Chapter 3: Disaster Befell the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion
Before leaving the capital, Lin Xiaoyue was stopped again by the palace guards.
She looked at the guards in front of her with a puzzled look and asked, "What do you want to do?"
"I have the emperor's order and I have nothing to say!" The guard started searching her bag without saying a word, and even wanted to search Lin Xiaoyue's body.
Lin Xiaoyue guessed that the things she stole had been discovered, but the guards dared to search her in public. She angrily pushed the approaching guard away and cursed, "Don't you think I'm miserable enough? Get out of here!"
"I'm sorry, something happened in the palace. You can't leave the city today. You will be detained in the prison of Shuntian Prefecture for the time being." The guards only found some clothes, silver and jewelry in the bundle. Seeing that Lin Xiaoyue was so thin that she couldn't hide so many things lost from the palace, they returned the bundle to Lin Xiaoyue and left.
In this way, Lin Xiaoyue was imprisoned in Shuntian Prefecture again.
Inside the palace, Emperor Liang was so furious that he was almost burning to the roof. First, the guards who went to search the Jinxiu Palace came back to report that the entire Jinxiu Palace was empty and spotlessly clean; then the people from the imperial kitchen came over and said that all the prepared meals had been stolen; then the director of the Imperial Hospital came in person to confess that someone had stolen all the medicinal materials in the entire Imperial Hospital; then the manager of the granary came in with a pale face and said that the granary was empty!
Who on earth could have taken the things out of the palace without anyone noticing?
In fact, the person he thought of at the beginning was Lin Xiaoyue. After all, he had given her the most honors and favors, and now he exiled her to the northern border. It was like falling from heaven to hell, which was more cruel than taking her life!
Lin Xiaoyue must hate him to death!
At this time, the guards who had been sent out hurriedly came in and saluted, saying, "Your Majesty, we have searched the guilty concubine Lin Xiaoyue and her palace and found nothing unusual."
Emperor Liang's frenzied heart instantly cooled down. If it wasn't this woman, who else could it be?
If Lin Xiaoyue was his favorite woman, then Liang Jieqiong was definitely the most powerful woman in the harem! Lin Xiaoyue had only been in the palace for a short time and didn't have much foundation, but Liang Jieqiong was more than that. Not only was she the head of the harem, she was also the legitimate daughter of the Duke of Zhenguo. It was too easy for her to bribe people!
Moreover, all the items stored in the Jinxiu Palace warehouse were her dowry. Any one of them was priceless. That warehouse could be said to be rich enough to rival a country!
Could it be that Jie Qiong had anticipated this and hidden it in advance?
"Go to the cold palace!" Emperor Liang stood up suddenly and walked towards the harem.
In the cold palace, Liang Jieqiong heard that Emperor Liang had come and thought that he had changed his mind. She quickly straightened her clothes and went out to greet him, "Welcome to the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"
Emperor Liang stepped forward and kicked Liang Jieqiong, who was kneeling on the ground, and demanded, "Tell me! Where did you hide all the things?"
"Your Majesty, what are you talking about?" Liang Jieqiong asked in confusion, gritting her teeth to endure the pain.
Emperor Liang said with a cold face, "What about the things in the Jinxiu Palace storehouse? And my imperial kitchen, granary, and the Imperial Hospital. Liang Jieqiong, are you planning to empty my palace?"
Liang Jieqiong looked at Emperor Liang in shock and asked, "Your Majesty, you said my dowry is gone?"
The more Emperor Liang looked at the woman in front of him, the more disgusted he felt, especially her artificial and coy posture, as if she was afraid that others would not know that she was pretending!
"Liang Jieqiong, you don't have to pretend anymore. I'm giving you one last chance. If you hand over everything, I'll let you spend your old age in peace in this cold palace. Otherwise, don't blame me for not remembering our old friendship!"
Liang Jieqiong realized this time that the emperor had murderous intentions, but she really didn't know where the thing was!
But she couldn't die. If she died, what would happen to her eldest prince?
She frantically grabbed onto Emperor Liang's clothes and pleaded, "Your Majesty, I really didn't do it. I'm innocent! We've been married for many years. You must believe me!"
"Take care of yourself!" Emperor Liang shook off Liang Jieqiong's hand in disgust and strode out of the cold palace.
Returning to the Qinzheng Palace, Emperor Liang still couldn't swallow his anger. As the king of a country, someone actually dared to conceal the truth right under his nose, and this person was his queen. It was simply outrageous!
He paced back and forth in the hall, and finally pointed at the door and ordered, "Come here! Invite the Duke of Zhenguo into the palace!"
The guards were ordered to go out immediately.
After a while, the Duke of Zhenguo walked into the Qinzheng Hall with heavy steps. Although he had learned about his daughter's experience on the way here, he still observed the etiquette between the emperor and his subjects, knelt on the ground and bowed, saying: "This old minister greets the emperor. Long live the emperor!"
Emperor Liang did not let him get up, but spoke directly, "The Empress secretly hid the memorial regarding the succession. Did you know?"
The Duke of Zhenguo really wanted to scold Emperor Liang bitterly. He thought about how when the late emperor was choosing a crown prince, if he had not strongly supported the current monarch, who knows who would be the emperor now!
Who would have thought that just for such a small matter, Emperor Liang abolished his daughter's position as empress. It seemed that Emperor Liang had been dissatisfied with them for a long time!
But think about it, no matter who has a million soldiers, it is not as good as Emperor Liang himself!
The Duke of Zhenguo lowered his head to hide his anger and said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty has done something foolish. I hope the Emperor will forgive you!"
Emperor Liang sneered. The old fox was indeed cunning. He actually wanted to get away with it lightly!
"Of course I'm not a petty person, but the Queen has emptied my palace. What do you think I should do, Lord Zhenguo?"
The Duke of Zhenguo felt a tightness in his heart. How could he not know what kind of person his daughter was?
Besides, isn't emptying the palace the same as rebellion? The emperor is forcing their family to death!
"Your Majesty, I believe there is something fishy going on here. I hope Your Majesty can see through it!"
Emperor Liang will not investigate. He has long wanted the military power in the hands of the Duke of Zhenguo, and he can also confiscate the property of the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion. After the matter is over, he will marry a young, beautiful queen with a wealthy family. This is simply killing two birds with one stone!
He narrowed his eyes dangerously and cursed, "Investigate? Do you think I'm wrongly accusing you, Duke Zhenguo? Don't think that just because you're the late emperor's advisor, I won't dare do anything to you."
The Duke of Zhenguo's heart sank into the sea in an instant. It seemed that he could not escape today!
The emperor is now more powerful and ambitious. No matter how loyal the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion is, the emperor is no longer satisfied with this!
He kowtowed three times and said confidently, "I dare not! But I have followed the late emperor through thick and thin. My loyalty is known to heaven and earth. I would never do anything so treasonous!"
Emperor Liang hated hearing the word "late emperor" the most. He turned around, walked over to the desk, and sat down. "Duke Zhenguo has made great contributions to the government, but I understand that you are old and no longer suitable for military affairs. You must hand over the tiger talisman today. In addition, the Queen can be spared the death penalty, but she cannot escape punishment for her crimes. All property of the Duke Zhenguo's Mansion is confiscated, and the Queen is demoted to a commoner and expelled from the palace with immediate effect!"
The Duke of Zhenguo felt as if something had collapsed, leaving only two words in his mind - it's over! He had spent his entire life in the military, fighting for his country, but now it ended in such a miserable way?
"I object!"
A loud voice was heard outside the hall. The Duke of Zhenguo was delighted. When he turned around, he saw a familiar figure.
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