Chapter 289: Finale (I)

The Northern Yan envoy knelt before the emperor and said, "Back then, your father mobilized the entire nation to attack Northern Yan, nearly destroying it. Even now, they haven't recovered."

"Over the past few years, there have been constant harassments on the border. This was not something we wanted to do. It was your mother's instruction that we go south from time to time to delay the border troops and prevent them from returning to the court."

"She allowed us to plunder food, cattle and sheep from the border and promised not to send troops to attack."

The emperor was furious. "How dare you slander the Empress Dowager."

The envoy cried out that he was innocent and presented evidence.

Unexpectedly, the emperor didn't even look at it, grabbed it and threw it away.

"The Queen Mother has passed away, and you are throwing dirty water on her to protect yourselves. How can I forgive you?"

She called out to the imperial guards, "Take this liar out and behead him immediately. Send his head back to Northern Yan and have them send someone to negotiate with us again."

Several ministers standing in the front seats of the cabinet picked up the evidence thrown away by the emperor and exchanged glances with each other.

"Your Majesty, calm down. I don't think this is necessarily Northern Yan shirking responsibility."

The most excited one was Xiao Ciyu.

The Queen Mother Song's conciliatory policy towards Northern Yan made him unable to sleep for several days and nights.

These are all the hard work of the late emperor.

The Ye family, the most valiant and warlike family of the Xi Dynasty, lost their entire clan's lives to capture the city, but it was easily returned to the Queen Mother Song.

God is simply blind.

"The Empress Dowager Song has always been close to Northern Yan. I believe Your Majesty has no objection to this."

As the chief minister of the cabinet, Xiao Ciyu rarely gets so excited.

"When we're fighting Northern Yan, we should have pursued the victory. The Queen Mother not only didn't do that, but she also withdrew the troops for various reasons and later returned the city, saying it was for peace on the border. But has the border ever been peaceful?"

"What Beiyan calls harassment is actually the destruction of countless families along the border of Xi Dynasty."

Xiao Ciyu was indignant. "Just to transfer the leader of the Imperial Guards and facilitate the Song family's seizure of power, they didn't hesitate to collude with the enemy country and harm their own people. This is simply extremely cruel and evil."

He suddenly moved his feet, snatched the papers containing evidence from other ministers one by one, and read them again carefully.

"Your Majesty, these evidences are not fabricated. If Your Majesty does not believe it, then please investigate thoroughly."

Everyone present knew how difficult it was for Xiao Ciyu.

When the Song family controlled the court, he was walking on thin ice and was extremely cautious.

He had experienced all kinds of absurd things, so in his eyes, the edicts issued by the emperor after he ascended the throne were not worth mentioning.

"Lord Xiao, are you sure these so-called evidences are not fabricated?" asked the emperor.

"I am willing to guarantee it with my own life."

Zhang Jing suddenly knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, I am willing to use my official position as a guarantee. I implore Your Majesty not to let your emotions get the better of you. You must investigate what needs to be investigated."

"I join you in the request."

"I join you in the request."

…

This is treason.

The court officials felt a chill when they thought that the person in power before was actually colluding with Northern Yan.

Fortunately, the entire Xi Dynasty was not involved, otherwise, everyone would have become slaves of a conquered country.

Xiao Ci Yu really hated it.

Zhang Jing understood the emperor clearly.

As a former official of the emperor, no one understood better than him how much the emperor hated Empress Dowager Song.

If there really was evidence of a crime that could have dug up Empress Dowager Song's coffin, how could the emperor let her go?

However, as an emperor, he must set an example for the people of the world.

It's not good to dig up your own mother's coffin.

That's why he showed the stack of evidence to the court officials.

There is not a single good person in the Empress Dowager Song and the Song family.

The emperor finally nodded and said, "In that case, let Fengzao Pavilion investigate."

Qu Ling received the imperial edict and arrested the envoy from Northern Yan for interrogation that same day.

This interrogation also elicited a lot of information.

The Queen Mother Song could not have accomplished so many things alone.

Many people who secretly helped pass on information and benefited from it were caught.

By the time the case was finally investigated, it was already midsummer.

The ice mirror on the Golden Throne Hall emitted a hint of coldness.

Qu Ling stated the contents of the case clearly.

"...The Northern Yan envoys spoke the truth. As per Your Majesty's instructions, over ten other officials were implicated and not arrested or tortured; they were simply made to write confessions."

Qu Ling presented another booklet.

"The names and confessions of these officials have been compiled into a book. Your Majesty, please make clear your instructions on how to deal with them."

The officials standing in the hall all looked at the people standing next to them.

They asked with their eyes.

Is that you?

Were you secretly interrogated by the princess?

Everyone had a perfect look of doubt on their face.

It was as if the official whom Qu Ling had interrogated was not in the Golden Palace at all.

In fact, only those people themselves know how terrifying it is to wake up in the middle of the night and find themselves locked in a stone prison.

On one side of the prison was an iron door and iron lock, and on the other side was a bottomless abyss.

Just standing there made him feel half dead.

Princess Jia'an came like the King of Hell, wearing a black cloak and holding a lantern to ask questions.

In the extremely terrifying atmosphere, even the strongest people would succumb.

After asking all the questions and saying everything I needed to say, signing and sealing the agreement, I rolled my eyes and woke up to find myself in my own bed.

Even if it was a dream, the red mark on my hand was real.

"Show this list and confession to the prince," said the emperor.

The female official handed a stack of confessions to Zhao Yuanrong.

Zhao Yuanrong picked them up and flipped through them one by one.

The hall was silent.

After Zhao Yuanrong finished reading, the emperor asked, "What do you think is the best way to deal with it, Prince?"

"Let's burn them all." Zhao Yuanrong looked calm.

"I don't think they really want to collaborate with the enemy. It's just that during the Queen Mother's reign, they all had their own difficulties and had no choice but to do so in order to save their own lives."

"There's no need to pursue the past. I've memorized the names of these people. Serving the king and the country in the future will be considered atonement. If they make the same mistake again, I'll strangle them all and show no mercy."

The emperor showed a relieved expression on his face, "Then I will listen to the prince."

Zhao Yuanrong's decision saved countless lives.

It’s not possible without a prince.

If the emperor asked Princess Jia'an today.

There is only one word for sure: kill!

As for the Empress Dowager Song, the emperor did not make the decision on his own, but handed it over to the cabinet.

Half a month later, the cabinet reached a resolution.

The queen was deposed from her noble position, demoted to a commoner, and moved out of the imperial mausoleum.

The deposed Emperor Zhao Ji and the deposed Crown Prince Zhao Xuanyi suffered the same fate.

The two were also demoted to commoners and moved out of the imperial mausoleum for the crime of treason.

On the day of moving the mausoleum, the emperor went to the mausoleum in person.

She asked the guards to stay outside and went in herself.

Standing in front of the Queen Mother Song's coffin, she said, "I've sent your favorite son and grandson to see you. Dad has wronged you by killing him. You shouldn't be buried together. You, Zhao Ji, and Zhao Xuanyi should be buried with the rest of the Song family."

"In the next life, you and I never want to be reborn as mother and daughter again."

At the same time, a grand banquet was being held at the princess's mansion.

Qu Ling and Chi Yuan hosted the party and invited Pei Jingming and Zhao Yuanrong.

Pei Jingming's surname is no longer Pei, his original surname should be Ye.

"My Ye family followed the late emperor in the war against Northern Yan. Our entire family was stationed in Bingzhou. Every man and woman in the Ye family was capable of taking up arms on the battlefield. That year, during the final war between Northern Yan and the Xi Dynasty, all the elders of the Ye family perished. We children, who remained in the mansion, were robbed and murdered. I was the only one who survived, and ended up living on the streets."

He poured himself a glass of wine and said with a smile, "Your Majesty and my father are acquainted. He searched everywhere for me and finally found me in a beggar's den."

"Actually, I don't have many memories of the Ye family, but His Majesty said that the city they fought for with their lives was returned. How can this be allowed? This is definitely not allowed. That's why I immediately began planning to attack Northern Yan after His Majesty ascended the throne."

Zhao Yuanrong patted his shoulder and said, "Northern Yan no longer exists. From now on, there are only the Thirteen Prefectures of the North. Mother has already issued an edict, giving you the Thirteen Prefectures as fiefdoms, and letting you lead the troops to guard them. Now that the King of Yunnan is gone, there's a more powerful King of Yan."

Jingming drank the wine in one gulp.

Leaving the capital and having his own world is the best ending for him.

He bowed to Zhao Yuanrong and said with a smile, "I will swear to be loyal to Your Highness until death."

Zhao Yuanrong toasted him and said, "My dear, the people of the north are now in your care."

Everyone couldn't help laughing.

"Sister, actually I've always wanted to ask you, is the King of Yunnan really dead?" Qu Ling moved closer to Zhao Yuanrong.

She didn't dare ask when Zhao Yuanrong was in Bingzhou.

After returning to Beijing, things happened one after another.

It wasn't until today that I finally asked.

"Dead."

Zhao Yuanrong was firm.

"He committed suicide. He died in front of me."

Zhao Yuanrong never explained in detail what exactly happened in Yunnan.

Facing the emperor, she said, "Yang Shao is dead. I have taken care of his family. The troops in Yunnan will be dispersed to other prefectures and cities. New protectorates will be set up to guard the mines and the border."

The emperor did not ask for details, but simply said, "Write a memorial regarding Yunnan's affairs and let the cabinet discuss them."

The mother and daughter never mentioned Yang Shao again.