Chapter 207 Seeking Justice
The Cold Palace.
The emperor visited late at night and, seeing the disheveled concubine, felt a strange unease.
Once upon a time, the imperial concubine enjoyed boundless glory, but now, stripped of all her luster, she is just an ordinary woman, and even the marks of time on her face cannot be concealed.
The Imperial Concubine was no longer the delicate woman she usually was. She simply looked at the Emperor with tenderness, smiled gently, and said softly, "I knew you would come to see me. It's time to send me on my way, isn't it?"
"Yes, it's time for you to go." The emperor reached out and gently touched the concubine's cheek one last time: "I will not harm Huai'an, nor will I harm Xie Hanyue. Once you are dead, everything will be over."
The Imperial Concubine had long known that this would be her fate after the incident, but she never expected that the person who would come to see her off on her final journey would be the Emperor. Why did he come in person?
"Your Majesty, did you ever truly love me?"
"Why so cruel? Why you?"
The imperial concubine stumbled to her feet, her eyes red as she looked at the emperor, tears streaming down her face.
Seeing this, the emperor's eyes also showed a hint of indescribable heartache and guilt.
He nodded: "I truly loved you."
"With Your Majesty's words, I have no regrets even if I die!"
"Your Majesty, I'm off."
"May Your Majesty's wishes come true."
The imperial concubine cried, but then she laughed; her tears mingled with the upturned corners of her mouth, her face a mixture of extreme joy and sorrow.
The emperor did not speak, but stood there quietly, watching the imperial concubine hang herself, watching her struggle, watching her cry, and finally everything returned to calm, and the matter ended there.
Upon exiting the door, the emperor stumbled and nearly fell to the ground, but Eunuch Bao acted swiftly and caught him.
"Your Majesty, are you alright?"
"It's alright, let's go back."
The emperor took a deep breath, and indifference quickly replaced the little compassion that was already in his eyes.
He walked steadily, step by step, as if the person hanging from the beam behind him was not the imperial concubine he had favored for many years.
Eunuch Bao supported the emperor's arm and followed him back step by step, his face full of heartache for the emperor and his eyes hiding fear of this cold-heartedness.
The next day, early morning.
The news of the Imperial Concubine's suicide out of fear of punishment quickly spread throughout the palace, and the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion received the news even sooner.
Xiao Jue's first reaction upon hearing the news was fury. He was eating at the time, and in a fit of rage, he overturned the dining table in front of him, spilling soup and water all over the floor. The three children and Qin Shi were all dumbfounded.
Ah Jin was the youngest and cried loudly in fright. Qin Shi reacted quickly and immediately took the child into her arms.
"Don't cry, Ah Jin, don't cry!"
"Be good, Uncle isn't being mean to Ah Jin."
Qin glanced at Xie Qingran, and after confirming her feelings, she picked up Ajin and led the other two children quickly outside, leaving Xie Qingran and her husband behind and a mess on the ground.
"Your Highness, don't be angry. This is just the Emperor's way of calming things down."
"Things have already gotten this far; how could Your Majesty allow a ripple to turn into a full-blown storm?"
Xiao Jue naturally understood these principles, and it was precisely because he understood them that his heart ached so much!
His eyebrows furrowed tightly as he looked at Xie Qingran with a hint of despair: "Qingran, there's no chance anymore, I have absolutely no chance!"
This was the first time Xie Qingran had felt despair in Xiao Jue. She strode forward, stepping through the puddles on the ground, and rushed to Xiao Jue, embracing him without hesitation.
"No, there is a chance, Your Highness, believe me, there is a chance."
"The opportunity is right in front of us; let's wait patiently!"
Xie Qingran hugged Xiao Jue tightly, tears falling and soaking into his clothes.
Feeling Xie Qingran's embrace and receiving the energy she transmitted, Xiao Jue's previously broken heart finally began to beat again, little by little.
On the other side.
Xiao Yu and Xiao Yanran both looked at Qin Shi pitifully.
"Sister-in-law, we're scared."
Xiao Yanran's tears fell instantly.
"What happened to my second brother?"
Xiao Yu's expression wasn't much better; he just stared longingly at Qin Shi.
Qin really didn't know how to talk to the children about this adult matter. In desperation, she could only sigh and gently pat the two children's heads.
But the two children weren't so easily fooled anymore. They didn't believe Qin's words or her gentleness at all, and just kept pestering Qin with questions.
When Xie Qingran entered the room, she saw Qin Shi being harassed by the three children and found it amusing.
She stepped forward and gently distributed the sugar figurines to each child, saying, "Brother was just throwing a tantrum and feeling sad. Don't take it to heart."
"Is someone making things difficult for my brother?" Xiao Yu's eyebrows were tightly furrowed as he stared at Xie Qingran. "Is someone making things difficult for the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion?"
Xie Qingran neither admitted nor denied it. She just smiled and said, "No matter what storms or thunderstorms are outside, you are still children. You should stay at home and live a good life. You are still young and cannot change anything, but you can make your brother have no worries, right?"
The two children were somewhat confused. Looking at the sugar figurines in their hands, they felt a pang of unease as they thought about Xiao Jue's recent outburst.
Xiao Yanran clenched her fists: "One day, I will fight alongside my brothers and make sure no one dares to bully us again!"
"I will definitely become the most valiant general, and then I will beat all those who bullied us to death!" Xiao Yu also clenched the sugar figurine and angrily stuffed it into his mouth.
Seeing the two little devils' fierce expressions, Xie Qingran felt a surge of satisfaction and said with a smile, "Good, very good, truly good children of the Xiao family!"
Seeing that the three children had calmed down, Madam Qin breathed a sigh of relief. She instructed the servants to keep an eye on the children while she pulled Xie Qingran into the inner room.
With red eyes, she looked at Xie Qingran: "Now that the Imperial Concubine is dead, will this matter be forgotten? Will the grievances of the Xiao family and the injustice done to my husband all vanish like smoke?"
"Sister-in-law, we will absolutely not let this matter disappear." Xie Qingran held Qin's hand and said with utmost certainty.
Qin Shi had already given up hope, but upon hearing this, a glimmer of hope finally rose in her eyes: "Really? Qingran, can we really get justice for them?"
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