kvmb Chapter 373 Self-inflicted evil
Chapter 373 Self-inflicted evil
The wise prince arrived at Zhaohua Palace in a hurry, only to find the palace in a mess and Consort Shu sitting on the ground with her hair disheveled.
The veins on her forehead bulged, her eyes were bloodshot, and her face was streaked with tears. As if she were screaming out the pain she had endured, she collapsed to the ground in exhaustion.
The wise king stood frozen in place, staring blankly at Consort Shu, who was shrouded in immense sorrow.
In his memory, his mother was aloof and domineering.
I've never been so embarrassed before.
The Prince Xian came to his senses and quickly walked towards Consort Shu: "Mother, let me help you to sit down on the couch."
Upon hearing the Prince Xian's voice, Consort Shu's eyes flickered, and she turned to look at him with a sluggish expression. She stared at him for a long while before her stagnant mind slowly began to function again.
"Heng'er, all thirty-eight members of the Lin family have been murdered! Not a single one has survived." Consort Shu's eyes welled with tears, her hoarse voice filled with grief: "What should I do..."
She had previously invited her mother to the palace, and her mother said that at the end of the year, she would personally make dumplings and send them to the palace so that she could eat them at the beginning of the year, which would also be considered a family reunion.
Before she got married, she always complained that her mother's dumplings were unpalatable. Every year at the beginning of the year and the Mid-Autumn Festival, she would eat them with a pained expression.
After entering the palace, I looked forward to these two festivals every year, waiting for my mother to make dumplings and send them to the palace for me to eat.
Because dumplings contain the taste of mother and the taste of home.
From then on, she longed to eat the dumplings her mother made, but she could never eat them again.
She has no mother.
From now on, no one will care about her anymore, whether she has suffered any injustices in the palace, or whether she is living a good life.
"Father has sent people to investigate the murderer and will avenge my maternal grandfather's family." Seeing Consort Shu crying so heartbrokenly, Prince Xian's tears also welled up: "Mother, you still have me. Your son will protect you."
Consort Shu embraced Prince Xian, holding her only family member tightly.
She was keenly aware that she had lost the favor of the Northern Qi emperor, and no emperor would continue to favor a concubine and her offspring who would one day usurp the throne.
Her family was wiped out, and she can only rely on her son for survival from now on.
Consort Shu's eyes flashed with intense hatred, hating that Jiang Jianzheng's casual remark had ruined their more than ten years of planning.
“Heng’er, the murderer is Jiang Su, it must have been him. I sent people to arrest his son, and he killed the entire Lin family to get revenge on me.”
Consort Shu said with great certainty: "The Jiang family has served two dynasties and held a very high position in the previous dynasty, and was highly regarded by the previous emperor. He is definitely a remnant of the previous dynasty."
The Prince's expression changed drastically. Seeing Consort Shu's frantic state, fear gripped his heart: "Such words must never be said in front of Father..."
Consort Shu interrupted him: "Why can't I say it? His Majesty has been looking for remnants of the previous dynasty. If I find them, it will only please His Majesty."
As she spoke, Consort Shu got up and staggered out of the palace: "I will definitely go to His Majesty to expose Jiang Su's true colors and make His Majesty avenge the Lin family."
She arrived at the entrance of Zhaohua Palace and found the gate tightly closed, so she kept banging on the door.
"Open the door and let me out. I want to see His Majesty."
The guards outside the door replied, "Your Majesty, His Majesty said that your health is not good, and you should stay in Linhua Palace to recuperate during this period."
Consort Shu was preoccupied with exposing Jiang Jianzheng as a remnant of the previous dynasty, and she couldn't understand the meaning behind the guard's words at all. She continued to pound on the door, begging the guard to let her out, saying that she had important matters to tell the Emperor of Northern Qi.
Upon hearing Consort Shu's words, the guards outside arranged for one of them to inform the Emperor of Northern Qi.
At this very moment, the Emperor of Northern Qi was troubled by the Lin family's case.
According to custom, the first day of the new year is to go to the Fengtian Hall to receive the congratulations of the officials.
Because the Lin family was suddenly wiped out, causing widespread panic, the ceremony to celebrate the occasion was cancelled.
A day has almost passed, and there has been no progress in the case whatsoever.
Moreover, the messenger sent to invite the Imperial Tutor returned and reported that the Imperial Tutor and the master of the National Temple had gone into seclusion.
When the emperor of Northern Qi encountered difficult decisions, he would always consult with his imperial tutor, who would always be available at a moment's notice.
This time, the imperial tutor did not appear, and the Emperor of Northern Qi seemed to have lost his backbone, feeling anxious and uneasy.
At this moment, the guards watching over Consort Shu returned to report that Consort Shu was clamoring to see him.
The Northern Qi emperor's eyes were filled with disgust: "I won't see you."
In the following days, the officials of the Three Judicial Offices and the Imperial Guards still found nothing.
Because of the grand spectacle orchestrated by the Northern Qi emperor, not only the civil and military officials, but also the common people were extremely concerned about the Lin family's extermination.
There were even rumors that the Northern Qi emperor was an incompetent ruler and that his ascension to the throne was entirely due to the help of his tutor.
Now that there's no imperial tutor to advise him, he can't even solve a small case like the Lin family's.
The emperor of Northern Qi was furious when he heard the rumors.
He never thought of himself as an incompetent person; he just had too many ideas and couldn't make up his mind.
The Northern Qi emperor pointed at Eunuch Liu and said sternly, "Go and convey my decree: anyone who disrespects me, kill them on sight."
Eunuch Liu's expression changed, and his lips moved, but he dared not disobey the Northern Qi Emperor and obeyed the order to leave.
The Northern Qi emperor knew he couldn't silence the people, so the only solution was to resolve the Lin family case as soon as possible.
At this moment, Consort Shu's voice came from outside the hall: "Let me go, you bunch of dog slaves, I want to see His Majesty."
Then, Consort Shu raised her voice and shouted, "Your Majesty, I have found the remnants of the previous dynasty!"
The Northern Qi emperor's brow twitched, his disgust for Consort Shu reaching its peak.
He and the late emperor secretly sent people to investigate the remnants of the previous dynasty; such matters were never made public.
Because his accession to the throne was illegitimate, he was extremely resistant to the term "previous dynasty".
This serves as a reminder to the world that the Chu family's empire was seized.
But Consort Shu insisted on making it public.
He walked out of the main hall with a gloomy face, his cold and sharp eyes looking at Consort Shu, who was being supported by eunuchs. She was disheveled, with dry grass stuck to the ends of her hair, and her clothes were covered in mud, as if she had been rolling on the ground.
Her disheveled appearance showed no trace of the dignity expected of a palace concubine.
Consort Shu was completely unaware of the change in Emperor Bei Qi's mood. She was delighted that he was willing to come out and see her, which made her decision to have the palace maid dig a hole in the wall and crawl out to see him worthwhile.
"Your Majesty, I have found a remnant of the previous dynasty. It is Jiang Su. He was the one who killed the Lin family. Please send someone to arrest him and interrogate him immediately."
Consort Shu pushed aside the eunuch and looked at the Emperor of Northern Qi with anticipation, hoping that he would immediately order the confiscation of the Jiang family's property.
The next moment, the Northern Qi Emperor spoke, causing all the color to drain from her face.
"Consort Shu, the Lin family's troubles started because of you. It was your interference in the fate of the nation that caused the Lin family to suffer divine retribution."