Video Editor

The day after Chai Zongxun was arrested, Chai Rong's widow, Lady Fu, entered the palace.

Fu knew that her son was guilty of heinous crimes and could not be pardoned by Su Ning, but she still wanted to go to the palace to plead for mercy.

As dawn broke and before the side gate of the palace was fully open, Lady Fu had already arrived.

The imperial guards at the gate naturally recognized Lady Fu, after all, she was once Empress Fu, the mother of the nation.

However, the Empress Fu who once ruled the world is now an old woman with a full head of white hair.

Today, Madam Fu was dressed in casual clothes, her hair was simply tied up, her face was without makeup, and she looked haggard.

No matter how well you take care of yourself, you can't hide the signs of aging that come with years of hard work.

Lady Fu knelt down directly at the entrance of the Imperial Study: "This sinful woman, Lady Fu, requests an audience with Your Majesty."

The eunuch at the door glanced at Madam Fu, but dared not delay, and quickly turned around and went inside to report.

In the imperial study, Su Ning was reviewing memorials.

There was a thick stack of documents on the table, including military reports from the Western Regions, tax bills from Jiangnan, and memorials of greeting from the grasslands.

He looked at each document one by one, wrote comments on each one, dipped his red brush again and again, and wrote and wrote.

Chen Qiao, the commander of the Imperial City Guard, stood aside, reporting on the follow-up events of the previous night. "Your Majesty, the Imperial City Guard has interrogated Fu Zhaoxin overnight. He confessed that he had been plotting since a year ago, contacting the remnants of the Khitan three times and secretly meeting with those former officials five times. The list is here, a total of thirty-seven people, some in the capital, some in the provinces, and a few hiding in the Western Regions."

Suning took the list, glanced at it, and asked, "Anything else?"

"And some people from the Fu family. Fu Zhaoxin's third brother, Fu Zhaoyi, and fourth brother, Fu Zhaoli, were both involved. Fu Lingtu's father, Fu Yanlun, although not directly involved, knew about it but did not report it. The Imperial City Guard said that he could be treated as an accomplice."

Suning nodded without saying anything.

Soft footsteps came from the doorway.

The eunuch entered, bowed, and said, "Your Majesty, Lady Fu is kneeling outside, requesting an audience with you."

Su Ning put down her pen, remained silent for a moment, and then said, "Let her in."

"Yes!"

Soon, Lady Fu was led in, walked to the imperial desk, and knelt down.

Her knees hit the ground with a dull thud, and she lay prone on the ground, not daring to lift her head.

"This sinful woman, Fu, pays her respects to Your Majesty."

Su Ning looked at her with a complicated expression.

Since Fu and Chai Zongxun were expelled from the palace, he and Fu had rarely seen each other.

The dignified and virtuous Empress Fu of yesteryear now has a full head of white hair.

Time has etched countless lines on Fu's face, and the light in his eyes has long since disappeared.

She knelt there, as thin and frail as a fallen leaf that could be blown away by the wind at any moment.

Suning said, "Get up."

However, Lady Fu did not move. "Your Majesty, this sinful woman has come today to beg Your Majesty for mercy."

"For whom do you plead?"

"For the sake of the late emperor." Madam Fu raised her head, her eyes reddening and tears welling up. "He is the only bloodline of the late emperor, the only root left in the world by Emperor Shizong. I beg Your Majesty to spare his life for the sake of the late emperor."

Suning remained silent.

Lady Fu knelt, tears streaming down her face. "Your Majesty, Zongxun was momentarily confused and misled by those people, which led him to commit such a treasonous act. But he is young and ignorant. I beg Your Majesty to spare him this time. Even if he is stripped of his title and exiled to the frontier, I will do it. Just spare his life so that the Chai family may have an heir..."

"He left an heir?" Su Ning interrupted her. "Don't you know whether he left an heir or not?"

"This..." Fu was stunned.

“Chai Zongxun is thirty-three years old this year. He has three sons and two daughters. The Chai family line has long been cut off. Now, you’re using this to plead for leniency? Don’t you find it ridiculous?”

Fu's face turned pale. She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but couldn't utter a word.

Su Ning looked out the window and realized that it was already broad daylight.

Sunlight shone on the glazed tiles of the palace, giving them a golden glow.

In the distance, several eunuchs were sweeping the courtyard, the brooms making a rustling sound as they swept across the ground.

After a long while, Su Ning's voice rang out again, "Fu Shi, I ask you, how have I treated the Chai family all these years?"

"..." Fu knelt on the ground, head bowed, not daring to answer.

"Chai Zongxun, Marquis of Anle, received an annual stipend of two thousand shi of grain, a mansion, and a thousand mu of farmland. In these thirty-three years, he has had everything he needed, from food and clothing to other necessities. I said that this child would live a life of comfort, wealth, and health. I have fulfilled that promise."

Su Ning turned around and looked at Madam Fu, "But what about him?"

"..." Tears streamed down Fu's face.

“Zongxun, he’s not satisfied. He wants more. He wants to be emperor, he wants the world, he wants to pull me off this chair.”

"But...but Zongxun is your elder brother's own son. Can't you forgive him for the sake of the late emperor?"

"Hmph! Sister-in-law, don't you know what the crime of treason is?"

Lady Fu knelt there, trembling all over, "But...but he is, after all, the late emperor's son...Have you forgotten the deep brotherhood you shared with the late emperor?"

"The late emperor's son?" Su Ning sneered, his smile devoid of any warmth. "The late emperor's son is entitled to rebel? The late emperor's son can kill and seize the throne at will?"

Then Su Ning walked up to Madam Fu, looked down at her, and said, “Sister-in-law, do you know who Chai Zongxun is colluding with? The Fu family, the remnants of the Khitan, and those old officials whose livelihoods were cut off by the new policies. What do they want to do? Kill me, overthrow the new policies, and turn the Great Zhou back to what it used to be.”

"What will happen to the world then? What will happen to those people who have just started to live a good life? And what good will happen to you, Fu family, and your nephews and grandnephews?"

"..." Madam Fu opened her mouth, but could not utter a word.

"I have given him chances. Many times."

Su Ning's voice softened, tinged with weariness, "When he was young, I personally selected tutors for him to teach him to read and write. Wang Pu and Li Gu were both great Confucian scholars of our time, and they personally taught him. When he grew up, I granted him a title of nobility, gave him a mansion, and provided him with land. Whatever he wanted, I gave him. As long as he behaved himself, he would enjoy endless wealth and honor in this life."

"But he insisted on taking this path."

"For the long-term stability of the Great Zhou, I cannot keep him."

Fu knelt on the ground, tears streaming down her face.

Her shoulders trembled violently, and she looked like a withered leaf in a storm. "Your Majesty... Your Majesty..."

"As for the Fu family..."

Su Ning paused, then said, "The entire Fu family, including three generations, will be exterminated."

Lady Fu abruptly raised her head, her eyes wide with terror. "Your Majesty! The Fu family... the Fu family is my maternal family, the maternal family of Zongxun! How could Your Majesty..."

“How could I?” Su Ning looked at her, his gaze terrifyingly calm. “Sister-in-law, do you know what your Fu family has been doing all these years? You’ve always known, but you’ve just turned a blind eye.”

"..." Fu was stunned.

"From the day Emperor Taizu entered Bianliang, the Fu family began spreading rumors everywhere. They said things like 'A Fu family daughter is the mother of the world,' and 'Marry a Fu family daughter and you can sit on the throne.' Did your Fu family really think that Emperor Taizu couldn't see through it? In fact, if Emperor Shizong hadn't pleaded for the Fu family, Emperor Taizu would have wiped out the Fu family from the very beginning. Over the years, how many daughters of your family have married out? Who did they marry? Don't you know?"

"..." Fu's face turned pale.

“I know,” Su Ning said. “I have always known.”

"Emperor Taizu arranged for Emperor Shizong to marry you, and I also married your sister. The daughters of the Fu family have married two emperors of the Great Zhou Dynasty. Emperor Taizu and I know perfectly well what you want."

"But the Emperor Taizu and I tolerated it. I will continue to give the Fu family a chance. As long as you behave yourselves and live your lives well, I will pretend that those things never happened and turn a blind eye to your petty thoughts."

"But you are not satisfied."

He turned around and looked at the grief-stricken Fu Shi before him. "Fu Zhaoxin, Fu Lingtu, and those old guys hiding behind the scenes, how many shady things have they done over the years? Buying and selling official positions, seizing land, colluding with local powerful families, and even secretly communicating with the remnants of the Khitan tribe. Do you think the Imperial City Guard doesn't know?"

"..." Madam Fu trembled all over, unable to utter a single word. "The Fu family is one of the masterminds behind this rebellion," Su Ning said. "You wanted to use Chai Zongxun's name to bring me down and overturn the new policies. And then what? To have the Fu family produce an emperor?"

"Tell me, why should I spare them?"

Lady Fu knelt on the ground, tears streaming down her face, "Your Majesty... I... I really didn't know..."

"You don't know?" Su Ning looked at her. "You don't want to know?"

Fu was speechless.

The Imperial Study remained quiet for a long time.

Only the occasional chirping of birds outside the window and the faint sound of human voices in the distance could be heard.

“Sister-in-law, you should go back.” Su Ning finally spoke, her voice regaining its calmness. “For the sake of your service to the late Emperor, I will spare you this time. From now on, you are no longer a member of the Fu family. The affairs of the Fu family have nothing to do with you.”

Fu raised her head and looked at Su Ning.

Her eyes were filled with tears, yet a faint glimmer of hope remained, "That Zongxun..."

"Zongxun absolutely cannot live."

Su Ning's voice was calm, yet undeniable: "He is the mastermind, he must die."

"..." Fu's tears flowed again.

"As for the rest of the Chai family, they will all be reduced to commoners, subject to any form of amnesty. From now on, no member of the Chai family will be allowed to hold an official position, take the imperial examinations, or enter the capital."

Fu knelt there, trembling all over.

She finally understood that there was no way to undo it from the very beginning.

The child she had carefully protected and raised, the only heir of the late emperor, could not be saved in the end.

And her maternal family, the Fu family, all her relatives from childhood, were going to die.

Fu opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but couldn't utter a word.

Su Ning did not mention Consort Fu Qing or Prince Wei, which indicates that they were not involved in the rebellion.

Fu knew that Su Ning did not want to implicate Consort Shu and Prince Wei.

In the end, Fu simply kowtowed deeply.

His forehead hit the ground with a dull thud.

"This sinful woman... takes her leave."

Then she stood up and staggered out.

As she reached the doorway, Fu grabbed the doorframe and nearly tripped.

The eunuch at the door quickly helped Fu Shi up, but she pushed his hand away and, supporting herself against the wall, walked out step by step.

It's impossible not to hate someone when your son and family are about to be wiped out by that man inside.

But she seemed powerless; after all, she was just a woman adrift like duckweed.

Blame the Fu family for being too ambitious, and also blame the man she chose for being short-lived.

However, Fu suddenly realized that both of her husbands, Li Chongxun and Chai Rong, died young, and perhaps this was her fate.

……

The Imperial Study fell silent once more.

Su Ning stood by the window, watching Fu Shi's departing figure, and remained silent for a long time.

That figure was thin, old, and seemed about to collapse.

He recalled many years ago, when Fu had just married Chai Rong.

At that time, Lady Fu was young, beautiful, dignified and virtuous. Wearing a bright red wedding dress, she walked into the palace step by step.

When Emperor Taizu Guo Wei was alive, he liked this daughter-in-law very much, saying that she was sensible and knew the rules.

Later, when Chai Rong ascended the throne, Lady Fu became the empress.

In those years, Lady Fu managed the harem very well, never interfering in court affairs or Chai Rong's decisions.

Later, Chai Rong personally led an expedition and died at the gates of Yunzhou. She single-handedly supported the entire harem and raised the young Chai Zongxun.

She also understood the general trend of the times, and with Chai Rong's sudden death, Fu gave up her unwarranted ambitions.

Empress Fu was indeed a good empress and a good mother.

Unfortunately, she was born into the Fu family, a place teeming with ambitious individuals.

"Your Majesty," Chen Qiao's voice rang out again, "Should we send someone to deal with the Fu family...?"

"Just send someone to keep an eye on her," Su Ning said. "Make sure she doesn't try to kill herself."

"Yes."

"Furthermore, let her live in the palace. To the outside world, we can say that she was the late emperor's empress, my sister-in-law, and has nothing to do with the treason case."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Chen Qiao nodded.

Su Ning turned around and walked back to the imperial desk.

On the table lay Chai Zongxun's confession, several pages of densely written text.

He picked up the confession again and read it through.

The handwriting was crooked and distorted, some parts were soaked with tears, and some parts were stained with blood.

With mixed feelings, he put down the confession and said, "Issue the imperial decree: be executed at the Meridian Gate in three days."

“All those involved in the rebellion will be spared. The entire Fu family will be exterminated, along with their three clans. The remnants of the Khitan tribe will be beheaded and their heads displayed to the public. Those former officials, gentry, and wealthy merchants who participated in the rebellion will have their homes confiscated and their entire families executed.”

“Chai Zongxun…”

He paused, then said, "Leave his body intact. Bury him in the Chai family ancestral cemetery."

Chen Qiao was stunned for a moment, "Your Majesty, Chai Zongxun is the mastermind..."

“I know,” Su Ning said, “but he is, after all, the late emperor’s son. My elder brother only had this one son.”

Chen Qiao stopped speaking and bowed, saying, "Yes."

Suning walked to the window.

Outside the window, the sky was gradually darkening.

The afterglow of the setting sun bathed the palace in a golden-red hue, and in the distance, the glazed tiles of the palaces shimmered with a warm light.

He stood there, looking for a long time, "Chenqiao."

"The minister is here."

"Tell me, if the late emperor were alive, how would he have dealt with Chai Zongxun?"

Chen Qiao was silent for a moment, then said, “I don’t know. But I do know that Emperor Shizong’s most beloved son was this one.”

Su Ning nodded. "Yes! When he was little, his elder brother held him and pointed him out to me, saying, 'This is your nephew. You should take good care of him in the future.' I agreed."

He remained silent for a long time, then said, "I have looked after him for thirty-three years."

"It was his own decision; he didn't want me to take care of him anymore."

...(End of this chapter)