Chapter 778 Clash - Provocation
He knew he couldn't persuade Gu Renjie, so he could only sigh in the end.
"Alright! If there's anything I can help with, just let the Prince's Mansion know."
The emperor was determined to pass the throne to Gu Renjie, so even if Lu Hexuan wanted to help Lu Tianhua ascend the throne, it would be in vain.
Before Gu Renjie could react, Lu Hexuan had already turned and left.
The next morning, news spread throughout the capital: Marquis Yongshou, Lu Tianhua, had died in a brothel.
Immediately, comments flooded in, and the news spread like wildfire.
Some say that Lu Tianhua visited several prostitutes in one night, and died on top of them while disheveled due to excessive indulgence; others say that Lu Tianhua was of bad character and was poisoned to death because he offended someone.
As for the real reason, the people don't care.
The emperor was already on the verge of death, and upon learning that Lu Tianhua was also dead, he immediately vomited blood.
"Summon the Minister of Justice and the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review!"
Before the emperor could even wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth, he gave an order to the eunuch beside him.
Seeing the emperor's appearance, the eunuch dared not delay and quickly summoned someone to find the two ministers.
Then, under the emperor's orders, the two immediately took over the case and rushed to the scene of the murder.
Because it involved members of the royal family, the entire brothel had been sealed off by the government, but Lu Tianhua's body remained untouched in the room.
When the two ministers entered, they saw Lu Tianhua completely naked. His eyes were wide open, and his skin color was normal. Rather than saying he died from poisoning, it would be more accurate to say he died from excessive indulgence.
After examining Lu Tianhua's body and reaching their own conclusions, the two had the body restored to its proper state and sent back to the Yongshou Marquis's residence.
The expression on the Fourth Prince's face after hearing this was quite telling.
Deep down, he was happy about this, but the thought that Yun Yichen had tricked him again made him unhappy.
"Ruojun, prepare for our trip to the palace this afternoon."
The Fourth Prince directly instructed Sun Ruoyun.
Previously, fearing that Sun Ruoyun would be gossiped about, she only stayed in her own courtyard when she came to the Fourth Prince's study.
Today, the Fourth Prince took the initiative to bring her into the palace. Sun Ruoyun knew that the Fourth Prince had probably reached his limit.
Sun Ruoyun readily agreed, glanced at the Fourth Prince, and then silently withdrew.
Upon learning of this, the Empress in the inner palace fell ill on the spot.
Consort Sun, who had also lost her son, went to the Empress's palace immediately. Seeing the Empress's haggard face, Consort Sun showed her concern.
The Empress had no intention of placating Consort Sun. After the necessary formalities were completed, she was about to let Consort Sun leave.
Unexpectedly, Consort Sun spoke first, saying in a sarcastic tone, "When the Sun family and Yuan Bin had their troubles before, I felt there was something fishy about it. Now that even the Marquis of Yongshou has run into trouble, it seems that apart from the Third Prince, Your Majesty's only son left is the Fourth Prince."
Consort Sun was not unaware that the Emperor had found the Second Prince, but what good was it? Of all the officials and civil servants, only the Fourth Prince remained.
Consort Sun looked pained, and at first glance, she looked just like a heartbroken mother, saying these words unintentionally.
The Empress, who was still grieving the loss of her son, perked up instantly upon hearing these words.
"Does the Imperial Concubine mean that the Fourth Prince did all of this?"
In order to ascend the throne, he eliminated all those who were against him. Wasn't this something the fourth prince had done before?
"Otherwise, Your Majesty, who do you think it is?" Consort Sun neither confirmed nor denied, but muttered to herself, "Yesterday, I heard that after the court session, Prince Xian met with His Majesty, intending to persuade His Majesty to restore the status of the eldest prince, Marquis Yongshou."
The Empress also heard about this matter, and heard that the Emperor ultimately did not agree, which made the Empress quite resentful towards the Emperor.
However, she never expected that her son would be regarded as an enemy so soon, and that someone would not even wait a few more days and take her Hua'er's life last night.
The empress thought of her dead son and once again covered her face and wept bitterly.
"Your Majesty, please don't cry yourself sick, or you'll really be doing those people a favor!"
Consort Sun hurriedly comforted her, but inwardly she felt extremely pleased.
So what if she's the empress? Even if she's the mother of the nation, if her son dies, can't she still mourn in the name of her mother?
Consort Sun felt immense resentment at the thought that she had never seen her son before his death, and that he could not even be buried in the imperial mausoleum after his death.
It's all because of these people, these heartless and selfish people, who, for the sake of the damn opinions of the world, have forced her, as a mother, to suffer in this deep palace.
Now that there's an empress, how could Consort Sun not be happy?
The Empress wiped away her tears and looked at Consort Sun, asking, "What is that woman doing?"
The woman the Empress was referring to was Consort Liu. Now that their sons were all dead, only her biological son and adopted son were still alive and well. A surge of overwhelming hatred suddenly welled up in her heart.
Although she knew that Consort Liu, residing deep within the palace, might not be aware of the Fourth Prince's plans, it was the Liu family who enabled the Fourth Prince to overcome his disability and gain the ability to stand firm in the court.
Ultimately, all these sins were caused by Consort Liu.
Consort Sun blinked, somewhat puzzled, and replied, "Consort Liu is naturally in her bedchamber. Why did Your Majesty suddenly ask about Consort Liu?"
Consort Sun's feigned ignorance was perfectly timed; the Empress glanced at her and immediately lay back down.
"Send an order to all the palaces, saying that I am deeply saddened by the death of Marquis Yongshou, and that they should all come and fast and pray with me."
Although the Empress, as the head of the harem, could not personally visit the Marquis of Yongshou's residence, she could still pray for his well-being from within the palace.
Upon hearing this, the palace maid immediately withdrew to relay the order. Consort Sun looked at the Empress with a puzzled expression, hesitant to speak, but inwardly she was overjoyed.
She had been trying all sorts of ways to vent her anger these past few days, and now the Empress had given her such a good opportunity.
"What? Does the Imperial Concubine have something to say?"
Although the Empress still looked tired, it was clear that she had regained some fighting spirit.
Consort Sun shook her head. "The Marquis of Yongshou is, after all, His Majesty's eldest son. I doubt the concubines would say much when they pray for his well-being."
The Empress glanced at Consort Sun and was pleased to see her looking so meek and submissive.
"Don't worry! You've had a tough time these past few days. I'll take extra care of you during the blessing ceremony later."
The Empress meant that Consort Sun would not be included in the torture of those people, and Consort Sun naturally thanked her hastily.
Before lunch was over, all the concubines of the six palaces went to the Empress's palace. However, because the Empress's palace was not large enough to accommodate so many people, those who could be there were all concubines who were influential in the palace and had been favored by the Emperor.
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