Chapter 102 Shu Yan’s Death

On the day of the palace coup, General Wei breathed his last.

The entire Li family was exterminated, and for a while, heads rolled on the execution grounds, blood flowing like a river.

Upon hearing the news in the palace, Shu Yan was overwhelmed with grief.

She truly regretted her actions. If she hadn’t insisted on vying for that position, at the very least, her family wouldn’t have been implicated. Her Son could have lived a peaceful and prosperous life in Long County.

But now, it was too late for regrets. Looking at the poisoned wine brought by Hong Gong Gong, Shu Yan didn’t hesitate to drink it in one gulp.

She was seeking redemption!

Soon after, Shu Yan vomited blood, carrying the guilt of the Li family, and departed from this world.

Hong Gong Gong sighed beside her, instructing people to handle Shu Yan’s body. The Emperor had ordered to take care of Shu Yan’s affairs after her death, to bury her according to the proper rites. Even though she was dead, he couldn’t be careless.

With this matter concluded, he still had to go and deliver the poisoned wine to Prince Cheng!

Unlike Shu Yan, Prince Cheng didn’t take the poison decisively. The poisoned wine brought by Hong Gong Gong was spilled several times. Prince Cheng wept bitterly, “I want to see the Emperor. I know I was wrong, I truly know I was wrong. Please, Father, forgive me!”

“Hong Gong Gong, take me to see the Emperor, I beg you!”

Saying this, he tried to rush out of the palace.

Hong Gong Gong ordered a few eunuchs to restrain Prince Cheng, “Your Highness, you can rest assured on your journey.”

Prince Cheng struggled even more desperately upon hearing this.

After a few more attempts at persuasion, Hong Gong Gong, losing patience, ordered the eunuchs to hold Prince Cheng down and force-fed him the poison.

Before long, Prince Cheng also had his last breath.

Hong Gong Gong instructed to handle things properly and then left.

He still had to cooperate with the Imperial Guards to search for any suspicious individuals hiding in the palace. He didn’t have time to waste here with Prince Cheng.

The Imperial Guards and the Ministry of Internal Affairs worked together, and within a couple of days, they found dozens of people who had sneaked into the palace during the chaos. After investigation and interrogation, it was discovered that they were all sneaked in by Shu Yan using her control over the harem.

In the previous dynasty, a group of Prince Cheng’s supporters was also uncovered, either executed by the Emperor or exiled.

For a while, the harem of the previous dynasty fell into silence.

With this matter settled, it finally came to an end.

Upon hearing this, Shu Yuwan muttered to herself, “The Virtuous Consort and the Fifth Prince didn’t prepare to take advantage of the situation? Or did they plan so thoroughly that nothing was uncovered?”

Shu Yuwan couldn’t believe that the Fifth Prince Ming Ged the Virtuous Consort would let such a great opportunity slip by without any action.

It was a pity that they didn’t catch any leverage on the Fifth Prince this time. Otherwise, they could have dealt a blow to both of them at once.

The Crown Prince, upon seeing this, said, “If we add the Fifth Prince Ming Ged the Virtuous Consort to the mix, I’m afraid the Emperor will feel even more distressed. Let him take a break.”

Shu Yuwan felt embarrassed and said, “I didn’t consider it thoroughly.”

The Crown Prince gently touched Shu Yuwan’s hand, “I know you are doing it for my sake.”

“Shao Siyi is in charge of the Imperial Guards, and he is capable. The Emperor has delegated authority to him. If even he couldn’t uncover anything, there might be no loopholes to exploit.”

Upon hearing the Crown Prince mention Shao Siyi, Shu Yuwan suddenly remembered the Shao family into in her previous life. She wondered if that Shao family had any connection to this Shao Siyi.

She couldn’t help but smile to herself. Initially, she was worried that the Shao family marrying into the Crown Prince would be detrimental to him and tried to prevent the marriage, but in the end, she herself married the Crown Prince.

Shu Yuwan replied, “I understand, Jin Er. Since the palace is now peaceful, you don’t need to worry about me. You can go about your business.”

“Mm.” The Crown Prince nodded, “There are still many things to attend to on the Emperor’s side, so I will go first.”

He gently touched Shu Yuwan’s belly and whispered, “Don’t trouble your mother, or else Father will be angry.”

Shu Yuwan chuckled and pushed the Crown Prince playfully.

Only after the Crown Prince left, Shu Yuwan said, “Qing Dai, go find out about this Shao Siyi and see how things are at his home.”

Qing Dai was already accustomed to her young lady’s sudden and varied tasks every day, so she immediately turned to handle it.

…

The Emperor resumed attending court sessions, but his physical and mental state visibly deteriorated, looking unwell.

Previously, he used to rise early at the hour of the Tiger, freshen up, and begin handling state affairs. However, in recent days, apart from reluctantly getting up early in the morning, he always needed Hong Gong Gong to call him repeatedly before he could get up.

Moreover, the Emperor was diligent by nature, repeatedly instructing Hong Gong Gong to wake him up on time.

Hong Gong Gong couldn’t help but advise, “Your Majesty, your health hasn’t fully recovered yet. How about resting for a few more days?”

The Emperor shook his head, “No, in order to feign poisoning, I have rested for quite a few days already. If I rest further, the affairs of the court will be delayed.”

The Emperor knew himself that the poison had already been mostly neutralized; he was more heartbroken.

Shu Yan, he had treated her with care, always thinking she was simple-minded. Since Shu Yan left, in this full harem, besides she was still in his heart.

Prince Cheng, he had watched him grow up. When he used to visit Shu Yan’s palace frequently, Prince Cheng, as a child, would always revolve around him. Whenever he visited, Prince Cheng would cling to him, asking to be carried.

Never did he expect that he would send Prince Cheng so far away, only for him to return and create this father-son conflict!

Zhang Guifei, under house arrest, felt a sense of sorrow upon hearing of Shu Yan’s death, “Throughout her life, Shu Yan was doted on by her family at home, and after marrying into the palace, the Emperor also favored her due to her family’s help. She was always carefree and willful, but in the end, she brought disaster upon herself and her whole family!”

“Your Highness…”worriedly said, “With Shu Yan’s death, the harem will now be under the Virtuous Consort’s control!”

Zhang Guifei snorted, “That cunning Virtuous Consort is not as easy to deal with as Shu Yan.”

Jinniang anxiously said, “While Shu Yan managed the harem, we could still mobilize manpower to get things done. But with the Virtuous Consort…”

After some hesitation, Zhang Guifei indifferently said, “Now we can only maintain peace and let our remaining manpower behave. Since the Virtuous Consort has come to the forefront, let her perform well. Let’s see if the Virtuous Consort makes a better move or if the Emperor sees through everything.”

“Yes!”

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