Chapter 544 Although it's crude and clumsy, I like it very much!
A joyous birthday banquet ended in such a tragic way.
The wine pool and meat forest have turned into a blood pool and a corpse forest.
While the Crown Prince and Empress were still in a daze, the Fourth Prince had already been imprisoned in the Imperial Prison and would never be allowed to step out again for the rest of his life.
The crown prince had a vague feeling that something was wrong.
But I can't quite put my finger on it.
He should have been happy, but he felt a pang of sadness.
"Mother, Empress Dowager, don't you think there's something amiss about what happened today?"
Empress: "My son, what do you want to say?"
The Empress had not expected things to go so smoothly.
Crown Prince: "It's going too smoothly. I haven't even done anything yet, and it's like my fourth son's death is coming to me on his own... I'm very uneasy."
The crown prince looked up at the Chu Emperor, who stood high above him, a figure steeped in bloodshed.
“Zongzheng Wuxie has always been cunning and treacherous, but he has always been extremely cautious when it comes to matters concerning the Emperor. If it really was him, how could he have revealed such a flaw as my wet nurse?”
"This is all too much of a coincidence!"
The Empress quickly covered the Crown Prince's mouth.
"My son, be careful what you say and do!"
Upon returning to her palace, the Empress quickly dismissed everyone around her.
Once they were all alone, she pulled the crown prince aside and poured out her heart.
"Zongzheng Wuxie's current predicament is the result of his many evil deeds, which is why he has suffered this retribution."
"The witchcraft accusation ultimately fell on his head. We all barely managed to escape from this quagmire. If you continue to say these things, are you trying to drag the mud down on yourself again?"
"If it weren't for the sudden rebellion of Marquis Wu of Wei and his son, Zongzheng Wuxie wouldn't have been imprisoned in the imperial jail out of spite. It was a matter of timing and fate."
"From now on, your path will be smooth!"
"We should be happy, do you hear me?"
The crown prince remained in a daze.
The scene he witnessed today utterly terrified him.
My father is so heartless.
That's incredibly cruel.
Seeing the Crown Prince like this, the Empress was so angry that she raised her hand and slapped him across the face.
Don't you understand?
"No matter how successful Zongzheng Wuxie has been over the years, it was all due to your father's deliberate indulgence."
"Your father had long since become intolerant of the Marquis of Wei Wu's family, which is why Zongzheng Wuxie married the eldest daughter of the Marquis of Wei Wu's family as the prince's principal wife!"
"If Zongzheng Wuxie hadn't become increasingly arrogant over the years, smugly believing that the power of the Marquis of Wei Wu's mansion was given to him by your father, he wouldn't have become increasingly reckless and cruel, no less so than..."
The Empress dared not utter the words "your father."
But that's what I really thought.
She earnestly and repeatedly instructed the Crown Prince: "My son, remember, never make your father angry again."
"Empress Dowager doesn't know... if we ever upset your father, we'll end up like this too."
As she spoke, the Empress choked up uncontrollably.
She felt a sense of shared fate, and seeing the fates of Consort Ning and the Fourth Prince, as well as the fate of the Marquis of Wei's mansion, she couldn't help but feel a deep sense of fear.
Throughout history, monarchs have been the most ruthless.
So what if Consort Ning has been favored for so many years?
Now that he was destined to be abandoned, wasn't he simply abandoned by the emperor in a fit of anger?
If she hadn't been lucky enough to become empress, she and her legitimate son would have been abandoned by Emperor Chu long ago.
Just like tonight when the Chu Emperor ordered the Second Prince and Marquis Wu of Wei to be shot dead without hesitation.
Before Li Qingluo could leave with the crowd, Eunuch Ji called her back.
"Madam Li, His Majesty has decreed that you must come before him immediately."
The Chu Emperor wants to see her?
Upon hearing this, the Seventh Princess, who was about to return to the palace, immediately reached out to block Li Qingluo.
"Father-in-law, why does Father suddenly want to see Lady Nangong?"
“Lady Nangong saved many of our lives tonight. She must be exhausted, so let her leave the palace and go home to rest.”
The seventh princess looked nervous.
Li Qingluo was quite surprised to see that she was willing to protect her.
The death of the Second Prince tonight must have terrified these princesses and princes. At such a time, she is still willing to risk angering her father to protect herself, which shows that she still has some conscience.
“Princess, my husband is right here before the Emperor, you need not worry.”
Eunuch Ji quickly added, "Seventh Princess, His Majesty only wishes to meet the wife of the General of the Valiant Cavalry. You are being too anxious."
After speaking, Eunuch Ji glanced at Li Qingluo with surprise.
Surprisingly, Madam Li remained quite calm and composed.
Is she really not afraid?
It's still too convincing.
The Seventh Princess then stepped aside, saying, "Don't worry, I won't be leaving for now."
It seems she doesn't trust her father very much.
The Chu emperor was indeed cruel, and could even be ruthless towards his own children.
I really don't know what else in this world could be his weakness.
Li Qingluo kept her head down and followed Eunuch Ji forward amidst the chaos.
"Your Majesty, I, Lady Nangong, pay my respects. Long live the Emperor!"
The Chu Emperor looked at the young woman before him and narrowed his eyes slightly.
"Raise your head and let me see you."
Li Qingluo dared not raise her eyes, so she only slightly raised her face, but her gaze remained lowered.
Seeing that this merchant's wife was so well-versed in etiquette, the Chu Emperor raised his eyebrows slightly.
"Li Wu, your wife is truly worthy of you."
"It's a pity that he came from such a humble background."
"However, I heard that you saved my three princesses tonight?"
Eunuch Ji added from the side, "Your Majesty, there are still more than twenty palace maids. This Lady Nangong... oh no, I mean Lady Li, she is incredibly brave and decisive. The arrow that killed the heir of Marquis Wu of Wei was also shot by her."
The Chu Emperor was overjoyed: "It's you?"
"You know archery? Did Li Wu teach you?"
Women in the Great Chu Kingdom usually didn't even dare to show their heads when they went out on the street.
People like Li Qingluo who know martial arts are extremely rare.
Women throughout the Great Chu Kingdom did not admire martial arts; they considered it a very barbaric act.
Even noblewomen often had one or two skilled servants by their side.
But a woman like Li Qingluo, who is not only highly skilled in martial arts but also capable of killing with an arrow, is simply unheard of.
Duan Rongshi: "Your Majesty, my wife has been raised by my father-in-law like a son since she was a child. So riding horses, shooting arrows, and making money are all easy for her."
"Although it's clumsy, I like it very much."
"Please, Your Majesty, do not frighten her."
The Chu Emperor snorted: "Am I that frightening?"
"Nangong, tell me, are you afraid of me or not!"
Li Qingluo: "Your Majesty's divine countenance is too dignified for me to look directly at; naturally, I feel awe and reverence for it."
"But I know that Your Majesty would not deliberately frighten those who are loyal to you."
The Emperor of Chu laughed heartily.
It was the first genuine and hearty laugh of the night.
"Interesting. You two are both very loyal to me?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
