Chapter 146 Attack and Annihilation
"Your Majesty, you must make the decision for me!"
Concubine Xu was over thirty years old, but she was in excellent condition. She had both the coquettishness of a young girl and the charm of a mature woman. She was crying so hard that it was pitiful. No wonder the emperor had favored her for more than ten years.
But facing his beloved concubine at this moment, the emperor could not help but frown, saying comfortingly, "My beloved concubine, why do you have to be so? I have ordered Yun Qian to thoroughly investigate this case. I will definitely not let you, Xu Yun, die in vain."
Concubine Xu continued to cry, "Your Majesty, this is the capital, right here under the Emperor's feet. These people dared to kill people in the streets. How audacious they are! Who else in the entire capital would dare to do such a thing?"
Concubine Xu's insinuation was so obvious that even the emperor's face showed a hint of displeasure. He frowned and said, "Concubine, this matter has not yet been thoroughly investigated. Some of these thieves are quite bold and reckless."
Concubine Xu had already condemned the Crown Prince in her heart and cried, "Yun'er is only fifteen years old this year, in the prime of her life. She finally got engaged, but who would have thought that before she could marry her ideal husband,... Yun'er, you died tragically!"
Xu Yun was Concubine Xu's niece and a frequent visitor to her palace. The emperor had met her several times.
Thinking of that lovely girl now reduced to a cold corpse, it was truly a pity and pitiful. The Emperor couldn't help but sigh inwardly. He couldn't bear to blame Concubine Xu for alluding to the Crown Prince. He hugged her and comforted her, "Don't worry, Concubine. When Yunqian finds out who is behind this, I will never let him go."
Concubine Xu, who was held in his arms, had a cold look in her eyes. Would she let this man go? If this was really done by the Crown Prince, would he, as the crown prince of a country, pay with his life for a daughter of the Xu family?
As a favorite concubine for many years, Concubine Xu knew very well that although the emperor doted on her the most and loved the Fourth Prince the most, he actually favored the Crown Prince when something happened. She had experienced this countless times over the years.
Even though she knew that the prince was determined to kill Xu Yun and destroy the marriage between the Xu and Fang families, she was afraid that in the end it would be left unresolved. When Concubine Xu thought of this, she was filled with resentment.
But she knew the emperor well after all, so she didn't chase the prince. She just kept crying about Xu Yun and said, "Lord Yun, I am naturally relieved to see you do this. I just feel sorry for Yun'er because she hasn't married yet and can't even enter the ancestral tomb. She died so miserably and will become a lonely ghost after death. How can I bear it?"
Seeing her weeping breathlessly, the emperor felt a little distressed and said repeatedly, "My beloved concubine, please stop crying. If that's the case, why not let Fang Yu marry her so that she can have a place to rest after her death?"
Even though she had been with the emperor for many years, Concubine Xu was still shocked when she heard this.
Although the engagement was confirmed, the two families had only reached a temporary engagement. Fang Yu was Yu Fei's biological brother and the eldest son of the Fang family. It would be unreasonable to ask him to marry the deceased Xu Yun.
Concubine Xu couldn't help but ask, "Can the Fang family agree to this?"
The emperor was relieved to see that she had stopped crying. He said repeatedly, "Why not agree to this? I will issue an order to reward Fang Yu as compensation."
Concubine Xu thought to herself that although Xu Yun was already dead, even if she married him she would only take up the title of the original wife, but at least the marriage between the two families was settled.
Her eyes flickered slightly, and she didn't know what she was thinking about. She smiled and said, "Your Majesty, you still love me."
After finally pacifying Concubine Xu, the emperor turned around and walked out of the Concubine's Palace, only then did he begin to feel troubled.
It was true that he doted on Concubine Xu, but he also doted on Concubine Yu very much. He didn't think it was inappropriate when he made the promise just now, but when he walked out the door, he remembered that something was wrong.
The emperor walked into the Jade Concubine's palace with a frown. As soon as he entered the door, he heard sobbing sounds. At this moment, he felt his scalp tingling and he wanted to turn around and leave.
But Fang Linlang raised her head, revealing a pair of red eyes, but she wiped her tears, smiled and saluted.
The emperor quickly helped her up and said with a hint of distress, "Linlang, what happened to you?"
The emperor regretted asking this question as soon as he said it. If Fang Linlang also cried to him about this matter, how would he solve it?
Who would have thought that Fang Linlang lowered her eyes slightly and whispered, "I heard about the Lantern Festival tragedy. I remembered that I had met the young lady from the Xu family a few days ago. She was in her prime, but now..."
"I thought Linlang would have a new sister-in-law in a few days. Who could have imagined that she would encounter such a tragedy before she even got married? I can't help but feel sad. My brother is a man who values friendship and loyalty, but he doesn't know how to feel sad right now."
Seeing that she didn't just cry, but felt sorry for Xu Yun, the emperor sighed and said, "Yes, it was originally a perfect match between a talented man and a beautiful woman, but who could have known that they would be separated forever? It's really sad and lamentable."
Fang Linlang's eyes turned slightly red again, and she said, "Your Majesty, I have an unwelcome request. I beg Your Majesty to grant it."
The emperor asked with a stiff upper lip, "Linlang, tell me about it."
Fang Linlang said, "Your Majesty, although Xu Yun has not yet married, my brother and I have already considered her a member of the Fang family. I hope Your Majesty will issue an order to allow this marriage to take place as scheduled, and also fulfill my brother's love for my younger sister-in-law."
"What did you say?" The emperor looked at Fang Linlang in surprise. "Have you thought it through? If so, then when Fang Yu marries again in the future, she will be his second wife."
Fang Linlang said, "I've already thought about it. My brother and Xu Yun have a bond stronger than gold. He must think the same way."
The emperor sighed, hugged her and said, "You are so loyal and righteous that it makes me feel even more guilty."
Fang Linlang's eyes reddened as she simply said, "This isn't your Majesty's fault. Why should you feel guilty? As long as Lord Yun finds the murderer and avenges my sister-in-law, that's all that matters."
Upon hearing this, the emperor's hand, which was originally stroking her hair, stopped.
Fang Linlang seemed completely oblivious to this, and continued to lean against his chest, saying, "I'm still terrified. This is the capital, and my sister-in-law and her guards were assassinated in the street. I heard they were going to kill Princess Hejing as well."
"These people are incredibly bold. Who knows if they'll break into the palace one day and endanger Your Majesty?"
"I am not afraid of them, but I am afraid that they will harm Your Majesty. Your Majesty is everything to me. When I think of them harming Your Majesty's safety, I can't sleep at night. I am terrified."
Fang Linlang's words were gentle, but they were like a sharp knife piercing the emperor's heart.
Seeing the emperor's gloomy face, Fang Linlang gently stroked her belly and lowered her beautiful eyes.
When Concubine Xu was complaining, the emperor was a little angry and helpless, but when he listened to Fang Linlang's words, he couldn't help but think further, yes, if they could kill Xu Yun today, would they be brave enough to kill the king tomorrow?
Whether it was the emperor or Concubine Xu, the first person they suspected after the incident was the prince.
The person who benefited the most from the marriage between the Xu and Fang families was naturally the Fourth Prince, and this was known to everyone inside and outside the court.
Even when the marriage between the Xu and Fang families was decided, people from the prince's lineage had opposed it. However, the marriage was a private matter between the two families after all, so the Xu and Fang families insisted on going ahead with it.
At that time, the emperor had hesitated, wondering if Concubine Xu and Concubine Yu had any plans. But once this incident happened, the emperor's heart began to shift, especially when Fang Linlang kept saying she was worried, which made him unable to help but worry as well.
The one who was more worried and angry than the emperor was the prince. Inside the East Palace, the prince was furious.
He kicked the eunuch beside him away and roared, "The Xu family, the Xu family again!"
"They're not hesitant to sacrifice a legitimate daughter just to frame me! I really can't believe it. The fourth brother usually acts so hypocritical, but in the end, he kills his own cousin without hesitation!"
Grand Tutor Chu frowned and reminded, "Your Highness, this may not be the work of the Fourth Prince."
"Compared to killing Xu Yun and framing His Highness, the benefits of marrying into the Fang family are greater. As long as the Xu family's daughter becomes the head of the Fang family, are they still worried that the Jade Concubine in the palace will not be of use to them?"
The prince sneered, "Xu Yun is dead, but Madam Fang's position is still hers."
However, Master Chu felt something was wrong. Now that Xu Yun was dead, Madam Fang was just a title. If she were alive, she would have played a greater role. In comparison, the Xu family should not do such a loss-making business.
If Xu Yun was a bastard's daughter, he would have suspected the Xu family, but Xu Yun was the only legitimate daughter of this generation. Before, Concubine Xu even wanted to marry her niece to the Fourth Prince as a concubine.
"Damn it! That old woman must be whispering in father's ear again. If it weren't for her, how could father have become increasingly indifferent and dissatisfied with me over the years? Fourth Brother! Humph, I'm afraid he can't wait any longer!" roared the prince.
Imperial Tutor Chu had no choice but to advise, "The most urgent thing is to find a way to escape. If this was done by the Fourth Prince, they must have left behind clues that are detrimental to Your Highness."
"I have already sent people to clean up the East Palace. I'm afraid they have a trick up their sleeve."
"This time, His Majesty sent Yun Qian to conduct a thorough investigation. Yun Qian only obeys the emperor's orders and is a stubborn person. Our people cannot intervene in the Dali Temple, and we still don't know what those two survivors have revealed."
"Yun Qian!" The prince felt a headache upon hearing this name. "The Yun family naturally wish me dead soon!"
The Yun family is the maternal family of the current queen. Although the queen has no children, her relationship with the prince as the successor is not good.
Hearing this, Master Chu couldn't help but sigh in his heart. He looked up at the prince and seemed to be hesitant to speak.
The Empress died early, so even if the Emperor still missed her, what could he do? He would always have new people around him every year.
The Crown Prince was aloof and arrogant, so it was understandable that he had a bad relationship with Concubine Xu. He also had a bad relationship with the Queen Mother, and was even very cold towards Concubine Yu. As a result, there was no one in the harem who could help the Crown Prince.
Imperial Tutor Chu hesitated for a moment before speaking, "Your Highness, although the harem cannot interfere in government affairs, they are the people closest to Your Majesty. If Concubine Yu can be of use to Your Highness, then why should you worry about not knowing Your Majesty's thoughts?"
The prince frowned and said, "You know that back then, I and the Fang family..."
Imperial Tutor Chu said, "It's been over ten years since that happened. Fang Yu was just a child back then, so how could he remember it so clearly? Besides, Fang Zhiwen surrendered long ago, so naturally there's no more grudge between the Fang family and Your Highness."
"What you said makes sense. If the Fang family wants to rise again, they can't rely on just one Jade Concubine." said the prince.
Imperial Tutor Chu also said, "That's right. The Fang family is marrying into the Xu family for this kind of support. But what the Xu family can give, Your Highness can also give. But what Your Highness can give, the Xu family cannot give."
-----------------------
The author has something to say: Take away a wave in advance:
Click on the author's column——Come, sister loves you-Xianyan
Click on the author's column——Dear Boyfriend-Xiandan
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
