Chapter 121 [VIP]

Caught off guard, the emperor lashed out with a whip across his arm, the barbs at the tip tearing through his sapphire blue sleeve and leaving a deep red mark.

The emperor clutched his hand in pain, his face contorted with rage: "Prince Li, how dare you!"

Prince Li was always good-tempered and took good care of all the orphans and widows in the imperial clan. Since the emperor ascended the throne, he had always been mindful of his duties as a subject to the emperor. This was the first time he had ever been so angry.

The old man's chest heaved as he pointed his whip at Ji Shi and demanded, "Do you know who she is?"

"You have plenty of women in your harem, why do you insist on... insist on..."

His eyes welled up with tears.

I have failed to properly persuade the emperor, and I am truly sorry to the late emperor.

"My lord." Tears streamed down Ji's fair cheeks, making the rashes on her face even redder, with several oozing pus. She looked up, like a frightened deer, and said timidly, "It's all my fault. Let me die. I'm not worthy to stay by your side. As long as you have me in your heart, my life has been worthwhile."

She pretended to leave, her posture pitiful, but with that face, every move she made looked incredibly artificial.

But the emperor was easily swayed by this. He wrapped his arms around her and pleaded, "Ruo'er, don't go, don't leave me."

Xiao Yunzi stood behind, her face completely breaking down.

Xie Jing sent him with a message, and he rushed there as fast as he could, arriving at the estate ahead of everyone else.

However, no matter how he tried to persuade him, the emperor refused to leave or hide. Whenever Lady Ji cried, he would comfort her, and after comforting her, he would say that this was perfect, so that he could rightfully bring Lady Ji back to the palace and that they would never be separated again.

He tried to persuade the emperor, and Li Deshun also tried, but the emperor wouldn't listen at all.

Xiao Yunzi was really about to cry.

Xie Jing dared not look at the expressions on other people's faces. He could imagine how colorful and varied it would be, just like his own a few days ago.

"I said I would bring you back to the palace and give you a title, and I will not break my word." When the emperor looked up, the tenderness in his eyes turned into anger. "Anyone who dares to stop me will be executed along with their entire family."

These words were spoken directly to Prince Li, and it was clear that the insult was directed at him.

Prince Li was almost laughing in anger, his hand holding the whip trembling: "Your Majesty, my surname is Xie, and so is yours. My nine generations of relatives include you; we are close relatives, very close relatives!"

“Just kill them all, let’s all die together, let’s give up this empire. Otherwise, our ancestors in the afterlife will be ashamed of you…” Prince Li patted his cheek, his voice rising, “…to the point of being unable to face anyone!”

The emperor angrily retorted, "How dare you interfere when I take a concubine!"

Prince Li bears the responsibility of upholding the imperial clan's authority. He may not concern himself with court affairs, but this matter involves the face of the royal family and could potentially overthrow the dynasty if handled poorly, so he has no choice but to intervene.

This was what the late emperor repeatedly instructed him to do when he appointed him as the clan leader and handed him the whip to beat the king.

He asked in a hoarse voice, "Whom do you want to pay off?"

"Ruo'er." The emperor held Ji Ruo's hand and gently wiped away her tears with his fingers.

"And who is she?" Prince Li asked loudly without waiting for the emperor's reply. "She is the wife of the Duke of Zhenguo, and her husband's surname is Gu! She is a married woman."

"The Duke of Zhenguo has rendered great service to the court; you cannot take a subject's wife as your concubine."

He was so enraged that he became somewhat confused and forgot that Lady Ji had already been demoted to a concubine.

"Your willful actions are despicable!" Prince Li's voice trembled. "Now everyone in the capital knows that you forcibly took a subject's wife and committed adultery. Even the most incompetent emperors of the previous dynasty never committed such outrageous acts. You show no remorse or willingness to turn back now. How long will you continue to be so stubborn and self-willed!"

"The Duke of Zhenguo is dead." The Emperor's eyes reflected Ji's beautiful figure, and he said indifferently, "Have the Gu family issue a letter of release from the concubine. From now on, Ruo'er will be a free person and will stay with me for the rest of her life."

He's gone mad. He's absolutely insane.

Prince Li was panting heavily.

He originally thought that the emperor, no matter what, would not be so absurd.

Even on the way here, he was wondering if this was a trap carefully arranged and designed by Xie Yingchen.

However……

If Xie Yingchen could force the emperor to say such crazy things, he might as well have the emperor willingly write the abdication edict; why bother with a trap?

All his hopes and dreams were utterly destroyed in those few words.

Prince Li clutched his aching chest, nearly collapsing. Xie Jing quickly came over to support him: "Grand-uncle, don't be angry, talk to Father properly..."

Prince Li shook him off, staggered forward two steps, and asked again, "Is Gu Yan your illegitimate son?"

He begged the emperor to say "no".

If I remember correctly, Gu Yan is already six years old. If he is indeed the emperor's illegitimate son, it means that the emperor had already colluded with the Ji family while the Duke of Zhenguo was still alive.

Just as the people said, the Duke of Zhenguo shed blood and fought the enemy at the forefront for the sake of the Great Qi Dynasty, until he lost his life and his body was not intact.

While enjoying the peace and prosperity he brought to the world, the emperor also seduced his wife.

If that's the case, if that's the case...

This is outrageous!

Prince Li stared intently at him, shouting at the top of his lungs, "Is that right?"

"Yes," the emperor said nonchalantly. "Yan'er is my ninth prince. I will bring him back to the palace, register him in the imperial genealogy, and announce it to the world."

Prince Li felt a metallic taste in his throat, and his boiling blood rushed to his head.

The emperor turned his head gently to look at Lady Ji: "Ruo'er, I will not break my promise to you."

"I wish to make you an Imperial Noble Consort."

"I know." Lady Ji was deeply moved and nestled in his arms.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, the emperor embraced her tenderly.

Everyone else wore expressions of shock; the emperor's tender and affectionate confession completely dispelled all conspiracy theories.

"Grand Secretary, Grand Secretary," Duke Wei tugged at Grand Secretary Song's sleeve, "You know, this matter... sigh. The imperial harem holds a selection of beauties every three years. Has our emperor seen too many beauties, grown tired of them, and changed his tastes?"

He lowered his voice to a very low hue: "To be honest, I initially thought it was the eldest young master who was behind it all."

The Song Dynasty's chief minister said, "The eldest son is as upright and honest as a clear-headed gentleman."

"Yes, yes, yes," the Duke of Wei replied repeatedly. He had truly lost his mind. No matter how powerful Xie Yingchen was, he couldn't force the emperor to willingly admit to adultery.

A suspicious blush rose on Prince Li's pale cheeks, and his eyes were bloodshot.

He gripped the whip tightly and raised it.

Snap!

The whip struck the emperor's shoulder with a devastating force.

"ah."

The emperor jumped up in pain.

Prince Li had never used this whip before today, and he thought he would never need it in his life.

This whip will be a symbol, passed down from generation to generation, protecting the Xie clan ancestral hall for thousands of years.

Snap!

Another one.

Before the emperor could protect Ji Shi, the whip tip grazed her chest.

Lady Ji let out a soft cry, and the emperor panicked. He held Lady Ji tightly, his anger barely contained, and said, "Prince Li, you're making a mountain out of a molehill! Do you really think you have a royal whip that I wouldn't dare kill you!"

The old man was breathing heavily, his arms hanging limply at his sides. Upon hearing those words, he suddenly raised his head and picked up the whip.

The whip lashed out weakly, and the emperor grabbed the end of it and pulled it forcefully in his direction.

Prince Li stumbled forward a few steps, his anger reaching its breaking point, and he stammered, "A tyrant, a tyrant... you are not worthy..."

Before he could finish speaking, he fell forward and crashed straight to the ground.

"Grandfather."

Xie Yingchen was the first to notice and rushed over to catch him.

Xie Yingchen squatted down and supported his back with his arms.

Prince Li was foaming at the mouth, his eyes were wide open, mostly showing the whites of his eyes, his limbs were twitching, and he was barely breathing.

His face flushed crimson, and his blood boiled, rushing to his head.

Even though Xie Yingchen was not a medical expert, he could tell that it was a stroke.

He was so angry that he had a stroke.

"Prince Li!"

"Your Highness!"

The others were also shocked and hurriedly gathered around. Chief Minister Song asked stiffly, "Doctor, where is a doctor here?"

There are no doctors here.

Farmers usually endure most illnesses, big or small, on their own, only going to the town ten miles away to find a doctor when they can no longer bear it.

Xie Jing turned pale with fright: "Let's go back to the capital first, and find the imperial physician."

Chief Minister Song shook his head: "It's too late. It will take at least two hours to get back to the capital from here."

Given Prince Li's condition, he certainly couldn't travel in a hurry. Even if he took a carriage, the journey would be slow, and two hours might not be enough.

Even if the guards were sent back to the capital, it would still take nearly two hours for them to travel back and forth by fast horse.

Prince Li's limbs twitched, and in just a short while, he was already panting heavily and barely breathing. He definitely wouldn't make it to the imperial physician's time, and there wasn't even time to go to the town to call a doctor.

Xie Yingchen checked his breathing, took out an ordinary porcelain bottle from his sleeve, and poured out a brown pill.

He grabbed Prince Li's chin with one hand and stuffed the pill into Prince Li's mouth.

"Your Highness, this is..."

Just as Prime Minister Song was about to ask a question, he immediately stopped himself.

"It's for saving your life."

Xie Yingchen was explaining this to the people around him.

The pills were given to him by his master, Wuweizi. There were eight pills in a bottle, and Yaoyao gave him four.

Even someone who has just passed away can be brought back to life.

The pill melted instantly upon entering his mouth and slid down Prince Li's throat along with his saliva.

He had just swallowed when he caught his breath. Prince Li's pupils were unfocused, and his trembling fingers weakly said, "As long as I am still the Imperial Clan Head, I will never agree to... you taking this person as your concubine."

When Prince Li fell to the ground, the emperor was slightly panicked, but upon hearing this, he angrily said, "Hmph, I will take Ruo'er as my concubine."

"Not only do I want to take her as my concubine, but I also want to make her my empress."

"I want to make Yan'er the crown prince."

These words, though somewhat spoken in a moment of anger, still struck Xie Jing like a thunderbolt. Xie Jing looked at the emperor in disbelief.

The emperor was infatuated with Ji Ruo. He was puzzled and confused, but he was also afraid of being discovered.

He was angry because Ji Nanke had used him to help her aunt gain favor.

However, he never imagined that this fire would burn his own head. What did it mean to make Gu Yan the crown prince?

To make an illegitimate son the crown prince?!

His father's love for him over the years couldn't compare to that of an illegitimate son. Absurd!

A sense of crisis loomed over Xie Jing, a crisis far more intense than the one he felt when facing Xie Yingchen.

Ultimately, Xie Yingchen was the son of the deposed crown prince, and his chances of succeeding to the throne were extremely slim. However, Gu Yan was different. Once his father acknowledged his identity and he was listed in the imperial genealogy, he would be a prince, no different from himself.

Ke'er.

He never had any other intentions towards Ke'er.

However, Ke'er not only used him to win favor for her aunt, but also used him as a stepping stone to help her cousin ascend the throne.

He stood there, frozen in place, his expression a mixture of crying and laughing.

"Master." Ji Shi's eyes were filled with tears. Her years of waiting had not been in vain.

She said softly, "I am not worthy of your kindness."

"You deserve it. I neglected you in the past, and you suffered so many injustices over the years."

The emperor looked down and said coldly, "My mind is made up. Anyone who tries to persuade me can go and kill themselves in the Golden Palace."

The clan chief, Ji, who was at the very back, could hardly believe his ears. He had lived through the end of the previous dynasty; his own grandfather was the last chief minister of that dynasty, yet even the last emperor of that dynasty had not been this absurd.

Is the Ji family truly worthy of serving in the Great Qi Dynasty?

Will I become a subject of a fallen nation again?

Chief Ji was somewhat disheartened. He remained silent until he heard someone ask, "Has Your Majesty made up your mind?"

"No regrets?"

He suddenly looked up and followed the sound.

He remembered this person; from the moment he stood on the city wall, this person had been the center of attention.

They call him Prince Chen?

He doesn't talk much, but every word he says makes others unconsciously do what he wants.

Her style of doing things is very similar to that of Miss Gu!

"Of course I don't regret it."

The emperor cast a sharp gaze upon him, his voice as cold as if it contained shards of ice.

"Is he Xie Yingchen?" Clan Chief Ji was startled. "The Crown Prince Xie Yingchen?"

Xie Yingchen met the emperor's gaze for a moment: "Your Majesty's decision is something I cannot comply with."

He bowed to Prince Li and said, "Grand Uncle, I will take you back to the capital first."

Prince Li realized, in a daze, that Xie Yingchen was talking to him, and nodded very slowly.

His mind seemed shrouded in a thin mist, with only a last shred of spirit keeping him clear-headed.

Xie Yingchen said he wouldn't care, and he really meant it.

He borrowed a carriage from a peasant, had Chongjiu settle Prince Li into it, and then, ignoring everyone else, returned to the capital first, leaving the officials looking at each other in bewilderment.

"Grand Secretary," the Duke of Wei tugged at his sleeve again, asking in a low voice, "what does Prince Chen mean by this? Is he not going to take any action?"

After a moment's thought, Chief Minister Song understood Xie Yingchen's intention.

It's not enough for just these few people to witness his incompetence; there are still so many people "waiting" at the Meridian Gate to see what he's going to do.

Disappointment is good.

It would be better if they were disappointed, just like me.

He scoffed and retorted, "Manage? How?"

“Even Prince Li’s life might not be saved, and you still want Prince Chen to take charge? If he takes charge, will you defy the imperial decree and listen to him?” Chief Minister Song shook off the hand that was grabbing his sleeve. “Don’t think I don’t know what you’re thinking. Let Prince Chen stand in front, and you wait for your chance to act.”

After reaching the depths of disappointment, all of Song's emotions turned into indifference.

Even the emperor isn't afraid of losing face, so what do his subjects care about?

If the emperor wants the whole world to know about his adultery, and wants to bear this infamy for all time and be despised by the people, then he should just do it.

"Ruo'er, after we return to the capital, I will order the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion to write a letter of release from the concubine and bring you and Yan'er to the palace together."

The emperor held Ji's hands. Whenever he saw her, his heart would race and he would feel incredibly tender.

How come he never realized how much he liked her before?

Realizing he had missed out on her for so many years, the emperor went mad with the desire to make it up to her.

To make it up to her.

To compensate their children.

"Master..."

Moved, Ji threw herself into his arms, her head tilted back, her face covered in red rashes and filled with shyness.

Duke Wei could no longer bear it and, facing the cold face of Chief Minister Song, asked painfully, "Chief Minister, according to the laws of the Great Qi Dynasty, how is adultery punished?"

The chief minister ignored him and gave a perfunctory bow in the direction of the emperor, saying, "Your subject takes his leave."

Some people left with Chief Minister Song.

Some people hesitated and stayed.

“Your Majesty,” Li Deshun returned and reported blankly, “the carriage is ready.”

The emperor bent down, picked up Ji Ruo, and carried her to the carriage.

Having lived a life of luxury for so many years, even the slender and graceful Lady Ji weighed heavily on his arms, and he could barely lift her after a few steps. He gritted his teeth, puffed out his cheeks, and used all his strength to keep her from falling. He was exhausted as soon as he got into the carriage.

"Go back to Beijing."

Of the horses that were taken to the Shangma stable, only Xie Jing still had one.

After everyone had left, Ji Nanke came out from inside, smiling before she spoke: "Your Highness, the matter of the Crown Prince was just something the Emperor said casually to spite Prince Li."

Xie Jing: "..."

He stayed, just to see her and see if she felt any remorse towards him.

It seems he was overthinking it.

Xie Jing gave a bitter smile, said nothing, and turned to leave.

His feelings for her were perhaps one-sided from the very beginning.

Xie Jing caught up with the emperor's carriage, his mind blank, and ran forward recklessly.

After an unknown amount of time, we finally returned to the capital.

It was completely dark.

As the carriage entered the Meridian Gate, the square was filled with people, surrounded by lanterns and candlelight that shone on them, their eyes fixed on the carriage.

When the emperor left the palace, he was dressed in casual clothes, and there were no royal markings on the carriage. However, the officials behind him were dressed in official robes and guarded the carriage, so it was easy to guess who was inside.

emperor!

It must be the emperor.

“I saw it. Just now, when the carriage curtain was blown up, the Emperor was holding a woman in his arms.”

"What Headmaster Ji said is true; the Emperor has committed adultery with my wife."

The surroundings suddenly erupted in noise.

A young man dressed as a scholar shouted indignantly, "The Great Qi Law states that anyone who commits adultery with a married man shall be punished with ninety strokes of the cane."

"If the emperor breaks the law, he shall be punished the same as the common people."

Like a fuse, it completely ignited the Meridian Gate Square.

A note from the author: