novelaction Chapter 398 Shocked
Chapter 398 Shocked
Chapter 398
Unexpectedly, the guards stood straight on both sides. When they heard her question, they seemed to turn a deaf ear and did not show any panic.
Concubine Cheng frowned, about to yell at him, when she saw another person step in. She swallowed the rebuke on the tip of her tongue and squinted her eyes at the newcomer. "Sir Ye, you, a man, have trespassed into my chambers. Such disrespect for the Emperor is a disregard for His Majesty's authority. Are you openly challenging the dignity of the Imperial Family?"
Her expression remained calm, her words filled with warnings and threats, but her hands, hidden beneath her wide sleeves, trembled uncontrollably. "What's going on? Why is Ye Yunzhou here? Hadn't I and my ministers already sent him to assist the Fifth Prince in controlling the flood? And when my spies delivered the message yesterday, they had clearly seen him leaving the city. Why would he suddenly appear in the palace now?"
Ye Yunzhou turned a deaf ear to her threats and simply glanced at her. With a flick of his wrist, a bright yellow imperial edict appeared before everyone: "I am here by the order of His Majesty to escort the Empress on her journey."
As soon as the words fell, the air in the palace froze, and the silence was so dead that one could almost hear a heartbeat. The maids and the palace maids turned pale, and a few of the timid ones rolled their eyes and fainted on the ground.
Concubine Cheng dug her fingertips deep into the fabric of her sleeves. The once exquisite silk threads now felt like steel needles, pricking her palms and causing them to numb. Her carefully drawn brows trembled violently, and her usually majestic eyes were now filled with fear and disbelief.
But she was someone who had been in charge of palace affairs for many years. Even though her heart was in turmoil, she managed to calm down after a moment. "What did you say? I don't understand."
Then she raised her chin, and although her voice was slightly trembling, it still carried majesty, "Move aside, I want to see His Majesty!"
The guards immediately stepped forward, crossing two cold swords in front of her, completely blocking her way.
Concubine Cheng stumbled back a step, her eyes wide open as she glared at Ye Yunzhou, her voice trembling with anger: "I said, I want to see His Majesty! Are you deaf?"
Ye Yunzhou raised his eyelids slightly, his eyes as cold as ice: "I am not deaf, but you will not be able to see His Majesty."
He raised his hand to signal the guards to withdraw, a sneer on his lips, "Your Majesty, please be more self-aware and suffer less."
"No! I don't believe it!" Concubine Cheng screamed, backing away. In her panic, she tripped over the steps behind her and fell heavily to the ground. The hem of her luxurious skirt, embroidered with gold thread, lay like a suddenly withered peony, spread across the cold blue bricks, its folds stained with dust, no longer as bright and beautiful as before.
She struggled to stand up, her nails scratching against the bricks, but her legs gave way, and she fell back in vain. Finally, she collapsed onto the ground in dismay, glaring up at Ye Yunzhou, her voice filled with desperate sternness: "Where's the Third Prince? How's he? Is he okay? Tell me now!"
Ye Yunzhou was somewhat surprised to see her, having only a moment toss her own safety aside and instead eagerly inquire about the Third Prince's whereabouts. His dislike for her faded slightly, and he had no intention of deliberately making things difficult for her. His tone was icy but direct: "The Third Prince has been ordered by His Majesty to be permanently imprisoned in the Prince's Mansion and cannot leave without a royal decree. Your Majesty, you may now rest in peace and journey."
Although Concubine Cheng had a premonition, she still felt a wave of disorientation. Upon hearing that the Third Prince had survived, she closed her eyes tightly, a mixture of emotions welling up in her heart, knowing the situation was hopeless. Any further struggle would be futile; it might even anger His Majesty, who would then vent his anger on the Third Prince, further exacerbating his predicament.
Besides, she still had her mother's family. Although her mother's family was also implicated in this matter and would probably not escape punishment, she still had a glimmer of hope in her heart: if she obeyed the order and submitted to the law, would His Majesty show mercy and leave a bloodline for the Cheng family, considering that her grandfather had followed the late emperor to conquer the world?
But in a moment, she opened her eyes again, and it was as if the previous madness had never existed. "If that's the case, I'm relieved."
She looked at Ye Yunzhou with a sad smile on her lips, "You want to send me off, I accept. But, I want you to do it yourself."
Ye Yunzhou looked down at her from above, his eyes cold and unmoved. After hearing her words, he was silent for a moment, then slowly spoke, "Since it is the Empress's decree, I shall obey."
After saying that, he turned around and drew out a long sword with a cold glow from the hand of the guard beside him. He walked slowly and steadily towards Concubine Chengcheng.
Although Concubine Cheng had already resolved to die, as the gleaming sword approached, she felt an irresistible urge to flee. However, she knew that retreating would only make her look even more utterly humiliated, so she could only suppress her fear and remain motionless.
Without a word, Ye Yunzhou raised his sword and stabbed her in the chest. However, just as the sword penetrated halfway, he stopped, his eyes fixed on Concubine Chen's hand tightly gripping the sword, and asked, "Does your Majesty have any other instructions?"
With Ye Yunzhou's strength, the resistance offered by Concubine Chen trying to hold the hilt of the sword was naturally insignificant. But now that things had come to this, he was in no rush and didn't mind hearing her last words.
The stinging pain from the hilt of the sword in her hand was incomparable to the sharp pain in her chest. Hearing Ye Yunzhou's words, Concubine Cheng actually laughed softly. The laughter grew louder and louder, and it took a while for her to stop. She stared at Ye Yunzhou with a provocative look in her eyes. "I've heard that if you want a man to remember you for life, you either have to become his first woman or die at his hands. I wonder if I die at your hands today. Tell me... will you remember me in your dreams in the middle of the night?"
Ye Yunzhou's disgust, which had been somewhat diminished by her motherly love for the Third Prince, surged again upon hearing this. This woman had always looked at him with such a disgusting gaze, even at the moment of death, she still managed to disgust him.
Then, without hesitation, he exerted a slight force in his hand, and the long sword easily pierced her palm and pierced deeply into her chest. Concubine Cheng suddenly froze, her body slowly sliding down the blade, and she collapsed to the ground, blood gushing from her mouth.
He suddenly drew out his sword, the blade flashing with a cold light, and then casually threw the sword aside. He didn't even spare a glance at the weak Concubine Cheng, and naturally did not see the calculation and complacency that flashed in Concubine Cheng's gradually closing eyes.
Ye Yunzhou swept his cold gaze across the palace. Seeing the situation settled, he waved his hand. Without further ado, the imperial guards understood his intention and immediately left a team behind to handle the aftermath while he led his men away. Concubine Cheng had been operating within the palace for years, holding a high position and possessing a complex network of influence. This time, many of her followers were implicated. To prevent future trouble, he had to eliminate these remaining followers one by one before the news spread.
.........
Emperor Yuanzhen granted Ye Yunzhou a temporary warrant to deploy the Imperial Guard. Even with the full support of the elite Imperial Guard, it wasn't until noon that he had nearly eliminated all of Concubine Cheng's visible influence within the palace. As for the hidden influence, there were thousands of palace maids and eunuchs. Without solid evidence, Ye Yunzhou, unwilling to risk any lives, entrusted all subsequent matters to the Imperial Guard leader, ordering him to closely monitor and thoroughly investigate.
After everything was settled, Ye Yunzhou immediately returned to the Taiji Hall to report. Entering the hall, he found Emperor Yuanzhen hunched over his desk, reviewing a mountain of memorials. While the emperor maintained his usual composure, a closer look revealed a desolate and haggard look that spread like spiderwebs beneath his eyes.
Emperor Yuanzhen, bedridden and gravely ill, had long been aware of his sons' schemes. To avoid alerting them, he secretly conspired with Ye Yunzhou, Imperial Physician Fang, and others to orchestrate this scheme. Though the situation has now been stabilized, the betrayal of his two sons is like a sharp knife piercing his heart, leaving him physically and mentally exhausted. But as the ruler of the Great Zhou, how could he disregard the people for his own personal suffering? Despite repeated pleas from Eunuch Su, Emperor Yuanzhen forged ahead, insisting on attending to government affairs at his desk.
Emperor Yuanzhen seemed unaware that Ye Yunzhou had entered the hall, his head still bowed as he concentrated on his desk. Ye Yunzhou approached, lowered his eyes, and stood quietly to one side.
Eunuch Su waited for a long time. Seeing His Majesty so absorbed in the memorial, he seemed to have completely forgotten Ye Yunzhou's presence, and assumed he was simply too engrossed in his review. He tiptoed forward, removed the cold teacup from the table, and replaced it with steaming hot tea. Bravely, he whispered, "Your Majesty, please drink some hot tea to moisten your throat. Your health hasn't fully recovered yet, and yet you're working so hard, it truly worries us servants."
Emperor Yuanzhen finally raised his eyes and glanced at Eunuch Su with a hawk-like gaze. He casually tossed the memorial aside, took a sip of the hot tea, and squinted his eyes in satisfaction: "I'm old now, so I like to drink something hot."
After finishing the tea in the cup, he handed it to Eunuch Su, then looked at Ye Yunzhou who was standing quietly beside him, "How is the matter going?"
Ye Yunzhou raised his eyes slightly, but did not look directly at Emperor Yuanzhen. He said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, Cheng has been executed. I led the Imperial Guards to conduct a thorough investigation in the palace. All those who had any connection with her have been arrested."
"Very good." Emperor Yuanzhen nodded with a look of satisfaction, a subtle and complex expression flashing in his eyes. "Thank you for your hard work these past few days."
How could Ye Yunzhou dare to accept Emperor Yuanzhen's words? He hurriedly bowed and saluted, saying respectfully, "I eat the emperor's salary and bear the emperor's worries. It is my duty to share your worries. I dare not complain about the hardship."
Ye Yunzhou didn't notice as he saluted, but the complex expression on Emperor Yuanzhen's face deepened. He stared at him for several dozen breaths before he slowly spoke, "The Imperial Physician says I don't have much time left. The Zhou family has few descendants these days. In your opinion, after I, Long Yu, pass away, who will be able to protect the Zhou dynasty?"
Ye Yunzhou was startled again. How could he not hear the undisguised probing tone in Emperor Yuanzhen's words? He sighed softly inwardly, yet dared not slack off in the slightest, carefully weighing his words, fearing that the slightest mistake would arouse the emperor's suspicion. "Your Majesty, you have devoted yourself to the country and the people. God bless you and you will live a long and healthy life, and your descendants will be blessed with eternal happiness. Our Great Zhou is stable, and our several princes, though still young, possess much of the brilliance of your Majesty's youth. In time, they will surely bring prosperity to the Great Zhou, and it will endure for generations to come."
Emperor Yuanzhen carefully observed his expression and saw that his brows were slightly furrowed, but his tone was sincere, as if he truly believed it. After a moment's silence, Emperor Yuanzhen slowly spoke, "You also said that the princes are still young. I know my own health, and I am afraid I won't be able to wait until they grow up. By then, what will happen to the ministers in the court?"
He said with self-mockery, "Forget about thousands of years. If this continues, my Great Zhou will be destroyed within a hundred years!"
Emperor Yuanzhen's words were too heavy, without any scruples, as if such a major matter concerning the survival of the country was just an ordinary family matter in his mouth.
The more Ye Yunzhou listened, the tighter his heart tightened. Although His Majesty usually thought highly of him, it had never been to this extent. His Majesty's words and gestures today clearly showed that he had a plan in mind, and it was likely that this plan had something to do with him.
After Emperor Yuanzhen finished speaking, he saw Ye Yunzhou lower his eyes and remained silent. He had not expected Ye Yunzhou to express any opinion on this, so he withdrew his gaze, stood up, and walked to the birdcage in the hall to tease the bird.
This bird, with its dazzling feathers, had recently been presented as a tribute from a foreign country. Emperor Yuanzhen had seen many rare treasures, so he wouldn't have considered it unusual. But the bird could actually speak human language, and with the palace maids diligently caring for it, it wasn't a big deal. Therefore, Emperor Yuanzhen loved to amuse it in his spare time. However, ever since last night's incident, the bird seemed terrified, huddled in a corner until today, completely silent. Even when its former breadwinner offered to feed it, it was terrified and wouldn't dare approach.
After teasing the bird for a while, seeing that it was still cowering and not daring to approach, Emperor Yuanzhen lost interest, casually put the grain aside, waved to Eunuch Su, signaling him to take the birdcage out, and then walked back to the table.
Ye Yunzhou was accustomed to Emperor Yuanzhen's behavior, but a subtle unease welled up within him. In the past, Emperor Yuanzhen would behave this way when he hadn't thought things through, but he rarely treated him so coldly. Now, since he wouldn't let him leave or explain the reason, it was clear he hadn't made up his mind. Although Ye Yunzhou felt uneasy, he could do nothing but stand there, hands down, and wait.
After reseating himself, Emperor Yuanzhen looked at Ye Yunzhou, who had stood there as still as a wooden statue, his expression unchanged, and finally spoke. But as soon as the words left his mouth, Ye Yunzhou felt alarm bells ringing in his heart, and a chill ran up his spine and up the back of his neck.
"How old is your cousin Luo now? Is she engaged?"
Ye Yunzhou's hand in his sleeve suddenly clenched into a fist, his nails almost digging into his palm, but he still had to reply respectfully: "Your Majesty, cousin Luo is not yet of marriageable age. Because she is still young, her family wants to keep her for a while longer, so she has not been betrothed yet."
Emperor Yuanzhen seemed completely oblivious to Ye Yunzhou's subtle change, and simply nodded nonchalantly, "She's not young anymore. A normal girl of her age would have been engaged long ago, and would be able to get married just by the time she reaches the age of marriage. Your cousin is quite pretty, so it's time to arrange a marriage for her as soon as possible."
These words directly refuted the implicit rejection in Ye Yunzhou's tone. Every word revealed a strong intention to bypass the Ye family and directly arrange a marriage for Luo Shuiyao.