But what if this man uses some kind of magic to deceive the princess? The princess loves the prince so much; it would be such a pity if she were to be deceived and have her relationship damaged. The prince loves the princess so much; could he bear to know the truth?!
No, it won't!
So if this person isn't a prince, she must kill him and then destroy the evidence!
Dongxue clenched her fists, having already made up her mind. Her eyes flickered as she stared at the door, revealing a murderous intent within them.
The next morning, Dongxue stared at the door with bloodshot eyes. The person inside hadn't come out. For a moment, Dongxue even wondered if the person's martial arts were so high that she hadn't noticed when they left. If it were a wild man, he would have run away long ago.
"Sister Dongxue." A crisp voice suddenly rang in her ears, startling Dongxue. She looked down and saw Baili Su smiling at her with his cute little face. Then he reached out to push the door open. Dongxue was startled and quickly said, "Young Master, the Princess Consort hasn't woken up yet. Why don't you wait a bit?"
Baili Su was stunned. Usually, Baili Su was always by Ouyang Yue's side, only leaving at night. He would come to see Ouyang Yue as soon as he woke up and washed up in the morning. Although Ouyang Yue got up early, there were times when he would go to her room first to wake her up. This was not a problem at all.
Seeing Baili Su's puzzled expression, Dongxue's face twitched. She had no idea how to explain this, but just then, she heard a woman's voice from inside: "Su'er is here, come in."
Upon hearing this, Baili Su didn't hesitate any longer. He reached out and pushed, but couldn't budge it. Then he kicked the door open, and Dongxue immediately followed him in, her expression becoming serious. Behind her were several maids who had helped Ouyang Yue wash up, as well as servants who had accompanied Baili Su. This group of people made Dongxue's face turn green. When she arrived at the bedside, she saw the same dirty men's shoes placed together with a pair of exquisite little women's shoes. Not only Dongxue, but everyone else's expressions also changed. At this moment, the bed curtains were suddenly pulled open, and two people were sitting on the bedside. The man had changed into a simple outer garment, and the woman was also dressed neatly. There was nothing for anyone to see.
The man, however, startled everyone who entered. The prince had returned?! When did this happen?!
Only Dongxue breathed a sigh of relief; even she, with her high level of martial arts skills, almost felt her legs go weak.
Ouyang Yue looked at everyone with amusement and said, "Hurry up and serve the Prince and this Princess Consort to wash up."
"Yes, Your Highness! Your Highness!" the servants replied in unison, their voices filled with joy. During Baili Chen's disappearance, the Chen Prince's mansion had become a hornet's nest, with everyone wanting to get in. Now that he was back, these servants finally had someone to rely on. Although Ouyang Yue's presence had prevented the Chen Prince's mansion from falling into disrepair, in their hearts, with Baili Chen around, the mansion would only get better and wouldn't be bullied. After all, it was too hard for the Princess to support the family alone, and everyone wanted a share of the benefits.
Baili Su's eyes sparkled; he was the quickest to accept it: "Father."
"Su'er, come to your father." Baili Chen reached out his hand, and Baili Su jumped and was caught. However, the next moment, Baili Su suddenly punched Baili Chen in the chest. Although it was not heavy, this action surprised everyone.
"If you come back any later, I won't recognize you as my father anymore." She said, pouting, her eyes reddening, and sniffling to keep the tears from falling.
After all, he was just a child. These days, he had helped Ouyang Yue deal with the Empress and others. Even though he was smarter and stronger than the average child, it was still much harsher for a child. Or rather, Baili Su had already unknowingly come to believe that Baili Chen, his father, was far more than just someone who borrowed his seed. How could he not miss and worry about him?
"Yes, yes, it's Father's fault. Father won't do it again." Holding Baili Su, Baili Chen smiled somewhat foolishly, gently patting his son's back, his smile full of satisfaction. No matter how much hardship he endured, seeing his wife and son so concerned and worried upon returning home made him feel that everything was worthwhile.
After washing up, the family of three sat down for breakfast. Baili Chen then asked Dongxue to take Baili Su to rest. The couple then sat down to talk. Ouyang Yue first recounted the events of the recent period. When Baili Chen heard that Baili Su had frightened the Empress to the point of falling in the palace, caused chaos with all those insects, and ultimately forced the Empress to beg him to leave, he was first taken aback, then burst into laughter: "Good, good, as expected of my son! Well done! That's exactly how you should deal with that old witch! You did the right thing!"
The Empress's gloating expression, her constant slapping of her thigh, made Ouyang Yue feel a pang of sympathy for her. But what happened next made Baili Chen's brows furrow, and he coldly said, "Third brother has finally made up his mind. Otherwise, I would have made sure Sun Meng'er suffered a terrible death when I returned. Empress Dowager, hmph!"
"Where are you..." Ouyang Yue asked, pulling Baili Chen's hand to soothe his anger.
Baili Chen laughed and said, "Of course it's all taken care of. Otherwise, why wouldn't I have come back sooner and made you and Su'er so worried? I was afraid the news would leak out, so this time I'm coming back to give them a good beating."
Ouyang Yue smiled and said, "I'm afraid it won't be that simple."
"Even if we didn't wipe them out, we'll at least inflict some serious damage. How can we not make them suffer heavy losses this time!"
Ouyang Yue leaned against Baili Chen and responded, "Yes, it's time to close the net."
Baili Chen calculated the time, and around the time the morning court session ended, he brought Ouyang Yue and Baili Su to the palace. Along the way, they rode in the Chen Prince's carriage. Outside, there were occasional whispers, all sorts of things, spoken in what they thought were very quiet voices. Some were impressed by Ouyang Yue's generosity, while others were smug and gloating, pointing to the rumors that the Chen Prince's mansion was now deserted after Baili Chen's death. None of this bothered the family of three inside the carriage. They sipped tea and chatted, and soon arrived at the palace. Holding the Chen Prince's mansion's token, they entered. When they requested an audience with Emperor Mingxian, everyone in the palace was shocked. The Prince Chen had returned! When did he return? Wasn't he dead?!
Is this a human or a ghost?!
Emperor Mingxian, who was reviewing memorials, didn't put on airs this time. He put down the memorials and issued an imperial decree. When he saw Baili Chen walk in calmly and composedly, Ouyang Yue smiling brightly, and Baili Su with his cute apple-shaped face, Emperor Mingxian still had a slight illusion in his mind.
However, the next moment he was furious. He grabbed the inkstone next to him and threw it at Baili Chen, not caring at all that it was his treasured possession of many years. He roared, "You bastard, why didn't you send a message back if you weren't dead? You should have died outside. You came back and made me angry."
With a "bang," the inkstone fell directly to Baili Chen's feet and shattered into several pieces.
Baili Chen looked completely innocent: "Your Majesty, I also wanted to send back the message as soon as possible so that my wife and children wouldn't have to suffer. But there was no other way. First, I was seriously injured and powerless to help. Second, I was also seriously injured and being hunted down. I had to save my own life first. This dragged on and on. Besides, if the message were sent out, I was afraid I would have no chance of survival."
Emperor Mingxian's forehead twitched: "You mean it's even more dangerous to send me a message?"
Baili Chen shook his head helplessly: "On my way back to the capital, I was chased several times. Even this disguise didn't work. I dare not take any more risks. Otherwise, I wouldn't be alive to stand in front of Father and let you scold me."
"How dare they! My son dares to have such wicked thoughts! Very well, very well indeed!" Emperor Mingxian's face was cold and gloomy, and his words were sinister. Fu Shun watched carefully from the side, not daring to speak.
Baili Chen curled his lips, thinking to himself, "You might be the one who wants me dead the most, but now you're pretending to be like this."
"It's good that you're back safe and sound. Mingyue and Su'er have suffered a lot these past few days. You should comfort them. Now, go down." After his anger subsided, Emperor Mingxian's voice softened a bit, but his eyes became much deeper, and it was unclear what he was thinking.
Baili Chen laughed and said, "Father, don't you want to hear the results of my investigation?"
"About Baiyun Temple? That Taoist Lingyun has already emerged from seclusion. What else can you find that you can use?" Emperor Mingxian didn't have a very good impression of Taoist temples. He would pretend in public, but in private, it was already considered polite for him to call Taoist Lingyun "Taoist Lingyun".
“Naturally, I discovered something, but what shocked me even more was a wrongful conviction from many years ago!” Baili Chen said, his eyes flashing.
"You're injured yourself, yet you still have the mind to care about other things? Tell me, what wrongful conviction has been committed this time?" Given Baili Chen's personality, he rarely meddled in other people's business, and it was probably just something that happened on the side. Emperor Mingxian didn't care, but Baili Chen's next words almost made him jump off his chair: "It concerns the matter of the First General of the Great Zhou, Xuan Yuanhu, being deliberately framed and brutally killed many years ago."
"A deliberate trap? What do you mean?" Emperor Mingxian was startled.
Baili Chen sneered, "What I mean is that General Xuanyuan Hu's death was not as simple as a stampede during a disaster relief uprising. Although a few radical rioters were punished, they were merely scapegoats. The real culprit is still at large, and right here in the palace. Back then, Xuanyuan Hu was the pillar of the Great Zhou Dynasty, the most powerful figure in my grandfather's hands. With General Xuanyuan Hu around, no one dared to act recklessly, whether on the border or in the court. When General Xuanyuan Hu died, the court was in turmoil for a long time, and it even affected my father's ascension to the throne. This mastermind not only disregarded the people of the world and the turmoil in the Great Zhou court, but also framed loyal officials. Their wickedness deserves to be punished with the most cruel punishments of the Great Zhou Dynasty!"
Emperor Mingxian shuddered, and Fu Shun opened his mouth in shock, only to see that Baili Chen's smile was even more chilling and terrifying!
Just a hundred miles outside Linzhou City, on the official road, there was a procession. The procession was composed of soldiers from the Great Zhou Dynasty, and in the middle were more than ten prison carts. On the prison carts were men and women, all of whom looked pale and had cloudy eyes and little spirit.
The soldiers glanced around from time to time, and seeing nothing amiss, the first few even started chatting.
"The journey has been quite smooth so far. It seems we'll be back in the capital soon, and we'll have accomplished our mission." The speaker was a group of mounted soldiers, clearly the leader of the group.
There were several accompanying riders on horseback beside them. Judging from their clothes, they were not ordinary soldiers. One of them laughed and said, "Yes, this trip was really rushed. My family members are making a fuss."
"If you ask me, you're giving these women too much face. They're still making a fuss. Do they even have a say when a man is out on business? If they keep causing trouble, just divorce them all and kick them out of the house. Let's see if they dare to make a fuss then." The leader looked unconvinced.
The man who had spoken earlier blushed slightly after being rebuked. He had only uttered a sigh, yet he had been looked down upon. His pride immediately flared, and he laughed and retorted, "That's... uh..."
"Whoosh!"
Before the words were even finished, a flying arrow shot out and struck the laughing man squarely in the neck. His eyes widened instantly, and before he could say anything more, he staggered and fell off the carriage. The group of people who had been chatting and laughing were initially caught off guard, but when they turned around, they saw two more people had been hit by arrows. The leader reacted quickly, immediately jumping off his horse and using it as a shield.
Several arrows shot towards the horse with a "whoosh, whoosh, whoosh," and the horse neighed and fell heavily to the ground, kicking up a cloud of yellow sand. A sword almost pierced the horse's belly and struck the leader's neck. He nearly froze, but shouted, "Quick, protect the prisoners! Someone is trying to break them in!"
The man reacted quickly, but the arrows were even faster than his shout. In an instant, several more arrows flew, and a row of soldiers in front of him were shot dead. Then, a group of men in black, carrying a bloody killing intent, suddenly rushed out from both sides of the road, wildly swinging their arms to knock away the rotten branches stuck in their bodies. Clearly, this was a tactic to confuse the men and make them underestimate him.
These men didn't waste any words and charged straight at the prison cart. Anyone who tried to stop them was killed with a single sword strike. On the government soldiers' side, a group of them fell with each death, making it a very tragic scene.
Upon seeing this, the leading officer's expression changed drastically. He could no longer afford to dodge and rushed forward to stop them. For a moment, they fought to a standstill. However, as the officers were continuously killed, the black-clad man, though few in number, was quite strong. Compared to these officers who were not skilled in martial arts, he was able to fight against five or even ten of them.
"Quickly, stop them!" the leading officer roared.
"Pfft!" The next moment, a sword was pierced into his shoulder, and he immediately fell to the ground clutching his shoulder. The soldiers were even worse off, with most of them being slashed. These men in black surrounded the prison cart and stabbed the people inside with deadly blows. They were not satisfied with just one blow; every one of them was stabbed more than a dozen times before they stopped. The people inside kept calling for help, but in the end, they could only stare wide-eyed and die tragically.
One of the men in black approached the foremost prison cart, reached out and tested the man's nose, then moved towards his face. Before his hand could touch him, a procession of riders on horseback suddenly charged towards them. The men in black were startled: "Retreat!"
The men in black moved extremely fast, rushing towards their escape. When the cavalry arrived, they saw a river of blood and a massacre, especially the dozen or so people in the prison cart, all of whom were dead, with no survivors. Their expressions changed drastically.
"M-Sir...a group of men in black suddenly rushed over, we are no match for them."
The approaching cavalry, whose officers were clearly of higher rank, turned grim upon seeing the situation: "Return to the capital first; we'll discuss your matter there."
The convoy was reorganized and made to be even more careful on the way back. They even took the dead prisoners from the prison van with them, as their deaths were a condition for exonerating these people.
The air was thick with the stench of blood, so strong it made one frown. It was a gravel path with few low bushes on either side, sloping upwards. The trees grew denser as you went up the slope. Suddenly, something moved up the slope, and a faint voice came out: "I see. This is their method. In their eyes, you are already a dead man." The voice was extremely cold, even carrying a deep chill.
He held a cold, gleaming dagger and gently placed it against the neck of the man in front of him. The man was slightly overweight, but he was trembling with fear. His eyes were wide open, and he recalled the ruthless way the men in black stabbed those in the prison cart. If he were in there, he wouldn't even be able to cry for help; he would be a lamb to the slaughter. He already knew the consequences of the plan's failure were unimaginable, and he had even considered suicide. But the shock of witnessing these men in black killing was far beyond what he had imagined. He wanted to live; she didn't want to die!
"Have you thought it through? You only have one chance, or you'll be dead. It doesn't matter whether you tell the truth or not. Based on the news from the capital, they're just looking for you to confront them. What you say might not have any effect, while the evidence we have is enough to overthrow your master. Do you understand?"
The fat man was none other than Lin Chang, the prefectural governor of Linzhou who had planned to assassinate Baili Chen. At this moment, his face was pale, and he was struggling violently in his heart: "Are you worried about your family? Do I need to put it more clearly? They have already been wiped out by your master."
Lin Chang's body trembled violently: "Come on, I'll take you to see!" The man behind him grabbed Lin Chang's arm and leaped a great distance away. Along the way, Lin Chang's face was pale, but his heart was pounding even more fiercely. He had a faint expectation in his heart, but when he saw the house and yard full of blood and the tragic deaths of his wife, children and concubines, he collapsed to the ground.
"I've seen enough. Make your final choice. If you don't want to, I won't force you. I'll send you on your way now," the man began calmly.
Lin Chang was shocked: "No! They broke their promise. I've done so much for her over the years. My only request was for my family's safety. And now she's killed them all. I'm a man who deserves to die for my crimes. I'm not afraid of anything. I'll make her pay for my family's deaths!"
The man smiled faintly: "This is the wisest decision you've ever made."
Ten days later, in a side hall of the palace, there were even more people than before. For example, there were relatives of the emperor from several major princely families, such as Baili Chen, the Lin family, and the Dewang family. Emperor Mingxian sat majestically in the seat of honor, while the empress sat to his lower left, looking somewhat nervous. Below them sat the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, the Prefect of the Capital, and other officials in charge of the investigation.
"Bring men to capture Lin Chang!" Hearing the announcement from below, the Empress's expression changed drastically. Wasn't Lin Chang already dead? Why was he coming up here again?!
However, upon seeing the overweight middle-aged man below, the Empress's face paled. Lin Chang wasn't dead? How dare they lie to her! These past few days, the Empress had been confined to the Anle Palace, living in constant fear. She was truly fed up. News from the outside couldn't get in, and news from the inside couldn't get out. Only today, during the trial, had she received news from the Empress Dowager that she didn't need to worry; the matter had been resolved. As long as Lin Chang and his associates were dealt with, and the source couldn't be traced, even if Emperor Mingxian suspected her, without concrete evidence, he wouldn't arbitrarily punish an Empress. But what she saw now was clear: Lin Chang was perfectly fine here, without even a single wound on his body. The Empress Dowager was lying, playing her tricks!
The Empress clenched her fists, and Emperor Mingxian began: "Lin Chang, I have learned the details of what happened. Witnesses such as Prince Chen have testified that you are the one who sent people to assassinate him. Do you plead guilty?"
Lin Chang knelt on the ground, his face calm, and said, "This sinful subject confesses his guilt, but this sinful subject was instructed by someone and had no choice but to do so."
"Oh, who ordered this?" Emperor Mingxian narrowed his eyes.
Lin Chang raised his head, looking at the Empress with hatred on his face: "It was Your Majesty the Empress. She felt that Prince Chen posed a threat to her and the Lin family, and coincidentally, with the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of Prince Chen's visit to Linzhou Prefecture, she instructed me to send assassins. Among them were black-clad men sent by the Empress, each highly skilled in martial arts. Otherwise, I would not have been able to harm Prince Chen. My family members are all controlled by the Empress, and I had no choice in the matter."
"Nonsense! You're talking nonsense! You're spouting complete rubbish! I never gave such an order! You've colluded with outsiders to frame me! As a member of the Lin family, how could you commit such a treacherous act? You deserve to die!" the Empress angrily rebuked.
Lin Chang raised his head, his eyes fixed on the Empress with the fierce intensity of a hungry wolf: "Your Majesty is ruthless. This sinful subject was already willing to sacrifice himself for you, yet you ordered the murder of my family. This sinful subject has nothing left to fear. Over the years, this sinful subject has done many things for Your Majesty and the Crown Prince, secretly monitoring Lord Xue, observing the Emperor's intentions from him, and even secretly hindering him many times. Oh no, back then you even ordered this sinful subject to assassinate Lord Xue twice, but you failed each time. You stopped because you were afraid of being exposed. This sinful subject has written down every single thing over the years in a book. This sinful subject will never forget the insidious things that Your Majesty ordered me to do."
As he spoke, Lin Chang took out a book from his bosom, which was immediately picked up and respectfully handed to the Emperor. The Empress shrieked, "Your Majesty, Lin Chang wanted to seek an important position in the capital but was refused by the Lin family. However, the Lin family treated him well and sent him to Linzhou Prefecture, but he was still not satisfied. You cannot believe the words of such a greedy person, Your Majesty. He is clearly framing me!" The Empress cried, but Emperor Mingxian had already picked up the book and was reading it.
"On [Date], the eldest son of a Grand Secretary from the capital, [Name], entered Linzhou Prefecture. He was ordered to summon a courtesan to seduce him and obtain the examination questions for the [Year] imperial examination..."
"On [Date], the wealthiest merchant in Linzhou Prefecture, [Name], came seeking a pass. He was ordered to provide 300,000 taels of silver to grant him passage, and all the money was secretly sent to the capital that same day..."
“XX…”
"..."
One by one, Emperor Mingxian read out the details in his majestic yet cold voice. The Empress turned deathly pale with each one she heard, because she had ordered Lin Chang to do every single one of these things. Her people had clearly verified the events on the spot after sending the letters, watching Lin Chang burn all the letters. Little did she expect that Lin Chang had actually recorded them all in a book, which became important evidence to frame her for wrongdoing.
The Empress slumped back in her chair, feeling utterly powerless to change the situation.
Emperor Mingxian read only a few lines before angrily throwing the book to the ground. Fu Shun hurriedly picked it up and presented it to the Minister of Justice and others for review. Everyone in the hall looked at the Empress with varying expressions. Emperor Mingxian sneered, "Very well, truly my good Empress! Each and every one of these accusations is an attempt to undermine me. Empress, you are truly capable, truly capable! For so many years, I have been deceived by your subservient behavior, and you even tricked me into this assassination attempt. Very well! You deserve to die!" Emperor Mingxian's gaze towards the Empress was exceptionally cold, a chilling glint of hatred that seemed to want to tear her apart. The Empress felt as if the surrounding air had frozen; she was unbearably cold, instinctively sensing an overwhelming chill.
"Your Majesty... Your Majesty... I didn't, I never thought of assassinating you, I really didn't!" the Empress stammered, but the expressions of complete disbelief on the faces of Emperor Mingxian and the others gradually broke her down.
"Your Majesty, I love you! In this palace, only I truly love you! No matter what I do, I would never do anything to harm you! Your Majesty, I truly love you!" The Empress cried out and tried to rush towards Emperor Mingxian, but two guards immediately rushed out and stopped her, pinning her to the ground. The Empress struggled to explain, but Emperor Mingxian just looked at her coldly, his eyes devoid of any expression.
"Love me, and everything you do will be for my benefit? When have you ever thought of me? Sending someone to assassinate the Seventh Prince is love for me. You know perfectly well that I care deeply for the Seventh Prince. Lin Wan, stop saying these deceiving words to me. I have endured you to the point of no return all these years. I have tolerated you out of consideration for our years of marriage, but you have only become more and more outrageous. Fine, this is your own doing, and you have no one to blame but yourself." Emperor Mingxian looked at the Empress with a deep, chilling coldness and intense hatred and killing intent.
The Empress was shocked. Her mind suddenly jolted. In Emperor Mingxian's eyes was hatred, murderous intent, but absolutely no trace of reluctance, affection, or emotion. He had no love for her whatsoever; he didn't love her at all. Yes, he only loved that vile woman, Bai Yanran. All these years, it had remained the same. She had been deceiving herself, believing that once Bai Yanran died, the Emperor would fall in love with her, and the knife would fulfill that childhood dream.
From the moment she first saw the Emperor, she fell madly in love with him. She schemed and plotted, abandoning her feminine reserve and dignity, just to win a single glance from him. But what did she gain in the end? Her children died, and she herself was reduced to this state in this struggle. What did she have left?
"No! I didn't lose, I never lost! That bitch Bai Yanran, why does she have to come out and scare people even after she's dead! Bai Yanran, get out, get out!" The Empress suddenly went mad, shouting at the air, her face contorted with rage: "Bai Yanran, I won, I still won against you, hahaha, I won against you for over ten years, in these past ten years I've done so many things you couldn't do, hahaha... The Emperor and I are deeply in love, you're in so much pain on the ground, aren't you? Yes, you're in pain, cry, cry, hahaha, I won!"
Everyone was shocked. The Queen's face calmly shifted between various strange expressions, her eyes staring blankly ahead, gesticulating wildly as if she had gone mad. Everyone was filled with doubt. There was only air in front of the Queen. What was she shouting at? Was it a ghost? Or had she really gone insane?!
Emperor Mingxian's face twitched as he listened to the Empress's angry curses. He gripped the chair tightly with one hand, the veins on the back of his hand bulging, and roared, "Guards, drag this madwoman away and let her await execution!"
Baili Chen stood up and said, "Father, I have something else to report. I have survived a great ordeal, but I have learned something unexpected. The death of the First General, Xuan Yuanhu, was caused by the Lin family secretly bribing disaster victims to incite unrest, which ultimately led to his tragic death. The Empress and the entire Lin family framed loyal officials, causing instability in the court. Your Majesty's ascension to the throne was nearly assassinated. They should all be executed!"
Everyone in the Lin family stood up abruptly, their bodies surging with immense fear. The entire family was being slaughtered; Baili Chen was determined to kill them all!
☆、283、Murder to silence witnesses, the Empress Dowager is suspected!