Chapter 126: Imperial Consort Feng, Go Accompany Father Emperor In Death!
“See that? Crown Prince? You say if I kill these people one by one in front of these ministers, even if you have the accession edict, so what? Will they really assist you wholeheartedly?” The Third Prince had a victor’s smile on his face as he leaned close to the Crown Prince’s ear and whispered.
The Crown Prince glanced faintly at him. “You shouldn’t implicate the innocent.”
Seeing the various ministers arrive outside, the women immediately began crying and shouting again, some calling for Master, some calling for Father. The scene was extremely chaotic as a group of guards holding spears and wearing armor surrounded them and sternly shouted, “Shut up! Keep making noise and we’ll kill you!”
However, the terrified madams and young ladies could not listen at all, their cries and shouts continuing nonstop.
The ministers were extremely angry, their gazes toward the Third Prince all unkind.
“Release them, and I can spare your life!” The Crown Prince calmly looked at the Third Prince and said.
“Haha, spare my life? What status do you have to spare my life? New Emperor? As long as these people are in my hands, whether you become the New Emperor is still uncertain. Spare my life?”
The Crown Prince had already noticed that the soldiers who followed the Third Prince in forcing the palace had almost all been captured by the five thousand men led by Zhou Qi. He turned his head to glance that way before asking the Third Prince, “Haven’t you noticed your people are getting fewer and fewer?”
“What?”
“What I mean is your people are about to be completely wiped out. What do you have left to compete with me?”
“Hmph, even if all my people die, as long as these women are in my hands, you can’t win!”
“Is that so? Why don’t you turn around and look again?”
The Third Prince abruptly turned his head and just happened to see Mo Ziyuan leading dozens or hundreds of men fighting against the guards surrounding the officials’ families.
“You… you were prepared long ago?” The Third Prince was only slightly more foolish compared to the Crown Prince, but his intelligence was still sharp. At this moment, he had already seen through the situation.
The Crown Prince merely smiled and said nothing.
“Chu Qingye, I’ll fight you!” The Third Prince was provoked by his disdainful gaze. He picked up a sword from nearby and thrust it toward the Crown Prince.
“Protect him! Quickly protect him!” Mo Ziyuan, who had been watching this side, shouted loudly upon seeing this. He himself rushed over swiftly and blocked him just as the Third Prince’s sword was an inch away from the Crown Prince’s neck.
The Crown Prince took the opportunity to kick him in the waist, causing him to stagger several steps. There was a broken spearhead on the ground right there, and he fell onto it squarely, the two-palm-long spearhead embedding entirely into his abdomen.
“Ugh~” Sharp stabbing pain came from his abdomen. The Third Prince lay on the ground in disbelief, feeling his life force rapidly draining from his body along with the surging blood.
“Does it hurt?” Crown Prince leaned down and squatted in front of the Third Prince, asking in a low voice.
“You… you…”
“I could give you the throne if you wanted it. My Crown Princess’s maternal clan is not prominent and can’t provide me much support. Why wouldn’t you let her go?” The Crown Prince’s expression became somewhat gloomy.
“Hehe,” the Third Prince suddenly laughed, blood also surging desperately from his mouth. “Why? Simple! Back then, we both fancied her, but she chose you for the Crown Princess title. Don’t you think she deserves to die? When it comes to who killed her, you’re partly responsible too! Hahaha…”
The Third Prince laughed maniacally, and with his movements, more blood surged from his wound and mouth, dyeing a large area of ground nearby red.
The Crown Prince’s eyes were bloodshot, but he appeared exceptionally calm. Once the Third Prince had laughed enough and lay gasping on the ground, he spoke. “Actually, this is for the best. At least from now on, she won’t have to face the treacherous waves in the palace. You’ve done a good deed by letting her escape early.”
Then, he changed the subject. “But because of your rebellion, your Imperial Concubine and entire maternal clan will probably not escape the fate of having their whole families executed. Think of your uncle who cherished you like the apple of his eye since childhood, think of Imperial Consort Feng who had such high hopes for you, think of those court officials who pledged loyalty to you. Wait for them down there. I will send them one by one to accompany you.”
“You… you…” The Third Prince’s eyes glared in fury, and he unwillingly breathed his last.
“Qing Sheng!” A shrill cry from Imperial Consort Feng came from afar.
“Let her come!” The Crown Prince, who had completely taken control of the situation, said to the soldiers blocking Imperial Consort Feng.
Imperial Consort Feng rushed over tumbling and crawling. Looking at the Third Prince lying in a pool of blood, she froze for a moment, then pulled him into her arms and wailed, “Qing Sheng, Qing Sheng, are you just abandoning your Imperial Concubine like this? Open your eyes and look at your Imperial Concubine! We’ll stop fighting from now on, stop striving for anything. Come back, alright?”
However, the only response was the increasingly cold corpse of her son in her arms.
The Third Prince’s rebellion ended just like a joke. On the open space in front of Lu Quan Palace, aside from Imperial Consort Feng holding the Third Prince’s corpse, there was no one else. All the soldiers and generals involved in the rebellion who were still alive were taken into custody, to be dealt with after the late emperor’s funeral rites were completed.
“Imperial Consort Feng, go accompany Father Emperor in death!” After an unknown amount of time, a clear voice suddenly rang in the ears of Imperial Consort Feng, who had remained motionless like a statue.
Having maintained the same position for too long, Imperial Consort Feng’s bones and muscles had all stiffened. She arduously turned her head to look at the speaker—it was the Second Prince, Chu Qingzhao.
“Imperial Consort Feng, go accompany Father Emperor in death!” He repeated. “My Imperial Concubine is waiting for you down there! She’ll feel regretful if anyone’s missing.”
“You~” Imperial Consort Feng shuddered violently, pulling from distant memory a peerlessly beautiful face. Though that face had exquisite features, it was extremely contorted, her entire body curled into a ball on the ground convulsing, mouth agape but unable to make a sound.
“Remember now, right?” Chu Qingzhao took a delicate porcelain bottle from his sleeve. He removed the stopper wrapped in red silk and held it in front of Imperial Consort Feng. “Drink it! Drink it and all your troubles will be gone.”
“I… no, Crown Prince, no, Your Majesty, he wouldn’t do this. I don’t believe it, impossible…” Imperial Consort Feng tried to slap away Chu Qingzhao’s hand, but his strength was much greater. Even after she hurt her hand from slapping, it remained unmoved. Her dried-up tears fell again, her words incoherent.
“You say, without His Majesty’s permission, how would I, as a minister, dare to grant death to Father Emperor’s consort? Don’t you think so?” Chu Qingzhao emphasized the words “grant death.”
“Impossible! No! He… you can’t do this. I’m His Majesty’s Imperial Consort. You can’t! Can’t!” Imperial Consort Feng’s hysterical scream echoed over Lu Quan Palace.
“Are you afraid? You should be. Back then, my Imperial Concubine was very afraid too, and so was the Crown Princess. They thought you wouldn’t either, but you did it without hesitation. Now it’s your turn. What are you waiting for?” Chu Qingzhao pushed the bottle closer to Imperial Consort Feng.
“No, don’t…” Imperial Consort Feng stared at the bottle in terror, her body involuntarily inching backward. The Third Prince’s corpse, which she had been holding tightly, thudded to the ground, but she paid it no mind.
Thanks to Mmy Dang, Peace-aD, Song of the Goat and Story of the Eyes, Fallen Leaves Know Autumn-Ad for their votes, thank you all for your support, thank you!
