Xu Ruyun was searching for her child but failed, and was instead stopped by someone.
She turned around and saw that it was a eunuch who had called her.
Eunuch: "Madam Xu, please wait. His Majesty has decreed that no one is allowed to leave the palace."
Xu Ruyun: "Yes! May I ask, sir, what has happened?"
Fearing that Qiuqiu and the other children might cause trouble, Xu Ruyun quickly asked the eunuch.
The eunuch shook his head.
Xu Ruyun nodded to the eunuch and left.
On a side road, Xu Ruyun encountered Qiuqiu and her two sons.
Chiu Chiu ran happily to Xu Ruyun: "Mother, Mother—"
Xu Ruyun asked worriedly, "Where did you go? Why haven't I seen you for so long?"
Qi Junzhou quickly said, "Mother has been looking for you for a long time. She was very worried."
Qi Junlin: "I'm sorry, Mother. We were just playing around and wandering around outside for a while."
Qi Junlin patted Qi Junxian on the shoulder.
Qi Junxian quickly replied, "Yes. We're just wandering around."
Xu Ruyun: "I just heard from others that the Emperor has ordered the palace gates to be sealed off, and no one is allowed to leave. Has something happened?"
[Seal off the palace gates! Great, perfect for staying here to watch the show.]
Xu Ruyun: Watching the excitement? What excitement?
At this time, Consort Chen had already arrived at the Imperial Study.
The second prince arrived shortly afterward.
The second prince felt uneasy when he saw Consort Chen there as well.
The Emperor had already ordered the Sixth Prince and the Empress to retreat behind the screen, while he remained expressionless the entire time.
Consort Chen was already very uneasy.
But she pretended nothing was wrong and said to the Emperor in a sweet voice, "Your Majesty, is there something you need me for in the Imperial Study?"
The second prince bowed to the emperor: "Your subject greets Your Majesty! May I ask what business Your Majesty has with me?"
The emperor said angrily, "Do you two really not know what a mess you've made?"
Consort Chen was so frightened that she knelt down.
The Second Prince glanced at Consort Chen with disdain.
They are utterly incapable of being trusted!
The second prince calmly replied, "Father, I am filled with trepidation!"
The Emperor tossed the handkerchief to Consort Chen.
The Emperor was furious: "Why did you harm Xing'er! He's such a young child, what wrong has he done!"
Consort Chen was so frightened that she crawled to the Emperor's side on her knees, weeping bitterly: "Your Majesty, I didn't mean it! I didn't mean to kill the Sixth Prince!"
The Emperor kicked Consort Chen away.
"Why are you all together? Second brother, why did you harm your sixth brother?"
The second prince hurriedly knelt down and said, "Father, this has nothing to do with me! This was entirely the work of Consort Chen!"
The Emperor said, "You're making a clean fuss about it. Tell me, what were you two doing together? Don't you know that imperial concubines are not allowed to meet with officials from outside the palace?"
The second prince knelt down in fear and kowtowed: "Father, it wasn't me, it was her, it was her—"
The second prince pointed at Consort Chen.
Second Prince: "She seduced me. It really has nothing to do with me!"
Consort Chen looked at the Second Prince and sneered a few times. Knowing that her life was in danger, she took all the blame upon herself.
Consort Chen: "Yes! It's all my fault! I seduced the Second Prince, and I caused the death of the Sixth Prince. Your Majesty, please grant me death!"
The Emperor: "Hmph! Death? You have committed such a heinous crime, how can you simply die? Guards, take her away! Interrogate her thoroughly! See if she has any accomplices!"
Xiao Dezi: "Yes!"
Two eunuchs came in and tried to pull Consort Chen away.
Unexpectedly, Consort Chen saw the sword on the wall of the Imperial Study, drew it, and slit her own throat.
The second prince slumped to the ground.
Thankfully, it's good that Consort Chen is dead. Otherwise, she would have suffered endless torture in that death row and might have dragged him out with her.
The emperor covered his eyes and waved his hand down to the crowd.
Xiao Dezi said to the other two eunuchs, "Take them away, quickly take them away!"
The Empress covered Xing'er's eyes from behind the screen.
The Emperor looked at the Second Prince with disappointment, sighed, and said, "Is there anything else you want to say?"
The Second Prince said, "Father, Consort Chen has been brought to justice. I believe this matter can be considered closed. I will certainly handle the funeral arrangements for my sixth brother properly and burn plenty of paper money for him..."
The emperor was so angry that his beard trembled.
The Emperor: "Shut up! Do you really want your sixth brother to die? What if he didn't?"
Second Prince: "What?"
The Emperor looked behind the screen and said, "You may come out now."
The Empress led the Sixth Prince out.
The second prince stared at the sixth prince with wide, bulging eyes.
Second Prince: "You, you..."
The second prince wanted to say, "How come you're still alive?" But he pinched his arm and swallowed the words back.
Out of consideration for his brotherhood, the Sixth Prince did not reveal the whole story of his affair with Consort Chen.
However, in the Emperor's eyes, the Second Prince had already committed a great act of rebellion.
The Emperor looked at the Sixth Prince and said, "Xing'er, what do you think I should do with your second brother?"
The Empress thought that, according to the laws of the Dragon Kingdom, having an affair with a concubine in the harem and plotting to harm a prince were capital offenses.
However, the emperor handed the problem over to a five- or six-year-old child.
Clearly, the Emperor did not want to kill, and could not bear to kill the Second Prince.
The sixth prince looked at the empress, then at the second prince, and said, "Father, I beg you to spare my second brother's life."
The Emperor said, "Very well! Guards! Take the Second Prince to the Imperial Clan Court. He shall never leave without my decree!"
Xiao Dezi: "Yes, Your Majesty!"
The second prince's eyes were vacant.
I never expected that all my planning and strategizing would be ruined by a woman.
The sixth prince was still in shock, his clothes still soaking wet.
The Empress said to the Emperor, "Your Majesty, then Xing'er and I will take our leave now."
The emperor waved his hand weakly and said, "Fine."
After the palace banquet, Consort Li couldn't find the Sixth Prince, and that's when she started to panic.
When she heard that the emperor had ordered the palace gates closed, a bad feeling welled up in her heart.
Consort Li was on her way to find the Emperor when she encountered the Empress walking along the road with the Sixth Prince, who was soaking wet.
The sixth prince immediately threw himself into Consort Li's arms and burst into tears: "Mother, waaaaah..."
Consort Li was furious and immediately began to criticize the Empress.
Consort Li: "What have you done to my son? I must go to the Emperor and have a good talk with him later."
The sixth prince sobbed, "Mother, no..."
Consort Li ignored the Sixth Prince's explanation and kept arguing with the Empress: "What did you say to Xing'er? He still wants to defend you. No matter who it is, I will never allow him to bully my Xing'er. Xing'er, let's go! Let's go to your father and demand justice!"
The Empress really spoiled Consort Li.
When she was excited, Consort Li often acted disrespectfully towards the Empress.
This time, she also had her own selfish motives. She wanted to take this opportunity to suppress the Empress, and even to seize power.
Just then, a childish voice rang out behind her.
"Seek justice? I think we should seek justice for the Empress, shouldn't we?"
Consort Li turned around.
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