Favored concubine deposed empress? I'll seize your throne and marry you to a powerful minister.

Xiao Heng's face turned ashen, caught in a dilemma.

When exactly did Ling Xianru become Wei Rong's infatuated lover?

The more he thought about it, the angrier he became.

How dare these two people collude under his nose and completely disregard him!

Now they're even using Shen Mingxiu to threaten him!

Shen Mingxiu's lower abdomen was slightly swollen, her face was deathly pale, and she sobbed uncontrollably, "Your Majesty! I am carrying the imperial heir! I beg Your Majesty to reconsider, and not to ruin the foundation of the Great Jing Dynasty because of a moment of anger. You are the supreme ruler, and even if you release them, these lackeys will still face certain death. But the imperial heir must be protected first, Your Majesty!"

The child in her womb is the only descendant of the emperor in the court, the most important obstacle for Xiao Heng to consolidate his imperial power, and what everyone thinks is his only weakness.

Ling Xianru seized this only bargaining chip and pressed on again in a deep voice:

"Your Majesty, this is my last word. Release Wei Rong, and this matter can be dropped. If you insist on killing her, I will spare no effort to ensure that Consort Shen's unborn child is lost, thus severing your crown prince and your imperial bloodline."

The entire room fell silent.

Everyone was certain that no matter how ruthless Xiao Heng was, she would never abandon her only child.

But everyone underestimated his ruthlessness and his obsessive and fanatical pursuit of imperial power.

With the empire before him, love, offspring, and righteousness were all insignificant to him.

There was no hesitation, no pity in Xiao Heng's eyes, only a cold resolve.

He didn't even glance at the pleading Shen Mingxiu; his thin lips parted slightly, and his words were utterly ruthless:

"Useless burdens, what good is it to keep them?"

Before he finished speaking, he flipped his wrist and snatched the bow and arrow from the nearest person.

Without the slightest hesitation, he drew his bow and shot an arrow straight at Shen Mingxiu's lower abdomen!

puff--

A sharp blade pierced his abdomen, and blood gushed out.

Shen Mingxiu stared wide-eyed at the emperor before her in disbelief. The dragon fetus in her womb perished instantly. Before she could even finish a scream, she fell straight down from the high platform, her blood staining the blue stone.

Two lives lost, one unborn.

He died on the spot.

The entire room froze, utterly silent.

The officials felt cold all over, their hearts pounded with fear.

The person before me is no longer a king, but a ruthless and bloodthirsty demon who has no regard for family.

Xiao Heng's hands were stained with blood, and crimson drops dripped from the sword. Her gaze locked onto Wei Rong once more, her killing intent now completely pure.

"No one can threaten me."

Shen Mingxiu was originally a chess piece meant to be placed in a room.

If you're foolish and obedient, you can enjoy a life of wealth and honor.

However, if she tries to influence his behavior and thoughts amidst the turmoil, she would be making a grave mistake.

"Archers, prepare to fire!"

Ling Xianru's eyes suddenly turned bloodshot. She threw aside Shen Mingxiu's corpse and was about to rush forward.

But Wei Rong gently raised her hand and stopped him.

Looking at the blood-stained ground, at the cold-hearted emperor before her, and at the absurdity of her four years of unrequited love and unresolved grievances, she suddenly smiled.

The laugh was extremely soft, yet utterly resolute.

Behind the high platform lies a sheer cliff, shrouded in deep clouds and mist, its bottom invisible.

Wei Rong raised her eyes, looked at Xiao Heng who was approaching, and said softly:

"Xiao Heng, you have spent your whole life trapped on the throne, fearing that someone will seize power, that someone will slander you, and that someone will lose your empire."

"But do you know—this cage of power, I will shatter along with you."

Before anyone could react, she suddenly stepped forward, abandoning all restraint, and with all her might, lunged forward and grabbed Xiao Heng's arm tightly!

Xiao Heng's pupils contracted sharply, caught off guard!

The immense force propelled him backward, sending him crashing straight through the high platform railing!

A sudden gust of wind swept in.

The world spun around them, and they plummeted, feeling weightless.

Two intertwined figures plunged together into the vast sea of ​​clouds and the bottomless abyss.

"Wei Rong—!"

Ling Xian rushed forward, barely managing to grab a fluttering piece of plain white clothing.

At the bottom of the cliff, clouds and mist surged, their depths unfathomable, and the wind howled like weeping.

On the high platform, officials stood frozen, their blood still wet and their bones still warm.

The hunting grounds are in turmoil.

The emperor and empress both fell off a cliff.

They were never seen alive, nor were their bodies found; their whereabouts remain unknown.

The Great Jing Dynasty has completely changed.

·

Ling Xianru's eyes were bloodshot, and without thinking twice, she jumped off the cliff.

Mo Bai happened to appear and pulled him back by the waist.

"Your Majesty, please calm down. Jumping down will not help. The most urgent task is to send people to search for the Empress's whereabouts at the bottom of the cliff."

Rainy night, in the mountains and forests.

Each of these is a fatal condition.

Even if Wei Rong didn't hit the bottom and die, she was seriously injured. If Xiao Heng hadn't died either, he would definitely want to kill her.

Furthermore, the bottom of the cliff is surrounded by dense forests, teeming with wild animals.

The smell of blood... easily attracts carnivores.

Ling Xianru closed her eyes tightly, not daring to think any further.

"Yun Sheng! Assemble the entire Imperial Guard and go down to find someone. Whoever can ensure the Empress's safety will be rewarded with a thousand taels of gold."

Wei Xing jumped off his horse and followed behind Yun Sheng: "I'll go down with you."

"Ah Xing, you need to take charge of this situation now. Don't act impulsively. I will definitely find your sister." Yun Sheng patted his shoulder and said seriously, "But you need to think carefully about what to do next. When the late emperor was on the throne, you only wanted to protect your family. But even if a new emperor takes over, he may not be able to protect your family."

Wei Xing was stunned, but he understood what Yun Sheng meant.

Since Xiao Heng had no successor and their repeated forbearance had been fruitless, they might as well make themselves emperor.

In this way, the Wei family was able to remain safe and sound.

But becoming emperor... neither his grandfathers nor his fathers, nor even he himself, had ever considered it.

If his father hadn't died because of Xiao Heng, he might have stayed in the southern border region for the rest of his life.

Even though his elder sister suffered grievances in the harem, he never thought of rebelling.

"The most urgent thing is to find my older sister first; we can discuss other things later."

Fu Wentao was temporarily detained, and Qiaoyu handed over the evidence that Wei Rong had previously collected to Wei Xing while crying.

With these evidences, Xiao Heng's crimes cannot be ignored.

When the Dali Temple tries the case, all the evidence will be made public.

Xiao Heng's crimes have nowhere to hide, and the people have a scale in their hearts to judge him.

Wei Xing put these away, then turned around and saw Ling Xianru changing into her armor.

The last time he saw this civil official was on New Year's Eve. He caught a glimpse of the pink handkerchief hidden in the man's sleeve, felt a deep sense of his eccentricity, and hurriedly fled.

When they met again, he dared to challenge the imperial authority to his face for the sake of his elder sister.

That Shen Mingxiu—

The corpse, its eyes wide open in death, was carried away by the crowd, leaving a trail of blood.

Once Ling Xian was dressed in armor, he completely shed his former refined and gentle image, appearing even more rugged than many soldiers on the battlefield, as if he were born to wear armor.

"I can go down now, you stay up here," Ling Xianru said as she approached Wei Xing. "You need to arrange for these officials and courtiers to return to the capital first. The Minister of the Court of Judicial Review is my man, and you can order him around as you please. As for the rest, we'll talk about them when I get back."

Wei Xing has no older brother. Wei Beimu was strict with him from a young age. He only has his older sister Wei Rong, who is gentle and magnanimous and helps him weather storms. Ling Xianru is like an older brother to him right now. With just a few words, she has clarified the situation for him, which makes him feel inexplicably at ease.

"I understand. Be careful. My older sister is begging you."

Although Wei Xing felt it shouldn't be like this, the look of despair in Ling Xianru's eyes when she saw her sister fall off the cliff made him feel that this person was more reliable than Xiao Heng.

Without sharing hardships, how can true friendship be revealed?

A person's true nature is revealed in times of crisis.

Ling Xianru wasn't one to talk nonsense. After listening to Wei Xing's words, he patted him on the shoulder and turned to leave.