The decree of marriage arrived as expected.
Everyone was surprised and felt it was ridiculous.
The absurdity does not lie in the marriage, but in how desperate Emperor Wende was to grant the marriage to Chen Lu and Zhou Yi?
What virtue and ability did these two have to receive the imperial decree to grant them marriage?
What a waste of an imperial edict.
No matter what the world thinks, the marriage is a done deal and cannot be changed.
Hu Yang and Fu Ming are enemies, and no matter how much they hate each other, they are destined to become relatives.
Zhou Yi felt depressed, but also relieved.
Thankfully, she didn't have to make the decision herself.
A marriage decree decided everything for her: marriage, future...
Whether it is good or bad, you have to accept it.
The wedding date was very urgent, and both families began to prepare hurriedly.
An accident happened.
Chen Lu is missing!
Three days before the wedding, Chen Lu was supposed to return to Beijing, but he disappeared.
He couldn't be found in the military camp, nor in the capital.
On the way back to the capital from the military camp, he seemed to have disappeared out of thin air.
Princess Huyang sent out the guards in the palace to search everywhere.
Princess Fuming complained to Zhou Yi, "Chen Lu must have regretted it. He doesn't want to marry you at all."
"Mother, don't talk nonsense! The marriage is granted, and he can't break it. And I'm pregnant with his child."
"Does he know you're pregnant with his child?"
Zhou Yi nodded, "He knew it, he knew it from the beginning."
"Then he regretted it halfway."
"No. He will definitely come back to marry me." Zhou Yi firmly believed this.
There are many people who think the same as her.
Even Princess Huyang thought that Chen Lu was just escaping temporarily and would come back when he got married.
In the blink of an eye, it was time for the wedding.
Everything is ready, just waiting for the groom to arrive.
After waiting for a long time, the auspicious time had passed and the groom did not show up.
From morning till night, everything was over.
Zhou Yi became the laughing stock of the entire capital.
Everyone was laughing at her.
Everyone was talking about how Chen Lu had tricked Zhou Yi.
Some also say that when the time came, Chen Lu backed out and refused to marry Zhou Yi, a woman who was married for the third time. This marriage was a joke from the beginning.
Zhou Yi cried and cursed, calling Chen Lu worse than a beast.
Princess Fuming was furious. "What did I say? He wasn't sincere at all. He was just playing tricks on you. Because of you, I've lost all my face."
Zhou Yi, wearing a bright red wedding dress, looked like a clown, with her makeup smudged from crying.
Chen Min felt very sorry, but was too embarrassed to see Zhou Yi.
Chen Lu is too unkind and too excessive.
Chen Min was furious. She whispered to Gu Jiu, "Brother has changed! I have no idea what he's thinking. Marriage is such a big deal, and it's a marriage granted by His Majesty, yet he's treating it like a joke. Isn't he afraid of His Majesty's blame?"
Gu Jiu remained silent.
This marriage was full of absurdity from the very beginning.
Emperor Wende's arranged marriage made people want to laugh at the joke even more.
Sure enough, this marriage became a joke.
Despite his reluctance, Hu Yang still went to Princess Fu Ming's residence in person to apologize and even offered to pay Zhou Yi some compensation.
Princess Fuming did not miss the opportunity to ridicule Huyang.
He scolded Chen Lu from head to toe.
What Lawyer Chen did was too much.
He was the one who said he wanted to marry Zhou Yi, and he was the one who ran away from the marriage. Is he a man? Does he have any sense of responsibility?
Damn it, Chen Lu is a bastard.
What was strange was that the palace did not make any move regarding Chen Lu's escape from marriage.
It was as if the marriage decree had never existed.
No matter how I think about it, something seems a little wrong.
Sure enough, half a month later, the Jinwu Guards sent Chen Lu back.
But what was sent back was not a living person, but Chen Lu’s body.
"ah……"
The moment Princess Huyang saw Chen Lu's body, she covered her mouth and screamed.
She stepped back again and again, and finally fell to the ground, her eyes filled with fear and confusion.
The servants were also terrified.
Is Chen Lu dead?
Chen Lu is dead?
The housekeeper grabbed the Jinwu Guard and asked, "How did my young master die?"
"He committed suicide by taking poison!" Jinwuwei said coldly.
The housekeeper was furious. "This is ridiculous! My young master is fine, how could he have committed suicide by taking poison? Did you, the Jinwu Guards, do something to my young master?"
"Believe it or not, it's up to you! We are only responsible for returning the body. We don't know anything else."
The Jinwu Guards broke free from the housekeeper and left the Princess's Mansion.
The housekeeper came to Princess Huyang, heartbroken, "Your Majesty, there must be something fishy about the young master's death. It must be related to the Jinwu Guards. Your Majesty, you must give the young master justice! You must severely punish the young master's murderer."
Princess Huyang gradually came to her senses and asked, "How can I give him justice?"
The housekeeper was stunned for a moment, then said anxiously, "Your Majesty can go to the palace and ask His Majesty for help. The young master cannot die in such an unclear manner. This matter must be thoroughly investigated."
Hu Yang clutched the corner of her skirt tightly, her hands trembling obviously.
She was afraid, she was confused and helpless.
"Madam, he's your son!" Seeing Hu Yang didn't react, the housekeeper couldn't help but yell, "Madam, are you indifferent to the young master's death?"
Hu Yang pushed the housekeeper away and ran away.
She ran back to her bedroom and locked the door. She locked herself in the room and refused to open the door to anyone who came.
She was indifferent to the ups and downs happening outside.
She hid herself.
Like a coward, hiding in the corner.
Chen Lu's corpse appeared in her mind from time to time, tormenting her.
The light is bright and dim.
It is sometimes noisy outside the door, sometimes quiet.
She seemed to hear Chen Min's voice, Gu Jiu's voice, and the voices of many, many people.
She refused to open the door and refused to let anyone in.
roll!
Get out of here!
After an unknown amount of time, the door was forcibly broken down.
Someone walked in from outside.
Hu Yang shrank into the corner.
“Don’t come over here!”
Her voice was hoarse and she looked as haggard as a ghost.
"Huyang, it's me!"
Emperor Wende's voice rang out in the room.
Hu Yang suddenly opened his eyes wide and looked at Emperor Wende as if he had seen a ghost.
Emperor Wende frowned slightly. "Huyang, do you know how many days you've been in the room? Three whole days. Come out with me. I can't watch you kill yourself, and my mother won't allow it."
Hu Yang shook his head repeatedly and trembled all over.
"Huyang, be obedient!" Emperor Wende emphasized his tone with the toughness of a superior.
Hu Yang kept shaking his head, "Go away, don't kill me, please don't kill me."
Emperor Wende was very dissatisfied. "What nonsense are you talking about? Come, come to me. No one wants to kill you. I will take you out."
Hu Yang shrank into the corner as hard as he could, wishing he could crawl into the wall.
She refused the hand extended by Emperor Wende.
It was obvious that she was afraid of Emperor Wende.
She was scared to death.
No one had ever frightened her so much.
Emperor Wende frowned and waved his hand behind him. Chang En immediately retreated and closed the door, blocking everyone's sight and prying eyes.
"There are no outsiders here now, you can tell me anything you want to say."
Hu Yang was trembling all over. She stared at Emperor Wende, her teeth chattering as she asked tremblingly, "Did you order him to be killed?"
"You mean Chen Lu?"
Hu Yang nodded while trembling, "Did you kill him?"
Emperor Wende hesitated for a moment, "Why do you think I killed him?"
"Golden Guards..."
"Chen Lu disappeared, and I ordered the Jinwu Guard to search for him. You know this very well. By the time the Jinwu Guard found him, he was already dead. They dutifully returned his body, yet you suspect I had him murdered. Huyang, your words are deeply hurtful, don't you understand?"
Hu Yang looked very weak and frail, as if he would die if touched.
But her eyes became brighter and brighter, and she cried, "You killed him, I know! Don't forget, we are siblings. You can hide it from others, but you can't hide it from me."
Emperor Wende sighed.
It was obvious that he couldn't finish all the things here in a short time, so he simply dragged a chair over and sat down.
"Just based on unfounded reasons, you are convinced that I killed him?"
"Because no one except you will kill him. Brother Huang, why do you want to kill him? Is it just because his last name is Chen? But he is also my child."
Huyang burst into tears.
Emperor Wende stared at her, "I thought you hated him."
Hu Yang cried and said, "I hate him, but that doesn't mean I want him dead. Brother, you are too cruel. Why did you kill him? He is innocent. He was just a child when the Chen family was in trouble."
Emperor Wende slowly shook his head. "He is not innocent. His death is his own fault. For your sake, I will tolerate him no matter what. But he is seeking his own death, so he must die."
Hu Yang looked confused and at a loss.
"What are you talking about? Why isn't he innocent? I told you, when the Chen family got into trouble..."
"It has nothing to do with the Chen family incident. Do you know what he did secretly? He killed my mother!"
Emperor Wende's words were earth-shattering.
Hu Yang was shocked. She shook her head repeatedly, "No, it's impossible! You are lying to me. He hasn't even entered the palace, how could he have killed my mother? Don't even think about lying to me."
Emperor Wende's face darkened, his eyes cold. "You should know that the Queen Mother was poisoned. Do you know where the poison came from?"
Hu Yang was bewildered and his face turned pale.
Emperor Wende felt a chill run down his spine as he said coldly, "You should know Su Wenzhi. She orchestrated everything. I always thought she was the mastermind. Only recently did I realize she was just a pawn on the chessboard. As for Chen Lu, he personally gave Su Wenzhi the poison, giving her the opportunity to poison my mother."
"Impossible!" Hu Yang retorted subconsciously, "Where did Chen Lu get the poison? Ridiculous!"
Emperor Wende smiled coldly, "Have you forgotten what the Chen family used to do?"
Hu Yang was speechless, his face as pale as a ghost.
Every word Emperor Wende uttered seemed to torture his body and mind.
"That group of elusive tomb robbers has been in constant contact with Chen Lu. It was they who gave the poison to Chen Lu, who then gave it to Su Wenzhi. Chen Lu personally admitted this. If you don't believe me, I will have Chen Lu's confession brought to you for your review."
"Why?"
Hu Yang asked painfully, "Why did he do this?"
Emperor Wende scoffed, "Perhaps he was forced to do so, perhaps he was deceived, or perhaps he harbored hatred for all of us and had wanted to do this for a long time."
Hu Yang sobbed, "So you killed him?"
Emperor Wende was filled with murderous intent. "The hatred for killing my mother is irreconcilable. I have said that even if I have to chase you to the ends of the earth, I will never give up. Chen Lu deserves death! I have spared his body, which is already the utmost kindness. According to his crimes, he should be cut into pieces and chopped up and fed to dogs."
Hu Yang couldn't help shaking all over. She cried silently and asked, "How did he die?"
Emperor Wende calmed down again and said, "As you can see, he committed suicide by taking poison."
Hu Yang wiped her tears and asked, "When did you know that he was related to the death of the Queen Mother?"
Emperor Wende hesitated for a moment, then said, "A few months ago."
Hu Yang was stunned.
"You already knew he was involved in the Queen Mother's death several months ago, but you still arranged a marriage for him? Why is that?"
"Because I want to catch all those tomb robbers in one fell swoop and find the real mastermind behind this. In exchange, I will give him a chance and leave him with an intact body."
Hu Yang gritted her teeth tightly. She was afraid that she would cry out loud and say something inappropriate.
She was in agony, as if she were in the eighteenth level of hell.
Emperor Wende extended his hand to her once again, "Huyang, you are my closest relative in the world. Please don't let me down."
Hu Yang looked at Emperor Wende's hand as if he had seen a monster. "But you killed my son. You have made the Chen family extinct."
Emperor Wende sneered, "I didn't even know you cared so much about the Chen family's bloodline. Huyang, this is the last chance I give you. Are you sure you want to give up?"
Hu Yang was bewildered. She looked at Emperor Wende and stretched out her hand tremblingly.
Emperor Wende smiled approvingly, "Hold my hand, we are still a family."
Hu Yang's fingers gently hooked around Emperor Wende's hand, "Why are you telling me this? You could have kept it from me forever."
Emperor Wende held Huyang's hand tightly, stroked her cheek, and combed her messy hair.
"We are brother and sister. You only took one look at Chen Lu's body and concluded that I killed him. How could I hide it from you?"
Hu Yang wanted to cry but had no tears. She would rather be a naive person, unable to see through anything. She would just treat Chen Lu's death as an accident.
She lay in Emperor Wende's arms and cried bitterly, "What should I do?"
"Everything will pass. Think more about the Queen Mother. She died so tragically. Shouldn't we avenge her?"
"Why would Chen Lu do this? Why would he associate with tomb robbers? Why would he do this? That's his beloved grandmother! The Queen Mother has always been very kind to him!"
Huyang was suffering both physically and mentally.
On one side is her biological mother, and on the other side is her biological son. She is almost driven crazy by reality.
Emperor Wende wiped her tears and said, "Don't worry about Chen Lu. He has the blood of the Chen family flowing in his veins. He is bad from the root."
"Brother, can you tell me the truth? Why did you arrange a marriage between Chen Lu and Zhou Yi? He's destined to die, so why bother?"
Hu Yang was full of confusion.
Emperor Wende said, "Because this is Chen Lu's request, and it is his only request."
Hu Yang stood there in a daze.
Emperor Wende thought about it and decided to tell the truth, "Zhou Yi is pregnant with Chen Lu's child."
Hu Yang was stunned again, looking frightened.
Emperor Wende continued, "This child, regardless of gender, can only have the surname Zhou, not Chen. I promised Chen Lu that I would let this child live."
Hu Yang burst into tears again, "This, this is actually his request?"
"Yes! He promised to help me find the mastermind behind this and to face death with a clear conscience. He only asked to spare Zhou Yi's unborn child."
Hu Yang suddenly panicked. "Zhou Yi, Zhou Yi... She knew Chen Lu was dead, so she would definitely abort the child. Chen Lu's last wish..."
"Don't worry, she won't abort the baby."
Hu Yang was puzzled, "Why?"
Emperor Wende said, "The doctor examined Zhou Yi and said that if she aborts the child, she will never get pregnant again. The doctor said that she has a special constitution and that her pregnancy this time was an accident."
Hu Yang let out a long sigh and collapsed to the ground. She looked at Emperor Wende and said, "Brother, tell me, what should I do now?"
Emperor Wende smiled and said, "Wash yourself clean and go take care of Chen Lu's funeral. Just pretend you know nothing about it and that it never happened."
"Zhou Yi's child?"
"Just pretend you don't know. I've already said this child can only have the surname Zhou, not Chen. You can't let the child know about his or her origins, otherwise I can't guarantee this child will grow up safely."
Emperor Wende's voice suddenly became sinister.
It was obvious that Emperor Wende was very disgusted with the child in Zhou Yi's belly.
Hu Yang nodded, "I understand. I'll just pretend I know nothing."
Emperor Wende laughed, "This is my good sister. I will treat you as always, and you must take care of yourself and not cause me any trouble."
Hu Yang hummed and said respectfully, "I promise to be obedient and not cause any trouble. Have you found the real culprit behind my mother's murder?"
“Found it!”
"who?"
"Prince Qing's son Liu Ling!"
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