Chapter 296: Regicide
Madam Mi looked flustered. Seeing the Queen Mother leaving, she hurriedly chased after her, "Where are you going now?"
Zhao Yuanxi turned around and looked at her steadily, "I'll go and bring Zhang Liang back."
The only difference in what Zhang Liang did recently was that he investigated Zhao Gao for her - it was very likely that Zhao Gao took action first!
The sky gradually darkened, dark clouds pressed down on the Qin Palace, and there seemed to be the sound of thunder and lightning brewing in it. Zhao Yuanxi couldn't help but have a bad premonition in his heart.
At the palace gate, armored guards lined up on both sides and stopped her.
"Empress Dowager, the King has ordered that no one is allowed to enter the Qin Palace today."
"Me too?"
The guard looked embarrassed, "The king said you especially cannot do that."
The noise outside seemed to alarm the people inside.
The palace door was opened from the inside, and Zhao Gao walked out with a smile. Seeing the Queen Mother being blocked outside by the guards, he gently scolded her, "How can you be so rude to the Queen Mother?"
Zhao Yuanxi suppressed the anger in his heart and said, "Get out of the way. I want to see the king."
"Oh! Please don't make things difficult for us. The king said that he will not see anyone today, especially you. I am only following orders."
"If I remember correctly, the king has already asked you to return to Ganquan Palace. Why are you still here?"
Although Zhao Gao was bent over, a smug smile was on his face. "Your Majesty, I think it would be better for me to stay in the Qin Palace. You will send someone over later. It won't delay your business."
Zhao Yuanxi's voice was cold, "Did you do this?"
Zhao Gao was not afraid at all. "I don't know what the Queen Mother said, but if you're here to ask about Censor Zhang, I might as well tell you something. Censor Zhang is attempting to kill the emperor. His crime is unforgivable and he has been imprisoned. You can't save him."
"I advise you to worry about yourself and the Zhang family first. Will they be implicated? After all, the death of one Zhang Liang is nothing. If over a hundred members of the Zhang family are buried with him, then you will know what regret is."
These words were like a thunderclap that exploded in Zhao Yuanxi's mind, leaving her stunned there, with the provocative voice still ringing in her ears.
Zhang Liang would never kill the king now. The only time he did so was on the day of the annual sacrifice three years ago.
…
Zhao Yuanxi raised his head, his eyes reddened, and said word by word, "Get out of here! I want to see the king!"
Before Zhao Gao could react to what was happening, he was already lying on the ground. Watching the Queen Mother walk straight in, the guards wanted to stop her, but he raised his hand to stop them, a sneer on his lips.
Since some people insist on choosing to break up, you can't blame them.
The atmosphere in the hall was stagnant and oppressive, making it almost suffocating. The few candles flickered slightly, and the shadows of the lampposts cast on the walls were stretched like a ghost with bared fangs and claws.
On the throne, there was still that familiar figure sitting, the beads of the crown tassel swaying slightly, hiding his face.
The surroundings were eerily quiet, with only the sound of her footsteps.
After just a few steps, Zhao Yuanxi felt as if there was a chasm between her and him, and she could not get any closer no matter what. Her throat tightened, and she wanted to say something, but for a moment she didn't know where to start.
Finally, he spoke. His voice showed no emotion, but it was so cold that it made people shiver.
"Is the Queen Mother here to plead for Zhang Liang?"
"yes."
Ying Zheng threw the file down and it rolled right to Zhao Yuanxi's feet.
She picked up the file, read its contents, and lowered her eyes. "He made a mistake and deserves to be punished, but apart from this incident, Zhang Liang has never had any other thoughts. Now that he has surrendered, why can't the king give him another chance to live?"
"He wants to kill me." Ying Zheng stated this fact, but did not say the second half of the sentence.
Not only did he want to kill himself, but even the Queen Mother chose to protect him.
When Ying Zheng first heard the news, he didn't believe it at all, but the truth was now in front of him, which made it impossible for him to exonerate them even if he wanted to.
So many people wanted to kill him, so what was the difference between having one more Zhang Liang? What he didn't understand was why the Queen Mother protected him and even kept him by her side as if nothing had happened.
This even made him suspect that the Queen Mother's risking her life to save him was actually a trap set by the Queen Mother just to gain his trust.
She did, and like a fool he believed her.
Ying Zheng's cold gaze made Zhao Yuanxi almost breathless.
Suddenly, I heard a series of alarms from the system.
[Warning! Warning! The target's favorability has dropped abnormally, 90%-80%-60%-0%---50%]
[Warning!! The mission time will be shortened to three years. If you cannot complete this mission within three years, the mission will be completely failed!!]
Zhao Yuanxi smiled bitterly. She didn't expect that she could really complete the task, but hearing the prompts from the system seemed to drain all her strength.
"Everyone who wanted to kill me is dead. No one is an exception."
"But people can change."
"Yes! People will change, or maybe I have never seen you clearly." Ying Zheng stared at the Queen Mother below, his eyes complex and dark.
Zhao Yuanxi's eyelashes trembled, and he spoke in a hoarse voice, "I know that nothing I say now will make any difference, but this matter was caused by me. If I hadn't arranged for Zhang Liang to stay in Liyang Palace, he wouldn't have had the opportunity to enter the Palace of Prayer for Good Harvests. It was also because I chose to conceal the matter. It has nothing to do with anyone else. If you want to blame someone, you can blame me, but considering that Zhang Liang has also made great contributions to the Qin Dynasty, please spare his life."
"Do you really think I won't kill you?"
"I can die! If you really think this requires a life, I can give it to you, but give me a little more time. I will never make things difficult for you."
At least, let her get everything in order before she dies!
Ying Zheng felt an irrepressible rage in his heart. He picked up the glass lamp at hand and smashed it hard on the ground. The flying glass cut Zhao Yuanxi's face. Blood flowed down her cheek and fell to the ground, splashing drops of blood.
"Your life belongs to the Queen Mother. Why should you use your life to repay me?"
Zhao Yuanxi was startled when he heard this and murmured, "I'm sorry..."
"Get out! I don't want to see you again!"
Zhao Yuanxi was almost heartbroken, but he suppressed his grief and continued, "Zhao Gao is not a good person. You should not keep him around any longer. I will send someone to give you the evidence. From the beginning to the end, I never intended to harm you."
"go out!"
The moment Zhao Yuanxi walked out of the palace gate, he felt a darkness in front of his eyes, and he could only stand steadily by holding on to the door with his hands.
Zhao Gao stepped forward to support her and said, "Your Majesty, please be careful. If you fall, I will be in trouble."
Zhao Yuanxi slapped him angrily, his eyes looking at something dirty, "Don't touch me."
"I admit my guilt. I will send someone else to escort you back to the palace. Your Majesty the Queen Mother—"
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