The auspicious time had passed, the ritual had failed, and it could not continue. The emperor flicked his sleeves, strode down the steps, and headed southwest, with the eunuchs following closely behind.
The ministers stood on the high platform, looking at each other in dismay. In broad daylight, such filth was happening in the palace! The world is going to the dogs!
The azure sky was cloudless, the lingering smoke had dissipated, and the majestic platform was clearly visible. Shen Lixue stood by the bluestone path, watching the emperor hurry forward, raising an eyebrow. "Not even an hour has passed, has the ceremony ended prematurely?" she thought. "Prince Zhan, the Crown Prince has gone to the palace and hasn't returned yet. Only the Fourth Prince, Fifth Prince, and Sixth Prince are here..."
Her gaze fell upon the empty seats where the princes had been, and she paused slightly, wondering, "Where have all the princes gone? Have they all returned to their palaces?" The emperor's expression was grim; if he couldn't see the princes, would he fly into a rage?
The emperor stepped down the stairs, ignoring the bows of the guards, eunuchs, and palace maids, and not even glancing at the princes' positions. His face was gloomy as he strode forward.
Shen Lixue looked puzzled. The emperor seemed to be in a hurry. Where did he want to go?
Her waist tightened, and her cheek pressed against a warm chest. The faint scent of pine resin lingered in her nose. Shen Lixue looked up at Dongfang Heng: "Has something happened?"
"The ritual has failed. His Majesty has gone to arrest the criminals who disrupted it." Dongfang Heng watched the emperor walk away quickly, his obsidian-like eyes flashing with a cold, eerie light. Disrupting a ritual is a serious crime. He wondered who the criminal was.
"His Majesty is going to the southwest!" Shen Lixue saw through the emperor's intention and was slightly taken aback.
"What's wrong?" Dongfang Heng asked, puzzled. "Is there a problem in the southwest?"
"That's the direction where Consort Li's Yonghua Palace is located," Shen Lixue said softly, a blue robe flashing in the corner of her eye as she quickly turned her head to look.
Dongfang Zhan strolled leisurely along the bluestone path. Under the azure sky, he looked serene, his smile more dazzling than the bright sunshine, his deep eyes sparkling with brilliant light, as if victory was in his grasp.
With a little over half the time left before the ritual was to end, he returned quite early, as if he already knew the ritual was doomed to fail.
"Li Xue, let me help you walk!" Dongfang Heng's strong arm gently embraced Shen Li Xue's shoulder, while his other arm supported her arm. His obsidian-like eyes were unfathomable.
Shen Lixue blinked, understanding Dongfang Heng's intention, and nodded in agreement, "Okay!" As if taking a stroll, she leaned lightly against Dongfang Heng and walked southwest along the bluestone path, secretly wondering who the people involved were and how the emperor would punish them.
The palace complex consists of many buildings, some inhabited and some empty. The first inhabited palace in the southwest direction is Consort Li's Yonghua Palace.
Two palace maids dressed in maroon vests stood ramrod straight, loyally guarding the door. Upon seeing the emperor, their expressions changed drastically, and they hurriedly knelt down, about to shout, "Greetings, Your Majesty!" when two eunuchs stepped forward and tightly covered their mouths.
The emperor, his face grim, with one hand behind his back and the other hanging in front of him, strode straight past the palace maids into Yonghua Palace.
The palace maids slumped at the doorway, watching the emperor walk in, wailing and screaming, their beautiful eyes filled with terror and despair.
"Mmm..." A woman's ambiguous moan came from inside the room, like a kitten's soft whimper, lingering and alluring. The emperor's expression changed instantly. He kicked open the door and strode in.
An overwhelming atmosphere of extravagance assaulted the senses, making one frown.
On the floor of the inner room, men's outer robes and inner garments, and women's skirts, bodices, and fur trousers were scattered haphazardly, prompting contemplation.
"What are you doing?" The emperor's furious roar pierced through the clouds and echoed through the heavens.
On the large bed, a young man and woman, naked and intertwined, were awakened by a shout and quickly separated. The carved bed shook violently from their movements, and the semi-transparent curtains fluttered around, adding a touch of ethereal romance to the ambiguous spring scene.
"Your Majesty...Your Majesty..." Consort Li grabbed the brocade quilt beside her and covered her naked body. She stared in disbelief at the furious emperor in front of her bed. Her rosy cheeks turned deathly pale in an instant.
"Father...Father Emperor..." The young man stared at the emperor's angry eyes, speechless with shock. Why was his father here at this hour? Had the ritual ended prematurely?
"You bastard!" The emperor stared at the familiar face of the young man, his blood boiling, his sharp eyes blazing with rage, and he slapped the man's face mercilessly.
His most beloved concubine and his cherished son actually cheated on him, committing incest with his stepmother and son, giving him a huge green hat. What a scoundrel!
"Slap! Slap! Slap!" The Fifth Prince's handsome face was slapped to one side and then to the other, the crisp sound sending chills down the spines of the eunuchs outside.
"Father, please calm down. It's a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding..." The Fifth Prince's cheeks were swollen and almost numb. A trickle of blood spilled from the corner of his mouth, and his mouth was filled with the taste of rust. He pleaded for mercy in a muffled voice, his mind racing as he searched for the most suitable solution.
"I saw it with my own eyes, how could there be any misunderstanding?" The emperor kicked the fifth prince to the ground and slapped Consort Li across the face.
Consort Li's slender body was knocked off the bed, and she fell to the ground in a disheveled state. The silk quilt slipped off, revealing her body covered with hickeys.
The emperor's anger burned even brighter as he pointed at Consort Li and the Fifth Prince, trembling with rage: "You two, one a concubine of the harem and the other a prince of the royal family, actually engaged in illicit relations! Don't you have any shame? You have utterly disgraced the royal family!"
"Father, I was just passing by Yonghua Palace when, for some reason, I lost my senses and ended up like this. Someone is plotting against me, someone must be plotting against me."
The Fifth Prince, eager to salvage the situation, didn't even bother to put on his clothes. He was naked, clutching the Emperor's robes tightly, and explained urgently. His sharp eyes quickly scanned the area, landing on the incense in the corner. His eyes lit up: "The incense! Someone must have tampered with it, deliberately plotting against me, Father. You mustn't fall for the villain's trick."
Caught in bed with another man by the emperor, the facts speak louder than words. If he claimed that Consort Li had seduced him and shifted the blame to her, he might receive a lighter punishment. However, this would indirectly confirm their affair, and the emperor would certainly not let him off easily.
It would be better to play dumb and say that they were tricked. In this way, the emperor's anger would subside a lot, and he would punish them leniently.
"Yes, Your Majesty, I don't know what happened. I was sitting in the inner room when my head suddenly went dizzy and my consciousness became blurred. When I regained consciousness, I was like this. Someone must be plotting against me and the Fifth Prince. Please, Your Majesty, do justice for me."
Having lived in the deep palace for a long time, Consort Li was adept at observing people's expressions and understanding their hearts. Since the Fifth Prince wanted to play the victim and shirk all responsibility, she would naturally go along with his wishes and make the lie sound, thus protecting herself. This was good for both of them.
"Still trying to deceive me." The emperor was furious and kicked the fifth prince away, leaving a clear footprint on his strong chest. "This is Consort Li's palace. As a prince, if you have no affair, what are you doing in your stepmother's private quarters?"
"Father, please calm your anger. Your son was framed..."
"Shut up." The emperor interrupted the fifth prince coldly, his gaze filled with rage that seemed to spit fire. "Half an hour ago, you were performing a ritual on the platform below. Who had the ability to drug you without anyone noticing, trick you into coming here, and set you up?"
"This..." The Fifth Prince was speechless for a moment. If he said that he was tired of standing under the high platform and walked along the bluestone path, unknowingly arriving at Yonghua Palace, the Emperor would definitely refute him. Of all the palaces, why did he choose to come to Yonghua Palace? He must have something to hide...
"Your Majesty, please investigate thoroughly! Your Majesty, the Fifth Prince and I have truly been framed! I am innocent!" Seeing that the Fifth Prince was speechless, Consort Li's eyes flickered. She grabbed the clothes on the ground, wrapped them haphazardly around herself, and cried pitifully.
Men are fond of showing tenderness and pity to women. When a woman cries, a man will be moved and his heart will soften. The emperor is also old and even more easily moved. If you cry more miserably and sadly, the emperor will probably feel pity for you!
Consort Li was unaware that the ritual had failed, and the Emperor, already filled with rage, was further enraged by the discovery of the Fifth Prince's affair with her. Her weeping and wailing not only failed to evoke any pity from the Emperor but also made him even more agitated.
"Even now, you still dare to conspire to deceive me! Very well!" The emperor was furious and said "very well" three times in a row.
As the Emperor of Qingyan, he had handled national affairs for many years and was knowledgeable and experienced. He had his own unique judgment on many people and things. He had been in the room for a long time and, apart from the luxurious atmosphere, he did not smell any strange smell in the incense. The two of them were very clear-headed and their lies were smoother than the truth. Did they think he was blind and could not see their abnormality?
"The Fifth Prince and Consort Li have disregarded all shame and engaged in illicit relations. Guards, throw them into prison and execute them on a chosen day!"
The emperor's furious words shocked the fifth prince and Consort Li. Their minds went blank, their bodies stiffened instantly, and they slumped to the ground, unable to react for a long time. The emperor wanted to execute them? How could this be?