Chapter 673 - 676: Committing Suicide

Chapter 673: Chapter 676: Committing Suicide

Although Mr. Zhu was Li Qiong’s teacher, he was, after all, an unrelated man.

It was improper for Princess Consort Zhen to meet with him directly.

She sat behind a screen, listening to the conversation between the Crown Prince and Mr. Zhu.

Li Qiong explained his current predicament, eager to hear what brilliant ideas Mr. Zhu might have.

Apparently, Mr. Zhu hadn’t expected the Emperor to pull such a move before his death, and he was inwardly quite surprised.

However, he didn’t let any of this show, maintaining a calm and composed demeanor throughout.

"Do not be anxious, Your Highness. This matter is not without a solution."

Upon hearing this, Li Qiong’s spirits immediately lifted. He pressed urgently.

"What is your plan, Mr. Zhu? Please, tell me everything."

Mr. Zhu proceeded to lay out his plan.

As Li Qiong listened, realization dawned on him.

’So that’s how it could be done!’

But then he frowned. "Your method will certainly save my mother from death for now, but what about the future?"

Mr. Zhu said, "In the future, once Your Highness has secured the throne, you can find any pretext—for example, that the Noble Consort is unwell—and bring her back to the palace. By then, the court will be filled with your people, both inside and out. No one will dare to gossip."

Li Qiong thought the plan was feasible.

He turned and spoke to Princess Consort Zhen through the screen.

"Mother, you’re saved!"

Princess Consort Zhen was naturally overjoyed to be spared from death.

’It seems Li Qiong’s judgment was correct. This Mr. Zhu is truly a man of talent.’

She first offered Mr. Zhu a few words of praise before changing the subject to ask about something else.

"I heard you captured someone near the palace gates just now. Who was it? May I see them?"

Mr. Zhu replied respectfully, "It was merely a petty thief. The Noble Consort may see them whenever she wishes, but the Saint has just passed away, and you are in a perilous situation. In my humble opinion, now is not the time for distractions."

Li Qiong added, "Mr. Zhu is right. The most important thing now is to save my mother’s life. Everything else can wait. Besides, the person is right there; it’s not as if they can escape."

But Princess Consort Zhen was not so easily fooled.

Seeing them being so evasive, her suspicion grew.

"Tell me the truth, who is it that you captured? If you won’t say, I’ll go to the Commander of the Yulin Guards and ask him myself!"

Seeing her determination to get to the bottom of the matter, Li Qiong had no choice but to signal for Mr. Zhu to tell the truth.

Mr. Zhu said, "A palace maid from Huan Sha Pavilion. She falsely claimed to be leaving the palace on orders. When her lie was exposed, she suddenly attacked the Yulin Guards. Fortunately, we had already laid an ambush and captured her in one fell swoop. She is now being held in the Judicial Department, awaiting the Crown Prince’s disposal."

Princess Consort Zhen was skeptical. "Huan Sha Pavilion?"

Mr. Zhu took a waist token from his sleeve. "This was on the palace maid."

Li Qiong took the waist token, examined it, and turned to Princess Consort Zhen.

"Mother, it is indeed a token from Huan Sha Pavilion."

Princess Consort Zhen frowned. ’Could I have been mistaken? The person they captured wasn’t Hua Manman?’

She pressed, "Do you know why she tried to force her way through the palace gates?"

Mr. Zhu replied, "I only ordered her to be detained. I have not yet had the chance to formally interrogate her, so her true origins and purpose remain unknown."

Princess Consort Zhen could barely protect herself at the moment, so she couldn’t personally go to the Judicial Department yet.

She could only set the matter aside for now. After she had dealt with her own predicament, she would go to the Judicial Department to investigate.

Princess Consort Zhen instructed them.

"Until I have seen her with my own eyes, you are not to torture her. You must make sure she is kept alive and well."

Mr. Zhu bowed with clasped hands. "Yes."

「Inside Hanzhang Hall.」

The Empress Dowager waited for a long time, but there was still no sign of Princess Consort Zhen’s return. She began to grow anxious.

"Why hasn’t she returned yet?"

The nanny knew what she was worried about and bent down to soothe her in a low voice.

"Rest assured, Your Majesty. She can’t escape."

No matter how much Princess Consort Zhen feared death, she couldn’t possibly just run away.

She had not only the Crown Prince to consider, but also the entire, sprawling Zhong’an Bo Mansion. If she fled, the Crown Prince and everyone in the Zhong’an Bo Mansion would be implicated.

Given Princess Consort Zhen’s character, she would never do something so reckless.

The Empress Dowager frowned. "It’s better to be safe than sorry. Who knows what’s going through her mind? Send someone to Yufu Palace to see what’s happening."

The nanny had just agreed when a eunuch burst in, frantic.

He dropped to his knees with a THUD. He was in such a panic that he could barely speak, stuttering badly.

"The... the... the... the Crown Prince is trying to kill himself!"

Everyone in the hall turned pale with shock.

The Empress Dowager shot to her feet. "How is that possible?!"

The eunuch, prostrate on the floor, trembled as he spoke. "This servant just came from Yufu Palace. The Crown Prince has locked himself in a room, refusing to let anyone enter. He has a sword and could take his own life at any moment."

The Empress Dowager could no longer sit still. She immediately ordered her retinue to prepare for a journey to Yufu Palace.

It wasn’t just the Empress Dowager; the Left and Right Ministers, Lady Shu, and the Fifth Prince, Li Yi, all followed.

When they arrived at Yufu Palace, they found the courtyard filled with kneeling people, each wiping away tears and crying with great sorrow.

The Empress Dowager asked anxiously, "Where is the Crown Prince?"

Xi Xiang stood up, wiping her tears as she spoke.

"His Highness the Crown Prince is inside the side hall."

"Take me there at once!"

The large party made its way to the entrance of the side hall.

The doors to the side hall were shut tight. No matter how loudly Princess Consort Zhen knocked or called out, the person inside refused to open them.

The Empress Dowager walked over, supported by her nanny, and demanded sharply of Princess Consort Zhen.

"What in the world is going on? The Emperor has just passed away! Can’t you all just be still for a moment?!"

Princess Consort Zhen’s eyes were red, and she was sobbing uncontrollably. "It’s all my fault! It’s all my fault!"

Seeing her repeat the same phrase over and over, the Empress Dowager irritably cursed, "Useless thing."

The Crown Prince’s voice came from within the hall.

"Grand Empress Dowager, please do not blame my mother. This was entirely my decision.

My mother carried me for ten months and raised me through countless hardships.

To ask me to stand by and watch my own mother die—forgive me, but I simply cannot do it!

But my father’s word is law, and I dare not defy his final wish.

After much thought, I can only exchange my life for my mother’s. Only in this way can I satisfy both my duty of loyalty and my filial piety.

I can only hope that you will grant my wish, Grand Empress Dowager!"

The Empress Dowager was nearly apoplectic at his speech.

She rebuked him angrily, "So you’ve satisfied both loyalty and filial piety, but have you thought about what will become of the Great Zhou Dynasty after you’re dead?"

The Crown Prince retorted, "The Great Zhou has always been governed by the principle of filial piety. If I could stand by and watch my own mother die, I would be profoundly unfilial. How can an unfilial man govern the realm? How can he lead by example?"

The Empress Dowager was left speechless.

She could only turn to look at the Left and Right Ministers.

Both men were top-ranked scholars from the imperial examinations, and their eloquence was formidable.

Now was their time to put those skills to use.

The Left and Right Prime Ministers instantly felt a massive headache coming on, and they cursed their luck internally.

’This was truly a case of being hit by a stray bullet!’