Chapter 58

Suddenly, Wen Xin raised her head and looked blankly at Lady Xuanwu.

The old woman immediately perked up, glaring at people with the most terrifying eyes, determined to make that little bitch Wen Xin terrified of her mother-in-law and regret it!

Wen Xin opened her eyes slightly, as if she was terribly frightened, her eyes filled with tears, and she was about to burst into tears.

At the same time, the emperor's attention was drawn to this.

Lady Xuanwu was so frightened that her skull almost flew off. She no longer dared to glare at Wen Xin and had to put on a loving mother-in-law act to care for her daughter-in-law, which made her feel like she was suffering from internal injuries.

Wen Xin was flattered and gave her mother-in-law a gentle and harmless smile.

Lady Xuanwu: "..." She was barely holding back a mouthful of blood!

At the subsequent birthday banquets, no one dared to cause any more trouble.

Who knows if the unpredictable king at the head of the court will feel that dealing with the Wen family is not enough, and will go and confiscate the homes of a few more unfortunate people?

Let's just stay put and play it safe!

The powerful and wealthy officials dutifully offered birthday greetings to the Empress Dowager and presented her with birthday gifts.

Emperor Chengyuan suddenly laughed, his voice strangely sinister and sending chills down one's spine. One wondered what this tyrant was up to now.

I'm so tired!

The emperor looked down at the man dressed in a scarlet prince's robe and asked, "I remember that the jade Guanyin statue that my third brother gave me was a gift from Father Emperor to Consort Shu, wasn't it?"

Prince Li's heart pounded, but he tried his best to maintain a respectful expression. "Your Majesty, that's right."

Emperor Chengyuan said casually, "Consort Shu was once the most favored concubine in the palace, so naturally she received good things."

Nobody knows what riddle the emperor was trying to solve.

The Empress Dowager was also somewhat uneasy, and looked worriedly at Prince Li below her, "Your Majesty..."

"Hmm?" Emperor Chengyuan looked at the Empress Dowager with a smile, but his eyes were cold and indifferent. "What is Mother afraid of?"

Under her son's gaze, the Empress Dowager opened her mouth, then slumped down and sat there dejectedly.

However, Emperor Chengyuan never knew when to stop.

Even emperors don't need to know when to stop!

"Back then, Father Emperor only had eyes for Consort Shu. Mother Empress, you not only lacked the dignity of a national mother, but also had to please a concubine in every way. This jade Guanyin statue was originally a tribute from Dali to the Empress, but it ended up belonging to Consort Shu."

Emperor Chengyuan spoke in a calm and even tone, as if he were merely recalling a trivial matter.

"Fortunately, the jade Guanyin has now returned to Mother's hands. Is Mother happy?"

The Empress Dowager spoke with difficulty: "Your Majesty, it's just some things from the past."

She pleaded with her son to stop talking, fearing he might harm Prince Li.

Emperor Chengyuan suddenly realized, "Oh, I forgot. The Empress Dowager does not have the majesty of the Empress Dowager, but she has the benevolence and magnanimity of the Empress Dowager. Not only did you not care that the Emperor embarrassed you, but you also diligently treated Consort Shu's two sons as your own, even closer than your own sons."

"His Majesty!"

The Empress Dowager was trembling all over.

Emperor Chengyuan smiled, seemingly in a good mood, as if he did not see the Empress Dowager's embarrassment and Prince Li's panic.

"I am delighted with the birthday gift that Prince Li presented to the Empress Dowager today. Guards, come here."

Mo Zhi walked down Baiyu Street with a brocade box in his hand and presented it to Prince Li. "Your Highness Prince Li, this is a gift from His Majesty."

Prince Li's body trembled uncontrollably; despite the cold weather, his back was covered in sweat.

He didn't dare to accept it at all.

Everyone in power and among the officials knows that the emperor's rewards are not easy to obtain!

When His Majesty first ascended the throne, the former officials of the deposed crown prince pointed at him and cursed him as a treacherous minister who had seized power. His Majesty smiled faintly and simply rewarded each of them with a large box.

Inside were the remains of those people's family members; the horror and bloodshed are still a nightmare for countless officials.

It is said that even the Empress Dowager was given the head of a deposed crown prince by His Majesty.

After that, whenever the emperor bestowed a reward, every civil and military official would tremble with fear.

Everyone looked at the brocade box that Eunuch Mo was holding, their faces filled with fear.

Whose head and limbs are these?

Mo Zhi smiled, looking like a gentle scholar. "Your Highness Prince Li?"

Prince Li looked at him in fear and had to reach out with trembling hands to receive it.

Mo Zhi: "Your Highness, aren't you going to open it and take a look?"

Prince Li was pale and mechanically did as Mo Zhi said.

"ah!"

The brocade box fell to the ground, and Prince Li collapsed to the ground.

Those powerful and influential people who were nearby could vaguely see inside the brocade box... blood-stained hair and a pair of unseeing eyes!

Ahhhhhh...

Those people covered their mouths tightly, not daring to make a sound.

Emperor Chengyuan smiled and asked, "Third brother, do you like my gift?"

Prince Li was so scared he wet himself!

Emperor Chengyuan encouraged him quietly, "If you have any more wonderful people like this next time, Third Brother, you can send them to me at will."

"However, Third Brother, do you want to explain why your concubine's cousin would ambush me in the outskirts of the capital?"

Everyone gasped, looking at Prince Li as if he were a "god".

However, it's not hard to understand, as both the deposed crown prince and Prince Li were Consort Shu's biological sons.

How could Prince Li not hate his elder brother who was slaughtered by the emperor?

For the past two years, Prince Li has kept a low profile and stayed in his residence. Everyone thought he had resigned himself to his fate, but unexpectedly...

For a moment, the powerful officials and nobles did not know whether to marvel at Prince Li's audacity or regret that he had failed to eliminate the tyrant!

Prince Li knelt on the ground and kowtowed, crying with snot and tears streaming down his face. He was no longer the domineering tyrant of the capital who had been rampant during the late emperor's reign.

The late emperor doted on the two princes born to Consort Shu, and granted Prince Li almost any request without any limits, which made Prince Li extremely domineering and disregarding everyone.

When Emperor Chengyuan was young, he was pushed into an icy river by Prince Li in the dead of winter and almost died.

However, the late emperor only gave Prince Li a perfunctory punishment, which emboldened him and made him even more unscrupulous in bullying the current emperor.

But who would have thought that fortunes would turn around like this?

"Your Majesty, I know nothing! I truly know nothing!"

"Even if I had the greatest courage, I would not dare to commit regicide. I beg Your Majesty to see the truth."

Emperor Chengyuan's eyes turned icy cold as he sighed and smiled, "Of course I believe in my third brother, but your concubine..."

Prince Li pressed his head against the cold brick, his eyes filled with bloodshot hatred, yet he fearfully pledged his loyalty, "If she dares to commit such a treasonous act, then Your Majesty may decide her fate."

Emperor Chengyuan nodded gently: "If she is innocent, I will not make things difficult for her and will let her return to my third brother's side."

Two eunuchs dragged away the woman who had fainted from the Prince's seat.

This concubine, Consort Li, is the only daughter of a royal merchant. She has the Li family, which is incredibly wealthy, as her family is Prince Li's biggest financial backer, and she has always been deeply loved by him.

Otherwise, Prince Li would not have brought her to the palace at the Empress Dowager's birthday banquet.

However, now, Emperor Chengyuan has directly and forcefully cut off the most capable arm of Prince Li.

From this day forward, there will never again be a Li family of imperial merchants within the Great Yuan Empire.

Prince Li hated the hypocritical tyrant so much he wanted to devour him, but he had to put on a grateful and fearful act.

Xu Yong, that good-for-nothing, mobilized so many assassins, why couldn't he kill that traitor Yuwen Yu?