Chapter 295: Ninghua, Will You Help Me?

The longer they waited, the more terrified those officials who had chosen a side became. There was even an official who was scared out of his wits and killed more than twenty members of his family. Then, he hung himself.

It was only at this time that the Emperor sent out the Dragon Scale Army to summon all the officials to Chengqian Hall for a meeting.

Shen Ninghua helped Baili Junyi put on his court uniform, tidied up his belt, and hung up the jade pendant. “His Majesty is going to interrogate the Crown Prince today. Do you have any ideas?”

Baili Junyi held her hand and smiled. He gestured at his lips. “Remain silent for as long as I can.”

“That’s right.”

“After all, Father Emperor treats the Crown Prince differently from the other princes. Before the Empress launched the rebellion, he had always treated the Crown Prince as his successor. Now that his plan was destroyed by a woman, how could he not be angry?”

Shen Ninghua smiled. “I will go into the Palace with you. I haven’t paid my respects to mother for a long time. I should spend more time with her.”

“Alright.” Baili Junyi held her hand and the two of them left for the Palace together.

Shen Ninghua entered the Palace very early. She had thought that Noble Consort Xian was still sleeping. Unexpectedly, she had already woken up. When Shen Ninghua entered the door, Bu Yunqing was standing by the window and looking in the direction of Chengqian Hall. Her scarred face was hidden in the darkness, making her look even more sinister and terrifying.

The maids at the side carefully guarded the door, not daring to make any movements. They looked very frightened. But Shen Ninghua did not feel anything. She went forward to pay her respects. “Greetings, mother.”

“Get up.” Bu Yunqing did not turn around. She only asked Shen Ninghua to get up. Shen Ninghua waved her hand to dismiss the surrounding maids. When only the two of them were left in the main hall, she took two steps forward.

“Mother, you look a little tired. Have you slept well recently?”

Bu Yunqing looked at Chengqian Hall that was like a towering beast against the sky with an inexplicable expression in her eyes. “What do you think will happen to the Empress and Zhao Family today?”

Shen Ninghua lowered her eyes slightly. “Rebellion is the most serious crime. No matter how much Father Emperor favors the Empress and Zhao Family, I don’t think he will forgive them.”

The Emperor had long been prepared to get rid of the Zhao Family. His original intention was to help the Crown Prince destroy the powerful relatives of his mother. Now, although they did not know the Crown Prince’s fate, the Zhao Family was doomed.

Bu Yunqing blinked and sneered. “If he won’t spare the Empress and Zhao Family…then what about the Crown Prince?”

“Mother, since you asked this, I think you must already have an answer.”

Bu Yunqing’s expression turned cold bit by bit, filled with unspeakable ridicule. “The Emperor is old. When people get old, they tend to be soft-hearted, especially when it comes to the child whom he has doted on for so long.”

Shen Ninghua smiled. “There is a long time ahead. Be more patient, mother.”

Bu Yunqing curled up her lips silently. Shen Ninghua did not know if she was smiling or not. Bu Yunqing stared in the direction of Chengqian Hall like a motionless statue.

At this time, in the Chengqian Hall, the atmosphere was also cold.

The Empress and Crown Prince had been locked in the Heavenly Prison for seven days. Although no one dared to abuse them because they hadn’t been convicted yet, the environment in the prison was not something that people who were used to luxury food and clothes could adapt to. In seven days, the two of them lost a lot of weight. They looked tired and were in a sorry state.

Baili Qingcang swept his gaze over them and asked in a dignified voice, “Zhao Huiying, for the past five days, you wrote a confession each day to admit your crimes in detail. It seems that you have realized your errors?”

Zhao Huiying nodded calmly and looked up at the Emperor on the throne. Her eyes slowly reddened. “Your Majesty, I know that I was wrong, and I also know that I committed a big crime. I was sixteen years old when I married you in a bright red wedding dress. I served you for twenty-five years, and I changed from an ignorant young girl to a guilty woman…”

As she spoke, tears flowed down her face, and it was hard to tell if she was thinking about the past or regretting it.

Baili Qingcang’s expression was cold. “It is too late! I doted on you for more than twenty years and gave you the glory of being the most powerful and respected woman in the country. What’s more, your son is the Crown Prince. What else are you dissatisfied with so that you wanted to rebel?”

“I don’t know either. When I think about what happened, I feel like I was bewitched.” Zhao Huiying frowned and shook her head, letting her tears fall. She looked up at Baili Qingcang and went on in a trembling voice.

“Your Majesty, even if I wanted to rebel, I have never thought of killing you. I am just too afraid. Too many things have happened during this period of time. I lost your love bit by bit. I was afraid, afraid that in the end, I would have nothing. I was afraid that I would never be able to attract your attention even if I died…”

Zhao Huiying covered her chest and felt extremely painful. Only then did she realize what she was really thinking deep in her mind. She did not want Baili Qingcang to die. She was madly jealous of Xia Jingyan and tried her best to destroy her and the Xia family, only because she cared too much about Baili Qingcang.

Even this rebellion was staged because she was too afraid of losing everything she had now. She only wanted to destroy everything he had so that he no longer had the power to imprison her.

The space between Baili Qingcang’s eyebrows twitched as he suppressed the emotions in his eyes with deep coldness. “You are the Empress and the Crown Prince’s birth mother. As long as you don’t make a big mistake, you will always be the Empress. Who can shake your position?”

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Zhao Huiying smiled sadly. “Your Majesty, I regret it now. I shouldn’t have schemed against Xia Jingyan. I should have let her marry you and live with you for the past two decades, to see if you still love her as much as before…”

“Shut up! Don’t take Jingyan as an example. She is not a vicious woman like you. She will not do such a cruel thing!” Baili Qingcang, who had been calm all this time, suddenly shouted, and his face instantly twisted.

“Haha, hahaha!” Zhao Huiying raised her hand and slowly wiped away the tears off her face. Her expression was no longer as sorrowful as before and she slowly regained her dignified aura. “Your Majesty, I have already written down everything I did in detail. You can announce your punishment for me now.”

She regretted it. She regretted that she was too impulsive. She regretted everything she had done, but it was too late…If Xia Jingyan lived and became the Empress, the Emperor must have abdicated and lived happily with Xia Jingyan. In that case, there was no need for her to do all these. In the end, she was still defeated by Xia Jingyan. She would never win…

“Zhao Huiying violated the standards of moral conduct and is not worthy of the position of the Empress. I hereby decree that she shall be dethroned and the Ministry of Rite shall announce it to the country.” Baili Qingcang’s voice was cold without the slightest emotion. “Bailu Palace will be granted to you. There will be people sending you food and clothes on time. You are not allowed to take a single step out of Bailu Palace.”

Zhao Huiying tidied up her clothes and hair, and after making sure that everything was neat and tidy, she bowed and said, “Thank you for your benevolence, Your Majesty.”

After Zhao Huiying was brought away, Baili Qingcang’s gaze fell on the Crown Prince and a pained expression flashed across his face. “Baili Jinyi, do you know your mistake?”

The Crown Prince maintained a respectful expression. His kneeling posture was flawless and solemn, just like when he was in his glorious past. “Father Emperor, I know my mistake. I have nothing to explain. Please punish me, Father Emperor.”

Baili Qingcang looked displeased. “Don’t you have anything to say?”

“I made a big mistake. There is no defending myself.”

The more he said like this, the more Baili Qingcang hesitated. “Jinyi, you are my most beloved son. Why were you instigated by Zhao Huiying…”

Baili Jinyi looked up and opened his mouth several times, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he did not speak. He knelt on the ground and bowed respectfully. “Father Emperor, I committed a grave crime and made you worry. Please depose me as the Crown Prince. I’m willing to accept the consequences, whether I am beheaded or exiled.”

“You…” Baili Qingcang suddenly stood up, his face full of anger. “Good, very good. Someone, take the Crown Prince to Yuqing Palace and have him grounded. Without my oral edict, no one is allowed to visit him.”

“Your Majesty, please don’t. The Crown Prince conspired with the deposed Empress and attempted to rebel. This is an irrefutable fact. If you don’t punish him, how can the people of our country be convinced?”

“I agree. Lord Zhang is right. If such a great crime like rebellion can be easily pardoned, wouldn’t the whole country be in chaos?”

“For Your Majesty’s authority and for the safety of Da’an, he can’t be dealt with so casually.”

“Your Majesty…”

The quiet hall was instantly in a muddle because of Baili Qingcang’s words. In particular, the reactions of the Lin Family were the most intense. The Crown Prince and the Empress’ rebellion was like a pie that fell from the sky for them. If they did not seize this good opportunity, they might as well quit their posts and go home, never to get in involved in politics.

Baili Qingcang’s hands that were placed on the imperial writing desk tightened. The veins on the back of his hands popped up prominently. “The Crown Prince is my eldest legitimate son. Are you forcing me to kill my own son?”

Everyone instantly stopped speaking. Even if they wished to see Baili Jinyi die here, who had the guts to say so?

Baili Qingcang narrowed his eyes, and his eyes shined with a cold light. “Since no one answered, it means that you all agree. The Zhao Family’s crimes cannot be forgiven. All their relatives shall be put into the Heavenly Prison and be punished later.”

The Lin Family was completely in a panic. It was understandable that the Emperor didn’t intend to kill the Crown Prince. But how come he didn’t kill the Zhao Family right now? What was he going to do?

“Your Majesty, please reconsider.”

“Your Majesty…Your Majesty…”

Baili Qingcang ignored all of them. After he finished speaking, he stood up and left the main hall, leaving the officials to shout behind.

What happened in Chengqian Hall quickly spread throughout the harem. After listening to the report from the palace maid, Bu Yunqing sat on the soft couch and laughed.

“Haha, hahaha, as expected of the Emperor’s way of dealing with things. It is really unpredictable. Rebellion is the most heinous crime. Not to mention killing her, she should be directly cut into pieces alive. But he just deposed her and grounded her in Bailu Palace…”

Sensing the abnormalities in Bu Yunqing’s expression, Shen Ninghua waved her hand to dismiss the palace maids. Then, she personally brought a cup of tea and placed it beside Bu Yunqing’s hand. “Mother, being angry is bad for the liver. Please cool down.”

Bu Yunqing suddenly raised her hand to grab Shen Ninghua’s wrist. Her eyes were filled with madness. “Ninghua, I know you have all kinds of poisons. It is not convenient for me to obtain them in the Palace. Bring some for me.”

Shen Ninghua was shocked. “Mother, the situation is very favorable for us. Don’t be too hasty. We can just wait and see. The Lin Family will definitely take action before us. Why take the risk?”

“No. As long as Zhao Huiying is alive, I will feel uneasy. Ninghua, will you help me?”

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