Chapter 339: Right and Wrong, Success and Failure
Su Rui was recuperating in the mansion, but the entire Shengjing, and even the entire Da Zhao, were undergoing earth-shaking changes.
The second prince died suddenly in the dungeon.
No one knew how the Second Prince could suddenly die in the dungeon, and no one would bother to investigate, because the Second Prince would die sooner or later.
He imprisoned Su Rui and Rong Huan, placed Empress Lin under house arrest, ordered the Yulin Army led by Pei Yan to guard the Yangxin Palace with swords, and planned to kill Yun Ji at Xuanwu Gate. All of these were attempts to rebel and force the emperor to abdicate, and he failed. Naturally, death was what awaited him.
But before he died, the people of the Second Prince's lineage would still hold out hope, and others would still wait and see if there would be any turning point. After all, the Second Prince was the only surviving prince of the Emperor.
And now that he is dead, naturally, Yun Ji is the only one who can inherit the throne. He doesn't even need to say anything. Naturally, everyone tacitly surrenders. Some are even bold enough to prepare to liquidate the Lin family, but they are still watching Queen Lin.
On the second day after the second prince's sudden death, Queen Lin went to the Lin family in plain clothes.
At this moment, most of the Lin family members had been imprisoned along with the second prince, and the servants in the mansion had all fled. The once first-class family was now deserted, and the autumn wind was howling.
Queen Lin walked through the door and went to the library.
The door was open. Prime Minister Lin was sitting on the couch. His hair was completely white, his back was completely hunched, his half-closed eyes were drooped to a slit, and even his pupils could not be seen. He looked decadent.
"Your Majesty has sent the Second Prince away, and now you are here to send me off?" Prime Minister Lin asked in a deep voice.
"If father had known this would happen, he wouldn't have done it in the first place."
Prime Minister Lin took a deep breath and sighed. "With such an opportunity before me, how can I let it go? Win or lose, I will never regret it."
"Isn't it because my father is unwilling to lose power?"
Being struck by his selfishness, Prime Minister Lin's withered body shook. He raised his eyes, looking at Empress Lin standing before him with cloudy eyes, and sighed helplessly: "If you were a man, your father would not do this."
Queen Lin smiled.
The smile was sarcastic and bitter.
"When my father wanted me to marry into the palace, to suffer disgrace for the Lin family, and to give birth to a pure-blooded child, why didn't he tell me that I wasn't a man?"
Prime Minister Lin was speechless.
He knew very well how much Queen Lin had paid and given up, but if Queen Lin was a man, if the Lin family was more useful, if the eldest prince had not died, everything would be much simpler.
There is nothing wrong with this decades-long plan, it's just that things are not going according to plan.
Queen Lin didn't want to ask any more questions, as it would be useless.
Even if she gave so much to the Lin family, even if she sacrificed her humanity, love, family affection, everything, she could not resist the fact that she was not a man.
Just because she is not a man, even if she is the queen and the Lin family obeys her, and she has already become the helmsman of the Lin family and even the Great Zhao, no one will support her to be the emperor. Instead, she is required to give birth to a male heir for the Lin family in order to seize the imperial power and throne.
When these purebloods grow up, they will support these "princes" instead of her. Even a fool like the Second Prince, whether it is Prime Minister Lin, the Lin family, or the countless branches involved, will choose this "man" at the last moment.
"Right and wrong, success and failure are all in vain. It seems the Zhao family's kingdom should not be destroyed." Prime Minister Lin smiled bitterly and looked at Queen Lin with a look of guilt, reluctance, and relief. "Wanbai, you have been smart since you were young. This time, you made a good decision."
Queen Lin did not respond to Prime Minister Lin's words.
In fact, ever since Queen Lin issued that imperial decree, she had no relationship with the Lin family.
It was not only an imperial decree to delegate power, but also an imperial decree to sever ties with the Lin family and the second prince.
Removing myself is also to leave a way out for today.
"Since Father understands, then please set off for the Lin family."
…
The twenty-sixth day of the twelfth lunar month is the beginning of spring.
This winter was safe and sound, without any snowstorms like last year, and the new year is just around the corner.
A real new year.
Because the matter of the second prince forcing the emperor to abdicate and rebel has been settled.
The Second Prince and Prime Minister Lin were the masterminds, Queen Lin was completely unaware, and Princess Rong Huan of Dongyue was the complete victim.
With the sudden death of the second prince and Prime Minister Lin's confession, all the people involved and the dirty deeds done by the Lin family behind the scenes over the years were thoroughly investigated.
Because it was a rebellion by the prince and involved Dongyue, it was handled particularly quickly and harshly.
The power of the Lin family was eradicated, leaving only a few branch branches. They were not wiped out, but because Queen Lin severed ties with the Lin family, even if these people were left behind, they would not be able to achieve anything without Queen Lin's support.
Many other families were involved as well, all of them were members of the Second Prince's party, but because the Lin family was the main force, their crimes were not too serious. The most serious of them was Pei Yan.
He was the one who personally carried out the kidnapping and imprisonment of Rong Huan and Su Rui, so naturally he would be given severe punishment and sentenced to lingchi.
He stabbed with one knife after another without saying a word, but his eyes were filled with worry and anxiety as he kept looking among the crowd. He did not see any familiar figure, and only at the last moment did Pei Yan breathe his last with peace of mind.
Until he was completely exhausted, he didn't realize that there was someone sitting in a tall building in the distance.
The man was holding a baby who was less than three months old. His eyebrows and eyes were exactly the same as Pei Yan's.
"Why don't you let him take a look?" Su Rui asked.
Yue Heyun shook her head, trying hard not to let the tears fall. Looking at her daughter in her arms, who was unaware of anything and only focused on playing with her hands and babbling, she said, "That's good."
Everyone has their own choice, and Su Rui didn't say anything else.
"Concubine, Pei Yan will be executed by slicing, and all members of the Pei family will be exiled. I..." After hesitating for a moment, Yue Heyun decided to speak: "Can I collect his body for him? We were husband and wife, and I don't want to see him lying in the wilderness."
"The prince has already given instructions. Just send someone to collect the body."
"Thank you, Your Highness, and thank you, Concubine." Yue Heyun stood up and saluted, then immediately went out to instruct someone to collect the body.
Just as Yue Heyun left the house, another maid dressed in Dongyue clothing came out and saluted Su Rui, saying, "Concubine Su, our eldest princess invites you."
Su Rui had known that Rong Huan was also here, so he stood up and followed the maid to the wing room with the largest view.
The heavy curtains in the wing were drawn, and a chair was placed outside, obviously for Su Rui to sit there.
"Princess, will you please see me?" Su Rui asked as she landed on the chair.
Inside, Rong Huan sneered and asked, "Do you think, if I could see people now, you would still be alive and sitting here talking to me?"
"So the princess is going to go back like this?"
"If I don't go back, what else can I do?" Rong Huan's voice was somewhat desolate, but it soon disappeared, returning to her original voice. "But, Su Rui, don't think you can rest easy now. I'm not dead yet, so there may be other opportunities."
Su Rui was not afraid at all. Instead, she smiled expectantly and said, "Then I'll wait for the eldest princess to come again next time."
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