Chapter 603 Deep Hatred
The old ancestor Qingxuan's face stiffened, his whole body trembled, and he knelt on the ground, shaking uncontrollably.
"Your Majesty, His Highness Prince Ling..."
Emperor Ming frowned, looking at Dao Ancestor Qingxuan with displeasure, and asked, "Dao Ancestor Qingxuan, what wrong have you done? Why don't you just confess yourself, instead of waiting for Prince Ling to expose your past?"
Yuwen Jue was an upright man. Even though Qingxuan Daozu had just made a contribution, he would not forget the bad things he had done.
Ancestor Qingxuan knelt on the ground, tears streaming down his face.
He was filled with remorse and choked up as he said, "Your Majesty, Prince Ling is right. I did do something heinous years ago..."
"One day, I got drunk and encountered a young and beautiful woman at a Taoist temple. In a moment of madness, I defiled her. Later, the woman became pregnant and gave birth to my son..."
He paused for a moment, then quickly added.
"But Your Majesty, rest assured, over the years, I have never mistreated that mother and son, and have even allowed them to enjoy the finest riches and honors..."
"Is this the meager compensation you can offer? But what use is it to that woman? Don't you know whether she's been happy all these years?"
Jiang Ning's expression was icy as he questioned Qingxuan Daozu.
“I’ve met your son. He said his mother was always depressed and even had suicidal thoughts many times. He himself has never been happy either. All of this is your fault!”
Clearly, Ancestor Qingxuan was well aware of this as well.
Upon hearing Jiang Ning's words, he felt ashamed and remorseful, and burst into tears in the main hall.
"Princess Ling, please stop. I truly know I was wrong. For years I've lived in constant fear and regret, but no matter what, I can never go back to that night, nor can I change that woman's fate..."
Inside Guangning Palace, the expressions of the crowd as they looked at Dao Ancestor Qingxuan gradually turned to disdain.
Consort Tan looked at him with disdain and said scornfully, "Your Majesty, I originally thought that Qingxuan was a hermit who would not be tainted by worldly affairs, much less do such a heinous thing! But I never expected that beneath his Taoist robes he would be so disgusting and despicable, so disappointing!"
Princess Lisa, who had been sitting to the side watching the commotion for a long time, also gave a cold laugh.
"Consort Tan is absolutely right. Men who force women against their will should be strictly castrated so that they can never have any more bad thoughts!"
Upon hearing the word "castration," Eunuch Su froze and lowered his eyes.
He was standing right here, so how did he get stabbed?
After Lisa finished speaking, she realized it was inappropriate. She smiled apologetically and looked at Eunuch Su gently.
“Eunuch Su, I spoke frankly and offended you unintentionally. Please don’t take it to heart.”
Eunuch Su gave an awkward smile and said, "What are you saying, Princess? What you say is true. This servant also believes that a real man should not force a woman."
Qingxuan Daozu knelt on the ground, his forehead pressed tightly against the cold floor tiles, his heart filled with panic.
He kowtowed and said, "Your Majesty, I have regretted it all these years, but there is no medicine for regret in this world, and I cannot go back to that day. I beg you to punish me lightly in consideration of my past service..."
The Empress sat coldly beside Emperor Ming, her hands clenched tightly, her eyes filled with venomous rage.
"Your Majesty, this Qingxuan Dao Ancestor is no good either. Why not kill him to avenge that mother and son and give them justice!"
Emperor Ming frowned, his tiger-like eyes glaring fiercely at the Empress.
"Why does the Empress look so pale? Is she grieving over Xuanxu's death?"
The Empress forced a smile and retorted, "Your Majesty is joking. That sorcerer poisoned Your Majesty and tried to harm the royal family! I'm overjoyed at his death, how could I possibly feel sorry for him?"
As she spoke, she looked at Qingxuan Daozu again.
"Your Majesty, I am simply angry because I feel that this Dao Ancestor Qingxuan is all talk and no action, a person who seeks fame and fortune."
In front of so many people, Emperor Ming did not want to expose the Empress's true intentions.
Although Xuanxu is dead, the forces behind the Empress and in the court remain deeply entrenched.
He gave a cold laugh and looked at the Qingxuan Dao Ancestor.
“Qingxuan Dao Ancestor, you have done wrong, but you have also made contributions. However, I cannot forgive you on behalf of that woman.”
"Therefore, I hereby punish you to personally apologize to her and kneel before her door every day to repent until the moment your life ends!"
In this way, the world will know what the Qingxuan Dao Ancestor has done, and whether he will be praised or criticized in the future will be left to the history books and the people to judge.
Qingxuan Daozu originally thought that Emperor Ming's punishment would be more severe, but when he heard that Emperor Ming was only punishing him to kneel because of his merits, he immediately burst into tears.
He respectfully kowtowed to Emperor Ming and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty! When I return, I will sincerely pray for their forgiveness and warn the world to respect women and not to do anything that is against heaven and reason..."
Emperor Ming nodded slightly and ordered someone to escort Dao Ancestor Qingxuan out of the palace.
"Father, today's welcoming banquet was absolutely spectacular! Not only did we capture that evil Taoist Xuanxu, but we also uncovered the dark secrets of Ancestor Qingxuan! Hahaha, what a lively occasion!"
After watching the spectacle, Prince Ning couldn't help but clap his hands and burst into laughter.
Seeing his half-awake, half-drunk state, Emperor Ming frowned and shook his head.
Prince Ning was unconcerned. He looked at Yuwen Jue and Jiang Ning with bright eyes and couldn't help but ask, "Fourth brother, fourth sister-in-law, is this good show under your control?"
Jiang Ning raised an eyebrow, but smiled without saying a word.
Yuwen Jue didn't answer, but only told him, "Third brother, drink less. If you drink all the time, be careful of gout in the future."
Prince Ning said nonchalantly, "What's there to be afraid of? I'm young and strong, in excellent health, and with a divine physician like my fourth sister-in-law by my side, how could I possibly suffer a stroke so easily?"
Hearing Prince Ning's sophistry, Emperor Ming glared at him unhappily.
"Third brother, Prince Ling and Princess Ling are doing this for your own good. As the older brother, you should set a good example for your younger siblings. How can you be so dissolute?"
Sensing the reproach in Emperor Ming's words, Prince Ning coughed lightly, put down his wine cup, and rose to give a bow.
"Your Majesty's teachings are all kept in mind, and I will certainly correct my mistakes in the future."
Emperor Ming then nodded.
He swept his gaze across everyone in the hall and said in a deep voice, "Although the main character is missing from today's welcoming banquet, we cannot let down the delicious food. Let's still drink and chat happily, and make the most of this reunion."
Everyone rose and raised their wine cups to bow to Emperor Ming: "Your Majesty is wise and prosperous. We wish Your Majesty good health and a long and prosperous reign!"
"Your Majesty, I would also like to offer you a toast."
Consort Tan smiled and personally poured Emperor Ming half a cup of fine wine: "Your Majesty is still recuperating, so please drink less."
Seeing that Consort Tan was sensible and considerate, Emperor Ming was delighted and couldn't help but look at her with affection and smile.
The Empress, having been neglected for a long time, looked sullen, both embarrassed and angry.
She glared angrily at Yuwen Jue and Jiang Ning, her eyes filled with murderous intent.
Yuwen Jue and Jiang Ning set a trap, killing Xuanxu on the spot and not even giving her a chance to save her!
She watched Xuanxu die before her eyes, and though she didn't know how heartbroken she was, she had lost a great help...
Now, Emperor Ming is suspicious of her again.
From then on, she was once again all alone in the palace. If she did not avenge this hatred, she would not be able to eat or sleep in peace!
Noticing the Empress's resentful gaze, Jiang Ning raised an eyebrow and gave her a sly smile.
The Empress's fingertips trembled with anger, and the hatred in her eyes intensified!
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