"In this vast Forbidden City, all that matters is one's reputation. Their attempt to force me to abdicate is nothing more than a desire to trample my dignity into the ground." Lanqin dismissed the palace maids and examined the nail polish on her hand.
Hongzhou: "That's utter nonsense. When Father Emperor returns, they'll be in for a world of hurt."
Lanqin chuckled softly, which puzzled Hongzhou.
“It is too difficult to erase what has been done. If we want to shut the ministers up, we need to have Empress Fucha’s father, Fucha Argon, come out to testify.”
"This is by no means an easy task..."
"Consort Xi, you don't need to say anything more. Leave this matter to me." Hong Zhou interrupted Lan Qin, bowed, and left.
Lanqin breathed softly, "In this Forbidden City, people are fighting against heaven, against earth, against the living, and against the dead. When will it ever end?"
No one answered her.
Argon wept bitterly. Hongzhou asked him how he knew there was a food shortage on the northwestern battlefield. Argon hesitated, knowing he had inflated grain prices. If the Emperor found out, it would be the worst crime of treason, and his entire clan would likely be executed. Hongzhou saw his worry and said that if he told the truth, he would plead with the Emperor to spare his entire clan.
Hongzhou acted decisively; as soon as he left the inner palace, he went to the capital and brought Fucha Argon in for questioning.
"Is this incident related to you?"
"No."
"Do you know what it is? I never said anything."
"Whatever it is, humph, it has nothing to do with me. I'm locked up in a place like this, do you think I have connections to the heavens and can stir up a bloodbath outside?"
Hongzhou paced back and forth, then suddenly stopped. He grinned wickedly and said, "You're being stubborn now, but let's see if you can still talk back later!"
"Guards, bring the torture!"
The Fucha family was an elite clan of the Eight Banners and had always been favored by the emperor. This was the first time in decades that Fucha Argon had suffered such torture. He endured it for a while, then spat out several mouthfuls of blood and begged Hongzhou to let him go.
"If only I had known this would happen, why did I do it in the first place?" Hongzhou shook his head and sighed.
"Consort Xi killed my daughter! I will not rest until I avenge this!" Fucha Argon gritted his teeth and said. His face was contorted with pain and he was covered in blood, as if he had crawled out of hell.
Hongzhou thought he was just senile and spouting nonsense.
"Fucha has committed numerous evils in the harem, and all of this is her own fault. You should be angry, but you should hate yourself." Hongzhou took a few steps back and looked down coldly at Fucha Argon. "If a son is not taught, it is the fault of the father and son."
Fucha Argon was startled, then trembled. He gasped for breath, and finally burst into tears, sobbing uncontrollably.
Hongzhou frowned: "Stop crying, I still have something to ask you."
"How did you know about the food shortage on the Northwest battlefield when you were in the Forbidden City?"
Fucha Argon immediately stopped wailing, feeling extremely bitter: if the emperor found out that he had been raising grain prices and accused him of colluding with the enemy and betraying the country, wouldn't his Fucha family be implicated by his old bones?
Ouch! Argon mentally slapped himself several times. How could he have been so blinded by greed to make such a basic mistake?
Seeing him hold his breath and hesitate, his expression changing in an instant, Hongzhou guessed what he was thinking.
“Treason and betrayal are crimes punishable by exile of nine generations of your family,” Hongzhou said. “But if you confess the truth, I will plead with Father Emperor to spare your entire family.”
"Is that really true?!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
