Zhao Zhiyan stood under the corridor for a long time without moving, staring thoughtfully at Song Yue. He clenched his fist and coughed lightly twice: "I caught a cold yesterday and it is inconvenient for me to go in, so I will not disturb the Empress Dowager."
"Hmph! Is the Eighth Prince feeling guilty?" someone sneered.
Zhao Zhiyan looked up at the person who spoke, only to see that the person smiled coldly, not taking him seriously at all.
They look down on others with arrogance.
He frowned.
"The Eighth Prince has been visiting Ning'an Palace to pay his respects quite often these days, so why can't he go in today?" the man asked again.
Not only that, but the other people also looked at him with great hostility.
He was breathing rapidly, assuming that these people were deliberately targeting him to curry favor with Song Yue, or that Song Yue had given him some instructions.
No one argued further, and they all went inside.
This includes Yun Ke and Song Yue.
Empress Dowager Xu lay weakly on the couch, her whole body exhausted and breathless. She had to gasp for breath to say a single sentence. Even so, she still publicly accused Zhao Zhiyan of being a wolf in sheep's clothing.
"The Eighth Prince, bewitched by evil, poisoned me and plotted to kill me. He even used the Xu family as leverage. When he saw that I wouldn't compromise, he framed me by using my reputation. Such a person deserves to be struck by lightning and should die!"
As soon as he finished speaking, everyone was shocked.
"I would rather die than tarnish the royal family's reputation in the slightest!" Empress Dowager Xu said emphatically, forcing Yunke to severely punish Zhao Zhiyan.
"Your Highness, the Emperor has appointed you to oversee the country. You must not continue to tolerate the Eighth Prince's reckless behavior. You must be decisive in your actions, or you will surely bring chaos upon yourself. Furthermore, the fate of Northern Chu is of utmost importance."
Empress Dowager Xu finished speaking with her last breath, and her outstretched hand fell heavily onto the couch, as if she would not rest in peace until he agreed.
"Your Highness, the Empress Dowager is right. The Eighth Prince has stirred up trouble and committed heinous crimes. We beg Your Highness to punish him severely!"
Everyone in the room kowtowed to Yunke.
At everyone's request, Yunke had no choice but to nod: "I will definitely investigate this matter thoroughly and give the Empress Dowager an explanation."
"Crown Prince!" Empress Dowager Xu said sternly, her eyes fixed on him. Although she did not speak, Yun Ke and Song Yue understood her meaning at a glance.
This is a reminder to her not to forget what she promised.
"Empress Dowager!"
The young eunuch realized something was wrong with the Empress Dowager, stepped forward to check her breathing, and knelt down, saying, "Her Majesty the Empress Dowager has passed away!"
"Empress Dowager!"
The room was filled with people crying and shouting.
The crying was deafening. Zhao Zhiyan, who was standing in the corridor, twitched his eyelids. He was about to enter the room when he was stopped by the imperial guards.
"Insolence!" Zhao Zhiyan's expression changed slightly: "How dare you obstruct this king?"
The Imperial Guards didn't say anything, but pressed Zhao Zhiyan down and sealed his pressure points, leaving him no time to react before being dragged away.
The funeral of Empress Dowager Xu was presided over by Yunke: "The Empress Dowager was frugal and instructed before her death that it should not be held in a grand manner. Now I will handle it on her behalf. According to the ancestral system, the people of Northern Chu should observe three years of mourning. The Empress Dowager could not bear it and decided that from the day the coffin is placed in the capital, it is not appropriate to drink or make merry until she is buried in the imperial mausoleum. Everything will then be restored to normal."
No one objected to this move.
Yunke sent a messenger on horseback to the Emperor of Northern Chu, posthumously granting him the title of Empress Dowager Shunxian in the name of the Crown Prince.
...
"Empress Dowager, the Empress Dowager has passed away?"
When Xu Lingqing heard the news, her eyelids twitched violently, and she felt that something was about to happen. She quickly asked someone to inquire about the prince.
"No, this is terrible! Rumors are circulating that the Prince killed the Empress Dowager, slandered her, and drove her to commit suicide out of shame and indignation to prove her innocence. The Prince has angered the public and has been ordered to be imprisoned by the Crown Prince's men," a guard rushed in to report.
Upon hearing this, Xu Lingqing's vision went black and her mind went blank.
No, no, Zhao Zhiyan is destined to be emperor. How could he possibly be defeated by the crown prince?
“Crown Prince… How dare the Crown Prince imprison his elders?” Xu Lingqing murmured, leaning on the table. “Has he forgotten who protected him all the way after Emperor Beiqi died? How can he be so ungrateful?”
The guard hesitated to respond, looking troubled.
Xu Lingqing gritted her teeth and persevered, lifting her foot to leave, but stopped halfway, the wound on her back still throbbing faintly.
She constantly reminded herself that if she made any further moves, Song Yue would not let her off the hook.
"Lingqing!"
Consort Rou rushed over in a panic and grabbed her wrist: "Quick, you must think of a way to save Yan'er, he has been imprisoned by the Crown Prince."
Xu Lingqing forcefully shook off Consort Rou, her eyes sharp, which made Consort Rou's heart pound: "Why, why are you looking at me like that?"
“Mother, now the only one who can save the prince is you. If you follow the Empress Dowager’s example, the Crown Prince has no reason to keep the prince from leaving.”
Consort Rou was stunned and didn't understand what this meant for a long time.
“Mother, I am a weak woman with no power or influence, and I cannot save the prince. Only you can stop the prince from fulfilling his filial duties.”
"The Empress Dowager died, but her posthumous honors were preserved, and she was buried in the imperial mausoleum with the dignity of an Empress Dowager."
"Does Mother want to live a life of ignominy, letting the Prince bear the infamy while we endure humiliation and have to watch everyone's faces, or do we take one last gamble?"
Consort Rou finally realized what was happening. She looked at Xu Lingqing in disbelief: "You...you want me to go and die?"
Xu Lingqing said, "Mother, if you don't die, it won't be long before all three of you die together, and the entire Eighth Prince's Mansion will fall into ruin. Do you think that's worth it?"
Consort Rou turned pale and took two steps back in a daze.
In the end, she gave in.
When news reached Zhao Zhiyan that Consort Rou was near death in the prison, his eyes darkened, and he ordered the jailer, "I want to see the Crown Prince."
"Eighth Imperial Uncle".
This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
