Chapter 18 My empire, does it need your concession?
Yuwen Che's earth-shattering declaration and chilling threat had already plunged the palace square into a deathly silence. However, his next move terrified everyone even more!
Just as the Duke of Protectorate was terrified by the oath to exterminate nine generations of his family, but still relied on his status as the father-in-law of the emperor and his pedantic nature, and wanted to speak up again to strongly remonstrate, Yuwen Che's eyes revealed murderous intent!
Without uttering another word, he suddenly swung his sword-wielding arm, and the gleaming sword, like an arrow released from a bow, was hurled straight down from the high palace wall towards the loudest-voiced Duke of Protectorate!
"His Majesty!"
"Father!"
Gasps of shock erupted! Everyone was stunned! No one had expected that the Emperor would actually dare to kill the Emperor's father-in-law and a first-rank duke in public! And so decisively, without uttering a single word! This was not merely ruthless killing, it was downright...tyrannical!
Su Luoxue was closest and saw it most clearly. She was so frightened that her face turned pale. Almost instinctively, she cried out, "Ache, no!" and at the same time stretched out her hands and pushed hard on the wrist of the hand that Yuwen Che had thrown the sword!
Her push, while not completely altering the sword's trajectory, did cause the tip to deviate slightly.
In the blink of an eye, Pei Xuan, who had been closely monitoring the situation, moved the instant Yuwen Che threw his sword! He moved like lightning, his longsword drawn, and at the critical moment, he suddenly parried upwards!
"clang--!"
A piercing clang of metal clashing rang out! Pei Xuan's sword struck precisely the side of the sword Yuwen Che had thrown down, slowing its descent and causing it to deviate from its course once more.
Finally, the sharp sword grazed the Duke of Huguo's official hat, and with a "thud," it deeply embedded itself in the crack of the bluestone slab half a step in front of him, the hilt still humming and trembling! The cold blade was almost touching the tip of his nose!
The Duke of Protectorate was so frightened that he collapsed to the ground, his crotch instantly becoming wet, as he had lost control of his bladder in terror!
The Marquis of Zhenbei was also terrified. He rushed out of the crowd, knelt down, and said in a trembling voice, "Your Majesty, please calm down! The Duke of Huguo is old and senile and spoke recklessly. His crime does not warrant death! Please, Your Majesty, spare his life for the sake of the Empress and the Empress Dowager!"
Yuwen Che paused slightly after Su Luoxue pushed his wrist. He wasn't angered by her "offense," but instead immediately looked down at her. Seeing her pale face and the way she clutched his sleeve, the anger in his eyes instantly dissipated, replaced by a hint of helplessness and reassurance. He gently patted her cold hand and whispered, "Don't be afraid."
At this moment, a Dragon Guard quickly descended from the palace wall, silently pulled out the sword stuck in the stone slab, and nimbly returned to the city wall, respectfully handing the sword back to Yuwen Che's personal guard.
The whole process was as fast as lightning, yet everyone could see it clearly!
Silence! Deathly silence!
Everyone was stunned by what happened in the blink of an eye, their minds almost stopping.
The emperor threw his sword and killed the emperor's father-in-law!
Consort Chen exclaimed in surprise and pushed the Emperor away!
General Pei Xuan of the Flying Cavalry drew his sword to parry and save the Emperor's father-in-law!
The emperor not only did not blame the imperial concubine, but also comforted her gently!
The Dragon Guards are incredibly skilled; they can draw a sword as easily as taking something out of a bag!
This is too much information, too shocking! Especially Consort Chen's desperate cry of "A-Che," and the fact that she dared to push the Emperor, and the Emperor actually... actually comforted her instead?!
"I...I didn't hear wrong, did I? Consort Chen called His Majesty...A-Che?"
"She...she even pushed His Majesty?"
"His Majesty isn't angry?!"
The common people whispered amongst themselves, their eyes filled with disbelief. The kneeling ministers exchanged bewildered glances, their hearts pounding with shock. The Imperial Concubine Chen's position in His Majesty's heart had far exceeded their worst expectations! This was no mere concubine; she was clearly… the apple of His Majesty's eye, someone he could stand shoulder to shoulder with, someone he could “offend” without consequence!
The Su family members, mingling in the crowd, were also stunned. Su Jingxing watched his sister's natural and intimate gesture of clutching the emperor's sleeve, and saw the emperor's undisguised protection and indulgence towards her. His last trace of worry vanished. He was even certain that, let alone poison or a white silk noose, Xue'er probably wouldn't even receive a harsh word of punishment. His Majesty's affection for her was profound.
Yuwen Che surveyed the trembling crowd below, especially the few old ministers slumped on the ground, and merely snorted coldly. Then, taking Su Luoxue's hand, he turned to descend the palace wall. However, the lingering chilling killing intent in his eyes indicated that this matter would not end there. As emperor, his authority was not to be challenged. If these old ministers dared to threaten suicide in front of everyone and were not severely punished, wouldn't everyone follow suit? Making an example of them was imperative.
Just as he was about to give Li Dehai his orders, a series of hurried, frantic footsteps, even accompanied by cries, came from the palace steps.
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty, please have mercy!"
Empress Shen, her hair disheveled and her phoenix hairpin askew, hadn't even had time to properly put on her court robes, a symbol of her status, and practically tumbled and crawled up the palace wall. She had clearly heard the news in the palace that her father had almost been killed by His Majesty's sword, and had been terrified, rushing here without a second thought.
At this moment, the Empress was utterly devoid of her usual dignified composure. She threw herself at Yuwen Che's feet, ignoring Su Luoxue who was right beside her, and hugged Yuwen Che's leg, crying her heart out, tears streaming down her face.
"Your Majesty! I beg you! Spare my father! Spare the Shen family! All the blame lies with me! I was jealous, I was incompetent, and I failed to win Your Majesty's favor! I am willing... I am willing to relinquish the Empress's position! I only beg Your Majesty to spare my father's life and the entire Shen family!"
Her disheveled appearance and self-deprecating request to be deposed as empress caused another uproar among the still-lingering crowd below the city. The Empress had been driven to such a desperate situation!
Seeing the Empress's pitiful state, Su Luoxue felt a pang of pity. Kind-hearted by nature, although she knew the Empress had repeatedly made things difficult for her, seeing the Empress so humbly begging for her family's sake, she couldn't help but gently tug at Yuwen Che's sleeve and whisper, "A-Che, perhaps..."
"Shut up." Yuwen Che interrupted her in a deep voice before she could finish speaking, and at the same time, he tightened his arm to protect her more closely behind him, completely shielding her from any potential harm that the Empress might cause.
He lowered his head, looking at the Empress at his feet, who was weeping uncontrollably. His eyes held no pity, only cold mockery and absolute authority. His voice wasn't loud, but it struck like an icicle, deeply affecting the Empress and everyone who could hear it.
"Give way?" Yuwen Che scoffed, as if he had heard the biggest joke in the world. "This world belongs to me. When have I ever needed anyone to give up what I want?"
His gaze swept over the limp Duke of Protectorate and the silent, trembling officials below, finally settling on the Empress's deathly pale face, as he declared, word by word, with crystal clarity:
"This Great Zhou is my empire, and Xue'er is my beloved. The position of Empress," he paused, his tone resolute, "was destined to be hers from the day Xue'er appeared in my life."
These words struck like a thunderbolt from a clear sky, shattering the Empress's last glimmer of hope! She looked up at Yuwen Che in disbelief.
Yuwen Che continued coldly, "Right now, it's only because I'm considering the bigger picture and don't want her to become a target of public criticism too early that I'm allowing you to remain in this position for a few more years. What, in your mouth, it's become that you need to 'yield'?"
He leaned down slightly, staring into the empress's desperate eyes, his voice lowered, yet carrying a chilling murderous intent: "Empress, listen to me clearly. Xue'er is my Achilles' heel."
He straightened up, his gaze sweeping across the entire room like a sharp sword, his voice suddenly rising, carrying an unquestionable imperial authority that resounded in all directions:
"The dragon's reverse scale, touch it and you die! Whoever touches it, dies! Today's events are a warning! If there is a next time, I will not care who he is or what his status is, I will execute him without mercy!"
Having said that, he no longer looked at the limp Empress, took Su Luoxue's hand, and resolutely turned to leave. That cold declaration, like a tangible gust of wind, swept across the entire palace square, making everyone tremble from the bottom of their hearts.
Everyone understood that Consort Chen, Su Luoxue, was not merely the emperor's favored concubine, but also his inviolable bottom line and Achilles' heel. Going against the emperor might offer some room for maneuver; but to harm Consort Chen was tantamount to suicide! After all, with the emperor so publicly protecting her in front of his officials and the people, anyone who dared to touch her would be slapping the emperor in the face.
After this incident, no one in the imperial court or harem dared to openly harm Su Luoxue. And with Yuwen Che's almost obsessive protection and unparalleled affection for Su Luoxue, who would dare to easily threaten the emperor with their death to force him to punish Consort Chen? And Consort Chen Su Luoxue's position of being the emperor's sole favorite… everyone knew.
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