Chapter 258 The Truth About the Extinction of Heirs!
As Shui Xian and Yin Zhu discreetly left Yichang Palace, draped in dark cloaks, Yin Zhu couldn't help but whisper a question to Shui Xian.
"Your Majesty, Consort De is the Empress's cousin. Can she really help us?"
There were only two people on the long palace path, one in front and one behind.
If Emperor Zhaoheng had not tacitly approved, how could Shui Xian have effortlessly slipped away after curfew to visit Consort De at Yichang Palace, avoiding everyone's notice?
However, Narcissus was very cautious.
She didn't say anything, but simply nodded slightly at Yinzhu.
Narcissus recalled the news Pei Jichuan had brought her a few hours earlier when he came to pay his respects at the palace.
Regarding that incident from back then... Pei Jichuan has found evidence.
As expected, my guess was not without reason. Why did Consort De, who was once favored by Emperor Zhaoheng, change her personality so drastically after that trip with the army, and spend her days eating vegetarian food and chanting Buddhist prayers?
Narcissus recalled the solemn and serene Buddhist hall in Yichang Palace, and the gods and Buddhas high above on the white jade platform.
How many sinners' confessions have they heard?
How much pain must one be in to still chant sutras and worship Buddha every day after all these years?
She understood human nature and deduced from the layout of Yichang Palace that Consort De was suffering from the torment of her conscience day and night.
Years of suffering had turned Consort De into a tightly wound string. If someone were to tell her now that speaking out would make all her pain disappear... Consort De would most likely speak out.
Moreover, she had already made two preparations.
Even if Consort De didn't say anything, she had evidence found by Pei Jichuan's side.
The presence of Consort De as a witness only makes the incident from many years ago even more irrefutable...
......
Several days later, in the Golden Palace.
The solemn court assembly was more somber than ever before.
Emperor Zhaoheng sat high on the dragon throne, his face ashen, his gaze slowly sweeping over the civil and military officials below.
Today, he will settle the recent turmoil once and for all in this golden palace.
"Bring Yi Xingyao along!"
The emperor's voice, devoid of any emotion, echoed in the empty hall.
Soon, Yi Xingyao, who was shackled and looked even more emaciated and deranged, was brought in by the guards.
He seemed completely immersed in his own fabricated fantasy world, and upon entering the palace, he began to repeat those vile accusations in a hoarse voice.
"Your Majesty! This sinner and Narcissus have been having an affair! The twins are my children..."
Upon seeing this, Grand Tutor Liu's eyes flashed with a hint of smugness. He immediately led his cronies to step forward, bowed, and said, "Your Majesty! Although Yi Xingyao's words and actions are inappropriate, his accusations concern the purity of the royal bloodline. How can we ignore him simply because he is insane?"
"To ensure the nation remains flawless, we humbly request Your Majesty to severely punish those who are disloyal, so as to set the record straight!"
The crowd behind him echoed his sentiments, attempting to completely condemn Narcissus and the twins to shame.
Emperor Zhaoheng watched their performance coldly, without immediately reacting. However, the knuckles of his hand, which was resting on the armrest of the dragon throne, turned slightly white from the force he exerted.
Just as Liu Taifu and his men thought victory was assured and were pressing forward relentlessly—
"Your Majesty! Your concubine has something to report!"
A woman's voice, familiar to Emperor Zhaoheng but one he had never heard before so resolute, suddenly came from the entrance of the main hall!
Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw that Consort De was wearing an extremely plain, almost white, palace dress.
She entered the golden palace without wearing any hairpins or jewelry!
She looks nothing like a concubine who now controls the six palaces; she looks more like a criminal!
She entered the imperial court without being summoned, which is a serious crime!
But she clearly couldn't care less at that moment.
Amidst the astonished gazes of the entire court, Consort De staggered to the foot of the imperial steps and knelt heavily on the ground.
The moment she knelt down, Consort De's tears flowed freely.
She choked back tears and, as if relieved, revealed the secret that had tormented her for years.
"Your Majesty! I deserve to die! I am guilty! I have concealed a colossal secret for many years, tormented by my conscience day and night, living a life worse than death! Today... today I can no longer hide it!"
Tears streamed down her face as she spoke words that astonished Liu Taifu's faction.
Consort De: "Your Majesty, I must expose her! I must expose Empress Liu Simin! It was she... who instructed me to... to put a drug that would kill the emperor's offspring in his medicine when he was seriously injured in the army!!"
As soon as Consort De finished speaking, the Golden Palace fell into an almost eerie silence.
The court officials never expected to hear such outrageous remarks during court today!
But in this world, the more outrageous some things seem, the more real they are!
In an instant, the courtiers in the Golden Palace began to boil over as if cold water had been splashed into a pot of oil.
"What?!"
"A drug that prevents one from having children?!"
"This...how is this possible?!"
...
Grand Tutor Liu subconsciously moved his feet, wanting to step forward to stop them, but were the soldiers standing in rows next to the Golden Palace just sitting around doing nothing?
Undeterred by anyone, Consort De clearly and logically recounted a secret from many years ago after about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.
Many years ago, Emperor Zhaoheng personally led an expedition, and everyone thought that he had damaged his manhood by enduring the severe cold in order to fight the war.
At that time, Consort De was still his concubine, as Crown Princess Liu Simin was pregnant and resting in the capital.
She then served the army, and when Emperor Zhaoheng was injured, she ran around taking care of him despite his serious injuries.
Consort De was extremely kind by nature, but on that occasion, she did something that would cause her lifelong pain.
She added a drug to the medicine that Emperor Zhaoheng was drinking.
A drug that can severely damage a man's fertility, making him almost childless!
With tears streaming down her face, Consort De said, "That medicine was given to me by the then Crown Princess Liu Simin, who instructed me to put it into the decoction!"
Grand Tutor Liu's expression changed drastically, and he shouted sternly:
"Stop spouting nonsense and slandering the Empress! Do you know that this is a crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of your family?!"
Consort De seemed not to hear her. She continued to weep, laying bare the nightmare that had been buried deep in her heart for many years before everyone.
"Back then... the Crown Princess Liu Simin suffered a miscarriage after hearing that Emperor Zhaoheng was seriously injured... but that's not actually the case at all!"
"She liked to take cold medicines, and the weaker she was, the more easily she would gain the pity of those around her."
"But those cold medicines ultimately damaged her health. She miscarried in less than a month after becoming pregnant. It wasn't what she said at all. She miscarried because she heard that Emperor Zhaoheng was heartbroken while he was away!"
"Because I can testify that when Liu Simin miscarried, Emperor Zhaoheng, who was still the Crown Prince at the time, had not yet left the palace!"
Even though so many years have passed, Consort De still remembers vividly one rainy night when Liu Simin dismissed everyone else and summoned her alone.
At that time, Liu Simin already had a plan to kill Emperor Zhaoheng's heir, and handed her a paper packet filled with medicinal powder.
She was terrified and wanted to refuse, but Liu Simin threatened her with the future of her family.
Liu Simin's father, Liu Taifu, held immense power in the court and could easily manipulate a mere concubine like her.
Consort De choked up and said, "Liu Simin is jealous and fearful because she is unable to have children! She is afraid that other women will give birth to sons and threaten her position!"
After revealing these secrets that had weighed on her for years and even threatened to crush her, Consort De collapsed to the ground in tears, her voice filled with anguish.
"Your Majesty, I am so sorry! I am so sorry to our ancestors!"
She collapsed to the ground, sobbing uncontrollably; the despair in her cries was deeply moving.
Emperor Zhaoheng sat on the dragon throne, unaware of the truth of what happened back then.
He had always thought that he had suffered frostbite from the extreme cold, which had damaged his health, but he never imagined it was actually...
A medicine to prevent having children...?
So... so his difficulty in having children over the years wasn't entirely due to old battlefield injuries?!
So, his deep-seated guilt and indulgence towards the Empress because "she had miscarried for him" was nothing but a huge joke?!
So the root of his suffering from childlessness lay in this?! In his nominal wife, the seemingly gentle and virtuous empress for so many years?!
An indescribable, excruciating pain, along with the chilling realization that the root of his years of suffering had been exposed, instantly swept over him!
Emperor Zhaoheng rubbed his forehead and said coldly, "Go and bring Liu Simin to me!"
Before an incense stick's time had passed, the Empress was brought over by Feng Shunxiang, who had personally gone to fetch her.
Upon entering the Golden Palace, the Empress immediately saw Emperor Zhaoheng, whose face was grim.
The second time he looked, he saw his father, his face deathly pale, standing at the head of the assembled officials.
The Empress was still in a daze when she saw Consort De kneeling in the center of the hall.
The Empress, who had been walking smoothly into the Golden Palace, suddenly stopped. She seemed to realize something was wrong, and her eyes became flustered.
Sure enough, as soon as the Empress entered, Emperor Zhaoheng angrily rebuked her.
"Liu, Si, Min!"
Emperor Zhaoheng's voice seemed to come from the deepest hell, carrying overwhelming killing intent.
"You...you tell me! Is what Consort De said true or false?! My years of childlessness are actually your doing?!"
The moment the Empress saw Consort De in the palace, her face turned deathly pale.
Now that Emperor Zhaoheng was questioning her in public, she was like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, completely lacking her usual gentleness.
Caught off guard by the revelation of her long-standing secret, her voice unconsciously became shrill.
"Your Majesty! You cannot trust her!"
"It's...it's Consort De who colluded with that vile woman Shui Xian to slander me! I didn't! How could I possibly harm you?! I am your Empress!!"
"slander?"
Emperor Zhaoheng laughed in fury, his laughter filled with endless sorrow and mockery. "If it weren't for your infertile medicine that almost cut off my hope of having children, I might not have cherished Xian'er so much when I first learned she was pregnant!"
"My favor towards her may have initially been partly due to her physical condition, but later, it was all because of her as a person! Because of her kindness, her intelligence, and her sincere devotion to me! And you—"
His gaze was like a poisoned arrow, piercing the empress's last shred of dignity.
"You wicked woman! You are vicious and cruel, you harmed the emperor and his father, and you killed the imperial heir. How dare you occupy the position of empress?! How are you qualified to be the mother of the nation?!"
The Empress was silent for a moment, then burst into a shout.
"No--!"
"No! Your Majesty! You can't do this to me!"
When Emperor Zhaoheng mentioned his love for Narcissus, it completely broke the Empress's heart.
She stubbornly believed that Emperor Zhaoheng's favor towards Shuixian was solely because of the child, because of her so-called "good fertility"!
But at this moment, the emperor himself admitted that he later fell in love with Narcissus!
This was more unacceptable to her than any accusation!
She excitedly tried to rush up the steps, but was firmly stopped by the guards, and could only let out a desperate cry!
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