Chapter 77
"His Majesty!"
A distant cry pierced through the crowd and drew the emperor's gaze to the palace entrance.
The queen came in quickly, and the makeup on her face was melted a little due to sweat, making her look particularly embarrassed.
She rushed in, but before she reached him, she had already fallen to the ground, pulling at his robe and calling out "Your Majesty" anxiously and tenderly. Her beautiful face, covered with traces of tears, made it impossible to look at it indifferently.
She grabbed the yellow robe at the emperor's feet, shook it, and cried bitterly.
"Your Majesty, how could you allow such accusations against me? The Crown Prince is your son! Don't you know? When I was so upset I couldn't eat, and Your Majesty was always by my side, trying all sorts of tricks to get me to eat more. Have you forgotten all this?"
The emperor seemed moved by what she said, but when he saw the pulse record presented by Su Fu, it was clearly written on it that she became pregnant nearly two months before she entered the palace.
At that time, because the queen gave birth prematurely, he was worried about the newborn baby for a long time, fearing that the baby would be too weak to survive for long. He even knelt in the ancestral temple to pray for blessings from his ancestors and did not eat for three days and three nights.
But what is the return?
How dare the Queen and her brother plot against him so openly! If it weren't for his support back then, Gong and Yuan wouldn't have survived, and how could they have the glory they have now?
It was really a miscalculation on his part. He thought he had finally gotten rid of the Grand Tutor and the others, and could finally take power into his own hands, with the whole world under his control. Which of the positions these people could obtain was not achieved by relying on him?
Who could have imagined that even his empress, who was the one who doted on him with the utmost favor, would still dare to stir up trouble right under his nose, even committing the heinous crime of confusing the royal bloodline?
He pushed away the queen who was kneeling at his feet, threw the pulse chart in her face, and questioned her.
"You still dare to say you didn't deceive me! The pulse case of the judge has the court seal, and the other copy is sealed in the palace. I'm afraid you destroyed it long ago?"
The queen was pushed away and her face immediately turned bad, but she lay on the ground and glanced at the pulse case, and saw a portrait that looked like her brother thrown on the ground. She realized that their plan was completely exposed.
She quietly raised her head and looked at her brother, only to see him also kowtow towards her and slowly close his eyes.
The queen immediately understood what he meant.
She grabbed the pulse case and tore it into pieces, still kneeling and begging the emperor.
"This was done intentionally by a villain! Even the imperial seal is forged. Your Majesty, please believe that I have no second thoughts about you! My brother, like me, was able to survive under your Majesty's wings. Over the years, he has worked diligently, loyal to the country and the emperor, and has not dared to sleep soundly for a moment, waiting to repay even the slightest bit of your kindness!"
"Your Majesty has seen Heguang in times of hardship. You should know that my brother and I would never dare to disobey Your Majesty, let alone conceal anything."
Yue Qingning was kneeling far away behind. Hearing the queen's confusion of right and wrong, she felt a little worried about the emperor, fearing that he would really be bewitched by these few words and let the matter go.
She looked up and looked in the direction of Que Ming, but she didn't expect that he was also looking at her.
The two looked at each other, and he seemed to understand her determination to find so many people to save him at all costs.
He didn't say anything, just looked at her tenderly, and even had time to smile at her in the tense situation.
Yue Qingning's worried heart was relieved at once. She also understood his hidden meaning, so she gave him a gentle smile in return.
When Que Ming saw this, the gloom in his heart was immediately dispelled. He thought that Qingning was indeed his magic medicine. A smile at this time could also calm him down.
He knelt upright and raised his voice boldly amid the Queen's endless crying.
"Your Majesty, besides the mystery of the Crown Prince's origins, there's also the unsolved crime of murdering his comrades. According to my investigation, the Marquis of Qingyuan colluded with Yao Huanye, the eldest son of the Yao family, to plot against General Cui in Shuhu and the King of Shuhu, deliberately placing malaria parasites in General Cui's tent. Furthermore, when the general was critically ill, they deliberately delayed medical treatment, causing him to contract the disease and die. Yao Huanye was present at the scene, and Your Majesty can ask him about the circumstances immediately."
Yao Huanye hadn't expected to be dragged out to face the emperor again. He now fell to his knees in the center of the hall, crying miserably, "That's not the case, Your Majesty! Yue Lingshuang! I have no grudge against you, why are you framing me?"
The emperor had not yet resolved his own troubles, but when he heard that the editor of the Hanlin Academy had brought up the matter again, he was so angry that he felt dizzy and had to be helped to sit back on the throne.
He held his forehead with his hand, feeling an uncontrollable headache and nausea. Seeing the timid look on Yao Jia Dalang's face, he glared at him, slapped the dragon throne, and pointed at him.
"How have I wronged you? Explain to me now. Otherwise, I will take you to the Dali Temple immediately!"
Yao Huanye didn't dare to delay any longer, and he explained the plan they had discussed before in precise terms. However, before he finished, the old Duke of Protectorate suddenly attacked.
"How could it be such a coincidence that all of Sanlang's guards contracted malaria, while you returned to the capital safely? Besides, malaria is rampant in Shuhu. How could Sanlang, the commander-in-chief of this escort, not know about it? Even if he contracted the disease, how could there be no cure in Shuhu?"
The series of questions made him feel dizzy and sweaty.
Seeing the time was right, Pei Weijing, the Junior Official of the Dali Temple, stepped forward and questioned, "It's been over a year since this happened, and yet Your Excellency still has such a good memory! Since Your Excellency remembers General Cui's affairs so well, surely you also remember what you were doing and where you were at the time?"
This question left Yao Huanye completely confused. He and the Marquis had already fabricated the truth about Cui Hu's death, and he never thought that anyone would ask him where he was.
"I... I am naturally at the general's side..."
Pei Weijing immediately interrupted him, "Malaria is very serious and has infected several people. Aren't you afraid of being infected yourself?"
"I never came near..."
As soon as he finished speaking, Pei Weijing immediately pressed him, "How could you describe the general's condition so specifically without even being close to him? Do you have such a sharp eye? You can see so far!"
Yao Huanye was choked for a moment. He naturally had never dared to get close to him from the beginning to the end. Now that he was exposed, his face was covered in cold sweat, his legs were trembling, and he could only hum and call out "Your Majesty". The emperor waved his hand casually, and the Yulin Guards came in and dragged him away.
"Your Majesty! I am wronged..."
The screams were still echoing in the hall. The prince knew that Yao Huanye would not be able to withstand the punishment of the Dali Temple and would definitely vomit everything out soon. He clenched his fists and wished he could kill Yue Lingshuang who had ruined his life.
But their accusations had not stopped yet. The emperor now realized that they had formed another faction, which was at odds with the right wing and had a feud with them. However, he had not yet thought about what grudge Yue Lingshuang had with them.
Sure enough, not long after the man was dragged away, the top scholar spoke for the second time, and it was an old case.
"Your Majesty! His second crime has yet to be settled. Back then, General Ling of the Ling clan suffered a crushing defeat in the southwest war, and Lord Ling died of illness. The entire Ling clan was wiped out, and the son-in-law died of illness one night after entering the palace. This is the second major case of the Marquis of Qingyuan framing a loyal minister."
Upon hearing this, the old emperor suddenly came to his senses from rubbing his forehead in annoyance. He was somewhat shocked and asked questions with some caution.
"What do you want to say?"
Que Ming spoke respectfully to the emperor.
"I've discovered that the Southwest War wasn't caused by the general's poor marching, but rather by someone who had long plotted to harm him. When the general planned to encircle and annihilate the enemy, they disobeyed orders and remained inactive, resulting in our army being outnumbered and ultimately General Ling's death at the hands of the enemy. This treacherous villain, after returning to the court, has been involved in both government and public life, and in recent years, he's even been promoted three ranks to become our Minister of War."
After he finished speaking, the Minister of War Liu Jin, who was standing on his right, hurriedly spoke.
"You are slandering me! How could an ignorant young man like you know what happened back then? It was Ling Baijie's repeated mismanagement that led to the defeat. I barely escaped death on the battlefield. How dare a mere official like you slander such an important official of the imperial court? Your Majesty, please punish this man severely! Don't let him chill the loyalty of our officers and men!"
The emperor narrowed his eyes and stared at the man in green robe kneeling on the ground for a long time. Finally, he seemed to remember something. He waved his hand slightly, and Liu Jin was held down with his mouth covered.
The emperor looked at him and said, "What else do you know? Tell me everything!"
Que Ming was not shaken at all by the whispers beside him. He immediately recounted the causes of death of Grandpa Ling and his son-in-law, and then talked about the situation of the Ling family being assassinated after Grandpa Ling's death. He was so moved that his voice was sobbing, as if he was there.
When the old emperor heard what he said, his head suddenly buzzed. He knew that the descendants of the Ling family had come back to settle the score with him.
He thought that no one would ever bring up the things he did back then and embarrass him, but he still did.
He still didn't give up, and asked him while panting and trembling with difficulty breathing.
"Who are you?"
Que Ming stood up in the hall with his head bowed, looked at the throne and said solemnly: "To prevent persecution, I am forced to change my name. The last member of the Ling family is right in front of Your Majesty."
The emperor stared at him fiercely, not at all showing any joy or comfort in seeing the descendant of a loyal minister. Everyone present knew that the death of the late crown prince was more or less at the emperor's behest, and most of the ministers surrounding the late crown prince were also suppressed by the emperor.
None of them expected that someone would dare to jump out and seek death.
The emperor suddenly shouted, "So it's you who's here!"
The ministers looked at each other, not understanding who he was talking about. Then the emperor slapped the dragon throne, and cold sweat slid down his temples and wet his yellow robe. He muttered to himself.
"That's right! It was the Marquis of Qingyuan who murdered Lord Ling with a vicious scheme to eliminate the leftists. I didn't expect the Prince Consort would also come to the palace and actually let him murder both of them, causing them to die in vain overnight!"
Gong Heyuan, who had been listening to his words with his head down, suddenly raised his head. He looked in disbelief at the old emperor who was sitting on the high platform, trembling as if he had seen a ghost.
Is he really old and can't remember clearly, or does he simply want to throw all the dirty water on his head so that he can leave a clean image in history books?
It was obvious that he was asked to find those poisons. The old emperor was dissatisfied with these people's reforms, which changed his extravagant life. So he secretly killed them and took advantage of General Ling's accident to let him bring poison into the palace.
Now, he wants to distance himself from it?
Gong Heyuan thought that now that the matter was done, it was time to fight for hope.
He stood up and looked towards the ministers amid the sharp cries of the eunuchs ordering him to kneel down.
"Where are the Shuhu people?"
"The courtiers of foreign blood must have been regarded as thorns in the side of this old immortal. We, the Shu Hu lineage, have been lurking in the court and within the palace for a long time, all for this day! Those who follow me today to kill the emperor and seize the throne will be rewarded and given a rank. Think carefully about this: do you want to be punished by the emperor after today, or follow me to return the favor and find a way out?"
Four out of ten court officials present were of Shuhu mixed-race. Upon hearing his words, they looked at each other, but before they could move, a sound of piercing flesh suddenly came from the palace gate.
Everyone looked and found that there were also rebels called Shu Hu in the Yulin Guard. They suddenly drew their swords and knives at the people around them. Those who did not react in time were suddenly stabbed in the neck. For a while, there were flashes of swords and knives, and soon the situation was under the control of Qingyuan Hou's men.
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