amaotonovel Chapter 374 Turnaround
Chapter 374 Turnaround
The Northern Qi Emperor and the late Emperor had been searching for remnants of the previous dynasty. Now that she had found them, the Northern Qi Emperor not only did not believe her, but also said that she was the culprit who killed the Lin family.
Consort Shu opened her eyes wide and looked at the Emperor of Northern Qi in disbelief, seemingly not expecting him to utter such hurtful words.
"Your Majesty, are you joking with me?"
Consort Shu tried to force a smile and ease the tense atmosphere with a relaxed tone.
But her face was stiff, forcing out an expression that looked worse than crying, and her throat seemed to be choked as she uttered a sentence with difficulty.
“What I said is absolutely true. Jiang Su’s father was the former supervisor of the previous dynasty and was loyal to the former emperor. How could he suddenly pledge allegiance to the new ruler? His family must be remnants of the previous dynasty, lurking by your side, in order to help the orphans of the previous royal family overthrow your dynasty and restore the country in the future.”
Consort Shu became increasingly agitated as she spoke: "The Lin family and the Jiang family have a feud. Besides the Jiang family, who else would wipe out the entire Lin family? It must be Jiang Su who used the power left over from the previous dynasty to kill the Lin family members without anyone knowing."
"Shut up!" The Emperor of Northern Qi's face was ashen. Every word Consort Shu uttered crossed his bottom line, igniting his anger: "Supervisor Jiang can see through the secrets of heaven, and all his actions are in accordance with the will of heaven. You say he is a remnant of the previous dynasty, helping the previous dynasty to restore its kingdom. According to you, I am not the true Son of Heaven?"
Consort Shu was terrified and knelt on the ground with a thud: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty did not mean that..."
"That's not what I meant?" the Northern Qi Emperor said ambiguously. "Tell me, how did the Jiang family become enemies with the Lin family?"
Consort Shu froze, then suddenly realized that the Northern Qi Emperor did not believe her because he knew about the feud between her and Supervisor Jiang, and believed that she had framed Supervisor Jiang.
She panicked and opened her mouth to explain.
The Northern Qi Emperor, however, did not wish to say much to her and directly accused her of the following: "Consort Shu interfered in state affairs, abused her power, harmed loyal ministers, and attempted to alter the fate of the nation, thus bringing disaster upon herself and causing the Lin family to suffer divine retribution. I act in accordance with the will of Heaven, and hereby abolish Consort Shu's title and bestow upon her three feet of white silk."
Consort Shu swayed precariously, finding it hard to believe that the emperor, who had bestowed upon her the highest favor, could turn on her like a ruthless man.
In order to protect Jiang Jianzheng, they actually pinned the Lin family's wrongful case on her and wanted to put her to death.
"Over the years, I have been law-abiding and have never persecuted a single loyal minister or general."
Consort Shu crawled on her knees to the Emperor of Northern Qi and grabbed his sleeve: "If you want me to die, I will not utter a single complaint. But to bear this fabricated crime, I am unwilling."
The Northern Qi emperor, impatient with her sobs, pulled out his sleeve and said, "Imperial Guards, take her away."
The imperial guards stepped forward and restrained Consort Shu.
As Consort Shu was bound, she truly felt the approach of death, and her eyes were filled with fear.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty..." Consort Shu struggled desperately: "When you were still a prince, I stayed by your side and bore you children. Even if I have no merit, I have worked hard."
At this point, she was truly heartbroken: "Do you really not care about our more than twenty years of friendship at all? For the sake of a mere supervisor, you actually want to order my death."
The Northern Qi emperor remained unmoved and did not even glance at her.
Consort Shu stared at the cold and ruthless face of the Northern Qi Emperor, and all the hope in her eyes turned into despair.
This is the Emperor's grace.
With the Emperor's favor upon her, even if she committed heinous crimes, it would only be a minor punishment that was barely noticeable.
With the Emperor's favor gone, a single charge could be used to end her life.
She should have seen through the Northern Qi Emperor's heartlessness long ago. Back then, in order to win Yi Zhen, he risked losing his position as crown prince and secretly released Emperor Jing'an back to the Great Zhou.
Finally?
They still let Yizhen die in the mouths of wild beasts.
Why does she think she'll be an exception?
"Ha ha ha ha……"
Consort Shu laughed, laughed maniacally, and laughed until tears streamed down her face.
Suddenly, Consort Shu saw a figure rushing towards her, her laughter stopped abruptly, and a glimmer of light appeared in her lifeless eyes, bringing them back to life.
"Father—" The Prince Xian, who had rushed over upon hearing the news, knelt on the ground and pleaded, "Mother Consort has been wronged. How could a woman who lives deep in the inner palace interfere in state affairs?"
His forehead touched the ground: "I beg Father Emperor to spare Mother's life, considering how devotedly she has served you all these years."
The Northern Qi emperor glanced at the wise king kneeling at his feet, rubbed his fingers together behind his back, and thought of Jiang Jianzheng's prophecy, which made him re-examine the current situation.
The entire Lin family was wiped out, and he couldn't find the murderer. In order to silence the public, he had no choice but to pin the blame on Consort Shu and make her bear the entire burden.
Because in the past few days, the Imperial Guards have not been able to find the murderer, but they have discovered another matter.
In order to save the Lin family, Consort Shu kidnapped Jiang Jianzheng's son and forced Jiang Jianzheng to defy fate, predicting that the Lin family would be pillars of the country and implying that the Prince Xian had the appearance of an emperor.
Jiang Jianzheng was an upright official who would rather sacrifice his son's life than obey Consort Shu's orders. At the palace banquet, he revealed the true prophecy, which put Jiang Chengfeng's life in danger.
Consort Shu went to such lengths to save the Lin family; in the future, she will undoubtedly resort to any means necessary to secure the position of Crown Prince, even plotting to usurp the throne.
In this way, the prophecy was confirmed.
Therefore, he no longer showed mercy to Consort Shu and conceived the idea of eliminating any future troubles.
However, if we want to eliminate future troubles, we must nip them in the bud.
He worried that if the wise king was not dealt with, the king would be driven to a dead end and might even consider usurping the throne.
After all, he had personally experienced the struggle for the throne and knew very well what the princes were thinking.
In order to prevent a situation where father and son kill each other, he decided to make a decision in advance.
The Northern Qi emperor asked, "For the sake of your birth mother, are you willing to return to your fiefdom? However, you cannot keep personal guards and protectors like other princes; you must hand over all the taxes from your fiefdom to the court."
The wise king was stunned.
"I will assign ten palace maids and ten eunuchs to serve you, and the court will distribute your salary to you monthly as usual. You are not to be summoned back to the capital. If you disobey this decree, you will be punished for treason."
The Northern Qi emperor asked again, "Are you willing?"
This is a disguised form of confinement.
The wise king slowly closed his fingers, finding it difficult to make a decision.
If he agrees, he will become a powerless and idle prince who lives off the government's salary, with his every move under the emperor's surveillance, and he will have no ability to protect himself.
If he doesn't agree, his mother will be put to death.
On a cold winter day, the wise king's forehead was covered in a fine layer of cold sweat.
The light in Consort Shu's eyes vanished instantly: "Don't agree..."
For over twenty years, she schemed and plotted to make her son the crown prince, and her hands were stained with countless lives.
As a result, the elder brother died at the hands of Zhao Yi, and the Lin family was tragically wiped out.
She couldn't accept paying such a high price only to end up with nothing.
She would rather die than let her son give up his chance to become crown prince for her sake.
Even a centipede with a hundred legs doesn't die easily; the Lin family's power still remains. They are temporarily lying low, conserving their strength, so they can still make a comeback in the future.
Once you return to your fiefdom, you'll have nothing left.
Once the new emperor ascends the throne, where will they, mother and son, find a way to survive?
"Heng'er, your mother has committed numerous evils and her crimes are unforgivable. It's not worth your pleading for me." Consort Shu admitted her crimes and said urgently, "Listen to me, don't do anything foolish."
The wise king closed his eyes tightly, his fingertips digging into the ground, fine sand getting stuck under his nails.
"Your son is willing," the Prince said with difficulty. "I beg you, Father, to spare Mother's life."
This is his own mother who gave him life and raised him; he cannot abandon her for life or death.
He said he would protect her.
The Northern Qi emperor gave the virtuous prince a deep look: "It will be done as you wish. You shall set off for your fiefdom tomorrow."
"Your subject obeys." The wise king kowtowed to express his gratitude.
Consort Shu felt as if the sky had fallen over her head, unable to bear this blow: "Why did you agree?"
She wanted to rush over and question the wise king, but she was firmly restrained by the imperial guards and could not take a step forward.
Consort Shu said sternly, "Why don't you listen to me?"
The Prince lowered his head, not daring to face Consort Shu.
The Emperor of Northern Qi looked at Consort Shu, who had completely lost control of her emotions: "Send her to the Cold Palace."
The imperial guards dragged Consort Shu away.
Consort Shu struggled fiercely, her voice hoarse from screaming: "Your Majesty, I have interfered in state affairs, abused my power, and harmed loyal ministers. My crimes are unforgivable. Kill me..."
Only her death will prevent her son's great cause from being hindered.
Unfortunately, she did not get her wish.
The imperial study was getting further and further away from her, and Consort Shu was in despair.
At this moment, the Imperial Guards saw Zhao Yi walking towards them and quickly saluted.
"This humble official greets Your Highness."
"No need to be polite."
When Consort Shu heard Zhao Yi's voice, she suddenly looked up and saw Zhao Yi standing in the twilight glow, as if she had seen a turning point.