TGCFNM -Chapter 510 Obeying the Imperial Order

The Emperor stood up and walked forward, carefully helping the Empress Dowager sit down. Frowning with concern, he asked, “Why has the Empress Dowager come in person? I had intended to properly interrogate Xuanyuan Zheng first, and only afterward hand him over to the Empress Dowager for judgment.”

The Empress Dowager looked at Xuanyuan Zheng lying below, his life or death unknown, and let out a soft sigh, shaking her head slightly.

“I came here this time to tell Your Majesty not to show leniency just because the Xuanyuan family is my maternal clan. Whatever punishment is appropriate, carry it out accordingly.”

The Emperor knitted his brows slightly and instructed Lu Shi to explain the situation to the Empress Dowager.

Lu Shi respectfully acknowledged the order and recounted once more the crimes committed by the Xuanyuan family.

“Just as this official was about to question where the gu insects came from, Lord Xuanyuan suddenly collapsed to the ground. Eunuch Zhang has just checked his breathing and confirmed that… he has likely passed away…”

The Empress Dowager showed a sorrowful expression.

“He must have taken his own life out of fear of punishment. Poison, perhaps.”

Lu Shi shook his head. “This official does not know. Only after the coroner examines the body will we be able to determine Lord Xuanyuan’s cause of death.”

“Then examine it,” the Empress Dowager said.

For a moment, she seemed to have aged several years. Supporting herself on the armrest, she slowly stood up again, sorrow in her eyes.

“Your Majesty, the Xuanyuan family should be sealed if it must be sealed, confiscated if it must be confiscated. Everything must be handled strictly according to the laws of Great Zhou. Just because they are the Empress Dowager’s maternal family, just because they are an aristocratic clan, does not mean they stand above others or can have the matter brushed aside. Investigate it thoroughly!”

The Emperor immediately responded, “Yes.”

The Empress Dowager’s eyes were slightly red as she shook her head faintly.

“A greedy heart is like a snake trying to swallow an elephant. This is the karma of their own making—they must bear the consequences.”

After saying this sadly, the Empress Dowager tightened her grip on her phoenix-headed cane. By chance, she caught sight of Chu Ling and beckoned to her.

“That’s the child from last time, isn’t it?” she asked gently.

Chu Ling respectfully walked forward and bowed.

“This humble official greets the Empress Dowager.”

The Empress Dowager raised her hand and gently lifted Chu Ling’s chin. Her expression was kind and benevolent.

“What an obedient child. You must become a good official.”

Chu Ling immediately stepped back and bowed again.

“This humble official will remember the Empress Dowager’s instruction.”

The Empress Dowager smiled kindly and left with the support of Eunuch Gao.

As soon as she departed, the Emperor immediately issued an imperial decree:

“The Xuanyuan family has committed corruption and bribery, deceived the sovereign, and defied the throne. Their property shall be confiscated and their entire clan exterminated. The execution shall be carried out immediately!”

Lu Shi, along with Chu Ling and the others, all changed expressions drastically.

They had not even conducted a full interrogation yet—and the Emperor was already ordering the extermination of the entire clan?

Chu Ling’s heart shook violently, her face turning tense in an instant.

The Emperor must not know that the malicious ghost beside the Empress Dowager could directly kill people. That must be why he dared to seize this chance to uproot the Xuanyuan family—his own mother’s clan—completely, eliminating future trouble forever.

Lu Shi frowned slightly. Carefully, he raised his head to glance at the Emperor before lowering it again.

Once the imperial decree was issued, the case was set in stone. There was no longer any possibility of reversal.

The Xuanyuan family… was finished.

At that moment, Ghost Scholar lightly patted Chu Ling, his expression grim as he reminded her:

“Look at Prince Qi.”

Chu Ling cautiously glanced over.

She saw Prince Qi close his eyes briefly, his face pale and ashen as he lowered his head. A bitter smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. His eyes drifted toward the outside, as if he might be looking at the Empress Dowager’s departing figure.

Cui Xi clutched Wangcai in her arms, trembling as she grabbed the hem of Bai Su’s skirt. Her pale face was filled with deep terror.

Bai Su’s expression was also grim. Her fingers trembled slightly as she tapped Ghost Scholar.

“Master… that malicious ghost… it—it can touch anyone!”

Ghost Scholar’s face turned solemn.

“And it’s a ghost the Empress Dowager keeps. Which means… the Empress Dowager can see ghosts too!”

“What about Xiao Ling?” Bai Su asked anxiously. “What did the Empress Dowager mean by that last sentence? What is she planning to do?”

Ghost Scholar shook his head. He didn’t know either.

But suddenly, a thought came to him.

“Bai Su… if… if the Crown Prince back then was actually trying to save himself rather than committing suicide out of guilt… then was he… killed by that malicious ghost?”

Bai Su trembled, her eyes suddenly widening. Her pale face was filled with disbelief.

Ghost Scholar closed his eyes for a moment, a mocking smile appearing at the corner of his lips. “Back then, how could we possibly prove our innocence? How could we possibly fight against the Empress Dowager? Hahaha… We were truly pitiful, truly ridiculous… truly ridiculous.”

“But why!” Bai Su simply could not understand. “The Crown Prince treated the Empress Dowager with the utmost respect and often paid his respects to her. If the Crown Prince had successfully ascended the throne, the Empress Dowager could still have lived out her later years in peace—perhaps even more comfortably than when His Majesty was on the throne.”

“I don’t know.” Ghost Scholar’s eyes showed confusion. “No one knows.”

Chu Ling was also somewhat bewildered. She didn’t know what to do anymore either.

At that moment, Wan Sanjin tugged at her sleeve, and Chu Ling suddenly snapped back to her senses and stepped slightly backward.

Following the Emperor’s signal, Lu Shi looked toward Prince Qi and spoke in a deep voice, “Your Highness Prince Qi, this official received a secret report and happened to encounter you having a private discussion with Lord Xuanyuan in a residence on West Street. What were the two of you discussing at the time?”

Prince Qi spoke slowly, “Lord Xuanyuan feared that his embezzlement would be exposed. He was even more worried that the gu worm in his body would arouse His Majesty’s suspicion and be connected to the death of Empress Hexiao. So he risked leaving the Xuanyuan residence to seek my help.”

“Why did he seek help from Your Highness Prince Qi?” Lu Shi asked.

Prince Qi gave a bitter smile. “Because the Empress Dowager needed to avoid suspicion. With no other choice, Lord Xuanyuan could only come to me to discuss the matter.”

“You had private dealings with Lord Xuanyuan, did you not?” Lu Shi continued.

Prince Qi nodded. “Yes.”

Lu Shi acknowledged with a brief “Very well,” and ordered someone to bring out the evidence discovered in the secret passage below. It was presented one by one for the Emperor’s inspection. He continued his questioning:

“Your Highness Prince Qi, according to the evidence this official has found, you and Lord Xuanyuan were not merely in contact over personal matters. Between you, there were also transactions involving enormous sums of silver.”

Prince Qi nodded, his lips completely devoid of color. “Yes.”

Lu Shi was slightly surprised, then continued, “Among the evidence this official found are not only account books but also letters exchanged between you and Lord Xuanyuan. Do you still remember the contents of those letters?”

Prince Qi took a deep breath. Looking at the Emperor’s grim expression, he kowtowed heavily before slowly speaking.

“Father Emperor, your son is guilty!”

“Oh? And what crime have you committed?” The Emperor’s eyes widened with fury. He slammed the table violently, sweeping all the evidence onto the floor. “Tell me—what crime!”

Prince Qi’s face was deathly pale as he slowly raised his head. “My crime… concerns the former Crown Prince.”

The Emperor shouted coldly, “Speak!”

Prince Qi clenched his teeth slightly, hatred appearing on his face.

“In the past, my mother, Noble Consort Lian, voluntarily requested to attend upon the Empress during her illness. But unexpectedly, the Empress’s condition suddenly worsened and she passed away. My mother was then falsely accused of being connected to the Empress’s death and was strangled to death.”

“At that time, Consort Tao—who raised me—was also implicated when the Tao family was accused of rebellion. She was sentenced to death by hanging and died with her eyes still open in resentment. In a single night, I lost both my mothers. From then on, I hated the Crown Prince to the extreme!”

“So I conspired with Xuanyuan Zheng to falsely accuse the Crown Prince of treason, which ultimately drove him to hang himself in the Eastern Palace.”

The Emperor clenched his teeth tightly, the veins on the back of his hand bulging. He grabbed the brush holder beside him and hurled it fiercely.

“And what did that have to do with the Crown Prince?!”

Prince Qi did not even try to dodge. His head was struck, blood flowing down as he revealed a miserable smile.

“The former Crown Prince never rebelled. Everything happened because of my own greed. I conspired to frame him, which led to the Crown Prince’s death.”

“Guards!” The Emperor roared with overwhelming rage. “Throw Prince Qi into the Court of Judicial Review and place the Prince Qi Residence under guard!”

“Lu Shi! You will preside over this case. Carefully interrogate them and find out exactly how they framed the Crown Prince back then!”

Lu Shi bowed respectfully and responded,

“Your servant obeys the imperial decree.”