Chapter 663 Failure!
Zhou Xinrou didn't expect to clash with Shen Lanxi so soon, and the thought of Shen Lanxi refusing to relinquish the imperial power filled her with displeasure.
"Lanxi, you must already know your background, so I won't say more. If I hadn't picked you up from the street, you would probably be dead by now. I gave you peace and a life of wealth and honor, but what is fake is still fake. You are not of royal blood, so don't occupy the throne."
Shen Lanxi stared coldly at the person on the city wall, her gaze as if she were seeing her for the first time.
"I am your benefactor. Now that my real daughter has returned, will you relinquish the throne or not?" Zhou Xinrou looked at the troops below the city. Such a small force probably numbered less than five thousand.
They already had over 10,000 troops just from the city's garrison, not to mention Shen Yuanjing, who would arrive with a large army shortly afterward.
"If you lay down your weapons and surrender now, I might spare your life out of consideration for our past relationship."
Shen Lanxi just watched Zhou Xinrou talk to herself without saying a word.
"My beloved Yu'er is the true descendant of the late Crown Prince, the rightful heir of the Great Zhou. Lanxi, surrender!"
Huang Yu said angrily from the side, "We were willing to spare her life, but she didn't appreciate it, so she shouldn't blame us."
The mockery on Shen Lanxi's face grew more and more obvious until she couldn't listen to it anymore.
She took a slight breath, and the next moment her voice echoed throughout every corner of the capital.
"Huang Yu has kidnapped the Empress Dowager, plotting rebellion and committing heinous crimes that deserve death! Today, I will execute this traitor and restore peace and order to my Great Zhou!"
Liu Yanhui and the others then shouted loudly.
"Slay this traitor and restore peace and order to our Great Zhou!"
Huang Yu's eyes were initially filled with panic, but then, thinking of the approaching troops, she calmed herself down.
"Shen Lanxi, I see you won't shed a tear until you see the coffin!"
Shen Lanxi whispered to the side, and Liu Yanhui immediately began negotiating with Huang Yu.
"Traitor, if you release the Empress Dowager now, His Majesty will be magnanimous and spare your life!"
Huang Yuzhou Xinrou's face darkened. Shen Lanxi was using what they had just said to criticize them.
"Shen Lanxi, don't be stubborn and ask for trouble!" Huang Yu roared angrily.
Liu Yanhui pointed at Huang Yu and shouted, "Traitor, do not harm the Empress Dowager! If you dare to harm the Empress Dowager in the slightest, His Majesty will surely tear you apart with five horses!"
"Take your hands off the Empress Dowager."
"Try pointing a knife at the Empress Dowager's neck again."
"Your Majesty, rest assured, His Majesty and your ministers will ensure that Your Majesty is not harmed in the slightest."
Huang Yu and Zhou Xinrou were so angry that their faces turned red. Shen Lanxi was clearly telling people to talk nonsense.
"I was not taken hostage, and everything I said is true."
Liu Yan replied: "How dare you, Huang Yu! How dare you threaten the Empress Dowager in front of us?"
"Huang Yu, quickly release the Empress Dowager. If you release her now, His Majesty said he will grant you a piece of land so you can establish yourself as king there."
Huang Yu and Zhou Xinrou were even more furious.
"Archers, aim at Shen Lanxi and fire!" She didn't wait for Shen Yuanjing anymore; even if she faced Shen Lanxi now, her chances of winning were still high.
Liu Yan replied, "Oh no, Huang Yu is going to do something desperate!"
Shen Lanxi: "We must ensure the Empress Dowager's safety."
Liu Yan shouted, "Huang Yu, name your price, as long as the Empress Dowager is released."
Huang Yuqi gave the order again.
"Release the arrows!"
The city wall was silent for a few moments before Huang Yu and Zhou Xinrou realized something was wrong.
"Didn't you hear me ordering you to fire your arrows?"
It remained completely silent; not a single person drew their bow.
Huang Yu and Zhou Xinrou's faces turned pale instantly.
Why do you disobey my orders?
"Do you want to rebel?"
Liu Yanhui sneered: "It's precisely because they don't want to rebel that they don't obey your orders. Huang Yu, you've failed."
Huang Yu couldn't believe it. She had meticulously planned for so long, trained hard every day, and fought alongside her soldiers. To make them obey her orders, she had even disregarded her reputation.
I never expected that after all this planning, this would be the final result.
After being shocked, Zhou Xinrou saw that Huang Yu looked devastated and immediately went over to comfort her.
Liu Yan replied: "How dare you, Huang Yu! What do you want to do?"
"Empress Dowager, quickly protect the Empress Dowager!"
The soldiers on the city wall rushed forward, and Zhou Xinrou lowered her head, staring blankly at her chest.
A dagger struck a vital point.
Huang Yu watched helplessly as Zhou Xinrou died in front of her, and she was completely terrified.
"Huang Yu killed the Empress Dowager! Kill Huang Yu to avenge the Empress Dowager!"
A shout suddenly rang out.
The archers, who were supposed to be preparing for Shen Lanxi, suddenly all aimed at Huang Yu and fired several arrows at once.
"Open the city gates to welcome His Majesty back to the city!" A loud voice rang out, and then the city gates opened.
As Shen Lanxi entered the city, she issued orders.
"Huang Yu has committed treason and is to be displayed at the city gate for three days!" Even if she doesn't whip his corpse, the people of the capital will not let the murderer who disrupted their peaceful lives get away with it.
"I am deeply grieved that the Empress Dowager has been murdered by traitors. I will suspend court for three days to express my condolences!"
"To prevent neighboring countries from taking advantage of the chaos, the Empress Dowager's funeral will be simple. Her body will be collected today and buried tomorrow!"
"Write a letter to all members of the Shen family who are living elsewhere, telling them that the situation in the capital is still unstable and they do not need to come to the funeral!"
A series of orders were issued, and everyone was in a flurry of activity.
Inside the Hall of Mental Cultivation
"Your Majesty, all the city guards are already waiting outside the city."
Shen Lanxi: "Jiuhuan Mountain is a good place. People who should have died long ago should not come out and cause trouble anymore."
"Your Majesty, I shall set out immediately to annihilate the mountain bandits."
Shen Lanxi nodded, and then gave another order.
"Send two things to the Northwest, one to Wei Dongzhu and the other to Shen Yuanjing!"
The pale-faced eunuch said, "This servant will take care of it immediately."
An hour later, a thin coffin and a child were quietly sent out of the capital.
"I have finally given the Wei family army an explanation!"
In fact, Shen Yuanjing and the others never received any letters from Zhou Xinrou. She could already imagine how shocked Shen Yuanjing would be when he received the gift.
Although the Empress Dowager's funeral was held hastily, no one in the court had any objections, and the people of the capital had even fewer.
They just wanted the matter to be over quickly so they could continue living peacefully.
A massive uprising eventually came to a quiet end.
Even the Shen family and the common people didn't learn of Zhou Xinrou's death until the day after her passing.
The Shen family began to feel uneasy.
"How come we never saw that Huang Yu harbored such wolfish ambitions before?"
"Not only did you not see it, but the Empress Dowager didn't see it either, did she?" Now look what happened, she recognized the thief as her adopted daughter and even lost her life.
"The Empress Dowager died so unjustly." She had only just been brought into the palace and made Empress Dowager not long ago. It's such a pity.
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