Xiao Lingchuan used the excuse of buying pastries for Empress Dowager Du to leave the palace and go to Prince Yi's residence to inform Jiang Luoluo. He told her about how Empress Dowager Du, together with the ministers, petitioned the Emperor to punish Xie Yizhi in the main hall of the palace.
Xiao Lingchuan couldn't stay at Prince Yi's residence for long, fearing it would arouse Empress Dowager Du's suspicion. After telling Jiang Luoluo what was going on, he took the pastries and hurried back to the palace.
Jiang Luoluo saw him to the door, watched him mount his horse and ride away, and only looked away when his figure disappeared into the vast snowstorm.
She stood still for a moment, watching the heavy snow falling in the courtyard, and suddenly ordered, "Moyang, bring Cuiliu up."
Snowflakes landed on my shoulders, slightly cool; in this freezing winter, the storm raged on with its undercurrents.
Xie Zhichen ran over, looking at Jiang Luoluo with a worried expression, his voice tinged with urgency: "Mother, will Father be alright?"
Jiang Luoluo bent down and picked him up, gently patting his back. She looked into his eyes and said firmly, "Father will be alright. Mother has a way. Zhichen, don't worry."
The moment she said those words, she suddenly realized that she was actually incredibly worried about Xie Yizhi.
She had been trying to ignore these feelings, but they were already there, and she couldn't fool herself after all.
Whether as an ally or as one of the parties in this arranged marriage, she did not want anything to happen to Xie Yizhi.
She hoped he was safe and sound, and that he would live a good life.
They were originally just cannon fodder in the book, but as Xie Yizhi said, they wanted to live their lives brilliantly and dazzlingly!
*
The Prince of Yan's movements were so fast they sent chills down one's spine, and his methods were ruthless and decisive.
When Yao Shiyu returned to the Gu residence, she had already received news that Lu Anrou had committed suicide due to unbearable humiliation.
She paused for a moment, her fingertips tightened slightly, and her hand involuntarily clenched into a fist inside her sleeve.
In fact, the Prince of Yan had prepared a backup plan for Lu Anrou from the very beginning; he had no intention of letting her live.
From the moment Lu Anrou and that servant committed that absurd act, her fate was sealed.
Having lost all her innocence, she was no longer of any use; on the King of Yan's chessboard, she was now a dead piece.
The Prince of Yan originally intended to deal with Xie Yizhi by starting with Jiang Luoluo, and to use Lu Anrou to sow discord between Jiang Luoluo and Xie Yizhi.
If everything goes as he expects, and Xie Yizhi loses control of his emotions and kills someone on the spot in front of everyone at Liuyun Pavilion, then that would be the perfect excuse.
Alternatively, if Xie Yizhi were to become enraged by being cuckolded and accidentally kill Jiang Luoluo, the scene would be even more dramatic.
At that time, he could take advantage of the situation and completely destroy Xie Yizhi.
Unfortunately, things didn't turn out the way he wanted.
Since that's the case, there's only one last path left: to use Lu Anrou as a dead end and wipe everything out completely.
At Yuanhua Temple, his asking Yao Shiyu for her opinion was merely a test.
Yao Shiyu suddenly appeared and knew too many of his secrets. If she hadn't been willing to stand on the same side as him...
Then she could only turn into dust and be wiped away by his own hands.
Yao Shiyu returned to the Gu residence and handed the pastries to Madam Gu, her face still bearing a gentle and obedient smile.
But her fingertips were slightly white, and a chill slowly spread down her spine, even making her feet feel cold.
Yao Shiyu finally realized, belatedly, that if she hadn't given the answer the Prince of Yan wanted to hear at Yuanhua Temple...
At this moment, she is probably already a cold corpse.
*
In the main hall of the palace, Empress Dowager Du sat on a high seat, her expression dignified. Her well-maintained face showed no signs of age, but her eyes, which were used to controlling everything, revealed a sharp and oppressive aura.
She snorted coldly, her tone leaving no room for argument: "What a joke! Xie Yizhi, have you gone mad? How dare you utter such outrageous words? Aren't you my son?"
Upon hearing this, Xie Yizhi's lips curled slightly, revealing a cold sneer, "Your Majesty, I dare not be your son."
"Before my elder brother has even spoken, you have already presumptuously condemned me; this is far too presumptuous."
His gaze was like a knife, piercing Empress Dowager Du, and his voice was filled with undisguised sarcasm.
Transgression?
Empress Dowager Du has always been like this. Back then, wasn't it because Xie Qiyu was gentle and easy to manipulate that she pushed him to the throne?
Over the years, relying on her status as Empress Dowager, she not only controlled the inner palace perfectly, but also repeatedly interfered in court affairs, suppressing Xie Qiyu completely.
Her people are everywhere, both inside and outside the court, and she has long been accustomed to ruling with an iron fist and acting recklessly.
Now, her eagerness to deal with Xie Yizhi is simply because she has received instructions from her old flame, the Prince of Yan.
Xie Yizhi's eyes were cold and sharp, like those of a hawk, fixed on Empress Dowager Du.
However, Empress Dowager Du remained calm, as if she didn't care about his attitude at all, and casually said: "As the ancients said, if a son is not taught, it is the father's fault."
"Now that the late Emperor has passed away, I am your mother. Yet you are now ruthless and vicious, resorting to the despicable methods of a woman in the inner quarters to deal with a weak woman. You have no shame whatsoever!"
Her tone was cold and stern, each word forceful and clear, as if proclaiming her own righteousness: "Your morals are corrupt, which is clearly due to my failure to educate my son properly."
Today, I, on behalf of the late Emperor, will teach you a lesson so you will remember it!
Having said that, she suddenly waved her hand and shouted sternly, "Guards! Drag Xie Yizhi away and give him one hundred strokes of the cane!"
The ministers kneeling in the main hall were already numb in the legs, but fortunately, their goal had been achieved.
Empress Dowager Du and the others echoed each other's words. Now that the Empress Dowager had given the order, they could leave with a clear conscience and no longer have to kneel.
Just as the Imperial Guards stepped forward to capture Xie Yi, Xie Qiyu, who had been silent all along, suddenly slammed the memorial in his hand to the ground!
A crisp "snap!" echoed throughout the vast hall.
Xie Qiyu lowered his eyes and caught sight of Xiao Lingchuan standing quietly by the main hall door. His expression hardened, and he slowly raised his eyes, his voice as cold as ice.
"Mother, you are mistaken!"
He slowly rose, his gaze sweeping over the assembled ministers. His tone was unhurried, yet carried an inexplicable air of authority: "Your Majesty is a subject of the Great Qi..."
If he is guilty, he should be punished according to the laws of the Great Qi Dynasty. How dare you, Mother Empress, overstep your bounds and act on his behalf?
After speaking, he glanced coldly at the kneeling officials. Since they were willing to kneel, let them kneel a little longer.
Xie Qiyu spoke slowly, his voice calm yet powerful: "My beloved ministers, am I right or wrong?"
All the court officials were shocked, and some even looked up at Xie Qiyu in disbelief.
This was only the second time they had seen this usually gentle and refined emperor lose his temper.
The last time was when Xie Yizhi publicly contradicted Empress Dowager Du in order to build the Flying Eagle Army.
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