Hu Tianyong quickly concealed the sinister look on his face, wiped away his tears, and began to put on a virtuous appearance again.
Looking at the face that had disgusted him for almost twelve years, Lan Shanyang suddenly felt a mix of weariness and nausea.
Slowly standing up, Lan Shanyang softly said to Jing Quan, "Put Consort Xu in the Cold Palace!"
"yes!"
Such a casual remark caused Xu Jinlan, who was on the ground, to collapse to the ground and faint.
Upon seeing this, Lan Jiayuan quickly went over to support his mother, while shouting to Lan Shanyang that he was innocent.
Annoyed by the shouting, Lan Shanyang suddenly turned around and glared fiercely at Lan Jiayuan: "Whether your mother is innocent or not, I know very well! Over the years, she and Hu Qianyu have never had a moment's peace! Now that one is dead, the other comes to claim innocence, what a joke! Do you think there is any injustice in this deep palace?"
Seeing Lan Shanyang's ruthless expression, Lan Jiayuan suddenly fell silent. She could only hold her mother in grief and indignation, whispering, "Consort Hu hanged herself; why must my mother be buried with her?"
Lan Shanyang sneered: "Because your mother went to places she shouldn't have gone and did things she shouldn't have done! Does she really think she's in charge of this harem? Let me tell you, as long as I live, I am the only one who calls the shots in this world, both inside and outside the palace!"
As he spoke, Lan Shanyang waved his hand impatiently at the people below.
Immediately, people came down and dragged Xu Jinlan away, and Lan Jiayuan had no choice but to run after her.
After watching the two people leave, Lan Shanyang turned around and continued walking out without saying a word.
Upon seeing this, Hu Tianyong quickly stood up and stepped slightly to the side, blocking Lan Shanyang's path: "Your Majesty, this old minister begs you, considering the Hu family's efforts for Your Majesty over the years, now that Qianyu is gone, all grudges should be settled. She has already tasted the consequences of her actions. Why not Your Majesty restore her title?"
As he spoke, Hu Tianyong knelt down before Lan Shanyang again, kowtowing with tears streaming down his face.
Upon hearing his grandfather's words, Lan Xiuyuan quickly crawled over and knelt down to kowtow. He was practically begging Lan Shanyang to come crawling back.
Lan Shanyang looked down at the two of them coldly, remaining silent for a long time.
Lan Linxue slowly walked over.
"Father, if the Prime Minister's idea is that death is the end of everything and everything can be forgiven, then please restore my mother's title. Empress Jiayi's token should be enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Hall! My mother's remains should be buried in the Imperial Mausoleum!"
After saying that, Lan Linxue glared at Hu Tianyong in front of her with hatred.
Upon hearing Lan Linxue's words, Hu Tianyong suddenly raised his head to look at him, a fierce glint flashing in his eyes.
Lan Linxue sneered, "What? Does the Prime Minister have a problem with what I said? I was just following the Prime Minister's line of thinking! Since Consort Hu was pardoned, why can't my mother be buried in the imperial mausoleum?"
Hu Tianyong looked at Lan Linxue and slowly said, word by word, "The Empress was a traitor back then. How can such a person be allowed to enter the imperial mausoleum?"
Lan Linxue immediately raised her eyebrows: "Prime Minister, you'd better be careful with your words! Over the years, I've never seen any official document from the court explicitly stating that my mother committed treason! Not even her title has been revoked. So why does it become treason in your mouth, Prime Minister? But Hu Qianyu, who died today, didn't even have her title revoked. She is truly a sinner of our Lan family! How can someone like that, who schemes against the Emperor every day, be allowed to enter the imperial mausoleum? Wouldn't that be truly unjust?"
After saying that, Lan Linxue stared intently at Hu Tianyong, slowly bent down, and said infuriatingly, "I think the Prime Minister is getting old and senile. How dare you make such a rude request in front of the Emperor? Aren't you afraid that the world will say you are shameless?"
"Lan Linxue! Don't be so disrespectful!"
Lan Xiuyuan finally couldn't take it anymore. Ignoring Lan Shanyang, he stood up, pointed at Lan Linxue, and warned him.
Lan Linxue slowly straightened up, looking at Lan Xiuyuan with amusement: "What do you mean I'm wrong? Lan Xiuyuan, you always pride yourself on being a well-read person. Think about it, isn't what the Prime Minister proposed utterly unacceptable, practically an unreasonable request? For so many years, the Prime Minister has always been a model for the court. Is it because he's getting old and senile that he can say such things today? Or are you all thinking of using Consort Hu's name to pull some other tricks?"
Upon hearing this, Lan Xiuyuan stepped forward, ready to fight Lan Linxue to the death, but Hu Tianyong stopped him.
Hu Tianyong stopped arguing with Lan Linxue and simply looked up at Lan Shanyang quietly.
Lan Shanyang did not flinch at all, staring at him expressionlessly.
After a long silence, Hu Tianyong slowly nodded, knelt on the ground, and lowered his head: "Your Majesty's meaning is clear to this old minister. This old minister was confused, please forgive me, Your Majesty!"
Lan Shanyang nodded slightly: "The Prime Minister is a long-time minister, and he will naturally understand me in some matters. From now on, please refrain from pleading for Consort Hu's innocence. When a person dies, it's like a lamp going out; the deceased must be laid to rest!"
After speaking, Lan Shanyang glanced at Lan Xiuyuan indifferently: "You too! Don't stir up trouble unnecessarily! Now that your mother is dead, although she didn't receive any rank in the end, she is still your biological mother. Even if you can't show great filial piety, you still need to wear mourning clothes for this year. Although you don't need to keep vigil for your mother, you should still keep a low profile and not go out and make a fuss. As for the selection of a consort, you shouldn't participate this year. Marrying during the mourning period is proper and respectable! Filial piety is still the most important thing in the royal family!"
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