Chapter 90 Establishment of the New Empress
The case of Du Feng reporting General Du for illegally possessing military equipment has long been settled.
General Du, unable to bear the humiliation and unwilling to bear the disgrace, ended his life with a dagger in the cold and damp prison, proving his innocence with his death.
When Du Feng realized the enormity of his mistake, which had not only ruined the Du family but also caused the death of his loved ones, shame and remorse gnawed at his heart like venomous snakes, and he eventually followed General Du in death.
Overnight, the once glorious Du family collapsed.
As a result, the empress was deposed and banished to a desolate and lonely cold palace, her former glory vanishing like smoke.
The court officials privately sighed, their gazes towards the young emperor on the dragon throne filled with even more awe and trepidation.
Everyone knew that after the deaths of the two Generals Du, Chu Huaiyu had quietly seized control of the military power they held.
Now that the Du family has fallen, there is no longer any force in the court capable of checking the emperor's power.
The only remaining military power in the court is now in the hands of the elder brother of Chu Siheng's birth mother, Empress Dowager Yu.
The courtiers were all secretly thinking that the Yu family was likely to be the next target of the emperor.
However, Empress Dowager Yu's elder brother's identity was truly special. His wife was Princess Chaoyang, and he himself was the sworn brother of the late Emperor Mingwu. In terms of seniority, he was also Chu Huaiyu's imperial uncle.
With such a complex and intertwined relationship, even if Chu Huaiyu wanted to, it would be difficult for her to easily shake him.
After the start of summer, Empress Dowager Rong caught a cold and her health remained poor.
While bedridden, she always felt that ever since Lu Zhaoxue entered the palace, the palace had been plagued by bad luck and everything was going wrong.
In an effort to bring good luck, she hastily urged Princess Jinde to marry Pei Yuanzheng as soon as she recovered from her illness.
Chu Huaiyu also felt that there hadn't been such a joyous occasion in the palace for a long time, and given Princess Jinde's noble status, he decided to hold a grand wedding.
It would also be good to share the joy with the people and dispel the gloom that had been hanging over the palace for days.
For a time, everyone in the palace was busy preparing for the princess's wedding. Red silk and colorful satin hung all over the palace corridors, and everywhere was filled with joy. But one person's heart was particularly pierced by the pain.
When Lu Zhaoxing heard the news, he was swinging on the swing in Chengqian Palace. He froze instantly upon hearing it, and the embroidered handkerchief in his hand fluttered to the ground.
She ran back to her bedchamber and sulked alone for several days, refusing to step out of her bedchamber again.
She simply hid inside the hall, silently shedding tears.
Lu Zhaoxue felt sorry for her younger sister, so she stayed in her palace to keep her company and gently comforted her:
"Zhaoxing, don't cry. Your sister will find you a better man than Pei Yuanzheng in the future."
Lu Zhaoxing suddenly raised his head, his eyes red-rimmed, tears streaming down his face like broken beads.
She choked back tears, saying, "Sister, I don't want a man better than Brother Yuanzheng..."
The hurt in her voice left Lu Zhaoxue speechless for a moment, and she could only manage a bitter smile.
"Zhaoxing, I'm so sorry." Besides these words, she didn't know what else to say to Lu Zhaoxing.
"Sister, this is none of your business." Lu Zhaoxing wiped away her tears and muttered angrily.
"It's all Pei Yuanzheng's fault! He clearly promised me last time that he wouldn't marry the princess! He lied to me!"
Last time, when Lu Zhaoxing ran into Pei Yuanzheng, he so confidently expressed his feelings, which made Lu Zhaoxing very happy.
In retrospect, all those sweet words were just to fool her...
"Shh." Lu Zhaoxue quickly covered her mouth and looked around worriedly.
"Zhaoxing, you can't say things like that outside, it will get you into trouble. We are in the palace now, so we must be careful with our words and actions."
"I understand." Lu Zhaoxing lowered his eyes, his lips drooping.
To cheer her younger sister up, Lu Zhaoxue changed the subject and asked with a smile:
"What would you like to eat tonight, Zhaoxing? I'll make it for you."
Lu Zhaoxing then perked up a little and counted five or six dishes on his fingers.
Lu Zhaoxue affectionately patted her head: "Okay, I'll cook everything for you tonight, I promise we Zhaoxing will have a feast."
Lu Zhaoxue was busy in the imperial kitchen, carefully preparing the ingredients, when Eunuch Wei rushed in, bowing and saying:
"Your Highness Consort Chen, His Majesty has important matters to discuss with you. Please come with me to the main hall immediately."
Lu Zhaoxue wondered what important matter required her to discuss in the main hall.
But she couldn't disobey the emperor's orders, so she wiped her hands, instructed the palace servants in the imperial kitchen to prepare the ingredients and send them to Lu Zhaoxing, and then went to the main hall with Eunuch Wei.
Upon entering the palace, one sees Chu Huaiyu sitting upright, with Empress Dowager Rong and Liu Ruohua also present, and the atmosphere immediately becomes serious.
Lu Zhaoxue bowed to Chu Huaiyu and Empress Dowager Rong according to etiquette, and then sat down next to Liu Ruohua.
Liu Ruohua kept her head down, her expression indifferent, not even lifting her eyelids, completely ignoring her.
Lu Zhaoxue swallowed back the greeting that was on the tip of her tongue.
"Your Majesty, what brings you here?" she asked softly.
Chu Huaiyu leaned back on the dragon throne, a hint of impatience flickering between his brows, but his tone remained gentle as he addressed Lu Zhaoxue:
"After Du Xianyue was deposed, the harem is now without a mistress, and the ministers all feel that it is time to establish a new empress for the harem."
Lu Zhaoxue's pupils suddenly contracted, and she subconsciously glanced at Liu Ruohua beside her.
Chu Huaiyu was not interested in women. After he ascended the throne, besides the deposed Empress Du Xianyue, there were only two concubines in his harem: her and Liu Ruohua.
Now that the topic of establishing an empress has come up, it's clear that a choice must be made between the two of them.
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