Emperor Hui clutched his chest, trying to suppress the pain and anger in his heart.
Empress Xie calmly defended herself, saying that Jingyi, Jinghui, and Jingzhen were murdered by Consort De, and that Consort De's death was not innocent!
Consort De was originally determined to make Prince Qi seize the throne. Now that Prince Qi was no longer useful, she wanted her grandson Zhou Huan to be made the Crown Prince.
"She wanted to take advantage of my power, so I suggested that if those princes weren't eliminated, it wouldn't be her grandson's turn. And so, she took action!" Empress Xie said.
Zongzheng: "But His Highnesses Jingyi, Jinghui, and Jingzhen were attacked on their way to Huguo Temple to pray for blessings. The assassins' clothing was marked with the marks of Wei's assassins!"
"Isn't it obvious? They're all my people. Consort De doesn't have that many manpower, so I'm giving her a push!"
The head and deputy head of the Imperial Clan Court were absolutely furious: "Your Majesty, we beg you to execute the Xie family by slow slicing!"
Xie Anfeng could no longer hold back. He suddenly stood up and slapped Empress Xie twice across the face, cursing, "You shameless woman who disregards the law, brings disaster to the country, and harms your parents, what face do you have to live in this world?"
Madam Xie also scolded, "You are my only daughter. I love and protect you. When you entered the palace, I did not expect you to benefit the family. I only hoped that you would be gentle, virtuous, humble and cautious. Who knew that you would not have any of these qualities... I am ashamed before His Majesty and my ancestors."
Empress Xie, her face swollen but unconcerned, gave a bitter smile and said, "When you traded the Xie family's eldest daughter for your own gain, you should have known that one day you would face a backlash. Let me tell you something else—"
Not only were the four princes killed by my men, but I also killed the Empress.
Emperor Hui: ......
Xie Anfeng: ......
"What, you don't believe me? That day when the Crown Prince attacked the city, I went to speak with the Empress. Lan Lin had said before that she was paralyzed in bed because she had been poisoned, but she just didn't know it."
I then told Empress Wei that His Majesty had poisoned her legs and that His Majesty intended to use her as a hostage to coerce the Crown Prince into withdrawing his troops.
The Empress did not want to become the Crown Prince's weakness, so she cooperated with me. I gave her a poison powder and told her to apply it to the box. This poison could kill anyone who touched it.
Am I that stupid? If the box is poisoned, it's easy to spot, isn't it?
Therefore, Your Majesty, the poison you were given was not the powder on the box, but a separate poison that I asked Lan Lin to administer.
Empress Xie said casually, "In this life, I have hated too many people, but the three I hate the most are Dongfang Qingran, His Majesty, and the Empress!"
"Zhou Yugan, Xie Anfeng, let me tell you, this world is far too unfair to women. Women have never been inferior to men, and have never been appendages of men. I have said all I wanted to say. Kill me or torture me as you please, I have no more worries!"
She addressed Emperor Hui and Xie Anfeng by their given names, showing no concern for their lives.
Madam Xie cried and scolded her for dragging down the whole clan, but Empress Xie just ignored it and didn't defend herself.
Emperor Hui was unwilling to continue the interrogation. He was swaying slightly, but he managed to hold back the blood and did not vomit any more, though his face was extremely pale.
Zhou Shaoyu said, "Father, let's leave it at that. Your health is the most important thing."
Emperor Hui forced himself to speak, saying, "Lady Xie, since I ascended the throne, I have vowed to take the prosperity of the country and the safety of the people as my own responsibility, and I have no time to think about personal feelings for my children."
I had no idea you had someone you loved. And the concubines in the harem were never chosen according to my wishes. It was all just a matter of balancing the interests of the various families and the court officials.
You feel wronged, but I don't?
I also wish I could do as I please, but I cannot.
As the ruler of a nation, I have the world and its people on my mind. As the person in charge, I must fulfill my duties and cannot act as willfully as an ordinary man.
Since you entered the palace, I have felt that I have treated you well, but if you insist on comparing yourself to men from the common people, I have indeed failed to do so.
Your claim that I deliberately harmed the four children you mentioned is utter nonsense. I have always hoped that you could have many children to contend with the Wei family and share some of the burden on me.
Now that you have become an imperial concubine, you must shoulder the responsibilities of an imperial concubine. I hoped that you would share my burdens. Not only have you failed to fulfill your responsibilities, but you have also poisoned me, harmed the imperial heirs, won over ministers, and usurped the throne.
Xie, I have no affinity with you. I cannot forgive your actions.
"By imperial decree: The Empress has committed immoral acts, exhibiting wicked conduct, harming the imperial heir, and poisoning the Emperor; her crimes are unforgivable. She is hereby stripped of her title and sentenced to death! She shall not be buried in the imperial mausoleum after her death."
No one pleaded for Empress Xie.
Emperor Hui looked at Xie Anfeng and Madam Xie and said, "Xie Anfeng, dismiss him from his post. The entire Xie family is to be imprisoned and tried on another day."
After he finished his announcement, Zongzheng couldn't help but ask Empress Xie, "When you detained His Highness's wife and children in the palace that day, were you also trying to harm the imperial heir?"
Empress Xie glanced at him and scoffed, "Why should I tell you?"
She looked outside the hall but didn't see Xie Zhaozhao.
Why did she detain Xie Zhaozhao and the child?
He was merely thinking that after seizing power, he would appoint Xie Zhaozhao as the Crown Princess, force Xie Zhaozhao to agree, force Xie Anfeng to agree, and force Zhou Shaoyu to agree.
Now that she is about to die, if she had ever considered making Xie Zhaozhao the Crown Princess, then Emperor Hui and Zhou Shaoyu would probably have been wary of her.
Let Emperor Hui find out that he detained the family of his favorite minister without cause! If anyone is to be scolded, he should scold her alone.
She hated Emperor Hui, hated Xie Anfeng, hated Old Madam Xie, hated the entire Xie family... but she never hated Xie Zhaozhao.
She genuinely wanted to be good to Xie Zhaozhao.
Because Xie Zhaozhao was also the eldest daughter of the legitimate wife, and like her, she was also schemed against.
When the secret letter was made public, she learned that Grand Secretary Gu's surname was actually Zhou!
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