Chapter 258 Fire

Jun Zechen spent the entire day yesterday in a daze, like a walking corpse.

He stayed with the empress in Kunning Palace for a whole day, and his eyes never left her peaceful face.

Even at night, he was too stubborn to leave and just sat quietly by the bed, as if time had stopped.

Anshun entered the sleeping hall of Kunning Palace in the morning, preparing to wake up the emperor for the morning court session.

As he stepped into the palace, he looked up and found that the emperor had already changed into court robes. His expression was like ice that had not melted for a thousand years, so cold that it made people shiver.

An Shun's heart shuddered and he immediately lowered his head, not daring to meet His Majesty's gaze. At this moment, he even tried to breathe as lightly as possible, just wanting to do his best to reduce his presence.

Jun Zechen seemed not to notice, and just glanced at her very slowly as she lay sleeping motionless on the bed, his eyes full of nostalgia and pain.

Then he turned around resolutely and left Kunning Palace.

Tai Chi Hall.

Before His Majesty arrived, the court was already in turmoil, with ministers communicating animatedly and the atmosphere extremely intense.

However, Minister Su just stood there in a daze, as if he had lost his soul.

He heard the news of the Queen's death yesterday, and he still hasn't recovered from the shock.

He just couldn't believe that his daughter had suddenly passed away right after giving birth to her eldest son?

Is it true that Your Majesty has been using the Su family all along?

These questions kept circling in his mind.

But the news that came out of the palace yesterday made everyone drop their jaws in shock.

His Majesty actually issued an oral decree that if the real murderer of the Queen was not found within seven days, all the concubines in the harem would be buried with the Queen.

These included Concubine De, who was pregnant with the emperor's heir, and Tang Ronghua.

Not to mention other court officials, even Su Hongyu, who was used to seeing many storms, was so shocked that he was speechless for a long time.

At this time, the ministers in the hall were also arguing with each other because of the words of His Majesty yesterday.

Among them, Zuo Shiyi said loudly with righteous indignation: "The Empress has passed away. We ministers can understand that Your Majesty is grieving, but how can Your Majesty issue an edict to let the concubines in the harem be buried with the Empress!"

Although this Zuo Shiyi held a low official rank of only the eighth grade, as a censor he was responsible for other matters besides making remonstrances, and was also an official position with some real power.

When Su Hongyu heard what Zuo Shiyu said, he couldn't help but sneer in his heart.

The daughter of Zuo Jianyi Grand Doctor is also a concubine in the harem, but he himself did not stand up to speak, but instead allowed a little Shiyi to criticize Your Majesty here passionately.

Lord Li, the highest-ranking censor, also had a frown on his face at this moment, and was extremely dissatisfied with Your Majesty's behavior.

"After all, Concubine De and Tang Ronghua are pregnant. Your Majesty's action is indeed inappropriate." Lord Li's voice was steady and powerful.

When Zuo Shiyu saw that Lord Li was also standing on his side, he suddenly felt like he had a backer. His back straightened up a lot, and his originally trembling voice became firm.

Seeing this, several officials also began to agree.

At this time, General Ye, like Su Hongyu, stood there silently without saying a word.

He knew very well about the Queen's death, and it was he who instructed his daughter to do it.

As expected of his daughter, she does things flawlessly.

He didn't believe that His Majesty would really ignore the opinions of the court officials and kill people for the Empress. The Grand Commander lowered his head, with the corners of his mouth slightly raised, revealing an imperceptible smug smile.

Suddenly, An Shun's sharp voice rang out in the Taiji Hall.

"Your Majesty has arrived—"

The ministers who were originally discussing fell silent in an instant, stood in their seats in unison, and knelt respectfully to pay their respects.

"Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you. Long live Your Majesty."

Their voices were loud and resounding in the temple.

Jun Zechen walked up to the platform with big strides and a majestic aura, his posture upright, like a towering mountain.

He was dressed in a black and gold dragon robe with golden embroidery that shone brightly. He wore a crown on his head with a long pearl curtain swaying slightly, covering most of his frosty face and a pair of deep and sharp eyes.

"My dear ministers, please stand up."

An Shun followed the procedure in an orderly manner, "If you have something to report, please report it. If not, please leave the court——"

Zuo Shiyi felt more confident because of the heated discussion he had just had with other ministers. He took a deep breath and stood up resolutely.

"I have something to report."

"Your Majesty, I heard that the Empress has passed away and her body has not yet been laid to rest. You have just ascended the throne, so you should bury her body in the imperial mausoleum as soon as possible."

Zuo Shixu observed His Majesty's expression.

"I have my own arrangements for this matter. You don't need to say more, my dear." Jun Zechen's voice was cold and left no room for doubt.

Zuo Shiyi first mentioned such a trivial matter, but the emperor still did his own thing. He felt very conflicted and didn't know whether he should continue to advise him.

At this time, the Right Counselor also stepped forward.

"Your Majesty, the Empress has passed away. We are deeply saddened. However, I heard that Your Majesty wants the concubines to be buried with the Empress. I wonder if this is true."

“It is true.”

Jun Zechen's answer was brief and crisp, without any change in his expression.

Seeing that His Majesty was unmoved, the Right Counselor was furious and immediately knelt down, knocking his forehead heavily on the ground.

"Your Majesty, I earnestly ask you to reconsider. The late emperor implemented benevolent policies, and Your Majesty has just ascended the throne. You must not commit murder!" His voice was filled with pleading.

At this time, Grand Admiral Ye also knelt down slowly, his expression solemn: "Your Majesty, please think twice."

When the officials of the Ye family saw that General Ye had expressed his attitude, they also began to kneel down and shouted in unison: "Your Majesty, please think twice."

The sound was deafening.

Most of the two-thirds of the ministers standing in the court now are those who follow the Su family and stand firmly on the side of Your Majesty.

Even though some of them felt that His Majesty's action was inappropriate, the court had always been clearly divided into factions. If they followed General Ye and knelt down at this moment, they would not be able to explain themselves.

They stood there with complicated expressions, some with frowns, some sighing slightly, but none of them dared to move easily.

"My oral order is that if the real murderer of the empress cannot be found within seven days, the concubines in the harem will be buried with her."

"You guys kneeling here, do you think I will never find out?"

Jun Zechen's eyes were sharp as he scanned the kneeling ministers.

"If I can't find the real murderer, can I assume that since someone in the harem can kill the queen, then someone can kill me."

"For my safety, I would rather kill someone by mistake than condone him. Are you the ones who are against me trying to put me in danger?"

His eyes were as sharp as torches, and every word he said made it impossible for the court officials to refute.

If people were killed for the emperor's safety, no matter how many people were killed, no one could question it.

The kneeling ministers looked at each other, speechless.

"This....."

No one dared to say another word.

Seeing that everyone else was silent, Zuo Shiyu gritted his teeth and spoke again.

"Your Majesty, two of the concubines are pregnant with the royal heir. If they are killed..."

"Why is Zuo Shiyi so sure that I can't find the real murderer? Or does Zuo Shiyi have any evidence to prove that the two pregnant concubines are not the real murderers who killed the queen?"

Jun Zechen stared at Zuo Shiyi intently, his cold gaze seemed to fall on Zuo Shiyi's body.

"Your Majesty, please forgive me. I am only thinking about your heir."

Zuo Shiyi was so frightened that his face turned pale, and then he kowtowed heavily to the ground.

But Jun Zechen had no place to vent the rage in his heart since yesterday. At this moment, Zuo Shiyi bumped into him, and he gave the order without thinking.

"Zuo Shiyi, you are committing treason and speaking wildly. Drag him down and execute him."

This Zuo Shiyi is a man of General Ye. Jun Zechen only discovered this when he was about to deal with the Ye family in his previous life. He didn't expect that he had already defected to the Ye family so early and had been pretending to be neutral.

ridiculous.

Commander-in-Chief Ye's kneeling body trembled suddenly. He raised his head to plead for mercy, but when he met the emperor's icy eyes, he lowered his head instantly.

Your Majesty knows that Zuo Shiyi is his man?

No, the Ye family must not be exposed at this stage. It seems that I have to find a scapegoat for my daughter.

A hint of viciousness flashed across Commander Ye's eyes, and his hands clenched unconsciously.

Zuo Shiyu, who was being dragged away, struggled in despair. He never expected that His Majesty would be so ruthless. When the late emperor was alive, he was a benevolent monarch. His Majesty had just ascended the throne, and he actually killed the censor.

Will anyone dare to speak the truth in the court from now on? !

But now none of the ministers dared to speak up to plead for him. All of them hung their heads, not daring to make a sound.

"Your Majesty, please spare my life. Your Majesty, please spare my life. I am only making a suggestion."

Zuo Shiyi shouted at the top of his lungs, his voice full of fear and despair. He struggled hard, trying to break free from the guards' dragging, but it was in vain.

Jun Zechen seemed not to hear it, his face showed no fluctuation, and he still sat on the dragon chair indifferently.

Zuo Shiyi was dragged away like this, and his voice begging for mercy gradually faded away until it disappeared outside the court.

The other ministers kneeling on the ground were shaking with fear at this moment; the difference between the new emperor and the previous one was too great.

The new emperor started a killing spree as soon as he ascended the throne, which is simply the style of a "tyrant".

But they dared not even breathe a word, let alone say another word.

Haven't you seen that among the generals in the court, except for those of the Grand Commander, no one dares to advise Your Majesty?

Your Majesty's military power is not to be underestimated.

Now that Zuo Shiyi has been executed, how dare they dare to touch your Majesty's favor at this time.

After that, the ministers behaved themselves and only discussed court affairs with trepidation.

After Jun Zechen left the court, he reviewed memorials in Yu's study as usual, but he could not read the words on the memorials.

The warm scene of him holding her in his arms while reviewing memorials together in the East Palace kept appearing in his mind, and his heart ached so much that he could hardly breathe.

Suddenly, An Shun walked in hurriedly, causing a flurry of panic.

"Your Majesty, it's bad, Kunning Palace is on fire!"

An Shun's voice was shrill with fear.

He couldn't even imagine how furious His Majesty would be when he heard such news. When the Emperor is angry, there will be millions of floating corpses. This is no joke. Who on earth hates the Empress so much and is so bold!

"What did you say!"

Jun Zechen stood up suddenly and threw the memorial in his hand to the ground.

He immediately turned around and ran towards Kunning Palace with rapid strides.

An Shun trotted all the way, following closely behind His Majesty, and breathlessly told him the whole story.

"Your Majesty, I originally asked the experienced Dali Temple Minister to handle the Queen's case, because the palace maid who poisoned the Queen had disposed of all the poisons, and the Dali Temple Minister could only investigate the case through an autopsy."

An Shun ran and spoke quickly.

"Not long after the news reached Kunning Palace, the Empress' bedroom caught fire."

"I guess someone wants to destroy the queen's body, not allow the Dali Temple to perform an autopsy, and not want Your Majesty to find out the truth."

The more Jun Zechen listened, the angrier he became, and veins popped up on his forehead.

In his palace, a thief was allowed to set fire so wantonly in the harem.

When Jun Zechen arrived at Kunning Palace, the fire in the bedroom had not yet been completely extinguished. The fire was devouring everything wantonly, and thick smoke was billowing into the sky.

Jun Zechen stared blankly at the fire spreading, his heart instantly feeling cold and empty, as if the whole world had collapsed at this moment.

He couldn't even keep her body!

All the palace people were busy and nervously putting out the fire. Buckets of water were quickly poured onto the flames, and shouts and footsteps were intertwined.

After a full half hour, the fire was finally extinguished. Jun Zechen, who had been steady, was now shaking. He walked into the bedroom, and it was completely unrecognizable.

The woman lying on the bed was now just a charred body.

"Except for the Empress's personal maid and Nanny Lin, all other palace servants in Kunning Palace were executed."

Nanny Lin, who was following behind His Majesty, suppressed her grief and tried to maintain a bit of rationality.

Her eyes were red and swollen, and her body was shaking slightly.

"Your Majesty, before the Queen died, she said that she did not want Your Majesty to commit murder and wanted to pray for the eldest prince."

Nanny Lin's voice was trembling, and she seemed to use up all her strength to utter each word as she knelt on the ground.

"It's not a pity that the maids of Kunning Palace died, but the Empress must have only wanted the person who killed her to pay for her life. Today, the people from the Dali Temple were about to come over to perform an autopsy, but the person behind it hastily destroyed the Empress's body. I beg Your Majesty to find out the real culprit and avenge the Empress as soon as possible!"

Nanny Lin kowtowed continuously as she spoke.

"The people in Kunning Palace are all those who served the queen in the past. If innocent people die because of the queen, the queen will surely not be able to rest in peace after her death. I beg Your Majesty to consider the queen."

Nanny Lin burst into tears.

There might really be traitors in Kunning Palace, but there were also loyal people whom she had carefully cultivated for the Empress and the First Prince.

Now that the queen has passed away, she must retain manpower for the eldest prince, so the only people she can kill are her enemies!

Jun Zechen clenched his fists tightly, recalling the last few words she said yesterday.

Maybe she knew that he would lose control and kill people, so she told him not to vent his anger on innocent people. But Jun Zechen now just wants to bathe the entire palace in blood and clean up all the filth in the palace with blood!