socalfunplaces Page 228
Page 228
Blood was instantly splattered all over the floor of the East Palace, and the stench of blood filled the palace.
At this moment, Emperor Qing, with a gloomy face, slowly walked in.
"After daybreak, nothing happened here."
Eunuch Hou readily agreed and immediately led his guards to get to work.
The meaning is clear: clean up the scene before dawn, remove the old guards, and replace them with a new batch of palace maids and eunuchs.
The bodies of these dead people must be completely burned and disposed of.
The crown prince fell to his knees with a thud. He was terrified because he had done something that Emperor Qing could not forgive.
Looking at his timid and cowering son, Emperor Qing could hardly contain his anger.
The woman who had followed him since childhood, no different from his own sister, had done a lot for him and put in a lot of effort.
He knew very well that he felt guilty, which is why he indulged her so many times.
"nausea!"
Upon hearing the two words that Emperor Qing squeezed out through gritted teeth, the Crown Prince nearly collapsed!
He collapsed in front of the emperor and began to wail, his face covered in tears and snot.
Emperor Qing took a few deep breaths, barely suppressing the urge to kill his son.
This was, after all, a prince who had been groomed for many years; if he was to die, he should die with dignity.
Because he knew that if Li Yunrui was unwilling, the Crown Prince would not succeed in this matter.
The crux of the problem lies with Li Yunrui!
Emperor Qing did not issue an edict to execute Li Chengqian, but instead slowly walked out of the Eastern Palace.
The gates of the East Palace were closed and locked by the inner court guards, leaving the terrified Crown Prince behind.
The voice of Eunuch Hou could be faintly heard from outside the door, "Everyone, step back! Anyone who speaks to the Crown Prince will have their head chopped off!"
The crown prince is also a ruthless person, but the situation is different now.
He knew about the entanglement between his father and Li Yunrui, and he knew that his father was definitely plotting to kill him!
The area outside was surrounded by layers of inner court guards; he had no chance of escaping.
"I don't want to die... If I don't want to die... I need to find a way to tell Grandma!"
At this moment, only Grandma could save him from the enraged Emperor Qing.
But since he can't go out now, there's only one way.
They set fire to the palace! This alarmed the entire inner palace!
Guangxin Palace.
"Giggle..."
"Your Majesty, you've finally arrived!"
The sudden appearance of such a silvery laugh in the empty Guangxin Palace seemed extremely eerie.
Emperor Qing looked coldly at Li Yunrui and asked, word by word, "Why?"
Li Yunrui frowned, her delicate fingers gently tapping the low couch, her watery eyes sparkling with doubt and innocence.
"Your Majesty, are you asking why your sister is over thirty and still unmarried?"
Or is the question why my sister, at the age of fifteen, shamelessly seduced the top scholar?
"Or why...why does my sister keep so many male lovers?"
Then, Li Yunrui burst into another fit of wild laughter.
"Or are you asking me why I did so many dirty things for you!"
Isn't this all for you? My dearest brother!
If you want to be remembered in history, then others must bear the brunt of the dirty work.
Looking at Li Yunrui, who was laughing maniacally, Emperor Qing slowly said, "You've gone mad."
"I'm not crazy!" Li Yunrui screamed angrily!
"I've been crazy for the past ten years or so! But today, I'm not crazy!"
Emperor Qing sighed and said, "You are still my own sister, and the person my mother loves the most."
If it hadn't come to this, I would have ensured your eternal wealth and honor no matter what.
Your actions of disrupting the court, planting private soldiers, employing Ming family members, and organizing the Junshan Society—which of these is not a grave crime of deceiving the emperor?
I don't think these things are a big deal... After all, you are my own sister.
"If I do not punish you, then you are innocent!"
At this point, Emperor Qing could no longer contain his anger, "But!"
"He is the Crown Prince! He is the next emperor whom I have carefully groomed!"
"I am about to conquer a vast empire, and I entrust this child with its protection for ten thousand years!"
Li Yunrui scoffed, "I can't help it..."
"I love playing until you're heartbroken and in despair..."
"I only realized today that your despair and pain were greater than I imagined, and I'm very satisfied."
Emperor Qing stared blankly at her and slowly said, "He likes you?"
"Is it not allowed?" The princess's beautiful, flushed face looked especially alluring.
"Is there any man in this world who doesn't like me...?"
Emperor Qing angrily cursed, "Shameless!"
Then, he stretched out his right hand and grabbed the princess's throat tightly!
“You…you can’t kill me…” Li Yunrui said, struggling.
"There are always people in the court who want to check and balance Li Chang'an. You hate the Crown Prince so much that you wish you could kill him, right?"
“If you depose the Crown Prince, Li Chang’an will have absolute power… Your Majesty, you still need me.”
Upon hearing Li Chang'an's name, Emperor Qing couldn't help but loosen his grip considerably.
A cold smile crept across Li Yunrui's lips. "Li Chang'an, this man who's gradually started bullying you."
"You must resent this man who's the only one who doesn't like me."
"I don't know why, even though he's so lecherous, he just doesn't like the most beautiful woman in the world."
Emperor Qing's gaze gradually turned fierce, but he did not stop Li Yunrui from continuing to speak.
"He's younger than you, more talented than you, and he grew up under your protection, but he gradually surpassed you!"
"He's even more powerful than when you were the crown prince. He's already beyond your control and is gradually replacing you. You're getting anxious!"
"Your Majesty, I know you best that you will never allow anyone to escape your control!"
“You can groom the Third Prince, or even a younger prince, but you need me to help you keep Li Chang’an in check.”
Emperor Qing fell into deep thought. He had already arranged for the Surveillance Bureau and Chen Pingping to investigate Li Chang'an.
If it were anyone else, Chen Pingping would have been able to completely defeat them if he had gone all out.
But this time, Emperor Qing had no confidence.
Li Chang'an was too mysterious, and Emperor Qing vaguely felt that dealing with him would not be so easy.
"Your Majesty, please let go. Your sister will still help you..."
"Brother, you have to believe me."
Look at me now, my emotions are very stable, I'm not crazy at all.
Just then, tense shouts suddenly came from outside.
"Go away!"
"The East Palace is in trouble!"
Mighty flames rose from the East Palace, their intense heat quickly spreading throughout the surrounding area.
Fire breaks out in the Eastern Palace!
Li Chengqian was effectively imprisoned, and he was unable to notify the Empress Dowager through normal channels.
Therefore, the only option is to set fire to the East Palace and create chaos within it; the Empress Dowager will surely intervene.
The Eastern Palace had a large number of sheets of paper for painting, which the Crown Prince used to create a series of portraits of faceless maidservants.
There were also various paints used by the prince for his paintings, some of which were Western oil-based paints, all of which were flammable.
So, by lighting the paint and paper, the curtains were set ablaze, and the fire started!
Such a big matter must have alarmed the Empress Dowager.
Before long, the fire broke out.