The Virgin Mary in the Book: I Decide My Life with Two Swords

Cang Yue Kingdom——The Imperial Palace in the Capital

Two days later, in the morning, the air in the Golden Palace was filled with a suffocating, oppressive atmosphere. Everyone's face was gloomy, without a single smile. This oppressive atmosphere was like a heavy stone weighing down everyone's heart, making it impossible to let go.

Nangong Hanyi sat on the dragon throne, emitting anger; Leng Ruxue sat steadily on the prime minister's chair, and the others stood on both sides, with Nangong Chen and Nangong Xuan kneeling in the middle.

Just now, Nangong Chen took the fake imperial edict, the secret letter and An Kui's confession, and accused Nangong Xuan and Ye Tingxun, father and son, in front of all the civil and military officials. This move made it impossible for Nangong Xuan to turn back, and put Nangong Hanyi in a difficult position, forcing him to depose the prince.

After a long silence, Leng Ruxue stood up and bowed, "Your Majesty, I am already sixty years old. I have already given you the imperial edict to resign and cultivate myself. Before I leave, my only wish is to seek justice for my son-in-law Ye Tingzhan. The Crown Prince forged the imperial edict and murdered a loyal and honest man. If a man of such character ascends the throne one day, how can the people of the world submit to him? Your Majesty, please sentence those involved in this case. Also, for the sake of the unjust death of a loyal and honest man, please revoke Princess Ye Ling's status and grant her a life of freedom."

"Your Majesty," a general stepped forward, "General Ye dedicated his life to his country. Thirty thousand loyal souls of the Ye family died on the border. Never did I imagine that they were harmed by a false imperial decree. This general is heartbroken! Your Majesty, please sentence the Crown Prince and grant freedom to General Ye's orphan."

"I second the proposal"

I second this motion.

I also second the motion.

………………

For a moment, everyone in the Golden Palace, except Leng Ruxue, knelt on the ground, agreeing with Leng Ruxue's words. The crowd was indignant and did not give Nangong Hanyi any chance to refute.

"Father," Nangong Chen spoke again, "The evidence is irrefutable. My brother has already confessed his guilt. Please, Father, stand up for the loyal and good. Please, Father, grant Ye Ling his freedom."

Nangong Hanyi looked at the situation in front of him, feeling helpless. He knew that he could no longer protect Nangong Xuan. Just as he was about to speak, he was interrupted by the person at the door.

The Queen walked slowly into the hall and knelt down. "Your Majesty, I am guilty. I had someone write the fake imperial edict, and I secretly stamped your jade seal on it. I did all of this. It was I who wanted to kill Ye Ling, and it was I who bribed the people in the Falcon Prison. The Crown Prince was unaware of this. Please, Your Majesty, execute me."

"Mother, what are you doing? The emperor has already recognized him." Nangong Chen was a little worried.

The Queen glanced at Nangong Chen and said, "You are brothers, born of the same mother, yet you have forced your brother into a corner for the sake of an insignificant outsider?"

"Insignificant?" Leng Ruxue was immediately displeased. "Your Majesty, you said that the soldiers who fought to the death on the border to protect the country were insignificant? They left their homes, shed blood and sweat, and sacrificed their lives for the Cang Yue Kingdom, only to be slaughtered by their own people in the end. Your Majesty took all the blame in one sentence. Then, this old minister must ask, why did Your Majesty slaughter tens of thousands of soldiers? Aren't you afraid of implicating your nine clans?"

The Queen ignored Leng Ruxue and looked at Nangong Hanyi without any fear in her eyes: "Your Majesty, I do this all for our son!"

The Queen wept bitterly as she spoke, "Ye Ling's father, Ye Tingzhan, has been so successful that he threatens the Emperor. If this continues unchecked, it will become a grave threat. I cannot bear to see Your Majesty in such embarrassment, and I cannot bear to see our son threatened in the future, so I have resorted to this desperate measure!"

Everyone was shocked. No one expected the queen to say such a thing.

After hearing this, the emperor's face turned very ugly. He stared at the queen without saying a word.

Nangong Chen looked at the Queen in shock: "Mother, do you know what you are saying? They are the soldiers of my Cang Yue Nation! Without them, where would we be?"

The Queen sneered, "What's the point of a mere Night Thunder Battle? Isn't it just tens of thousands of deaths?"

"Shut up!" Nangong Hanyi finally couldn't help but yelled, "You are such a vicious person. Ye Ting has made great achievements in the war and is so loyal. You...you really make me feel so disappointed."

The Queen trembled with fear and cried even louder: "Your Majesty, every word I said is true! I am devoted to Your Majesty and the Crown Prince, and have absolutely no selfish motives!"

"Hmph! For me and the prince? You are so cruel and ruthless, where is the virtuous lady you used to be? Come here, the queen has murdered loyal people. Your title of queen will be stripped away immediately and you will be banished to the cold palace. Without my order, you will never be allowed to step out of the cold palace for the rest of your life." Nangong Hanyi was really angry. The situation was already chaotic enough, and after the queen made such a fuss, it was even more difficult to resolve.

The Royal Guards came forward and took the Queen away. Nangong Chen knelt there in a daze, feeling mixed emotions. He could never have imagined that his mother would do such a thing.

"Your Majesty," Leng Ruxue knelt down and said, "The Crown Prince has already acknowledged this matter. Please make your decision, Your Majesty."

Nangong Hanyi clenched his fists and spoke after a moment, "Crown Prince Nangong Xuan is immoral and incompetent, with a treacherous nature. Effective immediately, his title as Crown Prince is abolished, all military power is revoked, and he is demoted to...King Xian. He is granted the fiefdom of Zhezhou and is not allowed to return to court without the emperor's order. All advisors in the Crown Prince's Mansion are to be executed. All males of the Ye family who are ten years of age or older are to be executed, and all males under ten are to be castrated and enslaved. The females are to be prostituted for generations. This is to be carried out immediately."

The guards immediately stepped forward and took Nangong Xuan.

While struggling, Nangong Xuan shouted, "Father, I have been wronged, I am innocent..." His shouts were soon drowned out by the cheers of the ministers.

"Your Majesty, Holy Might!"

"Your Majesty is wise!"

Nangong Hanyi waved his hand, signaling everyone to be quiet: "As for Princess Jingqi, I will revoke her title. From now on, she will be free and become an ordinary citizen."

Seeing this, Leng Ruxue felt relieved: "I thank your majesty for your grace. I resign from this position. Please grant your permission."

"Please stand up, my dear. I know I have wronged you over the years." Nangong Hanyi raised his hand to ask Leng Ruxue to stand up. "As for resigning, I hope you will reconsider it."

"Your Majesty, I am old and cannot bear the burden of the court anymore." Leng Ruxue declined politely, "I hope Your Majesty will grant me this."

Nangong Hanyi sighed: "Since you are determined to leave, I will not force you. However, without you in the court, I am afraid I will have to spend more time and effort in the future."

"Your Majesty is blessed with great fortune, and the country will surely be peaceful and prosperous." Leng Ruxue bowed.

"Thanks to your kind words, I will issue a special decree today to confer the hereditary title of Duke of Weiguo on Leng Ruxue. The imperial decree will be issued immediately." Nangong Hanyi just didn't want people to say that he was taking advantage of the situation, so he gave Leng Ruxue a title.

"Your Majesty's grace is so great that I, an old minister, am filled with gratitude." Leng Ruxue knelt down and kowtowed again.

"Please stand up, my dear minister. Today's case is concluded. Anyone who dares to plead for the Queen and Prince Xian in the future will be punished together. Now, please withdraw!"

"Long live the emperor!" everyone shouted in unison and slowly left the hall.

A moment later, in the imperial study, Nangong Hanyi was furious: "That bastard Qiu Zhen hasn't given any news yet. He even tried to intercept Ye Ling but got no response. That's why the situation is so out of control today."

"Your Majesty, please calm down," Jiang Hai advised fearfully.

"Ye Ling, I didn't realize what this woman was! From the moment she severed ties with the Ye family, I thought of today's situation. A woman disrupted the instability of my political situation and even returned the princess. Great! I want to see how Langya Pavilion can protect her. If it doesn't work openly, can't I kill a woman secretly? Send a message to Qiu Zhen and ask him to do everything he can to kill Ye Ling. If Ye Ling is not dead, he should not come back," Nangong Hanyi said angrily.

"Yes, I'll send the letter right away." Jiang Hai quickly retreated, fearing that he would be implicated.

Nangong Chen returned to Beichen Palace and locked himself up without saying a word. He didn't expect that this matter would implicate his mother, and he didn't expect that his mother would be so bold. For a moment, he became confused and didn't know whether he was right or wrong.

In the afternoon, an imperial edict arrived:

"By the providence of Heaven, the Emperor decrees that Prince Beichen has been overworked in recent years. Out of sympathy for the prince, I am now reclaiming the Imperial Guards' command. Prince Beichen may return to his fiefdom, Yunzhou, to recuperate and await the Imperial Order before returning to the capital. This is my decree!"

Nangong Chen smiled bitterly: "I accept your order and thank you."

"Your Majesty, please stand up," Jiang Hai said, "His Majesty has said that you don't need to come to the palace to thank him again. Just pack up and return to your fiefdom to recuperate!"

"I understand," Nangong Chen gripped the imperial edict tightly, his heart filled with mixed emotions. He didn't know when he would return from his absence from the capital. He recalled his past in the palace and pondered his future. However, the gears of fate had already begun to turn, and he could not escape.

After Jiang Hai left, Ying Ren immediately spoke up, "Your Highness, just because you vindicated General Ye, His Majesty is going to do this?"

"I forced Prince Xian to leave, so my father is naturally displeased. But it doesn't matter. By now, I've completely seen through everyone's faces. Tell all the hidden villages to keep an eye on Ye Ling. My father won't let her go. Also, Yingren, go to Quezhou without anyone noticing. Have a secret meeting with Ye Ling and just tell her to be careful...of Qiu Zhen, and be careful of my father."

"Yes, Your Highness, you..."

"Yunzhou is originally my fiefdom. It is prosperous and wealthy, and it is the best fiefdom among all the princes. Why should I be dissatisfied? Xuan Lei, pack up immediately and leave the capital tomorrow to save my father from worrying again." After saying this, Nangong Chen went back into the room.

As for Leng Ruxue, he returned home happily.

"Grandfather, you're back? How are things in the court?" Leng Yan asked at the gate.

"Haha..." Leng Ruxue was very happy: "Let someone change the plaque of the Grand Tutor's Mansion to the Duke of Wei's Mansion, and I can live out my days in peace and contentment, haha..."

Leng Yan was also happy: "Congratulations, Grandfather, your wish has come true. The Emperor even granted you a title?"

"I've thought of this a long time ago. Our emperor likes to save face. Oh, tell your father to instruct all the shops to send news from the capital to Ye Ling, warning her to be careful of the emperor's hidden tricks."

"Grandfather, you have already arranged it, and father has already implemented it."

"That's good, haha... That's good, this girl will be free from now on."