Returning after a three-year escape from death, the tyrant has turned evil.

Chapter 289 Execution
Song Yi paused, her mind involuntarily recalling the look in Consort Zhuang's eyes on their first day at the palace.

When exactly did she begin to harbor the intention to harm others?
Thinking back on it now, I realize I've been targeted for a long time, and I can't help but shudder.

"What are you going to do?"

Jiang Lanye's voice was cold: "She has done such things time and time again, and her crimes are already unforgivable. I will make her die in agony."

Song Yi nodded slightly: "But I also want to see her before she dies."

Half an hour later.

Without warning, many guards stormed into Consort Zhuang's palace and arrested all the palace servants around her.

Consort Zhuang's hair was disheveled, and her arms were restrained by guards as she struggled frantically on her way to the imperial prison.

"Let me go! I can walk by myself. How dare you disrespect me!"

She struggled fiercely, and her hair became disheveled. The guards increased their strength and almost broke her arm.

Zhuang Zhaoyi's cursing never stopped along the way, until she was forcibly dragged into the imperial prison. The moment she saw Jiang Lanye and Song Yi, she suddenly fell silent.

Song Yi looked at her expressionlessly.

This was the first time in so long that she had looked directly into Zhuang Zhaoyi's eyes again.

"I really didn't expect that you would be the one to do these things."

Consort Zhuang chuckled: "Didn't expect that? How you complained to His Majesty and ruined my appearance back then, none of that matters to you. So you never expected that I would hate you for so long."

Song Yi frowned: "Destroy your face? If I remember correctly, it was you who wanted to destroy my face in the beginning. If His Majesty hadn't arrived in time, I would be the one wearing a veil every day now."

No sooner had she finished speaking than the guard suddenly reached out and ripped off her veil, as if to deliberately humiliate her, completely revealing her face.

Consort Zhuang's pupils constricted, and she subconsciously lowered her head to avoid the gaze of others, but the guards roughly grabbed her chin and forced her to raise her head.

Song Yi glanced at it briefly before lowering her eyes.

"If you hadn't done anything evil, I wouldn't feel any mockery or discrimination seeing you like this. But you've done so many wicked things, so now I just want to say one thing: you deserve to be in this state."

Jiang Lanye put his arm around her and said gently, "Alright, you should go back now. The prison is full of blood, and you are pregnant, so it's not good for you to stay here for long."

Song Yi nodded, knowing that all of this might be coming to an end, and led Xi Chun back.

The palace servants around Consort Zhuang knelt down in unison, claiming they knew nothing.

Jiang Lanye didn't even bother to waste any more time interrogating them, and directly ordered all the palace servants in Consort Zhuang's palace to be beheaded.

Consort Zhuang was put into a small cell, and Jiang Lanye stood outside the door, looking at her coldly.

"Your Majesty, you have never looked at me like that before."

A deep sadness welled up in her eyes. “Your Majesty, do you remember? When I first entered the palace, the Empress Dowager told me that you were very lonely and had no one to confide in. From that day on, I thought to myself that I must take good care of you in the future.”

"But," she began, her voice choked with sobs, "that day the knife against my face was so cold, and it hurt so much when it cut my skin. Why didn't you have any mercy? I love you and I'm here with you, why won't you have any mercy!"

She covered her face with her hands, kneeling helplessly on the ground, tears streaming down her face. "Your so-called companionship is nothing but harming my heir?"

Consort Zhuang suddenly looked up, a glint of madness flashing in her eyes: "What makes Song Yi so special! She's not even as good as a lowly maid from the countryside, how could she possibly win your favor and even conceive a royal child!" She hysterically gripped the railing, "I've served you for three years, and you haven't even touched me once!"

Jiang Lanye made no attempt to hide his disgust: "Song Yi would never be as vicious as you. Why should I touch someone like you? You said it hurts when a knife cuts your face, but why did you try to cut Song Yi's face in the first place?"

"You are selfish, vicious, and hypocritical. In the end, you even went so far as to release poisonous snakes, intending to poison me and Consort Yun to death together. How dare someone like you mention love?"

"No!" she shook her head frantically. "I didn't mean to harm Your Majesty at the time. It's just that she was always sticking to your side, and I couldn't find a better opportunity."

Jiang Lanye said calmly, "When you did these things, you should have thought about the consequences if you were discovered."

She gave a bitter smile: "Of course, the worst that can happen is death. In any case, every day I live in the palace is filled with suffering."

Consort Zhuang carefully examined the always aloof man before her: "The thing I regret most is that I entered the harem without hesitation and foolishly placed my heart on Your Majesty."

"Your entry into the palace was your own choice. I never forced you. It was you who colluded with the Empress Dowager in secret."

After saying that, he curled up a cold smile: "You said the worst that could happen is death, and of course I will let you die. Not only you, but your actions have also implicated your family. It's a pity that you can't open your eyes to see the miserable state of those who died because of you."

Zhuang Zhaoyi trembled slightly, gritted her teeth, and glared at Jiang Lanye.

"I will not let you die so easily."

After saying this, he ordered two jailers to open the door, and carrying a bowl of medicine, he forced it down Zhuang Zhaoyi's throat despite her resistance.

"What...what is this?!"

She looked terrified.

"An antidote."

"Antidote?"

Before she could react, she vaguely heard the hissing sound of a snake flicking its tongue.

Subsequently, Consort Zhuang was forcibly taken away. The jailer dragged her to the cell next door. The door of this cell was a very sturdy wooden door without any gaps, except for a small square window at the top, which made it easy to observe the scene inside.

The sounds of those snakes came from this very cell.

She had already guessed what Jiang Lanye was going to do, and struggled desperately.

"No, no!" she cried frantically, clenching her fists against the cell door. "Your Majesty! Please—"

One of them thrust his sword directly at her hand that was gripping the door frame.

Zhuang Zhaoyi winced in pain and finally let go. Then, her whole body was covered in white medicinal powder. A strong force pushed her inside, and the door slammed shut with a loud bang.

Consort Zhuang's face turned deathly pale instantly.

She turned sharply to look at the corner of the cell, where several venomous snakes were slowly emerging from the shadows, their cold scales making a chilling sound as they rubbed against the stone slabs.

(End of this chapter)