Chapter 373 Self-inflicted Trouble
The virtuous prince hurried to Zhaohua Palace, but saw the palace in a mess and Concubine Shu sitting on the ground with disheveled hair.
The veins on her forehead bulged, her eyes were red, and her face was covered with tears. She seemed to be hoarsely venting the pain in her heart, and she fell to the ground exhausted.
The virtuous king stood still, staring blankly at the concubine who was shrouded in great sorrow.
In his impression, his mother was high and mighty and overbearing.
I have never been so embarrassed.
The virtuous prince came to his senses and quickly walked towards the concubine: "Mother, let me help you sit on the couch."
When Concubine Shu heard the voice of the virtuous prince, her eyes rolled and she turned to look at him slowly. She stared at him for a long time, her brain slowly coming back to its senses.
"Heng'er, all 38 members of the Lin family were murdered. Not a single one was left alive." Tears welled up in Concubine Shu's eyes, and her hoarse voice was filled with grief: "What should I do..."
Before, she invited her mother to the palace. Her mother also said that at the end of the year, she would personally make dumplings and send them to the palace so that she could eat them at the beginning of the year, which would be a family reunion.
Before she got married, she always complained that her mother's dumplings were unpalatable. Every New Year and Mid-Autumn Festival, she would eat them with a miserable look on her face.
After entering the palace, she looked forward to these two festivals every year, waiting for her mother to make dumplings and send them to the palace for her to eat.
Because dumplings contain the taste of mother and the taste of home.
From then on, she wanted to eat the dumplings made by her mother, but she could never eat them again.
She has no mother anymore.
From now on, no one will think about her all the time, wondering if she has suffered any injustice in the palace, or whether her life is unhappy.
"My father has sent people to track down the murderer and will avenge my grandfather's family." Seeing Concubine Shu crying so hard, the virtuous prince also burst into tears: "Mother, you still have me. Your son will protect you."
Concubine Shu hugged the virtuous king, hugging her only relative tightly.
She was clearly aware that she had lost the favor of the Emperor of Northern Qi. No emperor would continue to favor concubines and offspring who might plot to usurp the throne in the future.
Her natal family was wiped out, and she can only depend on her son from now on.
There was a strong hatred in Concubine Shu's eyes. She hated that Jiang Jianzheng's casual words had ruined the plan of more than ten years between them.
"Heng'er, the murderer is Jiang Su. He must have done it. I sent people to capture his son, and he killed the entire Lin family to avenge me."
Concubine Shu said with great conviction, "The Jiang family has gone through two dynasties. They held a very high position in the previous dynasty and were highly trusted by the previous emperor. He is definitely a remnant of the previous dynasty."
The virtuous prince's expression suddenly changed. Seeing Concubine Shu's madness, he felt fear in his heart: "You must never say such words in front of my father..."
Concubine Shu interrupted him: "Why can't you tell me? Your Majesty has been looking for the remnants of the previous dynasty. If I find them, it will only make Your Majesty happy."
As she spoke, Concubine Shu got up and stumbled out of the palace: "I will definitely go to His Majesty and expose Jiang Su's true face, and ask His Majesty to avenge the Lin family."
When she arrived at the gate of Zhaohua Palace, she saw that the palace gate was closed and the door panels were constantly banging.
"Open the door and let me out. I want to see His Majesty."
The guard outside the door replied, "Your Majesty, His Majesty said that you are not in good health. You should stay in Linhua Palace for the time being to recuperate."
Concubine Shu's mind was full of exposing Jiang Jian as a remnant of the previous dynasty. She didn't understand what the guard meant at all. She continued to bang on the door, begging the guard to let her out, as she had something important to tell the Emperor of Northern Qi.
The guards outside heard what Concubine Shu said and arranged for a guard to tell the Emperor of Northern Qi.
At this moment, the Emperor of Northern Qi was troubled by the Lin family case.
According to custom, today the New Year's leader will go to the Fengtian Hall to receive congratulations from all officials.
Because the Lin family was suddenly wiped out, people were in panic and the celebration ceremony was cancelled.
A day passed and there was no progress in the case.
Not only that, the person sent to invite the imperial teacher came back to report that the imperial teacher and the master of the national temple were in seclusion.
Whenever the Northern Qi emperor encountered a difficult decision, he would always ask the imperial tutor for advice, and the imperial tutor would always be there at his beck and call.
This time the imperial teacher did not show up, and the Emperor of Northern Qi seemed to have lost his backbone and was anxious and uneasy.
The guard who was guarding Concubine Shu came back to report at this time that Concubine Shu was clamoring to see him.
The Northern Qi Emperor's eyes were filled with disgust: "No."
Over the next few days, the people from the Three Judicial Departments and the Imperial Guards still found nothing.
Because of the fuss caused by the Northern Qi Emperor, not only the civil and military officials, but even the common people were extremely concerned about the extermination of the Lin family.
There were even rumors that the Emperor of Northern Qi was an incompetent emperor and that he was able to ascend the throne all thanks to the imperial tutor.
Now that he has no imperial teacher to give him advice, he can't even solve a small case like the Lin family's.
The Emperor of Northern Qi was extremely angry when he heard the rumors.
He never thought that he was an incompetent person, but just had too many ideas and couldn't make up his mind.
The Northern Qi Emperor pointed at Eunuch Liu and said sternly, "Go and convey my order. Anyone who disrespects me will be killed."
Eunuch Liu's face changed and his lips moved, but he did not dare to disobey the Emperor of Northern Qi and obeyed the order to leave.
The Emperor of Northern Qi knew that he could not silence the people of the world, and the only way was to settle the Lin family case as soon as possible.
At this time, the voice of Concubine Shu came from outside the palace: "Let me go, you bunch of dog slaves, I want to see His Majesty."
Then, Concubine Shu raised her voice and shouted, "Your Majesty, I have found the remnants of the previous dynasty."
The Northern Qi Emperor's eyebrows were twitching, and his disgust for Concubine Shu reached its peak.
He and the late emperor secretly sent people to investigate the remnants of the previous dynasty, and this matter had never been made public.
Because he obtained the throne in an illicit way, he was extremely resistant to the word "previous dynasty".
This means to remind the world that the Chu family's kingdom was seized by force.
But Concubine Shu happened to shout it out in public.
He walked out of the hall with a gloomy face, his eyes cold and sharp as he looked at Concubine Shu, who was being held by the eunuchs. She was disheveled, with dry grass on the ends of her hair, and her clothes were covered in mud, as if she had rolled on the ground.
She looked so miserable, without any dignity befitting a concubine.
Concubine Shu did not notice the change in the Northern Qi Emperor's mood at all. She was delighted that the Northern Qi Emperor was willing to come out to see her. It was worth it for her to ask the palace maid to dig a hole in the wall so that she could come out to see him.
"Your Majesty, I have found a remnant of the previous dynasty. That man is Jiang Su. He was the one who killed the Lin family. Please send someone to arrest him and interrogate him immediately."
Concubine Shu pushed the eunuch away and looked at the Emperor of Northern Qi with full expectation, hoping that the Emperor of Northern Qi would immediately order the Jiang family to be raided.
The next moment, the Northern Qi Emperor spoke, causing the blood to drain from her face.
"Shufei, the Lin family's misfortune is caused by you. It is you who interfered with the fate of the country and brought the Lin family to heaven's punishment."
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