northernbook Chapter 437 Xie Xingfu's Unfortunate Fate
Chapter 437 Xie Xingfu's Unfortunate Fate
"Your Majesty, Cheng'an was only confused for a moment and was tricked by treacherous people, which is why he committed such a treasonous act. I beg Your Majesty to spare Cheng'an's life!"
Even the Empress was unaware of Luo Cheng'an's rebellion.
When the emperor forced his way into the Golden Palace, the empress was shocked.
Before Luo Cheng'an could successfully force the emperor to abdicate, the situation took a turn for the better. Seeing that Luo Cheng'an had committed a capital crime, the empress could not stand by and watch him die, so she immediately knelt down and begged for mercy.
The Emperor of Chu looked coldly at the Empress: "Did you participate in Luo Cheng'an's rebellion this time?"
The Empress quickly exclaimed, "Your Majesty! I didn't! I really didn't!"
"Your Majesty, I know nothing about this matter!"
The Chu Emperor snorted coldly: "You've raised a fine son."
"I spared his life today, but one day he will point a sword at my neck and try to kill his father!"
Upon hearing this, the Empress quickly interjected, "Your Majesty, Cheng'an wouldn't do that. Cheng'an isn't that kind of person. Just now, he only wanted to seize the throne so that you could enjoy your old age in peace..."
Before he could finish speaking, he received a murderous glare from the Emperor of Chu.
Queen:......
The empress shut her mouth and dared not speak again.
The Chu Emperor waved his hand and said, "Guards, seize me and send me to the Heavenly Prison!"
Luo Hanfeng looked down at Luo Cheng'an. When he heard that the Chu Emperor had only sent him to the Heavenly Prison and had not immediately questioned him, his expression turned cold for a moment, but he quickly returned to normal.
After everything was over, Luo Hanfeng spoke up and reported, "Your Majesty, when my elder brother forced the palace today, a great fire broke out at Zhaixing Tower, and countless palace guards perished in the flames. The entire Zhaixing Tower also collapsed."
"The whereabouts of Prince Jin are unknown. We do not know whether he perished in the fire or escaped."
"What?!" The Chu Emperor's expression changed drastically.
He asked, "Who did this?"
Luo Hanfeng shook his head: "I don't know. Perhaps someone took advantage of the chaos to attack Prince Jin, or perhaps..."
Luo Hanfeng paused deliberately for a moment, then said, "It was done by the eldest prince."
The Chu Emperor's expression darkened.
"Guards!" he called out. "Send men to the Star-Picking Tower and find Prince Jin for me. I want him alive or dead!"
Just as the people below were about to leave, they heard someone else's voice from outside:
"Your Majesty, Prince Jin requests an audience!"
Luo Hanfeng's smile faded slightly.
But soon, he regained his previous expression.
Meanwhile, upon hearing the sounds outside, Emperor Chu first breathed a sigh of relief, then ordered, "Let Prince Jin in!"
Jun Lanjin and Hua An entered.
Both of them were in a sorry state, and Jun Lanjin's robes were even burned by the flames, with one side longer than the other.
"Your Majesty, please forgive me!" As soon as Prince Jin entered, he lifted his robe and knelt on the ground.
He said coldly, "I saw the changes here from the Star-Picking Tower and was worried about Your Majesty, so I decided to come out and take a look. However, the palace guards who were watching over me refused to let me out, so I forcibly broke down the tower."
"Unexpectedly, someone secretly set fire to the building, almost costing me my life."
"And the hundreds of palace guards who were guarding the Star-Picking Tower all perished in the fire; it was truly too cruel."
Upon hearing this, the Emperor of Chu's expression turned cold: "Outrageous!"
Luo Hanfeng stood to one side without saying a word.
Jun Lanjin continued, "Your Majesty, please take a look."
Jun Lanjin took out the robes he had stripped from the men in black in the fire, presented them to the emperor, and said, "These robes are fireproof. The men were prepared and came for this humble subject."
The Chu Emperor's gaze fell upon the black robe.
His eyes flickered for a moment, then he said coldly, "I will thoroughly investigate this matter."
“But if Prince Jin did not summon him and forcibly broke into the building, he should be punished.”
"Your confinement is still in effect, so I will punish you by confining you to the Cold Palace for a while longer."
Jun Lanjin paused in his movements.
He immediately lowered his head and said slowly, "Yes."
This farce seems to have come to an end.
Jun Lanjin was confined to the Cold Palace from the Star-Picking Tower.
But at the same time, news of Xie Xing's disappearance and death reached the Empress Dowager's ears.
At that moment, the Empress Dowager was enjoying tea with Yin Ruyu when she heard these words and dropped her teacup.
She looked at the old woman in shock: "Is this true?"
The old woman glanced at Yin Ruyu and whispered, "Your Highness, it's true, the entire Zhaixing Tower has collapsed, and almost everyone inside is dead."
"Prince Jin is too busy taking care of himself to bring Miss Xie out here."
The Empress Dowager remained silent, clearly still reeling from the devastating news.
She sat in the chair, her face filled with confusion.
What to do now?
Xie Xing is dead. We need to explain this to the Xie and Gu families.
Seeing the Empress Dowager's absent-minded appearance, Yin Ruyu softly asked, "Your Majesty, why do you look so worried?"
The Empress Dowager came to her senses and then looked at Yin Ruyu.
After thinking for a moment, she said, "Last night, a fire broke out at the Star-Picking Tower. The entire building collapsed, and the fire continued to spread. The palace tried to put out the fire by pouring water all night, but it still couldn't be extinguished."
"There are no living people left in that building now."
Yin Ruyu said with a sorrowful expression, "These people are so pitiful. Who could be so cruel and hateful?"
The Empress Dowager didn't care about the lives of these ordinary people.
Her expression was angry. "Some time ago, His Majesty imprisoned Prince Jin in the Star-Picking Tower. I was afraid that Prince Jin would be lonely in the tower, so I specially asked the fifth young lady of the Xie family to come into the pavilion with him to keep him company."
"But I never expected that such a big thing would happen."
"To this day, there is still no trace of Miss Xie. Whether she is dead or alive is completely unknown."
The Empress Dowager was now somewhat flustered.
After all, she was the one who came up with the idea behind it, and not many people knew about it.
Now that Xie Xing has disappeared, the Empress Dowager has no way to explain it.
She took the person away from the Fifth Princess openly and honestly.
Yin Ruyu: ...
Even Yin Ruyu looked at the Empress Dowager in shock.
With a fire this big, it's impossible for anyone to survive inside.
Yin Ruyu glanced at the Empress Dowager with a complicated expression, but quickly concealed it.
She said, "Your Majesty, this is not your fault."
"It is rumored that Miss Xie and Prince Jin have an excellent relationship. Moreover, given Prince Jin's status and appearance, it is already a great honor for a Miss Xie to be able to enter the Star-Picking Tower and accompany him."
"But misfortunes never come singly. Miss Xie is unlucky and has a short life; she cannot enjoy such a good life."
"Blame the thief who started the fire."
After hearing these words, the Empress Dowager's expression indeed improved considerably.
"It's just a pity about that girl. She was originally very much liked by Jin'er. If Jin'er could marry her as a princess, she would be very fortunate."
"But unexpectedly, things turned out this way."