Liu Ying frowned. "Your Majesty, please rest peacefully in my palace. I will order that no one is allowed to enter. It is not good for Your Majesty to always hide by my side. When I go to see the Empress Dowager, I will speak well of Your Majesty and resolve the misunderstanding as soon as possible."
Liu Ruyi knew that it was going too far to prevent Liu Ying from seeing Empress Lü, and Liu Ying would definitely not listen. He himself did not dare to go with Liu Ying to see Empress Lü, so he had no choice but to agree.
Liu Ying hurriedly went to Changle Palace, thinking he would return as soon as possible. He pondered how to plead for Liu Ruyi along the way, but when he arrived at Empress Lü's palace, he couldn't come up with a good idea. He saw Empress Lü sitting on the steps, her face rosy and she looked more energetic than when Liu Ji was alive. Her skin was much better, and she didn't look sick at all.
"Your subject pays respects to Your Majesty."
Empress Lü Zhi's smile vanished, replaced by a furious outburst. "Hmph! Does His Majesty even remember he has a mother like me? Spending all his time with that little beast, is he trying to drive me to my death? He is His Majesty's enemy! He is the enemy of the Lü family!"
The death of your elder brother Lü Ze and Liu Ruyi's struggle for the crown prince position are also inextricably linked! Now that you've become emperor, instead of seeking revenge for your own uncle, you've actually stood up to protect your enemy?
The late emperor was right. A person like you is indeed unfit to be emperor. Sooner or later, your entire family will be killed by you! I will also be killed by you!
With a thud, Liu Ying knelt on the ground, tears welling up instantly. "Mother, please calm your anger. Your son knows he was wrong."
"Get up! What kind of behavior is this, a monarch weeping and wailing? Since you know you're wrong, then come with me now to avenge your uncle!" Empress Lü said, standing up. "Prepare the carriage for the Yongxiang Palace!"
Liu Ying's expression suddenly changed drastically, and he stood up abruptly. "Did Mother send people to my palace to arrest my third brother?"
Empress Lü smiled coldly, "Prince Zhao, Liu Ruyi, knowing his sins were grave, committed suicide by poisoning himself. What does that have to do with me?"
Chapter 213 Retribution
"What does this have to do with the Empress Dowager?" Liu Ying smiled bitterly. "Does the Empress Dowager possess the ability to foresee the future? Since the Empress Dowager is in good health, I am relieved. I will return to the palace to attend to important matters. I take my leave!"
"Stop! If you dare disobey my orders and go back to save that little beast, I will kill Consort Qi in the most cruel way in the world!" Empress Lü said angrily.
Liu Ying stopped in his tracks. "If I follow Mother to the Yongxiang Palace, will Mother spare Consort Qi?"
Empress Lü smiled slightly, “I will entrust Your Majesty with the glorious mission of killing Consort Qi to avenge my brother Lü Ze. If you want to be a good emperor, how can you be soft-hearted without ever having killed anyone? Besides, that vile woman Consort Qi has committed a heinous crime and deserves to die. Your Majesty, please do not waste my good intentions!”
"I cannot comply!" Liu Ying said angrily, and stormed off.
Empress Lü was so enraged she was practically fuming. "Guards! Convey my decree: The evidence is irrefutable that the Imperial Censor Zhao Yao misled Your Majesty into demoting the former Imperial Censor Zhou Chang and plotted to murder General Fan Kuai. He shall be executed!"
Liu Ying urged the coachman to hurry back to the palace, hoping that they might not have succeeded yet and there was still a chance to save the King of Zhao.
However, when Liu Ying rushed back to his palace, he was shocked to find that Liu Ruyi had disappeared.
"Where is the King of Zhao? Where did the King of Zhao go! Ruyi! Third Brother!" Liu Ying searched around, constantly asking the palace guards and servants, but everyone remained silent.
However, Liu Ying did not give up. He refused to believe that he, as an emperor, could not even get the truth out of a question.
"Summon Chen Ping, the Imperial Physician, to see me immediately!" Liu Ying roared in fury.
As a result, Liu Ying did not receive Chen Ping's message. Instead, he received news that Chen Ping had been summoned by Empress Lü and was temporarily unable to come to see the emperor.
Liu Ying sneered, "Mother, you're quite the schemer... Prepare the carriage! I'm going to see the Grand Tutor!"
...
Now, Grand Tutor Shusun Tong has gone from being the Crown Prince's Grand Tutor to the Emperor's Grand Tutor, and he is filled with pride.
"If Your Majesty wishes to see this old minister, you can simply send someone to summon him. Why must you come all the way to my humble abode?" Shusun Tong asked, somewhat puzzled.
Liu Ying's eyes reddened, "Grand Tutor, I'm afraid you won't receive my message, sob sob sob..."
Shusun Tong listened quietly to Liu Ying's tearful complaint with a somber expression. "So that's how it is. Why is Your Majesty doing this? Searching for the Prince of Zhao is useless under these circumstances; it's too late."
Your Majesty, there are some things I failed to explain clearly. While Your Majesty's benevolence is certainly a virtue, it cannot be shown to enemies. If Xiang Yu had not spared the late Emperor at the Feast at Hongmen out of consideration for our sworn brotherhood, would Your Majesty still possess this empire?
The King of Zhao clearly harbors ambitions to rival Your Majesty, and like the late Emperor, he is extremely ambitious. Your Majesty's act of rescuing the King of Zhao now is tantamount to releasing a tiger back into the mountains. It is hard to guarantee that Your Majesty will not suffer harm in the future, and the people of the world will suffer further devastation because of the King of Zhao's selfish desires.
Moreover, the Empress Dowager is His Majesty's birth mother. How can His Majesty anger her for the sake of an enemy? It's fine if His Majesty doesn't want to personally kill Consort Qi, but regarding the Prince of Zhao, His Majesty must not argue with the Empress Dowager again.
Liu Ying felt his head explode with a buzzing sound. "No, no, Mother Empress always keeps her word. I'm afraid Consort Qi will die a miserable death because of me!"
Shusun Tong's expression changed slightly. "Your Majesty! The Empress Dowager has long harbored resentment towards Consort Qi; it is by no means Your Majesty's fault."
"No, no, if I had obeyed the Empress Dowager's orders, I would have had a chance to spare her suffering, but I did not! I will go to Yongxiang now, I hope I can make it in time!" Liu Ying hurriedly got up and left the Grand Tutor's house, and finally arrived at Yongxiang after a long and hurried journey.
However, Empress Lü had already left the place, and only Chen Ping stood there respectfully.
"Chen Ping! Where is Lady Qi! Is she still alive?" Liu Ying had a vague feeling that something was wrong.
Chen Ping's face was grim. "Your Majesty, I have something to say, and I urge you to take it to heart. Consort Qi and her son have attempted to seize the throne and have offended the Empress Dowager. They must take responsibility for their actions. I beg Your Majesty to return to the palace and rest, and not to concern yourself with this matter any further."
"Where is Lady Qi? Is she still alive?" Liu Ying roared.
Chen Ping took a deep breath. "Your Majesty, Lady Qi is still alive, in the pigsty inside. Prince Zhao is also there."
Upon hearing this, Liu Ying immediately rushed inside. If his mother had merely locked them in the pigsty, it would have been a lenient decision.
However, when Liu Ying found the pigsty, she immediately saw Liu Ruyi hanging from the beam with his head tied up with a rope, looking like a piece of cured meat.
Liu Ying suppressed the urge to vomit and walked over. Liu Ruyi must be dead, but Chen Ping just said that Lady Qi was still alive!
Could it be that the Empress Dowager ordered Consort Qi to watch Liu Ruyi be hanged? How cruel!
Liu Ying walked blankly to the pigsty, his mind in turmoil. He had no idea how to protect Lady Qi. Perhaps, as the Grand Tutor and Chen Ping said, Lady Qi and Liu Ruyi deserved to die, but torturing them like this was too much!
At this moment, a strongman ran over and stopped Liu Ying.
"Your Majesty! This is not a place for Your Majesty. Please return."
"Get out of the way!" Liu Ying was furious and wouldn't listen to any advice; after all, he was still a young man.
“Yes.” The strongman stood to the side.
Liu Ying looked into the pigsty, but there was no one there.
"Lady Qi? Where is Lady Qi?" Liu Ying turned to ask the strongman.
"Your Majesty, Consort Qi has been turned into a human pig and is over there," the strongman pointed casually.
Liu Ying asked instinctively, "What is a human pig?"
"Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager ordered that Consort Qi's hands and feet be cut off, her eyes gouged out, her ears burned with fire, and that she be given a drug to make her mute. She was then made to live in a pigsty, hence the name 'human pig'," the strongman replied truthfully.
Upon hearing this, Liu Ying collapsed to the ground and burst into tears, overwhelmed with grief. "Waaah... This is not something a human being should do! I am the son of the Empress Dowager, how can I govern the world?"
Lady Qi, in the pigsty, seemed to hear something in a daze, but she paid no attention to it. Whether she was awake or unconscious, she kept cursing two people in her mind: one was Lü Zhi, who killed Liu Ruyi and turned her into a human pig, and the other was Liu Ji, who swore to protect her and her child!
In fact, Liu Ji's method of having Zhou Chang assist Liu Ruyi did have some effect in history. Empress Lü summoned Liu Ruyi to the palace twice, but Zhou Chang refused on the grounds that Liu Ruyi was ill.
As a result, Empress Lü directly summoned Zhou Chang to the palace, gave him a good scolding, and put him under surveillance. Then she successfully summoned Liu Ruyi to the palace.
Although Liu Ying received the news and took the initiative to greet Liu Ruyi and protect him, he ultimately failed to save him.
After killing Liu Ruyi, Empress Lü had no more scruples and decisively turned Consort Qi into a human pig to vent her anger, but she did not expect that this would indirectly harm her own son Liu Ying.
After this incident, Liu Ying indulged in drinking and pleasure every day, neglecting state affairs, and his health gradually deteriorated. Later, Empress Lü arranged a marriage between them, making Liu Ying the empress and the daughter of his elder sister, Princess Lu Yuan. Finally, Liu Ying discovered the affair between Empress Lü and Shen Shiqi, and died of depression at the young age of twenty-four.
It can be said that Liu Ying was one of the most tragic emperors in history. Even when Sima Qian wrote the Records of the Grand Historian, there was not a single biography for Liu Ying.
Is it really true that good people don't get good rewards? Or perhaps it's someone's bad karma, and they're getting their comeuppance? Who knows?
...
Inside Changling, a long-haired ape, its entire body a vibrant green with only a few pieces of cloth covering its body, was howling and wreaking havoc with abandon...
"Hahaha... I have finally achieved divine body perfection and can leave now! Lü Zhi! Shen Shiqi! I swear to tear you to pieces!"
Chapter 214 Zombie Liu
Heilong originally didn't intend to let Liu Ji go out, but he didn't expect that Lady Qi and Liu Ruyi could provide so much resentment. Heilong was so happy that he agreed, but there was one rule that Liu Ji had to abide by: anyone who saw him must die!
Normally, if a deceased person is buried in a place with heavy evil energy, they may become a zombie by chance, but that would only be the most basic zombie, and it would take a very long time.
However, the zombie pill that Black Dragon bought can shorten this process to within three days.
The reason why it took Liu Ji so long to achieve 'divine body perfection' is because Liu Ji's experience caused him to rise three levels from an ordinary zombie to a green zombie, and even the king of green zombies - the green-haired zombie!
You should know that it would take an ordinary zombie countless years to advance to the level of a green zombie without any extraordinary encounter.
So, Black Dragon was quite satisfied with being able to turn into a green-haired zombie in such a short time, but he was a little puzzled as to why this was the case. Was it really due to his talent?
However, the black dragon did not tell Liu Ji that he was already a glorious green-haired zombie. Instead, he told him that this was the initial stage of the divine body. As long as he cultivated diligently, he could continue to change in the future. The ugly appearance was only temporary.
Liu Ji didn't completely believe that any god could look like him, and he also had a faint bloodthirsty impulse in his heart.
But that doesn't matter. At least his superhuman fighting ability is undeniable. All he wants now is to get out of here as soon as possible, torture Lü Zhi and Shen Shiqi to death, and if he has time, he might as well visit his concubines.
The only taboo, as the black dragon had already told him, was that those in the initial stage of divine body fear sunlight and must return to the tomb before dawn.
Changling is not too far from Chang'an. At his current speed, one night is enough for him to take revenge and make a round trip.
Of course, if you get so engrossed in playing that you lose track of time, you can find a place to hide until night falls again.
Liu Ji felt like he had become the Emperor of Eternal Night, the kind who would never die, and he was overjoyed.
After dark, Liu Ji grinned, revealing sharp teeth, and skipped and hopped toward the tomb's exit.
While ordinary green zombies are fast, they still need to jump to move. Liu Ji is a green-haired zombie, so he can choose to jump or not. He can run like a normal person, but he still finds jumping more comfortable.
"Liu Ji, although I have agreed to let you go out and take revenge, I will not allow you to be exposed. Once someone discovers any clues and we are not completely silenced, we will have to leave this plane," the black dragon warned.
As Liu Ji jumped, he said, "Don't worry, I've already thought it through. Instead of damaging the tomb gate, I'll dig a hole near the gate and then block it with a rock. That'll do."
"Alright." Black Dragon didn't waste any more words. As long as Liu Ji didn't impulsively break the stone door and rush out, that was fine.
Soon, Liu Ji reached the edge of the area and began digging a hole, swinging his arms like knives. With hands that could cut through gold and jade, digging a hole with his bare hands was certainly no problem.
On Changling Mountain, Xiang Yu stood facing the wind, holding his halberd.
"God of Wine, has Liu Ji really come out?"
“That’s right, I’ve already locked onto him with radar. He should have already left the tomb. He probably came down from underground, which is why we can’t see him. There must be a reason why Black Dragon faked Liu Ji’s death. Let’s see what they’re up to.”
Hao Jiu had been agonizing for the past few days about whether to kill Liu Ji in the tomb, then eliminate the Black Dragon and finish the job.
However, after two days of radar surveillance, Hao Jiu discovered an astonishing fact: Liu Ji's physical abilities after waking up were extraordinary, and his movement speed was extremely fast. It was clear that the Black Dragon had enhanced Liu Ji's combat power.
What does improving combat effectiveness mean?
I've spent energy points!
Hao Jiu was heartbroken. The pig was growing so well, it was almost ready to be slaughtered, and then suddenly it got sick and lost all its weight...
But who would have thought that the Black Dragon, who had always been stingy with Liu Ji, would actually spend a lot of money this time to actively boost Liu Ji's combat power?