As Emperor Jingcheng stepped out of his palace, Zheng He'er hurriedly came forward to greet him: "Your Majesty, the Empress is outside requesting an audience."

"Where is Cheng Yi?" Di Jingcheng didn't want to see her; her death was imminent.

"Your Majesty, Lord Chengyi is on his way back and should be at the palace gate by now."

Emperor Chengjing nodded, a murderous glint flashing in his eyes: "Summon Minister of War Li Shilai to see me. No one else can know."

"Yes, Your Majesty, please rest assured."

Zheng He and his entourage quickly left the palace through a secret passage and brought Minister Li into the palace.

Qianyuan Hall Study

When Minister Li saw Emperor Jingcheng, he was startled by his full head of white hair and almost burst into tears: "Your Majesty, please take care of your health!"

Minister Li thought to himself, "No wonder the Emperor said he was unwell during the morning court session; it turns out it was quite serious. Those treacherous officials are still complaining so much; it's truly heartbreaking."

Emperor Jingcheng spoke calmly: "Minister Li, rest assured, I am fine. I summoned you here today because I want to bring forward the plan, which will be held at the morning court tomorrow."

"Your Majesty, I was just about to discuss this matter with you. The evidence of Prime Minister Nalan's treason, corruption, and embezzlement is all here." Minister Li hurriedly presented all the accounts and correspondence to the emperor.

Looking at the figures for embezzlement and the evidence of Nalan Mingyan's cronies' treason, Emperor Jingcheng was filled with rage.

“Nalan Mingyan is corrupt, lawless, and traitorous. He is unworthy of being a subject. Your Majesty, I have already made plans. Tomorrow will be the day to bring Nalan Mingyan and his cronies to justice.”

"In that case, I am relieved. Minister Li, you have worked hard. I will send someone to escort you out of the palace."

"Your humble servant takes his leave." Minister Li's resolute and upright figure disappeared at the entrance of the secret passage, and Zheng San knocked on the door outside.

"Your Majesty, Lord Cheng has returned."

"Come in." Di Jingcheng composed himself and sat on the dragon throne at the head of the table.

"Your Majesty, I pay my respects." Cheng Yi, dressed in black, walked in and immediately knelt down with his fists clasped.

"Get up, what have you gained from this trip?"

Cheng Yi looked up and saw the emperor's full head of white hair. He was startled: "Your Majesty, you..."

Di Jingcheng waved his hand: "Let's get down to business."

"Yes, Your Majesty. I have already ascertained the foundation of the Nalan faction and retrieved evidence of their crimes. Our men are now monitoring them, and we are just waiting to close the net."

"Yes, pass down the order. We can proceed secretly tonight. It must be a secret operation to cut off their communication network. We must not alert them."

"Yes, Your Majesty," Cheng Yi replied firmly.

"Where are the people I sent to protect the Imperial Concubine in the Cold Palace?"

"Your Majesty, Cheng Si is missing?" Cheng Yi suddenly raised his head, feeling that something terrible must have happened.

At this point, Di Jingcheng suddenly flew into a rage, smashing the teacup on the ground: "He neglected his post, causing the death of the Imperial Concubine and her unborn child. He deserves to die a thousand or ten thousand times over!"

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger." Cheng Yi felt an overwhelming sense of sorrow and complex emotions. The bright and kind Consort Gui had died tragically in the deep palace.

"Your Majesty, it is all my fault. After I find Cheng Si, I will tear him to pieces!" Cheng Yi was also carrying a lot of personal emotions at this moment, and his mood was somewhat heavy.

"Search for it secretly first, and bring it to me when you find it."

"Yes, Your Majesty, I will take care of it immediately!"

After Cheng Yi left, Di Jingcheng almost collapsed onto the dragon throne, and after a long while, he finally spoke in a hoarse voice: "Someone come here."

Zheng He Er had already returned and hurriedly walked in: "Your Majesty."

Di Jingcheng pressed one hand to his forehead and the other to the table, and asked in a muffled voice, "How's the investigation going?"

Zheng He, of course, knew what was going on. Having served Emperor Jingcheng for over ten years, he knew him very well. So when he learned that the Imperial Concubine had been abused to death, he began to secretly investigate.

The Imperial Concubine had been in the Cold Palace for eight months. The Emperor, weighing the options between the court and the harem, determined that the Cold Palace was the safest place. So, the Emperor sent the Imperial Concubine to the Cold Palace, refraining from visiting her, and only secretly glancing at her a few times at night from outside the Cold Palace.

The Emperor had always sent people to protect her safety and to deliver food and supplies to the Consort, but unexpectedly, the women in the harem secretly plotted against her, ultimately causing the Consort to live a life worse than death. Eight months pregnant with a prince, how could the Consort possibly endure it?

As a result, the Empress died along with her unborn child, and she probably hated the Emperor to the core.

"Your Majesty, it was all done by the Empress and Consort Xian. They bribed the guards at the gate of the Cold Palace, the head of the Imperial Household Department and many stewards, as well as the palace maids and eunuchs. Moreover, this servant has also discovered that it seems that Cheng Si is also involved."

"Your Majesty, you sent the Empress to the Cold Palace, but you never visit her. Anyone dares to bully her. The Empress has no power or influence, no family to rely on, and has no choice but to wait for death."

Zheng He knelt on the ground, his expression sorrowful. How dare he criticize the emperor! But at this moment, he couldn't care less. The Imperial Concubine had been kind and good to them, and he never expected her to end up like this. Even if he was punished, he had to speak out for justice.

At the same time, Zheng He also felt some self-reproach. Why hadn't he done things personally? He couldn't trust those lackeys in the Imperial Household Department. He felt ashamed before the Imperial Concubine and before his unborn son.

After hearing his explanation, Di Jingcheng's eyes filled with sorrow: "Zheng He, am I particularly stupid, particularly arrogant? Am I particularly heartless? I am truly not human."

(The author replied: Yes.)

"Your Majesty." Zheng He lowered his head even further, knowing that the Emperor was also very sad and remorseful.

“It was my fault for sending her in without realizing she was pregnant, for treating her so coldly, for killing her and the child, for me, for me… it’s all my fault…” Di Jingcheng covered his face with his hands and cried like a child, while Zheng He’er’s eyes were also faintly red.

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