The Ming Dynasty: The most ruthless imperial grandson, Old Zhu begged me not to kill him.

Chapter 753 A Pure Trust
The taste of betrayal filled him with immense pain and loneliness. He longed for genuine affection and pure trust, but within the confines of the palace, all of this seemed so unattainable.

The bedchamber was deathly silent, save for Zhu Xiong Ying's heavy breathing. He slumped onto the dragon throne, clutching the ivory comb, now shattered into dust, his knuckles pale and bluish. The cries of Consort Li seemed to still echo in his ears, like a sharp thorn piercing his heart again and again.

He suddenly flung the powder in his hand, and the fine white dust danced in the air like falling snowflakes, yet it carried a chilling cold.

“Betrayal…” he murmured, his voice hoarse, “It’s all fucking betrayal…”

He recalled the treacherous schemes and power struggles he had witnessed since ascending the throne. In the court, those ministers who were usually obsequious to him secretly formed cliques, engaged in corruption and bribery. In the harem, those charming concubines were all scheming and ruthless in their quest for favor.

He was like prey trapped in a spider's web, tightly bound by an invisible net, unable to move. This feeling of powerlessness made him feel suffocated.

Suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind: Could all of this have been deliberately arranged by someone?

This thought struck him like a bolt of lightning, illuminating his chaotic thoughts. He began to recall the matter of Consort Li's pregnancy, and the more he thought about it, the more suspicious it seemed.

Consort Li is always cautious and careful; how could she easily have an affair with a guard? Moreover, the guard's identity is also suspicious. He seems to have been recently transferred to the palace; I've never seen him before.

"Could it be..." A glint of light flashed in Zhu Xiong Ying's eyes, "that someone deliberately arranged for this guard to get close to Consort Li, get her pregnant, and then expose it to attack me?"

Thinking of this, he suddenly stood up, his anger reigniting.

"Guards!" he shouted.

A burly guard immediately entered and knelt on one knee: "Your Majesty, what are your orders?"

"Go, bring that guard here! I want to interrogate him myself!" Zhu Xiong Ying's voice was cold and ruthless, carrying an unquestionable authority.

"Yes!" The guard took the order and left.

Zhu Xiong Ying paced back and forth in his bedchamber, restless and anxious. He felt as if he had fallen into a huge trap, surrounded by danger and conspiracy.

Before long, the guards brought up the one who had been having an affair with Consort Li.

The guard's name was Li Yong. He was tall and handsome, but at this moment his face was pale and his whole body was trembling, clearly he was terrified.

“Li Yong,” Zhu Xiong Ying looked down at him, her eyes sharp as knives, “do you know your crime?”

Li Yong fell to his knees with a thud, kowtowing repeatedly: "Your Majesty, spare me! Your Majesty, spare me! I was confused for a moment and committed such a terrible mistake!"

"A moment of confusion?" Zhu Xiong Ying sneered. "You had an affair with Consort Li and became pregnant. You call that a moment of confusion? Do you think I'm a fool?"

Li Yong was so frightened that he trembled all over and dared not speak.

"Speak! Who ordered you to do this?" Zhu Xiong Ying asked sternly.

Li Yong hesitated for a moment, then finally shook his head: "I...I was not instructed by anyone, it was I...I was momentarily bewitched..."

"Hmph!" Zhu Xiong Ying sneered, "Looks like you're going to have to suffer the consequences!"

He gave a wink to the guard beside him, who immediately understood and stepped forward to torture Li Yong.

Li Yong's screams echoed in the bedchamber, sending chills down everyone's spines.

However, even though he was beaten black and blue, Li Yong gritted his teeth and refused to reveal who was behind it all.

Seeing Li Yong's unyielding stance, Zhu Xiong Ying grew even more suspicious. He felt as if he had stumbled upon a massive conspiracy, behind which lurked an extremely dangerous figure. "Stop!" Zhu Xiong Ying suddenly shouted.

The guards immediately stopped. Li Yong was on the verge of death and covered in blood.

Zhu Xiong Ying walked up to Li Yong, squatted down, looked at him, and said in an icy tone, "Do you think you can protect the person behind the scenes like this? You're wrong! I will definitely find out the truth and bring the mastermind to justice!"

Li Yong gave a weak smile, a hint of mockery in his eyes: "Your Majesty...you...you are too naive..."

After saying this, Li Yong's head lolled to the side, and he died.

Zhu Xiong Ying stared at Li Yong's corpse, his heart filled with anger and frustration. He felt like a fool who had been played, manipulated at will.

"Who?!" He jumped to his feet, roaring to the sky, "Who is pulling the strings behind all this?!"

His voice echoed in the bedchamber, lingering for a long time...

Just then, a eunuch rushed in and knelt down: "Your Majesty, the Empress... the Empress..."

"What happened to the Empress?" Zhu Xiong Ying's heart sank, and an ominous premonition surged into her mind.

The eunuch stammered, "Her Majesty the Empress...she...she hanged herself..."

The news of the Empress's suicide struck Zhu Xiong Ying like a thunderbolt. He staggered back a step, his vision blurred, and he almost fainted.

"Impossible..." he muttered to himself, his voice trembling violently, "This is impossible..."

The Empress, his first wife, was gentle, virtuous, and unassuming. How could she suddenly hang herself?
"Take me...take me to see..." Zhu Xiong Ying managed to utter a few words.

The eunuch quickly helped Zhu Xiong Ying up, and they stumbled all the way to the Empress's palace.

In the palace, the Empress lay quietly on the bed, her face as pale as paper, her eyes closed, lifeless. A white silk ribbon hung from the beam above the bed, swaying gently in the breeze, as if silently telling a story.

Zhu Xiong Ying stood blankly in front of the bed, looking at the Empress's peaceful face, her heart aching as if being torn apart.

He reached out and gently stroked the empress's cheek; the cold touch sent a shiver down his spine.

"Why..." he murmured, "Why did you do this..."

His mind was in chaos, a jumble of thoughts that made it impossible for him to think.

What is the connection between Consort Li's affair and the Empress's suicide?
Could it be that the Empress couldn't get over Consort Li's situation, which is why she chose to hang herself?
But the Empress has always been virtuous and kind, how could she take her own life because of such a thing?
No, things are definitely not that simple!
A terrible thought suddenly flashed through Zhu Xiong Ying's mind: Could it be that the Empress was forced to her death?
Who was it? Who forced the Empress to her death?
His gaze swept over the surrounding palace maids and eunuchs, his eyes sharp as knives, as if he wanted to see right through them.

The palace maids and eunuchs were so frightened that they trembled and knelt down on the ground, not daring to raise their heads.

"Speak!" Zhu Xiong Ying roared, "How exactly did the Empress die?!"

The palace maids and eunuchs looked at each other, none of them daring to speak.

At this moment, an old nanny stepped forward shakily and knelt before Zhu Xiong Ying: "Your Majesty, this old servant...this old servant has something to say..."

(End of this chapter)