Chapter 210: Boil Jiang Rui For Me
“Your Majesty, you are truly so ruthless. Not only did you cast our most favored daughter into the Cold Palace, leaving her neither human nor ghost inside, now you want to grant death to me as well.”
“The things she did, as her imperial mother, you failed to teach her properly, yet you have the face to say this to me. It truly is the upper beam crooked and the lower beam crooked. No wonder Wei Jiao did such a thing. Hurry up, I do not want to see this bitch.”
Thinking of the things the Imperial Consort did, Emperor Qin no longer wanted to see her.
The eunuch did not dare to delay any longer.
Two people grabbed her hands on both sides, one looped the white silk around her neck, and the Imperial Consort soon breathed her last.
Emperor Qin glared fiercely at the Imperial Consort as she breathed her last, his eyes full of disgust.
“Imperial Mother.”
The Imperial Consort had just breathed her last when a voice full of grief came from behind.
Jiang Ruanxi looked over and saw a person wearing a light cyan robe with dark patterned cloud sleeves, stumbling toward the Imperial Consort.
This person should be the Imperial Consort’s son, Wei Lin.
“Father Emperor, how could you be so ruthless as to kill my imperial mother.”
Emperor Qin originally had a favorable impression of this son, but upon hearing these words, he felt extremely irritated, and disgust involuntarily showed in his eyes. “The things your imperial mother did warrant killing her a hundred times over.” After speaking, he said to the eunuch on the side, “Are you all dead? Hurry and drag the Third Prince away.”
The eunuchs clumsily dragged Wei Lin away, and as they passed by Jiang Ruanxi and Wei Chang, they gave them a deep look.
After he disappeared, Emperor Qin raised his hand and rubbed his brow. “You should go as well.”
Wei Chang said, “Father Emperor, do you need your son’s help?”
Emperor Qin looked at Wei Chang, thinking of this frail son now; if not for him, he might not have woken up yet, and felt more favorably toward him.
“No need. Matters of my imperial harem will naturally be handled by me. You have attended to the sick for so long, you must be tired. Return to your residence and rest well.”
Emperor Qin waved his hand, his entire body showing exhaustion.
Wei Chang wanted to say more, but was tugged on his sleeve by Jiang Ruanxi.
The two exchanged glances, and Wei Chang naturally understood her meaning, replying only, “Yes, Father Emperor.”
Emperor Qin was very pleased. After Wei Chang and Jiang Ruanxi left, the warmth in his eyes vanished instantly. Looking at the dead Imperial Consort, he ordered, “Boil Jiang Rui for me.”
“Yes.”
After Jiang Ruanxi and Wei Chang left, Wei Chang spoke, “Why did you stop me just now?”
“This concerns His Majesty’s face and dignity. He probably does not want outsiders to interfere. If you force your way in, it will likely provoke his imperial wrath.”
Wei Chang frowned. Jiang Ruanxi thought of something and changed the subject. “Your Highness, do you not find it strange?”
Wei Chang was momentarily unable to react to what she meant.
Looking at her puzzled, Jiang Ruanxi said, “The Imperial Consort seemed not to know how I determined that the person in the Cold Palace that night was hers?”
Wei Chang thought of the Imperial Consort’s reaction not long ago and realized this issue too, his brow slightly furrowed. “You mean someone is stirring things up behind the scenes?”
Jiang Ruanxi nodded. “Moreover, that person clearly exploited this point and also exploited Consort Yan.”
Perhaps Consort Yan did have an affair in Mobei back then, but after all, this is the imperial palace.
The matter between those two was probably already in the past, and there is nothing now.
Yet that person knew she identified it by voice, and secretly placed the Imperial Consort’s jade pendant on Consort Yan without anyone knowing, and could retrieve it.
That means that person’s identity is far from simple.
No matter how Jiang Ruanxi thought, she could not figure it out.
Wei Chang frowned instead. “Could it be Jiang Rui himself?”
If it was Jiang Rui himself, then it made sense on the Imperial Consort’s side.
As for Consort Yan…
Jiang Ruanxi was not certain in her heart at this moment either.
While the two were in contemplation, Yushui came running in a panic. “Crown Prince, Crown Princess, bad news.”
Jiang Ruanxi frowned slightly. Yushui continued, “Third Young Master Jiang was boiled alive by His Majesty and is already dead.”
“What?”
This time the shocked one was Jiang Ruanxi. “How could it be so fast?”
“His Majesty was extremely angry about the matter with the Imperial Consort and Third Young Master Jiang. He directly set up a pot in the palace and boiled him alive to death. Many people saw it.”
Wei Chang was not surprised. Emperor Qin always acted ruthlessly, and enduring until now was already the limit.
This was killing the chicken to warn the monkeys.
“The Royal Family has its dignity. Father Emperor doing this is nothing more than not wanting complications.”
After all, with Emperor Qin’s serious illness, people’s hearts were already uneasy. If royal scandals spread now, it would undoubtedly be adding frost to snow for the Royal Family.
It was also a warning to those restless consorts: if anyone dared to act out of line, this would be their end.
Wei Chang understood this reason, and Jiang Ruanxi naturally did too.
But she still had some concerns in her heart. “With Jiang Rui dead like this, some questions cannot be verified.”
Wei Chang did not think so. “Is there not still one person?”
“You mean Consort Yan?”
The Crown Prince nodded, but Jiang Ruanxi said, “Although the person in the imperial harem that day was not Consort Yan, she was the one who passed the information. If His Majesty learns of her past with Jiang Rui, it will surely not sit well with him. Going to her at this critical juncture, I fear she may not tell us the truth.”
“If you do not try, how will you know?”
In order to get to the truth of the matter, Jiang Ruanxi nodded. “Your Highness is right, but let us go in a couple of days. The limelight is too strong now.”
“Mm.”
The next day, a major event occurred in the imperial palace again.
Emperor Qin, who had been in a coma for a long time, finally awoke, but the Imperial Consort’s palace suddenly caught fire, and Jiang Rui was burned to death in the blaze while trying to save the Imperial Consort.
Emperor Qin was deeply grieved and directly rewarded the Jiang Family.
After hearing Yushui’s words, Jiang Ruanxi sneered inwardly.
Jiang Rui died saving the Imperial Consort, and Emperor Qin was grateful to the Jiang Family?
If those who did not know the truth heard this, they would probably be moved to death by Jiang Rui.
But Jiang Ruanxi knew that a man who dared to cuckold him—how could Emperor Qin be grateful to him? He probably wanted to kill him.
However, Jiang Ruanxi knew clearly in her heart that Emperor Qin did this only to cover people’s ears and even more to appease the Jiang Family.
But the Jiang Family had now lost three sons, with only Jiang Kui left.
This anger would surely not subside easily.
Sure enough, three days later, good news came from the border: Mobei advanced south, General Jiang was seriously injured and had no choice but to beg Emperor Qin to send another general to guard the border.
Looking across the Qin Kingdom, who else besides General Jiang could resist Mobei’s army now?
Why did General Jiang not return to the capital at any other time but precisely now?
