Chapter 51 A Mistake in Life Leads to a Decline in the Game (Part 1) Closing the Net
Two guards stepped forward in response, their movements seemingly respectful but actually authoritative, firmly grasping Ye Lingrou's arms. She struggled violently, her hair disheveled, her hairpins falling to the ground, and she hissed, "Traitorous wretch! Even if I fail today, someone will surely take your head one day to appease my father's spirit in heaven!"
The guests held their breath and lowered their heads, the wine in their porcelain cups swaying slightly, reflecting countless terrified faces.
Ye Yixiang suddenly stood up, the brocade stool scraping against the bluestone floor with a harsh sound. Her lips parted slightly, but before she could utter the word "no," Zhao Ning gripped her sleeve tightly.
"Don't be foolish." Zhao Ning's voice was unusually serious, her fingertips turning white from the pressure. "Since the Imperial Uncle said it's a family matter, if you step in now, you're handing him leverage." Her gaze swept over Chu Xi's seemingly smiling but actually cold profile. "Since he calls her Princess Consort, at least her life is not in danger."
Ye Yixiang's chest heaved violently as she watched her younger sister being half-supported, half-carried away from the main hall. The glance Ye Lingrou gave her as she turned back was filled with tears and resentment, burning her heart like a red-hot iron. She finally sat down slowly, her knuckles white from clenching her fists.
Chu Xi picked up the golden goblet, looked around at the guests who were silent as cicadas in winter, and smiled like spring water: "My wife has been preoccupied with some worries lately and often talks nonsense, which has disturbed your refined enjoyment." He clapped his hands lightly, and the sound of string and wind instruments resumed, but it could no longer hide the stagnant atmosphere in the hall. "Today's wine is a rare find, please drink this cup to the brim."
The musicians plucked the strings, and the dancers' sleeves fluttered, but no one paid any attention to their graceful movements. Everyone raised their glasses in unspoken agreement, and as the wine went down their throats, they tasted a hint of bitterness. The light and shadow cast by the glass lamps danced on Chu Xi's black python robe, and the four-clawed python embroidered with gold thread seemed poised to devour someone in the flickering candlelight.
Ye Yixiang lowered her eyes and stared at the jade chopsticks on the table, the white jade chopsticks reflecting her pale face.
Before the dancers' colorful silks had completely faded, a long, drawn-out announcement pierced the false clamor of the hall: "The Empress Dowager has arrived—"
The hall fell silent instantly. Everyone hurriedly rose from their seats, their clothes rustling as they bowed their heads in respect.
"May the Empress Dowager be well..."
The Empress Dowager, dressed in a bright gold palace gown adorned with phoenixes and peonies, her skirt billowing, slowly ascended to the main seat with the help of palace maids. Her gaze was as calm as an ancient well as she lightly swept over the entire room. She raised her hand and said, "All of you, rise."
His voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable authority.
Everyone sat down as instructed, but the previous ease was gone, and they all sat up straight.
"Your Majesty's arrival is perfectly timed," Chu Xi said, rising to his feet and smiling as he personally helped her up. His tone was affectionate. "Your Majesty, I have specially prepared musical instruments as a tribute from the Western Regions, which I was just about to invite you to appreciate."
"I didn't arrive at the right time," the Empress Dowager glanced at him sideways, her fingertips lightly tapping the sandalwood armrest. Her voice was not loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears. "If I had arrived a step later, my son's life would probably have been lost at the hands of some ignorant remnant of the previous dynasty!"
Chu Xi's smile remained unchanged as he picked up the wine pot and poured wine for the Empress Dowager: "Your Majesty is too kind. It's just a young girl throwing a tantrum, which I can handle."
"Smack!"
The Empress Dowager slammed the Hetian jade tea saucer she was holding onto the table. The crisp sound of it shattering was like a thunderclap, and the air in the hall froze instantly.
"The Emperor and I have never treated you, former officials of the previous dynasty, poorly!" The Empress Dowager's voice suddenly turned stern, her phoenix eyes filled with authority as she slowly swept her gaze across the assembled officials. "We have bestowed titles and fiefdoms upon you, ensuring your continued wealth and honor. Is this how you repay the Emperor's grace?"
"Your Majesty, please allow me to speak." Minister Xiao stepped forward from his seat, bowed, and said, "I believe that this assassination attempt was sudden and more like an accident. If the former officials of the previous dynasty truly harbored disloyal intentions, they would never have sent a weak woman to do such a reckless thing in full view of everyone."
"Minister of State Affairs, you are mistaken," the Prime Minister stepped forward immediately, his voice steady yet sharp. "In my humble opinion, this is no accident. A thousand-mile dike can be breached by an ant hole. This is clearly someone deliberately testing the court's bottom line, wanting to see how His Majesty and the Empress Dowager will punish such a treasonous act! In my view, all suspects should be arrested immediately and thoroughly interrogated to prevent future troubles!"
Upon seeing this from behind the crowd, Chun Tan's face paled slightly. She quietly withdrew from the main hall, her figure quickly disappearing into the darkness outside.
"Prime Minister, you haven't even reached the age of fifty, yet your hair is already streaked with white," Chu Xi suddenly chuckled, his glassy eyes carrying a hint of mockery. "It seems you have indeed been worrying about something. I've already made it very clear, this is nothing more than..."
"What is it?!" The Empress Dowager turned sharply to look at him, her gaze as sharp as a knife. "Do you also want to follow your nephew's example and marry a former dynasty's femme fatale?!"
Chu Xi's unfinished words caught in his throat. He lowered his eyelashes and gently comforted her, "Mother, please calm down. I only thought of the fact that I had taught her swordsmanship for a few days in the past, so I had a mentor-student relationship with her. Now that she is all alone and helpless, how can I just watch her wander and lose her home? That's why I thought of taking her in temporarily."
"My son is loyal and righteous, but he must keep his eyes open and not be used by those with malicious intentions!" The Empress Dowager's tone softened slightly, but it carried an undeniable determination. Her phoenix eyes swept across the entire room again, and her voice was cold and deep. "Issue my decree: all those suspected of involvement are to be immediately escorted to the Imperial Prison for me to interrogate thoroughly! I must pry open their mouths and find the mastermind behind this!"
As soon as she finished speaking, Ye Yixiang felt a weight on her shoulders as two iron-like hands twisted her arms behind her back, the icy touch penetrating her clothes and reaching her skin.
"Grandmother!" Princess Zhaoning's expression changed drastically, and she exclaimed urgently, "Ye Yixiang could not possibly be an accomplice..."
"Shut up!" The Empress Dowager interrupted coldly, her gaze sweeping over Zhao Ning like an icy blade. "I have not yet investigated your unauthorized departure from the palace!" Zhao Ning fell silent instantly, her face turning deathly pale.
Ye Yixiang didn't struggle. She raised her eyes, coldly gazing at the Empress Dowager seated high above, a faint self-mockery playing on her lips. At this moment, she finally understood why the Empress Dowager had specifically appointed her to assist in managing this palace banquet. Even without Ling Rou's assassination attempt, the Empress Dowager had likely already prepared other charges, waiting for the right opportunity to publicly condemn her. This move killed two birds with one stone: it served as a deterrent to purge former officials and completely eliminated her as a "remnant of the previous dynasty."
"This old minister is loyal to the court, heaven and earth can bear witness! Why should I be interrogated!" Prince Zhen'an was also restrained by the guards, his white beard trembling with anger, and he was forcibly dragged away.
"Empress Dowager! I am innocent!" Ji Xianqing struggled to raise his head and shouted, his face filled with fear and resentment.
Just as the sudden turmoil seemed to have subsided, a woman from the Western Regions gracefully entered, carrying a uniquely shaped musical instrument. The sound of a pipa began, attempting to recreate the festive atmosphere. However, the atmosphere inside the hall was already as cold as ice.
Chu Xi frowned slightly, as if he had thought of something, and gestured to his confidant to come closer.
He was about to give a low order when the Empress Dowager's voice came softly. She looked ahead, as if she had already seen through his thoughts: "There's no need to send anyone to check. Your 'beloved disciple' was already 'invited' to where she needed to be on my way here. I suppose... she'll experience the scenery of the imperial prison even before her sister."
Chu Xi's fingers, holding the cup, tightened almost imperceptibly for a moment, his knuckles turning white. He looked up, his voice trembling with barely perceptible tension: "Mother, she... is only of marriageable age, still young and ignorant..."
"As members of the imperial family, you should prioritize the well-being of the nation!" The Empress Dowager's voice suddenly turned cold, carrying a stern warning, "Do not let personal feelings for your children blind you and cause you to lose your sense of proportion!"
Chu Xi lowered his eyes, remained silent for a moment, and finally drank the wine in his cup in one gulp, saying in a low voice, "Yes... Your subject... knows his mistake."
*
The Imperial Prison is an abyss that sunlight can never penetrate.
The air was thick with the stench of mildew, blood, and some indescribable putrid smell, all mixed together to make one nauseous. The passage was narrow and deep, with cold water droplets seeping from the stone walls on both sides. The ground was damp and sticky, and every now and then a dark shadow would dart past, making a rustling sound as fat rats scurried about without restraint.
Ye Yixiang was roughly shoved into a small cell, the iron door slamming shut behind her and locking heavily. Darkness instantly swallowed her up, with only the torches stuck in the wall in the distance casting a faint, flickering light that barely outlined the grotesque shape of the cell.
A mouse scurried past her feet, the damp, cold touch and the sudden fright causing her to instinctively let out a short gasp.
"Stop howling!" The jailer's gruff voice rang out immediately, accompanied by the ear-piercing sound of a whip lashing against the iron bars. "Quiet down, you bastard! If you keep yelling, you'll be the next one to be dragged out for a taste!"
Once you enter this hell on earth, you may never see the light of day again. Despair, like a cold, venomous snake, coils around your heart.
"I have no accomplices! None!" A hoarse, shrill cry suddenly rang out from the end of the passage, shattering the deathly silence, filled with a dying struggle. "It is that wicked woman who has wreaked havoc on the court! She is a hen crowing at dawn! I am doing this for the sake of the Southern Dynasty, for His Majesty! Even if I am torn to pieces, I will expose her crimes to the world! Ah—!"
The piercing screams suddenly rose in pitch, followed by the sizzling sound of flesh being roasted and a chilling smell of burning flesh, echoing for a long time in the confined space, tormenting the nerves of every prisoner.
"Eldest sister..." A weak, trembling voice faintly came from behind the heavy stone wall on the left.
"Ling Rou?" Ye Yixiang's heart tightened, and she immediately rushed to the wall, replying in a low voice, "Is that you?"
"It's me..." came suppressed sobs from next door, "I'm sorry, elder sister... in the end, I've dragged you into this..."
“No, Lingrou, you did nothing wrong.” Ye Yixiang pressed her cheek against the cold, damp stone wall, as if this could give her younger sister a little strength. “You did the right thing. It’s your older sister who is useless and doesn’t have your courage. Don’t be afraid, your sister is here.”
"I'm not afraid..." Ye Lingrou's voice was choked with sobs, yet there was a stubbornness in it all. "If I die, I can see my father, my mother, and... and all our dead clansmen..."
"Shut up! Are you looking for death?!" The jailer's stern shout interrupted her again.
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