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Chapter 391 A Tragic Ending

"Hahaha! Wen Mingqian, you don't need to stand there sanctimoniously criticizing me. You're not worthy! What? Gong Chang'an isn't your biological son, is he? He's Shen Fu's bastard, isn't he?" The Empress's eyes seemed to be blood red as she glared fiercely at Wen Mingqian.

"Didn't you already guess? Otherwise, why would you have Yu Lu poison him?" Wen Mingqian's voice was cold.

"Hahaha! Hahaha!" The Empress laughed wildly. "You switched your own child with Shen Fu's! How heartless you are! Even tigers don't eat their cubs, yet you threw away your own son. Do you even deserve to be called a human being? That child died in the chaos of war; he was so young, yet he became a scapegoat. Wen Mingqian, your heart is a thousand times more ruthless than mine! Don't you feel sorry for that child? In all these years, haven't you ever dreamt of him? You avenged Shen Fu, yet you blame that child's death on you! You, his own mother, killed him! You deserve to die a hundred times!"

The Empress laughed triumphantly, hurling every vicious word at Wen Mingqian. She wanted Wen Mingqian to suffer, to live forever in regret; she would never let him get away with it!
“My child was indeed pitiful. He was abandoned by his father first, and then by his mother. He was born more than a month premature and had severe deficiencies, making it difficult for him to grow up.”

I can't say I was kind to him, but at that time, both Sister Shen and I were driven to the brink of despair, and I had to fight for a chance of survival for both of us, like a gecko shedding its tail.

Otherwise, even if I save my frail biological son, I will have to watch your Dong family corrupt the nation and bring chaos to the country.

I have, after all, studied the classics, and although I am a woman, I know that one cannot have both fish and bear's paw, and that one must sacrifice oneself for righteousness.

Wen Mingqian paused here, then took two more steps forward, getting closer to the Empress.

"How is it? I've raised the prince very well, haven't I? He's strong, handsome, and exceptionally intelligent. Haven't you said to me countless times that you wish he were your son?"

"Sister Shen's injustice will soon be revealed to the world. Her son will be made crown prince, and she will be honored as empress." Wen Mingqian's eyes were as black as ink, unfathomable. "Of course, if you had been fair and just, without jealousy or malice, based on your marital bond with His Majesty and your father's merits, you would have remained empress forever. The children born to the concubines in this harem would all call you 'Mother Empress.' But look at how many children you have harmed! A person like you is not worthy to accuse me of being ruthless or not. Haven't the children you killed appeared in your dreams? Are you unable to sleep because you've done too many wicked things?"

"Your Majesty! I want to see Your Majesty! You lowly servant have no right to speak to me!" the Empress roared. "Get out of here!"

Wen Mingqian's words clearly stung the Empress.

She has indeed harmed too many children; even her own son, Ying Tan, was accidentally injured when she was plotting against another prince.

She dared not tell anyone about this, and the only person who knew about it was the master of Yu Lu, the chief eunuch who used to serve him.

After the crown prince died, he followed him to the afterlife, taking this secret with him to his coffin.

From then on, the Queen suffered from severe insomnia, but even brief periods of sleep caused her to have nightmares.

“You are no longer qualified to speak to the Emperor. He has ordered me to come and deliver his decree to you. Before delivering the decree, I will still address you as Empress. But once the decree is read, you will no longer be Empress.” Wen Mingqian looked at her and said, word by word, “Do you want to say a few more words to me, or do you want the decree read directly?”

As expected, fear appeared in the Empress's eyes after she finished speaking.

Then, feigning remorse, she said, "It is clearly you who are preventing His Majesty from seeing me! I have been married to His Majesty for over twenty years, and my Dong family has rendered great service. His Majesty has always been kind and benevolent, and he would not bear to punish me severely."

"His Majesty is indeed benevolent, but your sins have gone too far," Wen Mingqian said. "Your Dong family, relying on your past merits, have become arrogant and domineering, oppressing the people, forming cliques, and corrupting the court. Do you know? In just a few days, the court has received tens of thousands of cases against your Dong family. Dong Shou's corpse was dragged out by the Prince of Chu and mutilated, and afterwards, how many people went to cut off his flesh and smash his bones?"
Your Dong family has incurred the wrath of the people and is hated by everyone, yet you still want to use your achievements to bully those above you—what wishful thinking! Let me tell you, your Dong family will be forever infamous in history!

"Shut up! I won't allow you to talk nonsense! I won't allow you to slander my father!" The Empress was furious and lunged at Wen Mingqian to fight, but was stopped by the crowd.

She gritted her teeth, her face contorted in rage, and screamed wildly, "Ying Wuji! Ying Wuji! You heartless man! Do you still remember the promise you made to me under the pear tree?! You've deceived me so cruelly!"

The Empress still doesn't think she was wrong; she believes she is completely devoted to the Emperor. Her only reason for harming others was to gain his love exclusively.

Besides, when has she ever truly been happy? The torment she has suffered over the years has turned her into something neither human nor ghost.

"My lord, Madam Dong has gone mad and is talking nonsense. Let's quickly read out the imperial edict!" Zhao Changming said to Wen Mingqian.

Wen Mingqian nodded and said nothing more; she had said all she needed to say.

Zhao Changming opened the imperial edict, but Dong refused to kneel, so several eunuchs forced her to kneel down.

"Empress Dong is vicious and has repeatedly plotted to harm imperial descendants and young children of the clan, unworthy of being the mother of the nation. She has interfered in state affairs and colluded with traitorous officials; her heart is utterly despicable. Now, the evidence is irrefutable. Her title of Empress is hereby stripped, her imperial seal and edicts are revoked, and she is demoted to a criminal."

If he still has any sense of shame, he should atone for his sins by committing suicide. If he remains obstinate, then the messenger should execute him immediately without delay!

After Zhao Changming finished reading the imperial edict, Dong Shi had already reached the ground.

"Dong, did you hear the imperial edict I just read clearly? Here is poisoned wine and white silk; choose one!"

As Zhao Changming spoke, a eunuch brought over a tray with a bottle of arsenic and several feet of white silk on it.

At first, Dong stared blankly, then burst into a cold laugh, which grew louder and louder until it became manic.

"I am the Empress! How dare you forge an imperial edict! You are the ones plotting a rebellion! You are all traitors, demons and monsters! Your Majesty! I want to see Your Majesty! He won't kill me! He won't take my throne!"

"Guards! Pour the poison down her throat!" Zhao Changming said coldly. He felt there was no point in wasting any more words with Madam Dong. What was the point of watching her act crazy and throw a tantrum?

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Lady Dong was stripped of her empress's robes by a group of people, leaving her only in an undergarment.

Seven or eight eunuchs worked together, some holding down hands, others pulling hair, and forced the bottle of poison down the throat.