kvmb Chapter 363 The Bitter Meat Scheme
Chapter 363 The Bitter Meat Scheme
Consort Shu arrived at the door of the Imperial Study and tried to barge into the hall, but was stopped by the Imperial Guards: "Your Majesty, if you barge into the Imperial Study without permission, you will commit a grave offense. Please reconsider."
Consort Shu, preoccupied with the news of the Lin family's execution, lost her usual dignified and proper demeanor, appearing disheveled: "Your Majesty... I need to see Your Majesty..."
The eunuch guarding the door had received favors from Consort Shu in the past. Seeing that Consort Shu had lost her mind, and remembering that the Emperor of Northern Qi had not given an order not to see Consort Shu, he took it upon himself to go in and announce her arrival.
"Your Majesty, Consort Shu is requesting an audience outside the palace. Would you like to summon her?"
The Northern Qi emperor sat on his dragon throne, reviewing the evidence of the Lin family's crimes, his brow furrowing deeper with each reading. He had previously been solely focused on protecting the Lin family to prevent disrupting the balance of power.
Now that the Lin family has been brought to justice, many previously overlooked doubts have come to light.
For example, he arranged for people to monitor the Lin family, but no one reported the Lin family's numerous crimes to him. Was it that the informants were bribed by the Lin family, or that the Lin family had connections and influence to deceive everyone?
Either way, it instilled a sense of apprehension in him.
What if the Lin family harbors rebellious intentions? Wouldn't it be possible to kill them without anyone knowing and then support the virtuous prince to ascend the throne?
Thinking of this, the Northern Qi emperor couldn't help but feel fortunate that he had been wise enough to deal with the troublesome Lin family.
He threw the evidence on the table, looked up at the eunuch who came in to announce his arrival, and was about to speak when he heard Consort Shu clamoring to see him from outside the hall. He then turned his gaze to the direction of the hall entrance.
The Emperor of Northern Qi pondered for a moment, but ultimately did not see Consort Shu: "If Consort Shu refuses to leave, she shall be punished according to the law for her breach of etiquette before the Emperor, and shall be banished to the Cold Palace."
The eunuch's expression changed. Not daring to disobey the Northern Qi Emperor, he obeyed the order and left the palace to relay the Emperor's words to Consort Shu.
He offered a word of advice: "Your Highness, you are not alone. Even if you don't think of yourself, you should think of the Prince."
Consort Shu's heart sank into ice water. The man who had been whispering sweet nothings to her last night had today thrown her entire family into prison, refused to even see her, and even said he would banish her to the Cold Palace.
As the saying goes, the most ruthless place is the imperial family.
She always thought that the Northern Qi emperor treated her differently; even when she wanted to see Princess Yizhen tame wild beasts, he silently indulged her.
Over the years, whether the Lin family committed crimes or she angered the Emperor of Northern Qi, as long as she showed goodwill, the Emperor of Northern Qi would forgive and forget.
So much so that she forgot, forgot that all the emperors in the world were no different.
Consort Shu could not bear to watch the Lin family beheaded, nor did she dare to continue making a scene. Her face was pale as she stared at the tightly closed palace doors.
After a long while, she slowly turned around and walked down the white jade steps, kneeling on the ground, hoping to use a self-inflicted injury ruse to make the Northern Qi Emperor take pity on her and then give the Lin family a lighter punishment, or at least make an exception and let her see Old Madam Lin.
The overcast sky suited the scene perfectly, and fine snowflakes drifted down, covering her completely.
As the lamps were lit, the Northern Qi Emperor emerged from his study and immediately saw Consort Shu kneeling at the foot of the steps, causing him to halt in his tracks.
Fine snowflakes fell on her, making her look like a snowman.
The Emperor of Northern Qi slowly walked towards her, stood on the jade steps, and looked down at her: "I have already shown extraordinary leniency by not investigating the serious crimes committed by the Lin family. You should be grateful, instead of begging me to grant the Lin family special treatment."
Consort Shu's teeth were chattering from the cold, and her usually rosy face turned pale. Before she could even speak, tears were already streaming down her face.
She said sadly, "Your Majesty, the Lin family has always been honest and upright. I don't believe they would commit a capital crime. I just want to ask you if there is any other misunderstanding involved."
"The Lin family openly violated the law by smuggling tea to foreign lands, and the interest they charged on loans was several times the principal. They ruthlessly exploited the people, causing them to lose their fortunes and their families to be destroyed. The Lin family has at least a hundred, if not a thousand, lives on their hands."
The Northern Qi emperor, with a stern face, recounted the Lin family's crimes and said coldly, "If I don't punish the Lin family, how can I explain myself to the people, and how can I maintain order in the court?"
Consort Shu knelt in the snow, her slender figure covered with a thin layer of white snow, making her appear pale and fragile.
Her eyes were red as she looked at the Emperor of Northern Qi. She didn't say anything to defend herself, just kept crying, looking extremely pitiful.
The Northern Qi Emperor said in a deep voice, "If you are not afraid that the Lin family's case will implicate you and the Prince Xian, then continue to kneel here and plead for the Lin family."
Having said all he could say, the Emperor of Northern Qi strode past Consort Shu.
"Your Majesty..." Eunuch Liu caught a glimpse of Consort Shu fainting in the snow and said anxiously, "Your Majesty, Her Majesty has fainted."
The Emperor of Northern Qi stopped and turned to see Consort Shu lying in the snow, her face so pale that she almost blended into the snow.
After a moment's thought, he did not summon a palace maid to help Consort Shu back to Zhaohua Palace. Instead, he personally carried Consort Shu back to the Imperial Study and instructed Eunuch Liu to fetch the imperial physician.
-
King Qi was overjoyed at bringing down the Lin family and made a special trip to Chang Le Palace to pay his respects to the Empress and share this happy news.
He arrived at the entrance of Chang Le Palace and saw Green Branch coming out of the palace.
Green Branch saw Prince Qi and curtsied, saying, "Your Highness, may you enjoy boundless blessings."
The King of Qi asked, "The weather has been so unpredictable lately, how is the Queen Mother's health?"
"Her Majesty's health is no different from previous years, and there has been no improvement." Green Branch looked worried and felt extremely sorry for the Empress.
King Qi frowned and went straight into the main hall, where he saw the Queen holding a bowl and drinking medicine.
He stood aside, waiting for the Empress to finish her medicine. He took the bowl and placed it on a tray, saying with concern, "Mother, you have been bedridden and your health has not improved. I heard that the Prince of Guangling was near death but found a divine physician who cured him. Perhaps I should send someone to the Great Zhou to invite this divine physician to treat your illness?"
A smile appeared on the Empress's usually cold face: "Life and death are predestined; there's no need to go out of your way to find a divine physician for me."
"Mother..."
The Empress, not wanting to say more, interrupted Prince Qi and changed the subject: "I heard you went to expose the Lin family's crimes today?"
As expected, Prince Qi echoed the Empress's words, saying, "Your Majesty, I have discovered that the Lin family is selling smuggled tea and lending money at exorbitant interest rates, and their hands are stained with human lives. Even if Father Emperor wanted to protect the Lin family, he would not dare to do so."
Last time, Lin Yi plotted to harm the imperial heir and even tried to burn the people down. Before his scheme could succeed, the censor remonstrated with the Lin family to the death.
Now the Lin family has truly done these things. If things really escalate, even Father Emperor might not be able to suppress them.
The Empress took a sip of water to wash away the bitterness in her mouth: "How did you find out?"
King Qi vividly recounted to the Queen the events that had occurred at the Lin family's tea shop two days prior.
In closing, he sighed, "I planted spies in the Lin family, but they haven't been able to find any evidence against them. If it weren't for a new tea shop opening in the capital that sells tea cheaper than the Lin family's, and if their regular customers hadn't caused trouble there, I doubt they would have found any clues about the Lin family selling smuggled tea."
The Empress frowned slightly, sensing that this matter was not simple.