Chapter 149 The Divorced Heiress—Pleading for Mercy
Xiao Heng: "Strip He Xuanping of his official position as Prefect of the Capital. After court, arrest Zhao Shifeng and bring him to justice. He will be dealt with according to the law. No amount of pleading will help!"
Prefect of the Capital: "Yes, sir!"
The He family father and son were dejected, their faces ashen.
After saying that, Xiao Heng left the dragon throne and stormed out of the hall.
Even after the emperor's figure had completely disappeared from the hall, the ministers remained prostrate on the ground, not rising for a long time.
What happened at the morning court session was like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, instantly creating ripples. The news seemed to have wings, spreading throughout the imperial court and the inner palace in the blink of an eye, so fast that it caught everyone off guard.
At the Marquis of Weiwu's residence, Zhao Fengyin and his father, the Marquis of Weiwu, stepped into the mansion together, both with unusually solemn expressions.
When the father and son entered the main hall, He Wan and Zhao's mother had just finished breakfast and were still chatting and laughing.
As soon as Zhao's mother saw the father and son, she hurriedly got up to greet them, smiling as she asked:
"How is the situation today? Did the Emperor punish the Su family? Su Huan is probably out of luck as a marquis! I wonder if that vixen in the Su family can still be the emperor's favorite!"
"Shut up! How dare you interfere in royal affairs!" Marquis Weiwu interrupted his wife as she went too far, and quickly turned around to look around to see if anyone else was there.
Zhao's mother rolled her eyes at her husband and said irritably, "We're in our own home, what's wrong with talking like this? There are no outsiders here!"
Marquis Weiwu glanced at the maids and servants around him and ordered in a deep voice, "All of you, leave."
"Yes, Lord Marquis." The servants had all left, and now only the four of them remained in the main hall.
Zhao Fengyin pressed his throbbing temples, not daring to look at his wife, and said only to his mother:
"Mother, you should be more careful in your actions in the manor from now on, especially in front of the servants, so as not to get into trouble."
Judging from what the Emperor did today, every important official's residence is being monitored by the Emperor's people, and they don't know if there are any of the Emperor's people in their own residence.
Upon hearing her son's words, Zhao's mother's heart skipped a beat, and she asked anxiously, "Feng Yin, is something wrong?"
Zhao Fengyin remained silent.
He Wan was also anxious. Since entering the house, her husband hadn't looked at her once, and his eyes were clearly avoiding her. Could something have really happened? Was it related to her?
Marquis Weiwu remained silent, his lips tightly pursed, his eyes devoid of light.
"Husband, what happened?" He Wan got up anxiously, wanting to go to Zhao Fengyin's side.
The stool was overturned and fell to the ground. Hearing the noise, Zhao Fengyin quickly came over to help his newlywed wife.
"Wanwan, listen to me, sit down first."
He Wan was helped to sit down by her husband. She held his arm tightly and stared at him intently, not looking away.
Zhao Fengyin, supporting He Wan's arm, said, word by word, "My father-in-law has been dismissed from his post by His Majesty, and the moral climate has been suppressed by the Prefect of the Capital."
"What! How could this be!" He Wan looked at her husband in disbelief, hoping that she had just imagined it.
Zhao's mother was shocked. How could the emperor's brother-in-law have been suddenly dismissed from his post!
Zhao's mother knew that the court would definitely attack Su Yaoyao and the Su family together today. In her opinion, the fox spirit would be defeated. No one wanted to see the emperor favor only one person!
"Is there some misunderstanding? That's the Empress's own brother, the Imperial Brother-in-Law of the Great Jing Dynasty! How could he be dismissed from his post?"
Zhao's mother asked her husband.
"I don't believe it!" He Wan looked at Zhao Fengyin through teary eyes and said, her voice choked with sobs.
Marquis Weiwu sighed, and then began to recount the thrilling events that had transpired in the court that day to the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law.
"The Emperor... the Emperor is in prison..." After hearing this, Zhao's mother was so frightened that she blurted out her thoughts, but she was stopped halfway by her husband's cold gaze.
"No, I have to go to the palace! I have to find my aunt! Father must have been wronged, I have to save my brother!"
He Wan was very agitated, and she struggled to get up.
Zhao Fengyin naturally wouldn't let her act impulsively, and comforted her, "Her Majesty the Empress must have received the news as well. She will definitely try to save your father. If His Majesty finds out that you have entered the palace, it will not be good."
He Wan: "But I..."
Marquis Weiwu gave his daughter-in-law a deep look and said, "Feng Yin is right, it is not appropriate to enter the palace at this time."
Zhao's mother chimed in, "Yes, Wan, listen to Feng Yin and your father-in-law. Don't act rashly. You're carrying the Zhao family's child, so be very careful!"
"Okay." He Wan had no choice but to nod in agreement.
Marquis Weiwu then looked at his wife and said sternly:
"His Majesty has information and evidence on all parties. You must remember not to accept bribes, nor to use the name of Marquis Weiwu to cause trouble outside!"
When Zhao's mother heard her husband scolding her like a child, she was very unhappy: "I know. I would never do such a thing. You are just worrying unnecessarily."
*
In Changchun Palace, after learning about what happened in the court, several precious vases in the room were broken again.
"Prepare the carriage, I am going to see the Emperor!"
"yes!"
Outside the Hall of Mental Cultivation, announcements were made that the Empress was to have an audience.
Xiao Heng let him in.
"Your Majesty, my brother has surely been deceived. I beg you to investigate thoroughly!"
The Empress dismissed the palace servants and entered the Hall of Mental Cultivation alone. She knelt before the Emperor and pleaded.
Xiao Heng remained unmoved. He looked coldly at the Empress and spoke without any mercy:
"Empress, the emperor is subject to the same laws as commoners, let alone ministers. Are you asking me to bend the law for personal gain?"
The Empress shook her head, weeping, "Your Majesty, you know, that's not what I meant, I..."
"Empress! Don't push your luck! I was originally planning to turn a blind eye, as long as it didn't come to my attention, I would let you do as you pleased."
Xiao Heng rose from the dragon throne, walked slowly to the Empress, looked down into her eyes, and smiled coldly:
"I was just staying at Chenxi Palace for a few more nights, and the Empress couldn't contain herself. Don't you pride yourself on being generous? How come you can't even accept this? If He Xuanping hadn't gotten involved in the morning court session, I wouldn't have dismissed him. If anyone's to blame, it's you for forgetting your limits!"
The empress felt everything go black before her eyes, and her body went limp as she collapsed to the ground, as if she had lost all support.
The Queen stared wide-eyed at what lay ahead in disbelief, tears streaming down her face like a burst dam.
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