The Evil Emperor's Favorite: The Sickly and Poisonous Concubine Goes Crazy

As the night deepened, Gu Yan'an was the only one left in the courtyard, sitting on a bamboo chair. The moonlight lengthened his lonely figure, making him look particularly quiet and profound. He looked in the direction where Su Jingning left, with a complex emotion flashing in his eyes.

The next morning, the sky of the imperial capital was still gray, and a storm was silently gathering in the air. Mu Xi ordered her people in the court to stop targeting the prince's lineage. With the help of the people in Beiyang Palace, many people in the court quietly joined her camp, including the prince's people.

She took the initiative to enter the prime minister's residence. It was unknown what she said to Prime Minister Liu, but on the second day, Mu Xi appeared at the Suzaku Gate with Prime Minister Liu to welcome the prince back to the capital.

Mu Xi was dressed in a Qi purple cloud goose palace robe with an arrogant look on his face, with a commonly used white jade sword hanging around his waist. His slender and upright figure stood in front of the imperial guards in ink-black black armor, just like the Emperor Zhou. His domineering aura made people dare not look up.

Before the prince arrived, all officials knew about the struggle between the prince and Princess Xuyang. Princess Xuyang suddenly appeared at the Suzaku Gate with the Imperial Guards. When they heard that the prince was accompanied by the Tongzhou Camp, they could not help but secretly wonder how they would protect themselves if the two fought at the city gate.

Finally, due to Mu Xi's deliberate delay, the prince, who returned to the imperial capital a few days later than expected, finally appeared in front of everyone.

The first rider held up the imperial edict and stood at the front: "Your Highness has been ordered to return to the capital. Anyone who disobeys will be killed without mercy!"

Behind him, the prince, dressed in dark red brocade clothes, led the soldiers of Tongzhou Camp and marched towards the city gate in a mighty manner.

Mu Xi looked at this scene and sneered. Those who didn't know would think that he was returning to Beijing to seize the throne. Oh, no, he was going to seize the throne.

The prince looked at the situation at the city gate. The Suzaku Gate was wide open, and the city gate was filled with civil and military officials. Leading the way were Liu Xiang and Mu Xi.

There was a flash of vigilance in his eyes, with a complex meaning. Mu Xi did not do what he wanted. What did she want to do?

"Welcome His Royal Highness the Crown Prince back to the capital!!"

Prime Minister Liu took the lead and led everyone to salute the approaching prince. All the ministers knelt down, leaving only Mu Xi, Su Jingmo behind her, and the Imperial Guard.

Mu Xi raised her eyes, and looked at the prince with eagle eyes similar to Emperor Zhou's, without any fear. The prince also looked at her with deep meaning in his eyes.

After a long while, Mu Xi curled her lips slightly, brushed aside her skirt, and bowed to the prince:

"My brother, Crown Prince, you have been through a long journey. Thank you for your hard work."

"Your Majesty, my sister, respectfully welcomes you back to the capital!"

As soon as she finished speaking, the imperial guards behind her followed her and saluted the prince in unison, saying:

"Your Highness the Crown Prince is welcome back to the capital."

Hearing her address, the prince's eyes darkened, and a hint of suspicion flashed across his face, but he quickly concealed it and smiled his virtuous and approachable smile:

"Xi'er, you've worked hard these days. Hurry up and get up, everyone!"

Then he turned to look at Mu Xi, his face anxious: "How is the emperor now? My brother was delayed for quite some time on the way and didn't arrive in the capital until today."

Mu Xi's expression changed, with some worry, but he didn't say it clearly: "Now that my brother is back, Xuyang is relieved. Father and Empress Xian are still waiting for my brother in the palace. My brother, please go back to the palace first."

"Okay, the Tongzhou Camp will follow me into the city!"

The prince nodded and spoke sternly to the Tongzhou camp behind him.

The ministers retreated to the sides to make way, watching the cavalry enter the city, with concerns flashing in their eyes, but no one dared to speak. Minister Jiang of the Ministry of Rites frowned and wanted to speak, but was stopped by Jiang Hechuan who was standing beside him.

"It is against etiquette for local troops to enter the imperial city..." Minister Jiang frowned and whispered to his son beside him, but Jiang Hechuan covered his mouth with his hand.

"Father, why don't you first take a look at who the person leading the troops is? Can you afford to offend him?" Then he let go of her hand, with a hint of disgust in his eyes. He stood a little further away from Minister Jiang.

Minister Jiang glared at him, threw back his sleeves, and said frankly:

"You are the Imperial Censor!"

Jiang Hechuan ignored him, glanced in the direction of Mu Xi and nodded slightly.

Within two days, rumors would spread in the city that the prince was leading troops into the city, which was against etiquette and law, and there might also be rumors that the Tongzhou camp was causing trouble in the city.

Mu Xi watched the prince and his entourage slowly enter the imperial capital, gently stroking the hilt of the white jade sword at her waist, with a dangerous look in her eyes. She was already standing in the center of the storm. This power struggle had just begun.

Su Jingmo stood beside her, his eyes deep. He whispered to Mu Xi, "Nanfeng, the witness of the epidemic in Border Town, has been found. He will have someone go to beat the drum to report the incident in two days."

Mu Xi nodded slightly. Two days were enough for her to arrange everything and give the prince a big gift.

The prince placed the Tongzhou Camp in the military office in the north of the city and went straight into the palace.

In the Hall of Supreme Harmony, Concubine Xian couldn't help but shed tears when she saw that the Crown Prince had finally returned to the capital safely.

"Feng'er!"

"Mother has worked hard for many days, and my son is late!"

The crown prince knelt down to pay his respects to Concubine Xian, who helped him up, looked him up and down before letting him go.

"How is Father?"

The virtuous concubine wiped her tears and waved her hand to order the people to leave. After they left, the virtuous concubine led them into the cabinet.

Emperor Zhou fell into a deep sleep on the bed as usual, his face slightly pale.

"He has been sleeping longer and longer these days. He can only be woken up by using soul-calling incense, but is there a problem with the medicine?" Concubine Xian's eyes flashed with worry.

"If this goes on, mother is worried that the court officials will become suspicious. Feng'er, you have to hurry." Concubine Xian's voice was gentle and meaningful.

Mu Feng looked at the person on the bed, his eyes were devoid of warmth, full of deep calculations:

"It doesn't matter. Now that I have returned to the capital, Father, all you need to do is fall asleep."

Concubine Xian nodded, "Mother understands. I am here in the palace, so you don't have to worry. You should be careful. I heard that Prince Beiyang is on his way back to the capital, and the Duke of Zhenguo is also preparing to return to the court. Neither of them is your man, so you have to be on guard! And Mu Xi, she has become a different person in the past two days, so you must not let your guard down."

"Don't worry, mother. I have already sent people to stop them. They cannot enter the capital until the matter is accomplished. No one can help Mu Xi."

"There is one more thing. The Crown Princess must have known that she was used. She is about to give birth. You should be careful to coax her. Her family behind her can still be of use to you."

"Yes, son, I understand." Mu Feng nodded in response.

After the prince left the palace, he went to see Prime Minister Liu first.

Seeing the prince again, Prime Minister Liu seemed to have aged a lot in the past few days. When he looked at the prince, there was less appreciation and satisfaction in his eyes as before.

He thought that the leader he had been teaching and assisting since childhood was a wise leader who was compassionate to his subjects, kind to the people, caring to his loved ones, and a leader with flesh and blood, emotions and righteousness.

So he used all his life's knowledge to teach him. But now, he found that he could not see through this student who had been by his side since childhood and was serious and studious. His wisdom, benevolence, humility and courtesy were always just a mask.

"This old minister greets His Royal Highness the Crown Prince." He hunched over and bowed to the Crown Prince.

The prince stepped forward and supported Prime Minister Liu.

"Teacher, there's no need to be so polite." He smiled humbly, just like before.

"Thank you for your hard work these days, teacher. I have come here today specially to thank you." He helped Liu Xiang sit down, his voice gentle.

Prime Minister Liu bowed his head slightly and said, "As the head of all officials, I have to share the worries of Your Majesty and Your Highness. It is my duty, so I can't say it is hard."

The prince nodded with a smile on his face.

"I heard that Xuyang came to see the teacher. I wonder what he said to the teacher?"

Prime Minister Liu tightened his grip on the teacup slightly and said, "Your Majesty has not seen the Princess since she was poisoned. The Princess was dismissed from her post, and I want this old minister to ask Your Majesty to reinstate her."

"However, the princess's request has been rejected by this old minister. His Majesty is still in a coma, the person who poisoned has not been caught, and the princess is still under suspicion. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has not returned to the capital, so this old minister dare not make a decision on his own."

"So that's how it is. I also believe that Xuyang will not do such a rebellious thing. Tomorrow, Xuyang will be allowed to return to the court." The smile on the prince's lips gradually faded, and then he became angry.

"In this matter, I will personally find out the murderer and clear Xuyang's name."

There are many people who support Mu Xi in the court, and there are also many neutral ministers who are loyal to the emperor. They know the emperor's attitude towards Mu Xi. Moreover, she has expressed her position in front of all the ministers at the city gate today and bowed to him. If he takes action against her as soon as he returns to the capital, those people will definitely have opinions and will not be convinced.

Having said what needed to be said, the prince stood up.

"It's late at night, teacher, have a good rest."

"Farewell, Your Highness." Prime Minister Liu bowed his head to him.

The prince walked out, but stopped at the door. He turned his head to look at Prime Minister Liu, and his humble and gentle smile carried a frightening deep meaning.

"By the way, on my way back to Beijing, I heard that Liu Kun had another incident in Lang County. I have already informed the Ministry of Justice, and the news has been intercepted. I will be able to return to Beijing in a few days, so don't worry, teacher."

In the room, Prime Minister Liu was shocked, and a flash of pain flashed in his eyes. After a while, he turned to the prince's back and whispered, "Thank you."

"Thank you, Your Highness."

Liu Kun was his eldest grandson, a child of a rich family, with his grandfather's support, he was spoiled too much, and someone deliberately guided him to act arrogantly and linger in brothels. When he realized the problem, it was too late.

The Liu family was rotting from the inside, but he had no choice. Thousands of clansmen depended on him. If he had any other intentions, his clansmen would be in danger. The glory of the Liu family for generations would eventually be destroyed in his hands.

But after decades of serving in the government, he worked tirelessly and devoted himself to his work, and also wanted to be a good official who worked for the welfare of the people.

During the two days when the Crown Prince was in the Golden Palace, the court was peaceful and even Mu Xi seemed to have really withdrawn her followers and obeyed his orders. But he knew Mu Xi's character very well. She knew who had poisoned her father, so it was impossible for her to do nothing.

But she was calmer and more careful than he thought, and he couldn't find any evidence against her.

It was not until the third day that the sound of a drum completely shattered the peace of the past few days, and what followed was overwhelming rumors in the streets and alleys of the imperial capital.

The palace gate was filled with people, all looking at the woman who was beating the huge drum vigorously. Behind her stood a woman in green, kneeling at the palace gate.

Not far from the Dengwen drum, the old Grand Tutor Qi, leaning on a golden dragon-headed staff, stood behind the two men in a crimson-purple official uniform. His expression was indifferent, but the guards around him were so shocked that they dared not step forward. Qi Nanfeng stood beside him, nodded slightly, with a humble demeanor and a bookish air, and did not seem to have much attack power.

But people who are familiar with Qi Nanfeng know that this man has a bookish air, but he is full of tricks. Anyone who makes him angry will end up in a bad way. He can use his red jade pen to make people die of anger.

The fact that the two most eloquent people in the Great Zhou Dynasty personally protected them and went to beat the drum to report their grievances must have been a major event that shocked the court.

The sound of the Dengwen drum echoed in the empty square, and along with the sobbing of the woman beating the drum, it reached the ears of the onlookers.

"In the eleventh year of Long'an, an epidemic broke out in the border city of the East China Sea due to a shipwreck, and the people were living in misery. The eldest prince Mu Feng, regardless of his own safety, asked to treat the epidemic and brought a doctor into the city. Tens of thousands of people in our border city prayed day and night, thinking that the savior had come, but they never thought that the one who came was the King of Hell. In the name of treating the epidemic, he gathered all the people inside and outside the border city into the city, and then closed the city and did not provide porridge and medicine. Half of these tens of thousands of people were healthy and had never been infected with the epidemic. Because the people in the city had no medicine, food and grass, they starved to death and died of disease in just 63 days. The entire city had 16,000 people, and almost all of them died."

"After the epidemic, the border town was in a remote area with high mountains. In order to cover up his crime, he slaughtered the accompanying doctors and took the surviving people from nearby into the city. He deceived his superiors and subordinates, treated human life as worthless, and killed the people who came to petition the border town again and again, causing the people of the city to be wronged and have nowhere to complain and no one to repay! However, the prince used the lives of the people of the city to earn merit and gain a reputation for benevolence and courage!"

"The prince is unkind! He treats the people like straw dogs! The people do not support him! He is unworthy of being a king!"

"I, Cheng Man, the daughter of the former county governor of the East China Sea, am here to appeal to the heavens for justice, and I hope that the heavens will hear my appeal and give justice to the dead souls of the border city!"

"I, the widow of the doctor who accompanied the Border Town during the epidemic, Mrs. Li Zhang, would like to ask God to listen and give justice to the souls who died in Border Town!"

The two men's voices were shrill and resolute, which moved the onlookers.

In the Golden Palace, the prince heard the drum sounding and sent someone to investigate. What the person said shocked all the court officials.

The court officials looked at the prince, some with suspicion, some with fear, some with temptation, but no one spoke first.

The prince's expression was gloomy, and his eyes fiercely swept towards the red-shirted woman standing in front of the court officials, bowing her head respectfully. Perhaps his gaze was too vicious, she looked up at him, with a smile in her eyes and her red lips slightly parted. She said something to him silently, and he saw it.

"Gift."

The prince didn't say anything, and the hall was terribly quiet. Unexpectedly, it was Prime Minister Liu who spoke first.

"Your Highness, the Grand Emperor has ordered that the drum be beaten to report to the Emperor, and the Emperor must obey. When the drum is beaten, it means that there are grievances among the people. Your Highness is the regent, so please listen to the grievances of the people."

The prince looked at Prime Minister Liu, his face turned completely cold, and he said nothing.

"Your Highness, please listen to the people's grievances!"

........

Voices gradually rose in the hall. The prince glanced at them, then sneered, and finally stopped at Mu Xi.

"Okay, I'd like to see who is slandering me."

Cheng Man and Li Zhang followed him slowly into the Golden Palace for a few days.

Cheng Man was wearing plain clothes, with messy hair and tears in her eyes, but she could not hide her determination. She walked firmly, and every step seemed to tell of her unyielding and grief. Li Zhang followed closely behind, holding a yellowed jade pendant in her hand. It was the only relic left by her late husband, and at this moment it seemed to carry endless grievances and hopes.

The two stood in the center of the hall, surrounded by silent ministers, each with a complex expression on his face. Mu Xi stood aside, his eyes deep, unable to tell whether he was happy or angry.

Although Cheng Man's voice was a little choked, it was extremely clear. She looked up at the high and mighty prince, with no fear in her eyes, only endless hatred.

Then, her eyes were firm, and it was the officials in the hall and Princess Xuyang who were kneeling before all the officials. Her choked voice was filled with pleading and despair, and she cried bitterly:

"I am Cheng Man, a humble woman. I am honored to meet your highness and all the lords. Everything I said is true. I beg your highness and all the lords to give justice to the tens of thousands of souls who died in my border town!"

"I, a commoner named Li Zhang, am willing to seek justice for my late husband and the dead souls in border town, even if it means sacrificing my own life." Li Zhang followed closely behind, her voice trembling but every word ringing loud and clear.

The prince stared at the two of them, his heart burning with anger, but his face remained calm, and there was even a slight smile on the corner of his mouth. He spoke slowly, in a low and majestic voice: "Do you have any evidence for what you two said? Do you know what crime it is to slander the crown prince?"

"It's just a life. All 26 people in my family died long ago. I dare to beat the drum to make this matter known to the world. What do you think, Crown Prince? The prince is guilty of the same crime as the common people. You have done such a conscienceless thing. How can you be admired by millions of people?!"

Cheng Man's eyes were filled with blood-red hatred as she looked at Mu Feng without fear. Her voice was shrill. She seemed determined to die. She took out a yellowed parchment scroll from her arms and presented it to Mu Xi. It was the evidence she had collected with great difficulty, recording the truth about the epidemic in the border town that year, and how the prince used the epidemic as an excuse to exterminate people.

"This is the confession and testimony of the survivors in Border Town, as well as the diagnosis and treatment records left by the doctors at that time, and the list of 32 people in Border Town who were tortured and killed in retaliation for seeking justice and refusing to report it. It is enough to prove the heinous crimes committed by the prince back then."

Mu Xi raised his eyes to look at Mu Feng and took the scroll.

She lowered her head to look at the scroll that was even stained with blood. Heartache flashed across her eyes, and then she suppressed her anger.

"Would you like to see it for yourself, brother?"

There was no longer any concealment in her eyes, revealing a strong sense of oppression and aggression.

"Your Majesty, you are the protagonist of this case. According to the rules, you should recuse yourself. Why not let the case be thoroughly investigated by the Three Courts? If it is not your fault, you can clear your name. How do you think?"

Mu Feng's expression was gloomy, and there was murderous intent in his eyes as he looked at Mu Xi:

"Two actors who appeared out of nowhere, did my sister really believe them? Come here, these two people are in the open sky, and I don't know who instructed them, but they dared to slander me. Drag them away and give them fifty strokes of the cane until they speak!"

"Why, my royal brother doesn't dare to investigate!" Mu Xi stepped forward and stood between the two of them, his voice cold and clear, not allowing any objection.

The guards outside the hall filed in and tried to drag the two out, but were stopped by Mu Xi.

Then it was interrupted by a loud and powerful voice.