Reborn as the Crippled King's Beloved
Chapter 431 Drag the Entertainer Out and Feed Them to the Dogs

Chapter 431: Chapter 431 Drag the Entertainer Out and Feed Them to the Dogs

Consort Jing had a point.

Murong Jiu, standing among the crowd, watched the Emperor closely, naturally catching the fleeting struggle in his furious eyes.

At this moment, he wished nothing more than to kill Consort Jing, but upon hearing her mention the Third Prince, the Emperor was, nonetheless, moved.

Consort Qi saw it too and couldn’t help but bite her lip.

Seizing the moment, Consort Jing pressed on, "Your Majesty, don’t you know what kind of person I am? There are too many dirty and despicable tricks in the palace, I have truly been plotted against!"

She didn’t know how much the Emperor had taken in, but as long as he was willing to put things past them, then she would have the chance to rise again.

The Third Prince was her lifeline.

Even if she were banished to the Cold Palace, once the Third Prince became the Crown Prince and the Emperor passed away, she could wash away the "injustice" and still be the most honored Empress Dowager!

She gritted her teeth and pointed at Mei Yuzong, saying, "Your Majesty, it’s true that he and I are from the same hometown, but I hardly know him. Just now, I don’t know what was slipped into my tea, my mind was not clear, this is a premeditated frame-up!"

Mei Yuzong had been kneeling with his head down all this time, and upon hearing this, he slowly raised his head and said word by word:

"Chen Honglian, when you were fourteen, you climbed into my bed in Landlord Liu’s household. The events of that year have only passed a little over twenty years, and surely someone in Xiaohuai Village remembers them clearly, a simple inquiry would reveal the truth."

"You’re spouting nonsense! I was still pure when I joined the Emperor! Your Majesty, you must shut his mouth, he cannot be allowed to tarnish my reputation!"

Consort Jing said this in desperation, wishing she could tear Mei Yuzong’s mouth apart.

How could she have fallen for Mei Yuzong’s trap? And why would Mei Yuzong do this to her!

Moments ago, they were still tender and sweet, and she truly believed that Mei Yuzong was still smitten with her, but to think that Mei Yuzong had actually conspired with Consort Qi and others to set her up, it was utterly unforgivable!

Similarly, she couldn’t understand why, when with her, once the Emperor died, he would be a figure even the New Emperor would respect; how could the benefits from Consort Qi and Prince Ling be greater than hers?

The Emperor’s face was ashen. He realized that Mei Yuzong was not lying, Consort Jing, that wretched woman, had indeed been with another!

Throughout the years, the Emperor had been with countless women and was no naive youth. In the harem, there were plenty of women who would bleed again on their second or third time, the Imperial Physician had even said that as long as it was too fierce, there was the possibility of bleeding.

He remembered the first time he took Consort Jing in the carriage; she struggled fiercely, and given her youth, not yet sixteen, how could he have suspected that she had already been someone’s wife?

But for the sake of the Third Prince, he could not show his anger in public, he would deal with her later!

"Guards..."

"Chen Honglian!" Mei Yuzong suddenly exclaimed, "You said that once the Third Prince becomes the Crown Prince, you would immediately have the Emperor poisoned to become the Empress Dowager. I have lived a sincere and honest life, incapable of committing regicide or betrayal! Moreover! I love you! But I hope we never meet again in the next life!"

His voice was so loud, and the words he spoke so treasonous, that the Emperor’s expression darkened, and those around were dumbstruck. Was this truly what Consort Jing had been thinking?

As soon as the words were out, Mei Yuzong suddenly broke free from the guards and dashed headlong into a vermillion pillar!

Thud!

The dull sound was like that of a skull cracking, shaking the pillar!

The clear-faced middle-aged man fell to the ground, blood gushing from his head.

No one expected this turn of events.

Consort Jing was especially shaken by Mei Yuzong’s declaration of love, feeling a whirlwind of emotions.

Back then, Mei Yuzong was very fond of her, but his love was always expressed in a reserved manner, replaced by various gifts; Consort Jing had never heard him say "love."

Nor had she ever heard the word "love" from the Emperor.

She did not understand why Mei Yuzong had conspired with Consort Qi to set her up, yet professed his love for her before his suicide.

"He’s not breathing!"

The guard checked the neck and breath, then reported to the Emperor.

Consort Jing lost all color, looking shocked at Mei Yuzong lying on the ground, his eyes still open, but without any light in them, as though his gaze was following her.

Why? Why is this happening!

Consort Jing felt a suffocating heaviness in her heart, as if missing a piece of something, and her mind was in disarray, her head ached and throbbed—wondering if it was the after-effect of the drug—she had even forgotten to defend herself.

And such an expression, in the Emperor’s eyes, became an undying attachment to a past love!

"Guards! Drag this actor’s body out and feed it to the dogs!"

Consort Jing instinctively cried out, "Don’t!"

This cry made the Emperor’s eyes turn exceedingly cold, and in that moment, he forgot about the Third Prince, his rage thunderous, "Wretched wench! I gave you glory by keeping you close, yet you are ungrateful! If not for me, you would still be scrounging for food in the dirt! Guards, take her to the Cold Palace!"

"Your Majesty! Please no! I am wronged! I was set up! Think of the Third Prince, Your Majesty!"

The Emperor’s mind was made up, no longer subject to change!

He not only banished Consort Jing to the Cold Palace, he was also determined to thoroughly investigate the past affairs!

"Given our father’s suspicious nature, he might start to doubt whether the Third Prince is really his own flesh and blood."

On the journey back home in the carriage, Murong Jiu spoke with a light chuckle, feeling a sense of relief in her heart.

It was getting late, and no one could stay in the palace for long. The Emperor had also ordered everyone not to gossip carelessly before the investigation was complete, and to prevent any rumors detrimental to the Third Prince from spreading. It was clear that the Emperor had regained some rationality and still cared greatly for the Third Prince.

After all, even if he wanted to punish Consort Jing, he could have charged her with other crimes, which would be better than letting people know that he, the mighty Emperor, had been cuckolded by an actor.

Moreover, now that the actor had died by crashing his head, the Emperor’s wrath could only be directed at Consort Jing.

However, it was impossible for the Emperor to protect the Third Prince’s reputation now, as there were many guests at the banquet, and such gossip was the easiest to spread.

Even if it did spread, what could the Emperor do? He couldn’t possibly arrest and interrogate everyone involved—it was utterly impractical.

With Consort Jing being so promiscuous and lacking virtue, the Third Prince’s position as Crown Prince was even further out of reach.

Murong Jiu was happy because everything had gone smoothly that day, and they had anticipated every unexpected event.

Additionally, they had used Mei Yuzong’s "death" to disrupt Consort Jing’s thoughts and to solidify the belief among the other Imperial Women that Consort Jing had an affair with him, that there was a past between them.

This gossip would follow Consort Jing forever, and even after her death, people would often bring up the topic of the favored consort and the actor, the secret love affair within the deep palace—such a topic had always been eye-catching.

With that, naturally, how could the Emperor entrust his throne to this woman?

Besides, Mei Yuzong’s last words were that Consort Jing wanted to poison the Emperor.

If the Third Prince became the Crown Prince, there was a chance the Emperor could be poisoned.

Being someone so afraid of death, no matter how much he favored the Third Prince, he wouldn’t place explosives before himself.

One could say, every word Mei Yuzong spoke had deeper implications.

Of course, the reason Murong Jiu could smile was that Mei Yuzong was not dead.