Chapter 288: The Blood of the Wet Nurse, the Snow in Front of the Palace
Wen Li'er watched the scene quietly, her posture still frozen in mid-air from the shock she had just felt.
At this moment, she believed that Xie Zhenrong was regretful, regretting that her evil deeds had killed the person who loved her the most.
She looked at Nangong Ziyun who was across from her and called out softly, "Sister-in-law."
Nangong Ziyun understood and walked straight to Madam Zhuang to check her wound.
After looking at it, she shook her head, her pulse gone.
Her eyes fell on the short dagger that was stuck to the handle in Madam Zhuang's heart.
The dagger was inserted at an extremely precise point, right in the heart, where the heart beats most strongly.
Nangong Ziyun's shaking of the head completely awakened the civil and military ministers and female relatives who were still in shock.
“Oh my God!”
"He... committed suicide!"
“This…this…”
"Princess Fu'an said that he can't be saved, so he must be..."
Great terror and chaos once again swept across the entire Qide Palace.
The people in the hall could no longer maintain their composure. Exclamations, discussions, and gasps of shock rose one after another, and the situation was somewhat out of control.
The strong smell of blood mixed with alcohol filled the air, making people feel sick.
The moment Nanny Zhuang drew her knife, Wen Li'er instinctively covered Xiaoxiao and Miaomiao's eyes on the left and right.
Seeing Xiaoxiao trying to pry her hand away, she hurriedly spoke out to stop him.
"Don't look! Be good and close your eyes!"
Upon hearing this, Xiaoxiao obediently closed his eyes again.
On the throne, Yan Shixu held Tiantian's hand, his knuckles turning slightly white from the force.
He looked at the body lying in a pool of blood in the hall, and at Xie Zhenrong who was crying while holding the body, his eyes were as deep as a whirlpool.
After a long silence, Yan Shixu finally spoke amid everyone's agonizing wait.
The voice was even colder than before, carrying a sense of finality as deep as the sea.
"The offender, Zhuang, has committed suicide out of fear of punishment. Empress Xie... failed to discipline her subordinates and is therefore to blame. She has been stripped of her Phoenix Seal and confined to the cold palace to reflect on her mistakes. This concludes today's matter."
He paused, his eyes sweeping across Zhang Sicheng like a knife: "Commander Zhang."
"I'm here!" Zhang Sicheng immediately clasped his fists.
"Order Madam Zhuang's body to be collected and carefully examined. All those in Fengyi Palace are to be placed under strict surveillance pending trial! All palace personnel involved in this incident are to be taken into custody!"
"I obey the decree!"
"Yongtai."
"The servant is here."
"Issue an order: tonight's New Year's Eve vigil at Cining Palace... is cancelled."
"As you wish."
"Let's go." Yan Shixu uttered the last two words, holding Tiantian in his arms, and slowly stood up.
His tall figure cast a heavy shadow in front of the throne, carrying a heavy pressure that seemed like a storm was about to come.
What should have been a festive and peaceful New Year's Eve state banquet ended abruptly with blood splattered in front of the emperor, the queen being confined to her house, and the wet nurse being killed.
Wen Li'er stood on the empty and cold white marble square outside Qide Palace, watching the wet nurses holding three children, walking carefully towards the Bixi Palace under the guidance of the palace lanterns.
The cold wind blew up fine snow particles, hitting my face and making me feel freezing.
Wen Li'er pulled her fox fur coat tighter around her body, took a deep breath of the cold air, and slowly turned around.
Yan Shixu was the only one left in the hall.
Even Madam Zhuang's body had been carried away by the imperial guards.
The light stretched Yan Shixu's figure extremely long, casting it on the smooth and cold ground, extending all the way to Wen Li'er's feet.
The figure was silent and lonely, like a cedar standing on the top of a mountain.
Wen Li'er knew that he was sad at this moment.
He couldn't bear to see the seven years of love go by, but he was not a cold-hearted person.
But Xie Zhenrong offered him poisoned wine without hesitation.
The hand pouring the wine is so steady... and the smile while pouring the wine is so impeccable.
When affection becomes a sacrifice, seven years is nothing but a long torture.
The blood of the wet nurse, the snow in front of the palace, and the pervasive cold in the deep palace, cannot melt the thick, black night.
Wen Li'er walked back step by step, facing the light coming from the hall.
The edges of the fox fur brushed against the white marble floor covered in snow, leaving very faint traces.
"Your Majesty." She called him, her voice as soft as snow.
Yan Shixu looked up at her, his eyes fixed on her face.
She had a smile on her face, as warm as ever after so many years.
…
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