The Empress Dowager looked at Emperor Hongxiao and did not speak for a long ti.
Emperor Hongxiao then laughed again, he said, "I almost forgot, when Jinwu General was ambushed and encircled that year, Mother was also present, naturally you would take the side of the Prince of Xia County."
At this point, the Empress Dowager instead beca calm. She looked at Emperor Hongxiao, smiled slightly, and said, "Your Majesty, all these years, I have not treated you poorly. If you want to see dead, there’s no need to resort to such thods. Do you have any evidence to defa like this?"
"Evidence?" Emperor Hongxiao laughed. He said word by word, "Yin Zhili is the evidence."
i Xiang’s hands clenched her skirt nervously. The Empress Dowager’s complexion changed dramatically—this was her greatest vulnerability. If Emperor Hongxiao used this to threaten her, she would stand no chance!
"Mother seems to have forgotten, shortly before the Prince of Xia County left Yanjing for Qingzhou, didn’t he pay you a visit?"
He had known all along! The Empress Dowager’s heart could not help but tremble. She looked at Emperor Hongxiao as if he were a monster. Many tis she had thought that one day the truth would co out, but not like this. She held no cards in hand, and Yin Zhan was not by her side. She felt like a fish on a chopping board, utterly at the rcy of others.
It wasn’t that she was weak, but both she and Yin Zhan had underestimated this emperor.
"Mother has been restraining in the palace, while the Prince of Xia County restrains Duke Su in Qingzhou. Yin Zhili leads the Yin Family Troops south of the Yangtze River in a rebellion. I can’t help but admire the patience of the Prince of Xia County. So many years lying in wait, all to set this trap," Emperor Hongxiao said with a smile. "Truly, he has exhausted his mind for Yin Zhili."
The Empress Dowager said, "Does Your Majesty wish to kill ?"
"How could that be?" Emperor Hongxiao said with a smile, "Isn’t Yin Zhili still alive?"
"Does Your Majesty wish to use to threaten Yin Zhili?" The Empress Dowager sneered.
"No," replied Emperor Hongxiao gently, "Mother knows I do not like to do such things. Just as Prince Cheng would not risk himself for Empress Dowager Liu, Yin Zhili may not necessarily endanger himself for Mother."
His words were incredibly harsh. The Empress Dowager stared at Emperor Hongxiao for a long ti, then suddenly laughed. Shaking her head as she laughed, she nearly cried, "Third son, I have always underestimated you. I’ve said it before—how could the son of Xia Liulan be of such character? It turns out you’re not the problem; I was simply blind!"
Xia Liulan was Noble Consort Xia’s na. Upon hearing this na, Emperor Hongxiao’s expression faltered, and he put away his smile, "The death of my mother was related to you, wasn’t it!"
Noble Consort Xia died shortly after giving birth to Emperor Hongxiao. Others said it was due to illness. Emperor Hongxiao had searched for many years, turning to old palace hands who said that Noble Consort Xia had been healthy before that, lacking even a hint of sickness.
"Humph, in a place like the palace, there were countless people who wanted Xia Liulan dead. It wasn’t my doing!" the Empress Dowager said contemptuously.
Emperor Hongxiao’s face turned pale, and he seed not to believe her. Sure enough, the Empress Dowager’s next words imdiately enraged him. She said, "However, after Xia Liulan gave birth to you, I was indeed resentful. In the palace, wishing for soone’s death sotis doesn’t require one to lift a finger. All I had to do was say that Your Majesty intended to make you Crown Prince, then countless people would take turns on my behalf to perform the deed."
"You!" Emperor Hongxiao was furious. A single fabricated statent from the Empress Dowager turned Noble Consort Xia into an obvious target. Poor Noble Consort Xia had just given birth; her heart was wholly devoted to her child, with no ti to be wary of others.
"I only regret that those people didn’t kill you too, leaving a calamity behind," the Empress Dowager’s eyes were filled with malice. "Had I known this day would co, even if I had to act personally, I would have removed you from this world!"
"Too bad you no longer have that chance," Emperor Hongxiao cald down again, he continued, "Although my mother wasn’t killed by your hand, she died because of you. I’ll note this debt first. As I’ve said before, debts must be repaid, and life must be atoned for. You and Yin Zhan committed sins, and heaven will naturally punish them. Now, Yin Zhan is already dead, and next will be Yin Zhili’s turn. When Yin Zhili dies too, I will send you on your way. No, I’ve changed my mind. I won’t let you die. I will have you imprisoned in the palace, living a life even worse than the concubines in the Cold Palace. You’ll watch as those around you die one after another, living a life of eternal despair. That will be the best punishnt for you. I shall proclaim your and Yin Zhan’s vile deeds to the entire world, make Yin Zhili into a rat across the street that everyone attacks. Even if he wages rebellion, those who follow him will sha him, and his infamy will cling to him even after death, scorned by all!"
"No—" The Empress Dowager erupted with a scream, making a gesture to claw Emperor Hongxiao’s face. The guards at Emperor Hongxiao’s side drew their swords, protecting him from her push, and the Empress Dowager fell to the ground, her hairpins scattering.
"No..." She murmured.
Emperor Hongxiao looked at her coldly, turned, and walked away, saying, "Soone, take her away! Without my permission, no one is allowed to see the Empress Dowager. Also," he said with a cold laugh, "take good care of her; make sure she doesn’t die."
The Empress Dowager lay collapsed on the ground, i Xiang ca to help her up, but she feebly extended her hand, looking at i Xiang, and said, "He’s lying to , isn’t he, Yin Zhan isn’t dead, right?"
Her tears flowed down.
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