Chapter 86 Interrogation (Part Two)
Having obtained Wang Quan's crucial confession, Lou Jin didn't delay any longer and turned to head towards the Cold Palace where Consort Xian was imprisoned.
The virtuous concubine, no, she should now be called the commoner Liu, was dressed in a plain white prison uniform, without any makeup, her hair simply tied up, sitting by the window, staring blankly at the narrow patch of sky outside.
Hearing footsteps, she slowly turned her head and saw Lou Jin and Ye Xunyang. Her once charming eyes instantly flashed with deep-seated resentment.
"What are you doing here?" Her voice was hoarse, filled with undisguised hatred. "Have you come to see me... to laugh at me?"
Lou Jin ignored her emotions and walked straight up to her, his gaze calm and unwavering, as if he were looking at an inanimate object.
This disregard hurt and humiliated her more than any reprimand.
“Liu Shi, Wang Quan is right next door. He said everything he should and shouldn’t have said,” Lou Jin said bluntly, his voice cold.
"Including how he paved the way for you, how he helped you frame the Empress, and how he framed me. Until the very end, he still thought Lou Yi was his son."
"Shut up! Shut up!" She jumped up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, shrieking, "That bitch! He's talking nonsense! He's insane!"
"Whether he's talking nonsense or not, you know in your heart." Lou Jin's tone remained calm, yet it carried a tremendous sense of pressure.
Lou Jin pressed on, throwing out an even sharper question: "You've been covering for Wang Quan at every turn, preventing him from contacting Lou Yi. Are you genuinely afraid of embarrassing Lou Yi, or are you afraid... that if Lou Yi knows too much, it will backfire?"
"Or perhaps you knew from the beginning that Prince An was only using you and your son, and you were afraid that Lou Yi would break free from your control once he learned the truth?"
"No! That's not it!" Madam Liu retorted excitedly, but her voice carried a hint of guilt. "Qin Lang loves me! He promised me that as long as Yi'er ascends the throne..."
"Qin Lang?" Lou Jin caught the intimate address and sneered.
"If he truly loved you, would he let you risk your life alone in the palace to commit such a heinous act? Wake up!"
"In his eyes, you, Wang Quan, and Feng Bao are all just pawns that can be used and discarded at any time! Lou Yi is no different; he's just a tool he uses to fight for the throne!"
"You're talking nonsense! Shut up!" Liu covered her ears, shaking her head frantically, refusing to accept this fact.
She betrayed everything and gave her all for Lou Qin. If even this love was fake, then her life would truly be a complete joke.
"Whether it's nonsense or not, you know better than anyone else." Lou Jin looked at her broken state without a trace of pity in his eyes.
"For a hollow promise, you murdered your mother, poisoned the prince, and turned the entire royal family upside down. In the end, what did you gain? A life of hardship in the cold palace, betrayed and abandoned by everyone, and even the son you cherished became a laughing stock of the world."
These words were like the last straw, completely breaking Liu Ying'er's spirit.
She collapsed to the ground, sobbing uncontrollably. It was no longer the theatrical crying of before, but a cry filled with despair, regret, and the boundless pain of a collapsed faith.
"Why...why did you do this to me...I did it all for him..." she cried incoherently, seemingly losing her mind.
Lou Jin knew he couldn't get any more valuable information from her. Her emotional breakdown was the best testament to her situation.
He stopped looking at her and said to Ye Xunyang, "Let's go."
As I walked out of the cold palace, I heard her voice behind me, sometimes crying and sometimes laughing hysterically, echoing mournfully in the empty palace garden.
Ye Xunyang followed Lou Jin in silence, his feelings complicated. He had witnessed the ugliness of the conspiracy and the tragic end of those who succumbed to desire and illusory emotions.
"Your Highness, it seems that Prince An is the true mastermind behind all this," Ye Xunyang said in a low voice.
Lou Jin gazed at the gloomy sky, his eyes deep and thoughtful: "Hmm. Consort Xian and Wang Quan, one tormented by love, the other driven by profit, are nothing more than puppets and sacrifices of Prince An's ambition. It's time for a thorough reckoning."
A few days later, inside the Hall of Diligent Governance.
Lou Jin presented a thick stack of documents on the imperial desk.
It contains the testimony of Consort Xian's trusted nanny regarding the details of her interactions with Prince An, the confessions of Prince An's confidants and advisors regarding his forming cliques, colluding with foreign powers, and manipulating "Shadow Snake," and even the testimony of the Fifth Prince's advisors.
As for Prince An, he refused to confess and died in prison.
The irrefutable evidence clearly outlined the heinous crimes of Prince An, Lou Qin, and Consort Liu. However, to Lou Jin's surprise, there was not a single word about the Southwest in the evidence.
The emperor carefully reviewed the testimonies, his face calm, but his eyes revealed a cold understanding and decisiveness.
He already knew most of it from the previous reports from the Shadow Guards and Lou Jin. Now, this detailed evidence only made everything more irrefutable.
"Good, good..." The emperor put down the last page, his voice low and weary, but more so with a sense of relief that everything had finally settled.
"With witnesses and physical evidence, there is no room for them to make any more excuses. Jin'er, you handled this matter extremely well, swiftly and decisively eliminating the root of the problem, removing the biggest cancer for our Great Sheng."
He raised his head, his gaze falling on Lou Jin and Ye Xunyang standing side by side. Looking at their increasingly calm and resolute appearance after weathering the storms, a trace of heartfelt relief flashed in his eyes, but then that relief turned into a complex sense of regret.
The emperor remained silent for a moment, his gaze lingering on Lou Jin's face for a long time, as if making a final confirmation, before finally speaking slowly.
"Jin'er, you have made a great contribution in this purge of treacherous officials, and your prestige is even greater than before. As I am getting older, I am also exhausted after this incident."
He paused, then uttered a startling statement, "I favor you for the position of Crown Prince. Are you really... decided? Do you really not want to accept my throne?"
These words came out like a thunderclap from a clear sky!
Ye Xunyang suddenly raised his head, looked at the emperor in disbelief, and then turned sharply to Lou Jin, his heart almost leaping out of his chest!
He never imagined that His Majesty would so directly propose passing the throne to the Prince at this moment!
Lou Jin seemed unsurprised by his father's words.
He remained calm, bowed deeply, and performed a grand salute, his voice clear and firm, without the slightest hesitation.
"I am deeply grateful for your kindness, Father. However, my ambitions lie elsewhere."
He raised his head, his clear and open gaze meeting the emperor's complex eyes, and spoke each word with resounding force:
"This vast empire and the supreme position are indeed tempting. But if the price of ascending to that highest position is the loss of Xunyang, his estrangement from me due to the difference between ruler and subject, and his life confined within the palace walls, cautious and timid... then I would rather not have this throne."
The hall was silent. Only Lou Jin's resolute words echoed softly among the beams and pillars.
Ye Xunyang stared blankly at Lou Jin, listening to his unwavering decision to give up. The shock and panic in his heart were instantly replaced by a bittersweet feeling, which made his eyes well up with tears.
The emperor looked at his most outstanding, yet also most willful, son for a long time before finally letting out a long sigh.
"Enough, enough..." The emperor waved his hand, his expression showing a hint of magnanimity amidst his weariness.
"I've pressured your mother my whole life, and I don't want to pressure you anymore. This dragon throne, once you sit on it, makes you the ruler of the world, but also a lonely figure. Since you've chosen a different path, I... respect your choice."
His gaze shifted to Ye Xunyang, whose eyes were slightly red, and his tone softened considerably: "Xunyang, Jin'er has sacrificed so much for you, you must not betray him."
Ye Xunyang immediately knelt down, his voice choked with emotion yet incredibly firm: "Your Majesty! I swear on my life that I will do everything in my power to protect the Prince and never betray his deep affection!"
The emperor nodded, a relaxed smile finally appearing on his face: "Rise, all of you. It seems I'll have to hold this empire for many more years, but!"
The emperor's sudden voice startled Ye Xunyang, who thought he was going to back out.
"You two must help me train a successor. Jin'er, you also have two younger brothers. As for how to train them, that's your business."
Lou Jin and Ye Xunyang exchanged a smile, agreed, and left the palace.
Seeing that Lou Jin was still unhappy, Ye Xunyang asked, "Your Highness, is there anything else that hasn't been resolved?"
After pondering for a moment, Lou Jin told him in detail, "In Xunyang, the testimonies obtained from the interrogation only mentioned the Northwest and the Shadow Serpent's influence in the capital. However, none of the interrogators knew anything about the Southwest or the source of the poison."
"Moreover, it's really strange that Prince An committed suicide so quickly."
"Then why didn't you tell the Emperor earlier?" Ye Xunyang asked, somewhat puzzled.
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