Ping Zhao Lu

Chu Yunxiao finally couldn't hold back any longer and stood up. His eyes quickly lingered on Xu Zhouye's fallen sleeve for a moment, and then quickly swept across the faces of those talkative people.

Everyone felt a chill run down their spines, and before they could react, they saw the emperor take off his outer robe without hesitation. He then quickly stepped forward and carefully draped the robe over his shoulders, his movements so gentle as if he was afraid of hurting him.

Then, he slowly turned around and once again cast his icy gaze at those talkative people who had been chattering just now.

"Zhao Dequan." Chu Yunxiao's voice was not loud, but it carried an unquestionable majesty.

"I'm here." Zhao Dequan quickly bowed and responded.

"What is the crime for making irresponsible remarks about the royal family?" Chu Yunxiao asked coldly with a gloomy face.

"Your Majesty, he should be executed!" Zhao Dequan knew the emperor's temper very well and did not dare to be negligent in the slightest.

Chu Yunxiao nodded slightly, indicating that he was very satisfied with the answer, and then said with his thin lips: "Well, then don't leave any of them behind."

"Yes!" Zhao Dequan immediately waved to the guards beside him after receiving the order. Those well-trained guards immediately took action and rushed towards the group of talkative people like wolves and tigers.

There was a sudden commotion among the crowd, especially those children from wealthy families who usually lived a life of luxury and thought highly of themselves. They were now so frightened that their faces turned pale.

However, no matter how they struggled or begged for mercy, they could not change their predetermined fate. The guards mercilessly dragged them out one by one and out of the hall.

"Your Majesty, please spare my life!"

"Your Majesty, please have mercy!"

The cries for mercy were endless.

But Chu Yunxiao seemed not to hear it. He watched all this with an indifferent expression, without a single ripple in his heart.

He will never show mercy to those who dare to offend the queen.

Just like that, amidst the cries and shouts, the guards dragged this group of people out of the palace one by one and disappeared from people's sight.

At this moment, the hall was completely silent. Everyone was silent as a mouse, not daring to breathe.

They never imagined that a mere careless slip of the tongue would lead to such a fatal disaster.

"Are they all crazy?" Lipin murmured in a low voice, her face filled with astonishment, as if she had witnessed something extremely incredible. She was even more filled with a sense of guilt and uneasiness. After all, the scene before her was truly beyond common sense.

Queen Mother Jiang, Concubine Xian, and Wei Fu were all stunned. They stared at the two figures in the center of the balcony with wide eyes in disbelief.

Chu Yunzheng was so shocked that his pupils dilated a little, but in his surprise he couldn't help but reveal a hint of envy.

Qinghe's originally tense expression suddenly relaxed, and tears welled up in the corners of her eyes when she looked at Xu Zhouye.

Chu Heyuan, who was not in the situation, looked bewildered. He turned his head to look at Shi'an in confusion. Shi'an's expression was extremely solemn at this moment, and his originally handsome face was now filled with deep worry.

Getting rid of so many people with prominent family backgrounds at once would probably affect the emperor's reputation.

Xu Zhouye was also stunned by the scene for a moment.

The person who had just told him to go back and rest now went on a killing spree like a madman.

He slowly raised his head and met the emperor's gaze.

Chu Yunxiao lowered his eyes slightly and stared straight at the person in front of him. His eyes, which were usually as calm as a lake, were now filled with tenderness.

He seemed to be telling the other person with his eyes: "If you have something in your mind, just do it."

With just this one look, Xu Zhouye, who was originally uneasy, miraculously calmed down his panicked and restless heart at this moment.

A smile instantly appeared in the corners of his eyes, like a firework suddenly blooming in the night sky, dazzling and brilliant.

However, this smile did not last long. He soon put away his smile and returned to his cold appearance.

Then, he rolled his eyes and ruthlessly scanned everyone present with his eyes that were so cold that they could make people's hair stand on end.

Then, he straightened his body, spoke loudly with a calm face, "Today, I will simply make things clear with you all. Xu Jin is not afraid of anyone using any despicable means to deal with me. However, some of you should think carefully. I am the Queen of the Great Wei, enshrined in the ancestral temple and respectfully announced to the ancestors. I am and will always be the Queen! As long as I am still alive, this Queen position will belong to me alone. No one can shake it, let alone dare to interfere!"

After hearing these words, the corners of Chu Yunxiao's lips rose noticeably.

At this moment, Xu Zhouye resolutely turned around, knelt respectfully before him and the Queen Mother, and said slowly, "Xu Jin knows that this behavior has damaged the reputation of the royal family. I hereby humbly request to be confined to Fengluan Palace for a month as a punishment, and to sincerely copy Buddhist scriptures as a token of my repentance."

Empress Dowager Jiang had just recovered from the shock when she heard the empress asking to punish herself. She was startled again and looked at the emperor with a bit of bewilderment.

The corners of the emperor's mouth, which had been raised, had sank at some point, and terrifying emotions were surging in his eyes.

After a while, Chu Yunxiao calmed down a little and said with his thin lips: "No need."

Not getting permission, Xu Zhouye paused in his bowing gesture. Just as he was about to speak again, he felt a warmth on his arm.

The emperor raised his hand and gently helped him up. "This is not your fault. You don't need to punish yourself."

Xu Zhouye was stunned again.

He has done something in public that is damaging to the reputation of the royal family. It would be unreasonable for him not to pretend to do something now, right?

Chu Yunxiao saw his concerns and looked at everyone with cold eyes, "Do you have any objections?"

Before everyone could recover from their shock, they were threatened by the emperor. For a moment, their faces showed bitterness and they were speechless.

No one dared to answer.

Chu Yunxiao lowered his eyes and whispered to the people in front of him, "With me here, they dare not have any objections."

Xu Zhouye nodded blankly.

Queen Mother Jiang bit her back teeth so hard that they were about to break, but she still had to force herself to stay calm.

At that moment, she noticed Xu Zhouye's tattered, completely unpresentable sleeves, and a hint of concern flashed in her eyes. She whispered to Xu Zhouye, "Queen, please change your clothes before coming back. There are several rest palaces nearby with temporary clothing. They're close by, so ask a palace maid who's familiar with the area to take you there."

Xu Zhouye nodded slightly, his eyes always on the emperor.

Chu Yunxiao gave him a reassuring look, and Xu Zhouye then bowed and took his leave.

When he turned around and walked past Lipin with steady and powerful steps, his sharp eyes glanced at Lipin vaguely.

His eyes were like a bottomless cold pond, and the coldness spread unscrupulously, as if to freeze everything around him into ice.

Such a cold gaze made Concubine Li feel a little scared, and her body began to tremble involuntarily.

On the other side, Wei Fu was almost going crazy with anger.

But he couldn't help but think of how horribly he was beaten at that time, and he couldn't just lash out, so he could only suppress the jealousy in his heart in frustration.

Seeing Xu Zhouye walking away, a hint of ruthlessness flashed in her eyes, and the corners of her beautiful lips quietly raised a very faint smile that was difficult for others to notice.

Then she turned around and gave a look to the clever and obedient maid behind her.

The maid understood what he meant and bowed immediately, then left the place quietly without anyone noticing.

After getting off the balcony, Xu Zhouye's face was as calm as water, and he walked forward slowly, following the palace servant who was leading the way.

They walked through winding corridors and flower-filled courtyards in silence all the way.

Time passed by minute by minute, and I didn't know how long I had been walking.

Qinghe, who was following behind Xu Zhouye, gradually felt a little uneasy, and her already uneasy heart became even more flustered.

Finally, unable to suppress her inner anxiety, she quickly stepped forward and asked softly in a low voice, "Your Highness, I am extremely panicked. I always feel that this matter is far from over."

Xu Zhouye remained calm upon hearing this, and simply nodded. His cold, sharp eyes remained fixed on the palace attendant leading the way, and he slowly uttered four words: "Wait and see what happens."

After experiencing that thrilling event just now, Xu Zhouye seemed to be even more fearless about the various changes that might happen in the future, especially with the affirmation Chu Yunxiao gave him. He thought, the worst that could happen is that both sides will suffer losses in the end, so why should he be afraid?

However, looking at the appearance of the palace maid in front of him as she led the way, one could not help but feel suspicious.

From time to time, she turned her head to look at Xu Zhouye, and her expression was clearly mixed with a bit of guilt and panic.

As long as you pay a little attention and observe carefully, you can easily see that this woman must be hiding something.

Just as he was thinking about it, a maidservant carrying tea and snacks hurried over and bowed to Xu Zhouye. Then, a nervous look appeared on her face, and she said in a slightly trembling voice, "Your Highness, my stomach is very uncomfortable and I need to go to the bathroom urgently. Could you trouble Miss Qinghe to help me take these things to Fushoutai?"

Hearing this, Xu Zhouye turned his head slightly, his eyes first landing on Qinghe, then moving to the maid. After a moment's hesitation, he said, "Qinghe, you can run a errand for her."

"Your Highness..." Qing He's face immediately lit up with worry. She had a bad feeling in her heart, and her intuition told her that this was no accident. It was more like someone was deliberately trying to get her away from her master.

However, Xu Zhouye just smiled and said comfortingly: "It's okay, I'll change my clothes and come back soon, it won't take too long."

Qing He looked at his master's confident face. Although he still had some doubts in his heart, he didn't dare to say anything more. He could only respond, "Yes."

Then she took the tray from the maid and walked quickly towards the Fu Shou Tai.

*

Queen Mother Jiang, unperturbed by what had just happened, was in a state of great joy. A smile adorned her face, and a subtle sly glint flickered in her eyes.

At this moment, everyone saw Shang Jiu walking towards them with steady steps. He held a tray steadily in his left hand and held a eunuch tightly in his right hand.

The eunuch's face was pale, and his eyes were filled with fear and anxiety.

When they reached the center of the pavilion, Shang Jiu first released his hand, then bowed respectfully and said in a clear voice, "Your Majesty, not long ago, I accidentally saw this eunuch sneaking towards Yingliu Lake, seemingly doing something wrong. I felt something was amiss, so I quietly followed him and discovered that he was about to set fire to this object. Fortunately, I stopped him in time and brought him back. I hope Your Majesty will understand!"

After saying this, he carefully stretched out his hands and presented the contents of the tray to the emperor.

The item placed on the tray was Xu Zhouye's previously damaged dress.

Seeing this, the eunuch on the side hurried forward to take the tray and present it to the emperor for inspection.

However, just as he took a small step, Chu Yunxiao decisively waved his hand to stop him.

Immediately afterwards, Chu Yunxiao slowly stood up and walked towards Shang Jiu step by step with steady and powerful steps.

When he came closer, he leaned forward slightly, stretched out his bony fingers, and gently stroked the brocade dress.

He only took a quick glance and easily saw that the style of the clothes in front of him was almost the same as what he was wearing at the moment.

There was a lifelike golden phoenix pattern carefully embroidered on it, and the embroidery of the golden phoenix just echoed the golden dragon on the clothes he was wearing, complementing each other, as if they were born to be a perfect pair.

Chu Yunxiao's eyes, which were always as cold as cold stars, now revealed a rare hint of tenderness.

However, this touch of warmth was fleeting, so quickly that it was almost impossible to capture any trace of its existence.

Then he turned around slightly and gave a calm wink to Zhao Dequan who was standing beside him.

Zhao Dequan understood what he meant and immediately quickened his pace and walked forward. Together with Shang Jiu, they carefully unfolded the extremely gorgeous dress.

When everyone present saw with their own eyes that the finished clothes were so similar to what the current emperor was wearing, they were stunned at first, and then suddenly realized what was going on.

Especially when they noticed that there was a clear stain of soup on the bottom of the robe, they had a clearer understanding of what had happened before.

You know, this is exactly the same as what Su Ming said before!

At this moment, Chu Yunxiao was like a high and mighty god, looking down at the eunuch who was kneeling on the ground, trembling all over. His low and cold voice, as if coming from the Netherworld, was chilling: "I will only allow you one chance to speak."

The eunuch kowtowed tremblingly, and responded in a trembling voice: "Yes... yes..." As he spoke, he raised his head slightly and glanced quickly at Concubine Li beside him.

Just as he was about to continue, Lipin suddenly said, "You better think carefully before you reply. If you tell even a single lie, it will be a grave crime punishable by the extermination of your entire clan!"

These words were like a bolt of thunder, striking the eunuch's heart directly, instantly frightening him to the point of his liver and gallbladder shattering and his soul flying away.

He collapsed to the ground, his face ashen, his voice trembling and almost incoherent: "It was...it was Liang Siyi. Liang Siyi ordered this servant to do this."

Hearing this, Chu Yunxiao's face darkened, a hint of coldness flashed in his eyes, and he ordered coldly: "Go, bring Liang Siyi here!"

At this time, Queen Mother Jiang, who was sitting in the back, had an extremely ugly expression on her face.

This was where she held her birthday banquet. It should have been a happy and peaceful scene, but the emperor not only killed people indiscriminately but also tried a case here.

Dealing with these things at such a special time and place without any consideration for her feelings.

Thinking of this, Queen Mother Jiang couldn't help but feel a surge of anger in her heart, but due to the occasion, she could only suppress her dissatisfaction in her heart.

The virtuous concubine here frowned slightly, and glanced at the Lipin beside her with a serious expression.

I saw Concubine Li with her head lowered, her hands tightly clutching the handkerchief, seeming a little uneasy.

The virtuous concubine snorted in her heart. She already had a general understanding of the cause and effect of this matter.

Judging from all the signs, this matter must be related to Concubine Li.

She knew very well that the emperor was a meticulous person. The reason why he did not explode on the spot was probably that he took advantage of the opportunity when no one was paying attention and quietly asked his trusted people to find out the truth.

I want to wait until I get solid evidence to silence the gossips and make everyone convinced.

When she thought of this, Concubine Xian couldn't help but feel a chill running down her spine.

Recalling the emperor's attitude towards the queen just now, Concubine Xian felt more and more uneasy.

Even if there is no substantial evidence sometimes, the emperor will always try his best to exonerate the queen, and even go so far as to fabricate some so-called "evidence" for her.

Just like the last incident with Rong Yu'an, the crucial evidence disappeared inexplicably.

Who was behind this? Either it was the Empress, or the Emperor deliberately favored the Empress and hid the evidence.

After so many days of observation and speculation, Concubine Xian finally saw it clearly.

The emperor's feelings towards the queen were completely different from how he treated other concubines.

This is exactly what makes Concubine Xian most annoyed and hateful.

She was unwilling to be neglected by the emperor, and even more unwilling to see the queen alone receive favor.

If there was a chance to make the Queen unable to turn over...

The virtuous concubine's eyes moved slightly, and she glanced at the emperor who was getting more and more angry, and finally lowered her eyes.

The situation is not optimistic at the moment. It is better to keep on doing nothing for now and not get involved in this turmoil easily, so as not to bring disaster upon yourself and become an innocent victim.

So she took a deep breath, tried to calm her inner turmoil, and continued to watch the development of the situation coldly.