Chapter 460 The Deposed Empress
The Duke of Zhenguo's face turned pale instantly. He immediately looked at Empress Zheng, only to find her staring intently at Sheng Sheng, her eyes red with anger: "You remember, you remember, don't you!"
“Yes, thanks to Her Majesty the Empress, Sheng Sheng wasn’t tortured to death by the Duke of Zhenguo’s mansion, and she also remembered what happened before.” Sheng Sheng tilted her head and said without any politeness, “It is also thanks to Her Majesty the Empress’s longing for my third brother that she preserved many things, which gave me the opportunity to collect so much evidence.”
He only spoke halfway through his sentence before everyone present changed their expressions.
Xie Yunchuan and Consort Rong reacted the fastest, and in an instant they roughly understood the whole story from the conversation.
Consort Rong's first thought was not about these truths, but rather about feeling sorry for her daughter.
I feel sorry for the hurt she suffered, for the pain she recalled, and for her silently collecting evidence all by herself.
Xie Yuxiao's pupils constricted sharply, and he slammed his hand on the armrest of the dragon throne, causing the jade cup on the table to vibrate loudly: "What did you say? The Duke of Zhenguo's mansion has been tormenting you? You are actually..."
"Father, don't worry."
He raised his hand to interrupt, his gaze sweeping over the deathly pale Duke Zhenguo and the clenching teeth of Empress Zheng. His smile turned colder, and he then introduced Niu Qingru and Steward Wang one by one.
"These two are also important witnesses in this matter, so please listen to what they have to say first."
At Sheng Sheng's behest, Niu Qingru and Butler Wang revealed everything they knew, from the fire to the night Sheng Sheng was thrown out.
The Buddhist shrine and account books that Zhu Yue and Zhui Feng risked their lives to bring out from the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion are irrefutable evidence.
Shi An trembled all over and could no longer hold back, so he knelt down and kowtowed repeatedly: "Your Majesty, spare my life! It was the Empress who forced me. If I did not comply, she would exterminate my entire family!"
Shi An's words seemed to stamp the matter with a new seal, completely pulling everyone out of their shock and leaving them with mixed feelings.
Even the most unconventional Xie Yunqi looked at Empress Zheng with a complex expression, his eyes filled with undisguised contempt and anger.
The Duke of Zhenguo's body went limp, and he slumped to the ground, muttering, "It's all over, it's all over."
Empress Zheng's chest heaved violently, her finger trembling as she pointed at Sheng Sheng: "You bastard! You should have died in that fire back then!"
"Shut up!"
Empress Zheng was suddenly pushed to the ground by a heavy force. She turned around and saw that it was Consort Rong, whose face was covered in tears.
Consort Rong wiped away the tears on her face, her eyes sharp as knives, staring intently at Empress Zheng: "Back then, I was mindful of your pain at losing your son and showed you much tolerance, but you took my leniency as weakness, framed me time and time again, and even committed this heinous act against my daughter!"
“You harbor resentment towards me, and I've explained that you've never heard of it, so I've simply let it go. But you, how could you treat my daughter like this!”
Empress Zheng hadn't put on much makeup, and the dazzling Consort Rong looked down at her and berated her. Empress Zheng suddenly felt angry and stood up abruptly. Before she could reach Consort Rong, Xie Yun grabbed her wrist.
"Haven't you had enough?" Xie Yun looked at her with disappointment. "From the moment I learned that the fire was related to you, I began to lose hope in you. Only today do I realize that your malice goes far beyond that. Doing evil in the name of love, don't you feel ashamed?"
Xie Yuxiao was also utterly disappointed: "Empress, you've changed. You weren't like this before."
Criticism, disappointment.
It seemed that only these two words remained, enveloping Empress Zheng in layers.
Why, why is everyone blaming her?
"It's not my fault, it's not my fault!" Empress Zheng cried, tears streaming down her face. "I have no son, I have no son..."
Don't you have a son anymore?
Xie Yun turned her back, pretending not to hear.
Xie Yunchuan frowned and patted his shoulder, silently comforting him.
"No matter what the reasons may be, they are not an excuse for your disregard for human life and your chaos in the palace." Xie Yuxiao closed his eyes, his voice as cold as ice. When he opened them again, there was only determination in his eyes. "We were husband and wife. Considering our past affection and the Crown Prince, I will not sentence you to death. But you are no longer worthy to sit on the Empress's throne. From this day forward, you are deposed as Empress, banished to the Cold Palace, and never to leave the palace again."
"The Cold Palace?" Empress Zheng was struck dumb, staggering back a few steps before crashing into the dragon-carved pillar behind her with a dull thud.
She stared intently at Xie Yuxiao, her eyes filled with disbelief. "Your Majesty, you're going to depose me? Just for this wretched child who's come back to collect a debt? I've been with you for twenty years, bearing your children and managing the harem, and you're so heartless! How can you face me, how can you face Yang'er who died!"
"Don't mention him again! It's you who's heartless, not me." Xie Yuxiao turned his face away, unwilling to look at her crazed state any longer. "You destroyed our relationship with your own hands, ruined the rest of your life, and you can't blame anyone else."
Empress Zheng looked at Xie Yuxiao's resolute profile, at the coldness in Consort Rong's eyes, at the disappointment on Xie Yunyang's face, and then at Sheng Sheng's nonchalant yet piercingly scathing manner. Suddenly, she felt all her strength drain away.
She slowly slid to the ground, her hair disheveled, no longer possessing the majesty of the former Empress.
The accusations around her gradually faded away, leaving only her heavy breathing and the despair that kept spreading in her heart.
It turns out that despite her meticulous planning and careful maneuvering, she ended up being betrayed and abandoned by everyone, relegated to the cold palace.
...
After the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet, many earth-shattering things happened in the palace.
Xie Yun-yang is no longer the Crown Prince; the Crown Prince has become the former Second Prince, Xie Yun-chuan.
Since the crown prince was not included among the princes, Xie Yunyang became the new second prince based on his age.
After Empress Zheng was deposed, she was banished to the Cold Palace.
Minister Nong was beheaded and his head displayed to the public for his intention to incite conflict with the court. His entire family, including three generations of his relatives, was implicated and exiled.
His close associates and retainers were all punished according to the severity of their crimes; some were killed, while others lost their official positions.
From then on, no one in the court dared to harbor any disloyal thoughts.
The Duke and his wife were sentenced to death for disregarding human life and attempting to prolong their daughter's life through sorcery.
Because of his title of Duke of Zhenguo, Xie Yuxiao spared the rest of the Duke of Zhenguo's family, did not take their lives, dismissed the servants, and demoted the remaining members to slavery.
Only Qin Yubin, who had already become an official, and Qin Xiang, who had long been demoted to a commoner, escaped this calamity.
"In that case, Qin Xiang has actually benefited from misfortune. He used to cry and make a fuss when he became a commoner, but now it seems that at least he has the status of a good citizen and has not become a slave."
Xie Yunjia leaned lazily against the chaise lounge, saying this.
Sheng Sheng sat down next to her, eating a snack, and nodded: "Yes."
Xie Yunjia sighed. Yesterday, after her performance, she simply said some auspicious words as usual, but who knew it would trigger a series of events later.
It even made her worry for quite a while.
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