Chapter 204 Despicable
Emperor Ren De walked down from his high seat and stared at the guards in deep thought. If Shi Yang had always been in the hands of the Empress Dowager, what tricks was the Empress Dowager going to play?
"Are you sure?" Emperor Ren De walked up to the guard and asked again.
The Concubine Chen subconsciously took two steps back and lowered her eyes.
The guard said, "A quarter of an hour ago, while patrolling outside Yeonbok Palace, I saw Lord Shi rushing out and being quickly apprehended. Not only did I see it, but everyone else on patrol with me also saw it. This is a serious matter. I observed it outside Yeonbok Palace before reporting it to Your Majesty."
Emperor Ren De was somewhat shocked. Shi Yang had always been close to the Empress Dowager and had even considered an alliance.
What caused these two people to create the current situation?
Could it be that the Empress Dowager failed to get the benefits she wanted from the Shi family and broke up with them?
But why did Shi Yang appear in Yanfu Palace?
After being missing for so long, he appeared in Yeonbokgung Palace.
"Your Majesty, what does this mean?" Concubine Chen spoke cautiously, "Does it mean that the long-missing Lord Shi is in the Empress Dowager's palace?"
Emperor Ren De hummed.
The Concubine frowned: "Why...why did the Grand Empress imprison the imperial officials in Yanfu Palace?"
Emperor Ren De was still hesitant at first, but when he heard Concubine Chen's words "official appointed by the court", murderous intent flashed in his eyes. When he heard the news that Shi Yang was in Yanfu Palace, he instinctively thought that there was something going on between Shi Yang and the Empress Dowager.
After all, the Empress Dowager is his sister-in-law. What if there is a secret that cannot be revealed by him?
The only one who would be embarrassed would be the royal family.
But when Emperor Rende heard Concubine Chen say "an official appointed by the court", he knew that this was his only chance to control the Empress Dowager.
Although they have kept their distance from the Empress Dowager over the years, they both know that they have not yet found a fatal opportunity to strike the other.
Now that the opportunity has come to us, we must always make good use of it.
"Go and surround Yeonbok Palace." Emperor Rendeok ordered indifferently.
The guard stood up and said respectfully, "Yes!"
After the guards left, Emperor Rende looked at Concubine Chen, walked up to her, picked up the tranquilizing soup on the tray in her hand, drank it all, and said, "Go back to Changle Palace and wait for me."
Concubine Chen raised her eyes worriedly: "Your Majesty, what are you doing..."
"It's okay, you go back first." Emperor Ren De comforted Concubine Chen and put the porcelain bowl in his hand back on the tray while speaking.
Upon seeing this, Concubine Chen bowed and said, "Your Majesty, please be careful. I will take my leave."
After Concubine Chen left, Emperor Ren De stood in the hall for half a quarter of an hour.
At this time, outside Yanfu Palace, the guards surrounded the hall. When Li Ma Ma helped Li Ma Ma out, they saw that the hall was surrounded in three layers.
"Who gave you the guts to act so wildly here?" The Empress Dowager saw that they were Emperor Rende's men, and the anger she had been accumulating for years erupted completely: "Your Majesty, you're not even pretending anymore, are you?!"
The leading guard said, "I am here on the orders of His Majesty to search Yeonbok Palace."
"How dare you!" Nanny Li was furious when she heard the word "search." "I wonder what crime the Madam has committed that your master would allow you lackeys to search Yanfu Palace!"
At this moment, a sharp voice rang out from behind the guards: "Your Majesty has arrived!"
The guards made way for them.
The Empress Dowager stared at Emperor Ren De who was approaching from afar with a cold gaze. She really didn't expect that Emperor Ren De would attack her at this time.
"Empress sister-in-law." Emperor Ren De walked forward and called out with a slight smile on his face.
The Empress Dowager stared at Emperor Ren De, whose face was covered with a faint smile, without blinking. It was as if she was silent when the previous emperor passed away and her son almost died, and Emperor Ren De also appeared in front of her with this hypocritical face.
After saying some high-sounding words hypocritically, he naturally sat in a position that did not belong to him.
"Zhao Zongli, what are you doing?" The coldness in the Empress's eyes grew stronger, and her tone was full of questioning: "You brought so many people to surround my palace. What unforgivable crime have I committed?"
The smile on Emperor Rende's face widened a bit. "Sister-in-law, I heard that the long-missing Minister of Personnel Shi Yang has appeared in Yanfu Palace. After all, he is an official appointed by the court, and I have been paying attention to this matter for many days. Now that I have news about Lord Shi, I will not miss it. Whether he is dead or alive, I will dig three feet to find him."
"Shi Yang?" There was a hint of confusion in the Empress's eyes.
Nanny Li spoke coldly to Emperor Rende, "Your Majesty, how could you say such shameless words to slander the Grand Empress? How could a court official who has been missing for so many days be here in Yanfu Palace? Your Majesty has regarded the Grand Empress and her son as trouble since he ascended the throne. Now, are you going to use this unscrupulous act to slander the Grand Empress's reputation and attack her?"
Emperor Ren De seemed to have guessed that Nanny Li would say this, and his expression was slightly cold.
The eunuchs around her shouted at Li Ma, "How dare you speak to His Majesty like that, you old thing? Come, drag her away!"
"I'll see who dares!" The Empress Dowager shouted angrily. She stared at Emperor Ren De without blinking. "Since you said Shi Yang is in my Yanfu Palace, it seems that the Emperor has been prepared for this."
The Empress Dowager has been in the harem all her life and has seen everything. How could Emperor Ren De bring so many people to Yanfu Palace?
It must have been prepared long ago.
The Shi Yang mentioned by Emperor Ren De had already been arranged to live in Yanfu Palace without her knowledge.
In this harem, Emperor Ren De has long been in control of everything.
But she didn't expect that Emperor Ren De would deal with her in such a despicable way.
The Empress Dowager even felt a little regretful that she had been waiting for an opportunity to break the balance, and she wanted to start with Emperor Ren De's left and right arms.
She is indeed too soft-hearted!
"Has this been planned long ago?" The Empress Dowager sneered and stared at Emperor Ren De.
Emperor Rende narrowed his shrewd eyes as he stared at the Empress Dowager. His gaze turned cold, "Go and search for me!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the guards rushed towards Yanfu Palace.
Nanny Li wanted to stop them, but she could only watch as the group of people rushed into the hall.
The Empress Dowager's expression grew calmer, and she stared at Emperor Ren De without blinking. "No wonder you decided to execute Shi Mingyan without even investigating him. It seems that when the Shi family and I were secretly interacting, you were thinking about how to use the Shi family to deal with me."
Emperor Ren De did not get angry at what the Empress Dowager said. Instead, a hint of a smile crossed his face. "The Empress Dowager always tries to figure out people's minds, always thinking she's right. In her eyes, I'm just a bandit who stole Shao Lian's throne. I've never understood what it means to be different now than I was in the past."
Sure enough, when the Empress Dowager heard the words "times are different now than in the past", her whole face twisted.
The palace eaves were covered with a thick layer of frost and snow, and the cold wind was biting in front of the main hall of Yeonbok Palace.
The Empress Dowager stared at Emperor Ren De with a distorted look, and was about to speak.
A guard came jogging from the direction of the rear hall of Yeonbokgung Palace.
"Your Majesty, we found it!"
Emperor Ren De's face changed slightly, and the look he gave the Empress Dowager was even more complicated. Although he had doubts in his heart and thought that this matter was very strange, he also understood the Empress Dowager a little bit, and she would never leave any handle behind when doing things.
It just so happened that he got hold of this handle.
After hearing what the guards said, the Empress Dowager's ferocious face returned to calm except for a stern look in her eyes.
Nanny Li looked towards the direction of the rear hall of the guards in fear.
I saw two guards carrying Shi Yang towards this side.
Seeing this, the Empress clenched her hands.
If Shi Yang hadn't died, her reputation wouldn't be very good, and she would even be despised by everyone in the future. She was a widow, and she hid a court official in Yanfu Palace. I'm afraid the Shi family would be so angry about her.
If Shi Yang died, it would be an even more serious crime to kill an imperial official!
As the guards lowered the body to the ground, one of them stepped forward and reported to Emperor Ren De: "Your Majesty, Lord Shi is gone."
Emperor Ren De immediately stepped forward and bent down towards Shi Yang's neck.
"Lord Shi just died, his body was still warm, and the cause of death was a broken neck." said the guard.
Emperor Ren De reached out to Shi Yang's neck left and right, then he stood up and looked towards the Empress Dowager.
There was a hint of disbelief and coldness in the Empress Dowager's expression.
Emperor Ren De clenched his hands under his sleeves. There was a third hand in this matter, and that hand pushed him to deal with the Empress Dowager, but he had no way out at this moment.
"Zhao Zongli," the Empress said coldly, "You are still as despicable and shameless as before!"
Emperor Rende lowered his eyes slightly, his gaze landing on the dying Shi Yang. He said coldly, "Come here, the Grand Empress first placed the court official under house arrest, and then instructed her subordinates to murder him. Considering the late emperor's kindness, I will spare the Grand Empress's life. Without my permission, the Grand Empress cannot set foot outside Yanfu Palace, and no one is allowed to visit her. All the maids and nurses in Yanfu Palace will pay for the Grand Empress's life."
After finishing speaking, Emperor Ren De stared at the Empress Dowager with a half-smile on his face. "Imperial Sister-in-law, I will definitely seek justice for the Shi family. After all, the Shi family came to me before, but I didn't consider their contributions to you and released Shi Yang."
"Asshole!" The Empress looked at Emperor Ren De's talk of righteousness and morality and said, "Is this what you planned all along? You are as hypocritical as ever!"
The Empress Dowager stared at Emperor Ren De intently. If she was imprisoned in Yanfu Palace, and the people around her were all his confidants, if they all died at the hands of Emperor Ren De, what would it matter if the late emperor died with regrets?
When the eldest empress was about to speak again and use the late emperor to suppress her, Li Ma hurried forward and said, "Your Highness, things have come to this point. If you say too much, you will be wrong. I can die. Your Highness, you must live well."
Nanny Li signaled to the Empress Dowager not to confront Emperor Ren De head-on since he was so well prepared.
Everything depends on the King of Wei.
However, in the eyes of the Empress Dowager, the son of the King of Wei was too kind and did not show any obvious desire to regain the throne. This was why the Empress Dowager had to take action herself.
Even after so many years since the late emperor's death, she still blames her son.
If Zhao Yu had not easily trusted Emperor Ren De and followed the plan made by the late emperor for the King of Wei, how could the kingdom of Dayin have fallen into the hands of Zhao Zongli?
Sometimes, when the Empress Dowager looked at the situation between her and the King of Wei, hatred would arise in her heart.
He hated the son he had given birth to for putting them in this situation.
He hated his own son for giving up the throne to someone else.
Nanny Li seemed to see what the Empress was thinking. She shook her head and said, "Your Majesty, please listen to me this time, Your Majesty!"
The Empress' eyes were slightly red. She lowered her head and watched Nanny Li slowly kneel in front of her.
"Your Majesty, please listen to me this time. If you lose, you lose." Nanny Li said with a sob.
The Empress Dowager pulled up her sleeves and took a step back, and Nanny Li fell to the ground.
Emperor Rende glanced coldly at the master and servant, and ordered in a cold voice: "Except for Madam Li who is beside the Empress Dowager, all the people in Yanfu Palace will be buried with Shi Yang, the Minister of Personnel. Without my permission, no one is allowed to set foot in Yanfu Palace."
"yes!"
The Empress Dowager stared fiercely at Emperor Ren De who turned around. Thinking of all the things that had happened over the years, she was filled with resentment. Just as she was about to speak, Nanny Li stood up and covered her mouth.
The Empress Dowager struggled and was pulled into the hall by Nanny Li.
*
In just the time it takes to stick up an incense stick, the news that the long-missing Minister of Personnel Shi Yang had died in Yanfu Palace spread throughout the palace.
In Changle Palace.
Eunuch Qian trotted into the hall, and when he saw Concubine Chen having dinner with the Second Prince, his pace slowed down a lot.
Concubine Chen met Eunuch Qian's gaze as he walked in, then she continued to eat her meal leisurely.
Eunuch Qian stepped forward and said to Concubine Chen, "Your Majesty, something happened in Yanfu Palace."
"What's the matter?" asked the Concubine Chen.
At this time, the Second Prince also looked up at Eunuch Qian and asked, "What could have happened in Yanfu Palace?"
Eunuch Qian looked at the thirteen-year-old Second Prince, lowered his eyes and said respectfully, "The long-lost Minister Shi from the Ministry of Personnel is in the Empress Dowager's palace. He passed away not long ago."
The Second Prince's eyes were filled with shock. "Master Shi is actually in Yanfu Palace? No wonder Kaifeng Prefecture and the Prince of Wei couldn't find him. He's been hiding for so long, how come he was suddenly discovered?"
Seeing the Second Prince was so curious about this matter, Concubine Chen put down her silver chopsticks and said, "Your Highness, don't be curious about things you shouldn't be curious about. Your father will handle this matter. You and I will know the result."
Upon hearing this, the Second Prince immediately bowed his head and said, "I understand, Mother. I have overstepped my bounds."
Concubine Chen gently patted the back of the Second Prince's hand and said, "Have you almost finished eating?"
The second prince nodded.
"Hurry up and review what the teacher taught you today. Your father will be checking on you in a few days." The Concubine Chen always had a gentle look and spoke kindly to her son.
The Second Prince stood up and bowed to Consort Chen, "Yes, Mother."
After the Second Prince left the palace, the gentleness on Concubine Chen's face disappeared. She looked up at Eunuch Qian and said, "By now, the news should have spread outside the palace."
"The Empress Dowager and Nanny Li beside her were imprisoned in Yanfu Palace by His Majesty. All other people in Yanfu Palace were buried with Shi Yang. This can be regarded as an explanation from His Majesty to the Shi family." Eunuch Qian said with a slight bow.
Concubine Chen's face was full of smiles: "In this case, Your Majesty has dealt with the Empress Dowager openly this time, and the Empress Dowager will have to swallow this anger even if she can't."
"The next step is for Your Majesty to deal with the King of Wei." Eunuch Qian whispered beside him.
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