0p0 Chapter 293 Death
Chapter 293 Death
Emperor Shenwu did not order Lin Suzhi to investigate further.
The next day, when Prince Ding and Lin Suzhi jointly reported to Emperor Shenwu on the latest developments in the "rape of women" case, Emperor Shenwu issued a direct order: "There is no need to investigate further. Pass on my decree. Zhang Yujie has violated the laws of Dasheng and raped women, resulting in the deaths of many innocent people. His crimes are extremely serious and cannot be pardoned lightly. I order him to be beheaded in public in the autumn. As for Zhang Fuyuan—he shall be expelled from the capital, and the Zhang family shall not be allowed to hold official positions for three generations!"
When Concubine Zhang heard the news from her mother's family, she fainted. After waking up, she cried her heart out.
The Fifth Prince was young and didn't have much patience or scheming. He still tried his best to comfort his mother: "Mother, don't cry. This is a good thing. At least Father didn't implicate us, and Jing Hexuan has been released from house arrest."
It seems that the emperor still cares about the father-son relationship. Concubine Zhang stopped crying, as if this was the only good news in recent days.
A few days later, it was time to pay respects to Fengqi Palace. Concubine Zhang, with a haggard face that could not be concealed by makeup, took the fifth prince to Fengqi Palace to pay respects.
As a result, Concubine Zhang was unlucky, and she arrived a little late. This was not a big deal, as the Empress never cared about the trivial matters of concubines like her. But the bad thing was that Emperor Shenwu was there too!
When the emperor saw Concubine Zhang arriving late with a sad face, his expression immediately darkened.
Concubine Zhang fell to her knees in panic, but the Emperor Shenwu didn't feel any better. He simply shouted, "The concubines in the palace only pay their respects to the Empress twice a month. They should come early to serve her. But you, not only have you made me and the Empress wait for you, but you also look so resentful. Are you dissatisfied with me in some way?"
Of course, Concubine Zhang didn't dare. She was already trembling like a frightened bird, and she quickly said, "I dare not! It's only because I'm a little unwell that I'm late. Please forgive me, Your Majesty, Your Majesty!"
The Fifth Prince also quickly defended himself: "Father, please calm down. Mother is indeed unwell, but I have respect for her, so I endured and came here."
Emperor Shenwu was not convinced. Upon hearing what the Fifth Prince said, he was furious, "Still quibbling! If you are truly unwell, report back to Fengqi Palace. I never forced you to come! If you are truly unwell, you should have stayed in your own palace. Don't you know that the Empress just gave birth to the Seventh Princess and is weak? Concubine Zhang, why do you insist on coming here? What are your intentions?"
The Fifth Prince felt a chill in his heart. Hearing this, he realized that his father had never intended to end the matter so easily. He had just changed the name.
The instinct of seeking profit and avoiding harm made the Fifth Prince speechless. He believed that if he continued to speak, Emperor Shenwu would definitely point the finger at him.
Zhangpin had also thought of this, and she almost immediately lost the confidence to continue to defend herself. Thinking of her and her son's situation, Zhangpin was so horrified that she could not utter a complete sentence, and could only stammer: "Your concubine... really didn't... didn't..."
Emperor Shenwu was furious in Fengqi Palace. Except for Lan Qingwu, the other concubines in the six palaces could no longer sit still. Concubine Jiang led all the concubines to kneel down, but no one dared to say anything at this time.
Emperor Shenwu was furious. He quickly issued an order: "Concubine Zhang has shown great disrespect to me and the Empress. She is ordered to move out of Jinghexuan today, demoted to a noble lady, and moved to Chuxiu Palace. She is not allowed to leave without an imperial decree!"
The Fifth Prince was so startled that he suddenly looked up, staring at the Shenwu Emperor in disbelief. Chuxiu Palace was where concubines without official titles lived. How could his mother come out after she went there? His throat rolled, but in the end, he couldn't utter a word.
Concubine Zhang was also stunned. She stared blankly at the cold and indifferent face of Emperor Shenwu. In an instant, it seemed as if her Ren and Du meridians were opened up. She was afraid that if she continued to plead, Emperor Shenwu would continue to demote her. For the sake of the fifth prince, she could only endure it.
Zhang Concubine slowly lowered her head, kowtowed to the ground, and her voice became low: "I thank the Lord for his grace!"
The concubines kneeling on the ground had different thoughts, but most of them did not show it on their faces. Only Concubine Bai lowered her eyebrows, but could not help but curl the corners of her mouth.
It was just as I expected. Well, now there is finally a mother of a prince with the same status as me, and she is a demoted concubine. Her fourth prince's origin is finally not at the bottom.
After this incident, the former and harem palaces were all horrified. They understood with great clarity that the current emperor was in his prime, at the age of vigor and vitality. How could anyone be allowed to sleep beside his bed? Anyone who plucked the hair from the head of the king of the forest would only end up miserably.
The current emperor has an unprecedented concentration of control over the former dynasty and the harem, as well as over the imperial power, government, and military power. If anyone wants to use a few princes at this time to try to make all this fall apart, it will touch the bottom line of Emperor Shenwu, and the emperor will suppress them without mercy.
In Baining Palace, Concubine Bai and the Fourth Prince were the only two people in her bedroom.
Concubine Bai raised her lips and said, "See, Mother only said a few ambiguous words, but Concubine Zhang... no, Concubine Zhang took them to heart. This is the end of the matter. It's a pity that the Fifth Prince didn't receive a reprimand from His Majesty."
The Fourth Prince shook his head and said firmly, "Fifth Brother is useless! He's not a very determined person. He has no support from his mother's family, his mother is imprisoned, and he himself has a place in Father's heart. He—can't get up!"
Coincidentally, Lan Qingwu was also discussing the "rape of a woman" case with the Sixth Prince.
Lan Qingwu frowned slightly. "My Queen Mother always feels that this matter is a little bit awkward. The Fifth Prince has always been mediocre. Is this something he can do on his own? Your father closed the case too quickly."
The Sixth Prince's face was serious. "Father did this on purpose. He doesn't want to implicate other princes, so we have to close the case quickly. As long as it can serve as a deterrent, Father's goal will be achieved."
Lan Qingwu thought about it carefully and it seemed to be true. The Sixth Prince continued, "Mother, some time ago, the Fourth Prince was intentionally or unintentionally approaching the Fifth Prince."
Lan Qingwu suddenly realized: "Oh right, Concubine Bai also met Concubine Zhang alone not long ago, maybe twice at most!"
I didn't expect that the Fourth Prince was so scheming at such a young age. Emperor Shenwu might know it, but he might not take it to heart. Emperor Shenwu has seen too many fathers, sons and brothers fighting for power under the imperial power. This is the normal state of royal fathers, sons and brothers!
When spring came and flowers bloomed, General Lan finally reached his deathbed. He had survived the New Year and saw the Seventh Princess in Lan Qingwu's arms. His country was as stable as Mount Tai, and his career and family glory had someone to inherit. General Lan had no regrets. The only thing that worried him was his granddaughter's future path, but those were not things that could be solved by his own worries.
On the seventh day of the third month of the eighteenth year of Shenwu, General Lan passed away! The entire Lan family fell into mourning, and most of the people in the imperial city came to mourn General Lan.