Song Xiu

Chapter 150 This vile woman is the one who has disturbed my home.
In Yanqing Palace, there is an incense hall.

Incense smoke filled the hall, and Li Duoruo was accompanying Empress Wang in a respectful prayer before the altar.

Since Empress Dowager Du fell ill, she had been eager to have Lady Fu serve her, and Empress Wang and Li Duruo rarely had the opportunity to enter Yanshou Palace.

The inability to personally serve them did not affect their filial piety.

Before each of the three daily meals, Empress Wang and Li Duruo would devoutly pray for Empress Dowager Du in the incense hall, following the guidance of the famous monks in the Daxiangguo Temple.

Daxiangguo Temple enjoyed the honor of being a royal temple during the Tang Dynasty and was quite famous in the Central Plains.

After the prayers were finished, Li Duruo stepped forward to help Empress Wang up.

After helping Empress Wang out of the incense hall, Li Duruo had a palace maid bring in some vegetarian food. Looking at Empress Wang's gaunt face, she advised her:

"Your Majesty is protected by the gods, and your health will gradually improve."

"The Empress Dowager has lost her appetite for many days; please have some food."

After saying this, Li Duruo personally scooped out a bowl of porridge and placed it in front of Empress Wang.

Li Duruo's filial piety brought a smile to Empress Wang's face, and she said with satisfaction:

"You should eat some too."

Empress Wang has been losing her appetite lately, and so has Li Duruo.
Upon hearing Empress Wang's words, Li Duoruo nodded slightly and sat down opposite Empress Wang to eat together.

As the saying goes, one should not speak while eating; neither of them spoke during the meal.

After the two finished their lunch, three-year-old Zhao Defang came running in.

Upon entering the hall, Zhao Defang did not immediately head towards Empress Wang, but instead excitedly ran towards Li Duruo.

"Royal sister-in-law, hug me, hug me."

At Xiao Defang's request, Li Duruo gently embraced her.

As soon as Xiao Defang entered Li Duruo's arms, she happily laughed:

"Pastries. Pastries."

No wonder Xiao Defang likes Li Duruo so much; it turns out that in his memory, Li Duruo always brings sweet pastries whenever she arrives.

To get some pastries, Xiao Defang even started to act coquettishly in Li Duoruo's arms.

Li Duruo was at her wit's end with Xiao Defang's pleading. She picked up some pastries from the table and handed them to Xiao Defang, giving her a loving and caring advice:

"You are only allowed to eat this much today."

Li Duruo once heard Zhao Dexiu say that children should not eat too many sweets.

De Fang, who had received the pastries, lay contentedly in Li Du Ruo's arms and began to nibble on them.

Empress Wang clearly saw the interaction between Xiao Defang and Li Duoruo, and a smile appeared on her face, which had been heavy for many days.

"When Prince Jin first came to Yanqing Palace, he liked to hold Defang just like you do."

I am very pleased that Defang has won the favor of you and Prince Jin.

Aside from her joy, Empress Wang also felt reassured.

When Zhao Dexiu was in the palace, he often told her historical stories, which sparked her interest in history.

The more history books she read, the clearer Empress Wang became about one fact—Zhao Defang's future favor rested entirely on Zhao Dexiu.

Li Duruo was a wise woman, and she understood the implied meaning in Empress Wang's words.

Knowing the deeper meaning, she naturally wouldn't let Empress Wang's words fall flat.

As Li Duruo wiped the crumbs of pastry from Xiao Defang's mouth with her hand, she said:
"His Highness once said in the palace that when Defang grows up a bit more, he will ask His Majesty to grant Defang a title."

Empress Wang had witnessed firsthand how much effort Zhao Dexiu had put in to obtain the title.

After Zhao Dexiu achieved her current status, she did not forget her status as the eldest son of the principal wife and began to use her reputation to support her younger brother. This gesture pleased Empress Wang greatly.

"The King of Jin was a filial and fraternal man."

Just as Empress Wang spoke these heartfelt words, a palace attendant came to report that Wang Ji'en was outside requesting an audience.

Empress Wang was somewhat surprised to hear that it was Wang Ji'en who had suddenly requested an audience.

In her memory, Wang Ji'en was always on duty outside Yanshou Palace, so why would he suddenly come here?

Filled with doubt, Empress Wang had Wang Ji'en brought in.

When Wang Ji'en arrived in the hall, he saw that Empress Wang and Li Duruo were both present. Although he was anxious, he still maintained his composure.

"This servant has important matters to report."

After Wang Ji'en entered the hall, Li Du'ruo kept observing his expression.

Wang Ji'en's words made Li Duruo realize that something big might have happened in Yanshou Palace.

"Mother."

Li Duruo turned her gaze to Empress Wang, and only after Li Duruo's prompting did Empress Wang order her men to retreat.

Once everyone else was in the hall, Wang Ji'en recounted what had happened in Yanshou Palace and Zhao Dexiu's instructions.

After listening to Wang Ji'en's report, Empress Wang was still in doubt. The incident had happened too suddenly, and she had not yet grasped the key to the whole matter.

Li Duruo was the first to react. Her expression changed slightly as she put down Xiao Defang and whispered something to Empress Wang.

As soon as Li Duruo finished whispering, Empress Wang said in shock and anger:

"Perhaps they intend to forge an imperial edict? How dare the Lady of Donghai!"

Lady of Donghai County was the official title for the wife of the Fu family.

Empress Wang was shocked and furious, and her tone was filled with disbelief.

Having read many history books, how could she not know how serious the matter of forging an imperial edict was?
However, Li Duoruo's analysis was reasonable and well-founded, and out of trust in Li Duoruo, Empress Wang gradually stopped finding it unbelievable and instead became increasingly angry.

Wang Ji'en clearly noticed the change in Empress Wang's attitude.

Wang Ji'en knew that once Empress Wang assumed that the Fu family was forging an imperial edict, the Fu family would be in dire straits.

Thinking of this, Wang Ji'en glanced at Li Duruo almost imperceptibly.

Realizing the gravity of the matter, Empress Wang quickly fetched pen and ink and wrote a letter to the emperor.

After affixing the Empress's seal to the memorial, Empress Wang summoned a trusted eunuch:
"Leave the palace immediately and deliver the memorial to His Majesty by fast horse."

After giving the instructions, Empress Wang, led by Wang Ji'en, headed towards Yanshou Palace.

Given the matter of forged imperial edicts, Li Duruo is not suitable to stay by Empress Wang's side.

Li Duoruo, who remained in Yanqing Palace, chose to hold Xiao Defang in her arms again and tease her.

After Xiao Defang finished the pastry in her hand, she wanted to get a new one, but Li Duruo stopped her.

"You've eaten enough today, don't be greedy."

Seeing that Xiao Defang looked aggrieved after being stopped, Li Duruo asked the eunuch to bring a rattle drum.

Then Li Duruo patiently played with Xiao Defang, playing with the rattle drum in her hand.

As the clear, crisp sound of the rattle drum rang out in the hall, Xiao Defang clapped and laughed, and a smile gradually appeared on Li Duoruo's face as well.

If she hadn't truly cared for Xiao Defang, why would Empress Wang have trusted her so much?

When the sun was high in the sky, Zhao Dexiu stood quietly on the steps of the Yanshou Palace.

Although he arrived at Yanshou Palace first, he did not rush to go inside.

In Zhao Dexiu's view, the entire Yanshou Palace, inside and out, was already filled with the guards in front of the hall.

The tall and strong Zhang Qiong personally guarded the palace gate to prevent any ill-intentioned people from spying on Yanshou Palace.

Zhang Qiong had no idea why Zhao Dexiu had suddenly ordered him to strengthen the security of Yanshou Palace.

Although Zhang Qiong had some doubts, Yanshou Palace was the residence of the Empress Dowager, and being loyal to Zhao Kuangyin, he would certainly guard the palace gates personally as a precaution.

Zhang Qiong's actions were exactly what Zhao Dexiu had anticipated.

The reason he delayed entering Yanshou Palace was twofold: first, he was waiting for Empress Wang to arrive, and second, he wanted Zhang Qiong to see him.

Given the power Zhao Dexiu currently wields, he could easily have transferred other imperial guards to Yanshou Palace, but he did not do so.

Zhao Dexiu knew that Zhang Qiong was Zhao Kuangyin's eyes and ears in the palace.

The matter of Fu's forged imperial edict involved Empress Dowager Du. This matter not only needed to be dealt with quickly, but also handled properly to prevent it from causing trouble in the future.

The scorching sunlight bathed the entire Yanshou Palace.

The sweltering heat did not affect Zhao Dexiu's thoughts. While waiting for Empress Wang to arrive, he kept reviewing the whole incident in his mind.

Based on Fu's actions, it can be inferred that she must have bewitched Empress Dowager Du, causing the ailing Empress Dowager to make a decision that benefited the Fu clan. Furthermore, this decision was one that neither she nor Zhao Kuangyin would have agreed to; otherwise, Fu would not have taken such a risk.

There is no basis for what you say.

Under the influence of Lady Fu, Empress Dowager Du may write a handwritten edict, which would require the witnessing of an official from outside the court to be legitimized.

Perhaps Empress Dowager Du was no longer able to write an edict, so Lady Fu sent Zhao Pu and Fu Yanqing to give her the order orally, and then have Zhao Pu or Fu Yanqing write it down and affix their seal.

Regardless of the possibility, Fu's behavior disgusted Zhao Dexiu, to the point of hatred.

This action directly threatened imperial power.

Did they intend to use filial piety and human ethics to force the imperial power to back down towards the Fu clan?
In Fu's eyes, the filial piety that the royal family revered had become her elite troops—truly a legacy of the Five Dynasties!

Even though Zhao Dexiu gradually figured things out, figuring out how to properly handle the matter was not so simple.

As Zhao Dexiu pondered, he saw the imperial carriage appear at the palace gate.

As the head of the harem, Empress Wang was not stopped by Zhang Qiong. After the imperial carriage came to a stop inside, Empress Wang hurriedly stepped down from it.

Before Empress Wang arrived anxiously, Zhao Dexiu first bowed. After the bow, Empress Wang's voice rang out:

"It's good that the Prince of Jin is here."

Empress Wang's tone was a mixture of panic and relief.

On the way to Yanshou Palace, Empress Wang kept recalling the many cases of forged imperial edicts in history.

The more she recalled, the more Empress Wang felt that this kind of matter was something she could not easily handle.

With Zhao Kuangyin not in the palace, the only person Empress Wang could trust and rely on was Zhao Dexiu.

Having sensed Empress Wang's thoughts, Zhao Dexiu asked first:

"Has Mother reported this matter to Father?"

As soon as Zhao Dexiu asked, Empress Wang quickly replied:
"I have already sent someone to report the matter of the Lady of Donghai forging the imperial edict."

Forged imperial edict?

Empress Wang's answer initially surprised Zhao Dexiu.

He had planned to wait for Empress Wang to arrive, and then, through some persuasion, get her to endorse the "Fu family's forged edict" matter.

Unexpectedly, Empress Wang reacted so quickly.

The unexpected emotion was fleeting; now, with Empress Wang's endorsement, he could act with complete freedom.

With a glance from Zhao Dexiu, Wang Ji'en stepped forward and opened the gate of Yanshou Palace.

As soon as the gate opened, Zhao Dexiu and Empress Wang disappeared from Zhang Qiong's sight.

Empress Dowager Du, who was in her bedchamber, had already fallen asleep due to exhaustion.

To allow Empress Dowager Du to conserve her energy and prepare for what was to come, Lady Fu went to the outer hall.

As time ticked by, Fu's anxiety grew.

"Why haven't Zhao Pu and my father arrived yet?"

Fu knew that the situation was serious and that the longer it dragged on, the more likely things would change.

Fu Shi, increasingly anxious, paced back and forth in the spacious hall, holding an imperial edict in her hand.

If it weren't for the fact that she couldn't easily leave Empress Dowager Du, Lady Fu would have even wanted to personally leave the palace to find Fu Yanqing.

Fu's forehead was covered in a fine layer of sweat from her anxiety.

Just as Fu's legs were starting to ache from walking, she finally heard footsteps getting closer and closer to her.

The sound of footsteps filled Madam Fu with joy. Unable to contain her happiness, she hurriedly went to meet the footsteps.

As Fu Shi drew closer to the footsteps, she noticed several figures reflected in the screen in front of her.

Those figures made Fu exclaim with joy:
"Father, Father"

Fu thought that after she called out, Fu Yanqing's figure would appear in her eyes.

To Fu's utter surprise, when the figure emerged from behind the screen, the person who appeared before her eyes was none other than that person:
"Prince Jin!"

"How could it be you?"

Zhao Dexiu's figure was the first thing Fu saw. This unexpected change startled Fu, causing her joy to vanish and her face to turn pale.

After the initial shock came terror.

The fear in her heart caused Fu to take several steps back.

Fu's terrified reaction did not escape Zhao Dexiu's notice.

Unlike Fu's panic, Zhao Dexiu, who had everything under control, strolled leisurely towards Fu.

With each step Zhao Dexiu took, Fu Shi, who had just stopped, would be startled and retreat further.

"Lady of Donghai, why are you behaving this way?"

"Is it forbidden for me to enter Yanshou Palace?"

Zhao Dexiu's tone was relatively mild, but there was an undisguised coldness in his eyes when he looked at Fu Shi.

With Zhao Dexiu wielding great power, he naturally possessed an aura of authority.

The imposing aura and the coldness in his eyes intensified Fu's fear. After taking several steps back, Fu's legs gave way and she collapsed to the ground.

After falling to the ground, Fu's palms were facing upwards, and Zhao Dexiu immediately saw the silk book in her hand.

Seeing Zhao Dexiu's gaze fixed on her hands, Fu Shi panicked and reached her hands behind her back.

Fu naively believed that this would protect the "protective charm" she had obtained for the Fu clan.

Fu's naiveté drew a cold laugh from Zhao Dexiu.

As soon as the cold laugh came out, Wang Ji'en, who was behind Zhao Dexiu, immediately understood.

Wang Ji'en, with a fierce expression, led a eunuch forward to try and subdue Fu Shi, but Fu Shi, who was being controlled, struggled violently on the ground.

But how could a woman, no matter how hard she struggled, break free?
After successfully subduing Fu, Wang Ji'en forcefully pried open her tightly clenched hands and took the imperial edict from her hand.

Then Wang Ji'en approached Zhao Dexiu as if presenting a treasure, and handed over the imperial edict in his hand.

After receiving the imperial edict, Zhao Dexiu went to Empress Wang and read its contents with her.

"Taking advantage of the Empress Dowager's serious illness and confused state of mind, the Lady of Donghai used the Empress Dowager to wield power and issue a false edict, revealing her actions of forging an edict and disrupting the country."

Zhao Dexiu directly characterized Fu's behavior.

Empress Wang was not concerned about the contents of the forged edict; what she cared about was Fu's act of forging the edict.

Now that the evidence is irrefutable, Empress Wang said bitterly:

"The one who has brought chaos to my home is this vile woman!"

As the head of the harem, Empress Wang's rebuke had political significance.

Empress Wang's rebuke was enough to strip Fu of her royal status.

Upon hearing Empress Wang refer to her as a lowly woman, Fu felt that disaster was about to befall her and struggled violently once again.

She tried to speak up in her defense, but her mouth was covered by a cloth, and she could only let out sobs.

After scolding Lady Fu, Empress Wang said to Zhao Dexiu:

“This vile woman has brought chaos to the country. Since the King of Jin has the power to oversee the country, she shall be handed over to the King of Jin for disposal.”

After speaking, Empress Wang went into her bedchamber, too lazy to even glance at Lady Fu again.

After Empress Wang left, Zhao Dexiu, holding the forged imperial edict, knelt down in front of Lady Fu.

At this moment, Fu's face was covered with tears, and her head was constantly hitting the floor, showing a posture of knowing she had made a mistake.

Under Fu's pleading gaze, Zhao Dexiu tightly gripped the forged edict in his hand, as if he held the lifeline of the Fu clan in his grasp:

"Do you know you're wrong? No, you just know you're going to die."

“The chaos and disorder of the military governors arose from killing, and will also end with killing.”

Let the demise of your Fu clan be the starting point for the abolition of all military governorships and their subordinate prefectures throughout the land.

Zhao Dexiu's words distorted Fu's face.

The once-powerful Fu family of Chenzhou is doomed!

(End of this chapter)