There were quite a few people inside the Jiaofang Palace, but it was very quiet.
Everyone could guess that the sage was going to punish people, but no one expected the Su family to strike first?
Even the Qing'e Palace did not avoid suspicion.
The sage did not hold a grudge against her.
Xing Meiren stood quietly to the side, thinking that the Emperor felt a little guilty towards Shi Meiren, and that was enough for her.
Being an emperor is not easy, and Consort Xing felt that she should live a peaceful life from now on and avoid causing the emperor any trouble. It would be best to leave the child in the Eastern Palace.
I dare not raise Xing Meiren; she is still young and there's no rush.
Xie Qian and Kong Zhenjun have arrived.
The scene was quiet, and the warm aroma seemed to carry a hint of blood.
Xie Qian and Kong Zhenjun knelt before the sage.
Consort Luo suddenly ran over, threw herself at the Emperor, and cried out, "Your Majesty!"
In his anger, he felt no emotion whatsoever: "Since you don't want to live, then grant me death."
The eunuch dragged Lady Luo away.
The Emperor himself explained to Princess Yongning: "Out of respect for you, I demoted her to a commoner, but she refuses to give up."
Princess Yongning was so frightened that she cried, but she was too sensible to make a scene. In the end, she looked at her second sister-in-law with teary eyes.
Huan Yue said, "Quickly thank the emperor."
Princess Yongning wept as she expressed her gratitude.
Now that things have improved somewhat, he said, "I'll listen to my second sister-in-law from now on."
He now sits on the throne.
Without an empress or imperial concubine, he was truly all alone.
The concubines sitting on the left all look very beautiful, just like in early March.
Consort Zhu was ranked first, which made her a respectable figure.
Consort Shen Xian is the second one; she looks alright, unlike Old Madam Zhu.
Li Zhaorong, Fang Jieyu, then Wu Meiren, Xing Meiren, and more than ten others.
Qiansha sat in the back, looking quite beautiful as well. She had been frightened by what had just happened, and didn't flaunt her momentary favor.
The Crown Prince sat at the very front on the right, followed by the Crown Princess.
Next were Prince Peng (Xie Jian), Prince Zheng (Xie Zhen), Prince Jun (Xie Ji), and Prince Yan (Xie Zhu).
Princess Huayang and Princess Yongjia are gone. Princess Yongmu, Princess Changning, and Princess Guangning were all beautiful, each with their own unique charm.
Princess Yongning came over, and Princess Guangning comforted her.
Princess Yongning glanced at her third sister. It seemed that's how things were in the palace; she even had a seat.
Xie Fufu is here too.
Princess Yongning felt she couldn't be inferior to her little niece.
Looking at those few small, upright children today, and even if they gave Confucius a glance, they couldn't compare.
Everyone was looking at them.
Xie Qian and Kong Zhenjun were newlyweds and dressed up very festively.
However, Kong Zhenjun's bright red outfit was so dazzling that it was almost blinding, which was a bit strange.
She was a sixth-rank concubine, much higher than Xie Fufu. But she acted like a princess or even a crown princess.
There's really no time to deal with this now, because Zhou You has arrived.
Zhou You was once the Director of the Imperial Household Department and a third-rank official. Now, even at his advanced age, he still exudes an imposing presence, like an ancestor.
Zhou You paid homage to the sage.
Today, the question is: "Is there anything else to say?"
Zhou You looked up at him, his face blank.
Huan Yue sat to one side, watching with interest.
The emperor issued an edict: "Drag him away and execute him by slow slicing."
Zhou You was shocked!
The current regime did not give him a chance: "The entire Zuo family of Huanting was exterminated, along with nine generations of their clan."
Zhou You panicked: "Your Majesty!"
The eunuch immediately covered his mouth. They'd already investigated the Zuo family; what more did he need to say?
This old fox can talk to you for ages, mixing truth with lies, and go on for a long time.
There's no need to say things like, "Just wait and see who can protect the Zuo family."
Huanting is the territory of the Zhuang family? That's all royal land!
Not only Zhou You, but also many of the people he brought, including those involved in the harem, are now being arrested.
Xie Yu knelt before the sage, unable to speak! Zhou You had nothing to do with him.
Xie Zhou was thinking about Princess Yicheng. Like the Li family, she's got plenty of underhanded tricks up her sleeve, hasn't she?
A palace attendant rushed in to report: "Consort Shi has given birth to a prince and is already unconscious."
The current situation is alarming: "What did the imperial physician say?"
The eunuch remained silent.
Huan Yue hurriedly reassured her, "I promise to raise the prince well."
He glanced at her, composed himself, and said, "Don't worry too much."
Xie Zhou felt a little jealous; his father was still trying to appease his wife.
Huan Yue was moved: "Your Majesty is the greatest! As long as our Great Zhao shines brightly, Consort Shi can rest in peace!"
With his approval, no one can shake the Xie family's empire! The Shi family will not have died in vain!
Another eunuch came to report: "Lady Su has given birth to a son."
Huan Yue proposed, "The child is innocent. Why don't we raise the two princes together, so that no one can say anything wrong?"
The Emperor granted the request: "The Eighth Prince is bestowed the name Xie Li, and the Ninth Prince is bestowed the name Xie Jie."
Xie Zhou led the way: "Congratulations, Father Emperor."
Everyone offered their congratulations.
It is indeed a joyous occasion to have two princes at once.
Consort Xing thought to herself, "Empress Huan has such a lot of influence! She says the child is innocent, so he must be innocent. The Ninth Prince won't be banished, and the word 'jie' (节, meaning 'festival') will have meaning too."
Today, it is not worth arguing with an infant, and it is emphasized again: "Anyone who speaks nonsense will be punished with caning at the very least, and their entire family will be executed at worst."
Everyone was awed.
As for whether the child will be raised well or what will happen to him when he grows up, that's all up to the Crown Prince.
Huan Yue thought to himself, "It's all about the Crown Prince's affairs, no matter what."
Xie Jian felt that enough had been killed in this battle, and it was good that his father had spared the children. Looking at Qing'e's phoenix mace, few dared disobey after one strike. This was like a strategy of politeness before force, nurturing them first, and who knows how they would be taught later.
The emperor then issued another decree: "The Shi family is to be promoted to the rank of Chongyi."
The female official ran over to report: "Shi Chongyi has passed away."
Looking at Consort Zhu, he said, "Thank you for your hard work." Then he looked at his sons.
Xie Zhen reacted quickly and suggested, "Let the sixth brother wear the mourning clothes for our beloved mother in place of the eighth brother."
The emperor has granted permission. Liu Lang is ten years old, and the funeral arrangements are nearly complete.
Zhu thought to herself, with so many people dying in the harem lately, Shi Shi was the most dignified. However, given her limited status, it was already quite good that the Prince of Yan could wear mourning clothes for her. The others did not need to observe the mourning period.
Consort Xing thought to herself, if she could help Consort De handle this matter well, then no matter how busy the world was, the palace would remain calm.
Xie Yu knelt down.
Kong Zhenjun was somewhat unwilling. Although she had no expression, she was restless.
Zhu could see her face; what was she doing?
Even today, there are still customs that reward Confucius handsomely.
Kong Zhenjun was in a daze, listening to what Qian Sha was thinking, and couldn't help but overthink it.
Qian Sha sat there delicately, her inner monologue quite rich.
Kong Zhenjun couldn't help but glance at her.
The hall fell silent. No one was curious about Qian Sha anymore; they were only wondering if Kong Zhenjun had any brains at all.
Is she completely unaware of her situation? Or does she have some kind of leverage? Does she think that following Xie Yu will ensure her safety?
Xie Qian hurriedly pulled Kong Zhenjun up, thanked her, and helped her to her feet.
Kong Zhenjun snapped out of her daze, her face blank again, and met the gaze of Consort Zhu.
Madam Zhu found her extremely interesting, and when she met her strange gaze, Madam Zhu, not wanting to make things difficult for her, rewarded her very politely.
Madam Shen was even more polite, since the reward wasn't much and she could afford to give it.
Consort Li was wealthy, but the Emperor's rewards were meager, and she didn't waste money. Xie Yu, after all, wasn't short of cash.
He had a lot of the Dong family's wealth, and Dong Xu also had a lot of his wealth. Even Consort Li might not be as rich as him.
Consort Li thought that perhaps after the marriage, Lady Kong would discover that Xie Yu was quite confident, after all, he was a prince.
Kong Zhenjun kept a blank expression.
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