HLnovel Chapter 817 Confession
Chapter 817 Confession
Consort Xu listened to Lu Yangyang's voice and looked at the embroidery needle that was almost touching her eyes; it was so familiar.
In a daze, she seemed to truly see the Tenth Prince's pale, sinister face, his hair disheveled, blood slowly seeping from his seven orifices. He moved closer and closer to her, his hands reaching for her neck, his icy voice questioning her.
"Aunt, why did you hurt me—"
Consort Xu's pupils dilated suddenly. She was so frightened that she almost jumped out of her skin. Trembling, she stumbled backward, waving her hands as if trying to drive something away and shouting.
"No, I didn't know, I really didn't know you would die, I just wanted, I just wanted you to—"
Upon hearing this, Consort Xu's body suddenly stiffened.
The unfocused light in her eyes gradually gathered, and she finally realized what she had said. In an instant, she felt as if she had fallen into an ice cave, and her whole body began to feel cold until she slowly lost consciousness.
Hearing her voice, Consort Yu's fingers clenched so tightly they almost broke her nails, yet she raised her head, her face streaked with tears, and kowtowed heavily, pleading, "Your Majesty, I beg you to do justice for Ming'er—"
At this point, there is no need to prove anything further. The words that Consort Xu uttered are enough to prove that the Tenth Prince did not die suddenly from a serious illness, but was killed by Consort Xu.
Lu Yangyang straightened up, looked down at Consort Xu whose face was ashen, and added to what she had said, "You just wanted to ruin the Tenth Prince so that you could have an opportunity. By killing the Tenth Prince and implicating Consort Duan, you could then legitimately take the young prince back to your side to raise. That's what the person who instructed you told you, right?"
"No, no, no," Consort Xu retorted instinctively, wanting to say something more, but Lu Yangyang didn't give her the chance.
Lu Yangyang turned to the Emperor and said, “Your Majesty, things have come to this point, and it’s very clear. Someone secretly instigated Consort Xu, taking advantage of her desire to bring back the young prince, to kill the Tenth Prince with this embroidery needle, and also implicated Consort Duan—killing two birds with one stone! Most importantly, someone actually used such a vicious trick in the inner palace. If I hadn’t discovered it, wouldn’t the Tenth Prince, a prince, have died so quietly in the inner palace, without even a trace of his cause of death? I urge Your Majesty to thoroughly investigate this matter and not let such a vicious person go unpunished!”
Consort Xu was sweating profusely. She never expected that the person she would encounter today would be the deposed Crown Princess Lu Yangyang. However, she also understood that she could not let this matter continue, otherwise not only her, but her entire Xu family would be implicated.
So she quickly confessed, "No, it was all my doing, Your Majesty. I am guilty. I was jealous that Consort Duan raised my son. I did everything by myself..."
However, it would have been better if she hadn't said that; her words caused the Emperor's expression to darken completely.
Lu Yangyang's words were a reminder to the Emperor that someone in the harem had silently murdered the Tenth Prince right under his nose, without even being able to find out the cause of death. If this matter ended here and was not investigated further, then who knows who would be the next victim?
The Emperor certainly understood Lu Yangyang's implication, but the imperial court and the harem were an inseparable whole, and he always needed to maintain a proper balance. Therefore, he inevitably had to consider this matter for the time being.
But when Consort Xu confessed, it was tantamount to telling the Emperor and everyone else that she had killed the Tenth Prince and that someone had instigated it.
If the Emperor were to pin the Tenth Prince's case solely on Consort Xu and not pursue it further, not only would he be unable to explain himself to Consort Yu and the Shen family, but the Emperor himself would also begin to become suspicious.
The Emperor has more than a dozen sons; he doesn't lack sons. Some princes have died young. He may feel sorry for the Tenth Prince, but that's all. However, if his own safety is threatened, that's a different matter.
Lu Yangyang deliberately made it clear that the cause of death was unknown and could not be found, so that the emperor could make up his mind.
As expected, no sooner had Consort Xu finished speaking than the Emperor's cold, stern voice boomed down.
"Demote the criminal Xu to commoner status, and order the Dali Temple to imprison and interrogate her. They must thoroughly investigate the case of the Tenth Prince and get to the bottom of it!"
In his fury, no one dared to speak and all lowered their heads.
Lu Yangyang was afraid that the emperor would leave like this, so she quickly called out, "Your Majesty!"
The Emperor had no desire to see Lu Yangyang any longer and asked with a hint of impatience, "What else do you want?"
Lu Yangyang immediately seized the opportunity, "Your Majesty, you are wise and powerful. Why hand over the interrogation of Consort Xu—oh, no, I mean Commoner Xu—to the Dali Temple? It's quite a distance from the palace to the Dali Temple. What if something happens to Commoner Xu on the way? Wouldn't all our efforts be in vain? As long as you speak up, even if Commoner Xu has the greatest audacity, he wouldn't dare to deceive you!"
After Lu Yangyang showered them with compliments, Consort Yu and Consort Duan immediately echoed her sentiments.
Consort Yu cried, "Your Majesty, I dare not trust anyone else at this moment, I can only trust you. You must do justice for me and Ming'er!"
Consort Duan also said, "Your Majesty, I was innocently implicated and almost died in the temple. Now I have no other wish but to find out the truth as soon as possible. Otherwise, even if I am in the palace, I fear I will not see the sun rise tomorrow! In my opinion, what the princess said makes perfect sense. If the person behind this can kill the Tenth Prince in the harem without anyone noticing, what if they silenced Consort Xu, or what if Consort Xu suddenly committed suicide?"
At this point, she panicked and quickly instructed the palace servants, "You must keep a close eye on Consort Xu! We absolutely cannot let her commit suicide out of fear of punishment!"
The palace servants rushed forward and completely subdued Consort Xu, who hadn't even had a chance to react, giving her no chance to commit suicide.
Lu Yangyang turned to Consort Xu and advised, "Consort Xu, I advise you to confess. In this vast world, who is greater than His Majesty? If you cover for someone else, are you disrespecting His Majesty?"
Lu Yangyang said this to Consort Xu, but her gaze secretly drifted towards the inner palace behind Consort Xu.
Consort Xu was terrified in an instant.
Lu Yangyang was telling her that she still had a son, and the only one who could protect him now was the Emperor.
The Emperor was suddenly showered with compliments, which dissipated some of his anger. He asked Consort Xu in a cold voice, "Speak, who told you to harm the Tenth Prince? Think it over before you speak, I won't give anyone a second chance."
Consort Xu dared not look at the Emperor. Although she was beautiful, she was not favored in the harem. In the past two years, with Consort Duan's exclusive favor, she was already extremely fortunate to have given birth to a prince. Under the Emperor's pressure, she dared not lie.
She was already doomed; only the Emperor could save the young prince's life.
Xu Guiren made a snap decision, deciding to go all in, and said, "It's Consort Xiao."