Chapter 177 Extra: Another Ending 3
Yuwen Che suddenly opened his eyes and found himself sitting on the dragon throne. Li Dehai was bowing and reporting:
"Your Majesty, the Ministry of Rites has already drafted the wedding arrangements. The eldest daughter of the Shen family, Shen Wanrong..."
"A grand wedding?" Yuwen Che interrupted him, his brows furrowed. "Whom am I to marry?"
Li Dehai was taken aback: "Naturally, it's Shen Wanrong, the eldest daughter of the Shen family. The Empress Dowager personally selected her..."
Yuwen Che suddenly chuckled. He had actually returned to the second day after his ascension to the throne, when Luo Xue was only thirteen years old. He absolutely could not alert the enemy.
Where is the Empress Dowager now?
"Resting in Cining Palace."
Yuwen Che strode towards Cining Palace. The Empress Dowager was somewhat surprised to see him: "Why is the Emperor coming at this hour?"
"Mother," Yuwen Che said directly, "I have no plans to establish an empress at the moment."
The Empress Dowager's face immediately darkened: "Nonsense! The eldest daughter of the Shen family is virtuous and kind..."
"Virtuous and gentle?" Yuwen Che sneered.
"I know perfectly well what the Shen family has done. They must die—"
He stepped forward, his gaze sharp as a knife: "If the Empress Dowager insists on protecting you, then you need not sit on the throne of Empress Dowager."
The Empress Dowager abruptly stood up, her fingertips trembling as she pointed at him: "Yuwen Che! How dare you speak to me like that!"
Yuwen Che stood with his hands behind his back, a cold smile curving his lips: "Mother, if you dare to do it, why shouldn't I?"
He approached slowly, his voice icy cold, "Isn't the way I am today... exactly the good son you raised with your own hands?"
The Empress Dowager was taken aback by the deeper meaning in his words and staggered back half a step: "You... what do you know?"
"Know what?"
Yuwen Che chuckled softly, but his eyes were filled with a chilling light. "I know you have secret dealings with the Shen family, I know you want to use Shen Wanrong to control the harem, and I also know—"
"You want to be Empress Lü?"
His tone suddenly turned sharp, "I also know how you treated Consort Roujia back then!"
The Empress Dowager's expression changed drastically, but she forced herself to remain calm: "Insolence! Without any evidence..."
“Since I have spoken,” Yuwen Che interrupted her, his gaze as cold as ice.
“Of course I have the evidence firmly in hand. Mother, tell me… if these matters were made public, would you still be able to sit peacefully in the Cining Palace?”
He turned and left, his black dragon robe billowing like clouds, finally uttering:
"The Shen family is doomed. If you are smart, you should know how to deal with yourselves from now on."
The next morning at court, Duke Shen Chong, standing at the head of the officials, suddenly sneezed loudly.
Yuwen Che, sitting on the dragon throne, turned cold: "Minister Shen."
Shen Chong hurriedly stepped forward: "This old minister has been disrespectful before Your Majesty, please forgive me..."
"Disrespectful behavior before the palace, showing contempt for the emperor's authority." Yuwen Che's voice was eerily calm.
“Execute his entire family.”
The entire court was in uproar!
The Minister of Rites stepped forward with a stiff upper lip: "Your Majesty! Although Lord Shen has committed a minor offense, his crime is not serious..."
"Is Minister Li to be punished as well?" Yuwen Che interrupted calmly.
The Minister of Rites knelt down with a thud, cold sweat pouring down his face: "Your subject dares not!"
Pei Zhongyuan and Pei Xuan exchanged a glance, both seeing shock in each other's eyes. Pei Xuan whispered, "Father, His Majesty is..."
A cold voice came from the dragon throne: "General Pei has any objections?"
Pei Xuan immediately bowed: "Your subject has no objection!"
Yuwen Che surveyed the silent officials: "Who else wants to plead for mercy?"
In the deathly silence, he slowly rose:
"Then—drag him out and execute him immediately."
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, spare my life..." Shen Chong's pleas for mercy gradually faded away, and the officials hung their heads in fear.
"Pei Xuan."
"Your subject is present."
"This matter is entrusted to you to oversee personally." Yuwen Che lightly tapped the dragon throne with his fingertips. "I want the Shen family—to be wiped out completely."
Pei Xuan's heart skipped a beat: "Your subject obeys the decree."
After the court officials dispersed, Yuwen Che returned to the Sizheng Hall and dismissed his attendants.
"Han Ying".
A dark figure appeared silently: "My lord."
"Mobilize all secret guards and pursue Yuwen Hong with all our might."
Han Ying was taken aback: "Yuwen Hong? Weren't the late emperor's fourth son already..."
“He’s not dead.” Yuwen Che sneered. “He should be hiding in Xiliang or Nanzhao right now. Send Mo Ying there personally—he needs to be found alive or dead.”
"I will take care of it immediately." Han Ying hesitated for a moment.
"How did you know, my lord..."
Yuwen Che stroked the jade pendant at his waist, his gaze deep and unfathomable:
“I dreamt that…he made Xue’er cry very sadly.”
Han Ying retreated, filled with doubts.
In the dead of night, Yuwen Che changed into his night clothes and silently landed on the roof of the Su family's house.
In the courtyard, thirteen-year-old Su Luoxue was chasing and playing with her maid Fuling.
"Miss, please slow down!" Fuling reminded her with a smile.
Yuwen Che gazed at that graceful figure with tender eyes.
"Tsk." Bai Xiao suddenly appeared beside him. "Yuwen Che, you actually spied on respectable women..."
He looked closely. "This is clearly a little girl! When did you develop this kind of fetish?"
Yuwen Che didn't even turn his head: "Get lost."
Bai Xiao leaned closer to examine her: "This little girl is quite lovely... wait!"
He suddenly realized, "You slaughtered the Shen family today, and now you're here to see this little girl, could it be..."
Yuwen Che finally glanced at him: "You're too noisy."
From below came Su Luoxue's clear voice: "Fuling, I want to marry a great hero who stands tall and upright!"
A smile appeared in Yuwen Che's eyes.
Bai Xiao shook his head and sighed, "What a beast! He even eavesdrops on what a young girl is saying..."
For the next four years, Yuwen Che kept his harem empty, waged wars to pacify the surrounding areas, and secretly sent guards to protect the Su family.
Every late spring, he would put on a mask, wear a black brocade robe, and stand on Zhuque Avenue for an entire day.
When Li Dehai accompanied him for the third time, he finally asked cautiously, "Your Majesty...Master, you come every year, are you waiting for someone?"
A deep voice came from beneath the mask: "I'm waiting for a flower to bloom."
Suddenly, the clear sound of bells rang out in the distance. Seventeen-year-old Su Luoxue lifted her skirt and ran across the street corner.
The silver bells in her hair jingled softly—it was the coming-of-age gift that Yuwen Che had secretly sent back then.
She stopped and looked curiously at the masked man in black: "Young master, haven't we met somewhere before?"
Yuwen Che's fingertips trembled slightly; the iron-fisted emperor of the past four years almost lost his composure.
In the shadows at this moment
Bai Xiao, cracking sunflower seeds, said to Han Ying, "Want to bet? Your master is definitely going to trick the young lady today."
Han Ying remained expressionless: "This subordinate dares not speak ill of His Majesty."
"Boring." Bai Xiao spat out the sunflower seed shells.
"Even a fool could see that he's interested in this girl. He's been standing here all day just for this chance encounter."
Yuwen Che softened his voice: "Does the young lady really not remember me?"
Su Luoxue tilted her head and looked him over, then suddenly smiled sweetly: "Although I can't see your face, I think... you must be very handsome."
Fuling quickly pulled her behind her: "Girl, let's go! This masked person is definitely not a good person!"
Su Luoxue was pulled away by her maid, and she looked back one last time before leaving.
She took small bites of the candied hawthorn as she walked, and never looked back.
Yuwen Che watched her receding figure, a tightness in his chest, but he secretly comforted himself: It's alright, we only met when she was eighteen in our past life...
"Pfft, hahaha—" Bai Xiao jumped out from the shadows, laughing so hard he slapped his thigh.
"You come here and stand here like an idiot every day, and the young girls say you look like a bad guy! Yuwen Che, you've finally met your match!"
Han Ying silently moved two steps to the side.
Yuwen Che coldly swept his gaze over Bai Xiao: "The report on the military settlements in the western border..."
"I'll go approve it right away!" Bai Xiao vanished instantly.
Han Ying reported in a low voice: "My lord, Miss Su just bought Li Ji's sugar paintings and Zhang Ji's candied fruit, picked out a piece of moon-white brocade at the silk shop, and finally went to the bookstore to buy the Classic of Mountains and Seas."
A smile appeared in Yuwen Che's eyes: "Buy the shop next to the bookstore."
"You want to open a shop?"
"No." He gazed in the direction where Su Luoxue had disappeared. "I want to watch her grow up."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
