Chapter 951: Death to Show One’s Will
Xiao Xixi sighed as she ate her food.
"I wonder what Concubine Li and Concubine Yao are doing now? There shouldn't be crabs and mooncakes in Ziyun Temple, right?"
Luo Qinghan: "I have sent mooncakes to the concubines in Ziyun Temple. Concubine Li and Concubine Yao also have some."
Xiao Xixi: "What about the Imperial Ancestral Temple?"
Ever since the failure of the last rebellion led by the Empress Dowager and Luo Yanzhi, the relationship between the Empress Dowager and the Emperor has become completely strained.
Now the Empress Dowager is still recuperating in the Taimiao. She seems to be no different from before, but the people around her have been replaced by Luo Qinghan.
Even Ms. Kong, who had followed her for many years, had been sent to a remote nunnery and became a pure Buddhist nun.
As for Gan Fu, he was sent to guard the imperial tomb.
Today, the Empress Dowager has become a complete figurehead. She is surrounded by people arranged by the Emperor, and her every move is under the Emperor's surveillance.
Not only that, the emperor also killed the eldest son of the Lu family in order to offset the Empress Dowager's crime of treason.
When the Empress Dowager heard this, she was so angry that she fell ill.
This time it's a real illness, not pretending.
But the emperor did not come to visit her, but just asked the imperial physician to treat her well.
Even during the Mid-Autumn Festival, Luo Qinghan had no intention of taking her back to the palace to celebrate the festival together.
Luo Qinghan said lightly.
"I have sent mooncakes and osmanthus wine to her, and have allowed Princess Hua'an to visit her."
In the past, if the Empress Dowager wanted to see Princess Hua'an, she only had to send someone to inform her.
But now, one must have the emperor's permission before others can enter the Taimiao.
Now the entire Imperial Ancestral Temple is under the strict surveillance of the imperial guards, and the Empress Dowager can no longer collude with outsiders and attempt rebellion as she did before.
Princess Hua'an went out early today.
She took a carriage to the Taimiao, carrying carefully prepared holiday gifts.
The Imperial Ancestral Temple was heavily guarded inside and outside. Even though Princess Hua'an was of noble status, she still had to go through numerous checks when entering the Imperial Ancestral Temple. Only after she was confirmed to be innocent could she see the Empress Dowager.
When Princess Hua'an finally saw her mother, she was shocked by her old appearance.
The Empress Dowager is actually not young anymore, but because she takes good care of herself, she looks quite young.
But after a series of blows recently, her mind and body have been seriously affected. Her hair has turned almost completely white, her face is covered with deep wrinkles, her eyelids droop, and she looks several years older than before.
When Princess Hua'an saw her mother had become like this, she felt so distressed that her eyes immediately turned red.
"Mother, are you okay?"
The Empress Dowager sat back on the couch, pulling the corners of her mouth into a sneer full of sarcasm.
"Isn't it possible for you to tell whether I am good or not?"
Princess Hua An held her hand and said, "You must take care of yourself! No matter what happens, nothing is more important than your health."
The Empress Dowager looked at her hand that was being held and suddenly said.
"I have always wanted to ask you something. I asked you to go to the palace to look for Concubine Tuberculosis, but you told me that you didn't see Concubine Tuberculosis."
Princess Hua'an's heart skipped a beat.
She managed to calm herself down and asked, "Why did the Queen Mother suddenly bring up this matter?"
The Empress Dowager: "Did you really not see the concubine? Or are you deliberately lying to me?"
Princess Hua An: "I really didn't see Concubine Lao. Please believe me. I won't lie to you."
The Empress Dowager laughed out loud as if she had heard something funny.
"hehe."
She pulled her hand back and her expression became extremely cold.
Originally, she trusted Princess Hua'an very much, after all, she was her biological daughter.
It was not until she learned something from Luo Yanzhi that she began to suspect Princess Hua An.
This is also why she deliberately used the excuse of illness to instigate Princess Hua'an to go to the palace to find the emperor, instead of telling Princess Hua'an the whole truth.
Because she didn't trust Princess Hua'an, she was wary of her own daughter.
Princess Hua'an felt uneasy.
She kept defending herself, trying to make the Queen Mother trust her again.
The Empress Dowager, however, remained unmoved.
She said coldly, "I am very disappointed in you."
Princess Hua An's eyes were red and she choked up as she said, "I really didn't betray you. Please believe me!"
The Empress Dowager moved her lips as if she wanted to say something, but when she caught a glimpse of two maids standing at the door, she could only shut her mouth and stop talking.
After that, no matter what Princess Hua'an said, the Empress Dowager remained silent.
Princess Hua'an had no choice but to leave with a heavy heart.
These things that happened in the Taimiao were reported to the emperor word for word.
After listening to this, Luo Qinghan could probably guess what the Empress Dowager was thinking. She must be trying to take advantage of Princess Hua'an's guilt and force her to join her camp.
But because there were his spies all around her, the Empress Dowager was afraid of being noticed by him, so she had to swallow back what she wanted to say.
Luo Qinghan asked people to keep a close eye on the Empress Dowager and not give her the opportunity to contact the outside world.
After the emperor's bloodbath, the powerful families in Shengjing City were reduced to mere name only.
The remaining aristocratic families were either insignificant or, like the Heng family, had long stood on the emperor's side.
Those officials in the court who knew the current situation did not dare to challenge the emperor this time, for fear that they would also be labeled as the traitor's party.
Only a few officials who were closely connected with the aristocratic families stood up and expressed their opposition to the emperor's iron-blooded approach.
The result of their opposition was that they were transferred to remote areas.
Originally they all had a bright future, but unexpectedly, their future was gone in the blink of an eye.
Among them, there was a civil servant with a strong personality who quit his job immediately.
He took off his official uniform and hat in public, turned and walked out of the meeting hall, and then slammed into the stone lion next to him!
He wants to die to prove his integrity!
Although the man was finally rescued and his life was saved, the matter was spread and the literati and poets in the market were all discussing it. They did not dare to speak too bluntly and could only use some obscure words to express their dissatisfaction with the emperor.
In their view, the emperor's indiscriminate elimination of dissidents was unacceptable.
As a wise ruler, you should be broad-minded and open-minded. How can you label someone a rebel just because of a little suspicion?
No one knew who was behind the scenes fanning the flames, but the words of these literati were spread and caused a great stir among the people.
Many uninformed people believed these words and thought that the emperor was using the charge of treason to deliberately eliminate dissidents, suppress good officials, and enrich himself.
Just as the rumors were spreading more and more, the Shengjing Daily published an article about the illegal activities that those noble families had committed in addition to participating in the rebellion.
The evidence for each case is listed in a concise and clear manner.
(End of this chapter)
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