readytorunbook Chapter 358 Palace Change 11
Chapter 358 Palace Change 11
The emperor was helped out of the Hall of Mental Cultivation by Wu Xuan.
His face looked several years older in just a few days, and he didn't look very energetic.
Many people thought he fell ill because he was too grief-stricken by the death of Consort Li.
In reality, it was only because of something Shen Lan said back then.
The Shen family's prescription, the so-called secret medicine, could not possibly be a prescription without flaws or side effects.
Otherwise, the Shen family would have used this formula to secure a bright future, or sold the medicine at a high price, and would surely have taken over the position of the Xie family.
However, the Shen family did not do that. Instead, they went into hiding and opened a clinic in an unknown small town.
That prescription was also shelved.
The emperor recalled the imperial physician who had opposed his use of the secret medicine years ago; the physician he had beheaded had said something similar.
But at that time he wanted to live so much, he wanted to live to be a hundred years old, so he chose to take the medicine without hesitation.
Moreover, its medicinal effects are remarkable.
If there are any side effects, it's probably that after a few days of intense energy each month, his body becomes even more exhausted, and he feels somewhat powerless in that area.
In recent years, no concubines in the harem have become pregnant. Besides the emperor's advanced age, it is also because of his physical condition, which makes it impossible for him to favor his concubines.
All that so-called pampering is an illusion.
"What's the fuss about?"
Marquis Pingyang pressed down on Li Ye's shoulder and stepped forward to report: "Your Majesty, Madam Tong led a group of assassins into the palace, instigated the ladies of various households to cause a ruckus in Kunning Palace, and even ordered the assassins to go on a killing spree. She was eventually shot and killed by the Imperial Guards."
The ladies who had come to pay their respects in the palace were all brought here by the Imperial Guards, along with ministers who had rushed over upon hearing the news.
The area outside the Hall of Mental Cultivation was packed with people.
The emperor refused to go any further.
"What does the Tong family mean by this? Summon Tong Xiuqing to the palace and explain yourself."
"Yes." Wu Xuan sent a eunuch to deliver the message.
There was more than one lady from the Tong family today.
The others knew very little about what had happened that day, and knelt outside the hall, their faces pale.
The ladies who were originally on the same side as Madam Tong also began to distance themselves from the matter and shift the blame onto Madam Tong.
Especially Madam Wang, who used to be Madam Tong's best partner, is now the first to turn around and accuse her.
Her leg was broken; it was tripped by someone while she was running away.
"I'm innocent! I really don't know anything. Lady Li said that Her Majesty the Empress has not shown up, perhaps she is being controlled by someone."
She urged me and everyone else to go to Kunning Palace to check on Her Majesty's health and find out what was going on. If Her Majesty is in trouble, we must do our best to help her.
"Outrageous!" Lord Wang slapped her across the face and rebuked, "This is the Imperial Palace! The Emperor is still here, who dares to bully the Empress?"
The Emperor calmly said, "The Empress is seriously ill, and the imperial physicians are doing their best to treat her. She needs to rest, and it is I who am not allowing anyone to enter or leave Kunning Palace."
Lady Wang cried and said, "Your Majesty, spare my life! I was deceived by Li Shi, and I did not conspire with her at all."
Lord Wang was sweating profusely.
The Wang family and the Tong family are related by marriage, and the Wang family has always obeyed the Tong family in the past.
If we can't sever ties today, we'll be dragged into trouble by the Tong family.
He stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty is wise. Minister Tong recently threatened my wife to cooperate with Madam Tong. I did not want to agree, but Minister Tong threatened my wife's life, so I had no choice but to agree."
My wife is foolish, but she loves her daughter dearly. Please forgive her, Your Majesty!
The emperor sat in his chair, observing the ever-changing expressions on the faces of his officials, and inwardly chuckled.
Look, nothing has even happened yet, and some ministers have already defected.
It seems that the Crown Prince's faction is not an impenetrable fortress.
"Ahem... This matter is not urgent. Let's talk about the Crown Prince first."
The ministers all perked up.
If you look closely, you'll see that more than half of the ministers have sweat on their foreheads.
The Crown Prince has been imprisoned in the Imperial Prison for the past few days. Although he lacks nothing, he certainly doesn't live as comfortably as he does in the Crown Prince's residence.
At this moment, he looked like an ordinary young man who had lost his vitality.
"Father..." The Crown Prince collapsed before the Emperor, weeping bitterly.
"You still have the nerve to cry?" the emperor scolded. "I have spoiled you too much over the years, allowing you to grow into such a lawless person!"
"Father, I have been wronged! I did not kill anyone, it was..."
"Shut up!" The emperor didn't allow him to explain.
He witnessed that scene with his own eyes.
If he dares to kill his daughter in the harem now, he'll dare to kill him in the palace later.
If the Tong family dared to lead assassins into the palace and storm Kunning Palace today, they will dare to lead a large army to attack the imperial city tomorrow.
If these traitors are not wiped out today, he fears he will not live to see tomorrow.
"My eyes are not blind. I have seen everything you have done. You have disappointed me greatly!"
Upon hearing this, the crown prince stopped crying abruptly, and his expression turned fierce.
He chuckled self-deprecatingly, "Father, are you going to sentence me to death without even giving me a chance to explain?"
"The prince is subject to the same law as the commoner."
"It seems that Father is determined to depose the Crown Prince, so I have nothing more to say."
A minister stood up to support the Crown Prince: "Your Majesty, you mustn't do that! The Crown Prince is related to the fate of the country. Even if an ordinary person commits murder, the government must investigate before making a judgment, let alone the Crown Prince?"
The emperor asked coldly, "Are you saying that what I saw with my own eyes cannot be used as evidence? That Consort Lin died in vain?"
Moreover, doesn't the Crown Prince know how Consort Li died?
The crown prince was stunned.
He pointed to himself, utterly bewildered, and asked, "What does Consort Li's death have to do with me?"
He still can't figure out what happened that day.
I just went out for a short while and took a walk in the Imperial Garden, but I don't know when I fell asleep.
When he woke up, he saw himself holding a dagger and embracing Lin Jieyu, with the dagger piercing through Lin Jieyu's chest.
"Why doesn't Father believe me? Someone set me up. What you saw was a play directed and acted by Consort Lin herself."
"She risked her life for a charade? Do you think I'm a fool?"
Not only did the emperor not believe this, but many officials present also did not believe it.
Consort Lin was a favored concubine with a bright future. Why would she give up her position as a favored concubine to commit suicide and frame the Crown Prince? What was she after?
Tong Xiuqing arrived, and not only him, but several of the Tong family members who were officials in the court were also present.
Tong Shanzhang also wanted to enter the palace, but without an imperial summons and without any official position, he was stopped at the palace gates.
This kind of thing would never normally happen.
Upon seeing the Emperor, Tong Xiuqing immediately exclaimed, "Your Majesty, I know why Consort Lin would risk her life to frame His Highness the Crown Prince. It's because she was born in Guli Town, and she's in cahoots with Shen Lan! They've come for revenge!"
The case in Guli Town is still fresh in people's minds, and the giant painting is still vivid in their memories. It is said that it is now hanging on the wall of the main hall.
If Lin Jieyu is truly an orphan from Guli Town, then it's really hard to say what's going on in this case.