Shen Yu roared, "Still trying to play tricks when you're about to die? Guards! Drag Ouyang Meiniang away and execute her immediately!"
At this moment, Ouyang Meiniang shouted, "When His Majesty wrote this edict, Prime Minister Qiu and Minister Jia were present. They both knew that His Majesty wrote this edict himself."
After saying that, she picked up the imperial edict and handed it to Prime Minister Qiu.
Prime Minister Qiu was a high-ranking official in the court, known for his integrity and loyalty, especially to the late emperor. Faced with this situation, he hesitated. But ultimately, he nodded in approval.
"Yes, Lord Jia and I were indeed present when His Majesty wrote this edict."
As soon as Prime Minister Qiu spoke, a murmur of discussion arose in the hall, with everyone speculating about the truth, and the atmosphere became tense.
Someone muttered under their breath, "Could what Consort Mei said be true? Does that mean that Lady Yu's faction killed the King in their attempt to usurp the throne?"
Another person cautiously reminded him, "Shh...be careful what you say. Don't forget that only Prince Ping'er remains of the Liu family's direct line, and Madam Yu is his birth mother..."
Before the words were even finished, the hall fell into a deathly silence. Everyone remained silent, exchanging bewildered glances, as if they had already foreseen the outcome.
At this moment, Shen Yu remained seated, her gaze sweeping over Ouyang Meiniang, a slight smile playing on her lips as she chuckled:
【Consort Mei, at first you bewitched the King and coaxed him into making Chong'er the Crown Prince.
Do you know? The King didn't fail to announce the establishment of a crown prince in time; rather, he didn't want to.
The other day the king told me that you had an affair with the Zhao family and that you should not have made Chong'er the crown prince. It's a pity that you hid the imperial edict.
Fearing I would expose this, you took advantage of the night to drown me in a pig cage. Luckily, I was rescued downstream. Who would have thought you would poison the King?
Now I'm going to the King's bedchamber to see what poison you gave him, so you can die a truly convincing death.
【Ha ha ha ha……】
Ouyang Meiniang threw her head back and laughed loudly. She knew all too well that the situation was hopeless and there was no way to reverse it. All she could do was shout at Ping'er:
Liu Guiping, your mother is truly cunning! Your grandfather was afraid that your mother would disrupt the court, so he refused to let you succeed to the throne and instead made your uncle the crown prince.
Your mother is fabricating lies in an attempt to pass off falsehoods as truth. Neither you nor your son are worthy of being considered members of the Liu family's direct line. I curse you and your son to a horrible death!
Ping'er frowned as she looked at Chen Yu, her eyes filled with doubt and disdain. She leaned slightly to the right, away from Chen Yu.
Shen Yu remained calm, looking down at the court below. All the officials bowed their heads and remained motionless.
Although no one dared to resist, Shen Yu knew that with the issuance of the edict establishing a crown prince, the court officials all suspected that she and Ping'er had usurped the throne.
Right now, she must prove that Ouyang Meiniang killed Liu Deng and Liu Chong, so that the court officials will be convinced and Ping'er can ascend the throne without any guilt.
She pulled Ping'er to her feet, looked down at the hall, and said sternly, "[Take Ouyang Meiniang to the King's palace. How dare you, a mere concubine, spout such nonsense and disrupt the court!]"
------
Shen Yu, holding Ping'er's hand, slowly walked into Liu Deng's bedroom. All the officials stopped outside the door and knelt down.
Hongyu escorted Ouyang Meiniang into the bedroom. With a thud, Ouyang Meiniang collapsed onto the bed, her face already covered in tears.
"Your Majesty! Meiniang has been wronged and will soon be reunited with Your Majesty and Chong'er."
Ouyang Meiniang's voice was filled with sorrow, as if she were telling the deceased Liu Deng about her grievances.
Liu Deng lay quietly on the bed, his face contorted in a grimace, his eyes wide open—he died with his eyes wide open, unable to rest in peace.
Ping'er broke free from Chen Yu's hand, walked quickly to Liu Deng's bedside, knelt down with a thud, and kowtowed three times.
Then, he slowly approached the bed, looked up at Liu Deng's face, and a wave of sadness welled up in his heart.
Suddenly, he noticed that Liu Deng's gaze seemed to be fixed on the tent, so he quickly turned to look at Prince Jing kneeling at the door and said urgently, "Master, there is something on the tent. Quickly take it down. Perhaps it can reveal the cause of Grandfather's death."
King Jing stood up, moved a round stool to the bedside, stood on it, and reached out to reach something on the canopy. After some effort, he finally obtained it—a scroll of imperial edict.
Ping'er hurriedly took the imperial edict, opened it, and stared in astonishment. The edict clearly stated: The throne is to be passed to Liu Guiping!
King Jing approached and glanced at it, then took the edict and read it aloud, "Liu Guiping, as the eldest grandson of the Liu family, is of upright character and diligent. I hereby pass the throne to Liu Guiping."
Upon hearing this, the assembled officials knelt and bowed, exclaiming, "Greetings, Your Majesty! Long live the Emperor!"
【Ha ha……】
Ouyang Meiniang threw her head back and laughed, pointing at Chen Yu with a mocking tone, "What a self-directed and self-acted ascension scheme! The imperial edict? I bet it was just you, Mu Chen Yu, imitating the King's handwriting. It wasn't the King who wanted Liu Guiping to succeed to the throne, but your Mu family."
Upon hearing this, Ping'er suddenly looked at Chen Yu, "Mother, did you really lie for me? Have you lost your integrity and kindness?"
Ping'er's eyes were filled with tears, her expression one of utter disappointment.
Shen Yu offered no explanation, nor did she panic. She pulled out a letter she had prepared beforehand and threw it at Ouyang Meiniang's face, scolding, "Stop pretending to be crazy! Copying is something you excel at."
I have already sent people to investigate. Although you are a woman working in the pleasure quarters, you have practiced calligraphy diligently since childhood and can freely imitate other people's handwriting.
You wanted to drown me, Ping'er, but you accidentally killed Jia Rong'er instead. The murderer was hiding by the river. To hide the real culprit, you killed Cai Lian and convicted her, creating the illusion that she committed suicide for love, and falsely accused me of having an affair with Prince Jing.
Little did I know that those letters that slandered my innocence and framed my older brother were all copied by you.
You have harmed the Liu family's offspring, poisoned the King, and are accused of disrupting the court. Are you innocent? From this moment on, the Liu family's direct descendants will not tolerate such a power-hungry, divisive woman.
"Aren't you, Mu Chenyu, also ruthless in your pursuit of power and profit?" Ouyang Meiniang retorted angrily.
"Ha!" Mu Chenyu sneered, a hint of anger flashing in her eyes. "I don't offend others unless they offend me. It's just that you're not behaving yourself and tried to harm my child."
After saying that, she turned to look at Prince Jing behind her and said, "Demote Ouyang Meiniang to the lowest social class and behead her as a warning to others."
Upon hearing the verdict, the court officials gasped in shock. Degradation to a lowly status was already a profound insult; to add beheading and public display of one's head was undoubtedly the most severe punishment imaginable.
"Hehehehe..." Ouyang Meiniang shook her head repeatedly, not knowing whether to laugh or cry, only blaming herself for not being able to kill Shen Yu with her own hands.
Shen Yu exposed her crimes one by one, and convincingly pinned the blame for poisoning the king on her.
She looked at Ping'er, her face instantly darkening. Her eyes widened as she shouted, "I absolutely did not poison the King and Chong'er! If I did, may I be condemned to eternal damnation!"
After saying that, she pulled out the hairpin from her hair and stabbed it into her neck.
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