Chapter 34 The Extreme Punishment of the Shen Family
Faced with Shen's hoarse questioning and the vicious curse about "fading beauty and waning love", Yuwen Che did not get angry. He simply held Su Luoxue's hand even tighter, as if he wanted to pass on all his determination and strength to her through their clasped palms.
He raised his eyes, his gaze calmly meeting that of the seemingly crazed Shen Shi. His tone was indifferent, yet carried an undeniable certainty and an almost domineering promise:
"I will give her the best of everything in the world, and make her beautiful forever." These words were like stating a given fact, full of the confidence of an emperor who controls everything. Then, he changed the subject, and looked at Su Luoxue with gentle and deep eyes, "Even if... even if she really grows old, in my eyes, she is still beautiful, my only Xue'er."
Then, his gaze turned cold again, landing on Shen Shi with a hint of disdain and disgust: "And you? You were just forced upon me by the Empress Dowager. I have never acknowledged you, nor have I ever cared about you."
This stark contrast in attitude, like the sharpest knife, slowly eroded the last vestiges of dignity and hope in the Shen family.
Upon hearing his words, Shen first stared wide-eyed in disbelief, then burst into laughter that was worse than crying, as if she had heard the most absurd joke in the world. Her whole body trembled as she laughed, tears mixed with blood crisscrossing her face.
"Haha...hahaha...what a beautiful forever! What an indifferent heart!" She abruptly stopped laughing, her bloodshot eyes fixed on Su Luoxue like venomous snakes, and with the last of her strength, she uttered the most venomous and insane curse:
"Su Luoxue! Listen to me! The massacre of my Shen family today will be the fate of your Su family tomorrow! Do you think Yuwen Che is a good person? Do you know how much blood is on his hands? He didn't even spare his own brother, the emperor, in order to ascend the throne! What do you think you are?! You are nothing more than a plaything he used for a moment!"
"Yuwen Che! Su Luoxue! You will be punished! I curse you! I curse your children to die young! All your sins, all the retribution, will fall upon your children! Yuwen Che! You have committed so many atrocities, massacred cities and exterminated clans, killed so many people, murdered your brothers and forced your father to abdicate, poisoned the late emperor's most beloved son, and now you have imprisoned your own mother and slaughtered your wife's entire family. You will be punished, you deserve to be childless and without descendants...!!"
The words "fratricide" exploded like thunder in the hall! Although this was a royal secret that many had heard of, the fact that Shen Shi had openly shouted it out still shocked everyone! Coupled with the terrifying curse targeting the imperial heir, the atmosphere in the entire warm pavilion instantly plummeted to freezing point.
Su Luoxue looked at Yuwen Che in disbelief; she had never heard of such things before…
Consort De turned pale with fright and quickly hugged Yuwen Hao tightly in her arms, covering his little ears to prevent him from hearing these terrifying words. The imperial family members, officials, and their families present were filled with mixed emotions of fear and dread because of the royal secrets revealed by Lady Shen and the crazy curse. No one dared to make a sound.
However, Yuwen Che, who was at the center of the storm, showed no panic or anger when faced with words that exposed his crimes and viciously cursed his offspring. Instead, he curled his lips into a cold and contemptuous sneer.
He even soothingly squeezed Su Luoxue's icy hand before looking at Shen Shi, who was writhing on the ground like a maggot. His voice wasn't loud, but it carried an air of domineering authority and absolute confidence, clearly interrupting any potentially worse curses she might follow:
"My children are naturally protected by my dragon aura and the destiny of the entire Great Zhou Dynasty. You ant-like curses..."
He paused, then his tone suddenly turned chilling, carrying an undeniable verdict:
"Let's save it for when we're in hell."
Yuwen Che's icy words extinguished all hope and lifeline for the Shen family. He ignored the filth on the ground, turned, and, seemingly oblivious to her presence, led Su Luoxue, whose complexion had already changed, back to sit comfortably on the thickly cushioned chair. He carefully adjusted her slightly loose fox fur cloak, tucking in every possible draft, his movements as gentle as if handling a fragile treasure.
"Sit still, don't catch a cold," he soothed softly, his tone incredibly gentle.
After doing all this, he straightened up, the warmth on his face instantly vanishing, replaced by the majesty and coldness of an emperor. He raised his hand, and Li Dehai, already understanding, respectfully presented the jade seal, a symbol of supreme imperial power, with both hands.
Yuwen Che accepted the heavy jade seal, not even glancing at Shen Shi, and said in a deep voice to Li Dehai, who was bowing and waiting for orders, "Draft an imperial edict."
Li Dehai immediately prepared paper and pen, and his shrill voice rang out clearly in the silent hall as he repeated His Majesty's decree, each word carrying a bloody aura:
"By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Empress Shen, deposed, is morally deficient, harbors resentment, and shows no remorse. Today, she has become even more audacious, openly committing murder within the palace, attempting to assassinate Consort Chen, harm Prince An, and even stabbing me with a weapon! Her heinous acts are abhorrent to both gods and men!"
He paused, his voice growing even colder: "The Shen family has uttered even more outrageous words, cursing the Imperial Concubine, cursing the imperial heirs, and cursing the fate of our Great Zhou! Their hearts are despicable, and their crimes deserve death! According to the laws of the Great Zhou, treason, regicide, and cursing the fate of the nation are the ten heinous crimes, punishable by the extermination of nine generations of their family! However, since the Shen family's nine generations have already been brought to justice, their sins should be borne by the Shen family alone!"
The final verdict was chillingly cruel:
"By order: the criminal Shen Shi shall have her limbs cut off, her eyes gouged out, her tongue cut out, and her ears pierced to deafness. She shall be made into a human pig and placed outside the palace gates to be exposed to the sun for three days, as a warning to others! Let the whole world see clearly what the fate of those who plot rebellion, murder the emperor, and curse the fate of the nation will be! So be it—"
The moment the words "human pig" were uttered, a suppressed gasp filled the hall! Many women turned pale with fright, nearly fainting, while even seasoned court officials paled and felt their stomachs churn. This was the cruel torture Empress Lü had inflicted on Consort Qi—utterly ruthless! His Majesty was using the most extreme and terrifying method to deter all those with ill intentions, and it was also the most direct and bloody retaliation against Shen's vicious curse!
Upon hearing the words "human pig," Shen's frantic cursing and struggling instantly ceased. Her eyes widened, her pupils contracting with extreme fear, her body trembled violently, and incoherent, terrified "hoarse" sounds escaped her throat. Ultimately, she was so frightened that she lost control of her bladder, a foul stench filling the hall. She collapsed completely, limp as a rag doll, too weak even to beg for mercy.
Yuwen Che watched coldly as she was dragged out of the main hall like a dead dog by the Dragon Guards, his face expressionless. He returned the imperial seal to Li Dehai, as if he hadn't been the one to issue that cruel decree.
He turned around and walked back to Su Luoxue, gently covering her eyes with his uninjured right hand, pulling her into his arms, and whispering, "Don't look, and don't listen. It's dirty."
He knew this method was cruel, but he had to do it. He wanted to use this bloody truth to show everyone the consequences of crossing his bottom line and hurting those he cherished. He wanted to imprint this fear deep in everyone's heart, so that no one would dare to harbor even the slightest ill will towards Su Luoxue and her future offspring.
Inside the warm pavilion, the charcoal fire still burned brightly, but it couldn't dispel the pervasive stench of blood and the bone-chilling cold. Through this incident, Consort Chen, Su Luoxue's, status, and His Majesty's determination to protect her, had been declared to the world in the most cruel way.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
