Chapter 72 Liquidation III
When a person is crippled in one leg, it is much easier for bystanders to break their second leg than to cripple their first. In addition, it is only necessary to confirm that the person does not have a third or fourth leg.
The King of Poison's approach was to smash the ground so that even if the man had legs, he couldn't walk.
The mysterious figure captured in Langcheng who had been tracking General Xi has been identified as the leader of the Wuyin Sect. Zhen Su couldn't directly tell the truth revealed by Fu Yin to the Zhen King, because without distancing himself, he couldn't explain why none of the bodies remained, and he might even be suspected of letting the assassins go. Fortunately, he knew that the Wuyin Sect still had a member, the former head of the sect surnamed Chao. Therefore, Zhen Su revealed Chao's identity to the Silver Chai's secret guards. Under the Silver Chai's superb interrogation skills, Head Chao confessed and admitted to everything. The only thing he refused to admit was that he wanted to distance himself from Lin Wu, insisting that Lin Wu had absolutely no connection to the Wuyin Sect.
Pulling up a radish brings out mud; the only path for the Silent Gate is destruction.
Without the Silent Gate, the powerful clans, even if they still have trump cards up their sleeves, it's hard to say how much of their original strength they can unleash.
Meanwhile, King Zhen had been dedicated to opening up trade routes between the border regions and central towns. After eliminating the Silent Gate, he inadvertently discovered that the tyrannical bandits who had always occupied the trade routes had all cowered away upon hearing the news of the Silent Gate's destruction.
With trade routes open, the border markets and the central government finally got on track. Furthermore, the expansion to three cities significantly increased the variety and abundance of goods and supplies, even alleviating food shortages in locust-stricken areas and providing new livelihoods for many civilians. Suddenly, commerce flourished in many places, with bustling activity and heavy traffic.
This two-birds-with-one-stone maneuver left the powerful families and even the entire court speechless.
Everyone stared at the leisurely King Zhen on the dragon throne. Even though he was just sitting, the image of his tall, imposing figure standing upright, exuding an immense sense of oppression, kept flashing through their minds. At the same time, they couldn't help but feel a deep fear of the King Zhen's profound scheming and incredible luck.
This is no tyrant; he's a venomous and wicked ruler.
For so many years, the powerful families have been swaggering and flexing their muscles behind the scenes. It's hard to say how much of this was the result of the Poison King's deliberate manipulation and careful planning. Now that the Poison King has just crawled back from the brink of death, he's already set his sights on crushing these powerful families, this "centipede," fearing that even after they're dead, they won't be completely sluggish and will continue to entangle all their limbs. The next step, he'll probably be to bite off their "head" and kill them with a single blow.
How could anyone in officialdom be completely detached from powerful families? The influence of these families had long been deeply entrenched in the court, making everyone in the court feel insecure.
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The Yan family and the Zhao family were the two most powerful and influential families among the aristocratic families. With Empress Dowager Yan in charge, the Yan family undoubtedly suppressed the Zhao family and made it a vassal.
With the den of iniquity destroyed, the Yan family behind it would inevitably be implicated, and with the Yan family, the most difficult to deal with, falling, the Zhao family would also be doomed.
The Zhao residence.
“What’s the use of crying? The election has already been made! Aristocratic families rise and fall together, so how can we regret it after we fall from power!” Zhao Qianheng, who had been dismissed from his position as a court official, was scolding his wife, who was in tears every day, in the hall.
“My brother-in-law is right! Did you ever listen to our wishes when you made the choice? It was always you who had the choice, not us!” The wife cried, her head spinning. She couldn’t understand why, not long ago, she was being flattered by the social circles of noblewomen, but now she couldn’t win over a single helper. Everyone kept their distance, watching coldly, afraid of being implicated.
"..." Zhao Qianheng hesitated, wanting to speak but stopping himself. In truth, did he ever have a choice? The struggle for power, coupled with the torrent of development since their ancestors, destined from the beginning that the Zhao family could only be tied to the Yan family.
"The master is locked up now and visits aren't allowed. How could everything suddenly be gone? Isn't there anyone who can help smooth things over?" The wife paced anxiously, muttering to herself.
"It's all the fault of that newly appointed head of the Imperial Horse Administration! He's ruined all our family's businesses..." As he said this, Zhao Qianheng suddenly thought of something and glanced at the side room next to him.
After hesitating for a moment, Zhao Qianheng slipped into the side room, his voice hoarse and tired, "Kelin... I haven't asked you yet, but is the person you've taken a liking to the current head of the Imperial Stables?"
The person on the bed was facing the sealed window, with their back to Zhao Qianheng, and remained silent upon hearing this.
"Brother?" Zhao Qianheng walked to the bedside with concern and turned Zhao Kelin back, only to meet a pair of lifeless eyes.
Zhao Kelin still had the marks of rope binding his wrists. Now that no one was restraining him, he felt even more trapped.
After a long while, he finally shifted his gaze to Zhao Qianheng's face and said in a hoarse voice, "I don't know him."
Zhao Qianheng, however, was unwilling to let go of even the slightest possibility. His eyes were red as he grabbed Zhao Kelin's shoulder. "The full name of that palm print is Qing Zhensu. Isn't that the little eunuch you know?!"
A flicker of emotion finally crossed Zhao Kelin's indifferent eyes. He hesitated and asked, "...Aqing, when did you become the head of the sect?"
"It really was him! Was it or wasn't it?! Kelin, could you go and find him, and ask him to spare our family? The Zhao family shouldn't have fallen like this... just like that! He's now a favorite of His Majesty, holding the power to decide the life and death of powerful families. Go and beg him—"
However, Zhao Kelin ruthlessly interrupted Zhao Qianheng, suddenly laughing with a smile that was both cruel and sorrowful. "How dare you bring this up?"
Having said that, he pursed his lips and his eyes turned cold. "Even if I die, I will not implicate him."
"Implicate him?! What could possibly happen to him! Our family is in dire straits right now!" Zhao Qianheng roared.
Unfortunately, Zhao Kelin remained unmoved and stopped responding.
This enraged Zhao Qianheng, who threw a punch at Zhao Kelin's face. However, just before it made contact, he pulled back and deflected the punch, leaving only a dent in the bed with a loud "thump".
"Enough, the Zhao family doesn't have an ingrate like you."
As Zhao Qianheng's footsteps faded into the distance, the room returned to silence and darkness, and only then did a hint of wavering appear in Zhao Kelin's eyes.
Upon learning of the Yan family's confiscation of property, Zhen Su felt no pity whatsoever. The evil deeds of the Yan family that he knew of were merely the tip of the iceberg; the vast majority of those implicated or persecuted had already been wiped out, as if they had never existed. For example, unbeknownst to Zhen Su, there was an assassin indirectly instigated by Yan Lang at the behest of Consort Yan. This assassin, having repeatedly failed in his missions on the frontier, was dealt with by the Yan family upon returning to the capital; his flesh was chopped into mincemeat, and his bones were thrown into the wild for wolves and hyenas to carry off.
This time, the behemoth that everyone thought would stand firm—the aristocratic family—seems to be truly losing power and becoming nothing more than a chicken or a dog, which naturally caused shock and sighs, and even led to everyone kicking the wall when it's falling.
Yan, the next one is Zhao.
The Zhao and Yan families were deeply connected. The two powerful families, together with the Wuyin Sect, Yunguang Taoist Temple, and local gangsters, had countless powerful allies in the court. They had been mutually beneficial and accumulating wealth for many years. Therefore, as the investigation deepened, the Zhao family could not escape the fate of having their property confiscated.
Upon learning of this, Shinju couldn't help but ask King Zhen, "Will Imperial Physician Zhao be implicated?" Although it was an obvious matter, he still asked.
However, the King of Zhen keenly sensed something unusual, after all, before this, Zhen Su had never asked anyone what punishment they deserved.
"Given his merits, Imperial Physician Zhao should have been exempt from consideration. Unfortunately..." Prince Zhen held the memorial in one hand, glancing sideways at Zhen Su. Seeing his composed expression, as if it were just a casual remark, he continued, "For more than ten days before and after my return to the palace, he never returned to the Imperial Hospital for his shift. According to palace regulations, he has been removed from his position as Imperial Physician. Therefore, his merits, having lost the prerequisite of official rank, cannot be considered."
Upon hearing this, Shinju frowned. "Has His Majesty sent someone to investigate why he hasn't come to the palace?"
“No.” The Prince of Zhen closed the memorial. “Perhaps he thought I would not be able to return smoothly from the frontier, and then he learned the inside story from the Zhao family. Therefore, he avoided the strife in the palace and did not enter the palace for the time being.”
This argument is full of flaws and doesn't sound like something King Zhen would say. Zhen Su couldn't help but glance at King Zhen, only to see King Zhen's phoenix eyes narrowed, staring at him with a probing gaze.
Then, Shinjuku heard the King of Poison ask him a question. His voice was lower than usual and seemed to carry a hint of restraint.
"Is Qing'er very familiar with Imperial Physician Zhao?"
After thinking it over, Shinjuku chose to be frank and nodded, saying, "Arin said that we are friends through thick and thin. Although I don't quite understand this term, Arin helped me a lot when serving meals."
When Zhenwang heard the way Zhensu addressed that person, his breathing suddenly intensified, his brows furrowed, and a fierce glint almost materialized in his eyes.
He closed his eyes and asked, "Then what does Qing'er think we should do? Should I make an exception for Imperial Physician Zhao?"
Shinju was somewhat confused. He had sensed the displeasure in the King's tone and couldn't help but wonder if he shouldn't have revealed his private dealings with other officials? After all, a king is most wary of people forming cliques for personal gain...
Realizing he had made a mistake, Shinju did not want the King of Poison to suspect him, so he replied earnestly with his golden eyes, "As long as it is the result of Your Majesty's careful consideration, I will have no objection." Of course, if the handling was too inappropriate, whether he would take other actions was another matter.
The King of Poison hadn't expected Masaki to say such a thing. Clearly, that man's fate wasn't as important as his decision. Like a ferocious beast whose fur had been stroked, the King of Poison immediately retracted his sharp teeth and claws, and his jet-black eyes, once misty, became clear.
"I understand."
.
Uhee Palace.
After receiving news that the Yan family was facing execution for treason and other serious crimes, Consort Yan was distraught and staggered a few steps before rushing into the Empress Dowager's palace.
“Aunt…” Consort Yan, her voice trembling with tears, shook off the hand of her maid and ran to the Empress Dowager.
"How could His Majesty do such a thing? Aunt, how could he be so heartless... Does His Majesty not care about Biying and Shijun?!" Consort Yan collapsed to the ground as soon as her knees touched the ground. Her maid failed to catch her and tried to reach out, but was slapped in the face.
However, she had no strength left, and as if she felt that everyone was bullying her, she collapsed at the Empress Dowager's feet and cried.
The Empress Dowager did not respond, except that the right side of her face twitched suddenly, and then she remained motionless on the couch with that asymmetrical and extremely strange expression.
While wiping away her tears, Granny Qin gently scolded Consort Yan, saying, "Her Majesty the Empress Dowager has suffered a stroke due to excessive worry. Consort Yan, please do not further agitate Her Majesty."
Consort Yan then noticed the Empress Dowager's strange behavior and was so frightened that she crawled backward until she bumped into a maid's leg and stopped.
"No, no, let the imperial physician take a look?" Consort Yan finally found her voice after a long while.
Granny Qin shook her head, tears streaming down her face. The Empress Dowager was now practically under house arrest. The noble families had tried to rescue her so she could keep the Prince in check. However, when they spread the "crime" of the Prince's filial impiety, they found that the people of the city wouldn't listen at all, completely absorbed in their jubilation.
The title of "tyrant" could not diminish the prestige of the poisoned king, and the title of "unfilial king" made it even less likely to arouse public anger.
The opening of the trade route greatly enhanced the reputation of the King of Zhen. In remote areas, people had always only paid attention to the local tyrants and knew very little about the emperor in the capital. But now, many people actually believed in the King of Zhen, and the title of "benevolent ruler" spread widely. Some even called him a "sage ruler".
The Empress Dowager's sudden transformation into this state was futile, even with the arrival of the imperial physicians. This condition, known as aphonia, is one of the most severe forms of stroke, and there are very few cases of complete recovery to date.
The Empress Dowager was thus abandoned by the powerful families.
Just as Consort Yan was leaving in disappointment, the Empress Dowager suddenly raised her right hand, her veins taut like earthworms, and grabbed Consort Yan's sleeve tightly. However, she ultimately lacked the strength to hold on firmly, and the sleeve fell back down.
Consort Yan noticed the movement of her clothes, turned around and glanced back, her red and swollen eyes slowly widening.
She clearly saw the Empress Dowager contort her lower face and mouth the words, "Kill...the youngest."
.
The following day, a body bloated from being submerged in water was retrieved from the well.
Also retrieved was a jade pendant representing a prince, depicting a unicorn.
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