Chapter 55
Mo Zhi felt a chill run down his spine. His Majesty was making no attempt to hide it; he was going to make an example of someone in front of everyone.
But who told that old bastard Xu Yong to dare to cause trouble with Prince Li?
They even dared to plot to assassinate His Majesty!
But wouldn't it be inappropriate to do it at the Empress Dowager's birthday banquet?
But Mo Zhi dared not question the emperor.
He looked at the emperor's wound with concern, "Your Majesty, you didn't have to take that risk."
Your Majesty has actually used yourself as bait today; this is far too dangerous.
Emperor Chengyuan parted his lips, his smile sinister, "Since they want to kill me, I will give them the chance."
"What a pity, a bunch of useless trash. Even if I sent them to my doorstep, they wouldn't be able to kill them."
Mo Zhi: "..."
His Majesty's murderous intent is growing stronger, and he's going bald!
Emperor Chengyuan casually flicked his sleeve and said, "Alright, let's go."
Mo Zhi: "Your Majesty, shall we have the imperial physician examine your wound?"
Emperor Chengyuan's gaze swept over the bandage on his shoulder, and a hint of pleasure appeared on his lips as if he had thought of something. "It's nothing."
How could Mo Zhi not notice the emperor's distraction?
The thought of the other person who had just been in the artificial hill made him even more bald.
However, His Majesty the Emperor was unaware of his inner turmoil and ordered, "Compile the information on the wife of the Marquis of Xuanwu's heir and give it to me."
Mo Zhi... Mo Zhi could barely maintain his composure as the head of the Western Depot, clutching his chest and letting out a cry.
Your Majesty, you know that she is the wife of the heir apparent of the Marquis of Xuanwu!
What are you trying to do?
A ruler taking his subject's wife... let's skip that one.
Poor Mo Zhi, a high-ranking eunuch at such a young age, has to worry about his emperor like a mother hen every day!
Emperor Chengyuan ignored his subordinates' misery; he was not a monarch who cared about worldly affairs or reputation.
Plunder and tyranny are ingrained in his bones; brutality, bloodlust, and arbitrary decision-making are his defining characteristics.
What's wrong with a ruler taking his subject's wife?
If he's so capable, then let that idiot Shangguan Hao come and compete with him!
Mo Zhi: "..."
Your Majesty, Shangguan Hao is the rightful husband of the Crown Prince's wife. You are the one who is being a third party!
Holy crap!
Mo Zhi broke out in a cold sweat; one could only imagine how "lively" the capital was about to become.
Unfortunately, His Majesty is not someone who can be persuaded.
...
When Wen Xin arrived at the Hall of Preserving Harmony, the Empress Dowager's birthday banquet had already begun, and even the Emperor and Empress Dowager had arrived.
She was the only one who was late in the entire hall!
The girl's face turned pale instantly.
Especially the malicious glances, either gloating or disdainful, cast at her from the seats reserved for wealthy ladies and gentlemen made her feel even more precarious.
No one will help her; even her family and husband are watching coldly.
The slender and frail young girl looked particularly helpless and pitiful in the main hall.
Her face was ashen, and she could only muster her courage and, with impeccable manners, bow to the emperor and empress dowager above her to apologize.
The Emperor and Empress Dowager sat on the high platform of Baiyu Street. Wen Xin neither looked up to peek at the two most noble figures of the Great Yuan Empire, nor could she.
Looking directly at the face of a monarch is a capital offense.
Given her original personality, she wouldn't have had the guts to do that.
The Empress Dowager was somewhat displeased that a noblewoman dared to be late for her birthday banquet.
But she was always a soft-hearted person, and besides, the girl on Baiyu Street was slender and petite, and looked very pitiful, so she didn't intend to make things difficult for her.
Just as the Empress Dowager was about to ask the young girl to return to her seat, Emperor Chengyuan, dressed in a black dragon robe and wearing a crown, slowly spoke: "Why are you late?"
The emperor's voice was deep and majestic, which made the girl even more fearful and uneasy. She lowered her head and her eyelashes trembled incessantly.
The hall fell into a deathly silence as soon as the emperor spoke.
A woman in an indigo palace dress, sitting at the end of the rank of the imperial concubines, showed fear and unease on her beautiful face.
She deliberately had Wen Xin taken to a secluded place and abandoned there, so that she would miss the banquet and displease the Empress Dowager.
It would be even better if the Empress Dowager would teach Wen Xin a lesson, but it wouldn't matter if she were let off the hook, as the Lady of Xuanwu Marquis values face the most.
Wen Xin was late for the Empress Dowager's birthday banquet. The Lady of Xuanwu Marquis must be extremely unhappy. She'll make her suffer when she gets back.
However, despite all her calculations, Wen Xian never expected that His Majesty would suddenly inquire about the fact that a lowly noblewoman would be late for a palace banquet.
Wen Xian clutched her handkerchief, staring intently at Wen Xin in the center of the hall.
But thinking of Wen Xin's taciturn nature, she felt somewhat relieved.
Wen Xian refused to believe that the timid, cowardly, and useless Wen Xin would dare to spout nonsense in front of the emperor.
Wen Xin seemed oblivious to the various gazes directed at her. Her soft voice trembled slightly, but she still managed to muster the courage to reply.
"Your Majesty, I have lost my way."
Emperor Chengyuan: "Lost?"
The young eunuch who brought Wen Xin quickly knelt down and reported, "Your Majesty, this servant saw the Crown Prince's wife in the garden behind Lin Yue Pavilion."
The name Lin Yue Pavilion sounds nice, but everyone knows that it is a desolate area, and the garden behind it is an abandoned and deserted place.
Why did the wife of the Marquis of Xuanwu end up in the Cold Palace?
Emperor Seongyeon asked, "Where is the Crown Prince's wife going and what is she doing?"
Wen Xin bit her lip, her brows furrowed, as if she didn't know how to answer.
Emperor Chengyuan seemed intrigued and pressed on with the matter, "Does the Crown Prince's wife have something difficult to say?"
The emperor's tone was ambiguous, and Wen Xin seemed frightened, quickly shaking her head.
What if the emperor thinks she has ulterior motives?
I'm really scared of soft buns!
Shangguan Hao and the people on Xuanwu Marquis's side were also getting anxious, fearing that Wen Xin might say something wrong and cause the emperor to take his anger out on the Marquis's mansion.
Lady Xuanwu glared fiercely at Wen Xin in the center of the hall, wishing she could tear him apart.
That jinx!
But no one dared to say anything.
Although the young emperor had only been on the throne for two years, his unpredictable temperament and cruel methods made many nobles uneasy.
Throughout history, even the most cruel and tyrannical rulers have often cloaked themselves in the guise of enlightened monarchs, showing some restraint.
But Emperor Chengyuan was completely unscrupulous. If you offended him, he would kill you and confiscate your property without even a proper pretext, without batting an eye.
If the censors and senior officials dared to criticize him, this cruel king would order his vicious eunuchs to force their heads to bang against pillars—it was terrifying!
Although the Xuanwu Marquis's mansion wisely stood up to support Emperor Chengyuan when he stormed into the capital and overthrew the deposed crown prince, thus gaining some credit for his role in the rise of the new emperor, Shangguan Hao was also highly regarded in the court.
However, they dared not use their merit in following the emperor to provoke Emperor Chengyuan, otherwise, the consequences would be far beyond what they could bear.
Lady Xuanwu cursed Wen Xin with all sorts of venomous thoughts in her heart.
I told you long ago that this little bitch was a jinx!
If it weren't for her, her outstanding son would have married the emperor's younger sister, Princess Qinghe, long ago, and his rise to high office would have been inevitable. Unlike now, he has to work so hard to plan his future.
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