bayedsolid Chapter 214 The Dowager's Suffering!
Chapter 214 The Dowager's Suffering!
Li Anyang kept crying and pleading, his eyes filled with despair and pleas.
Li Anyang's face was covered in tears, but there was no turning back. She looked at her father, and the memories of his doting love for her were still vivid in her mind.
She could have joined a prestigious family and become its matriarch. But she ruined everything herself and even dragged her family down with her.
Li Anyang turned his gaze to Prime Minister Li, his eyes filled with guilt and regret.
Seeing his daughter kowtowing repeatedly, Prime Minister Li finally softened. He sighed helplessly and knelt down as well.
The emperor snorted coldly: "You know you were wrong now? But you've turned this palace into a complete mess. This matter cannot be let off easily!"
The emperor snorted coldly, his expression still one of extreme anger.
Zhou Yuan looked at the Dowager Consort with a cold and indifferent gaze. He couldn't understand it, nor could he figure it out.
Su Yinyin said, "Your Majesty, in my opinion, this matter needs to be investigated further. Why would the Consort go to such lengths? There must be some ulterior motive behind it."
Su Yinyin's expression was serious, and her tone was firm.
The emperor nodded slightly: "That's exactly what I was thinking too."
The emperor roared, "Speak! Why did the Dowager Consort orchestrate all of this?"
The fake Zhou Yuan trembled and said in a trembling voice, "Your Majesty, spare my life! The Empress Dowager...she...!"
The fake Zhou Yuan's body trembled like a leaf, and his voice was so shaky that it was almost inaudible.
The emperor frowned and said, "Speak!"
The fake Zhou Yuan glanced at Zhou Yuan, then lowered his head and said, "The Dowager Consort is fake; she is not the Regent's biological mother. The real Dowager Consort was killed by this fake Dowager Consort twenty years ago."
After the fake Zhou Yuan finished speaking, he seemed to have used up all his strength and collapsed to the ground.
Everyone was shocked upon hearing this. The emperor's eyes widened. "Is this really true?"
The emperor's eyes widened, his face filled with shock and disbelief.
Zhou Yuan was even more incredulous. "Are you telling the truth?" His face turned pale instantly, and his voice trembled.
"I dare not lie, the Empress Dowager told me this herself." The fake Zhou Yuan's forehead was red from kowtowing, and his voice was trembling with sobs.
The Imperial Noble Consort shouted frantically, "You're talking nonsense! You're spouting lies!"
The Imperial Noble Consort's voice was hysterical, and her expression was distorted.
Su Yinyin asked, "You said the Empress Dowager told you this herself, why would she tell you such a secret?"
Su Yinyin's eyes were filled with suspicion and inquiry.
"Because, because when the Dowager Consort and I were consummating our marriage, she said that, and when we were consummating our marriage, she kept calling out the Regent's name!" The fake Zhou Yuan's voice was so low that it was almost inaudible, and his face was full of shame and fear.
Upon hearing this, Zhou Yuan felt a surge of disgust and anger. He never imagined that the Dowager Consort, whom he had respected for so many years, would be such a person.
The emperor's face was ashen. "Guards, seize this imposter concubine!" The guards immediately stepped forward. The imposter concubine struggled, but could not escape.
The emperor's face was as black as the bottom of a pot. At his command, the guards sprang into action.
The emperor pondered for a moment, then said, "Summon the old servants who served the Dowager Consort back then."
Before long, several old women were brought in.
The emperor asked, "Tell me the truth, was there anything unusual about the Empress Dowager back then?"
One of the old nannies hesitated for a long time before finally saying, "Your Majesty, there were indeed some strange things back then. After the Dowager Consort gave birth, she suddenly changed. Her personality became arrogant and domineering, and she would punish the palace maids if things didn't go her way."
This old servant always thought that the Dowager Consort's personality changed after childbirth. I never imagined that after the Dowager Consort finished her confinement, her first time with the late Emperor... there was blood on the bedding...!
Although the old servant had some suspicions, he dared not inquire. Not long after the late emperor's passing, the old servant discovered a secret room in the Empress Dowager's quarters, and that she was almost daily indulging in revelry.
The old nanny's voice trembled as she spoke, secretly observing the emperor's expression.
The emperor roared, "How dare you! How dare you commit such a vile act in the palace!"
The old nanny was so frightened that she immediately knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, spare my life! Everything I said is true!"
The old servant discovered the Dowager's affair, but the Dowager found out anyway. The Dowager arrested the old servant's family. If the old servant didn't conceal the truth from the Dowager and didn't collude with her, the Dowager would kill the old servant's family!
The old woman kept kowtowing until her forehead was bleeding.
The other two old women standing nearby kept kowtowing and saying, "Your Majesty, this old servant had no choice. Please, Your Majesty, spare my family."
Su Yinyin said, "Your Majesty, it seems that the secret behind this Consort is far beyond our imagination."
Su Yinyin's expression was solemn, and her eyes revealed deep worry.
The emperor was furious. "What an audacious and wicked woman!"
Zhou Yuan clenched his fists. "For so many years, I actually recognized a thief as my mother!"
Zhou Yuan's fists clenched so tightly they cracked, his eyes filled with anger and pain.
Su Yinyin spoke again, "Your Majesty, since Consort Zhen has been murdered, her body must still be somewhere in the palace. We should find it as soon as possible." The Emperor nodded in agreement and ordered his men to search everywhere.
Soon after, the remains of the Dowager Empress were found. Zhou Yuan gazed at the skeleton, his eyes filled with grief and remorse. He secretly vowed to severely punish the murderer.
The emperor said to the trembling fake concubine, "You have committed so many crimes, I will not let you off easily."
As for Li Anyang, considering his confession, he was spared the death penalty, but could not escape punishment. Prime Minister Li was demoted three ranks and fined three years' salary; Li Anyang was reduced to a commoner, and due to his age of thirty, was forbidden from entering the capital for life.
Upon hearing this, both Prime Minister Li and Li Anyang repeatedly kowtowed in gratitude.
Although those thirty lashes would almost kill Li Anyang, she was still genuinely grateful to Su Yinyin.
The emperor looked at the fake Zhou Yuan's face and said, "As for this fake Zhou Yuan and these old servants, drag them all out and kill them."
Upon hearing the emperor's order, the guards quickly dragged these people out.
At this moment, only the Empress Dowager remained in the palace.
The emperor glared at the imperial concubine, "You wicked woman, what else do you have to say?"
The Empress Dowager's face was ashen, but she still forced herself to say, "Your Majesty, I was forced into this situation."
Su Yinyin snorted coldly: "Even now, you're still trying to argue. You won't shed a tear until you see the coffin."
The emperor said, "I want to hear how you were forced into this situation."
The Dowager's eyes flickered. "I was also coerced into doing such a heinous thing back then."
Zhou Yuan roared, "Stop talking nonsense! Who can coerce you?"
The Empress Dowager gritted her teeth. "It was...it was one of the late Emperor's brothers. He threatened me that if I didn't comply, he would harm the Regent."
The emperor sneered, "Nonsense! The late emperor's brothers are all dead. Your lies are not easy to expose. Besides, the regent is not your biological son."
The Empress Dowager collapsed to the ground, "Your Majesty, everything I said is true."
Su Yinyin said, "Your Majesty, in my opinion, the Dowager Consort is just making things up to save her own life."
The Emperor nodded. "How could I be fooled by her absurd words? Issue my decree to imprison the Dowager Consort in the death row and execute her on a chosen day."