Lu Zhao sent people to investigate along this line of thought, and sure enough, they soon found a clue: it was the former deposed crown princess who sent people to launch a sneak attack from behind the battlefield with bows and arrows.
The deposed crown prince died young, while his wife enjoyed three years of happiness after the young emperor ascended the throne and she was honored as Empress Dowager.
“Back then, my father valued me and wanted to make me the new crown prince. They probably felt that I was blocking their way, and thus harbored resentment.”
“The throne cannot be passed to someone without an heir. My brothers are ambitious but lack the ability. After the imperial physician diagnosed that I was infertile, Father had no choice but to make the current emperor the crown prince.” Lu Zhao said indifferently, as if he did not care about these matters at all. “There is no deep brotherly affection in the royal family.”
Gu Chaoxi did not miss the fleeting look of loneliness in his eyes.
The once spirited young man, with the throne within his grasp, was betrayed by his own brother. He not only lost the throne but also unknowingly helped his enemy's son secure it.
Even after his enemy's son grew up, he repeatedly tried to eliminate him and seize all his power.
How pitiful.
She reached out and stroked Lu Zhao's cheek, then gave him a comforting kiss on the corner of his mouth.
“You have me now, and our child. It’s time to return this throne to you.”
"We'll have ten or eight kids then, and show them off at their graves, making them so angry they'll be terrified," Gu Chaoxi said angrily.
The heavy atmosphere vanished instantly.
Lu Zhao's slightly heavy mood was instantly relieved as if a hole had been opened, allowing the sunlight to pour in and dispel all the gloom and darkness.
He couldn't help but chuckle, "Ten or eight? Is Xi'er going to give birth to a whole football team?"
It's already a miracle that there's only one left. How could he dare to hope for so much? He only hopes that the three of them can live peacefully and stay together forever.
Lu Zhao felt a surge of warmth in his heart.
Gu Chaoxi's round eyes darted around, and she sighed dejectedly, "I'm afraid this wish won't come true. You're already thirty years old, and in a few more years, I'm afraid you'll be willing but unable to do it."
Lu Zhao, "..."
Lu Zhao's eyelids twitched. He was a bit old, but he was in excellent health!
"Who told you that you can't do it after thirty?" Lu Zhao said through gritted teeth.
"Isn't that right?" Gu Chaoxi confessed frankly, "That's how it's written in storybooks: the rich merchant gets old and impotent, and can only look at his beautiful wife but can't have her, so he likes to torment her. In the end, his wife divorces him and remarries, marrying a young general and living happily ever after."
Lu Zhao's temples were throbbing with veins.
Which bookstore in the capital dares to sell such books? Isn't this corrupting innocent young girls? These kinds of storybooks must be banned one of these days!
"Hmph! Don't even think about remarrying. I'm old, but I can still make you happy!"
Lu Zhao scooped up the cunning little fox in his arms and carried it to the bed without giving him a chance to refuse.
Next, Gu Chaoxi fully experienced the feeling that she hadn't been able to properly experience the first time.
But Lu Zhao kept asking her, "Are you happy enough? Are you fulfilled enough?"
Gu Chaoxi sobbed, "That's enough..."
Considering the child in Gu Chaoxi's womb, Lu Zhao did not indulge himself after all. He fully demonstrated his love by taking a bath and washing the woman in his arms, who was covered in sweat and had a beautiful face.
Gu Chaoxi was so tired that she was drowsy. She let Lu Zhao help her take a bath. When she got back to bed, she could barely keep her eyes open. She snuggled into the quilt and fell asleep immediately.
Lu Zhao, however, was radiant. He blew out the candles and lay down on his side, his affectionate gaze falling on Gu Chaoxi's face. He traced her contours in the moonlight from the window, held her hand, and assured her, "Xi'er, I will deal with the Emperor as soon as possible. No one can stop us from being together."
A hint of ruthlessness flashed in Lu Zhao's deep eyes.
He used to turn a blind eye to the young emperor's private actions, but now, whether for Xi'er's sake or for his own, he no longer needs to show mercy.
Gu Chaoxi mumbled a confused "uh".
Upon receiving a response, Lu Zhao's coldness vanished instantly. He smiled contentedly and fell asleep with the person in his arms.
When Gu Chaoxi woke up the next day, she found Lu Zhao lying in her bedroom, not knowing when he had brought her back.
Qiu Shuang brought in water and happened to see that her young lady had woken up. She quickly went to help her up and excitedly told her about what she had found out that morning.
"I heard that before dawn today, several women with children stopped the Regent's carriage and accused Zhao Mingxu of deceiving innocent women and then ignoring them after they gave birth to their children."
"The prince summoned Zhao Mingxu to the Dali Temple, but Zhao Mingxu vehemently denied it, claiming he hadn't done anything wrong. However, the evidence was irrefutable; those people all had Zhao Mingxu's tokens on them. The prince said that this young man was morally flawed and unfit for important positions, so he stripped him of his official post, gave him a beating, and even the prime minister was scolded. You wouldn't believe it, young lady, in the end, Zhao Mingxu couldn't even walk, his body was a bloody mess, and the Zhao family had to carry him back."
Qiu Shuang spoke vividly, her usual aloofness vanishing, replaced by a hint of schadenfreude.
Because Zhao Mingxu made outrageous remarks at the Marquis's residence, asking Gu Chaoxi to become his concubine, the Marquis's residence had already fallen out with the Prime Minister's residence. As soon as this happened, the Marquis's residence immediately sent people to spread the word. Before long, everyone in the capital knew that the Zhao family had offended the Regent.
Families that had always been on good terms with the Prime Minister's residence began to distance themselves, choosing to protect themselves.
Gu Chaoxi snorted and laughed, "Serves you right!"
Gu Chaoxi guessed that this was a trap set by Lu Zhao for Zhao Mingxu. She thought that Zhao Mingxu would be done with a beating, but she didn't expect that this was just the beginning.
Zhao Mingxu was beaten but kept shouting that he was innocent. The prime minister, of course, was not going to swallow this injustice and vowed to find out the truth and see who was trying to harm his son.
Unexpectedly, before he could even be dispatched, the very next day in the imperial court, the Prime Minister's arch-enemy, the Minister of Personnel, listed twelve crimes committed by the Zhao family over the years, including selling official positions, embezzling public funds, and misappropriating disaster relief funds. Each of these crimes was a capital offense.
The prime minister was on the emperor's side, and the emperor still wanted to protect him. However, Lu Zhao forced the emperor to issue an edict to search the prime minister's mansion without any explanation. Ten million taels of silver were confiscated and all of it was put into the national treasury. The prime minister and his whole family were imprisoned.
At the same time, officials who usually had close ties with the prime minister were also thoroughly investigated, and this investigation uncovered quite a few people who were in cahoots with the prime minister.
For a time, the cells in the Dali Temple prison were almost overflowing.
The emperor was extremely anxious, as many of the officials involved were people he had secretly cultivated, and now they were all gone.
He didn't understand why Lu Zhao suddenly acted this way. Starting yesterday, Lu Zhao began to frequently disregard his dignity as the emperor, becoming increasingly unyielding and cold towards him.
Thinking of this, the emperor felt uneasy and uncertain.
Could it be that Lu Zhao already knew that the previous assassination attempt was orchestrated by him?
If Lu Zhao really wants to deal with him, he must get rid of him before Lu Zhao makes a move!
A sinister look, unbecoming of his age, gradually appeared on the emperor's youthful face.
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