Chapter 220 His Empty Space Was Filled by Her
After leaving the Dengdi Inn, Prince Duan hurriedly entered the palace.
Taking advantage of the fact that the Prince's Mansion had been "attacked," he used his unreasonable arguments to get the Imperial Clan Court to temporarily release him from imprisonment, and then quickly changed his clothes and entered the palace.
When Zhou Yan led his men there, they only managed to abduct Biluo; Prince Duan was completely unharmed.
However, in order to enter the palace, he deliberately injured his left arm so that he could follow ancestral rules and forcibly release the emperor from his imprisonment.
Inside the Qianqing Palace, the air seemed to have a tangible quality, as heavy as frozen ice.
Emperor Zhaoheng sat upright on the dragon throne, wearing a bright yellow outer robe, the collar of which was slightly disheveled, indicating that he had just gotten up from the couch.
Narcissus stood to one side, her head bowed, her expression unreadable, only her slightly clenched fingertips betraying the turmoil in her heart.
At that moment, hurried and chaotic footsteps came from outside the hall, accompanied by a eunuch's high-pitched announcement: "The Empress Dowager has arrived—Prince Duan requests an audience—!"
The fact that Prince Duan was able to bring the Empress Dowager along in such a short time is enough to show that he was well prepared.
Before she could finish speaking, the Empress Dowager, supported by her nanny, stepped into the hall with an icy expression.
Following closely behind was Prince Duan, who was holding a scroll of documents and whose left arm was wrapped in a blood-stained bandage.
The moment he saw Shui Xian standing anxiously beside Emperor Zhaoheng, he couldn't suppress his indignation, and there was even a hint of smug satisfaction on his face.
It's safe now.
Prince Duan thought to himself.
"emperor!"
Before Emperor Zhaoheng could speak, the Empress Dowager preemptively glared angrily at Shui Xian.
"I have come here today to demand justice from you! Let me see what this virtuous Imperial Concubine has done!"
Prince Duan immediately stepped forward, his voice filled with barely concealed grief and indignation, and he uttered a startling statement:
"Your Majesty! Your humble servant wishes to impeach Consort Jin, Narcissus!"
He snorted coldly, "The Imperial Noble Consort instructed a courtesan to infiltrate my brother's residence to assassinate a member of the imperial family. Moreover, she was suffering from a terrible disease and intended to spread it. Her intentions are despicable and extremely vicious!"
Prince Duan gritted his teeth and said, "How can such a viperous woman be worthy of the position of Imperial Noble Consort and assist in managing the six palaces?!"
He then dragged his personal guards along to testify that they had chased the kidnappers of Biluo all the way to the Dengdi Inn that night. Prince Duan made no mention of the fact that he had not found the injured Biluo at the Dengdi Inn.
Prince Duan repeatedly emphasized that the Dengdi Inn was run by Shui Xian's father, a fact known to both the court and the public.
"Your Majesty is wise!"
Prince Duan spoke with great passion and righteous indignation. He stood there with his back straight, exuding a truly detached and elegant air, and his indignant appearance made him seem like an upright person who had been wronged by villains.
“Biluo has already admitted that she was instructed by the Imperial Noble Consort! This woman comes from a humble background, is wicked, and now she is even more audacious, daring to plot against a member of the imperial family! If she is not severely punished, how can the palace be regulated, and how can the country be at peace?!”
What Prince Duan presented was a forged signature of Biluo.
Anyway, he can't find Biluo now, and if Shuixian lets Biluo come out to testify, it would indirectly prove that she was the one who instructed Biluo!
Prince Duan was betting that Shui Xian wouldn't dare admit it or bring Bi Luo up, so he brazenly fabricated a false accusation.
The Empress Dowager sighed at the opportune moment, cooperating very well with Prince Duan.
"Your Majesty, I have long said that this woman is not a good person."
She snorted coldly and glared at Narcissus with hatred.
"To have committed such a horrifying act is absolutely unacceptable! For the sake of the royal family's reputation and the peace of the harem, he must be severely punished! In my opinion, his rank should be revoked immediately, and he should be banished to the Cold Palace!"
The thought that the vile woman arranged by Shui Xian had entered Prince Duan's mansion, and might even have infected Rui'er with that kind of filthy disease... made the Empress Dowager want to eat her flesh and drink her blood raw!
That bitch! Forget about the cold palace, she really wished that bitch was dead!
The air inside the hall seemed to solidify, almost tangible.
The palace servants around held their breath, lowered their heads, and dared not make a sound.
Prince Duan and the Empress Dowager were both aggressive, presenting one piece of evidence after another, as if they wanted to demote her to the dust in the next moment.
Shui Xian could feel the malice that seemed so real. She slightly raised her eyes, her trembling gaze fixed on Emperor Zhaoheng on the dragon throne.
However, the expected questioning or the empress dowager's anticipated imperial wrath did not materialize.
Emperor Zhaoheng did not even look at the forged "signature" presented by Prince Duan.
He slowly raised his eyes, his gaze filled with anger, but not directed at the narcissus beside him.
Emperor Zhaoheng pressed his thin lips together, his icy gaze fixed on Prince Duan, who stood beside the Empress Dowager.
Deep within those eyes lay a deep-seated hatred that had been suppressed for far too long.
The Empress Dowager sensed something was amiss; a sudden emptiness filled her heart. Just as she was about to say something to ease this inexplicable tension, Emperor Zhaoheng spoke—
"Brother, you keep accusing the Imperial Noble Consort..."
Emperor Zhaoheng did not blame Shui Xian, but instead changed the subject and brought up another matter.
"I also have something on my mind that has been piling up for many years, and I'd like to ask you about it today."
He leaned forward slightly, his gaze fixed on Prince Duan, each word so powerful that if they were tangible, they would have nearly crushed Prince Duan to death.
"I only ask you one thing... Back then, regarding Consort Wen's matter, was it you who framed her?"
What? !
What did he hear?!
The indignation on Prince Duan's face, and the smugness that came with thinking he was about to bring Narcissus down from her horse, froze almost instantly.
The color drained from his face at a visible speed. Prince Duan was completely unprepared to hear this name from Emperor Zhaoheng after so many years!
"Your Majesty! How...how can you say such a thing?! Consort Wen...she died from postpartum hemorrhage. What does that have to do with me?!"
Prince Duan's hands, hanging limply at his sides, trembled uncontrollably. His first instinct was to pin the blame on Shui Xian, "It must be her! Your Majesty, you mustn't believe this vixen's words!"
The Empress Dowager, standing to the side, was utterly shaken.
A complex expression, difficult to suppress, flashed across her face—resentment, fear, and guilt...
Emperor Zhaoheng repeatedly scanned his mother's aging face with his gaze, but he saw no surprise in her expression.
She knew all along!
"emperor!"
The Empress Dowager suppressed the turmoil in her heart and tried to stabilize the situation.
"Why bring up old matters again? That Consort Wen herself behaved improperly and had an affair..."
"shut up!"
Emperor Zhaoheng slammed his hand on the armrest of the dragon throne. His cold voice was deep and filled with anger. Although the voice was not loud, it shook the Empress Dowager and Prince Duan to their core!
"Consort Wen is of noble character and upright conduct! Her relationship with me is completely pure and innocent, based solely on the friendship of close friends, and there has never been the slightest transgression between us!"
Before his eyes, it seemed as if that gentle and compliant woman flashed by.
At that time, he was a prince, and she was a concubine.
They met at a family banquet in the palace. Not knowing his identity as the crown prince, she quietly asked him who his mother was.
For some reason, the usually composed Crown Prince felt a sudden surge of amusement. He concealed his identity as the Crown Prince and teased her, saying that she had mistakenly wandered into the officials' quarters.
Even after all these years, he still remembers the sudden panic in her eyes and her cheeks gradually turning pink...
However.
"It's Xiao Yirui! My good younger brother! When his advances were rejected, he harbored evil intentions and forced himself on Consort Wen! If it weren't for him, Consort Wen would still be alive and well!"
His gaze, filled with pain and anger, fell upon Prince Duan, who was now pale and trembling like a leaf after the truth was revealed.
"To satisfy your own selfish desires, you forced the concubines to their deaths and caused the Emperor to become estranged from me!"
"Xiao Yirui, where is your conscience?!"
Finally, he abruptly turned to the stunned Empress Dowager and angrily questioned her: "Mother! Now that the truth is out, are you still going to blindly favor this vicious and wicked wretch?!"
The Empress Dowager trembled at the sight of her son's gaze, which she had never seen before, as if he were looking at a stranger.
She opened her mouth, only to find that all her words of explanation seemed so pale and powerless.
However, years of favoritism have led her to subconsciously seek a scapegoat.
The Empress Dowager suddenly pointed to the narcissus that had been standing quietly to the side.
"Even if... even if Rui'er was wrong, that's all in the past! What does it have to do with today? Emperor! Look at this Narcissus! She's a femme fatale! If she hadn't bewitched you and caused you brothers to fight each other, how could things have turned out like this..."
"Enough!"
Emperor Zhaoheng interrupted him sharply, taking a step forward and firmly protecting Shui Xian behind him in an absolutely protective posture.
"I know Xian'er better than anyone! She has never stirred up any trouble in front of me. It is you, it is you who have been pressing me step by step and plotting against me at every turn!"
His voice echoed throughout the hall, completely shattering the Empress Dowager's attempt to hold Narcissus accountable.
"I trust her far more than I trust you so-called blood relatives!"
These words were like the heaviest declaration, infuriating the Empress Dowager. But before she could retaliate, Emperor Zhaoheng stopped looking at their pale faces.
He took a deep breath, suppressing his surging emotions, and disregarding the Empress Dowager's pain, issued the decree:
"Prince Duan, Xiao Yirui, has framed a concubine and committed misconduct; the evidence is conclusive! He is hereby stripped of all official positions, titles, and duties, his princely title is revoked, he is demoted to commoner status, imprisoned in the Imperial Clan Court, and subjected to rigorous interrogation and punishment according to the law!"
"The Empress Dowager is biased and negligent, allowing her son to commit violence. She is hereby confined to the Cining Palace from this day forward. Without my decree, she is not to leave the palace and is no longer to concern herself with any affairs within it!"
Once the decree is issued, it is like a final judgment.
Prince Duan never expected that what he thought was a sure victory would turn into such a complete defeat!
The Empress Dowager staggered and almost fell. Looking at her unfamiliar and resolute son on the dragon throne, she finally understood that Emperor Zhaoheng was no longer the son who had always been wary of her. He was now an emperor who never showed his emotions!
Ignoring the Empress Dowager's broken cries, Emperor Zhaoheng slumped back onto his dragon throne and waved to the guards who had been waiting nearby.
The guards were impartial and incorruptible; they were the emperor's personal guards and only obeyed his orders.
They split into two groups and, through a combination of persuasion and coercion, took the Empress Dowager and Prince Duan away.
The Qianqing Palace was finally quiet again.
Emperor Zhaoheng closed his eyes, feeling no satisfaction at his successful revenge, only a profound emptiness.
It was as if a hole had been torn in his heart, a black, silent hole that seemed to suck in all emotions.
Just then, he felt Narcissus slowly squat down. She rested on his knees, her gentle eyes reflecting his haggard face like a mirror.
"Your Majesty, I am here..."
Narcissus raised her delicate, white jade-like hand and firmly grasped his.
Her skin was delicate and soft, warm and reassuring, which was exactly what he needed at that moment.
Emperor Zhaoheng bent down, using the most practical action to search for his own existence.
He stole her breath and swallowed her warmth.
He was empty, but she filled him up.
finally.
finally......
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