Chapter 162: Consort De Commits Suicide
The Emperor saw his son's corpse from afar.
After the assassination attempt, he was both furious and grief-stricken, unable to accept that his own flesh and blood had sought to take his life.
Initially, rage had outweighed sorrow.
He had contemplated countless ways to punish this son, but now...
...seeing his son's body lying before him, grief swiftly overwhelmed his anger.
The Emperor walked over step by step.
Though he had many sons, that didn't mean he cared nothing for them.
Just as he was about to kneel down, Consort De suddenly turned around and cried out, "Your Majesty! The truth remains unclear! The Fourth Prince died under mysterious circumstances—it must be the mastermind silencing him!"
Chu Yi handed a letter to Consort De. "This is Fourth Brother's suicide note."
Consort De hastily unfolded the letter.
She couldn't believe what she was reading.
Her carefree, irresponsible son had actually confessed to plotting rebellion and assassination in the letter!
"Impossible!! Absolutely impossible!!"
Consort De tore the letter to shreds.
"This isn't the Fourth Prince's final words! This is a forgery mimicking his handwriting! The Fourth Prince would never commit such treasonous acts!" Consort De's grief-stricken, furious eyes suddenly fixed on Chu Yi. "It was you! You orchestrated all of this, didn't you?"
Chu Yi's voice remained cold. "I would not, nor would I stoop to such deeds."
"It was you!!!"
Consort De screamed like a madwoman, scrambling to her feet from the ground.
Driven by burning rage, she steadied her trembling body. "You planted those letters discovered during the raid on Anjing Prince's residence! You wrote this suicide note! General Mingwei was coerced by you to frame my son! It was you! You killed my child! You murderer! Give me back my son's life!!"
Consort De snatched a sword from a nearby guard's waist and thrust it toward Chu Yi.
Chu Yi frowned slightly and sidestepped the blade.
"Cease this madness here!"the Emperor's deep voice echoed." "With both witnesses and evidence present, what more do you intend?"
"The witness is dead! The evidence is fabricated!" Consort De shrieked. "Your Majesty, you are the Fourth Prince's father, the father he always admired and revered! He died wronged like this—you cannot simply let this matter rest!"
The Emperor shook his head. "The Fourth Prince was raised under your care since childhood. In his youth, he neglected his studies and trained inconsistently in martial arts. Were it not for your father's merits at court, I would never have granted him a princedom and lands... I never imagined he would grow even more dissolute in adulthood, imprisoning and violating so many innocent women in his residence—he has utterly shamed our Chu imperial family! That he became a patricidal regicide seeking the throne is inextricably linked to you, his mother!"
Consort De's beautiful eyes widened in disbelief. "Your Majesty, do you mean to investigate this matter no further?"
"The case is clear enough. There is no need for further investigation." The Emperor glanced at his lifeless fourth son on the ground, his tone flat. "Consort De, for indulging your son's patricidal plot, though the death penalty may be spared, living punishment cannot be avoided. She is hereby stripped of her title and confined to the cold palace..."
"Hahahaha!"
Consort De, still clutching the sword, threw her head back and laughed.
There was no such thing as familial affection in the royal house. The Fourth Prince lived eighteen years, yet his birth father never truly understood him.
The Fourth Prince was incompetent, weak, dissolute... Precisely because of this, anyone else might rebel and kill their father—but never the Fourth Prince..."Your Majesty, this humble consort can only use my life to beg you to reinvestigate the murder case!"
The Emperor's expression changed: "Third Prince, quickly restrain her..."
Before his words finished,
Consort De's sword swept across her own neck, blood splattering onto Xie Ping who knelt silently on the ground.
Xie Ping touched the warm blood.
Immediately after, Consort De collapsed beside her.
Those beautiful, arrogant eyes remained wide open, gazing at the sky, tears sliding from their corners while blood continuously gushed from the neck wound.
Xie Ping screamed in terror, clutching her head.
The Emperor stood still, silent for a long while. As if recalling something, he spoke in a cold voice: "Enough. Let Consort De retain her title and be buried according to her rank."
The eunuch beside him bowed: "As Your Majesty commands."
Chu Yi cupped his hands: "Father Emperor, how should she be dealt with?"
Only then did the Emperor look at Xie Ping.
This was his fourth son's wife, whom he'd met once before during formal greetings. Still very young, now terrified with tears and mucus covering her face, she looked like nothing but a child.
"No, Your Majesty! I wasn't involved in the rebellion! I'm innocent..." Xie Ping seemed to awaken from a dream, hastily begging for a chance at survival. "I've been married into the prince's residence for less than a month. I know nothing! I beg Your Majesty to investigate clearly..."
"Take her away first."
The Emperor felt weary, waved his hand, turned around, and entered the Imperial Study with heavy steps.
Xie Ping wanted to say more, but two matrons lifted her up and dragged her out of the Imperial Study's main gate...
The news quickly reached the Xie family.
Everyone was anxiously pacing, especially Yuan Shi, who resembled an ant on a hot pan, walking back and forth in the room.
"Can't you calm down!" Xie Zhongcheng said irritably. "If you can't think of any solution, then leave. Don't stay here being an eyesore."
Yuan Shi murmured: "I'm just trying to help think of ideas."
"The situation isn't that dire." Xie Jingyu took a breath. "Consort De died to prove her conviction. The Emperor was moved. Ping'er should be fine."
"But what if? What if something happens?" Yuan Shi kept repeating. "Chu'er, An Ge'er, you two have always been clever. Think carefully about what we should do."
Xie Shi'an remained silent.
Elder Sister becoming Princess Consort was her own active choice. Ending up like this was the consequence of her own actions.
That the Emperor hadn't directly taken elder sister's life was already her great fortune.
What could the Xie family do? Not being implicated was already great luck amidst misfortune.
"Doing nothing is best." Yun Chu spoke up. "The Anjing Prince and Consort De are already dead. The Emperor's anger has mostly subsided. Once they're laid to rest, Ping'er will naturally be released. We just need to wait."
Yuan Shi trusted Yun Chu's words completely, immediately clasping her hands: "Amitabha! It's wonderful that Ping'er won't be harmed. When that day comes, I'll personally bring her home."
Hearing this, Xie Jingyu frowned: "She cannot return to the Xie family."
Yuan Shi looked puzzled: "Why?"
"Because she is the lawful wife of the mastermind behind the assassination attempt on the Emperor," Xie Shi'an said word by word. "Moreover, everyone knows the Anjing Prince and his Princess Consort were deeply attached, marrying her despite status differences. She represents the Anjing Prince. If she returns to the Xie family, how would outsiders view our family? Have you considered that, Grandmother?"
Yuan Shi shook her head blankly. She hadn't thought about it.Her lips trembling, she said, "Ping'er is only thirteen. Where could she go if she doesn't return home after being released from prison?"
"Enough of that! Why worry so much?" Xie Zhongcheng said impatiently. "Let's do as Chu'er suggested—remain inactive for now. Everyone, disperse."
After everyone had left the study, only Xie Shi'an and his father remained.
Xie Jingyu massaged his temples and asked, "Shi'an, tell me truthfully—is remaining inactive truly the best solution?"
Xie Shi'an shook his head. "The Anjing Prince died just like that... Though he attempted to assassinate the Emperor, he was still the Emperor's son regardless. His death has turned the Emperor's anger into grief, and he may even suspect there are hidden circumstances behind this assassination attempt... If Eldest Sister were to commit suicide to follow the Anjing Prince in death, providing him companionship on the journey to the underworld, the Emperor might feel gratitude toward the Xie family..."
Xie Jingyu abruptly stood up.
Ping'er's death would carry profound meaning: first, proving her integrity through death; second, demonstrating wifely devotion by following her husband; third, avoiding implicating her maternal family.
This was righteous sacrifice!
It would become a praised tale among the common people!
He spoke: "Shi'an, find a way to visit the dungeon if possible."
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