Yunchu’s Vengeance - Chapter 162
Chapter 162 - Consort De Slits Her Own Throat
From a distance, the Emperor caught sight of his son's corpse.
When the assassination attempt first took place, he had been consumed by rage and grief, utterly unable to accept that his own flesh and blood would actually try to take his life.
Originally, his fury had far outweighed his sorrow.
He had envisioned countless methods to punish this son of his, but now...
...Seeing his son's cold corpse laid out before his very eyes, sorrow quickly submerged his lingering rage.
The Emperor walked forward, one heavy step at a time.
Though he had many sons, that did not mean he did not care for them.
Just as he was about to crouch down, Consort De suddenly whipped her head around and shouted loudly, "Your Majesty! The truth has not yet been uncovered, yet the Fourth Prince has died so inexplicably! The mastermind behind the scenes must have silenced him to cover their tracks!"
Chu Yi handed a letter in his grasp over to Consort De. "This is Fourth Brother's final letter."
Consort De tore the letter open at lightning speed.
She could not believe what met her eyes.
Her thoughtless, good-for-nothing son had actually admitted to the treasonous assassination attempt in his own writing!
"Impossible!! Absolutely impossible!!"
Consort De ripped the letter straight to shreds.
"This is not the Fourth Prince's suicide note! Someone forged his handwriting to frame him! He would never, ever commit such a monstrous, treasonous act!" Consort De's grief-stricken, furious gaze suddenly locked onto Chu Yi. "It was you! You orchestrated all of this, didn't you?!"
Chu Yi's voice remained indifferent. "I would never do such a thing, nor do I deign to."
"It was you!!!"
Consort De shrieked like a madwoman, scrambling up from the ground.
Fuelled solely by a surge of sheer fury, she steadied her swaying frame. "The letters raided from Prince Anjing's Estate were planted by you! This suicide note was forged by you! General Mingwei was coerced by you to frame my son! It was you! You killed my son! You murderer! Give me back my son's life!!"
Consort De reached out, drew the sword from the waist of a nearby imperial guard, and lunged directly toward Chu Yi.
Chu Yi furrowed his brows slightly, easily dodging the strike.
"Stop raving like a lunatic here!" The Emperor's deep, commanding voice resounded. "The witnesses and material evidence are both present! What more do you want?!"
"The witness is dead, and the physical evidence is fabricated!" Consort De screamed at the top of her lungs. "Your Majesty, you are the Fourth Prince's Imperial Father—the father he always looked up to and revered! He died so unjustly; you cannot simply brush this matter aside and move on!"
The Emperor shook his head. "The Fourth Prince was raised by your side since childhood. In his youth, he neglected his studies, and when learning martial arts, he fished for three days and dried the nets for two. Had your father not rendered meritorious service to the imperial court, I would never have granted him a princely title and a fief... Never did I imagine that after reaching adulthood, he would become even more absurd than in his youth! So many respectable women were locked away in his estate and violated—he has utterly disgraced my Chu Imperial Family! Becoming a traitor who plotted rebellion, regicide, and patricide to seize the throne—as his mother, you cannot escape responsibility!"
Consort De's beautiful eyes widened in shock. "Your Majesty, are you saying you do not intend to investigate this matter any further?!"
"The truth is already crystal clear; there is no need for further investigation." The Emperor looked down at his lifeless fourth son lying on the ground, his voice devoid of any emotion. "Consort De indulged her son in attempting patricide. While the death penalty may be spared, severe punishment cannot be avoided. Effective immediately, your noble title is stripped, and you are banished to the Cold Palace..."
"Hahahaha!"
Still clutching the sword, Consort De threw her head back and laughed maniacally.
There was truly no such thing as familial affection in the imperial household. The Fourth Prince had lived for eighteen years, yet his biological father had never truly understood him.
The Fourth Prince was indeed incompetent, a coward, and utterly absurd... But precisely because of that, anyone in the world might have plotted rebellion and patricide, except him...
"Your Majesty, this concubine can only use her own life to beg of you: thoroughly reinvestigate this assassination!"
The Emperor's expression changed abruptly. "Third Prince, quickly, hold her—"
Before his words could even finish echoing...
The sword in Consort De's hand slashed across her own throat. Fresh blood splattered onto Xie Ping, who had been kneeling silently on the ground the entire time.
Xie Ping instinctively touched the warm blood on her skin.
In the very next instant, Consort De collapsed beside her.
Those beautiful, haughty eyes remained wide open, staring blankly up at the sky. Tears spilled from the corners of her eyes as blood gushed ceaselessly from the wound on her neck.
Terrified out of her wits, Xie Ping let out a piercing shriek and clutched her head.
The Emperor stood rooted to the spot, remaining silent for a long time. No one knew what thoughts crossed his mind before he spoke in a cool, detached voice: "Forget it. Let her retain the title of Consort De and be buried according to her rank."
The eunuch beside him bowed low. "Yes, Your Majesty."
Chu Yi cupped his hands. "Imperial Father, what should be done with her?"
Only then did the Emperor turn his gaze toward Xie Ping.
This was his fourth daughter-in-law. He had granted her an audience once before; she was very young, and at this moment, her face was completely smeared with tears and snot, looking just like a frightened child.
"No, Your Majesty, I did not participate in the rebellion! I am innocent..." Xie Ping snapped out of her stupor, frantically pleading for a sliver of hope. "I have been married into the estate for less than a month! I knew nothing at all! I beg Your Majesty to look into this with discernment..."
"Lock her up for now."
Feeling exhausted, the Emperor waved his hand, turned around, and walked back into the Imperial Study with heavy steps.
Xie Ping opened her mouth to say more, but two senior palace maids hauled her up and dragged her away from the entrance of the Imperial Study...
The news traveled back to the Xie family very quickly.
The entire household was pacing in frantic circles, especially Lady Yuan, who walked back and forth across the room like an ant on a hot pan.
"Can't you just stay still?!" Xie Zhongcheng snapped irritably. "If you can't come up with a solution, then get out! Don't linger here and be an eyesore!"
Lady Yuan's lips quivered as she murmured, "Aren't I just trying to help think of a way out?"
"Things might not be that dire," Xie Jingyu let out a slow breath and said. "Consort De proved her conviction with her own death, which moved the Emperor. Ping'er should be fine."
"What if? What if something happens to her?!" Lady Yuan muttered repeatedly. "Chu'er, Brother An, you two have always been clever. Think carefully about what we ought to do."
Xie Shi'an remained silent.
Eldest Sister had actively chosen to become a prince's consort; ending up in this state was entirely her own doing.
That the Emperor had not executed her on the spot was already a stroke of immense fortune for her.
What could the Xie family possibly do? Not being dragged down with them was already the greatest blessing amidst misfortune.
"Doing nothing at all is our best course of action," Yun Chu spoke up. "Prince Anjing and Consort De are already dead, and the Emperor's fury has largely subsided. Once the two of them are laid to rest, Ping'er will naturally be released. All we need to do is wait."
Lady Yuan placed immense trust in Yun Chu's words. She immediately clasped her hands together in prayer. "Amitabha! It is truly wonderful that Ping'er will be fine. When that day comes, I will personally go to bring her home."
Hearing this, Xie Jingyu furrowed his brows. "She cannot return to the Xie family."
Lady Yuan was baffled. "Why?"
"Because she is the wedded wife of the mastermind behind the assassination attempt on the Emperor. Moreover, everyone in the capital knows that Prince Anjing shared deep affections with his consort, marrying her regardless of status or lineage. She represents Prince Anjing," Xie Shi'an said, enunciating every word clearly. "If she returns to the Xie family, has Grandmother thought about how outsiders will talk about us?"
Lady Yuan shook her head blankly; she truly had not considered that.
Her lips trembled as she asked, "Ping'er is only thirteen years old. After she gets out of prison, if she doesn't come home, where else can she go?"
"Enough of your endless fretting!" Xie Zhongcheng said impatiently. "We will do as Chu'er said and stand by for now without making a move. Everyone, disperse."
Once everyone had left the study, only Xie Jingyu and his son remained.
Xie Jingyu massaged his temples and asked, "Shi'an, tell me the truth: is standing by without making a move truly the best solution?"
Xie Shi'an shook his head. "Prince Anjing died just like that... Even though he attempted to assassinate the Emperor, no matter what, he was still the Emperor's son. His death has turned the Emperor's fury into sorrow, and perhaps the Emperor is even beginning to suspect whether there is more to this assassination than meets the eye... If Eldest Sister were to sacrifice her life to follow Prince Anjing in death, accompanying him on the road to the Yellow Springs, the Emperor might even feel gratitude toward the Xie family..."
Xie Jingyu surged to his feet.
Ping'er's death would carry tremendous significance: first, proving her loyalty through death; second, dying as a devoted wife following her husband; third, severing any implication to her maiden family.
This was supreme righteousness!
It would become a celebrated story praised throughout the capital!
He spoke up, "Shi'an, find a way to see if you can make a trip to the dungeon."