Chapter 478: The End
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
The usual rewards such as the flow of time had already been automatically updated. Only the upgraded brocade pouch had not been opened yet. However, Xiaoxiao was not in a hurry, so she waited slowly.
The Empress also woke up a few days later. When she woke up and found out that the Yan Family had undergone a huge change, she immediately smashed the medicine bowl and pressed the broken porcelain pieces against her neck. She wanted to see the Emperor.
“Your Majesty, the Crown Prince and my father were just confused for a moment. Can you spare them this once?”
The Emperor asked her back, “A moment of folly?”
“Soldiers, martial artists, colluding with outsiders, which one of them was just a moment of confusion?”
The Empress wanted to mention it again, but he asked again, “Or perhaps it was a moment of folly to drug me with contraceptive medicine?”
The Empress felt as if she had fallen into an icehouse and sat on the ground. However, even though she knew that she was helpless, she still wanted to drag someone down with her.
“Your Majesty, am I the only one who made a mistake?!”
“Noble Consort Ji, Rong Yan is confusing the royal bloodline!”
“And you knew all of this, but you hid it for her!”
“What do you mean by taking care of her for Emperor Wen? Emperor, you’ve already liked her!”
“Have you thought about what will happen to the mother and son if the officials find out about this?”
The Emperor turned around and his dark gaze landed on the Empress.
“Since you know, you shouldn’t have mentioned it.”
“Empress, do you know how many memorandums have been impeaching you, the Crown Prince, and Prime Minister Yan these days?”
“How many unidentified corpses have we fished out from the well of the Phoenix Palace?”
The Empress suddenly covered her mouth. “I was wrong. I was wrong. Your Majesty, I don’t know anything. I won’t tell anyone. Please give me another chance!”
The Emperor coldly pried away her hand that was hugging his thigh.
“I’m not a heartless person. When you married me when you were 16 years old, I said that I would protect you, love you, and let you live a carefree life. You also said that you would believe me and never betray me.”
“If only you hadn’t gone back on your word.”
***
Prime Minister Yan rebelled and was sentenced to be beheaded and his extended family executed.
Many of his henchmen, who conspired with him, were sentenced for crimes ranging from beheading to being exiled to the border’s army. Those who were coerced were punished leniently and their families were not implicated.
The Crown Prince… was unwilling to collude with Prime Minister Yan after knowing what he had done. He unfortunately died when he saved the Emperor.
The Empress… was deceived by Prime Minister Yan, but she could not escape punishment. The Empress asked to leave the court and became a nun. She prayed for the souls of the rebels to atone for their sins for the rest of her life.
The Emperor personally brought people to read the imperial decree. The usually domineering Empress seemed to have become a different person. After kneeling in the Phoenix Palace with the Crown Prince to receive the decree, she kowtowed heavily.
For the first time, she kowtowed and said, “Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty.”
She kowtowed for the second time and said, “Thank you, Your Majesty, for giving us face to the end.”
The Emperor sighed and gestured for Eunuch De to put down the imperial edict.
The Empress still did not get up. She kowtowed a third time and asked, “Your Majesty, may I ask you a question as your first wife?”
The Emperor stopped. “Ask away.”
The Empress’s voice trembled. “Have you ever thought of abolishing the Empress and the Crown Prince?”
The Emperor answered firmly, “Never.”
The Empress’s tears could not stop falling on the cold ground. “Thank you, Your Majesty. I have no more regrets.”
This time, the Emperor strode away and did not look back.
The Crown Prince helped the Empress up. “Mother, do you believe him?”
The Empress’s tears had already wet her cheeks. “I believe him.”
However, the Crown Prince’s eyes were filled with gloom. “There will be a day…”
He suddenly could not speak. He covered his mouth in pain. “Mother, someone wants to harm me!”
The Empress patted his back lovingly. “No, no one will harm you again.”
Realizing something, the Crown Prince’s face was filled with disbelief. “Mother, you!”
The Empress held his hand. “You don’t know, but your father values promises and relationships the most.”
“Mother was wrong. Mother should have believed him.”
“But Crown Prince, do you know?”
“It’s not easy for him to come this far. This is the only thing we can do for him.” In the morning court assembly the next day, some ministers who knew the truth were dissatisfied with the way the Emperor dealt with the Crown Prince and the Empress. They felt that since the Crown Prince already had the intention to rebel, this was no different from letting the tiger back to the mountain. It would eventually become a variable in the future.
The Emperor did not listen to any of them, but at this moment, a palace servant came to report—
“Your Majesty! Not good! The Phoenix Palace went through the water. Her Majesty and His Highness… didn’t have time to leave!”
The memorandum in the Emperor’s hand fell to the ground with a bang..
