Chapter 205 Defeated by the wolf cub he raised himself
Cui Yunyi was not afraid at all. "Li Ye, do you think you can shut me up by killing me? Let me tell you, you won't get away with it! Today I will tell everyone how the Empress died!"
On the day she told her brother about the Empress's childbirth, she already had doubts in her heart.
Yes, the Empress's childbirth is such a momentous event, how could there only be one imperial physician and one midwife present?
She felt this was illogical, so she called the midwife over and questioned her further.
The midwife told her that Physician Wen had been administering acupuncture to the Empress the entire time, and no other abnormalities were found.
A thought struck her, and she asked about the location of the acupuncture treatment. She then secretly went outside the palace to inquire with a doctor in the countryside.
The doctor told her that the needles had been inserted into vital points that could cause severe bleeding.
"After a few needles, even a god couldn't save him!"
It was only then that she realized why all the palace servants had been dismissed from the delivery room that day, leaving only the two of them.
So it turns out... it was Li Ye who wanted to kill Shen Lang!
They then chased everyone out, fearing that someone would discover something amiss.
The moment she figured out the truth, she felt nothing but utter irony.
Li Ye has played the role of a devoted husband for so many years that even she once believed it.
But no one expected that this man who always talked about "Ah Lang" was such a despicable hypocrite.
She even felt a little sorry for Shen Lang.
That powerful female general never knew, until her death, that the one who truly took her life was the man beside her.
Even after her death, this man wanted to use her death to cultivate an image of "loyalty and righteousness," thereby winning over the army and stabilizing the court.
Now that she's destined to die, she doesn't mind dragging the hypocrite down with her.
Let the world see clearly what kind of dirty true face this supreme emperor hides beneath his dragon robe.
A deathly silence fell over the hall. The officials' expressions varied: shock, doubt, fear...
Some people secretly glanced at Shen Guojiu and Liang Guogong, wondering how these two important officials, who had deep ties with Shen Lang, would react.
Shen Guojiu's face was so gloomy it could drip water, while Liang Guogong frowned, both of them staring intently at Li Ye.
Feeling extremely uncomfortable under everyone's gaze, Li Ye roared uncontrollably, "Kill her! Kill her for me!"
Seeing that the imperial guards holding Cui Yunyi were not moving and that Shen Churong had not said a word, he looked at Shen Churong with uncontrollable rage.
"Are you also going to rebel?! You dare disobey my orders?"
He had sensed something was wrong as soon as Shen Churong entered the hall.
Shen Churong first went to Li Yuanzhao's side to report before coming to him to report that the rebellion had been quelled.
It seems that this trip to Hebei has actually allowed Li Yuanzhao to win over Shen Churong, the commander of the Imperial Guards.
No wonder he said that Li Yuanzhao remained calm and composed throughout all the events that happened tonight. It turns out that she had already grasped the trump card of the Imperial Guards and the Shen family, so she was fearless.
That's why, when Shen Guojiu and Shen Churong stood up to defend Li Yuanzhao, he didn't believe a word of their explanation and became even more suspicious.
Not only did they suspect her background, they also suspected... that perhaps the Cui family's rebellion was a scheme she had orchestrated!
The goal was to bring down the Cui family before dealing with the emperor.
At this moment, Li Yuanzhao stepped forward.
“Father, Consort Cui’s evidence of treason is conclusive, and her execution is justified. However, what she just said has many implications, not only concerning my background but also the cause of my mother’s death. If she is executed immediately, not only will I be forever condemned, but the truth of my mother’s death will never be cleared. I think it would be better to listen to what Consort Cui has to say and wait until the truth is found before taking any action.”
These words enraged Li Ye, who instinctively tried to use the authority of the emperor and his father to suppress the other.
"Yuan Zhao? You also intend to defy me?!"
“Father, how can this be considered disobedience?” Li Yuanzhao met his gaze without backing down. “Your subject only wanted to find out the truth. Could it be that Father… is worried that Consort Cui might say something she shouldn’t?”
These words were like a sharp knife, piercing Li Ye's weak spot.
But before he could refute, the ministers in the hall bowed and offered their opinions.
"Your Majesty! What Lady Cui said concerns the royal bloodline and the cause of the late Empress's death, which is of utmost importance! I implore Your Majesty to investigate thoroughly!"
"If the eldest princess is indeed His Majesty's biological daughter, then we should give her justice; if what Lady Cui said is true, then we must not allow the royal bloodline to be tainted!"
Li Ye ignored the advice and remonstrances around him, focusing his attention solely on Li Yuanzhao.
Li Yuanzhao looked back calmly, a faint smile playing on his lips.
The father and son faced each other in silence, their gazes locked in a fierce battle in the air, as if they were engaged in a silent power struggle.
In the end, Li Ye was the first to look away.
He lost, utterly and completely.
He had to admit that he was no longer able to control his daughter.
In any sense...
She was like a fully-fledged wolf cub, baring her sharpened teeth, and relentlessly approaching his firmly held "territory."
And this old wolf was destined to be defeated by the wolf cub he had raised himself.
Shen Lang once helped him ascend the throne, but he killed her out of fear.
Now, the daughter he raised with his own hands is taking everything away from him in the same way.
Perhaps this was fate's retribution for his murder of his wife.
Li Ye took a deep breath, his voice filled with undisguised exhaustion and resentment: "Fine... I'll do as you say."
Li Yuanzhao then smiled slightly and looked at Cui Yunyi.
"You claim that you sent someone to switch me with the real prince back then, do you have any evidence?"
Li Yuanshu remained kneeling in the main hall, staring blankly.
She had initially believed her mother's reasoning, thinking that Li Yuanzhao was not her father's bloodline.
But seeing Li Yuanzhao's completely calm demeanor, she began to have doubts again.
Cui Yunyi was equally shocked.
Li Yuanzhao's unusual calmness threw her off balance, and she even temporarily forgot about revealing the cause of Shen Lang's death, her mind filled with doubts.
Why was Li Yuanzhao so calm?
Isn't she afraid that once she produces the evidence, she'll lose everything?
Cui Yunyi composed herself, suppressing the panic in her heart, before saying, "Of course there is evidence! The midwife who delivered the Empress that day is now in my palace! She witnessed everything that happened in the delivery room, and the babies were switched by her. She is the best evidence!"
Upon hearing this, Li Ye's pupils constricted sharply, and his heart pounded wildly.
He suddenly started coughing violently, curling up on the dragon throne as if he were about to die at any moment.
But now that Eunuch Xu is dead, everyone in the palace is preoccupied with finding the truth, and no one pays any attention to the emperor.
Li Yuanzhao nodded. "Someone, go to the Imperial Concubine's palace and invite her here."
While waiting for the others to arrive, the palace servants efficiently cleaned the entire blood-stained hall.
The corpses, lying haphazardly, were carried away by the Imperial Guards, the wounded were sent to a side hall for treatment, and traitorous accomplices like Cui Dalang and Lu Lingfeng were also taken away.
The overturned table was righted, the scattered candlesticks and jade plates were put back in their places, and the mess on the floor was cleaned up.
Even more surprisingly, several eunuchs carried incense burners into the hall and lit sandalwood incense in the four corners of the room.
A delicate fragrance slowly spread, gradually overpowering the heavy stench of blood in the air.
This restored the grand hall, which had just experienced a rebellion, to its former order and solemnity.
The courtiers returned to their seats.
But this time, everyone's mood was no longer as relaxed as before.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com