Consort Zhu's words were utterly hurtful, but as the emperor, did he have a choice?
Zhu Wen did indeed fight alongside him for nearly twenty years, but he also had an army of 100,000 men, all of whom were veterans of countless battles. If these soldiers were to rebel, how could he, the emperor of the new Tang Dynasty, possibly sit securely in his position?
Moreover, places like Dingnan do indeed need to be guarded, and sending someone like Zhu Wen, who commands a large army, can achieve multiple benefits...
It can both defend the borders and subtly weaken Zhu Wen's power. If the time is right, it can also take back Zhu Wen's power...
However, he didn't expect that Zhu Wen would be even more ruthless than him, directly rebelling and trying to replace him...
“Defending the country is the mission of every soldier. If you rebel just for that, it only shows that you and your father have been blinded by power…”
The Emperor shook his head and sighed, not agreeing with Consort Zhu's words!
"Aren't you in that position? You're already sitting there, you can say whatever you want..."
Consort Zhu said sarcastically!
"This position doesn't belong to me, nor to you. Forget it... you wouldn't understand anyway. Just tell me how many people your Zhu family sent this time..."
The Emperor didn't want to say too much. Power could corrupt a person, but he would never be one. Thinking of this, he couldn't help but glance at the Eastern Palace, as if expecting something...
"Hmph, don't even think about getting a single word from me..."
Consort Zhu said firmly!
"Yang Guifei, how many remnants of your Yang family have come this time?"
"Your Majesty... Your Majesty... I don't know what you're talking about..."
Yang Guifei clearly lacked that kind of assertiveness, so she stammered when she replied…
"Don't you know? Or do you just not want to tell me? The person who sent you out of the palace wasn't so tight-lipped. Don't test my patience..."
Upon hearing the Emperor's words, Consort Zhu's defenses crumbled instantly, and she immediately burst into tears.
"Your Majesty, I am innocent! It was Yang Shihou who threatened and intimidated me, and I had no choice but to cooperate with him..."
"And how did you cooperate?"
The Emperor pressed on with more questions!
"Your Majesty, I was merely following Yang Shihou's instructions to deliver some messages. I know nothing else. Please forgive me..."
Consort Yang knelt there and pleaded!
Bang!
The Emperor slammed his hand on the table, startling even Consort Zhu. Yang Guifei, whose psychological defenses had been breached, was even more terrified and began to kowtow repeatedly, begging for the Emperor's forgiveness.
"Enough! You're still deceiving me at a time like this! You deserve to die..."
The Emperor roared in fury, causing Consort Yang to tremble uncontrollably…
"Your Majesty... everything I said is true..."
Consort Yang, with tears streaming down her face, defended herself!
"It seems Yang Sixu's death has driven you, you vicious woman, to madness, and you want to use the new Tang Dynasty to pay for his death. How can there be such a wicked woman in the world..."
The emperor pointed at Yang Guifei and shouted angrily!
"Your Majesty... Your Majesty's heart is as clear as day and night, please see the truth!"
Yang Guifei cried and wailed, as if to say, "You've wronged me!"
"Hmph! You're still deceiving me even now. Look back and see who that is?"
The Emperor pointed behind the two people and said coldly!
The two instinctively turned around, and the moment they saw who it was, their expressions were quite something. Yang Guifei was so frightened that she collapsed to the ground...
Her eyes were unfocused, and she looked incredulous. Her voice trembled as she pointed at the newcomer.
"Impossible... It's not you... You're dead... How could you still be alive..."
Consort Zhu's eyes were filled with hatred. If her hands hadn't been bound, she would have killed the person in front of her on the spot...
"Granny Sun, please tell me what happened..."
Upon hearing the Emperor's words, Granny Sun immediately knelt on the ground and said...
"Your Majesty, earlier, Consort Yang summoned me, saying that her cousin, Yang Shihou, had taken control of my family and was ordering me to do as she said..."
"You're talking nonsense! When have I ever seen you? I've been confined to Yuan Shu Palace the whole time, how could I possibly have seen you..."
Once she came to her senses, Yang Guifei quickly denied it, saying that although she didn't know why Granny Sun was still alive, there were some things she could never admit, even if it meant death!
"Whether I'm lying or not, you know perfectly well. You threatened me with your family, forcing me to take the little princess to the banquet to see His Highness the Crown Prince. This servant didn't think it was a big deal. The little princess and the Crown Prince have a good relationship, and this old servant knew that the Crown Prince would take good care of the little princess, so I obeyed Consort Yang's orders..."
But no one expected that this wicked woman actually intended to poison the little princess. To cover it up, she even threw the old servant into a well. Fortunately, the old servant was blessed with good fortune and survived, which allowed him to see His Majesty again and expose the wicked woman's vicious deeds…
Granny Sun said excitedly, her eyes filled with resentment as she looked at Consort Yang, clearly showing her extreme hatred for her…
"So it was you who killed my Xian'er, you deserve to die..."
Before the Emperor could speak, Consort Zhu was about to rush forward and kill Consort Yang, but she was stopped by the guards…
"Your Majesty, I am innocent! I was deceived by Yang Shihou! I had no idea they intended to kill the little princess. If I had known, how could I have done such a heinous thing..."
Consort Yang continued to defend herself, hoping to gain the Emperor's forgiveness!
But the thought of the little princess's tragic death made the emperor unable to suppress his anger, and he wished he could tear Consort Zhu to pieces...
"You were deceived by Yang Shihou? If you hadn't cooperated, how could he have fooled you? I've given you chances, but you've disappointed me time and time again. Do you deserve the favor I've shown you?"
The Emperor angrily rebuked him!
"Stop pretending. You want to be a wise ruler, but you are destined not to be one. You usurped the Li Tang dynasty, do you really think your Li is the same as the previous dynasty's Li? If you can sit on this throne, why can't my father?"
Consort Zhu's words were like a thorn piercing the Emperor's heart. He knew, of course, that there were still people in the land who favored the former dynasty, but as long as the new Tang dynasty remained stable, after two or three generations, it could stabilize the people's hearts and truly dominate the Central Plains...
"Absurd! How could someone utter such treasonous words..."
Eunuch Tang immediately stepped forward and reprimanded him!
"Absurd? The most absurd thing is probably this Emperor before us. He probably doesn't even know for sure whether the person he saved back then was his own son..."
Consort Zhu's words caused the Emperor's expression to change drastically. He stood up and stared into Consort Zhu's eyes, trying to find out what else she knew...
"Nonsense..."
Eunuch Tang pointed at Consort Zhu and scolded her, not wanting her to continue...
"It seems Zhu Wen has told you a lot of things..."
After regaining his composure, the Emperor said…
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