Harem Daily Life

Marquis Zhongyong stared at Aunt Li in astonishment, his eyes wide open, as if he were looking at a complete stranger. He couldn't believe that this woman who had been with him for eight years was actually the emperor's spy!

Eight years ago, he had met Concubine Li in West City. Back then, she was a young, innocent, seventeen-year-old girl. The Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery fell in love with her at first sight and took her as his concubine. However, the Concubine Li standing before him now felt eerily unfamiliar.

A strong sense of betrayal surged in the heart of the loyal and brave marquis, and he couldn't help but think of the time he spent with Li Yi Niang. Those times under the moonlight, those sweet words, now, all the past has become hypocritical and ridiculous.

He couldn't help but ask himself, what was the point of these eight years of love? Was it all just a play performed by Concubine Li to fulfill the task assigned to her by the emperor?

Marquis Zhongyong could not accept this cruel fact. He could not accept that the concubine who had always admired him and been subservient to him had actually given him the most fatal blow.

And all the evidence, which was locked in the secret room of the study, is now all presented before the emperor.

The Mansion of the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery is finished.

He Linzhang unfolded the letters, reading them one by one. There was one from the Princess of Xia to the Loyal and Brave Marquis, one from the King of Northern Yan, one from the Crown Prince's plea for help, and a list of the Loyal and Brave Marquis's cronies in the army. He Linzhang narrowed his eyes. "Rong Qing, you're truly remarkable. I treated your family with such respect, bestowed upon you the virtues of loyalty and bravery, and trusted you and your father. I never imagined that in the end, you would betray me so early."

Some of the letters were from five or six years ago, which is really scary when you think about it.

The Loyal and Brave Marquis trembled, his army in disarray, and he lowered his head. "Your Majesty, I am guilty. I shouldn't have been so close to other countries, but I assure Your Majesty that I have never done anything to betray the Great Zhou before. I was truly anxious this time. My daughter is dead, and there is no one to protect the Crown Prince. So I took this risk to help the Crown Prince. I have my reasons!"

He Linzhang waved his sleeves and looked at the old man kneeling before him with a stern face. "No matter how difficult it is, you cannot have people set fire to the Imperial Palace, send people to break into Changle Palace to murder the Queen, lead troops into Qinzheng Palace to force me to appoint an heir, and you cannot disregard the lives of my soldiers and collude with the Xia Kingdom that is invading my Great Zhou."

He Linzhang took a deep breath and said, "Lord Zhongyong, when I was young, I always looked up to you as a role model. You were also half my mentor. Considering your Rong family's years of loyalty to the Great Zhou, I will not sentence you to the nine clans of the family, but you and your son's lives must be spared."

Upon hearing this, the eldest prince immediately knelt down and said, "Father, please have mercy! I no longer have a mother. If I also lose my grandfather and uncle, what will I do in the future? Who will protect me?"

The eldest prince cried bitterly and kept begging for mercy.

He Linzhang glanced at him and said, "I haven't yet investigated your crime of disrespect. You colluded with my grandfather to force the emperor to abdicate. How dare you beg for mercy here?"

The eldest prince was stunned and said hurriedly, "Father, it was because of the Queen's harsh treatment that I asked my grandfather for help. I didn't mean to do it. Please forgive me, Father!"

Tao Yanyan didn't say anything, she only saw the angry look in the eyes of the Loyal and Brave Marquis looking at her.

She averted her eyes, looked at the emperor and said, "I just took the eldest prince to raise me. He misunderstood me. I have nothing to say."

He Linzhang squeezed her hand and said, "I know you are always gentle and kind, and you would never do anything to mistreat the prince."

After saying this, he looked at He Ye and said, "The eldest prince, He Ye, has evil intentions and mediocre talent, yet he covets the position of Crown Prince. He has colluded with foreign ministers to force the palace and rebel. I, considering your young age, cannot bear to criticize you harshly. You should go back and reflect on your mistakes. Copy the "Book of Filial Piety" thirty times. From now on, you will live alone in Yongxing Palace. The palace servants will take care of you, and you will not need the care of the Queen."

He Linzhang now completely dislikes this prince. If he continues to keep him with Tao Yanyan, he might hurt the other children because of his intentions.

The eldest prince didn't expect that he would be abandoned like this. He would have nothing to do with that position anymore.

Seeing that he had lost everything and his years of planning had come to nothing, Marquis Zhongyong was dejected, but the hatred in his heart could not be dispelled.

The emperor was afraid of the spies planted by the empress, and she used the eldest prince as a bargaining chip to force him to rebel. He fell into the trap and calculations carefully designed by the emperor and empress, and led the Rong family to the irreversible point today.

He hates it, how can he not hate it?

At this point, he had no more scruples. He looked up at the emperor and empress who had ascended the throne. He secretly used his internal strength to struggle free from the ropes tied to his body, and suddenly jumped up and attacked the emperor with a fierce palm wind.

He was so fast, and since he was tied up, no one thought he could break free from the ropes, so he caught everyone off guard.

Just as Marquis Zhongyong was about to strike with his palm, Ying Yi appeared and stood in front of the emperor.

But what Yingyi didn't expect was that the Marquis of Zhongyong dodged and went straight towards the queen.

"Yan Yan!"

"Queen!"

Two voices sounded at the same time, one from He Linzhang and the other from Shuang'er.

Before Tao Yanyan could react, he was caught by the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery. He stumbled and his neck was locked.

"Don't come over here, or else, don't blame me for taking the Queen's life today!"

"How dare you! You dare to hold the queen hostage when you are about to die!" He Linzhang was furious. All the archers were in position, and their arrows were aimed at the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery.

The Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery was born to be a heroic man. He had a kind of deterrent all over his body as a person who had fought on the battlefield. At this moment, his hair was messy, his face was injured, and his body was stained with blood. He looked like a hero at the end of his life.

He snorted coldly: "With the Empress in my hand, how could I die?" He said while holding Tao Yanyan hostage and walked out of the palace.

"Your Majesty, it's best for you to let me leave the palace safely, otherwise, the life of the Empress will be in danger." He clenched his hand a little tighter, and Tao Yanyan's small hand grabbed his big hand, her face already flushed.

He Linzhang clenched his fists and stepped closer: "If you return to the right path and release the queen, I will reward you with an intact body."

The Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery simply laughed maniacally and said, "Prepare two thousand-mile horses to escort me out of the palace."

Tao Yanyan managed to squeeze out a few words: "I don't know how to... ride a horse."

Woo woo woo, if you want to take me away, you have to at least prepare a carriage. I’m not good at riding a horse.

The Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery paused, thinking, "Both horses are mine. The journey to the border is long, so I have to ride them alternately. I'll kill you as soon as it's safe. Who would take you to the border?"