"Utterly absurd!" the emperor shouted angrily. "The priests and the Empress Dowager want me to kill the Imperial Noble Consort's child in order to maintain peace in the land?"
The Empress Dowager replied coldly, "Otherwise what? Emperor, you are the ruler of the country, and everything you do should be for the benefit of the people. You know that this child will bring harm to the people, yet you allow things to develop unchecked. How can you be a good ruler?"
"If losing one child can restore peace and well-being to the people of Qizhou and resolve the locust plague, what's wrong with that?"
The emperor sneered, his eyes flashing with murderous intent. "Mother, losing a child is truly a small matter to you. But the child in the Imperial Noble Consort's womb is my only child."
“Emperor, if there is a first, there will be a second. As a monarch, you should not only be selfish for yourself, but also consider the people under your care.”
"Empress Dowager, as the Empress Dowager of the nation, if these locusts were heading towards me instead of the Imperial Noble Consort, would you still kill me to bring peace to the people of the land?"
The Empress Dowager paused, seemingly surprised that the Emperor would ask such a question.
But she noticed the curious glances coming from those around her, as if they were all waiting for her to answer the question.
Since the emperor had asked that question, that was the only answer she could give.
"Nothing is more important than the safety of the people."
The emperor chuckled, a laugh filled with a multitude of meanings, including sarcasm and self-deprecation.
"Your Majesty's righteousness is beyond my comprehension." The emperor's eyes were cold, and his tone was flat, revealing no emotion whatsoever.
The Empress Dowager, disregarding everything else, hastily pressed on:
"The Emperor has also realized the seriousness of this matter and should immediately remove the child from the Imperial Noble Consort's womb!"
Just then, Gu Jiangli, who had been hiding under the emperor's outer robe, spoke up:
"Your Majesty, according to the priest, whoever the locusts follow is the culprit who brought them, and that is the evil spirit, is that right?"
The priest quickly replied, "Of course, after all, these locusts don't go anywhere else, they only go to the goddess."
Upon hearing this, Gu Jiangli lifted the emperor's outer robe, revealing a head, and asked:
"If I could send these locusts to someone else, would that clear the name of the child in my womb?"
"This... is absolutely impossible. Locusts have spirits; they recognize their masters and will not obey orders at will. Your Highness, please don't even think about using any tricks."
The priest's words were all laced with arrogance.
It was as if they were certain that no matter what Gu Jiangli did, these locusts would not leave.
Gu Jiangli smiled and said, "Alright, since the priest is so confident, then I will show the priest my methods."
Her words elicited skeptical expressions from both the Empress Dowager and the priests.
Gu Jiangli, hidden under the emperor's outer robe, gave Hehua a wink.
Lotus nodded, already understanding her meaning, and tightly gripped the outer robe that Gu Jiangli had taken off with one hand.
While the Emperor and Empress Dowager were talking, she had already secretly taken off the clothes that Fang Xun had given her.
And I have already explained to Lotus what to do.
Lotus seized the opportunity, pinpointed Fang Xun's location, and dashed over like an arrow.
A figure as swift as the wind swept past several palace servants and concubines. Amidst gasps of surprise, the outer robe was draped over Fang Xun's head, and Hehua held him tightly.
In the blink of an eye, everything went dark before Fang Xun's eyes, and he could see nothing.
Immediately following was Fang Xun's piercing scream:
"What are you doing, you lowly slave?! Let me go! I'll sentence you to death!"
"Aaaaah! Get away from me, you wretched servant!"
"Grandmother! Save me!"
He punched and kicked, but Lotus dodged with lightning speed. Despite his best efforts, he couldn't hurt Lotus in the slightest.
The Empress Dowager's face suddenly turned pale: "You lowly servant, what are you doing! Release the young prince at once!"
She called out as she walked quickly toward Fang Xun.
But those locusts also rushed towards Fang Xun with her.
The buzzing sound drifted into the ears of everyone who passed by.
They watched in astonishment as the locusts that had been surrounding the Imperial Noble Consort now all came to the young prince's side.
The Empress Dowager was terrified and cried out, "Get these things away now!"
"You wretched girl, get off the little prince right now! I will definitely punish you with death!"
Upon hearing this, Lotus glanced at Gu Jiangli, who was a few steps away.
Gu Jiangli nodded to her, and Hehua slowly released Fang Xun and returned to Gu Jiangli's side.
Fang Xun, shrouded in a large outer robe, remained trapped for a long time without managing to break free.
The Empress Dowager was frightened by the locusts on her robes and dared not get close. She could only ask the eunuchs around her to come and help.
The scene became chaotic and noisy.
Everyone's attention was drawn to Fang Xun and the Empress Dowager, and no one noticed that Gu Jiangli had changed into the emperor's outer robe.
The priest watched all this, feeling cold sweat trickling down his forehead.
Gu Jiangli straightened up and asked, "These locusts seem to have a new master now, Priest. What should we do?"
"this……"
The Empress Dowager turned her head, her eyes wide with anger, "What does the Imperial Noble Consort want to say?"
"Your Majesty, it's not that I have any other ideas, but the fact that the locusts have changed hands is something that everyone has witnessed. It seems that the evil spirit is not the child in my womb, but rather more like the little prince."
"Don't talk nonsense!"
"How could I be spouting nonsense? It was the High Priest who said that locusts recognize their master, and whoever they recognize is the evil spirit that brought the locust plague. And right now, that evil spirit is none other than His Highness himself. According to what Your Majesty just said, His Highness should be executed immediately."
The Empress Dowager was furious, "There are still doubts about this matter. Nothing has been investigated clearly. How can you so easily sentence someone to death?"
"Investigate? How else do you want to investigate?" Gu Jiangli's words were already tinged with anger. "Just half an incense stick's time ago, these locusts were swarming around me, and the Empress Dowager concluded that the child in my womb was a demon and should be eliminated immediately!"
"Now that these locusts have gone to the young prince, why does the Empress Dowager suddenly find this suspicious and want to investigate the truth carefully?"
Gu Jiangli laughed in anger, and sneered, "Shouldn't Your Majesty, for the sake of the people of Qizhou, immediately decide to kill the young prince? Where is your righteousness just now? Where is your righteousness of sacrificing His Majesty and your descendants for the peace of the people? How come it has all disappeared now?"
The Empress Dowager clenched her fists and took a half-step back, trembling in disbelief.
The surrounding concubines and palace servants were all speechless with shock at Gu Jiangli's words.
No one in history has ever dared to speak to the Empress Dowager like that.
Such a disobedient and disregardful person could only be Gu Jiangli.
Looking at her side, the emperor remained silent, and they could even see from his eyes that he supported Gu Jiangli.
It was truly...eye-opening.
Gu Jiangli glanced coldly at the Empress Dowager and Fang Xun, then turned to the priest and asked:
"High Priest, I will ask you one more time: who exactly is the evil spirit that brought the locust plague to Qizhou?"
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