Madam Zheng dragged her legs, which felt as heavy as if they were filled with lead, and slowly made her way back to the Duke's mansion.
Her once rosy complexion was now as pale as paper, devoid of any color, and even her lips were trembling slightly.
When Duke Zheng saw his wife's appearance from afar, his heart skipped a beat. He knew that things must have developed to an extremely bad point.
When Lady Zheng approached, Duke Zheng hurriedly went to greet her and asked anxiously, "Madam, what happened? Why are you so distraught?"
Madam Zheng took a deep breath, composed herself, and said in a slightly tearful voice, "My lord, we are truly in deep trouble. I went to the Imperial Concubine's palace to inquire about the situation, but to my surprise, the Imperial Concubine couldn't even get an audience with the Emperor..."
Upon hearing this, the Duke of Zheng felt a sudden chill in his heart and instantly realized the seriousness of the situation.
The Emperor's reluctance to see the Imperial Concubine indicates that he is wary of her.
The Duke of Zheng frowned, pondered for a moment, and then said firmly, "We can no longer sit idly by and wait for our doom!"
His eyes revealed a resolute determination; he had made up his mind.
Then he added, "We must deal with that Taoist priest tonight no matter what. We absolutely cannot let him ruin our important plans."
Madam Zheng naturally understood the implications, and she nodded slightly in agreement. However, she knew very well that if things didn't go smoothly tonight, the entire Zheng family would be plunged into an abyss of no return.
But at this moment, they had no way out but to gamble everything and take a desperate gamble.
Thinking of this, Madam Zheng couldn't help but sigh. Now that the Imperial Concubine is in deep trouble, how can the Duke of Zheng's mansion stay out of it and remain unaffected?
Even the marriage he had been so eager to arrange for his daughter was now completely out of reach.
After nightfall, Madam Zheng silently stayed by her husband's side, keeping watch in the study, quietly waiting for news.
Just then, a series of hurried and frantic footsteps suddenly came from afar.
Immediately afterward, the steward's anxious shouts rang out: "Your Highness, something terrible has happened! A very serious situation has arisen!"
Upon hearing this, the Duke of Zheng was immediately enraged and shouted, "What kind of behavior is this, all this panic! What happened? Speak up!"
Overwhelmed by tension and fear, the butler stammered, "Replying to... Master, all... all the men we sent out to deal with that Taoist priest have been arrested."
"What?" Upon hearing this, the Duke of Zheng was struck dumb, and his body swayed involuntarily.
His eyes widened, and he roared in disbelief, "How is this possible? Could it be... that Taoist priest was a fake? A decoy sent by the Emperor to mislead us?"
For a moment, the study fell into a deathly silence, and Madam Zheng's face was filled with despair and terror.
The Emperor deliberately lured them into a trap.
......
Ganlong Hall
Emperor Rongsheng's face was gloomy, and a cold smile appeared on his lips. What an audacious Duke of Zheng!
At first, he thought that the Duke of Zheng might be completely unaware of this matter. After all, Consort Zheng was just a woman confined to her chambers, so it was not surprising that she would act recklessly along with the Prince of Jin.
However, the Duke of Zheng was a man who had fought his way out of a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood, and had experienced countless life-and-death trials. Logically speaking, he should have been well aware of the stakes involved, so how could he have allowed his sister and nephew to act so recklessly?
This is a heinous crime punishable by the extermination of the entire clan!
Are they truly unafraid of the brutal reckoning they would face if their operation failed?
Thinking of this, Emperor Rongsheng couldn't help but let out a cold laugh.
"Heh! In that dream, they actually succeeded. The Zheng family took away half of the Lin family's empire."
Emperor Rongsheng frowned, a ruthless glint flashing in his eyes.
On the other hand, the suspects who were arrested were all incredibly stubborn.
Despite the officials' best efforts in interrogating them, several men managed to bite into the poison hidden in their mouths when the guards were off guard, instantly succumbing to the poison and dying instantly.
In the end, only one person remained, barely clinging to life.
The man's jaw was first dislocated, and then his Achilles tendons were severed. Even so, after searching his entire body, they still couldn't find any useful clues or evidence.
When the news spread, Lin Muheng was filled with doubt, unable to understand why his father was so certain that these people were the Duke of Zheng's men.
After all, the man in black hadn't confessed to anything, and he knew everything perfectly well.
There is currently no conclusive evidence, so it is impossible to convict the Duke of Zheng.
But unexpectedly, news of this matter spread like wildfire.
Everyone outside already knows that the real mastermind behind this incident is none other than the Duke of Zheng.
However, Emperor Rongsheng did not seem to be in a hurry at this moment. After all, the news had already spread, and the Duke of Zheng would surely be unable to hold back and take action.
At this moment, a solemn and dignified atmosphere permeated the study of the Duke of Zheng's mansion.
After much deliberation, the Duke of Zheng gradually calmed down.
He was well aware of the abilities and loyalty of the assassins he had personally trained.
It is absolutely impossible to pry even a single word out of these people.
Duke Zheng turned to his wife, whose face was as pale as paper and whose body was trembling slightly, and gently comforted her, "Madam, you should go back to your room and rest. Don't worry, I'm here for you."
Upon hearing this, Madam Zheng still looked frightened and asked in a trembling voice, "Are you sure nothing will happen?"
Duke Zheng nodded firmly and replied, "Don't worry, my lady, nothing will happen. You must trust my methods and arrangements."
Hearing her husband's resolute words, Madam Zheng felt slightly relieved, but the unease in her heart was still difficult to completely dispel.
The thought of Consort Zheng and her son filled Madam Zheng with hatred.
The unparalleled glory enjoyed by the Duke's mansion was not earned by the mother and son alone!
But the lives and fortunes of this entire family are always tied to the mother and son, a situation that is incredibly frustrating and helpless.
Especially when Madam Zheng thought of her good-for-nothing son, she felt even more resentful.
If one's own son could have three outstanding sons like those in the mighty general's mansion, capable of upholding the reputation of the entire family, then there would be no need to place all future wealth and glory on the shoulders of that Prince Jin alone.
The only slight comfort for Madam Zheng was that her youngest daughter was about to marry into the powerful General's household.
Now she should thank the emperor for bestowing the marriage upon her.
At least her beloved youngest daughter has a way out.
However, what she didn't expect was that the emperor was now filled with deep regret.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
