Shanhe Festival 274. Mianqi Milang's car crashes, Mo Jingqi's revenge

Because of Mo Jingqi's words, everyone left the bedroom and left the last time to himself. No one knew what this emperor, who had been busy all his life but seemed to have accomplished nothing, would want to write in his last time.

Mo Xiuyao held Mo Xiaobao in his arms and Ye Li in one hand while walking beside the Grand Princess and Duke Hua. Now, these two were the only real elders left in this country. The others followed closely behind. No one was in the mood to leave the palace at this moment. The Emperor's will was still in the hands of the Empress, and with the Grand Princess, Duke Hua and Prince Ding guarding them, no one could interfere. But they also did not walk away in a daze.

The group sat down in the pavilion of the Yu Garden. The pavilion was not big, so naturally only the eldest princess, Duke Hua, Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li were sitting inside. Duke Hua looked at Mo Xiuyao with a smile, then looked at Mo Xiaobao who was sitting on Mo Xiuyao's lap and looked like a smart guy, and said with a smile: "Prince Ding looks much better these years than when he was in the capital." Mo Xiuyao nodded and smiled: "It's been a few years since we last met, and the old Duke is still as healthy as before." Duke Hua shook his head and sighed: "I've grown old..."

The pavilion was quite quiet for a while before Duke Hua asked, "What plans does Prince Ding have for the future?"

Mo Xiuyao was a little surprised. He looked up at Duke Hua and raised his eyebrows and said, "Old Duke, don't you want to persuade me?"

Duke Hua shook his head and said helplessly: "Since the situation has been broken, why should we repeat it? Even if the broken mirror is mended, it is not perfect. What's more... Da Chu has bound Ding Wang Mansion for too long. Now that the dragon is flying in the sky, no matter success or failure, I am afraid that no human power can reverse it. Is that what Ding Wang said?" Mo Xiuyao smiled indifferently, neither admitting nor denying. Although Duke Hua has fought on the battlefield all his life, it does not mean that he does not understand political affairs. The return of Ding Wang Mansion to Da Chu is of course what the people of Da Chu and even many court officials want, but it is a huge blow to the Mo family soldiers and the officials under Ding Wang Mansion. Even though Mo Xiuyao was the head of Prince Ding's Mansion, it was impossible for him to make such a decision without caring about the feelings of his subordinates.

Duke Hua waved his hand and said, "I can't see the future glory of His Royal Highness Prince Ding, but I believe that with Prince Ding's ability, the support of the princess and many capable people, he will not disappoint the wishes of the ancestors of the Mohist school." What is the wish of the ancestors of the Mohist school? Unify the world, pacify the four directions, and have all nations come to pay tribute. In the history of Prince Ding's mansion, there have been more than one amazing and stunning figure with such ability. However, they all failed for various reasons and died with regret.

"Old Duke..." The eldest princess said in surprise. She knew that Duke Hua would not come to persuade Mo Xiuyao, but from what he said at this time, it seemed that he was very confident about the future of the Mo Army and Prince Ding's Mansion. You know... from the overall situation, Prince Ding's Mansion is not in an advantageous position.

Duke Hua shook his head and smiled, "Grand Princess, we are all old. The future still depends on the young people." The Grand Princess was stunned, looking at the white-haired and wrinkled Duke Hua in front of her. Then she looked at her own wrinkled hand. Isn't it true... They are already old, how many days can they last? Forget it...

Mo Jingqi died in the end. He failed as a son, a brother, a father, and even as a monarch. So before he died, he did not ask for his children and grandchildren to sit around him and mourn for him. He drove everyone out and took his last breath alone in the empty bedroom.

When everyone received the eunuch's report and rushed back to the bedroom, they saw Mo Jingqi lying straight on the bed, already dead. The bedding and clothes on his upper body were almost all stained dark red by blood. His eyes were still open, staring blankly at the gorgeous dragon curtains on the top of the bed. The eldest princess sighed, walked up to him, raised her hand and closed his eyes, and said, "Let's go outside to listen to the will."

A heavy bell rang in the imperial city, announcing the death of a great emperor to the world.

"In compliance with the Will of Heaven, the Emperor Zhaoyun: ... make the tenth son, Mo Suyun, the emperor. Dethrone the crown prince and make him the King of Qin. The birth mother of the King of Qin, Consort Liu Guifei, will be buried alive with him." The Queen's voice echoed calmly outside the bedroom. In the stunned look of the crowd, the Queen finally looked at the Queen Mother sitting beside her and frowned. The Queen Mother's heart skipped a beat and she felt something was wrong. She only heard the Queen recite the last sentence calmly, "The Queen Mother...will be buried alive with the late emperor. So respectfully."

"Impossible?!" The Queen Mother's face turned pale. She stood up and shouted, "It was you! You tampered with the Emperor's will, didn't you?"

The Empress was not completely unsurprised by the contents of the edict. However, she had long been accustomed to keeping a calm expression, so it seemed that there was no change. She said calmly, "The Emperor personally handed the edict to me in front of everyone. After that, I never left everyone's sight. Please understand, Empress Dowager."

Everyone was silent, wasn't it? So many people, so many eyes were staring. Not to mention that the empress was an ordinary woman who didn't know martial arts, even if she had some skills, how could she have expected that the emperor would hand over the will to her or prepare a copy in advance.

"No... this is impossible! The prince would not do this! Ridiculous... Since ancient times, has there ever been a case where an emperor died and his mother was buried alive with him?!" The empress dowager still refused to believe it. Since ancient times, there has been no such custom, but the edict said that the empress dowager should be buried alive with the late emperor. In this way, it is not considered disrespectful. On the other side, Prime Minister Liu of the Liu family also collapsed to the ground. Not only did his grandson fail to become the emperor, but his daughter had to be buried alive with him. This sudden shock was too much for this old man who had been in the court for his whole life to bear.

As for the other party, the tenth prince Mo Suyun, who will rule the world from now on... Everyone looked at the tenth prince who was kneeling on the ground with a bewildered look on his face. The tenth prince was only seven years old this year, and his biological mother was just a palace maid who Mo Jingqi had an unexpected visit with. After giving birth to Mo Suyun, she was not favored, but was just casually given a noble title. Over the years, the mother and son have lived in the palace like ghosts, and almost everyone has forgotten them. But now... this bewildered child has obtained something that everyone has been thinking about but has missed.

Mo Xiuyao looked at the timid Tenth Prince, and a meaningful smile appeared on his lips. He said lightly: "Since the edict has been read, the rest of the matter has nothing to do with me. I will leave first." Once again, Prince Ding made it clear that he had no intention of intervening in the government of Da Chu. Mo Jingli, who had a sullen face, breathed a sigh of relief and nodded, "Prince Ding, take care."

Mo Xiuyao glanced at him with a half-smile, then turned around and left the palace with Mo Xiaobao and Ye Li in his arms. As for what happened in the palace, it had nothing to do with them.

Outside the palace, the streets of the capital were lined with white cloth, and the former glitz and glamour was now covered in stark black and white. When the emperor passed away, the whole country mourned. Even if the emperor was not popular among the people, the people still had to wear mourning clothes, and prohibited singing and dancing, and marriage to express their condolences to the emperor.

There were naturally no such strict rules in Prince Ding's mansion. Only some obvious and popular things were taken down, but the people in the mansion continued to live as usual. Although they were now in the capital, they were no longer considered as citizens of Da Chu. Instead, they were just guests, just like Xiling, Beirong and Nanzhao. Naturally, there was no need for such strict rules for guests.

After returning to the courtyard and sitting down, Mo Xiuyao was absent-minded for a rare moment. Ye Li sat beside him and asked softly, "Xiuyao, what's wrong? Are you tired?" Mo Xiuyao shook his head, held her tightly in his arms, took a deep breath and said, "I was thinking... Is Mo Jingqi's death too easy..." According to Mo Xiuyao's thoughts a few years ago, he would never let Mo Jingqi die so easily. He wanted Mo Jingqi or watch the things he cared about lose one by one, watch his country fall apart, and even watch the Great Chu Kingdom fall apart. If not, he had a thousand ways to take Mo Jingqi's life when he got the truth about his father and brother's death.

Even this time, he wanted to save Mo Jingqi and continue to torture him. But in the end, he gave up the idea.

Ye Li sighed softly, looked up at Mo Xiuyao and asked, "Don't you think Mo Jingqi's death was tragic enough?"

Mo Xiuyao lowered his head and thought for a while. Before Mo Jingqi died, except for not seeing the fall of the country and the collapse of the palace, he had lost everything he was supposed to lose. Even if it was the Great Chu, with the tenth prince being arranged to succeed him, he probably didn't hold out any hope. That's why even death is not as important as the eyes. In this way, Mo Jingqi's death was indeed tragic enough. Maybe... the loss now is just because he didn't do anything personally to cause Mo Jingqi's current miserable situation, but only contributed to it?

"We hate the enemies we should hate, and let them get the punishment they deserve. But I don't want you to let this hatred permeate your heart. When a person dies, the debt is settled. There is no point in hating a dead person. If you are still not satisfied, how about I accompany you to the palace to whip Mo Jingqi's corpse and then cut it into pieces?" Ye Li said softly.

Mo Xiuyao smiled, hugged Ye Li and said, "I know. I won't think about it anymore. Although I regret not avenging my brother personally. But... a person like Mo Jingqi is not worthy of dirtying my hands. There is a saying... Misfortunes sent by heaven can be forgiven, but misfortunes brought upon oneself cannot be forgiven."

Ye Li smiled and said, "It's good as long as you figure it out."

In the following days, the whole capital was naturally very lively. Mo Jingqi's coffin was still in the palace and had not yet been released, but the royal family and court officials had already quarreled. The focus of the dispute was nothing more than two things. One was the succession of the tenth prince. The other was the burial of the queen mother and Liu Guifei. The queen mother was the biological mother of Prince Li, and Liu Guifei was the biological mother of the prince. Mo Jingqi's temporary attack hit the most fatal points of both Prince Li's Mansion and the Liu family. However, compared with the Liu family, the situation of Prince Li's Mansion was much better.

Because Mo Jingli is already the regent, even if he is not the emperor, the little emperor still has to listen to him before he leads the army. He still has plenty of time to plan. But the Liu family is different. The prince has become the King of Qin, and Concubine Liu will be buried alive with him. In this way, the Liu family can be said to no longer have any support or reliance in the palace. Mo Jingli will naturally not miss this best opportunity to strike the Liu family. Even if the queen mother has to be buried alive like Concubine Liu, the blow to Mo Jingli will not be as severe as that of the Liu family. Because Mo Jingli is already a completely independent and powerful prince, it is not very important to him whether he has the support of the queen mother.

At this time, the Zhangde Palace was filled with sorrow. The empty palace no longer had the groups of palace maids and eunuchs as before. The Queen Mother sat in a phoenix chair in a daze. Her once well-maintained hair had a few strands of white hair on her temples. She looked haggard and dazed.

Mo Jingli sat aside, drinking tea in silence, his expression calm and composed. Even his biological mother, the Queen Mother, could not detect any emotion in him.

"Li'er... What should I do with Li'er? Qi'er is so cruel... I am his biological mother!" The Queen Mother murmured. She never thought that Mo Jingqi would actually leave such an imperial decree. She was unable to take over as the Empress Dowager through her youngest son's ascension to the throne, and there was no imperial decree for her to become the Grand Empress Dowager after her grandson ascended the throne. She became the first and perhaps the only Empress Dowager in history to be ordered to be buried alive by her own son. The former honor and wealth seemed to have become a thing of the past, and she could not even save her life.

Naturally, she had never been so flustered since she became the Queen Mother. Even when Mo Jingli rebelled in the south, she had never been so flustered. Why... why was everything different from what she thought?

Mo Jingli put down his teacup, raised his head and looked at the Queen Mother calmly and said, "Mother, this is my brother's will."

The Queen Mother was startled, and it took her a while to realize what Mo Jingli meant. In some ways, a posthumous edict may be more effective than an imperial decree. Although it is said that the emperor never jokes, as long as Mo Jingqi is alive, she will always have a chance to find a way to make him take back his order. But now, Mo Jingqi is dead. The last imperial decree he left before his death was the posthumous edict. To show respect for the late emperor, the late emperor's posthumous edict cannot be easily overturned even if the new emperor ascends the throne. Mo Jingli was telling her that he had no other choice.

"No... No! I don't believe it!" The Queen Mother stumbled over and grabbed Mo Jingli's hand and said, "I am your biological mother, Li'er, please save me. I don't want to die. I know... I know you have a way!" Mo Jingli shook his head and said, "Please forgive me, my son has no way."

The Queen Mother staggered back two steps, almost tripping over the chair behind her. She fell powerlessly into the chair, looking at Mo Jingli with disbelief in her eyes, "Li'er... are you really going to ignore me? Don't forget, if I hadn't persuaded the Emperor for you, why would the Emperor have ordered me to be buried alive with him?!"

The Queen Mother also figured it out. This was all her son's revenge on her. She was siding with Mo Jingli when he was poisoned, and she persuaded him to pass the throne to Mo Jingli when he was seriously ill. All this was because of him...

"Did the Queen Mother do it?" Mo Jingli asked coldly.

"What?" The Queen Mother was shocked.

"The throne... I heard my brother's will. The throne is passed to the tenth prince! A child I have never seen and who knows nothing. Is this the result of your advice to my brother behind the scenes?" Mo Jingli stood up and said in a deep voice. He became angrier and angrier as he spoke. Mo Jingli's voice gradually became higher and higher. "Not only about the throne, you also did nothing for my son! Now that Mo Jingqi is dead, tell me where I should go to find my son."

The Queen Mother frowned and said, "Even if Qi'er deceived you, will you take more concubines and give birth to more sons in the future?"

Mo Jingli's face was livid. Of course, he couldn't tell the queen that he could never have children again. In the past few months, he had secretly seen many famous doctors. Mo Jingqi didn't lie to him about this matter. He had been poisoned by a secret sterilization drug in the palace several years ago, and there was no cure. Therefore, no one knew how important that child was to him.

"In short, there is nothing I can do about this matter. Mother, you should take care of yourself." Mo Jingli said, brushing off his slightly wrinkled clothes and turning to leave.

"No..." The Queen Mother rushed over and grabbed Mo Jingli's clothes, crying and begging: "Li'er, please save me. I don't want to die... Li'er... I am your mother, Li'er..." Mo Jingli looked down at the Queen Mother in front of him, who was in a mess, and indifferently raised his hand to pull away her hand that was holding his clothes. He whispered: "Mother, you don't believe in blood relationship even if you are in the royal family, right? Otherwise... what did you do to your brother mean?"

The Queen Mother knelt on the ground, staring at Mo Jingli's back as he walked away without any reluctance. Finally, she couldn't help crying and cursing, "Rebellious son! Mo Jingli, you rebellious son! I am your biological mother... I will not let you go even if I go to the underworld! No... I don't want to die... I am the Queen Mother of the Great Chu..." The Queen Mother cried and cursed, and finally she cried and sobbed on the ground. She finally remembered what the look in her eyes when she went to see her eldest son a few days ago when she persuaded him to pass the throne to Mo Jingli meant. It's a pity that it's too late...

"I am the Empress Dowager...I will not die..."

Outside Zhangde Palace, the Queen Mother's cries were shut behind the heavy palace gates. Mo Jingli turned his head and looked at the tightly closed palace gates. His face was gloomy and the expression in his eyes kept changing, but in the end, it all returned to nothingness.

"Prince, Queen Mother..." the strategist beside him whispered. In fact, given the status of Prince Li and the Queen Mother, it is not impossible to protect the Queen Mother. Mo Jingli said indifferently: "No need. Let people pay attention to the Liu family, don't let the Liu family and Concubine Liu do anything. The prince... the biological mother of the King Qin must die."

The strategist was shocked. It turned out to be for this reason. If the Queen Mother was to be saved, then the Liu family would certainly use this as an excuse to exempt Concubine Liu from being buried alive with the emperor. And Prince Li was obviously not prepared to let Concubine Liu continue to live. In order to strike at the Liu family, Prince Li actually...

"I obey your command."