Ask the Nine Ministers

Chapter 155 Unjustly Accused
Inside the Broken Jade Palace, Concubine Xiao sat on the couch with a sullen face.

"Prince, do you want to use this case to wipe out the root of the problem? Dream on!"

She spoke through gritted teeth, pinching the quilt into wrinkles, her face still full of anger and her eyes were red.

"If he dares to touch my brother, I will definitely make him lose his reputation and dethrone him from his position, so that he will never be able to turn things around..."

Nanny Deng brought the tea, very carefully and in a very low voice, for fear that someone might eavesdrop.

"My Lady, the Grand Princess has sent a message, advising you not to be impulsive and to put the overall situation first..."

"Grandmother is really old and confused!" Concubine Xiao said coldly: "You keep saying that you want to consider the overall situation, and you say it's for the Xiao family, but in fact it's for the face of the royal family..."

Matron Deng sighed softly, "The Grand Princess is also thinking about the Xiao family. His Majesty always has the Queen and Princess Pingle in his heart, and will definitely not harm the Queen and the princess. But if the Xiao family offends the majesty of the emperor, the whole family will be guilty..."

Concubine Xiao was silent for a long time. No one knew what she was thinking about. Suddenly, she raised her head and looked at Madam Deng with sharp eyes.

"Go and report to His Majesty—"

She stood up slowly, with a look of determination.

"I will say that I knelt down under the sun to confess my crime, and suddenly I had a heart attack and wanted to see Your Majesty... for the last time."

Scorching sun.

The sun shone unobstructed, making the ground scorching hot.

Concubine Xiao knelt in the scorching hot courtyard with her long hair loose, wearing a plain white middle-length dress and a thin back, looking helpless and desolate...

When Emperor Chong Zhao pushed the door open and walked in, what he saw was her thin figure lying on the ground in a mess, with her long hair hanging in the wind, like a pool of lifeless mud...

"Lingrong!" Emperor Chongzhao shouted, rushed forward with big strides, gently picked up Concubine Xiao, and walked quickly into the hall.

In just a short period of time, she lost a lot of weight and her body became surprisingly light...

Emperor Chong Zhao carefully placed her on the bed and let her lie flat. His palm accidentally touched the sachet beside the pillow, and he picked it up and took a look -

The sachet is very old.

It also contained the acacia beans he had given her when she was in the mansion.

Twenty-eight years have passed in the blink of an eye...

The silk thread had faded, and her face looked even paler against it.

Emperor Chongzhao was slightly moved and held her hand.

"Ling Rong..."

This was the first time Emperor Chongzhao had come here since he had moved her to the palace.

The furnishings in the Suiyu Palace were simple, but the surroundings were kept clean and the room was spotless. It was far less magnificent than the Ruijin Palace where Concubine Xiao once lived, but it made Emperor Chongzhao couldn't help but think of the quiet courtyard where Xiao Lingrong lived when she was in the palace.

At that time, the late emperor intended Xie to be the Princess of Ji.

He was resentful, but did not dare to disobey the emperor's will. After marrying Xie, he not only did not sleep with her, but also deliberately ignored her.

Unexpectedly, the matter was known to the Xie family and reported to the emperor. The emperor could not punish him, so he punished Xiao Lingrong, and ordered her to move to the most remote, secluded and darkest North Courtyard in the palace on the grounds of "behaving eccentrically and violating women's virtues"...

At that time, Emperor Chongzhao was at an age of vigor and vitality. His father could influence him to marry a wife, but he could not stop him from doting on a woman...

Later, he and Xie consummated their marriage, but every night when it was quiet, he would sneak out and go to Xiao Lingrong's residence to have a "secret meeting" with her...

Emperor Chongzhao had always been a steady person, but the most rebellious thing he had ever done was going against his father's wishes for Xiao Lingrong. That time had become one of his few happy memories...

Therefore, Xiao Lingrong became the most cherished person in his heart.

"His Majesty……"

Concubine Xiao opened her eyes and saw him, tears welled up in her eyes, "I just saw my brother in a trance. He was banished to Lingnan. In that miasma-filled place, he kept calling for mother and for us to save him..."

Emperor Chongzhao's expression turned stern and cold in an instant.

"What is this, Concubine?"

Concubine Xiao was slightly startled.

She grasped his collar with her knuckles, turning white slightly. She pretended not to understand the hidden meaning of Emperor Chongzhao's words, and said pitifully: "I have failed to teach my daughter well, and my brother has made a big mistake. I have really failed your majesty's kindness and deserve to die..."

She slowly leaned over, her long black hair fell on the emperor's legs, and she sobbed.

"Your Majesty, why did you bother to save my life? Now that I am suffering like this, it would be better for me to die..."

Emperor Chongzhao stared at her for a long time without saying a word, his eyes full of complexity, as if there was pity and helplessness.

Concubine Xiao felt a tightness in her heart as she had not been comforted for a long time.

"It is not a pity for me to die, but I am worried about Pingle and Huan'er. They are my beloved ones..."

Hearing that she no longer mentioned Xiao Jing, Emperor Chong Zhao's expression eased a little. He patted the back of her hand and said gently, "You should take good care of yourself. You still have a long time to live."

Concubine Xiao felt a pang in her heart.

The emperor had said to her many times that there was a long way to go. He had said this when he asked her brother to go to the remote area of ​​Longxi to guard the city, and he had also said this when he handed over the seal of the Eastern Palace to Li Zhao...

In the past, Xiao Lingrong believed that her relationship with the emperor was stronger than gold. The emperor loved the two children she gave birth to for him the most, and he was especially gracious to her.

That dragon throne will belong to Huan Er sooner or later...

But since she was punished to the Broken Jade Palace, Pingle was also confined to the Princess's Mansion without waiting for the emperor's visit, and there was no intention of pardoning her. However, Li Zhao took the opportunity to obtain the power of assisting the Ministry of Revenue and frequently made moves in the court. She gradually felt uneasy... Li Zhao made mistakes again and again, but he was still the prince.

Her son was outstanding, but he was just a prince.

There is a world of difference between a king and his subjects.

Today she is faking illness.

If she really died of illness one day, and the eldest princess also passed away, there would be no one in the world who could protect the Xiao family. Once the Xiao family fell, who could protect her son and help him ascend to the supreme throne?

Xiao Lingrong was filled with sorrow and tugged at Emperor Chongzhao's sleeve.

"Your Majesty, have you never...never thought about...passing the throne to Huan'er..."

Emperor Chongzhao's face darkened.

"Establishing a crown prince is a major national event, so don't speak nonsense. If Huan'er is capable, there is no need to worry about not having an opportunity..."

"Your Majesty..." Concubine Xiao burst into tears, sobbing, "Can you spare my brother's life? My grandmother is old and can't stand the torture. My brother is no longer young and strong. The land of Lingnan is wild and remote..."

"Noble Concubine!" Emperor Chongzhao interrupted her, emphasizing, "How can a woman in the harem interfere in the affairs of the court?"

Xiao Lingrong opened her mouth and was about to say something when Wang Chengxi suddenly came in with a worried look on his face and bowed to the emperor.

"Your Majesty, His Royal Highness Prince Duan requests an audience."

Emperor Chongzhao frowned slightly, "What is he doing here?"

Wang Chengxi raised his eyes, glanced at the emperor's face, and said softly, "His Royal Highness Prince Duan said that he heard that the Imperial Concubine was ill, so he came to visit her..."

Emperor Chongzhao snorted coldly.

"He is very well-informed at this time."

These words are full of profound meaning.

Previously, when Li Huan investigated the bad debts of the Ministry of Finance, apart from recovering some silver and arresting a few minor soldiers and generals, he did not punish any ministers who had deep roots in the court.

Emperor Chongzhao was not unaware of Li Huan's considerations.

After all, Xiao Jing is his uncle, but his soft hand caused the hole to get bigger and bigger...

Under the influence of interests, family affection is also fragile.

The emperor blamed him for not settling that bag of things, which had damaged the reputation of the royal family and the interests of the court...

Li Huan walked into the hall and bowed. As soon as he looked up, he keenly noticed the displeasure on the emperor's face.

He suppressed his uneasiness and spoke in a respectful tone.

"Is mother feeling better?"

"Huan'er..." Concubine Xiao leaned weakly on the couch, her eyes full of reluctance, "I'm afraid mother won't have much time left, you must listen carefully to father..."

Li Huan was slightly surprised.

He looked around at the shabby furnishings in the Shattered Jade Palace, lifted the corner of his robe, and slowly knelt on the ground.

"I, your son, dare to ask you, father, to move my mother back to Ruijin Palace. My mother contracted a chronic illness when she gave birth to Pingle, and she hates the heat the most. This Broken Jade Palace is damp and hot, and it is really difficult for her to recover..."

When Xiao Lingrong heard this, tears began to fall.

"Huan'er, please don't make things difficult for your father. Mother has committed serious sins. This is God's punishment for me..."

Li Huan reached out and picked up the teacup and brought it to Concubine Xiao's couch.

"Mother, please stop saying discouraging words. It is important to take care of yourself..."

The mother and son looked at each other, and Concubine Xiao burst into tears, shook her head, and refused to drink the water at all...

"Forget it!" Upon seeing this, Emperor Chongzhao waved his hands, sighed heavily, and was about to speak...

Suddenly, there was a sound of hurried footsteps outside the door.

He is a eunuch in the Purple Palace.

He bowed in front of the palace and said, "Your Majesty, Prime Minister Xiao, together with Mr. Yuan from the Ministry of Personnel, Mr. Zheng from the Ministry of Imperial Households, Mr. Lu from the Ministry of War, Mr. Xiao from the Ministry of Central Secretariat, and Duke Zheng and other ministers, have gathered in the Purple Palace to request an audience with Your Majesty..."

Emperor Chongzhao's face darkened.

"Why?"

The eunuch said cautiously: "His Royal Highness the Crown Prince took Minister Luo away from the Ministry of Revenue..."

Emperor Chongzhao slowly stood up. Before he could think of a response, he heard the eunuch say, "Your Majesty..."

Emperor Chongzhao frowned, "What else?"

The eunuch was so frightened that he dared not raise his head, and hunched his body as he answered: "His Royal Highness the Crown Prince accused Minister Xiao of colluding with Xizi, manipulating the salt and iron industry, disobeying the royal order, and secretly absconding. He may have committed treason... He wanted to lead troops to search the Prime Minister's residence. Prime Minister Xiao was terrified, so he brought several officials from the court to the Purple Palace to beg His Majesty for a holy judgment..."

The teacup in Prince Duan's hand fell to the ground.

Concubine Xiao's body shook violently, and her face instantly turned as pale as paper...

"Your Majesty...it's unfair!"