Everyone involved in this case, regardless of whether they were masterminds or accomplices, was killed.
Or was it a cruel form of execution like being cut in half at the waist?
That's incredibly brutal.
It should be noted that in the past, even when someone was already colluding with foreign enemies and plotting rebellion, the sage did not exterminate them.
At most, the ringleader would be killed, while the accomplices and their families would be "exiled" to Chang'an New City to work.
Even if the main culprit is killed, they will basically be given a complete corpse.
Some of the ringleaders, like Mu Jialan, didn't even have to die!
Over time, court officials and aristocratic families developed a misconception: although the emperor was willful and eccentric in his youth, he became calm and composed after becoming emperor.
He has a broad perspective and has learned to be patient.
Yes, it doesn't mean that becoming emperor means you can do whatever you want.
For the sake of stability in the court and for the sake of the people, even the emperor had to suffer grievances and harbor resentment.
For example, the late emperor was also suffocated by the powerful families and had to bring in Jia Yi as a mad dog to tear the families apart.
Moreover, the reason why the late emperor would pass away was the Tangquan Palace Incident.
While the Tangquan Palace Coup appears to be a case of princes murdering their fathers and brothers for the sake of the emperor, in reality it was a power struggle between the emperor, the prime minister, and powerful families.
The late emperor lost; first he suffered a stroke, then he died.
As the new emperor, Helian Jue should learn from this lesson.
Therefore, after Helian Jue ascended the throne, first the Turkic prince besieged the city, and then the empress was assassinated on her way back to the capital...
Each and every one of these incidents is inextricably linked to aristocratic families and former nobles.
Helian Jue has evidence in his possession, which he can present and then punish strictly according to the "Great Zhou Law".
But Helian Jue didn't!
The emperor and empress chose to back down, almost adopting a "compromise" attitude, focusing on minor issues while neglecting the major ones.
...All those past events have truly given people a false impression.
I believe that the sage aspired to be a wise ruler, and a wise ruler cannot be willful, tyrannical, or cruel!
The fourth prince chimed in: That's because you haven't offended him yet!
If—and I mean if—that Empress Xie was indeed injured by an assassin when she returned to the capital back then.
Heh, what awaited the aristocratic families wasn't some "Clan Records," but rather the cleaver of that madman Helian Jue!
So what if he's a tyrant? Helian Jue doesn't care.
A few years later, the thing that the Fourth Prince and others who knew the Emperor and Empress feared most happened—
The person who could restrain Helian Jue, this ferocious beast, has truly fallen!
All those involved will be executed by being cut in half!
His entire family was exiled and enslaved!
Hmm, that's something Helian Jue could do.
And this is just the beginning!
"...I just hope that Madam Xie can wake up soon!"
"Otherwise, the capital will be awash in blood!"
While coaxing her granddaughter to take a nap, Empress Dowager Xiao stood alone by the window, looking towards the direction of Jiaofang Palace, muttering to herself.
As if to confirm Empress Dowager Xiao's words, Helian Jue returned to the palace and, within an hour, issued one imperial edict after another.
It's either murder or exile!
Every imperial edict carries the weight of countless lives.
Helian Jue's sharp sword began its frenzied slaughter.
After eliminating the ambitious figures outside, he didn't even spare the old hags in the palace.
He immediately ordered his men to surround the Empress Dowager's palace, search it, and arrest people!
Except for the Empress Dowager, everyone around her was tied up.
The Empress Dowager was both shocked and furious: "Outrageous! You scoundrel! I am the Empress Dowager, the wife of the Holy Ancestor, and the mother of the late Emperor."
“Helian Jue, I am your maternal grandmother! I am the most honored elder in the Helian royal family.”
"How could you be so arrogant as to disregard even filial piety?"
The Empress Dowager roared loudly, pounding her chest and stamping her feet, exclaiming, "Holy Ancestor, late Emperor!"
"Open your eyes and see! The Helian family has such an unworthy descendant as Helian Jue!"
"Let me go! I want to go and mourn for the Holy Ancestor, to mourn for the Former Emperor!"
"I want to see if there are any rules or justice left in this world!"
The Empress Dowager resorted to her last resort—crying at the imperial mausoleum!
Helian Jue, however, didn't care at all. Cry? Just cry?
The real trump card should be to smash one's head against the palace gate and die, right?
Or perhaps they simply took a rope and hanged themselves at the imperial tomb?
If the Empress Dowager had such a wish, Helian Jue would not have stopped her at all.
They'll even send someone to help her out!
Helian Jue's attitude was so firm that his subordinates understood his meaning.
Therefore, the Imperial Guards responsible for the search remained completely unaffected by the Empress Dowager's cries and threats.
Not content with turning the Empress Dowager's palace upside down, they also dug up the ground three feet deep.
"Commander, we've found them!"
"There is a puppet, and on it is the Empress's name and birth date!"
Just when the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard thought that he would not be able to find any evidence this time, and was preparing to fabricate some evidence according to the emperor's wishes, he heard his subordinates shouting.
The commander's heart tightened suddenly: Holy crap! There really is one!
He strode into the yard, where a large hole had already been dug under a tree.
Two imperial guards, one digging in the dirt, the other carrying a small wooden box.
The wooden box had been opened, revealing its contents: a wooden puppet with talismans made of yellow paper pasted on it.
The puppet has lines of text written on it.
"It really is Her Majesty's name!" and the Empress's birth date and time.
In fact, as a subject, the commander only knew the empress's birthday, but not the exact time.
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
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