The Emperor ordered Zhao Tang

Chapter 304 Mother and Son

After moving back from Changpingyuan ahead of schedule, Concubine Xian was locked up in the torture chamber together with her two sons.

The eldest Li Zaiji was already of old age. He seemed to have a premonition of something. He sat under the pipa tree in the courtyard all day in a daze, or talked to the female emperor outside through the crack in the door, asking why he was locked up there.

Little Li Tongyue has not yet been weaned. She just eats and sleeps, and is often frightened by the gloomy environment and bursts into tears.

The virtuous concubine's mind was blank. She didn't know whether she was sad or happy, and there was no wind or rain, nor was there sunshine or rain. She couldn't make sense of anything.

My father had resorted to such a despicable act, stabbing the sage in the back while he was fighting in front of him, and even robbed the palace. He had been deadlocked in Zuo Fengyi for so long, and clearly had the intention of regicide. This was unacceptable.

Moreover, when he did these things, he did not consider his own situation, nor did he think about his family, Miaowei, Luoluo, and Cunxu. Did he not care about the consequences at all, or was he confident that he would not lose, or at least get out of it safely?

The virtuous concubine couldn't understand it, but she was also disappointed with Li Keyong.

So the virtuous concubine was depressed for a while. When she heard the phrase "come like flowing water and go like wind" in the imperial court that day, she didn't go in to say anything soft, but simply avoided it and followed her father. It would be good for everyone if such a scourge died earlier.

But after the Battle of Puzhindu, she could no longer remain calm.

She listened to Nangong Chongyan and the others' laughter and their detailed descriptions of the tragic situation of the Yellow River and the donkey cart's escape at night.

Uncle Zhou died, and many of his sworn brothers died. My father was ultimately no match for the sage. The sage issued an order to dismember Hedong, and even issued a death order for his own family, demanding the lives of my father and mother with seventeen marquises and viscounts, even Miaowei and Cunxu were on the list.

I am undoubtedly on both sides, much more so than my husband.

But when it rises to this level, it’s more about my mother’s family…

But why, the one standing on that side is the saint?

How could this emperor, who was handsome and full of dirty talk when I first met him, not look like a lonely emperor, but a heroic and lonely young man of the Holy Tang Dynasty whose love affair would only affect my wanderings in the world, have achieved such a career in the blink of an eye and become like this, and have come to this point with me? I had never imagined how ruthless and decisive he would be.

Now even when I recall it, I feel inexplicable palpitations and chest pains?

Is this the end of our memories?
We have walked hand in hand through the cold winter, and shared life and death, but now we should say goodbye in this spring.

But being imprisoned, sitting alone in the torture chamber, the quieter the surroundings are, the more idle I am, the more confused my heart becomes, and the longing and regret I feel can never be eliminated.

When I felt the most uncomfortable, I could only sit under a tree, make a circle of grass, count ants, and try hard to restrain myself and not think about all these things.

But he was helpless against this cruel fate. The more it tortured him, the more it tempered him to be more adapted to the troubled times. He could no longer bear such teasing.

She waited in the torture chamber for the meeting with the hope of a slim chance.

My father is dead, and I only have a few sisters and brothers. I can't accept watching Yazi die in a flashy way and Miaowei wandering in the streets with no idea where she ended up.

I hope that the relationship I have for a few years can keep a few people together, and I hope that I am still worth that little bit of money.

If our wish fails, we might as well die together in the hands of the saint, so as to avoid being tied up and making things difficult for both parties. It is also better to wait and go crazy than to spend the rest of our lives in this dark palace castle.

In the ravine, the virtuous concubine waited in a daze in the long night with a glimmer of hope, and finally waited for the saint to return!
"Why is it you? Pig? Where's he?"

Every year, the grass grows and withers, and the yard full of weeds is lonely and empty.

A burly warrior stood in the open space, but he looked just as haggard as she did.

The virtuous concubine looked carefully and recognized that it was a pig.

The Turkic man, who is barely thirty years old, looks extremely fierce no matter where he is.

At this moment, it was as if my soul had been sucked out of me.

Hearing the urgent voice of Concubine Xian, he turned around and bowed to her, saying in a hoarse voice: "Your Highness has suffered, I can't do anything! The court sent an official to meet you first and take the two holy sons away..."

Xian Fei's expression changed immediately, and she pulled Li Zaiji and Li Tongyue behind her: "………………What is he going to do? Ask him to come and talk!"

A pair of large grey eyes just stared at him.

Zhazhu felt as if his heart was suffocating.

Why do we, the children of Daibei, have such a miserable life? What evil did we do in our previous lives to be reborn in this late Warring States period!
"It's not what Your Highness thinks. It's just to take the Holy Son out of the palace. The two Holy Sons can leave now."

The virtuous concubine's lips twitched slightly, as if she had anticipated something.

"Come here." She turned around and brought the two brothers to her, squatted down, and touched the face of the King of Dai: "You two are going out."

Li Zaijik looked at his mother's blurry face through the mist in his eyes and said, "Mom, you're not leaving?"

"I have something to do."

Li Zaijik wiped his tears and said, "Then I won't leave either."

The Concubine Xian held Li Zaijik's little hand and said, "You...be obedient..."

The virtuous concubine stroked his head and whispered softly, "You go first, I'll wait for you to take me out... In addition to protecting your brother, you must also be sensible, don't trust anyone, don't offend, don't provoke, don't contact, and don't have true feelings for anyone. I..."

She was speechless and just patted Li Zaiji's shoulder, once, twice...

The virtuous concubine stood up suddenly.

"Mom!" Li Zaiji was standing at her feet, and Li Tongyue also cried out a few times.

"I don't know what you think, but..." Concubine Xian looked at Zhazhu and said, "You are the only one I can ask for help now. Please take care of the Second Prince."

Zhazhu knelt down and kowtowed, saying: "I swear to defend the Second King until my death!"

"Swish!" Concubine Xian drew the sword from Zhazhu's waist, cut off two large strands of hair in a flash, and handed them to Zhazhu: "The second prince is still young, you keep it for safekeeping, make it into a pendant and give it to them. You will be alone in the future..."

Before she finished speaking, Concubine Xian remained silent and slowly pushed Li Zaiji away and towards Zhazhu. "Mother!" Li Zaiji struggled hard and cried, "Did Father hurt you?! Is it!"

Zhazhu held one pig in each hand, hugged them in his arms, and said through gritted teeth: "Your Highness, take care. I will leave soon!"

"Go ahead." Concubine Xian stood under the loquat tree with her hands clasped together, and smiled gently, lighting up the torture chamber: "Go ahead, go ahead."

Zhazhu said no more, gritted his teeth and turned around.

"Bang!" The gate opened wide.

There were many people standing on the palace platform outside. Li Zaiji's penetrating shout could be heard from afar: "Old thief father, old thief father! You killed my mother! You killed my mother!"

"Nangong Chongyan! Yuwen Rou!"

"I see you!"

"It is you who have captured me, and it is you who have captured my mother!"

"I am not strong yet! I cannot defeat you yet..."

The young man was wrapped in the arms of the guards and roared away, but he kept looking back, pointing at the Holy Emperor with hatred and cursing him and his entourage.

The Holy Emperor stood with his hands behind his back, in silence.

It seems like there is nothing to say.

The ministers all stole a glance at the palace road where the King of Dai was leaving. There was a buzz of concern, and fear flashed in their eyes. This child is so stubborn, and he is so stubborn without being taught. This may not be a good sign. The Holy Emperor is blessed.

"The King of Dai is still young and doesn't know the reason. He will understand when he grows up." Wei Shuo, the secretary of the Central Secretariat, comforted him.

The Holy Emperor said nothing, but just said, "Let's go."

.........

It was unknown how long the silence in the violence room lasted.

Wei Shuo pushed the door open and entered, reading out the "Decree to Depose the Virtuous Consort Zhu Xie as a Commoner": "Men: ..."

At the same time, a large group of people rushed in, took away Concubine Xian's chief concubine and a dozen of her close maids, confiscated all her clothes, accessories and seals, and changed her into a white dress.

Taking off the hat and wearing white clothes means that the virtuous concubine has been deposed.

Wei Shuo closed the imperial edict and said, "You are going to be respectful, so please be careful."

"This person...be respectful and cautious." Zhu Xiewusi had a blank expression on his face, sitting quietly under the tree, just being stared at by everyone in the yard.

Wei Shuo explained, "This person has a noble character and a brilliant mind. He can assist the king and spread the teachings of the king. Today's events are not your fault, so don't feel bad about it. Although the Holy Emperor has taken away your throne, there is no other punishment. The two princes are still young, so I hope you can control your body and mind. Please sit and reflect on your mistakes. When the time comes, you will break through the barrier. The name of the king and the subject has been lost, but the reality of husband and wife remains. The Holy Emperor will come to visit you often."

Zhu Xiewusi remained silent.

Wei sighed and turned away.

After a while, a familiar voice called out, "Xianfei."

The Holy Emperor stood at the door, looking at Zhu Xie Wusi with disheveled hair under the tree.

Zhu Xiewusi looked up and they looked at each other in silence.

There was still an indescribable emotion flowing in each of their eyes.

But the distance is so far.

Seeing Zhu Xiewusi frozen in place, the Holy Emperor whispered from afar, "I know what you want to say, and I understand what you don't want to say. I must hang Li Keyong on the city wall of Xijing. If he commits suicide to apologize, I won't pursue it further because of the precedent. Otherwise, I will fight him to death and will not show mercy to your family. You have to be mentally prepared... This is all I can say."

Zhu Xiewusi's tears fell. He wanted to go forward and hold hands and talk as before, but he couldn't move his feet. At this time and in this matter, the two people's demands were the mountains and seas that stretched across them.

She wiped away her tears, but more flowed down. If the ending could not be changed, then they would just have to never see each other again: "…………I won't go to Yuzao Palace. Since I'm a commoner, can I leave? Find a Taoist temple and send me away."

"Leave?" The Holy Emperor was silent for a while. "In Beiyuan, you can just be a leisurely guest. Plant flowers, fish, make tea, play ball... You can move freely in the half of the palace city north of Xuanwu Gate. I will assign people to serve you well. During the holidays, the family will gather as usual, and people will be allowed to see you. I will come every now and then, just like before. Let me be clear, I don't want to imprison you or kill you. Isn't it easy to imprison and kill you? The torture chamber will do. Live well! When the storm is over, you can untie your knot, and maybe we can reunite. Maybe in this Tang Palace, you and your mother can still find some opportunity to seek revenge on me... But I think it's very slim."

After saying that, the Holy Emperor turned around and left: "Send her to the car and move her to Beiyuan!"

As night falls, it's time to say goodbye.

Zhu Xiewusi wiped away his tears. The Holy Emperor didn't owe him anything. Li Keyong's defeat and the murder of his entire family were the price he had to pay for being a hero in troubled times. I just didn't want to accept reality. My father's arm was cut off, and I couldn't be childish anymore.

After all, this is not an era for romance.

All right, all right......

Zhu Xiewusi looked at the slowly approaching carriage and waved to the Holy Emperor: "Don't we even need to say goodbye to each other? I still remember the encounter with all of you in the first year of Jingfu. Goodbye, my friends."

The Holy Emperor lowered his head, not letting the mist in his eyes turn into cat urine and flow down: "Goodbye!"

The carriage carrying the girl disappeared into the bluish twilight.

The Holy Emperor walked along Nangong Road and left alone.

Things in the world change so fast, it has come to this.

I am afraid that I will be laughed at in history books one day.

(End of this chapter)