Chapter 161 Brutal
After being reminded by Prince Anshun, the officials began to discuss the matter even more. Although no one dared to speak out, their eyes were filled with inquiry and suspicion as they looked at the emperor. Clearly, many suspected that he was the mastermind behind it all.
The emperor never expected that his plan would have the exact opposite result.
He originally intended to annoy Anshun King again, but ended up getting angry himself.
The emperor's face darkened, and he said angrily, "How dare such an arrogant lecher exist on my territory! Investigate him immediately, and beat him to death with sticks when he is found!"
After Eunuch Zhao received the order and withdrew, the officials, seeing the emperor's anger, dared not utter another word, and all lowered their heads, somewhat fearful.
The Emperor turned to Prince Anshun and said, "Eleventh Prince, I have put in a lot of effort to prepare for Prince Wen's wedding banquet, yet you doubt me so much. It truly chills my heart! Today, the palace was crowded and chaotic. It is possible that some fools, seeing the beauty of the Princess Consort, harbored wicked intentions. However, in the end, it was my negligence that caused this. I will make it up to Prince Wen. You should stay in Dongling Pavilion. Perhaps it won't be long before you have your turn to drink at a wedding."
It took two months to find a woman of low status for Wen Zhiming, and now she's gone just like that. We'll have to go through all that trouble to find him another one in the future.
Moreover, in order to maintain his image of kindness and generosity, he now has to go to great lengths to explain.
Today I've truly lost both my wife and my army.
"Bah! Don't call me Eleventh Brother again. I don't have a brother like you. You are vicious, cold-blooded, and tyrannical..."
The more Anshun King cursed, the more offensive his words became, until the Emperor could no longer bear to listen.
However, it was understandable that the Prince of Anshun was angry since his daughter-in-law had just died. He could not punish him further, so he could only wave his hand and order his men to take the Prince of Anshun and his entourage back.
Upon hearing the order, Deputy Commander Liu immediately led his men over and dragged the cursing Prince Anshun and his entourage away.
Seeing Wen Zhiming still crying and complaining, the Emperor felt even more troubled.
I had intended to give him a cuckold's horns, but instead he gained a loyal princess consort. The humiliation I had inflicted on him earlier became insignificant because of Li Yan'er's loyalty.
Wen Zhiming got the benefits but cried loudly, and even wanted him, the one who made a losing deal, to compensate her. It's truly outrageous.
Although the officials had their heads down, they were all listening intently.
Even though the Emperor was displeased, he could only soothe her: "My dear nephew, I didn't expect this to happen either. You are still young, and I will find you a better one later. Take the Crown Princess back and give her a proper burial. Also, take back all the congratulatory gifts that the officials gave you today."
This was clearly a casual dismissal; anyone else would have disagreed, but Wen Zhiming was a fool.
Wen Zhiming was still whimpering, but several observant officials stepped forward to coax him, finally stopping his howling. Without bowing, he retreated in grievance.
This commotion completely ruined the emperor's good mood, so he simply dismissed all the ministers.
Immediately, the Emperor returned to the Hall of Diligent Governance, and the officials left in sedan chairs.
To alleviate his guilt, Eunuch Zhao, seeing that Wen Zhiming and the others had only brought one carriage, ordered someone to bring another carriage from the palace. The new carriage was used to transport Li Yan'er, and the other was used to transport gifts.
Fearing that the palace guards might offend the deceased, he also pasted a character for "mourning" on the carriage that had carried the deceased.
Wen Zhiming, accompanied by guards and two carriages, followed behind the ministers' procession. The journey was unusually quiet, with very few guards, but the ministers, still shaken from their earlier experience, noticed nothing amiss.
When they passed the intersection of Yuxiao Palace, Wen Zhiming broke away from the group and went straight into the dark alley.
Deputy Commander Liu had been waiting here for a long time. By the dim moonlight, he looked at Wen Zhiming and said, "I was worried that Prince Anshun and the others would get emotional and attract attention, so I gave all five of them a sleeping potion in advance, enough for two or three hours."
“Very good.” Wen Zhiming calmly instructed, “Put them all in the first carriage. Be careful not to touch the dead. Then, you all need to sneak out of the palace through the south gate as soon as possible. Someone will be there to meet you.”
Originally, he intended for Prince Anshun and his entourage to hide under his carriage. He had set up a hidden compartment in that carriage, making it difficult for anyone to discover, and the guards would not carefully inspect the carriage where the bride was sitting.
But now the situation has changed; Li Yan'er has been killed by the scoundrel Emperor.
Even if the carriage with the hidden compartment is converted to transport gifts, it will likely still be strictly inspected by the city gate guards. Besides, the hidden compartment is cramped; it might be okay for one or two people, but it would be too crowded for five.
Therefore, Wen Zhiming made a last-minute decision to put all five people in the carriage that was transporting Li Yan'er. Then, he covered them with a carpet, so that even if a guard who didn't care opened the carriage window to check, he would only be able to see Li Yan'er's body at first glance.
Upon hearing this, Deputy Commander Liu complied, transferring the five men, including the Prince of Anshun, to the carriage. After providing cover, they disappeared into the night.
Wen Zhiming listened carefully to the sounds outside the dark alley, seized the opportunity, and drove the two carriages out with his men, successfully blending back into the procession of officials leaving the palace.
The group walked at a leisurely pace. Wen Zhiming's face still showed sadness and grievance. When the officials who passed by saw this, they couldn't help but offer him a few words of comfort.
After returning to the Hall of Diligent Governance, the Emperor felt very uneasy, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what was wrong.
Although Li Yan'er messed up today, Prince Anshun and Wen Zhiming are still birds in his cage. Whether they live or die, or suffer a fate worse than death, is entirely up to him. He really shouldn't be so anxious.
Upon seeing Eunuch Zhao return, his first question was, "Has Prince Wen gone back?"
"He's already gone. As you instructed, I had him take Li Yan'er's body and the gifts we received today back with him," Eunuch Zhao replied.
The joyous occasion had turned into a tragedy, and Eunuch Zhao was still somewhat panicked. He cautiously observed the Emperor's expression and asked in a low voice, "Your Majesty, those two guards have been caught. Are they really going to be killed? I don't think they'll dare to tell anyone, so perhaps..."
"What else?" The Emperor rose with a cold face, walked to Eunuch Zhao, and said sternly, "A ruler's word is law. I have already said to have them beaten to death. What are you waiting for? To wait for them to implicate you and then suspect me? Two useless bastards. I made them flower thieves, but they insisted on becoming murderers, ruining my plans. They deserve to die!"
There was no one else in the hall at this moment, and coupled with the unbearable frustration in his heart, the emperor lost all pretense. His fierce aura and ruthless face made Eunuch Zhao's legs go weak, and he immediately knelt down.
"Your Majesty, please forgive me! This servant deserves to die! This servant will do it right away, immediately!"
Eunuch Zhao was so frightened that his hands trembled.
Let him die if he dares to say another word, he might get beaten to death too.
However, it was too late...
Seeing the Emperor wave his hand, Eunuch Zhao hurriedly scrambled back to the door. He was just one step away from leaving the Hall of Diligent Governance when he felt a chill behind him, followed by a sharp pain in his back. He forced himself to turn around and saw the Emperor holding a blood-dripping sword. The Emperor's eyes turned cold, and he stabbed Zhao in the chest again.
In a weak voice, Eunuch Zhao asked, "Why..."
The Emperor placed the blood from the longsword onto Eunuch Zhao's clothes, wiped it off from both sides, and smirked slightly.
"You're not only stupid, but also disloyal. What use are you to me?"
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