Selling wife for fame? Kick out the scumbag and marry the new emperor to enjoy the harem of favors

Chapter 216

The wedding of Princess Heyi and Prince Xichiyi was the first joyous event in the country to be celebrated nationwide this year.

Most ordinary people don't understand the political intricacies involved. They only know that historically, after a marriage alliance, the two countries would never go to war, and would continue to trade and maintain friendly relations. Of course, having another friendly neighbor is something to be happy about.

So, from the moment Princess Heyi left the palace, she heard the cheers of the people. Later, no one knew where or who started it, but some people threw flowers onto the princess's carriage, and then others threw their personal sachets as well.

There weren't many flowers blooming in February, which shows that these people picked the flowers specifically for the princess.

Zhao Zhiyu was sitting in the carriage when she heard the maid describe the grand scene of the people outside seeing her off. She was momentarily dazed and thought of her miserable state in her previous life. Suddenly, she wanted to leave this city that had hurt her so deeply and take one last look outside.

So he climbed out of the carriage, took the hand of a maid, stood at the front of the carriage, and looked around.

Dressed in a phoenix coronet and embroidered robe, adorned in red makeup, she stood amidst a sea of ​​flowers, beloved by the people, like a fairy descended to earth.

"Princess, it's Princess Heyi!"

Some of the people saw Zhao Zhiyu and began to shout and kneel in worship with increasing fervor.

They looked forward to this marriage alliance, hoping for good relations between the two countries and a peaceful and prosperous era.

"Your Highness, shall we go in?" the maid whispered, sounding a little nervous.

Zhao Zhiyu shook her head, "No, the people are congratulating me so much, I should meet them."

At that moment, her gaze suddenly fell on a teahouse in front of her, which could be considered the best place in the city to watch the ceremony. At the window on the third floor of the teahouse, a man in blue was staring at her intently, his eyes filled with incomprehension, reluctance, and a touch of amazement.

Their eyes met, and the man quickly placed his hands on the window frame, leaned out, his brows furrowed, as if he had a thousand words left unsaid.

Faced with his affectionate gaze, Zhao Zhiyu's eyes only held a cold indifference. Her gaze swept over the man and then moved away without a second thought.

The man in blue was slightly stunned, then seemed somewhat embarrassed and angry, gritting his teeth and tightening his grip on the window frame until his knuckles turned white.

"Princess."

Suddenly, Gao Sui's voice reached my ears.

Zhao Zhiyu turned her head and saw Gao Sui dressed in a bright red wedding robe, riding a horse with one hand and holding a bouquet of flowers in the other, smiling as he handed them to her.

These were flowers given by the people, colorful and surprisingly beautiful when pieced together, full of life. Zhao Zhiyu noticed even more that the red ribbon tied to this bouquet was taken off Gao Sui's hair ornament.

"Thank you, Your Highness." Zhao Zhiyu lowered her eyes, a blush spreading across her face.

He accepted the bouquet and then sat back down in the carriage.

At that time, the excitement in the city had not yet spread to the suburbs, but the honor guard in the outskirts of Beijing was already ready, but Xie Wei, the person in charge, was nowhere to be seen.

Because less than ten miles away, on a mountain, Xie Wei was leading the imperial guards around Zhao Xingjin to Xie Mingshen's private estate.

Without a doubt, they were all captured.

When they arrived, they were training, but the Imperial Guards around Zhao Xingjin were elite troops who had fought alongside him on the battlefield. Naturally, they were far superior to this newly formed force. Some were captured alive, and some were killed on the spot. Not a single one was allowed to escape.

Xie Wei, watching from the side, would be lying if he said he wasn't terrified.

He was a civil official and had never seen anything like this before. Back then, Zhao Xingjin attacked all the way from his fiefdom to the capital without passing through Lizhou, where he was located. Now, seeing this bloody scene, he instinctively felt a chill from the bottom of his heart.

However, Xie Wei knew that Zhao Xingjin harbored murderous intent towards Xie Mingshen and even the entire Xie family. If it weren't for Xie Jiu's plan to single out Xie Mingshen to take the blame, Xie Wei would surely be among the victims of this attack, along with his wife and children.

Xie Mingshen deserves to die even more; the number of people who have died unjustly at his hands over the years is probably countless.

Thinking of all this, Xie Wei gripped the reins tightly, took a deep breath, and forced himself to look closely at everything before him.

He must learn from this and remember this day forever. Long after Princess Heyi's entourage had left the city, the city gradually returned to calm.

At the city gate, Xie Mingshen and a group of officials who had come to see him off were about to disperse when they saw Yang Zhian smiling as he walked towards him.

"Eunuch Yang," Xie Mingshen immediately greeted him with a smile, "What brings you here, Eunuch? Does His Majesty have any orders?"

"Your Excellency, please come to the palace with me. The Emperor has summoned me. The matter of Xichi is finally settled. You have worked very hard." Yang Zhian smiled obsequiously.

Seeing his appearance, Xie Mingshen couldn't help but feel even more smug and superior, but he still pretended to be humble and friendly on the surface.

"No, no, serving the Emperor is not hard work; it is all what I should do."

After speaking, he followed Yang Zhian into the palace.

However, when they arrived at the Imperial Study, they did not see Zhao Xingjin waiting there, which made them suspicious.

Yang Zhian said that the Emperor had personally escorted the Empress Dowager back to Fukang Palace and asked him to wait here for a moment. He even politely served tea. Xie Mingshen had no suspicions and sat down to wait comfortably.

After about half an hour, Xie Mingshen was getting impatient and was about to go out to ask when he heard footsteps outside. He immediately got up, straightened his robes, and greeted them with a cupped hand.

"I am here to see you, Your Majesty."

"Please rise, Lord Xie." Zhao Xingjin's voice swept past him as he walked, and he calmly sat down behind the desk. "I called Lord Xie here today because there are some things I want to ask you."

Xie Mingshen turned to face Zhao Xingjin and said respectfully, "Your Majesty, please speak."

"I've heard that you're quite familiar with that envoy named Zhao Zaiyan from the Western Chi delegation. You often meet at restaurants and have very pleasant conversations," Zhao Xingjin said with a smile.

There was no sign of anything amiss on his face; he seemed to be joking.

"How dare I!" Xie Mingshen immediately frowned, looking serious. "I don't know what rumors Your Majesty has heard that have led to this misunderstanding. I have indeed had some dealings with Zhao Zaiyan because of official business, but we are by no means close enough to drink and make merry with each other."

Zhao Xingjin raised an eyebrow, seemingly unconcerned, and picked up the teacup beside him, taking a sip.

"Is that so? When I heard about this, I was quite surprised. How could such a thing happen?"

For some reason, seeing Zhao Xingjin's appearance, Xie Mingshen felt not relieved, but rather even more nervous.

There was an inexplicable chill running down my spine.

"Your Majesty is wise, Your Majesty."

"How could such a thing happen? I never expected you to be so audacious." Zhao Xingjin's eyes turned cold, his voice calm but revealing endless killing intent. "Grand Secretary Xie, do you know that treason is a capital offense?"

Xie Mingshen's words caught in his throat, his eyes widened, and he immediately knelt down.

He cried out loudly, "Your Majesty, please investigate! I had no such intention! There must be a villain instigating this and framing me!"

Just as he was defending himself, Yang Zhian's voice came from the doorway, announcing that Consort Jin had arrived.

Upon hearing the sound, Xie Mingshen turned his head sharply towards the doorway, his eyes lighting up as if he had seen a savior. He immediately cupped his hands and greeted Zhao Xingjin.

"Your Majesty, Consort Jin is my daughter. She knows me best. I would never collude with Xi Chi!"

Zhao Xingjin looked at him coldly, a barely perceptible smile on his lips, "Then, please invite Consort Jin in."

As they were talking, the door opened, and Xie Jiu, dressed in plain clothes, slowly entered. She stood with her back to the light, her whole body shrouded in darkness, making it impossible to see the emotions on her face.

Xie Mingshen couldn't care less about all that and was about to step forward for help, but what he heard next was something else entirely.

"Your Majesty, Xie, wishes to denounce my father, Xie Mingshen, for embezzlement, bribery, abuse of power, using public office for private gain, disregard for human life, and collusion with foreign officials!"