Chapter 645 - 632: What Should The Punishment Be
Chapter 645: Chapter 632: What Should The Punishment Be
Upon opening his eyes again, Chu Shengrui fixed a piercing gaze, “You dared to use a child from outside to replace the one born by Mrs. Liang. You are truly audacious!”
“Why on earth did you suddenly propose to arrange a marriage between An Le and Liang Xuelin? An Le is the legitimate princess, and there are many talented young people in the court, but you chose Liang Xuelin to be the son-in-law, I suspect it was probably Mrs. Liang who was aware of your scheme, using it to blackmail and ensure the glory of her family. You, to secure your own position along with Chu Yunhe’s, you forced An Le to accept.”
“Empress, empress, don’t forget that in addition to being an empress, you are also a mother! Blinded by selfish desires, for personal gain, you are virtually burying An Le’s future. Aren’t you afraid that An Le, unable to bear it, might kill herself in front of you?”
“In your eyes, besides power, besides the desire of getting Chu Yunhe to the throne, what else do you value?”
The Empress grew ashen and crumpled to the floor, unable to utter a word in response to Chu Shengrui’s interrogation.
Chu Yunhe was trembling, but still had the decency to kneel and bow continually, “Father, please forgive me, the Empress definitely didn’t know about this. It must have been that lowly woman, Mrs. Liang’s idea. I will deal with her.”
“At this point, with mounting evidence against you, you still try to excuse your mother. Do you think I would believe your words?” Chu Shengrui glared at Chu Yunhe, who still seemed obstinate, fury bubbling in his eyes, “You recklessly win over the court officials in the court, those who are in collusion with you, do you think I am unaware?”
“My son, my son, I just wanted to share your worries…”
“Forming cliques for personal gain, padding your own pockets, favoring those who join you and backstabbing those who disobey you, do you call this sharing my worries? It seems to me that you are trying to usurp the throne, aiming to replace me!”
Chu Shengrui rebuked, “The fourth prince Lu was fighting bandits, yet Zhu Shisan was fully aware of his every move. You must have a part in that too, wanting to get rid of Fourth Prince, eliminating a threat, to make sure you can secure the position of the crown prince?”
“For such a vicious act against your own brother, how should you be punished!”
The color drained from Chu Yunhe’s face.
He knew everything…
Chu Shengrui actually knew everything he had done.
All was lost.
Chu Yunhe’s mind was buzzing, he didn’t know how to respond, or whether he should still argue.
Seeing the Empress and Chu Yunhe in this state, Chu Shengrui stood up, “Empress, as the queen, your moral conduct doesn’t match your position, it’s really hard to continue to be the master of the palace. Proclaim my edict, the Empress is demoted to a low-ranking concubine, starting from today, she is confined in the cold palace for life.”
“The first prince, Chu Yunhe, as an elder brother, shows no kindness and hurts his siblings. He, as a son, lacks reverence and attempts to seize the position of crown prince. Effective immediately, he is relieved of all duties and confined to his residence, and he is not allowed to go out without a decree.”
“Yes!” The command was acknowledged.
After casting one last glance at the astounded Empress and Chu Yunhe, Chu Shengrui took his leave.
The Empress and Chu Yunhe, mother and son, looked at each other, then began to sob.
News that the Empress has been deposed, and Chu Yunhe was confined, spread throughout the harem and the entire capital city like lightning, becoming the talk of the town.
“This Empress is truly detestable, picking up a random child to pose as the imperial eldest grandson, isn’t she afraid of retribution and going to the Eighteen Levels of Hell after death?”
“Not only that, I heard, Mrs. Liang was brought in by the Empress herself, claiming that she can bring prosperity to her husband and the country. She propped up the first prince and even claimed that Miss Luo was cursed, thus disrupting the marriage between Miss Luo and Fourth Prince.”
“She entirely lacks compassion, truly the Empress is devoid of all humanity, her dethronement is absolutely deserved, she is truly unworthy of being an empress.”
“Surely she is undeserving. She came from a poor and humble family, her vision is not broad. If she could have been virtuous and benevolent, given the compassion of his majesty, even if he favors Concubine Hui so much, he would still respect the Empress. But unfortunately, she completely fails to see this, and constantly finds fault with Concubine Hui, even plotting against the Fourth Prince, tsk tsk…”
“But then again, now that the empress’s position is vacated and the first prince is confined, there should be someone sitting on that throne, who do you think it will be?”
“Who? Isn’t it obvious that it is…”
“Hush, you dare to second-guess the imperial decree, do you really have no fear of death? When the time comes, we will know who the empress is when the emperor establishes the empress. What’s the point of speculating so much?”
“Ah, that’s true…”
Thus, out of concern about the matter, people dared not discuss it too much. They exchanged a ‘you-know-what-I-mean’ look and laughed it off.
But soon, they had a new topic to discuss, and they could do so freely and boldly.
That is, Chu Jinnian is getting married.
A decree from the Empress Dowager had pronounced that Chu Jinnian would be married to the Lord of Ninghe County, and the wedding was set for the eighth month of next year.
Chu Jinnian, because of the King of Qi and the late Princess Qi, had been the subject of constant scuttlebutt in the capital city. His unparalleled charm and elegant demeanor have also drawn many people’s attention. Now that he was suddenly getting married, and to the newly appointed Lord of Ninghe County at that, people couldn’t help but feel curious about why the Empress Dowager would make such a decree.
“I heard that the marriage of the Prince of Qi was decided by the late Princess Qi. Therefore, the Empress Dowager respected the wishes of the late Princess and thus the arranged marriage.”
“But this Lord of Ninghe County, although she has a noble identity, she actually comes from a peasant family. The Prince Qi, on the other hand, genuinely comes from a noble family. To marry a country girl…what was Princess Qi thinking when she arranged such a marriage for her son?”
“You don’t know this, but I heard something. Although the Lord of Ninghe County is of peasant origin, she is extremely intelligent and well-educated. Not to mention the waterwheel, even the submarine fire soldiers were suggested by her. Even the soap we use daily and the century eggs we eat, they were all made by the Lord of Ninghe County. You think about it, isn’t the Lord of Ninghe County worthy of the Prince Qi with these great talents?”
“Well, that makes sense. The late Princess was a legitimate daughter of the Qiao family, and her taste was excellent. If she arranged this marriage, she must have selected it very carefully.”
“Now that you say this, it seems to make sense…”
Inside Anqing Palace.
“The edict from the Empress Dowager has been issued, so your heart must be at ease now.” Chu Yunzhao chuckled.
“It’s fine.” Chu Jinnian picked up the teacup in his hand, “This was only the icing on the cake.”
The imperial marriage was merely a public announcement that he was getting married. It was not to get anyone’s approval or acknowledgment.
After all, either way, he would spend his life with her, and he didn’t need anyone’s approval.