... and gently brushed her fingers against the lacquered armrest.
Then she spoke, her voice silk and steel
"Let them speak, let them plot, in the end, gold shines brighter than blood".
It was clear, a new sun was rising, and her name was WU ZHAO