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Qin Hui was helped down, and everyone in the Imperial Hall fell silent. Looking into Li Hong's cold eyes, Zhao Gou's face turned from green to purple, stammering and unable to speak.
At that moment, a soft middle-aged woman's voice came from behind: "National Guardian Master, please calm down. Sigh, this matter is known to This Empress."
Consort Wu supported Empress Wei as she slowly walked up to the hall.
Empress Wei was dressed in plain white clothing, her hair adorned with no gold hairpins or flowers, as if she were in mourning for someone. Her attire was very simple; if it weren't for Consort Wu's respectful demeanor, Li Hong would hardly recognize her as Zhao Gou's mother, Empress Wei.
Considering her age, Empress Wei should be in her sixties this year, but she appeared to be around forty, not looking very old. Although there were many fine lines at the corners of her eyes, her complexion remained beautiful. It seemed she must have been a stunning beauty in her youth. Li Hong recalled the events from five years ago when he went to Five Nations City to rescue Zhao Ji and the Empress. At that time, he heard that Empress Wei had lost her virtue and married a Jin person, which made him and Chuxuan lose interest and not continue to inquire about her whereabouts. How was it that she had been welcomed back by Zhao Gou now?
Seeing his mother arrive, Zhao Gou finally regained some spirit and quickly stood up to personally assist Empress Wei in taking her seat.
Noticing that Zhao Gou still had some filial piety, Li Hong's anger subsided a bit as he cupped his hands toward Empress Wei and said, "Chu Hong pays respects to Empress Dowager."
"Celestial Master need not be formal; please sit down and speak," Empress Wei had already noticed the surprise on Li Hong's face. She looked at him kindly and sighed deeply: "Alas, Official Family has destroyed its own defenses. After I returned to the palace and heard about these matters, my feelings were just like those of Celestial Master at this moment—truly heart-wrenching. But now that it has come to this, considering Prince's filial piety is all for this unfortunate person, I humbly ask Celestial Master to forgive him this time."
Li Hong was puzzled and cast an inquiring glance at Chuxuan in the crowd behind him.
Chuxuan was also confused but felt he should pay respects to his nominal grandmother according to etiquette, so he stepped forward to greet her.
Empress Wei clearly had heard of Chuxuan; she called Little Yellow Gate to set seats for the Celestial Master and carefully held Chuxuan's hand while looking back at him with tears in her eyes: "Finally, I see one of our Zhao Family's grandchildren. Alas, it's a pity the Late Emperor did not see Xuan'er’s heroic appearance; otherwise, he would have been very pleased."
Li Hong could no longer hold back and directly addressed Empress Wei: "Please clarify what exactly happened?"
"The Official Family is confused! The Jin people held This Empress captive and said they would only release me if I delivered General Yue's head. The Official Family has been blinded by greed and actually agreed to this demand. General Yue is already dead. This Empress is currently in mourning for him. Our Zhao Family owes General Yue a great debt of gratitude!" As Empress Wei spoke these words, she couldn't help but wipe away tears with her sleeve and began to sob softly.
Like a bolt from the blue, Yue Fei was actually dead! Li Hong was left dumbfounded.
"Empress Wei continued to cry, 'After I returned, I scolded the Prince for his foolishness, but the great mistake has already been made. From now on, I have lost all hope for the Prince and do not wish to concern myself with court affairs. I only remain in the palace, living a simple life and praying for General Yue's next life. However, the Official Family is still my Prince. Considering his filial piety and that he brought me back, I ask the Celestial Master to forgive him this time! I kneel before you, begging you to pardon the Prince!' As she spoke, Empress Wei trembled and knelt down.
'Mother!' Zhao Gou cried out in despair, hurriedly pulling Empress Wei back to prevent her from kneeling, casting a pleading glance at Li Hong.
Li Hong felt despondent, his hands cold as ice, hardly believing his ears. The image of that loyal and brave face, weathered by hardships, was still vivid in his mind, yet it had already been destroyed by the collusion of Zhao Gou and Qin Hui.
Unable to contain his anger any longer, Li Hong shouted and rushed out of the hall, disappearing in an instant.
The Beast Cultivator Elders were startled and quickly followed him out of the hall. Chuming and others shook their heads as they flew out, each feeling a deep sense of frustration.
Zhao Gou was both anxious and frightened, his face pale as he turned to Chuxuan and said, 'Good nephew, go after him and see if Chu Hongzi, the National Protector, will do something reckless! Everything is decided by me; it is not entirely Qin Hui's fault. If Chu Hongzi gets angry, let it be directed at me; I would rather abdicate. As long as there is peace and stability, that is all I wish for.'
Chuxuan's face was cold as he replied in a deep voice, 'A person is already dead; does what you say matter? You must have committed more than this one mistake. How could you sit idly by while Yue Fei, Zhao Ding, Zhang Jun, and Han Shizhong were killed? You not only killed Yue Fei but also demoted Zhao Ding and the others. This is precisely why you elevated Qin Hui. Uncle Emperor, do not forget that I am also a descendant of the Zhao Family; your schemes cannot escape my eyes or the whispers of the world!'
He looked at Empress Wei with a piercing sneer in his gaze: 'By rights, you are now my direct grandmother; I should respect you. Unfortunately, I know a thing or two about your history in the Jin Kingdom; you should have died! Hmph! For your sake—a person of ill omen—you ruined significant matters for my Zhao Family. Even if filial piety comes first among virtues, I still hold you in contempt!'
Empress Wei's expression changed dramatically as she suddenly raised her head, her hands trembling: 'What... what did you say?!'
'If one wants to keep secrets, one must not act! You greedy women who fear death have ruined so many important matters for our Song Dynasty! Empress Dowager, you are like this; so is Empress Xing. However, she has much more backbone than you; she gave birth to a bastard child of Golden Dog but chose never to return south. You fear death and serve the enemy while shamelessly using Yue Fei's head to bargain for your return to continue being the revered Empress Dowager of the Song Dynasty. Let me tell you this: from now on, I Zhao Xuan will no longer recognize you as my Empress Dowager grandmother!' After cursing her out, Chuxuan turned his icy gaze toward Zhao Gou and threw something at him that landed perfectly on Zhao Gou's Dragon Robe.
It was a golden Eight Treasures Ring. Zhao Gou picked it up and immediately recognized it; he stood up abruptly, his lips trembling with excitement: 'Where did this come from? This belongs to Bing Yi! Did you go looking for her?'
'Indeed. Five years ago when we were sent on a mission to Five Nations City, we met with Empress Xing. She knew her sins were grave and entrusted me with this golden ring for you. She said that although she was not pure herself, her heart was clean and asked you to build her a tomb where she would never return south again. She only wished to be buried with this ring so that her soul could return to your side after her death.' At this point, Chuxuan looked mockingly at Empress Wei: 'She has more backbone than you!'
Zhao Gou listened with tears streaming down his face as he clutched the ring to his chest and cried out in anguish: 'Bing Yi, I do not blame you! I cannot even protect myself; what can a weak woman like you do? I truly do not blame you!'”
Empress Wei had her head lowered, her complexion pale, and her body trembled like a leaf in the wind, unable to utter a word.
Consort Wu, listening nearby, suddenly walked up to Chuxuan and pleaded softly, "Xuan'er, please stop talking. I beg you, really don't say anymore! The reputation of the Official Family is at stake. My death is minor, but if it implicates the Official Family and Empress Dowager, a hundred deaths wouldn't be enough to atone for it!"
She lifted her phoenix robe and knelt down before Chuxuan with a thud, her forehead hitting the ground with a loud sound. The resounding kowtow echoed in the quiet Imperial Hall, startling the eunuchs and palace maids standing nearby, who began to tremble as they understood the implications of Consort Wu's words.
If the royal scandal was heard by these people, how could they still live to see Tomorrow's Sun?
Chuxuan's mocking expression deepened. "Consort Wu, please rise. As I said before, if you want to keep something secret, you must not do it in the first place. Even if you kill all these eunuchs and palace maids, do you think the world won't know? Killing one more person only adds to your sins. I've said what I needed to say; I should take my leave. This place is becoming increasingly unbearable!"
"Wait!" Zhao Gou suddenly raised his head. "You said you went to Five Nations City five years ago when Bing Yi was still alive. Is she still alive now? You must clarify! I have exhausted countless words and even sacrificed Yue Fei, yet no one would tell me Bing Yi's whereabouts. Do you know anything?"
"She is dead; her body is probably already decayed," Chuxuan replied coldly.
"Bing Yi!" A cry of despair erupted from Zhao Gou. His last glimmer of hope shattered as he could no longer bear it and fell backward.
Consort Wu reacted quickly and caught him in her arms; they both tumbled down like rolling gourds.
Empress Wei, however, did not even glance at Zhao Gou and Consort Wu on the ground. She stood up numbly, her face pale, and slowly walked toward the back of the hall, her heavy footsteps dragging across the blue brick floor.
Consort Wu anxiously called out, "Someone come! Quickly support the Sovereign! Hurry summon the imperial physician!" She stood up with a bruise on her forehead and rushed after Empress Wei. After just two steps, she tripped over her long skirt but quickly flipped over and got back on her feet again, chasing after Empress Wei. The large pearls on her phoenix shoes struck the blue bricks with a series of clear echoes as she rushed to Empress Wei's side and whispered, "Empress Dowager, you are advanced in age; please take care of yourself. Otherwise, how will the Official Family endure? What Xuan'er said was just in anger; please don't hold it against him..."
Consort Wu spoke soothingly to comfort Empress Wei as she supported her toward the Inner Chamber.
Chuxuan listened closely but wore a cold smile on her face; she would never seek a quick end! If she wanted to commit suicide, she would have done so back in Jin Kingdom. It was laughable that Consort Wu was still worried about her!
The hall was in chaos, with Little Yellow Gate rushing towards Funing Palace, carrying Zhao Gou. Everywhere, the urgent calls of Imperial Physician Xuan and the shadows of people running around could be seen. Chuxuan stood tall in the center of the magnificent Imperial Hall, feeling a chilling cold in his heart as he watched everything unfold.
Yue Fei was killed just like that, all for that so-called Empress Dowager, a woman who had lost her virtue to the Jurchens. Even if Zhao Gou could not be accused of being unfilial, it still filled one with deep sorrow and coldness.
He stomped heavily on the ground, and with a cracking sound, the blue bricks of the entire Imperial Hall floor shattered. His figure had already darted away.
********
Li Hong was filled with pent-up anger that had no outlet as he soared into the sky. Beneath his eyelids, a pool of Clear Water swayed; that was West Lake. He headed straight into the depths of West Lake.
Walking along the shores of West Lake, Li Hong was consumed by rage. He did not know when it started to rain lightly from the sky; the raindrops were gentle and lingering, and a misty vapor enveloped him, mingling with the fresh scent of grass and water. Breathing in this unique spring aroma of Jiangnan, Li Hong's anger gradually faded away, replaced by an uncontrollable sense of melancholy and confusion.
How could such a loyal and righteous hero meet such an end? Was it fate or destiny?
The Song Dynasty had truly disappointed him! The emperor was foolish, and treacherous officials held power. Though there were passionate men, they could not withstand the overwhelming tide of corruption.
Where in this world could one find a paradise? His passionate blood felt like it was about to explode.
At that moment, a faint sound of a flute reached his ears.
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