Chapter 274 Because she doesn't love you!
Even though the Liu family, with its deep roots and flourishing branches, had declined, it still took Emperor Zhaoheng nearly a month to wipe out the remaining members of the Liu family, despite having various witnesses and physical evidence.
Spring has arrived, and on a warm day, Emperor Zhaoheng came to the Cold Palace.
The Cold Palace.
These two words themselves carry an aura of despair.
Compared to the magnificent and exquisite palaces of the previous dynasty, this place seems to have been forgotten by time, residing in a corner that no one can remember.
The dilapidated palace walls were mottled and uneven, weeds grew rampant in the cracks between the stones, and a strange smell mixed with dust and mildew filled the air.
When Emperor Zhaoheng set foot on this place, it was already dusk.
He did not ride in the imperial carriage, but wore only a dark-colored casual dress. His face was calm and composed, and his whole body seemed to blend into the twilight.
The personal eunuch Feng Shunxiang bowed and followed behind, followed by two guards carrying sandalwood trays covered with bright yellow brocade. The items on the trays were rectangular and square-round, respectively.
Its contents are self-evident... It contained a dagger and a white silk ribbon.
Footsteps echoed through the empty, dilapidated palace gardens, startling several black crows perched on withered trees. They flapped their wings and flew away in a panic, adding to the desolate atmosphere.
"Your Majesty... Your Majesty has arrived! This humble woman has failed to greet you properly—"
A trembling voice rang out, and Consort Liu, supported by two other concubines from the Cold Palace, staggered out of the side hall she had decorated, which resembled a commoner's house.
Upon seeing the tray clearly, Consort Liu realized something. Ignoring Emperor Zhaoheng's obstruction, she suddenly knelt down in front of him, blocking his path.
Tears streamed down her face; she was still quite young, but the hair on her forehead was already turning white.
Her clothes were disheveled by the evening breeze. Consort Liu grabbed Emperor Zhaoheng's robe and wept uncontrollably.
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty, have mercy! Simin... Simin was confused for a moment. She was blinded by jealousy and power! I beg Your Majesty, for the sake of me... for the sake of me speaking up for Your Majesty before the late Emperor, spare her life!"
She raised her cloudy, tearful eyes, trying to evoke even the slightest trace of old feelings in Emperor Zhaoheng's heart.
"Your Majesty, do you remember? When Simin was little, she was frail and always sick. Every time she was sick, she would snuggle in my arms and timidly ask, 'Auntie, will Brother Heng come to see me today?'"
"...Back then, she truly relied on you and admired you! She just... just took the wrong path..."
Consort Liu's words were filled with genuine grief. She was only a few years older than Liu Simin, but because of their seniority, they were not of the same generation.
However, being of similar age, Consort Liu had practically grown up alongside Liu Simin, and their feelings for each other were quite complex. Nevertheless, when faced with Emperor Zhaoheng, who wanted to execute Liu Simin, Consort Liu's concern and pity for Liu Simin prevailed.
Emperor Zhaoheng looked at Consort Liu kneeling at his feet. Although she was still young, she seemed to have aged suddenly after Liu Simin was sent to the Cold Palace. A complex emotion flashed in his eyes.
He bent down slightly and personally helped Consort Liu up, his tone conveying respect for an elder, yet also an undeniable resolve.
"Please rise, Your Highness. I will always remember the kindness you have shown me."
He paused, his gaze shifting to the tightly closed, dilapidated door of the palace where Liu Simin now resided, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.
"But Liu Simin was not merely jealous. She spread rumors, smeared the Empress Dowager's reputation, and undermined the foundation of the nation!"
"I gave her a chance. When Consort De exposed her for drugging me, I only stripped her of her empress title, spared her life, and confined her to the cold palace. I also gave the Liu family a chance, tolerating them many times and promoting them repeatedly. However, the Liu family formed cliques, embezzled military funds, colluded with officials outside the capital, disrupted the court, and even attempted to frame my bloodline! Every single one of these acts led to their own destruction!"
His voice, which carried the majestic authority of an emperor in the golden palace, now carried a heavy, icy chill, as if emanating from the deepest hell, in the cold palace.
"Your Highness, I am the Emperor. I cherish old friendships, but I am also the ruler of the world! The safety of the nation cannot be threatened or provoked by anyone. The Liu family has come to this point not because I discarded them after they were no longer useful, but because... they brought it upon themselves."
The more Emperor Zhaoheng spoke, the more resolute he became.
He had given Liu Simin several chances, but she hadn't cherished them.
Today, it's time to put an end to this!
As soon as Emperor Zhaoheng finished speaking, the tightly closed palace door creaked open from the inside.
Liu Simin came out.
She was wearing the same bright yellow empress's robe she had worn when she was deposed.
Now, the hem of the garment is worn out, and some threads have even come loose, but she still washes it clean and irons it meticulously.
She applied makeup and drew her lips, trying to conceal her haggardness and paleness from living in the cold palace for so long. But instead, it only made her deliberately maintained elegance look even more fragile and pitiful, like gold leaf pasted on rags.
Liu Simin stood up straight with her chin slightly raised. For a moment, she even felt as if she had truly returned to the days when she was still the Empress.
She didn't look at Emperor Zhaoheng; her gaze first fell on Consort Liu, who was in tears, and a faint, almost cruel smile curled at the corner of her lips.
"aunt."
Her voice was eerily calm, interrupting Consort Liu's unspoken plea, "At a time like this, why put on this act of deep affection?"
Liu Simin stepped forward slowly, and looking at the tears in the corners of Consort Liu's eyes, she felt not moved, but even found it somewhat ridiculous.
What's the point of pleading for her now? She clearly begged her a month ago to help her, asking her to use some unknown power from the remnants of the Liu family.
You didn't help her then, but now you're pretending to be so devoted... Ha, hypocritical!
Liu Simin sneered, "Do you really think that I was close to you when I was a child because I liked you as my aunt? It was only because you were a concubine of the late emperor and the highest-ranking person in the Liu family in the palace at that time."
"Only by getting close to you and flattering you can I stand out among the many girls in the Liu family, have the opportunity to get in touch with the emperor who was still a prince at the time, and... obtain the resources and connections I want."
Her words, like the sharpest dagger, mercilessly tore away the last fig leaf, exposing years of scheming and manipulation nakedly in this desolate, twilight palace.
Consort Liu stared wide-eyed, as if she were seeing her most valued and trusted niece for the first time.
Her body swayed, and she could barely stand. She was supported by the concubines from the Cold Palace behind her.
A deep shock and profound disappointment in Liu Simin flashed in Emperor Zhaoheng's eyes.
He originally thought that Liu Simin at least had some genuine feelings for this aunt who truly loved her, but he never expected that even this kinship was nothing more than a pawn on her chessboard.
"Liu Simin!"
Emperor Zhaoheng's voice was cold and stern, "I never knew you were so cunning!"
"Am I deep in thought?"
Liu Simin finally turned her gaze to Emperor Zhaoheng. The infatuation of the past was gone, replaced by the madness and deep-seated resentment born from the backlash of power.
"Xiao Yiheng, why pretend to be deceived? When you married me, wasn't it because you were after the power of my Liu family and my father's position in the court, hoping it would help you secure the Eastern Palace and ascend the throne smoothly?"
"Now that you've secured your power, the Liu family is no longer of any use to you. They'll be discarded like birds after the bow is used, and cooked like a hunting dog after the rabbit is dead! Between us, it's always been a transaction! A transaction of power!"
"absurd!."
Emperor Zhaoheng retorted sharply, his chest heaving slightly with anger, his dark eyes growing even deeper.
"When I first ascended the throne, how lenient I was with your Liu family! Your father held one of the Three Dukes, and your elder brother wielded military power. How have I ever treated you unfairly?"
"It is your Liu family that is greedy and insatiable! You form cliques for personal gain, eliminate dissidents! You embezzle the soldiers' pay and rations at the border, causing instability in the army! You collude with local officials, exploit the people, and line your own pockets!"
"You even attempted to interfere in my harem and murder the imperial heir! Every single one of these acts is irrefutable! Out of consideration for our past relationship, I have repeatedly warned you, but you have not restrained yourselves and have only intensified your actions! This has led to today's disaster! I am the ruler of the land, how can I tolerate your Liu family causing such harm to the country and its people?!"
Emperor Zhaoheng's voice wasn't particularly loud, but it concealed a cold anger, a deep disappointment in the Liu family that befits an emperor.
Looking at his resolute and handsome face, Liu Simin knew that her last struggle was in vain.
All the hatred, all the resentment, found its final outlet at this moment, and suddenly turned towards the person she hated most in her life—
That wretched maid!
She suddenly burst into laughter, a laugh that couldn't be concealed as she went mad.
Liu Simin suddenly pointed at the several crazy concubines in the cold palace courtyard, some of them acting foolishly, others muttering to themselves.
"Xiao Yiheng! Look at them! Look at these women!"
Her voice was distorted with excitement, and sounded even a little shrill.
"Loving someone can drive you crazy! You'll be jealous! You'll lose control! You'll be willing to do anything, even if it's like a moth drawn to a flame, to fight and grab! Just like I was back then, just like them!"
She abruptly pulled her finger back, pointing straight into the void on the other side, as if the narcissus were standing there.
"Where is that wretched maid! Your virtuous and renowned empress, has she ever lost her composure because of you?!"
"Has she ever truly gone mad or felt jealous because of your favoritism towards Consort Wan, Consort Jing, or any other woman? She was always so calm! So composed! So...flawless!"
Liu Simin gritted her teeth. During her time in the cold palace, despair made her see many things clearly.
"Because she doesn't love you! Xiao Yiheng, she doesn't love you at all! She only loves your power! She loves her honor and power as Empress and the birth mother of princes! There has never been any love in her eyes when she looks at you!"
These words are more damaging than any previous accusation.
It had no evidence, yet it precisely struck at the deepest worry in Emperor Zhaoheng's heart that he himself was unwilling to delve into... even fear!
Love requires two people, and no matter how meticulous Shui Xian's plans and calculations were, they would inevitably make Emperor Zhao Heng feel something.
At this moment, Liu Simin's stern words struck at Emperor Zhaoheng's most hidden worry, a worry that even he himself had not realized.
Emperor Zhaoheng's face suddenly turned ashen, and a turbulent shock and... a trace of panic that he would not admit even if he noticed it, surged in his deep eyes.
He opened his mouth, wanting to vehemently refute this utterly absurd and insane rambling.
However, just as he was reeling from the sudden accusation...
Standing before him, Liu Simin, her face flushed, suddenly let out a trickle of dark red blood from the corner of her mouth without warning.
The twisted, even hateful smile on her face froze instantly. Her body swayed violently, her pupils became unfocused, and she could no longer support herself, falling backward.
"Bang!"
The dull sound, in this moment of deathly silence in the cold palace, seemed exceptionally clear...
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