Chapter 516

The atmosphere in Bishui Pavilion was so oppressive that it felt difficult to breathe.

Outside the inner chamber, Liuli was supporting Consort Zhen. The conversation inside the inner chamber fell clearly into their ears, and Consort Zhen was so shocked that she could barely stand.

Inside the inner chamber, the Crown Prince’s face was twisted: “Father Emperor, you are truly ruthless. I have been the Crown Prince for thirty years, and even now you are still thinking of deposing me. I should have believed my maternal grandfather’s words long ago, and not waited until today.”

“Bastard!” Empress Zhao’s body trembled with rage. She raised her hand to slap the Crown Prince.

The Crown Prince instantly grabbed Empress Zhao’s hand. He angrily pushed Empress Zhao back, causing her to fall heavily to the ground. He sneered, “From now on, no one can order me around. This Great Yu Empire is mine, and I am the future Emperor!”

“Rebellious son!” Emperor Xiaowenxuan coughed violently, his face turning crimson.

The Crown Prince looked at Emperor Xiaowenxuan and suddenly smiled mischievously. He said, “Father Emperor, didn’t you want to know the truth? I will tell you the truth. You guessed it right, the poison was given by my order through Wang Xi. This poison is a chronic poison that will slowly destroy the body over time. But don’t worry, you won’t die yet. After all, you are still somewhat useful while alive. Once your son has eliminated all other forces in Chang’an, then you can die.”

“Also, weren’t you wondering where Feng Deshui went?” The Crown Prince suddenly said viciously, “Your son chopped him into minced meat and fed him to the dogs, hahaha!”

“Rebellious son! Rebellious son!” Emperor Xiaowenxuan struggled to get up, but his body was too weak to rise. In his extreme rage, he violently spat out a mouthful of fresh blood.

“Your Majesty!” Empress Zhao exclaimed.

The Crown Prince looked at Emperor Xiaowenxuan with a cold smile. He glanced around Bishui Pavilion, then said, “Father Emperor, you may rest assured and recover in this Bishui Pavilion. From today onwards, no one is allowed to enter or exit Bishui Pavilion without my command.”

After a pause, he looked at Empress Zhao: “Mother Empress, if you support your son, then the position of Grand Empress Dowager will still be yours, and your son will let bygones be bygones. If you remain stubborn like Father Emperor, then do not blame your son for being unfilial.”

“You rebellious son!” Empress Zhao knelt on Emperor Xiaowenxuan’s body, sobbing.

But when her gaze met Emperor Xiaowenxuan’s, she saw that familiar look.

In an instant, she suddenly stopped crying. She said, “Now that the overall situation is settled, what else can I choose? I only hope you can spare your younger brother’s life.”

“So, Mother Empress supports your son.” The Crown Prince smiled gently.

Empress Zhao nodded with difficulty.

The Crown Prince was overjoyed. He said, “Since that’s the case, Mother Empress, you may return to the palace. This place shall be left to him and Xiao Ming’s lowly birth mother.”

Empress Zhao turned back to look at Emperor Xiaowenxuan again, then she turned and walked out without hesitation.

The Crown Prince, on the other hand, sneered at Emperor Xiaowenxuan and followed Empress Zhao with Wang Xi. As he passed Consort Zhen, the Crown Prince said mockingly, “Consort Zhen, don’t be afraid. You are very useful. I am counting on you to make Xiao Ming enter Chang’an!”

“You’re dreaming!” Consort Zhen’s willow-like eyebrows shot up, and she spat fiercely.

The Crown Prince was unconcerned. He was now riding high, and he smiled triumphantly. He said, “I will let you personally witness Xiao Ming’s death at my hands.”

With that, he said to the imperial guards outside Bishui Pavilion, “From today onwards, give them only coarse tea and plain food. If I see a single piece of meat in their meal, I will cut off your heads.”

“Yes, Your Highness,” the imperial guards said tremblingly.

Nodding with satisfaction, the Crown Prince looked at Du Heng, who was standing outside the door. He said, “General Du, the safety of this palace is now in your hands.”

“Your Royal Highness, rest assured. I know every rat hole in this palace clearly. There will be no mistakes,” Du Heng said loudly.

The Crown Prince nodded with satisfaction, then walked out of the palace with Wang Xi.

As they walked out, Wang Xi looked back at Du Heng. He said to the Crown Prince, “Your Highness, I still don’t feel at ease with Du Heng. This Du Heng has always been loyal to His Majesty, and his relationship with Prince Qi is also close. His son, Du Boyuan, and Xiao Ming are even close friends. Letting him monitor the Emperor, I fear there will be a mishap.”

“Imperial Secretary Wang, you’re thinking too much. Yang Zhen was also Father Emperor’s confidant, and now isn’t he also serving under my command? Now that Father Emperor’s life hangs by a thread, these generals and officials see clearly that in a few months, or at most a year or two, I will ascend the throne. Du Heng, like those generals, is just a fair-weather friend. Moreover, he only commands three thousand palace guards; he is nothing to fear.”

“Your Highness, that’s where you’re wrong. The Imperial Palace is the center of the Great Yu Empire. Whoever controls the Imperial Palace controls the world. I advise Your Highness to replace the general in charge of the Imperial Guards,” Wang Xi advised. Back then, Prince Zhao sent him into the palace to stay by Empress Zhao’s side to transmit messages and advise Empress Zhao.

For him, his master was Prince Zhao, not Empress Zhao. Everything he did now was for the Zhao family to rule the Central Plains, which was what the Zhao family had been planning for generations.

Now that Prince Zhao finally saw hope, how could he change his plans because of Empress Zhao’s thoughts?

So he continued, “His Royal Highness Prince Zhao said, please cooperate with his plan, Your Majesty. Only then can the Crown Prince’s position be stable. Otherwise, you and the Crown Prince should just pray for yourselves.”

As Wang Xi’s words fell, Empress Zhao’s face suddenly turned pale. She said angrily, “Are you threatening me?”

In Bishui Pavilion, the maids serving Consort Zhen kept sobbing. They had been crying non-stop after the Crown Prince left.

“Why are you crying? If you want to cry, go outside and cry!” Liuli said angrily to the maids. Consort Zhen was already sad about this, and these maids, instead of comforting her, were making things worse.

A palace maid said, “How can we not cry? We all heard the Crown Prince’s words. This means we all know this secret. Can we still live knowing such a thing?”

“Exactly, anyone who hears such a secret as regicide will die.”

“Wuwu…”

Liuli was speechless upon hearing this.

Consort Zhen then said, “I’m sorry, it’s my fault for involving everyone. If you hadn’t served me, you wouldn’t have suffered. Here, I apologize to you.”

“Your Majesty!” The palace maids were shocked and immediately helped Consort Zhen up.

A palace maid said, “Your Majesty has treated us with immense kindness. How can we accept Your Majesty’s profound bow? We are merely heartbroken, but even so, we will definitely stand with Your Majesty through thick and thin.”

Consort Zhen sighed. With such a huge change happening in Chang’an city, getting the news out was the most important thing, otherwise, Xiao Ming being kept in the dark might be detrimental to him.

If she could tell him the news, Xiao Ming could prepare earlier.