The Return of the Seventh Young Lady-Chapter 177 - 176

Chapter 176

The Royal Palace

The next morning, the court officials gathered in the throne room for their regular proceedings, unaware of the death of the formidable Commander Wu. News within the capital had been completely sealed off by Mu Gongzhen, preventing any information from the outside from reaching the city.

"The Emperor arrives!"

The eunuch’s announcement echoed through the hall, and the officials all knelt in unison to pay their respects.

"Long live His Majesty, ten thousand years, ten thousand years, ten thousand, ten thousand years."

"You may rise."

At the Emperor’s command, the officials stood and expressed their gratitude. As they waited for urgent matters to be presented first, a figure from the front row stepped forward, catching everyone’s attention.

"Your Majesty, I have an urgent report to present,"

Mu Gongzhen declared in a deep, steady voice, his expression was calm and unreadable. His actions drew significant attention from the court officials.

It was well-known that Mu Gongzhen usually presented his reports last, allowing others to discuss state matters first, while he would usually report his own matters at the last period of the session. Yet today, he stepped forward first.

"Proceed, Master Mu,"

When the Emperor permitted, Mu Gongzhen produced three petitions from his sleeve and handed them to Eunuch Fu, who then presented them to the Emperor. Then, Mu Gongzhen began to explain.

"Your Majesty, I have been investigating the Mu family’s case for some time. It is known that the Mu family has always been loyal to the land. I do not believe they could have embezzled state funds. Later, I discovered several irregularities in the evidence and testimonies. These details are documented in the petitions. I ask Your Majesty to review them."

With that, a murmur of surprise spread among the officials. They exchanged meaningful glances, realizing Mu Gongzhen intended to clear the name of the Mu family, who had been executed for nine generations.

Although they had previously declared their separation from the Mu family, blood ties could not be entirely severed.

However, the execution of nine generations of the Mu family had already been carried out. If the case was now reinvestigated, wouldn’t that be a repeat of Cheng Bei Hou’s case?

"Master Mu, do not speak recklessly. The Mu family’s case has been thoroughly investigated, so there’s no way there could be any mistakes. To question this is to question the Emperor’s and the Empress Dowager’s decisions,"

Chancellor Gu said flatly, his face emotionless and unreadable but his eyes cold, as if veiled with a frost. His words, though seemingly innocuous, carried an implicit threat and pressure.

Despite that, Mu Gongzhen was undeterred, "I am not speaking recklessly, Master Gu. Do not rush to judgment. I have submitted three petitions to His Majesty, detailing everything comprehensively. Additionally, I have provided witnesses to His Majesty’s agents. Where is the recklessness in that?"

Chancellor Gu narrowed his eyes at Mu Gongzhen, pondering the young man’s intentions. Could it be that Mu Gongzhen had evidence of the Mu family’s wrongful accusation?

Impossible!

Both he and the Empress Dowager had handled everything meticulously. There was no way Mu Gongzhen could have found evidence to incriminate them.

"Your Majesty, all the evidence and testimonies indicate that the Mu family is innocent. They were falsely accused with fabricated evidence, leading to their unjust condemnation and death. I beseech Your Majesty to grant them justice!"

Mu Gongzhen fell to his knees, loudly pleading. His words caused great consternation among those present in the hall, with officials exchanging bewildered glances, afraid they had heard incorrectly.

The Mu family was framed?

Would history repeat itself?

"Master Mu, this is a grave matter. I hope you can bear the consequences. If it turns out that you did this merely to defend your family’s honor, I fear you will not be able to handle the repercussions..."

Chancellor Gu spoke coldly, his expression icily stern. He began to suspect that Mu Gongzhen had found evidence pointing to the Mu family’s framing, but he was uncertain how far this evidence could implicate them.

Thud!

"Audacious! How dare you!"

The furious roar from the throne echoed throughout the hall, startling and alarming the officials. None had ever seen the Emperor so enraged. Instinctively, everyone fell to their knees.

"I deserve death. Please, Your Majesty, calm your anger!"

"Calm my anger? Look at the evidence in these petitions and see what disgraceful deeds you’ve done!"

The Emperor’s angry voice boomed as he threw the petitions at the officials. The senior officials in the front row hurriedly picked them up and began reading. Their faces changed colors repeatedly, and they occasionally cast strange looks at Chancellor Gu.

This reaction gave Chancellor Gu an uneasy feeling. In the end, he decided to approach and quickly seized one of the petitions from a colleague and read it. Soon, his previously calm face turned ghostly pale, as if he had seen a ghost.

"This..."

"Your Majesty, the evidence clearly identifies the true culprit behind the framing of the Mu family—it is none other than Right Side Chancellor Gu. I beg Your Majesty to investigate and restore justice to the Mu family!"

Mu Gongzhen gave Chancellor Gu no chance to escape. He knelt again, loudly demanding justice, followed by his supporters who also knelt and echoed his plea.

Chancellor Gu and the Empress Dowager’s supporters watched the chaotic scene in confusion. He had never anticipated such a turn of events. The petitions contained not just general evidence, but detailed steps outlining the framing of the Mu family so comprehensively that not even Chancellor Gu could defend himself.

What on earth was happening?!

Inner Palace

In the Empress Dowager’s palace, Eunuch Hao, who had just returned from gathering information about Commander Wu outside the palace, hurriedly entered to report to his mistress.

"Your Majesty, our agents sent outside the capital have reported back with no news. I believe something must have happened."

Upon hearing the report from her trusted servant, the Empress Dowager immediately furrowed her brows. "The carrier pigeons haven’t returned either, have they?"

"No, Your Majesty. All communication channels we used to contact outside the capital have gone silent!"

"It seems someone is deliberately preventing Ai Jia from receiving any news from outside the capital..." the Empress Dowager said in a cold voice, her eyes glinting with a dangerous light.

"Send word to all our people within the capital. Tell them to prepare to execute the next phase of our plan!"

"Understood."

Eunuch Hao quickly departed to carry out her orders without delays. In the tense atmosphere of the palace, the Empress Dowager’s face showed unrestrained worry. She had already been feeling uneasy, and now, with the discovery that someone was cutting off her communication with the outside, her anxiety grew.

What had become of Commander Wu, her secret weapon?

As the Empress Dowager was contemplating how to handle the unforeseen events, Eunuch Hao, who had just left, returned with a pale face.

"Your Majesty..."

The Empress Dowager glanced at her close eunuch in puzzlement, but her confusion vanished instantly when she saw who was following him.

"Ai Jia did not know Your Majesty would visit. I must apologize for not preparing a proper welcome,"

The Empress Dowager said with a faint smile, her face regaining its calm as if nothing had happened.

"You are too kind, Empress Dowager. It is Zhen who arrived unannounced. I hope you do not mind," Chen Feng Yue replied, his expression a mix of a smile and a frown. He walked past Eunuch Hao and sat opposite the Empress Dowager, continuing,

"Zhen noticed earlier that your people seemed to be in a hurry. Zhen couldn’t help but wonder if you were facing any problems..."

"Ai Jia’s matters are Ai Jia’s to handle. There is no need to disturb Your Majesty’s precious time," the Empress Dowager dismissed nonchalantly, her voice cold and indifferent, though her face still bore a faint smile.

Chen Feng Yue, seeing this, smiled slightly at the corner of his mouth, his sharp eyes glinting coldly. "It must be about Commander Wu, right? Then let Zhen inform you, Empress Dowager, Commander Wu...is dead."

The Empress Dowager froze for a moment upon hearing this. Her entire body turned cold as she locked eyes with the man before her. Seeing the cold gleam in his eyes, she instantly knew that the Emperor was behind all of this!

She took a deep breath, adjusting her expression and demeanor back to normal, appearing unaffected by the news of Commander Wu’s death. "Is that so? Losing a skilled commander like him is indeed a loss for the nation."

"That’s not true,"

Chen Feng Yue retorted immediately, causing the Empress Dowager to falter. "Commander Wu might have been skilled, but he was not the only capable commander in the land. Zhen believes it’s beneficial that someone disloyal to the throne is gone. Skill alone is worthless without loyalty to the land and the royal court. Eliminating such a person is more beneficial than harmful..."

The Empress Dowager stared at the Emperor for a long time, her eyes flickering. Her palms under her sleeves were drenched with sweat.

He knew!

He knew everything!

It was he who acted first!

"Empress Dowager, our long-standing conflict should end here. You are not young anymore; it’s time for you to rest,"

Chen Feng Yue said coldly. The atmosphere in the palace was instantly filled with pressure and tension.

With just a few sentences exchanged, both understood and recognized the current situation. The Empress Dowager, who thought she had expedited her plans to strike first, realized she was the one who had been preemptively attacked.

"Hahaha."

Suddenly, the Empress Dowager laughed continuously, her laughter filled with mockery and self-pity. After a while, she revealed a bitter smile.

"If I had killed you along with your mother from the start, none of this would have happened!"

"Perhaps...But I’m still here, and it’s time to settle the blood debt owed to my mother," Chen Feng Yue said coldly, his eyes filled with danger as he looked at the woman before him.

For a long time, he had endured the injustice inflicted upon his mother before she passed away. If it weren’t for the other party’s overwhelming power, he would have killed this wicked woman long ago.

Hearing this, the Empress Dowager’s lips curved into a slight smile. Having faced death countless times, she did not fear it. She knew that within the royal palace, every step was fraught with deadly danger, and one misstep could lead oneself to hell instantly.

Today, she had lost, and there was no way she could escape alive. However, despite this, she had no intention of begging for her life or mercy from her enemy.

That was because she fully acknowledged her defeat. If the situation were reversed and it was the Emperor who had lost today, she would not have spared his life either. The royal palace was not a place of mercy but a place that brought death to many!

Chen Feng Yue glanced at the Empress Dowager briefly before signaling to his attendant. Upon seeing this, Eunuch Fu stepped forward with a tray in his hands.

"Due to the Empress Dowager’s crime of framing the Mu family and amassing troops with malicious intent against the stability of the region, His Majesty has sentenced her to death by poison. However, to preserve the royal family’s reputation, it will be announced to the public that the Empress Dowager’s death was due to an illness..."

With that, Eunuch Fu presented the tray with a wine cup to the Empress Dowager. Upon hearing her fate, the Empress Dowager couldn’t help but smirk at herself. She had struggled and fought for power for so long, only to meet such an empty end.

She picked up the cup of poisoned wine, her eyes sweeping around the palace where she had resided for decades. Memories of her time since she entered the palace began to flood her mind—fighting for power in the inner palace, the deaths of many concubines that had paved her way to this position. These memories were still vivid.

The Empress Dowager drank the poisoned wine in one gulp, then placed the cup back on the tray. A faint smile formed on her lips as memories continued to swirl in her mind. At this point, she realized it was finally time to rest.

She had fought in political wars for so long, and before she knew it, her body was now too weary to endure any longer...

Soon, blood began to trickle from the corners of her mouth. Her eyes slowly closed, and her body gently slumped back onto the daybed, laying still, as if she were merely falling asleep.

"Dispose of the remaining people in the palace,"

Chen Feng Yue commanded coldly. He stared at the Empress Dowager’s body once more to ensure she was truly gone before rising and leaving the palace.

As he stepped beyond the palace walls, the agonized cries of the eunuchs and maids inside echoed intermittently. Chen Feng Yue paused and looked back at the nameplate of the palace with a strange expression before finally walking away.

Shin Wang Palace

After the incident several months ago, Shin Wang, once a noble and valiant man, had fallen into complete disarray. He spent his days and nights indulging in alcohol and women, his temperament becoming increasingly volatile and violent.

Any minor displeasure or offensive remark could result in him ordering the flogging of the offender to death, instilling great fear among the servants in his palace.

While Shin Wang was immersed in revelry within his chambers, a commotion erupted outside, greatly irritating him.

"What is all that noise!? Get rid of whoever is making it!"

He shouted to his guard, who quickly went to investigate the situation. Shortly after the guard left, the door to the room was thrown open, and dozens of imperial guards marched in.

"Insolent! How dare you barge in without my permission!"

Shin Wang bellowed at the imperial guards, his face darkening with murderous intent. The women who had been entertaining him were startled and instinctively moved closer to him for protection.

"There is an imperial decree to arrest Shin Wang for conspiring with Chancellor Gu to fabricate evidence against the loyal Mu family, and for amassing troops without authorization. By order of His Majesty, all involved are to be taken to the imperial prison to await execution!"

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