Chapter 415 The common people only know Marshal Xiao, not the Emperor.
Last night, things happened suddenly, and Yun Zhaoxue was unable to find out any news about Su Wan'er for Zhao Jiu, but she had spies in the palace.
With so many people and eyes in the palace, even the slightest disturbance would spread throughout the entire palace.
The palace spies learned that Su Wan'er was banished to the cold palace after her miscarriage and was forced to eat leftovers every day, leading a miserable life.
In the past, she was favored by the emperor. Although she did not actively provoke the other concubines, the concubines and maids in the palace would bully the weak and kick her when she was down.
Zhao Jiu was of low status and could not offer any help. He only had a little money left over from doing business with Yun Zhaoxue, which he planned to save for his wedding.
After agonizing for two days, I decided to help Su Wan'er one last time.
After all, she suffered indirectly because of him, and he convinced himself that this was the last time.
Master Liao scolded him for being stupid and brainless, saying that he had finally saved up money to get married, but he still wanted to spend it on someone else.
Su Wan'er is also dim-witted. Someone like her would only be schemed against in the harem, and the outcome would be the same even without Zhao Jiu.
Zhao Jiu's guilt was unnecessary.
They saw people moving things out of the Su residence; they saw valuable pear wood furniture and fine vases.
People around were watching.
He asked around and learned that the Su family had borrowed money from a money lender but couldn't repay it, so they had to sell their belongings to pay off the debt.
Su's father had gray hair and a hunched back, looking like an old man in his sixties or seventies. His daughter had an accident in the palace, and the family business left by their ancestors and the wealth he had worked hard for for most of his life was gone all at once.
He regretted it deeply; he shouldn't have let his daughter marry into the royal family.
In the inner palace, Yun Jiaoyue sent someone to inform Su Wan'er of the Su family's dire situation, which was facing bankruptcy.
"The Imperial Concubine said that the Su family is better off without a daughter like you. You have ruined them. If you don't want the Su family to suffer, you know what to do."
The palace maid took out a white silk ribbon from her sleeve and threw it onto Su Wan'er's thin body.
Zhao Xuan was overjoyed all night after learning of Zhao Rui's death last night.
He was in a good mood the next day and summoned Prime Minister Qin to the Chongzheng Hall for a heart-to-heart talk.
"Minister Qin, with you and Minister Xiao assisting me, one in civil affairs and the other in military affairs, how can the Great Zhou Dynasty be worried about instability or unrest?"
The Prime Minister Qin was deeply moved and bowed deeply, "This old minister will certainly do his utmost to assist Your Majesty. However..."
"Just what?"
"Marshal Xiao defeated the enemy army and successively recovered more than a dozen cities. He also recovered Youzhou, which had been occupied by our Great Zhou for thirty years. This made the enemy army tremble with fear and dare not send troops to invade our territory again. They begged to sign a ceasefire agreement with our Great Zhou. Marshal Xiao's military achievements are outstanding and he commands more than 300,000 troops. Therefore, this old minister dares not compare himself with him."
Every word struck Zhao Xuan's sore spot. Xiao Xuance defied the imperial order and refused to withdraw his troops, instead leading them north to reclaim Youzhou on his own, winning the hearts of the people in the north.
The people there only knew Marshal Xiao, but not the Emperor.
After General Ye died in battle, he took over the Hebei Army, commanding the most capable army of the entire Great Zhou, numbering over 300,000.
If he wants to rebel, his throne will be in jeopardy. He will either have to hand over his military power or... die!
...
No sooner had Prime Minister Qin left than Zhao Xuan had not yet sat down when a young eunuch hurriedly entered.
"Your Majesty, Consort Su has hanged herself... and left you a letter written in blood."
He handed over the suicide note with trembling hands.
Zhao Xuan glanced at it quickly.
[Your Majesty, I have been framed. I have never had any improper relations with another man. Although the Su family are imperial merchants, they have repeatedly donated money to alleviate Your Majesty's worries. My innocence is evident. Now I only beg that my family not be implicated. I am willing to die to prove my innocence. The road to the underworld is cold, and I cannot bear to let my child walk alone. Your Majesty's last words.]
"Is Consort Su dead?"
The eunuch said, "No, he's not dead yet. The roof beam rotted and broke, which is why he didn't die. His neck is all blue. The imperial physician said he would have died if he had come any later."
Zhao Xuan thought of the beautiful memories they had shared, and since he was in a good mood and had some free time today, he decided to go and visit.
He discovered that not long after the palace maids from Consort Yun's palace arrived today, Su Wan'er hanged herself.
The moon shines brightly!
They dared to overstep his bounds and take it upon themselves to force Consort Su to her death.
When Yun Jiaoyue learned that Su Wan'er had not died by hanging, she flew into a rage again, and the palace maids all knelt on the ground.
Zhao Xuan came over, and when Yun Jiaoyue saw him, she waved for the palace servants to leave.
His gloomy expression turned to joy, and he greeted the emperor with a smile, "Your Majesty, what brings you here?"
"Do you want Su Fei dead? She poses no threat to you, so why are you so determined to kill her? When did you become so ruthless?"
"I'm heartless? Didn't you always like me to be heartless? Is it because I've changed or you've changed? You already have a place for her in your heart, which is why you're questioning me for her sake?" Yun Jiaoyue didn't expect him to question her for Su Wan'er, that treacherous woman who betrayed him. Her eyes reddened with anger, but she still couldn't say anything, her words laced with barbs.
Zhao Xuan didn't understand why he was so angry. If it were any other concubine who died, he would just let her die. He wouldn't even bother to look at someone who was of no use to him. But Su Wan'er seemed to be different from others.
But Yun Jiaoyue enlightened him, making him understand his own heart.
He readily admitted, "Yes! I like her and care about her. I'm warning you, if you dare to touch her again, I will strip you of your title of Imperial Concubine."
He had previously thought that Su Wan'er didn't love him and had another man in her heart, which was why he hated her and wanted to torment her.
Seeing her suffer and feeling heartbroken, what else could this be but liking someone?
"Haha, you like her, you care about her, then what am I? I devised plans for you, accompanied you into exile, and endured so much hardship and suffering along the way. We even lost our child. And now you tell me you've fallen in love with another woman, a woman who killed our child—how could you do this to me? You promised to make me empress, you broke your promise, you betrayed me!"
Yun Jiaoyue burst into tears, sobbing uncontrollably. She threw herself at him, scratching and hitting him, crying, "You can't do this to me! You promised to be good to me, to make me your empress! You can't betray me, you can't..."
Zhao Xuan impatiently waved the man away: "Are you insane? How dare you lay a hand on me?"
"Ah!" Yun Jiaoyue was thrown to the ground, feeling as if all the bones in her body were about to shatter, and her heart was about to break.
Zhao Xuan didn't want to see her, so he turned away slightly and said, "Consort Yun is out of her mind. I hereby punish her by confining her to her quarters and making her reflect on her actions. I also revoke her imperial seal. Consort Liu and Consort Zhang will temporarily manage the six palaces."
The eunuch beside Zhao Xuan already knew where Yun Jiaoyue's phoenix seal was, so he went to retrieve it himself without any trouble.
"No, no! The Phoenix Seal is mine, it cannot be taken away! Give me back my Phoenix Seal, give it back to me!"
She lunged forward to snatch it back, but the eunuch sidestepped and blocked her with his arm. She lost her balance and fell again.
Yun Jiaoyue fell again. She didn't have the strength to get up, so she crawled a few steps on her knees, crying out, "That's my Phoenix Seal! I'm a Noble Consort, I should be the Empress! That's my Phoenix Seal! No one is allowed to take it away! No one is allowed to..."
Granny Cao couldn't bear to watch any longer and called two palace maids to help the person up. "Your Highness, please don't do this. It breaks my heart to see you like this."
Yun Jiaoyue laughed and cried at the same time, "Was I ugly just now?"
She actually cried and begged a heartless man on the ground like a dog. She was a reborn person and would not easily admit defeat.
"If I can't touch Su Wan'er, can't I at least touch the Su family? Humph!"
"Send someone to set fire to the Su family's house and burn them all to death. I'll make her suffer terribly, hahaha!!!"
When Granny Cao heard her laughing and crying loudly, she quickly covered her mouth and told a maid to close the door.
"Please, Your Highness, keep your voice down. Be careful, the walls may be overheard."
Yun Jiaoyue's face darkened as she glared at her and said, "Shut up! Do I need you to teach me how to do things? Hurry up and get to work!"
"If this matter is not handled properly, I will not spare you!"
That night, the Su residence caught fire. The huge house burned for almost the entire night, and the houses were almost completely reduced to ashes. Everyone inside was burned to death.
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