Shang Yang had thought her words could provoke Xiao Jingheng, but he just looked at her with eyes like sealed mirrors, without a trace of emotional fluctuation in his eyes.
He said, "You came to this King's side when you were thirteen and 'endured humiliation' for a full seventeen years. This King does not believe you are here for something as simple as your motherland."
With a slight sigh, he continued, "Consort Hui, this King has always treated you well."
Shang Yang did not answer his question, but happily said, "You and I serve different masters. Now that I have fallen short, feel free to kill or punish me as you wish."
"You want to die?"
A flash of cold light passed through Xiao Jingheng's eyes. His sharp eagle-like eyes examined Shang Yang inch by inch, as if wanting to see through her.
"This King will not let you die. This King will make you watch as your motherland suffers a miserable fate, and make you watch what will happen to your clansmen because of your schemes."
Shang Yang was unafraid of his threats. On the contrary, she laughed mockingly and said,
"What can you do to my motherland? You dare not tell the world that your Consort Hui, the birth mother of the Third Prince, is actually an undercover agent from an enemy state who has been by your side for seventeen years. Moreover, Zhu Yin has already surrendered to the Qi Dynasty, so Zhu Yin's people are also the Qi people. If you attack Zhu Yin without reason at this time, you will definitely provoke criticism from your officials and people."
As she spoke, she became more and more smug, provoking Xiao Jingheng by raising her eyebrows,
"Xiao Jingheng, even if you have discovered my identity, what can you do? You still can't do anything!"
Hearing this, Xiao Jingheng's eyes instantly darkened, and his smile gradually became gloomy.
"This King will not harm Zhu Yin's common people. But Jiang Muye will surely die a violent death."
Shang Yang's heart was shaken when he suddenly mentioned the person in her thoughts, and she blurted out without thinking,
"You can't!"
But as soon as the words left her mouth, she regretted them.
Just this one sentence was enough for Xiao Jingheng to detect something odd.
"So he is the one you care about." He slowly sneered, cutting off Shang Yang's words, and continued heart-piercingly,
"Jiang Muye is after this King's throne, so your identity as a spy cannot be known to the world, but he will also have to apologize to the world. Be prepared to watch how this King tortures him!"
Shang Yang's body trembled violently, and she said fiercely,
"The Emperor led Zhu Yin to surrender to the Qi Dynasty. If not for him, the Qi Dynasty would have spent countless troops and horses to conquer Zhu Yin! You..."
"You don't need to list his 'great achievements' to this King. From the moment he tried to plot against this King, he should have known that if he fails, he has no chance of surviving."
Xiao Jingheng's voice was steady. He sat upright on the dragon throne, looking down at Shang Yang,
"Of course, if you want to keep him alive, that is also possible. This King wants to hear you tell the truth - how exactly did your unborn prince die in your belly?"
Shang Yang was stunned for a moment, and though the words reached her lips, she swallowed them back.
She understood Xiao Jingheng too well. His every frown and sigh could convey deep meanings to Shang Yang.
She knew that no matter what she said, it would not change the ending for this heartless man.
So after thinking for a moment, she suddenly laughed sadly, "Hahahaha! You really want to know? Then I'll tell you the truth. I killed this child with my own hands."
She caressed her flat belly and said a little proudly,
"But you can't blame me. You can only blame yourself. It was you who ordered Doctor Guo to give me medication which made me think there was a daughter in my belly. I was planning to use her to scheme against Song Zhao. So..."
Shang Yang calmly looked up and smiled oddly at Xiao Jingheng,
"Congratulations, Xiao Jingheng. Once again, you have personally killed your own child!"
Xiao Jingheng listened to her vicious words, but by now he didn't care at all.
Even if she had not killed the child herself, now that the truth was exposed, the child would have no chance of surviving.
To Xiao Jingheng, anything that threatened his empire was not worthy of his extra care or affection, let alone sympathy.
Then, the anger gradually disappeared from his face, leaving only coldness as he peered at Shang Yang:
"Before the Fourth Prince's one month celebration, the palace should not see bloodshed. This King will not kill you, but will have people torture you cruelly every day. If you dare to die, then the Emperor of Zhu Yin will accompany you!"
With a wave of his hand, he shouted loudly:
"Men! Take this sinful woman and lock her in the water dungeon!"
That night, Shang Yang suffered extreme torture in the torture chamber.
The secret service members no longer had to worry or hesitate since they had Xiao Jingheng's decree.
They took turns inflicting on her every cruel punishment that can cause extreme pain - finger dislocation, beatings, ant bites, iron branding...
Many times, the pain almost caused Shang Yang to lose consciousness, but as long as she touched the blood red coral in her sleeve, recalling the one person she loved all her life, she could grit her teeth and bear the pain no matter how intense it was.
The next day, the inner court had decided on the name and title for the Fourth Prince.
After court in the morning, Xiao Jingheng brought the name list to the Chang Le Palace.
He sat intimately with Zhao Hua in the warmth, holding his beauty in his arms, pointing to the names on the name list one by one,
"The Imperial Astronomical Bureau chose these as the most suitable names for our son's birth and fate. Which character does my darling like?"
Zhao Hua glanced over quickly, and her gaze soon landed on the character "Ye".
"The Astrological Bureau said that our Fourth Prince was lacking the fire element. This character "Ye" looks perfect to me. It also connotes a flourishing light, blazing a trail for the future, a very good sign. What does my lord think?"
"Hahaha!" Xiao Jingheng laughed heartily. Grasping Zhao Hua's hand, he said, "As expected, my darling is of the same mind as this King!"
Originally Zhao Hua was also laughing with him, but soon, her smiling face turned to worry instead.
"Actually, setting his birthday as early as the sixth day of the third month would have been best. With five elements fully present, it's also an Emperor's auspicious day. It's a pity..."
"The second day of the third month is also a good day." Xiao Jingheng comforted her, "Consort Hui has already received due punishment. She also admitted that she personally miscarried her own child that day, only to frame you. But since Fourth Prince Cheng Ye's one month celebration is coming up and executions should not occur in the palace before then, after his one month celebration is over, this King will kill the lowly woman to avenge you and our son."
Hearing this, Zhao Hua's expression remained unchanged, but she felt quite shocked inside.
She had thought that Shang Yang would bite to the death at her last breath, causing Xiao Jingheng to doubt her, but unexpectedly... she actually admitted to such an absurd thing herself?
As things stood, Zhao Hua's belly full of arguments was useless.
While talking with Xiao Jingheng, the little eunuch Xiaoyin hurriedly came to report:
"Your Majesty, tomorrow is the Grand Empress Dowager's memorial ceremony. The Ministry of Rites has prepared everything. It's just that since Her Majesty the Queen is still in her postpartum month, the Grand Empress Dowager's memorial ceremony will take place at Yuntai, which requires climbing heights. I wonder if this would be..."
Without a second thought, Xiao Jingheng said, "While the Queen recuperates, isn't Noble Consort Chen in charge of trivial matters in the six palaces? Have her lead the concubines to make offerings to the late Empress Dowager."
But Zhao Hua disagreed, "My lord, I have only just become Queen. This is also the late Empress Dowager's first memorial ceremony. I want to personally perform the ceremonial rituals, to show my filial piety."
"But your health..."
"It doesn't matter. The physicians also said to have me walk more. I will go tomorrow. If I really can't handle it, Noble Consort Chen can take over. What does my lord think?"
The late Empress Dowager's first memorial ceremony was very important. It would make all the civil and military officials see the Queen's virtue if she personally led the concubines to perform the memorial rituals.
As such, Xiao Jingheng had no choice but to reluctantly said:
"Alright, since you insist, this King will not say more. Just remember not to push yourself too hard, you hear?"
Zhao Hua nodded in agreement and nestled in Xiao Jingheng's embrace, smiling silently.
[One update today. I wasn't satisfied with the plot development in today's Chapter 2, so I deleted the whole thing. Please allow me some time to sort out my thoughts, and I'll come back with a triple update bombing run tomorrow. Thanks for understanding.]
Shang Yang had thought her words could provoke Xiao Jingheng, but he just looked at her with eyes like sealed mirrors, without a trace of emotional fluctuation in his eyes.
He said, "You came to this King's side when you were thirteen and 'endured humiliation' for a full seventeen years. This King does not believe you are here for something as simple as your motherland."
With a slight sigh, he continued, "Consort Hui, this King has always treated you well."
Shang Yang did not answer his question, but happily said, "You and I serve different masters. Now that I have fallen short, feel free to kill or punish me as you wish."
"You want to die?"
A flash of cold light passed through Xiao Jingheng's eyes. His sharp eagle-like eyes examined Shang Yang inch by inch, as if wanting to see through her.
"This King will not let you die. This King will make you watch as your motherland suffers a miserable fate, and make you watch what will happen to your clansmen because of your schemes."
Shang Yang was unafraid of his threats. On the contrary, she laughed mockingly and said,
"What can you do to my motherland? You dare not tell the world that your Consort Hui, the birth mother of the Third Prince, is actually an undercover agent from an enemy state who has been by your side for seventeen years. Moreover, Zhu Yin has already surrendered to the Qi Dynasty, so Zhu Yin's people are also the Qi people. If you attack Zhu Yin without reason at this time, you will definitely provoke criticism from your officials and people."
As she spoke, she became more and more smug, provoking Xiao Jingheng by raising her eyebrows,
"Xiao Jingheng, even if you have discovered my identity, what can you do? You still can't do anything!"
Hearing this, Xiao Jingheng's eyes instantly darkened, and his smile gradually became gloomy.
"This King will not harm Zhu Yin's common people. But Jiang Muye will surely die a violent death."
Shang Yang's heart was shaken when he suddenly mentioned the person in her thoughts, and she blurted out without thinking,
"You can't!"
But as soon as the words left her mouth, she regretted them.
Just this one sentence was enough for Xiao Jingheng to detect something odd.
"So he is the one you care about." He slowly sneered, cutting off Shang Yang's words, and continued heart-piercingly,
"Jiang Muye is after this King's throne, so your identity as a spy cannot be known to the world, but he will also have to apologize to the world. Be prepared to watch how this King tortures him!"
Shang Yang's body trembled violently, and she said fiercely,
"The Emperor led Zhu Yin to surrender to the Qi Dynasty. If not for him, the Qi Dynasty would have spent countless troops and horses to conquer Zhu Yin! You..."
"You don't need to list his 'great achievements' to this King. From the moment he tried to plot against this King, he should have known that if he fails, he has no chance of surviving."
Xiao Jingheng's voice was steady. He sat upright on the dragon throne, looking down at Shang Yang,
"Of course, if you want to keep him alive, that is also possible. This King wants to hear you tell the truth - how exactly did your unborn prince die in your belly?"
Shang Yang was stunned for a moment, and though the words reached her lips, she swallowed them back.
She understood Xiao Jingheng too well. His every frown and sigh could convey deep meanings to Shang Yang.
She knew that no matter what she said, it would not change the ending for this heartless man.
So after thinking for a moment, she suddenly laughed sadly, "Hahahaha! You really want to know? Then I'll tell you the truth. I killed this child with my own hands."
She caressed her flat belly and said a little proudly,
"But you can't blame me. You can only blame yourself. It was you who ordered Doctor Guo to give me medication which made me think there was a daughter in my belly. I was planning to use her to scheme against Song Zhao. So..."
Shang Yang calmly looked up and smiled oddly at Xiao Jingheng,
"Congratulations, Xiao Jingheng. Once again, you have personally killed your own child!"
Xiao Jingheng listened to her vicious words, but by now he didn't care at all.
Even if she had not killed the child herself, now that the truth was exposed, the child would have no chance of surviving.
To Xiao Jingheng, anything that threatened his empire was not worthy of his extra care or affection, let alone sympathy.
Then, the anger gradually disappeared from his face, leaving only coldness as he peered at Shang Yang:
"Before the Fourth Prince's one month celebration, the palace should not see bloodshed. This King will not kill you, but will have people torture you cruelly every day. If you dare to die, then the Emperor of Zhu Yin will accompany you!"
With a wave of his hand, he shouted loudly:
"Men! Take this sinful woman and lock her in the water dungeon!"
That night, Shang Yang suffered extreme torture in the torture chamber.
The secret service members no longer had to worry or hesitate since they had Xiao Jingheng's decree.
They took turns inflicting on her every cruel punishment that can cause extreme pain - finger dislocation, beatings, ant bites, iron branding...
Many times, the pain almost caused Shang Yang to lose consciousness, but as long as she touched the blood red coral in her sleeve, recalling the one person she loved all her life, she could grit her teeth and bear the pain no matter how intense it was.
The next day, the inner court had decided on the name and title for the Fourth Prince.
After court in the morning, Xiao Jingheng brought the name list to the Chang Le Palace.
He sat intimately with Zhao Hua in the warmth, holding his beauty in his arms, pointing to the names on the name list one by one,
"The Imperial Astronomical Bureau chose these as the most suitable names for our son's birth and fate. Which character does my darling like?"
Zhao Hua glanced over quickly, and her gaze soon landed on the character "Ye".
"The Astrological Bureau said that our Fourth Prince was lacking the fire element. This character "Ye" looks perfect to me. It also connotes a flourishing light, blazing a trail for the future, a very good sign. What does my lord think?"
"Hahaha!" Xiao Jingheng laughed heartily. Grasping Zhao Hua's hand, he said, "As expected, my darling is of the same mind as this King!"
Originally Zhao Hua was also laughing with him, but soon, her smiling face turned to worry instead.
"Actually, setting his birthday as early as the sixth day of the third month would have been best. With five elements fully present, it's also an Emperor's auspicious day. It's a pity..."
"The second day of the third month is also a good day." Xiao Jingheng comforted her, "Consort Hui has already received due punishment. She also admitted that she personally miscarried her own child that day, only to frame you. But since Fourth Prince Cheng Ye's one month celebration is coming up and executions should not occur in the palace before then, after his one month celebration is over, this King will kill the lowly woman to avenge you and our son."
Hearing this, Zhao Hua's expression remained unchanged, but she felt quite shocked inside.
She had thought that Shang Yang would bite to the death at her last breath, causing Xiao Jingheng to doubt her, but unexpectedly... she actually admitted to such an absurd thing herself?
As things stood, Zhao Hua's belly full of arguments was useless.
While talking with Xiao Jingheng, the little eunuch Xiaoyin hurriedly came to report:
"Your Majesty, tomorrow is the Grand Empress Dowager's memorial ceremony. The Ministry of Rites has prepared everything. It's just that since Her Majesty the Queen is still in her postpartum month, the Grand Empress Dowager's memorial ceremony will take place at Yuntai, which requires climbing heights. I wonder if this would be..."
Without a second thought, Xiao Jingheng said, "While the Queen recuperates, isn't Noble Consort Chen in charge of trivial matters in the six palaces? Have her lead the concubines to make offerings to the late Empress Dowager."
But Zhao Hua disagreed, "My lord, I have only just become Queen. This is also the late Empress Dowager's first memorial ceremony. I want to personally perform the ceremonial rituals, to show my filial piety."
"But your health..."
"It doesn't matter. The physicians also said to have me walk more. I will go tomorrow. If I really can't handle it, Noble Consort Chen can take over. What does my lord think?"
The late Empress Dowager's first memorial ceremony was very important. It would make all the civil and military officials see the Queen's virtue if she personally led the concubines to perform the memorial rituals.
As such, Xiao Jingheng had no choice but to reluctantly said:
"Alright, since you insist, this King will not say more. Just remember not to push yourself too hard, you hear?"
Zhao Hua nodded in agreement and nestled in Xiao Jingheng's embrace, smiling silently.
[One update today. I wasn't satisfied with the plot development in today's Chapter 2, so I deleted the whole thing. Please allow me some time to sort out my thoughts, and I'll come back with a triple update bombing run tomorrow. Thanks for understanding.]
