Chapter 241 Consort Su Demoted to Consort Su

Uncle Qingshan's disheveled hair covered half of his face, but the blood flowing from the wounds on his face was clearly visible. His clothes were torn in several places, and there were long gashes on his arms and legs, from which blood was gushing out.

In the cold weather of the first month of the lunar calendar, Uncle Qingshan shivered uncontrollably. He wasn't sure if he was shivering from fear or from the cold. He was almost 50 years old this year, and for most of his nearly 50 years of life, he had lived a life of luxury. Since his own sister became a concubine, his life had reached another level.

In this capital city, not only ordinary people, but even the old-established powerful and influential people treated him with utmost respect. He never imagined that one day he would be hacked to pieces so humiliatingly, with the man's sword tip still pressed against his throat.

He dared not move an inch. Looking at Jiang Yu's cold and crazed face, he knew that if he resisted even slightly, Jiang Yu might really kill him.

"Duke of Chu... This is the Imperial Concubine's maternal home, not a place for your arrogance!"

"Shut up!" Uncle Qingshan scolded his eldest son, then looked at Jiang Yu and said, "Duke of Chu, let's talk things out."

"Did you write the letter?" Jiang Yu asked.

Uncle Qingshan shuddered as the sword pressed against his throat drew a small wound. He wanted to deny it, but seeing Jiang Yu's murderous gaze, he opened his mouth and finally said, "Yes, I wrote it. I... I just... ah!"

Having gotten what he wanted, Jiang Yu bent down, grabbed Uncle Qingshan by the collar, and dragged him outside. Uncle Qingshan screamed in fright, but Jiang Yu ignored him and dragged him out like a dead dog.

The people from the Qingshan Marquis's mansion wanted to stop them, but since the Marquis of Qingshan was in Jiang Yu's hands, they dared not use force and could only cautiously follow from the sidelines. The Marquis of Qingshan's eldest son, no longer daring to yell at Jiang Yu, pleaded:

"Duke of Chu, let's sit down and talk things over. Actually, we don't have any major grudges between us, do we? It's Qi Yuanhong who has wronged you. Qi Yuanhong is right here."

Su Yanfeng pointed to the side, and Jiang Yu turned her head to look. She saw Qi Yuanhong, who was so thin that he looked like he could be blown away by a gust of wind, standing blankly not far away, like a puppet or a walking corpse. Where was the spirited man he used to be?

Jiang Yu's gaze lingered on him for a moment before she continued dragging Uncle Qingshan out. Qi Yuanhong collapsed to the ground, unable to describe the look in Jiang Yu's eyes—bloodshot, obsessive, crazed...

What was Jiang Yu like before?

A scene flashed through Qi Yuanhong's mind: Jiang Yu was sitting casually in a rocking chair under a peach tree, flipping through a book in her hand. Hearing his footsteps, she put down the book, smiled at him, and said, "You're done with school?"

Beneath the trees bursting with pink blossoms, a vibrant, youthful girl turns and smiles at you...

Even now, Qi Yuanhong still remembers how he felt at that time: joy, sweetness, and the pounding of his heart...

He didn't know why Jiang Yu had become like this, but he knew very well that without his betrayal, Jiang Yu's life wouldn't be like this now.

Tears streamed down his face unnoticed; Qi Yuanhong buried his face in his hands, sobbing silently...

Jiang Yu dragged Qingshanbo to the main gate, went out through the front gate, and walked to the horse. Two guards from the Duke of Chu's mansion immediately came over, each grabbing one of Qingshanbo's clothes and throwing him onto Jiang Yu's horse.

Jiang Yu mounted his horse, cracked his whip, and headed towards the palace. The guards from the Duke of Chu's mansion and the men from the Earl of Qingshan's mansion immediately followed, forming a large and imposing procession that attracted considerable attention.

Upon arriving at the palace gates, Jiang Yu produced her token. Seeing this, the guards immediately reported it. A moment later, Ning Yunchuan, who was on duty that day, hurried over. Seeing Jiang Yu's almost frantic state and the Qingshan Token she was carrying, he quickly asked, "What's wrong?"

When Jiang Yu saw him, tears welled up in her eyes again. "Cousin, Grandfather... has passed away."

Ning Yunchuan's mind went blank for a moment, then he looked fiercely at Uncle Qingshan, who was being held by Jiang Yu, and asked, "Did he do this?"

Jiang Yu nodded, and Ning Yunchuan drew the knife hanging at his waist, ready to slash at the Earl of Qingshan, when a shrill voice came, "Duke of Chu."

Then Zhao Fuquan ran over quickly and, seeing the scene, was still shocked, even though he was mentally prepared.

"Duke of Chu, His Majesty is waiting in the Imperial Study," Zhao Fuquan said hurriedly.

Jiang Yu continued to drag Uncle Qingshan inside. Despite carrying a weight of over 100 jin (50 kg), she seemed not to feel tired at all after dragging him for so long. They walked for another quarter of an hour until they reached the Imperial Study.

She threw Qingshan Bo to the ground, knelt down before the emperor with a thud, and wept silently. Her sobs were not loud, but her slightly trembling body revealed endless sorrow.

"What...what's going on?" the emperor asked.

Jiang Yu took out the letter given to her by the old Duke of Chu and presented it with both hands. The Emperor looked at her disheveled hair and bloodshot eyes, and had some guesses in his mind. His gaze then turned to the slumped Earl of Qingshan on the ground. He took the letter from Jiang Yu and began to read it. The more he read, the more gloomy his face became, and finally, it showed anger.

"After the rumors started, my family kept a tight rein on things, not letting my grandfather know a single thing," Jiang Yu sobbed. "Now that it's all over, I was relieved. But today, when I returned home from work to visit my grandfather, he asked me about the rumors..."

"How is your grandfather now?" the emperor asked.

"Grandfather... has passed away."

Jiang Yu knelt down and wept again. The emperor clutched the letter tightly, his face clouded with gloom, but he said nothing.

"Empress Dowager."

Zhao Fuquan's voice rang out, and the Empress Dowager walked in, accompanied by Lu Yifang, whose eyes were red and swollen. Jiang Yu, her face streaked with tears, looked up at the Empress Dowager standing before her and sobbed, "Empress Dowager... I have no more... grandfather."

The Empress Dowager also shed tears. She bent down and helped Jiang Yu up, saying, "Good child, with a descendant like you, your grandfather can rest in peace."

"Your Majesty!" Consort Su rushed in, knelt on the ground, and cried out in panic, "Your Majesty, I..."

"Consort Su is demoted to the rank of Consort." The Empress Dowager interrupted Consort Su, without explaining the reason for the demotion, but her words were unequivocal.

The room fell silent, then came Consort Su's panicked, pleading voice, "Your Majesty, I know I was wrong. I will definitely discipline my family properly from now on, Your Majesty..."

The emperor looked down at her, his eyes indifferent. "Consort Su is demoted to Consort Su, punished with a year's salary, and confined to her quarters for half a year."

Consort Su also collapsed to the ground. She was stunned for a moment, then glared fiercely and resentfully at Lord Qingshan, who was nearly unconscious from excessive blood loss. "More trouble than they're worth" perfectly describes her family.

But what can she say now? She can only endure it.