In all his years as an official, Duke Chu had never been in such a wretched state.
He felt as though he had been driven to the edge of a cliff—if he made even the slightest misstep, he would shatter into pieces, his body destroyed with nothing left behind.
But now, at this point, Jiang Yanzhen was here, speaking clearly and explicitly, even daring to swear on his life.
Lu Mingan had also returned, bringing with him the Prefect of Tongzhou, Ma Xuan, and Zhou Wang—both men whom Emperor Yongchang had always trusted, and both could testify that Lu Minghui had gone to assassinate Xiao Mo and Princess Consort Lu.
More than that, even a senior maid from Lu Minghui’s household came forward, swearing on her life and fortune that it was Duke Chu who had bribed Chen Chong, the steward of Lu Minghui’s residence, to kill Eldest Madam Lu and silence her, to prevent her from turning against him like Jiang Yanzhen had.
Someone had pieced together all the past events with the recent ones, weaving them into a tight, inescapable net.
Even though some parts of it were not true, it no longer mattered.
Because lies that mix truth and falsehood are always the hardest to unravel.
For the first time, Duke Chu was at a complete loss for words.
The Eldest Princess turned and knelt on the ground, desperately kowtowing: “Royal Brother, all these years I kept saying that the Feng family’s reach wasn’t that long—that they couldn’t have been the ones who hunted down Sister-in-law from a thousand miles away. Look, now the truth is finally revealed!”
She choked with tears: “Royal Brother! Sister-in-law sacrificed everything for you. She stayed alone in Zhangzhou to secure your rear defenses. Even while pregnant, she climbed the city walls to boost morale. But look—what was done to her? What did they reduce her to?!”
Emperor Yongchang felt as if his heart was being gouged out, drowning in guilt.
At that moment, Lu Mingan suddenly said: “Your Majesty, you have not yet met the Eldest Prince, have you?”
The Eldest Prince…
Emperor Yongchang was momentarily dazed.
Yes, by seniority and order, the child born of Liu Wangfei was the legitimate eldest son—the Eldest Prince.
The Eldest Princess burst into tears: “A perfectly good child, the rightful first-born heir, was utterly ruined by Duke Chu—a beast in human skin! All for a woman! For a woman, he cast aside loyalty, filial piety, benevolence, and righteousness! His crimes are beyond redemption!”
The moment the words disloyal, unfilial, devoid of benevolence and righteousness were spoken, Duke Chu suddenly vomited a mouthful of blood.
He had fought all his life, winning battles with genuine skill and courage.
But in the end, because of personal affairs, the judgment passed on him was now that he was disloyal, unfilial, without benevolence or righteousness.
Emperor Yongchang thought of Liu Wangfei and Xiao Mo, and his rage could no longer be suppressed.
At that precise moment, Eunuch Xia entered and softly reported: “Your Majesty, Minister of Rites Zhu Bin and Marquis Ruyi Chen Hao are outside, requesting an audience.”
Emperor Yongchang sneered.
Of course, he knew these men were close friends and longtime allies.
Lai Chenglong had already reported how they had obstructed the Embroidered Uniform Guard from carrying out their duties.
Now, hearing they had come to plead, Emperor Yongchang coldly snapped: “Minister of Rites Zhu Bin, Marquis Ruyi Chen Hao, have obstructed the Embroidered Uniform Guard in the execution of imperial orders, defied the emperor’s decree. Strip Zhu Bin of his jinshi status, remove his official robes and hat. Strip Chen Hao of his noble title. Three generations of their descendants are forbidden from entering government service. Tell them to get out of my sight!”
Eunuch Xia trembled as he bowed and accepted the order, already understanding the situation clearly.
Duke Chu’s household was finished.
What remained uncertain was whether Noble Consort Xiao Liu and the others would also be dragged down.
At this moment, Duke Chu was worried about the same thing.
One wrong move, and he had lost the entire game. Now he had been completely defeated by the Eastern Palace and Qi Yuan.
Judging by Emperor Yongchang’s current posture, there was no chance of a peaceful resolution.
Even those like Chen Hao who came to plead for mercy had their titles stripped immediately.
The Eldest Princess and Lu Mingan were still here, weeping and pleading, further stoking Emperor Yongchang’s fury.
When that anger finally erupted, it was likely that Noble Consort Xiao Liu and the princesses would also be implicated.
If Emperor Yongchang pitied Liu Wangfei and Xiao Mo, he would surely develop a grudge against Liu Wangfei in the future.
Qi Yuan! Qi Yuan!
If he had known earlier that the adopted daughter of that butcher could really stir up such monstrous waves all by herself, he would have strangled her to death long ago!
It was all because he underestimated the enemy! All because he underestimated her!
His heart was wracked with sharp pain, but his mind was spinning rapidly.
No, he could not allow the Consort and the Princesses to be implicated.
As long as the green hills remain, there will always be wood to burn.
He knew the capabilities of Princess Baorong.
As long as there was even a sliver of hope, she could launch a desperate counterattack.
So…
So now only his own death—this old man’s death—could buy them a chance.
A trial? No one would judge him!
No one would be allowed to convict him!
His gaze became resolute. Suddenly, with deep anguish, he kowtowed to Emperor Yongchang and bitterly smiled, saying: “Your Majesty, if you wish to condemn someone, you’ll always find a charge. Perhaps in Your Majesty’s heart, this old minister has truly become a man guilty of the most heinous crimes—murdering wife and daughter. This old minister…”
He cupped his hands in salute: “This old minister cannot defend himself, nor does he know how to argue.”
The Eldest Princess immediately sneered: “All the evidence and witnesses are right here—what more is there to argue?!”
Duke Chu’s expression remained calm, his lips trembling as he choked out: “This old minister cannot defend himself, but I will not allow anyone to defile my name. What I fear even more, is that the so-called real intent lies not in the wine…”
His words were pointed, implying there was a hidden motive behind all this—hinting that the real target was not him, but rather Qi Wang and Noble Consort Xiao Liu.
Without another word, he suddenly rose and violently rammed his head into the four-cornered auspicious qilin incense burner in the hall, instantly smashing a bloody hole in his head. He collapsed to the ground and died on the spot.
He actually killed himself, just like that.
The hall instantly fell into an eerie silence.
The Eldest Princess was in disbelief.
That old man—such a troublesome, formidable opponent—just died like that?
Lu Mingan’s face was terribly grim. He clearly understood Duke Chu’s intention.
It was a deliberate move. His final words subtly pointed toward the Eastern Palace, implying that this was all a scheme orchestrated by the Crown Prince—that the real target was Qi Wang and Noble Consort Xiao Liu.
What a vicious old man! He actually broke the game with his death!
Zhou Wang had remained silent from beginning to end.
This involved a Princess Consort, Wangfei, Wangye, and even entangled the Eastern Palace.
He would have to be insane to get involved in something like this.
But now that Duke Chu was dead…
Just as he was thinking, a cry came from outside the hall—Noble Consort Xiao Liu’s voice:“Your Majesty! Your Majesty! It is all my fault! If there is blame, please place it all upon me! Your Majesty, my father is already old—please, I beg you!”
Eunuch Xia soon entered, bowing as he reported: “Your Majesty, Noble Consort Xiao Liu has removed her hairpins and is barefoot, kneeling outside requesting an audience.”
For imperial consorts, removing their hairpins was akin to officials removing their hats and official robes—it signified acknowledgment of guilt.
Hearing that Noble Consort Xiao Liu was kneeling barefoot and had removed her hairpins, Emperor Yongchang looked again at Duke Chu’s corpse, and for a moment, he felt utterly weary.
The New Year was upon them—tomorrow was New Year’s Eve—but today was the hardest, most agonizing New Year’s he had ever experienced.
He had thought that finding Liu Wangfei again would bring the family reunion he had longed for, that all would finally be complete.
But he never expected it would instead be the beginning of a bloody storm.
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