"Hmm!"
What? Xiao, what did you say?
The sage's eyes widened suddenly.
What he didn't know was that all the blood in his body was rushing to his head.
If you were to measure his blood pressure, you would find that his blood pressure was off the charts!
The emperor, however, was completely oblivious. He seemed to have thought of something and glared at Consort Xiao with resentment.
"Ugh! Ugh!"
You bitch!
You're lying to me?
All that talk of a sincere heart and only caring for him is just an act!
This vile woman, like those women in history and in the imperial harem, harbored the idea of "rejecting the father and keeping the son."
She wants to be the Empress Dowager!
"Helian Gui, do you know, I hate you!"
Consort Xiao whispered in the emperor's ear, "I am originally a woman from a noble family in the Southern Dynasty, how noble I am!"
"But because of your plunder, I have become a lowly female slave!"
"A female slave? Ha, how absurd! I, a woman of the Lanling Xiao clan, am not only from a noble family, but was once royalty, and yet—"
Xiao Zhaoyi's originally gentle and calm expression could no longer be maintained when she said this.
A deep-seated hatred gleamed in her eyes.
"Ugh! Ugh!"
It was I who saved you; otherwise, you would have become a concubine to be played with by countless men!
Consort Xiao sneered, "You saved me? If I didn't have such a beautiful appearance, would you have saved me?"
Consort Xiao was so calm that she was almost cold-blooded.
"I saved myself! And for the next twenty years, it was through patience, talent, and superb acting skills that I finally achieved the honor I later attained!"
Consort Xiao never felt that her favor was a gift from the emperor, but rather the result of her own efforts.
"Ugh! Ugh ugh ugh!"
You heartless wretch! I've been so good to you, and you're not even a little bit grateful.
Having read the emperor's angry expression, Consort Xiao's smile grew even brighter. "Yes! I'm not grateful at all! I'll repay kindness with enmity!"
Consort Xiao said in a very soft voice, "Your Majesty, someone did indeed poison you. But it wasn't Ashina, whom you believe, but me!"
boom!
The saint's anger burned fiercely.
He was so angry his eyes were practically popping out of their sockets!
But then, before he could even let out an angry whimper, his pupils suddenly contracted and then dilated!
His chest stopped heaving, and his hand suddenly fell to his sides.
Helian Gui, a powerful ruler, was actually driven to his death by the woman he had favored for over twenty years!
Consort Xiao watched with a smile, her eyes filled with pleasure!
But, for some reason, two lines of clear tears still flowed from her beautiful peach blossom eyes.
With a gentle touch, Consort Xiao closed the Emperor's eyes.
"Debts are settled with death! Helian Gui, we are even now!"
Sitting quietly in front of the couch for a while, Consort Xiao composed herself, slowly got up, and went to the table in the outer main hall.
She picked up a pen and paper and began to imitate the handwriting of the sage, writing a decree of succession.
Having been "married" to the sage for over twenty years, Consort Xiao Zhaoyi mastered the sage's handwriting perfectly.
Even a sage himself probably couldn't tell the difference.
With a few swift strokes, Consort Xiao finished writing the few lines of text that indicated the succession to Prince Helian Jue of Yue.
After the ink dried, he took out the jade seal that he had just brought back from the capital.
Once the imperial seal was affixed, an imperial edict that no one could distinguish as genuine or fake was produced!
"Alright, consider this a gift from your mother."
Not only did they give him the imperial seal, they also helped send the emperor away.
This would allow Helian Jue to rightfully and legitimately become the new ruler!
...
The sage has passed away!
Empress Ashina and the three prime ministers had no doubts about Consort Xiao.
Firstly, this person's acting skills are so superb that even a saint would be deceived, let alone an outsider.
Even Empress Ashina thought Consort Xiao was "foolish" for actually falling in love with a man!
Secondly, Consort Xiao had no reason to kill the emperor. Her third prince was crippled, and her sixth prince was still young; neither had any advantage in the struggle for the throne.
A living saint is the most valuable person to Consort Xiao.
Without a motive, he couldn't possibly be the murderer.
Thirdly, the sage was a ruler who had been in power for more than twenty years, so he must have had some trump cards up his sleeve.
For example, the shadow guards passed down through generations of the Helian royal family.
The Shadow Guards are ubiquitous and omnipresent.
They will closely guard the saint.
Even if Consort Xiao wanted to take action, the Shadow Guards wouldn't allow it.
Consort Xiao: ...
I obtained the seal to command the Shadow Guards, and before I took action, I had already transferred away the Shadow Guards who were guarding the Sage!
No one doubted Consort Xiao, and she continued to maintain her persona as the emperor's favored concubine.
When the emperor passed away, she wept uncontrollably and fainted several times.
Empress Ashina: ...What a foolish woman!
Queen Ashina was a straightforward noblewoman from the grasslands, with clear likes and dislikes.
The sage wronged her, so she severed ties with him.
Now that the saint is dead, she can only be happy—she's made room for my son and will never cause us any more trouble!
Of course, in front of the mourning hall, Empress Ashina still pretended to hold a handkerchief soaked in ginger juice and let herself cry bitterly.
After she finished crying, she began to discuss the saint's "afterlife arrangements" with the three ministers.
As for Consort Xiao, tsk tsk, she's a hopeless romantic; Empress Ashina didn't even give her a second thought.
"A country cannot be without a ruler for a single day! A crown prince must be selected as soon as possible!"
Empress Ashina appeared selfless and impartial, saying, "Prince Yong, Helian Huang, is probably still on his way and won't arrive for a while."
“King Helian Jue of Yue was originally the eldest son of the late emperor. Now, with this divine miracle, he is even more suitable to be made crown prince!”
Yongchang had already made up her mind to latch onto her nephew's coattails, especially now that the emperor had passed away, she needed to find a new patron as soon as possible.
The merit of supporting someone's ascension is also a merit!
She quickly chimed in, "Your Majesty is absolutely right! I think Helian Jue is also very suitable!"
"He served as the crown prince for over twenty years, and from a young age he was taught by great Confucian scholars and famous figures, so his talent and character were both excellent!"
Just as the three prime ministers, Cui, Wang, and Zheng, were about to say something, Consort Xiao walked over with a hesitant look on her face.
Her face was streaked with tears, and her eyes showed obvious reluctance, yet also seemed to have no choice: "The sage left behind a will!"
Empress Ashina immediately raised her eyebrows, and her eyes flashed with a chilling light.
What is the Xiao family planning to do?
Is she going to forge a will?
The three prime ministers also looked at Consort Xiao with questioning eyes.
"I had my own selfish motives and intended to conceal them!"
“But the Emperor was deeply devoted to me, and even though I am unwilling, I cannot bear to go against his last wishes.”
Empress Ashina's voice was cold, "Xiao, do you know what you're saying?"
"Falsifying an imperial edict is a capital offense, and in serious cases, the entire clan may be exterminated!"
These words are a clear threat.
Consort Xiao flinched, but still forced herself to suppress her fear of the Empress Dowager, and said, "I know! The Emperor left a will, appointing Helian Jue as Crown Prince!"
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