kvmb Chapter 505 Severing Ties with Six Relatives
Chapter 505 Severing Ties with Six Relatives
Two guards dragged Consort Shu towards the tiger enclosure next door.
"Let me go, let me go—"
Consort Shu was terrified; her face turned deathly pale as she struggled desperately.
However, the arms of the two bodyguards were as strong and powerful as iron arms.
She was completely immobilized under their control.
They could only watch helplessly as they got closer and closer to the tiger enclosure.
Perhaps it was because I was too scared, or perhaps the scene was too similar, overlapping with the images in my memory.
In a daze, she seemed to see two guards dragging Yizhen into a cage of wild beasts, just like secret guards.
Yi Zhen's eyes were filled with fear, but she did not look at the Northern Qi Emperor. Instead, she stared intently in the direction of Anrui Palace.
Because her children are there.
Her body was so thin, yet she was full of tenacious vitality, and no matter what situation she faced, it could not break her. Until the moment she was locked in the cage, the beast not only knocked her to the ground, but also completely crushed her.
Broken.
Tragic.
However, all of this did not change the mind of the Northern Qi emperor.
He waited almost obsessively for Yizhen to beg for mercy.
Now, cause and effect are in motion.
Karma has caught up with you.
She followed in Yizhen's footsteps.
"No...no...don't feed me to the tigers..." The bloody image of Yizhen dying in the jaws of wild beasts kept flashing through Consort Shu's mind, terrifying her so much that tears streamed down her face as she pleaded in a hoarse voice, "Your Majesty, I know I was wrong. I shouldn't have blamed Heng'er's death on you. I couldn't bear the pain of losing my son, and that's why I went mad and tried to assassinate you and spoke disrespectfully to you. I know my sins are grave, and I dare not beg you to spare my life. I only beg you to remember our past relationship and grant me a quick death."
In Consort Shu's mind, her status was higher than Yi Zhen's, and the Emperor of Northern Qi truly doted on her.
Otherwise, how could he have allowed her to throw Yizhen into the cage of wild animals?
How could they possibly let her give birth to three daughters and one son?
However, the Northern Qi emperor did not truly love Yi Zhen.
It was merely Yi Zhen's pride that aroused the Northern Qi emperor's desire for conquest.
Ultimately, in the eyes of the Northern Qi emperor, Yi Zhen was nothing more than a plaything.
Otherwise, why wouldn't they give her a proper title?
Even worse, she was subjected to being looked down upon.
The Northern Qi emperor locked Yi Zhen in a cage of wild animals, waiting for her to beg for mercy.
Now, the Northern Qi emperor has thrown her into the tiger enclosure, is he waiting for her to beg for mercy?
Consort Shu watched as the guards dragged her to the tiger enclosure. Terrified, her body trembled uncontrollably, and her voice became exceptionally shrill: "Your Majesty, I entered the Crown Prince's residence at the age of fourteen and bore you four children. I have done nothing wrong, but I have certainly worked hard. Please, for the sake of my children, grant me a dignified death."
The Northern Qi emperor remained unmoved, his hands behind his back, coldly watching her shout.
The tiger was kept in an underground well, with a low wall built on the surface for people to observe.
Consort Shu was dragged to the low wall and looked at the cruel and ungrateful Emperor of Northern Qi. Only then did she realize with despair that in the Emperor's heart, she was no different from Yi Zhen.
She was just more docile, obedient, and knew how to serve people than Yizhen.
The Northern Qi emperor simply used it because he was pleased with it.
Hatred burst forth in Consort Shu's terrified and desperate eyes.
He hated the ruthlessness of the Northern Qi emperor.
He hated himself even more for not being able to kill him with one blow.
Fearing that she wouldn't be able to kill the Northern Qi emperor with a single blow, she specially smeared a deadly poison on the hairpin knife.
To everyone's surprise, he was wearing soft armor.
Consort Shu cursed viciously: "May you be cut off from all your relatives, and die a horrible death... Ah..."
At this moment, the guards pushed her down.
Consort Shu fell headlong into the ground, only to be horrified to find two tigers crouching below, their jaws wide open, waiting to devour their prey. The fear of impending death ignited her will to survive.
Before she could even utter a cry for help, she clearly heard the voice of the Northern Qi Emperor: "If you had even a fraction of Yi Zhen's backbone and didn't beg for my mercy, I might let you go."
Consort Shu wanted to say something, but she fell into the tiger's mouth.
"what--"
All her resentment and bitterness turned into pitiful screams.
The Emperor of Northern Qi walked to the low wall and looked down. He saw Consort Shu lying bent over at the bottom of the well, one of her arms torn apart by a wild beast. Her bright red blood stained her clothes, just as she had when she first entered the Crown Prince's residence, dressed so lavishly.
She stood in the sunlight, surrounded by a garden full of blooming flowers, more beautiful than the flowers themselves.
She picked a bright red peony, handed it to him, and said sweetly, "Your Highness, you must cherish me more."
Now, she lies at the bottom of the dark well, her face ashen and contorted with pain.
Her fingers, stained with blood, slowly reached towards him.
A tiger bit her arm and dragged her away.
The Northern Qi emperor stood there for an unknown period of time.
Until a gentle breeze blew by, and the osmanthus blossoms fell softly into the well, gently covering a section of white bone.
-
As night fell, the Northern Qi emperor returned to his bedchamber.
The bedchamber was filled with rows of candles, their light illuminating the palace as bright as day.
For some reason, the Northern Qi emperor felt his palace was empty, and a sense of loneliness spread from the bottom of his heart. He subconsciously went to the inner palace.
Eunuch Liu asked, "Your Majesty, where are you going?"
The Northern Qi emperor paused, suddenly realizing that there was nowhere to go in this vast palace.
I couldn't help but recall Consort Shu's words, "Severing all ties with relatives."
Although emperors referred to themselves as "lonely and isolated," it was merely a self-deprecating way of describing themselves as lacking in virtue.
Now, it seems to mean exactly what it says.
He was a lonely man with no relatives or friends.
The empress guarded the imperial tomb.
Consort Shu is dead.
Other women in the harem who showed any sign of gaining favor were nipped in the bud by Consort Shu.
In recent years, he has been pursuing the path to immortality and has stopped favoring other women.
As for offspring.
The King of Qi's background was cleared, but he still harbored a thorn in his side, and because of the assassination attempt, he was imprisoned in Guangyang Palace.
The wise king is dead.
All of his daughters married far away.
Only the Prince of Guangling remained.
But the Prince of Guangling had been secretly clashing with him, and the father and son had long been enemies.
"Where to go..." the Emperor of Northern Qi said quietly, "I'm not going anywhere."
He turned around, slowly walked to the dragon throne, and sat down gently.
The candlelight cast his shadow on the ground.
It resembles a towering, isolated mountain.
There were no mountains surrounding him.
Eunuch Liu actually saw a trace of desolation and loneliness in the Northern Qi Emperor: "Your Majesty..."
The Emperor of Northern Qi interrupted him: "How is the Imperial Tutor?"
Eunuch Liu reported, "Your Majesty, Physician Fang sent word that the Imperial Tutor's condition has been stabilized and has not worsened further."
Now, when the Imperial Tutor is mentioned, the Emperor of Northern Qi has a complicated expression: "The Imperial Tutor has awakened. Tell me immediately."
Eunuch Liu accepted the order: "Yes."
The Northern Qi emperor picked up a memorial and said casually, "The Prince of Guangling should return to the capital."
Eunuch Liu did not understand what the Northern Qi emperor meant.
The Northern Qi emperor ordered: "Send someone to keep an eye on the Guangling Prince's residence. Once the Guangling Prince returns, bring him to see me immediately."
Meanwhile, Zhao Yi, whom the Northern Qi emperor had been talking about, returned to the Guangling Prince's Mansion under the cover of night.