Chapter 77. His pain reached its peak. (Nutrition)
"Your Majesty, this is absolutely impossible!" Dao's heart skipped a beat when he heard Xiao Shenjing's words, and he blurted out.
Xiao Shenjing slowly turned his head, raised his eyes, his gaze was lifeless and cold, yet sharp enough to suffocate.
It's as if if you dare to say another wrong word, you'll be dragged away and torn apart by five horses.
Dao suddenly knelt down, realizing that he had caused a great disaster in his moment of panic.
After all, even if one wanted to stop this, it shouldn't be done when the emperor is furious; otherwise, such behavior would be no different from courting death.
He quickly bowed and said, "Your Majesty, Hongxiu Zhaoyuan is in Dali, Yunnan, while Lord Fan is currently in the capital."
Pieces of pale paper money fell to the ground, wailing, around Xiao Shenjing.
He stood amidst the flickering candlelight, his expression completely unchanged, and said, "You're right."
He tilted his head slightly, the corners of his upturned eyes still tinged with the lingering redness.
"Bring all the people from the Red Sleeve Pavilion to me as quickly as possible."
After saying that, he turned around, picked up the lid of the jade box, and was about to close it when he paused. His cold, jade-like fingers fell into the jade box and gently stroked his broken knuckles, as if he wanted to clasp his fingers together.
The charred bones cracked like shattered jade, leaving only a chilling, damp coldness on his fingers that had pierced through them.
His fingertips trembled slightly, and he slowly withdrew his hand, saying softly, "Fu Shun, this jade box is too narrow and too small."
He was lost in thought for a moment, and after a few breaths he said again, "She will definitely be displeased. Within three days, make me a coffin made of golden nanmu wood."
In her eyes, the vast Forbidden City was pitifully small.
She was thinking of the sky, the earth, and the ends of the earth.
He knew this all along, so why did he repeatedly try every means to keep her?
Even though she wanted to kill him, caused chaos in the harem, and committed heinous crimes that could lead to execution or the extermination of her entire family, no matter how angry or furious he was, he never once considered sending her out of the palace.
Because he knew that once she left the palace, she would run far, far away, so that he would never be able to find her again.
That means he will lose her forever.
A bluish-gray mist crept over the glazed tiles of the nine-tiered palace. The roof tiles, which should have gleamed with gold, now radiated a chilling aura, like countless half-closed ghostly eyes peering at the mortal world.
Seeing that Xiao Shenjing, carrying the jade box, was heading towards the sleeping quarters instead of the Yongle Palace gate, Fu Shun had no choice but to risk his life to remind him, "Your Majesty, are you going back to the Qianqing Palace tonight?"
"From now on, I will stay here."
Fu Shun wanted to persuade him again, but after glancing at Dao Yi beside him, the two of them looked at each other and went about their own business.
In order to bring the people of Hongxiuzhao back to the capital as quickly as possible, Dao Yi sent a message by carrier pigeon to mobilize thirty border guards to secretly bring the people of Hongxiuzhao into the capital in the dead of night. Just in case, Dao Er led fifty men to meet them. This greatly shortened the time, and Fan Zishi was left in the capital by Xiao Shenjing.
When a storm is brewing, Hongxiu, as the backbone of the group, is the calmest person.
Even though the people who imprisoned them didn't say why, they traveled along official roads and stayed at post stations, and no one dared to stop them along the way. She had already guessed that this matter must be related to Yunxi.
Moreover, this is most likely not a good thing.
Yunxi!
No matter how worried Hongxiu was, she had to remain calm.
After the Mid-Autumn Festival, it started to get cold.
When Xiao Shenjing left the court, he asked Dao Yi, "How long until the people from Hongxiuzhao arrive in the capital?"
"I'll arrive tomorrow," Dao Yi replied immediately.
The emperor nodded and said nothing more, then walked straight toward Yongle Palace.
Since Yunxi's death, Xiao Shenjing has never returned to Qianqing Palace. He has arranged everything in Yongle Palace, and even reviews memorials in his bedchamber.
"Your Majesty, it's late." Just after midnight, Fu Shun reminded him.
Xiao Shenjing did not stay up until the hour of Chou (1-3 AM) that night, and quickly put down his imperial pen.
As the maidservant was putting down the jade hook, she caught a glimpse of a dark coffin beside the bed. She immediately lowered her eyes, lowered the dragon-patterned curtain, bowed, and quickly retreated.
These days,
Xiao Shenjing slept in the same coffin as the deceased.
However, to ensure that Yunxi's remains were not damaged, the coffin lid was mostly closed.
"Yunxi," Xiao Shenjing suddenly called out.
Not a sound came from the brown coffin made of Phoebe zhennan wood.
Xiao Shenjing was already used to talking to himself like this.
"Your godmother is going to the capital tomorrow, did you know?" he asked, tilting his head.
In the long silence, the young emperor suddenly chuckled softly.
The smile that didn't reach his eyes carried a chilling undertone.
He suddenly stood up, stretched out his arms, and lifted the dragon-patterned curtain to look into the room.
His phoenix eyes scanned the surroundings with exceptional care, not wanting to miss a single glimpse of darkness.
But there was still no familiar figure.
"Yunxi, aren't you angry?" he said softly, staring at the room. "If you don't show up soon, I will chop off those people's heads tomorrow."
The bedchamber was dark, with all the candles extinguished, except for the thin moonlight seeping in through the windows.
Xiao Shenjing waited patiently, but the room remained deathly silent until past midnight.
When the women of the Red Sleeve Pavilion heard that they were to enter the palace, they were all terrified and turned ashen-faced.
For ordinary people, they never dream of entering the palace and meeting the emperor.
The emperor rules over all four directions.
Supreme majesty.
"I heard that if you say even one wrong word, you'll get your head chopped off, and your whole family might even be wiped out," Wang Ge'er, the kitchen worker, cried.
“But we earn our living through our skills, and we haven’t done anything wrong.” Boss Cai squatted in the corner of the prison van, his face filled with fear and trepidation.
"Alright." Amidst the sobs, Hongxiu spoke up, "If it really is a capital offense, we'll probably be killed in Dali."
Gradually, these people's emotions were calmed down.
Upon stepping off the prison cart and seeing the majestic palace and rows of imperial guards, these men were so terrified that their legs went weak and they could no longer walk.
After the examination, the leading eunuch said in a shrill voice, "You'd better be careful, don't make a fuss, and don't look too much, or don't blame me for not warning you if you lose your heads."
The palace had strict rules, and the slightest mistake could result in execution. Even though the group was terrified, they could only tremble and follow behind the eunuch.
When the Imperial Guards carrying long spears patrolled by, these men immediately knelt down.
When crossing the Jinshui Bridge, the eunuch leading the way instructed: "Walk slowly, and do not exceed one foot and three inches in any step."
After speaking, he glanced at everyone with a strangely sinister look.
"If you exceed the limit, you will be punished."
The rule of "proper conduct" when passing through the gate of Ganqing made everyone tremble with fear, and even though it was already autumn, they were still sweating profusely.
After wandering through the palace alleys for a long time, we still hadn't reached our destination.
Ah Ye, one of the younger children responsible for tending the fire, couldn't help but whisper, "This palace is huge! I heard that the emperor's quarters are made of gold?"
The eunuch leading the way glanced back.
"Shh, are you looking for trouble?" Boss Cai immediately pulled Ah Ye back. "Don't talk."
By the time the group arrived at Yongle Palace, it was already dark.
They were led directly to the inner courtyard, and upon hearing the command "Kneel down," no one dared to hesitate for a moment and promptly knelt down.
I just felt that the strict rules of the palace were too frightening.
Onion Head had already been pushed into the inner courtyard. When he saw this group of people, his eyes widened and he called out incredulously, "Aunt Hongxiu."
Hongxiu was also stunned when she saw the onion, and then her heart sank heavily.
The group hadn't even knelt in the inner courtyard for long when they heard footsteps.
Looking back, he saw a young high-ranking official wearing a scarlet silk robe.
Looking at the people kneeling neatly in the courtyard, Fu Shun knocked on the door of the sleeping quarters and said, "Your Majesty, everyone has arrived."
"Kneel down." Inside the room, Xiao Shenjing's hands never stopped reviewing the memorials.
The courtyard was filled with kneeling people, yet no one dared to utter a sound; the silence was as profound as that of a tomb.
The midnight clapper pierced through the heavy palace walls, and Xiao Shenjing finally put down his imperial brush.
He smoothed out the wrinkles in his clothes and slowly walked to the bedside.
He stood high above the coffin made of Phoebe zhennan wood, staring at the charred remains inside, and asked softly, "Yunxi, your godmother is here. Aren't you going to see them?"
Even the candle flame remained completely still.
"Good, good, good!" Xiao Shenjing said "good" three times in a row, with a smile on his lips, but his face was filled with a terrifying ferocity. "In that case, I will cut off their heads one by one."
He threw down those words, flicked his sleeves, turned around, and strode toward the door.
A gentleman's word is as good as his bond, let alone that of an emperor.
He had warned Yunxi before, but she still resolutely went to her death. Since she no longer cared about the lives of these people, he would help her and send them to hell to accompany her.
Doesn't she like lively atmospheres?
With so many people with her, shouldn't that be enough?
He chuckled softly, but his coldness sent chills down one's spine.
The heavy, carved door was pushed open.
In the dead of night, such a sudden sound startled people.
Someone subconsciously looked up and saw a tall figure standing against the light, the darkness terrifyingly dangerous, but why did that face seem somewhat familiar?
Before he could take a closer look, the imperial guard beside him hissed, "Look down, what are you looking at?"
Behind the wide-open door, the screen had been removed, and a brown coffin made of golden nanmu wood appeared before Hongxiu's eyes.
She stared blankly, as if she suddenly understood something in an instant.
Her pupils trembled as she looked incredulously at the emperor on the steps, slowly rising to ask, "Your Majesty, where is Yunxi? Where is Yunxi?"
Xiao Shenjing sat on a rosewood armchair and waved to the imperial guards who were about to press Hongxiu down.
Then, under Hongxiu's gaze, he coldly uttered three words.
"She is dead."
In an instant, everyone in the courtyard looked up at Xiao Shenjing on the jade steps.
Cai Laoda didn't understand at first and asked blankly, "Who, who died?"
"The Emperor said Yunxi is dead?" The girl from Hongxiuzhao shook her head, looking shocked. "How could Yunxi be dead?"
"Your Majesty!" Fan Zishi also looked up in astonishment, staring intently at Xiao Shenjing. "Wasn't my sister perfectly fine in the palace? How could she have died here? How could she have died?"
The young emperor was not angry despite the constant commotion.
His gaze swept arrogantly across everyone's faces, taking in all their expressions from his superior position, before finally settling on Fan Zishi. He asked calmly, "Lord Fan, why do you think Yunxi won't die?"
"Your Majesty, why did my sister deserve to die?" Fan Zishi's eyes instantly reddened, and he even stood up from the ground, overcome with emotion. "She was always kind to others, and despite her exceptional martial arts skills, she never bullied the weak. She was honest and always treated people with sincerity, even back then..."
Lord Fan choked up and could hardly continue, but he still forced himself to say, "Back then, she liked you and was also devoted to you. She was willing to suffer all kinds of grievances and try every means to be with you."
As soon as he asked the question, the smile on Xiao Shenjing's face gradually faded until there was no smile left at all.
"Your Majesty and Yunxi have known each other for so many years, you should know that," Fan Zishi said, his eyes bloodshot. He questioned Xiao Shenjing on the high steps with great disrespect, but was blocked by the Imperial Guards with swords drawn.
He knew perfectly well that his actions were disrespectful, yet he refused to turn back even a step.
“Even if Yunxi was impulsive, she never harmed any innocent person. Why did she die?” He gripped the scabbard blocking his way and demanded, “You were the one who traveled all the way from Dali to bring her back. You were the one who locked her up in the harem and wouldn’t even let me visit her. You knew the harem was a place that devours people without spitting out bones. Why didn’t you protect her properly?”
Why didn't you protect her properly?
Why, why?
Xiao Shenjing looked at him indifferently, like a cold sculpture, aloof and unmoved.
"Who is in this coffin?" came the trembling question from behind.
No one spoke.
Hongxiu suddenly noticed a familiar pleated skirt with a sunset glow hanging on the clothes rack.
The crimson hue, dyed with madder, was woven with silver threads through the folds of her skirt, flowing like lava as she moved. Her red sleeves and pale face were the result of what she had made for Yunxi.
Before Yunxi left Dali, she personally stuffed it into his luggage.
"Is this Yunxi?" Hongxiu, supporting the coffin, stared blankly at Xiao Shenjing and asked.
She didn't even dare to blink, for fear that she might have seen something wrong.
What she longed to hear was a firm denial that this was not Yunxi.
"Yes, those are Yunxi's remains." Xiao Shenjing, completely unconcerned about Hongxiu's overstepping her bounds, indifferently announced the answer.
Hongxiu slowly looked at the coffin, and upon seeing the charred remains, tears suddenly welled up in her eyes. "Is this Yunxi?"
"No, no," Hongxiu shook her head, her throat choked with a sharp pain. "This isn't Yunxi, how could it be Yunxi?"
She suddenly turned her head to look at Xiao Shenjing. "Yunxi has excellent lightness skills and is also very skilled in martial arts. She is really amazing." As she spoke, she nodded vigorously, and large tears fell. "How could she have been burned to death? No, no, no, it wasn't Yunxi. You must be wrong."
As she spoke, Hongxiu retreated, as if she would not be able to bear looking at the dark skeleton for even a second longer.
"Do you know how she died?" Xiao Shenjing seemed unmoved by Hongxiu's suffering. He even cruelly revealed the truth: "Before she died, I banished her to the Cold Palace and bound her limbs with iron chains."
Hongxiu's eyes widened.
He continued with an aloof and indifferent expression, "She was burned alive."
"Ahhhhh!" Hongxiu covered her ears in pain, completely breaking down.
Xiao Shenjing wouldn't let her off the hook, cruelly describing, "When I found her, her charred body was trapped under beams, unable to struggle, and could only be burned alive."
Hongxiu cried so hard her whole body was shaking.
"Guess who set the fire?" Xiao Shenjing continued, "It was her."
"Yunxi" Hongxiu suddenly lunged at the coffin.
A heart-wrenching cry tore through the night.
"Yun Girl" "Yun Sister"
Suddenly, a chorus of cries erupted outside the courtyard.
Xiao Shenjing listened to the cries without being moved.
Then, he glanced indifferently at Fan Zishi, who was standing beside the coffin, looking dazed, as if he couldn't bear such a blow.
Xiao Shenjing slowly crossed his legs, propped his chin on his hand, and said, "Cry, cry a little longer. After all, you will all be buried with her."
Some people start crying and then realize something is wrong.
Buried with the deceased?
The crying gradually subsided as the child grew frightened.
"What did he say?" someone asked, shrugging their shoulders.
"It seems they're saying we have to be buried with them?" a girl replied, wiping away tears from her face.
"Does that mean we're going to die too?" Old Cai's mouth dropped open.
"Why must we be buried with them?" He Yunxi, a person with shallow emotions, asked in fear, "Why must I be buried with them too?"
As the volume of the three words "Why" gradually increased, Xiao Shenjing smiled and said, "Why? I told Yunxi that as long as she dares to ask for death," his eyes slowly swept over everyone present, "everyone who knows her will have to be buried with her."
"After all, a ruler's word is law!"
As soon as the words were spoken, the terrified cries grew louder, and some people even collapsed to their feet, trying to run away, crying, "I don't want to die! I don't want to die!"
Before he could even take a single step, a sharp sword was already pressed against his neck. If he moved even slightly, his neck would be slashed, or even severed.
He was so frightened that he immediately collapsed to the ground.
Just then, the sound of footsteps echoed, and a group of imperial guards in full armor strode in, surrounding the entire courtyard.
If the ruler commands the subject to die, the subject must die.
No one can escape.
Those who were terrified and wanted to run away all knelt on the spot, wailing in fear, "I don't want to die! I don't want to be buried with you!"
The cool autumn night breeze swept through the hall, and the flickering candlelight shone on Xiao Shenjing's face, making one half of his face, which was as white as jade, even more handsome, while the other half of his face looked like a bloodthirsty demon.
Yunxi, since you refuse to come, then I will have them come to find you.
Are you going to be very angry?
Will you come to me when you're angry?
He tilted his head back, an uncontrollable smile spreading across his face.
This laugh sent chills down Fu Shun's spine.
It's like molten lava that's been suppressed to its limit, on the verge of erupting.
In that instant, the old man, who had served the emperor for more than six years, suddenly felt a fear he had never experienced before.
This time, they killed the people in front of them, but what about next time?
He broke out in a cold sweat and instinctively looked at the coffin inside the room.
His Majesty sleeps with the coffin day and night. Even though all the news had been suppressed before, once Lord Fan dies tonight, the news will surely be known to the civil and military officials of the previous dynasty.
How many officials in the Censorate would risk their lives to offer their remonstrances if the emperor acted this way?
How many more people will die then?
When the government and the people are in turmoil, if the world descends into chaos, how many people will die?
Since His Majesty ascended the throne, he has been diligent in governing, rational and restrained, and has saved the nation from collapse amidst chaos, rescuing countless people from suffering. He is undoubtedly a wise ruler and savior of his time. However, after the death of Consort Yun, his temperament has become increasingly erratic, and he even seems to be on the verge of madness.
Fu Shun felt a chill run down his spine and dared not think any further.
The sound of weeping echoed throughout Yongle Palace.
"Blade One." Xiao Shenjing abruptly stopped smiling and gave the order without any change in expression, "Make your move."
"Stop!" Hongxiu suddenly shouted.
Dao Yi immediately stopped his gesture to the Imperial Guards to take action.
Hongxiu, tears streaming down her face, forced herself to stand firm. She looked at Xiao Shenjing with a sorrowful expression and asked, "Your Majesty, do you know why Yunxi lied to you back then?"
Xiao Shenjing narrowed his eyes.
"Because you don't know what Yunxi looked like when she fled to Dali. She truly fled; you would never know." She raised her hand, slowly pointing to the Emperor sitting on the rosewood armchair, then to Fan Zishi standing beside the coffin. "How she endured the days when all of you abandoned her."
Hongxiu rolled up her sleeves and fiercely wiped away the tears on her face.
"When she was oppressed by your Fan family and locked in the woodshed without a single bite to eat, all she could think about was how to save you, while you only thought about driving her away, afraid that she would bring shame to your Marquis's mansion, hahaha!" Hongxiu laughed loudly. "If anything were to happen to any member of your Fan family, only Yunxi would risk her life, defy power, and disregard everything to save your lives."
Fan Zishi's Adam's apple bobbed, and tears welled up in his bloodshot eyes.
“But you burned the memorial tablets of her adoptive parents, and made her adoptive parents' bones turn to ashes. She was just a little naughty, and you still have to bully her, humiliate her, and betray her like this!” After Hongxiu finished speaking, she suddenly looked at the emperor. “And you! She likes you. Even though she knows that you are on opposing sides, she still tries her best to go through all kinds of hardships to be with you.”
The hatred in Hongxiu's eyes could no longer be concealed.
Her baby died, all because of these people.
"Do you know why she orchestrated the kidnapping of that princess and herself? Do you think she was vying for favor?" Hongxiu stared at Xiao Shenjing and smiled. "At that time, she was abandoned by the Fan family and knew she should leave the capital immediately, but she still liked you, liked you, Xiao Shenjing. So, she wanted to force herself to give up and leave as quickly as possible."
Xiao Shenjing gripped the armrest, his expression remaining calm and indifferent.
So aloof as to be indifferent.
“If you don’t choose her, she will never appear in the capital again in this lifetime. If he chooses her, she will definitely join the army, and she will stand with you no matter what you want, even the supreme throne, she will accompany you.”
Xiao Shenjing pursed his lips.
"So she orchestrated the kidnapping, and the person who kidnapped you was also the one who truly wanted to kill you. Yunxi sensed it beforehand, and in order to protect you, Yunxi did everything she could to please the other party, even becoming the punching bag for that person's son to practice martial arts, which saved your life!" Hongxiu became more and more angry as she spoke. "And you had no idea that Yunxi, whom you abandoned back then, was a ruthless gambler, so in the end she lost everything."
With tears in her eyes, Hongxiu patted her chest heavily, only then could she choke back sobs and continue, "When she fled to Hongxiuzhao, she was already emaciated and utterly despondent."
"How could that be?" Xiao Shenjing coldly refused to believe it.
It's just a means for these people to survive.
"Why is it impossible?" Hongxiu stepped forward, her voice trembling with emotion, and demanded, "She kept crying and asking me if she was really that bad, that terrible, why everyone had to abandon her? Her biological parents didn't want her at birth, and her adoptive father abandoned her after her adoptive mother died. She thought she had finally found family again, but she was still abandoned. And you, whom she loved? You chose someone else too!"
"She will never be favored, never be chosen, and will always be the one you abandon."
Xiao Shenjing's pupils trembled, and he suddenly gripped the armrest tightly.
"Tell me, why can't she break down? What makes her not to break down?" Hongxiu asked angrily. "She locked herself in her room day and night, refusing to eat or drink. You have no idea how thin she became back then. She was such a vibrant person, and she was brutally destroyed, losing all will to live."
Does Yunxi have no will to live?
Xiao Shenjing's mind went blank for a moment, and his heart pounded with a suffocating feeling as his head burned. He couldn't breathe at all.
"Yunxi hugged me, asking me over and over again why so many people hated her and abandoned her? She said if she just behaved herself, she wouldn't be treated like this anymore?" Hongxiu closed her eyes, tears rolling down her cheeks. She suddenly opened her eyes again and looked at Xiao Shenjing. "That's not her fault at all. It's you, you executioners, who have persecuted Yunxi to this point!"
"In order to survive, she wanted to try a different image, to try being the kind of person everyone liked—well-educated, reasonable, knowing how to behave, gentle and virtuous. So she studied at Hongxiuzhao for two whole years."
At this point, Hongxiu suddenly stopped. She stared at Xiao Shenjing and asked, "She finally managed to move on from the past and start a new life, but what did you do when you found her again?"
What did he do?
Xiao Shenjing blinked slowly.
He was furious at Yunxi's concealment and deception.
They even imprisoned her in the Zhaoyu Prison and handed her over to cruel officials for torture.
Even knowing she would be punished inside, he showed no mercy.
He knew she was covered in injuries and had a high fever, making her most vulnerable, but he thought she was always strong and didn't care at all.
Therefore, she was almost humiliated in the prison cell.
He also demoted her to a lowly status and sent her to the laundry department.
After she escaped again, in the sedan chair in front of Ding Xian...
The emperor, who was sitting upright in his chair, could no longer bear the suffocation. He pressed his chest tightly and slowly hunched his back.
The pain reached its extreme.
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