Marrying Wife and Concubine Together: After Rebirth, I Remarried the Scumbag's Father on the Sp

She immediately felt disheartened and her face was full of frustration.

She met the fake emperor, whose face was covered in bruises from being beaten.

He perked up when he saw her: "It's all her fault. She and another woman forced me to become emperor. I originally refused, but they threatened me and promised me great benefits!"

Du Lingzhi was so angry that her vision blurred. This idiot! Before anything even happened, he had already confessed.

At this moment, Lin Yiwan looked at her and said, "Tell me? Who is the other woman? Is the real emperor being hidden by her?"

Du Lingzhi denied it without hesitation: "I don't know!"

A chilling murderous intent flashed in Lin Yiwan's eyes. She leaned close to Du Lingzhi's ear and said, "Let's see if your mouth is tougher or my stick is tougher!"

She ordered the Imperial Guards to beat Du Lingzhi with a board, which terrified her.

She angrily retorted, "I'm pregnant! No matter whose child it is, she's still an innocent life. Aren't you afraid of committing murder and suffering retribution?"

Lin Yiwan interrupted in a deep voice: "The child isn't mine, why should I care? Besides, if you obediently told me, would I still let you torture me? In the end, it was you who killed her!"

Du Lingzhi was held down, and even before the paddle landed on her, she screamed in terror.

She was terrified and shouted anxiously, "I said, it was Jing Shu'er! Ever since I entered the palace as a concubine, she has been hiding by my side. She was the one who gave me all the ideas. She's the one who hid the real emperor too!"

Lin Yiwan raised an eyebrow in surprise: "It was her! No wonder she was able to do it so quietly. It turns out she had been lying in wait all along!"

Zhan Yan coldly asked, "Where is she hiding?"

Du Lingzhi shook her head, tears streaming down her face: "I really don't know. She's always the one who comes to me. I've tried to find out where she is, but she won't tell me. She even warned me not to know too much, or I'll die a terrible death!"

Zhan Yan frowned and said, "There are too many places in the palace where people can hide. It will be very difficult to find her!"

Lin Yiwan hesitated with worry: "No matter how difficult it is, we have to search. The most important thing is to find Xiao Ling as soon as possible. We don't know what his condition is now!"

However, the Imperial Guards searched the entire palace but could not find Jing Shu'er. Instead, Xiao Ling found her in a dry well in the backyard.

When he was rescued, he was covered in wounds and his breathing was very weak.

Lin Yiwan quickly provided first aid, and he gradually regained consciousness after being unconscious for almost three days and three nights.

When he saw Zhan Yan, tears immediately filled his eyes.

He murmured in a trembling voice, "Uncle Wan, I thought I would die in that dry well for the rest of my life. When I was bitten by the poisonous snake, my body was in so much pain!"

Zhan Yan reassured him, "Your aunt is preparing the antidote for you. Don't be afraid, everything will be alright!"

Xiao Ling couldn't help but smile bitterly: "Even if I recover, what then? I'm already injured and crippled. My life, my very essence, has been bitten off by a poisonous snake, hasn't it?"

Mentioning this made Zhan Yan's face turn ashen with anger.

Xiao Ling was truly tortured terribly; there was almost no unscathed flesh on his body, especially the most severely injured area between his legs.

Black blood was everywhere, and it looked extremely horrifying.

He gritted his teeth and said, "I will definitely catch Jing Shuer, the culprit. I have already sent people to Luyang City to have the Prince of Luyang bring her to the capital immediately!"

In truth, he knew very well that plotting to murder the emperor was a capital offense.

The Prince of Luyang would never accept this charge; he would most likely abandon his granddaughter.

Sure enough, two days later, the people sent to Luyang City brought back a gruesome corpse, which was none other than Jing Shu'er.

The Prince of Luyang also wrote a letter in his own words, saying that he had long since severed ties with Jing Shuer and that anything she did outside had nothing to do with the Prince of Luyang's mansion.

Zhan Yan didn't want Xiao Ling to suffer in silence, but he spoke up: "Compared to dealing with the Prince of Luyang, I have more important matters to discuss with my uncle!"

Zhan Yan looked at him with concern: "What's wrong?"

Xiao Ling said cryptically, "I was foolish before and angered my great-uncle's family, causing them to leave the capital. Now I know I was wrong. Could you please write a letter to ask them to come back?"

Zhan Yan grasped his hand: "Your Majesty, they have only had a few days of peace, we must not disturb them again!"

Xiao Ling cried as she spoke, "It's my fault. When I was in the dry well, I thought a lot. I'm actually not suited to be emperor at all. I want to abdicate the throne to my great-uncle. In my current state, it's even more difficult for me to step into the court. Uncle, won't you even help me with this?"

Zhan Yan's expression changed drastically; he couldn't make the decision on this matter.

He also knew that Xiao Ling's health was no longer up to the task, but he needed to discuss with senior officials before bringing Prince Li back into the court.

As if seeing through his thoughts, Xiao Ling took a deep breath and said, "Invite the Prime Minister and all the ministers in the court into my bedchamber. I will speak to them personally!"

"Yes!" Zhan Yan quickly gave the order.

Before long, several high-ranking officials came to Xiao Ling's side. Among them, the Prime Minister Meng said with a mournful expression, "Your Majesty, why did you have to suffer like this? That criminal woman is too cruel. She tortured you to this state. Even if she were to be torn to pieces, it wouldn't be too much!"

Xiao Ling squeezed his eyes shut and weakly said, "Prime Minister Meng, my time of lucidity is limited. I wish to issue a decree and hope to receive your permission!"

Meng Cheng immediately knelt on the ground and said, "Your Majesty, please speak!"

Xiao Ling coughed violently, and blood immediately spilled from the corner of his lips.

Zhan Yan stepped forward to help him wipe it clean and saw that his pale face was filled with pain.

He murmured, "I am not afraid of death, but I am worried that this prosperous dynasty will be left without anyone to take over!"

Prime Minister Meng looked at him in disbelief: "Your Majesty, what are you going to do?"

Xiao Ling firmly declared, "I wish to abdicate the throne. Let my great-uncle take over the empire!"

Prime Minister Meng didn't say anything, but the other court officials' expressions changed drastically.

They pleaded in fear, "Your Majesty, you mustn't! You are the emperor, how can you so easily give up the throne to someone else?"

Xiao Ling retorted sarcastically, "Are you all blind? I'm already injured like this, do you think I can still be emperor? Do you want me to die on that throne?"

Several court officials looked at each other in bewilderment for a moment, then said, "Isn't Consort Du pregnant with your child? You can first set aside state affairs and let us old ministers share your burdens. Once your child grows up, he can inherit the throne!"

Xiao Ling curled his lips into a cold smile: "Let's not even talk about the fact that her child isn't mine. Even if it were, how can I guarantee that it will be a boy who can inherit the throne?"

He paused, then said in a hoarse voice, "I have made up my mind, and no one can change that fact!"

Meng Xiang then spoke: "This old minister respects Your Majesty's decision, but Prince Li has already established himself in his fiefdom, and it will not be easy to get him back!"