latelenovela Chapter 384 It would be better if he were dead
Chapter 384 It would be better if he were dead
The corpses in the palace were moved one cart after another.
Bloodshed followed round after round.
When midnight arrived, the civil and military officials left the palace exhausted, their numbers slightly fewer than before.
King Zheng left a group of officials in the palace for a heart-to-heart talk, and coincidentally, those who remained were the same officials who opposed his ascension to the throne as Lord You.
No one knows what will happen that night.
Editor Yuan tripped and fell.
Xiao Zhengyang helped him up; both of their palms were wet.
"Old Yuan, it's a good thing you didn't say anything out of line just now, otherwise you wouldn't be able to leave this palace tonight."
Editor Yuan nodded blankly, "It's good that you stopped me, but I still can't believe that in just one day, the Crown Prince died, the Emperor died, and Tong Xiuqing died too."
Too many people died that day.
But the deaths of these three also marked the end of an era.
Even though the royal family of Daxi still bears the surname Zhao, it is no longer the same branch.
"By the way, where's Tong Yiwen? Didn't he appear in the palace?"
It was a chaotic time; they only knew that Tong Yiwen had been taken away, but they didn't know where he ended up.
Xiao Zhengyang was also unsure. "Don't meddle in other people's affairs. No one in the Tong family can escape. Contacting them now will only harm yourself."
Editor Yuan gripped Xiao Zhengyang's hand tightly, his eyes sharp, and said, "Yes, it's better if they're dead. The Tong family should all be wiped out!"
Many people think this way.
After all, many families had been threatened by the Tong family not long ago.
Nowadays, there are quite a few people who want to take revenge on the Tong family, or at least get back the evidence of their crimes.
Inside the palace, another corpse was carried out.
The wind blew up the white sheet covering the corpse, revealing an old face with eyes that remained open in death.
Li Ge recognized him as Lord Lin, the head of the Hanlin Academy, a man of unyielding integrity and literary prowess.
He entered the main hall with a group of palace maids and eunuchs, knelt down and said, "Your Highness, your dragon robe has been made."
The dragon robe of the King of Zheng was secretly made by Li Ge three months in advance.
King Zheng walked over laughing, touched the brand-new dragon robe, and said approvingly, "It is indeed Manager Li who is reliable in handling affairs. After the coronation ceremony, I will appoint you as the Grand Supervisor of the Imperial Seals!"
Li Ge thanked the emperor with a look of ecstatic joy.
At this moment, Zheng Wang's confidant ran in and said, "Your Highness, we have searched everywhere, but we have not found the imperial seal."
"Useless! Still haven't found it? Without the Imperial Seal, how can I ascend the throne?" King Zheng was furious.
Besides dealing with a group of officials who disobeyed him, King Zheng's most important task was to find the Imperial Seal of the State.
But an hour passed, and they still couldn't find it anywhere.
He fixed his gaze on Li Ge's head. "Master Li, you are most familiar with this palace. Do you know where the Emperor has hidden the Imperial Seal?"
Li Ge shook his head: "This servant is only in charge of Kunning Palace and does not know where the Emperor's seal is kept."
"And the Empress, is she alright?"
"She's still alive. It's just a matter of how long Your Highness wants her to live. Also, Feng Yin has been missing for some time now."
"Oh?" King Zheng raised an eyebrow, somewhat disbelieving.
"The Phoenix Seal must have always been in your possession, right? With your meticulousness, how could anyone have stolen it?"
Li Ge did not refute, but directly admitted his mistake, "This servant deserves to die, the thieves took advantage of the situation."
King Zheng's heavy footsteps echoed in the hall. He seemed slightly irritable, his earlier joy at entering the palace gone.
"The palace is in chaos today. Perhaps something has been stolen. With the coronation imminent, we have no choice but to forge an imperial seal."
King Zheng helped Li Ge up and earnestly instructed him: "I trust you the most in handling matters. I entrust this matter to you. Within three days, I need to see an identical jade seal. Can you do it?"
"This... I'm afraid we won't even be able to gather all the materials in three days."
The Imperial Seal of the State was carved from the finest He Shi Bi jade. Not to mention the craftsman's skill, the jade itself was extremely rare.
"You've helped me so much, so this one more thing won't hurt. I know what you want. Although you are a eunuch, there are precedents of eunuchs wielding great power in previous dynasties."
"A talent like yours is wasted on serving others in the palace. Why not join me and create a prosperous era for the world?"
Li Ge became excited, gritted his teeth and nodded: "Yes, this servant will definitely do it!"
He left the main hall, his expression gloomy.
Turning around, he saw a palace maid changing King Zheng's dragon robe and sneered inwardly: "Hypocritical villain, daring to dream of creating a prosperous era?"
Ah.
Dawn has arrived.
Sui Feng knocked on Shen Lan's door in the morning light and took Xiao Ji away.
It turns out that the Marquis of Pingyang arrested the Tong family last night and is now escorting them to the Ministry of Justice.
The other two chief officials in the joint trial have already been beheaded. The emperor also issued a verdict on the case before his death, and Xiao Ji only needs to close the case and carry it out.
Xiao Ji met Marquis Pingyang at the yamen.
He was travel-worn and looked exhausted. The first thing he said to Xiao Ji was, "Now that Prince Zheng has entered the palace, your wish has been dashed."
Xiao Ji closed the door and spoke with Marquis Pingyang for a while.
When he came out again, Marquis Pingyang sighed, "A new emperor brings a new court. From now on, everyone should be more cautious."
"Yes, Lord Marquis, please take care."
Is Commander Zhao still alive?
"He was left in the palace, and his fate is unknown."
Zhao Jinxiao was a confidant of the late emperor, at least in the eyes of outsiders.
Marquis Pingyang said nothing and left with the Imperial Guards.
Before he led the Imperial Guards into the palace, he called out the names of several people and told them to go home and recuperate under the pretext of being "injured".
Everyone knew that those who were mentioned were once loyal royalists.
Li Ye jogged over and joined the line.
Marquis Pingyang saw him but didn't say anything.
Not many people in the Imperial Guards knew that he had disguised himself as Tong Yiwen to enter the palace yesterday, so there shouldn't be any danger.
The palace floor has been cleaned.
However, the bloodstains that have seeped into the bluestone slabs and the stench of blood in the air are still faintly visible and audible.
Marquis Pingyang had little to do with the King of Zheng; his relationship with the King of Zheng was even worse than that with his son.
Upon seeing him, King Zheng was exceptionally warm and even invited him to have breakfast together.
By the time he left the palace, rumors were already circulating that the Marquis of Pingyang had long since pledged allegiance to the Prince of Zheng, and had deliberately taken a contingent of imperial guards with him to annihilate the Tong family's power, so that the Prince of Zheng could take advantage of the situation.
Some people even brought up the fact that Fu Qingyan had been a guest of the King of Zheng, as if they had personally witnessed the scene of the Fu family conspiring with the King of Zheng.
The emperor's body is not yet cold.
The funeral was imminent.
The eldest princess entered the palace to take charge of the overall situation.
Even if the court officials were terrified, they had no choice but to enter the palace in turn to observe mourning.
During the month-long national mourning period, alcohol and weddings were banned throughout the city, and even brothels closed their doors.
Several hundred members of the Tong family were beheaded outside the Meridian Gate, and their bodies, along with Tong Yiwen's, were hung on the city tower.
Shen Lan went to the city gate to see the eerie scene, and even set up an incense burner and burned paper money outside the city.
The misfortune of Guli Town stemmed from the Crown Prince's greed, but it was the Tong family and Liu Engui who carried out the executions to satisfy his greed.
After Liu Engui died, Madam Liu went mad, and the Liu family moved out of the Liu mansion and temporarily settled in a town outside the city.
I heard that the Liu family is planning to move back to Jianzhou City, where they still own many properties.