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墨書 Inktalez
The Emperor felt a twinge of guilt under the cold, murderous gaze of Black Eyes. However, reminding himself that everything he did was for the sake of National Stability bolstered his resolve, though it did not mean he would admit to his actions.
Now that he knew Xuanyuan Rui had not betrayed him, there was still use for him, so he could not act against him. Instead, he sought to win him over and said heavily, "Rui'er, I am your maternal grandfather. Your mother is my own daughter, and she is the one I cherish the most. How could I possibly kill her myself?"
In response to the Emperor's cunning defense, Xuanyuan Rui remained silent in his reproach and turned his gaze to Prime Minister Huang, darkly stating, "You are despicable for sowing discord!" He pretended to know nothing and deliberately questioned Prime Minister Huang with feigned anger, hoping to uncover more secrets.
"Xuanyuan Rui, I did not sow discord," Prime Minister Huang replied, fearing that Xuanyuan Rui's sudden change of heart would provoke the Emperor into killing him without hesitation. He hurriedly revealed everything he knew: "The Emperor feared your father's military achievements would rival those of Yun Wangye and win the people's hearts, leading him to contemplate murder. Unexpectedly, your mother found out... She couldn't believe it was the Emperor who acted against her and confronted him. The Emperor remained silent in response, leaving your mother in despair... Taking advantage of this, the Emperor ordered someone to drug the princess..."
"Drugged?" Xuanyuan Rui murmured, not disbelieving but unable to comprehend.
"The Emperor has also harbored murderous intent towards you. If it weren't for the fact that no one could replace you, you would never have returned from the North!" Yun Wangye's luck was nowhere near as favorable as Xuanyuan Rui's.
"Bring him in," the Emperor glared at Prime Minister Huang with fury. Upon hearing him reveal things that should not have been spoken, a cold smile crept across his face as he declared loudly, "Prime Minister Huang is conspiring to rebel; the evidence is irrefutable. Take him away and execute his entire family..." This was still not enough to quell the hatred brewing within him.
He had trusted this man so deeply only for him to betray him and expose these secrets. The Huang Family could not be spared.
"Your Majesty..." Prime Minister Huang knelt and pleaded, bowing his head. "The sins of a guilty minister cannot be forgiven, but my family is innocent. I beg you to spare them! These secrets are known only to the three of us; they will never speak of them!" Though he begged for mercy, there was an undercurrent of threat in his words.
If the Emperor acted against the Huang Family, everything he had done would inevitably come to light. At that point, it would be most detrimental to the Emperor—his hard-earned reputation would be tarnished, leaving behind only infamy and the title of a tyrant.
"Take him away," the Emperor commanded without hesitation; he had no desire to see this old man any longer.
"Your Majesty, considering all I have done for you—though I may have no merit, I have endured hardships—please spare my family!" He had not anticipated that once he entered the palace this time, he would have no chance to leave again. Regret filled his heart; had he known earlier, he would have prepared better and sent a few children away to preserve the bloodline of the Huang Family.
As long as the green mountains remain, there’s no need to worry about firewood, but now, it’s too late for regrets. I can only hope that the Emperor understands the meaning behind my words and spares the Huang Family.
Unfortunately, Prime Minister Huang was too clever for his own good. In the past, all he needed to do was give the Emperor a slight nudge, and matters would resolve themselves easily, like when he arranged for Princess Nishang to marry Brent. But now, revealing the Emperor's greatest secret and threatening him openly meant that if the Emperor could tolerate such behavior, he wouldn’t be the Emperor anymore.
The reason for keeping Prime Minister Huang around and letting him stir up trouble was entirely due to his usefulness. For instance, when he took action on certain matters, others only saw the surface and thought Prime Minister Huang was despicable and wanted him dead, unaware that he was merely acting on my instructions from behind the scenes. Take Jade Pavilion, for example; it appeared that Prime Minister Huang had control over it, but in reality, I was the one truly pulling the strings—someone without any value should simply be discarded.
This time, Prime Minister Huang truly could not escape this calamity.
With Prime Minister Huang gone, only Xuanyuan Rui and the Emperor remained in the Imperial Study. The two locked eyes without uttering a word, but Xuanyuan Rui knew that if he didn’t present some conditions to counter the Emperor today, he would likely share Prime Minister Huang's fate and never leave the palace gates.
While tensions rose here, a commotion erupted elsewhere.
“Knock knock…” The urgent knocking annoyed Little Luo, who frowned and quickened her pace while muttering, “Coming, coming! Why knock so urgently…” The door creaked open to reveal a girl in a crimson front-closing yellow skirt with a gold hairpin in her hair. Little Luo smiled broadly and reached out to take her hand while chattering, “Miss, why haven’t you come to see me sooner…”
Before the newcomer could respond, a furious voice rang out from behind: “You dare!”
Upon hearing the reprimand, Little Luo's expression changed immediately. She stared at the woman before her in shock, her tightly clenched hands having unknowingly loosened.
The atmosphere grew tense.
“Little Luo, who is it!?” Qing Luan had heard the knocking and noticed Little Luo had been gone for too long. Curiously, she stepped out to ask.
“Miss…” Little Luo stammered in fear at this scene. The person resembled her mistress but looked at her with confusion as if she didn’t recognize her at all. All she wanted was to seek help from her master.
Hearing something off in Little Luo's voice, Qing Luan quickened her pace and stepped outside. Upon seeing the elegantly dressed person at the door, she instinctively opened her mouth to call out "Elder Sister," but noticing the excited expression on the woman's face, she hesitated and tried instead, "Second Sister?"
"Sister Four," Chen Qingyang exclaimed, her voice trembling with emotion as she bit her lip to suppress the lump in her throat.
"Second Sister, is it really you?" Qing Luan asked, stepping forward eagerly to get closer, only to be stopped by Little Luo.
"Miss, they..." Little Luo gestured subtly behind them, indicating that the situation was beyond their control.
It was only then that Qing Luan noticed the people standing behind Chen Qingyang were all dressed in matching attire, though their clothing style differed slightly from theirs. She looked at the woman in front of her with suspicion, unsure if she should approach.
"You all step back," Chen Qingyang commanded coldly upon seeing their hesitation.
"Yes!" The people behind her bowed respectfully and took a few steps back.
Once the crowd had retreated, Chen Qingyang stepped forward and grasped Qing Luan's hand, her voice filled with urgency. "Sister Four, where is Mother? Where is Elder Sister? Why are they all missing?" The moment she returned to the capital, her first thought was to find her elder sister and mother. However, she discovered that the entire Zhu Family had vanished without a trace, leaving behind nothing but an empty shell.
Desperate to understand what had happened, she had sent someone to inquire about Qing Luan's whereabouts, which led her here for answers.
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