Chapter 205 The Good Days Are Over
Seeing that she was genuinely worried about him, Xiao Jue smiled gently and said, "Don't worry, I've been planning this for the past three years, so I won't lose!"
"Qingran, as long as you stay in the backyard, take care of our own fence, and look after the children, that's enough!" Xiao Jue looked at Xie Qingran very seriously.
Xie Qingran was not good at matters of the court, so upon hearing this, she immediately nodded and said, "Alright, I will do my best to make sure that no matter who it is, they don't want to break into our house and disturb our peace!"
After hearing this, Xiao Jue finally breathed a sigh of relief and then said, "That's excellent, Qingran. I knew you could do it!"
The two stopped talking and just leaned against each other, quietly looking at each other.
In the Empress's palace.
The emperor had only fainted due to momentary excitement, but he had already woken up. The moment he opened his eyes, he saw the empress sitting beside him and immediately sat up: "Where is the Imperial Concubine! Where is that vile woman?"
“She has confused the royal bloodline. I have dealt with her according to palace rules, stripping her of her title of Noble Consort and banishing her to the Cold Palace.”
"As for how to handle this in the end, I humbly request Your Majesty's decision!"
The Empress performed a grand salute with great respect and looked at the Emperor very attentively.
The Emperor, aware of the gravity of the situation, took a deep breath and said, "Empress, the Consort is just..."
"Your Majesty, the Grand Chancellor, the Prime Minister, and the General request an audience!" Eunuch Bao rushed in and knelt on the ground, his whole body trembling.
Normally, the appearance of these three people together indicates a very serious matter. The emperor was now even less concerned about the concubine's trivial matter and hurriedly said, "Quickly, let them in!"
The three people walked in together and knelt down in unison to pay their respects.
"Greetings, Your Majesty!"
"Your Majesty, three years ago, the Xiao family army was defeated. There were other hidden circumstances. We have all the witness testimonies. We beseech Your Majesty to make a judgment!"
The prime minister handed over all the documents he had prepared to the emperor.
The emperor had just woken up, his head was still buzzing, he took a deep breath and then picked up the document. After reading it, his face turned terribly gloomy.
"You're saying that it was the Imperial Concubine who poisoned Xiao Jue, causing him to become like this!"
The emperor angrily slammed his fist on the bed.
However, after these words were spoken, the Empress's face turned very ugly. She had clearly caused the deaths of tens of thousands of Xiao family soldiers, but the Emperor never expected that he would only say that she had poisoned Xiao Jue. Even now, the Emperor still wanted to protect the Consort. How deep his affection was!
The Empress stood to the side, remaining silent.
The general immediately kowtowed: "Your Majesty, the key issue is not this at all!"
"You!" The emperor was about to curse instinctively, but when he met the general's bloodshot eyes and saw the heartache in the prime minister's eyes, he had no choice but to grit his teeth and say, "Investigate! We must investigate this matter immediately. The evidence must be conclusive, and all those involved must be dealt with according to the law!"
Upon hearing this, everyone realized that the emperor was using delaying tactics.
The Empress finally understood that relying on the Emperor would not bring justice in this matter.
"Your Majesty, Zhou Huai'an is still outside the door. What does Your Majesty intend to do with him?" The Empress stepped forward and looked at the Emperor with a face full of curiosity.
When this person was mentioned, the emperor's expression changed. Although this was not his biological son, all the love and companionship he had received over the years were genuine.
He took a deep breath, looked at the Empress, and said, "Back then, Huai'an was just an ignorant child, so please, Your Majesty, give him a way out."
"Your Majesty, I don't understand what you're saying. What do you mean by 'I'm not giving you a way out'?" The Empress finally lost her temper.
She could accept his favoritism, but she simply could not accept such indiscriminate treatment. She was the Empress, not only His Majesty's wife, but also the Empress of this country. She had a responsibility to purge the court of corrupt officials and maintain the balance between the nation and the court!
Seeing the Empress's expression, the Emperor realized he had been too impulsive. He blushed slightly and said, "That's not what I meant. I just think this child is well-behaved and considerate, so let her stay in the palace. This matter is a royal scandal, so let Xie Hanyue marry Zhou Huai'an. That would be a proper match."
In the past, the emperor didn't understand why the imperial concubine acted this way, but now, he also regrets it somewhat, perhaps making the best of a bad situation.
The Empress had expected the Emperor to protect the Consort, but hearing these words still made her laugh in anger.
"What about the Imperial Concubine? Shouldn't she also be reinstated?"
"Everything has gone back to the way it was before, as if nothing had happened?"
The Empress watched the Emperor quietly, wanting to hear his answer.
Upon hearing this, the emperor fell silent for a moment. In fact, that was exactly what he had been thinking, but seeing the empress's expression and glancing at the prime minister and the general, he knew that this matter could not be handled this way.
In desperation, the emperor began to feign illness and madness: "Alright, alright, you may all leave now. I am truly feeling unwell!"
Without the slightest hesitation, the empress turned and left.
She sent a message to Xiao Jue and headed straight for the Cold Palace.
Xiao Jue then took Xie Qingran with him to the Cold Palace.
Even after being banished to the Cold Palace, the Imperial Concubine remained proud. Seeing the three approaching, she gave a cold laugh and said indifferently, "What, His Majesty has woken up? He can't bear to hurt me, can he? Haha, I knew it! His Majesty cares about me; he would never harm me!"
Seeing her smug look, Xie Qingran said coldly, "Although His Majesty has been good to you, it's a pity that you have harmed too many people. The dead in the underworld can't sleep peacefully, so why should the living sleep peacefully?"
"Pah! You little slut, what are you to dare speak to me like that!" The Imperial Concubine spat, coldly staring at Xie Qingran: "If I had known it would be like this, I should have strangled you with my own hands back then!"
The Empress stepped forward, pulled Xie Qingran behind her, and looked at the Consort: "You think you've only made a small mistake, but in fact, you've violated the law of the land, Liu Ling'er, your good days are over!"
Upon hearing this, the Imperial Concubine immediately stood up and stared intently at the Empress: "What do you mean? What do you mean?!"
"You'll find out soon enough." The Empress pulled Xie Qingran along, glanced at Xiao Jue, and turned to stride outside.
Xiao Jue stood there quietly, staring coldly at the Imperial Concubine.
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