After watching the Crown Prince leave, Concubine Yang sat on the embroidered stool with a myriad of thoughts. She thought that Jiang Zitong, as the queen and the mother of the world, was killed by the traitor. Not only did King Zhou not stop her, but he also added fuel to the fire. And I am only a side palace, people speak lightly, if someone accuses the two princes of releasing themselves from the palace and blaming me, how can I withstand such a cruel punishment? Moreover, I've served the fatuous ruler for many years, and there hasn't been a single man or woman. No one has come out to intercede for me. Chaoge three cardinal guides have been cut off, soon there will be disaster. I won't have a good ending in the future.
Concubine Yang thought about it for a long time and was secretly sad. She called her personal palace maid and said,"Tomorrow morning, the Emperor will definitely come to Xinqing Palace. My life is hard to protect, so I might as well die and have peace. After I die, place my corpse in the palace gate so that the fatuous ruler can send me off one last time.”
The palace maid knelt down and cried, pleading. Concubine Yang shook her head and said,"I've made up my mind. He didn't want to die in peace like Empress Jiang. Just do as I say."
With that, he closed the palace and hanged himself.
When King Zhou and Su Daji rushed to Xinqing Palace, they were surprised to see the palace maids kneeling in plain skirts, crying bitterly and asking,""What happened in the palace? Where is Concubine Yang?”
The palace maid sadly reported that Yang Niangniang had hanged herself and her corpse was at the palace gate.
King Zhou's body swayed and he almost fell down. He was supported by Nine-Tailed Fox and came to the palace gate. He saw Concubine Yang lying on the white brocade. Her face was pale and her expression was calm as if she was sleeping soundly. There was no melancholy on her beautiful face, and there seemed to be a trace of mockery between her eyebrows.
King Zhou was speechless for a long time, and Nine-Tailed Fox was dumbfounded as if a basin of cold water had been poured on her head. Jiang Zitong would rather die than submit, Royal Concubine Huang tried to persuade her, and now it was Concubine Yang who was fighting with her life. Chaoge didn't lack iron-blooded men, and there were even heroines who were unafraid of death. That was how they had been able to keep the country from falling for six hundred years. The existence of this group of people would always be a huge threat to him. If he did not get rid of them, he would never have peace.
He then looked coldly at King Zhou and sighed in his heart. The fatuous ruler had abandoned so many heroes. He had arrested the wind and restrained the shadow, framed the loyal and loyal, and destroyed the country. If the heavens did not perish, the people would die. So he said to King Zhou,"Your Majesty, Concubine Yang's death is not worth regretting." Now, he had to find out who her accomplices were as soon as possible to prevent future trouble. In addition, the Crown Prince was on the run, so they had to capture him as soon as possible to correct the court.”
King Zhou sighed and said helplessly," Beauty, you are right. Use the coffin to bury Concubine Yang in the White Tiger Hall."”
After saying that, he left Xinqing Palace in a daze.
King Zhou had gone back on his word, and everyone in Zhaoge was in danger. The ministers were even more anxious. They were afraid that if they offended Concubine Su, their lives would be in danger and they would be tortured. They were all mortal bodies, and they could not withstand such torture, especially the punishment of "branding", which was extremely cruel and heartless. Many people simply pretended to be deaf and dumb, turning a blind eye and hearing nothing. What did the changes in the court have to do with me? It was better to go home and drink and sing, and live an ignoble life.
If this went on, the government would be in chaos, treacherous officials would play with power, and the atmosphere would be foul. Prime Minister Bigan was heartbroken, Empress Jiang died, Concubine Huang fell out of favor, Concubine Yang hanged herself, and Prince Yin Jiao disappeared. In the harem, Su Daji had already become the actual queen, and her power was overwhelming for a while. Seeing that the situation had gone out of control, he was powerless to turn things around and frowned all day.
Emperor Xin of King Zhou had an elder brother, Ziqi, who was granted the title of Viscount. Seeing that Chaoge was in power and the court was in chaos, he tried to persuade Emperor Xin many times, but King Zhou did not take him seriously and simply refused. He had no choice but to discuss it with Grand Tutor Jizi and Prime Minister Bigan.
Jizi was King Zhou's uncle. Seeing that King Zhou had listened to calumny and was violent and absurd after obtaining Su Daji, he had tried many times to dissuade him, but King Zhou did not listen. Bi Gan, the Prime Minister, was secretly sad. He knew the purpose of Ziqi's visit. The three of them chatted together and sighed when they mentioned King Zhou. Ziqi said,"King Zhou is becoming more and more muddle-headed. He can't distinguish between loyalty and treachery. That Su Daji brought disaster to the country and the people. She stirred up trouble and caused trouble.”
"You and King Zhou are brothers," said Jizi."Even you are stopped outside the door. What can we do?”
Ziqi replied," Prime Minister Bigan is an old official who assisted two generations of emperors of the Shang Dynasty. He is an important official of the royal family. Seeing that Chaoge is in danger, he hides and does nothing. It is disappointing.”
Bi Gan smiled bitterly and replied," Ziqi, you're wrong. I persuaded Empress Jiang to persuade the emperor, but what happened? Empress Jiang died tragically, the Crown Prince fled, Concubine Huang fell out of favor, and Concubine Yang hanged herself. How many more lives are you prepared to use to fill that bottomless pit?"”
Ziqi stopped talking and was unhappy.
"Prime Minister," said Jizi,"I have an idea, but I don't know if I should tell you.”
Ziqi said," You old man, you always stutter when you speak. What do you mean when you should say it or not? Now is the time when the fire is burning your eyebrows, so don't hide it. Spit it out quickly."”
Bi Gan also said,"Ziqi, if you have something to say, say it. I'm all ears."”
Ziqi said,"Then I'll get straight to the point and not be long-winded. Prime Minister, do you still remember Prime Minister Shang Rong? He has resigned and returned to the fields to enjoy his old age.”
Jizi said," Don't mention him. It's unpleasant to mention him. Once the old man leaves, he'll be out of sight and out of mind. He'll be free and unfettered. When the former emperor was still alive, he had valued him so much and had been very favored. However, he did not appreciate it. He was also a timid villain.”
Bi Gan said," Jizi's words are too serious. You and I both know why the Prime Minister left Zhaoge. He had no choice but to leave with tears in his eyes. Before he left, he said sadly that even if he were to die, he would not be able to repay the country's kindness. There was nothing to regret about his death. However, the emperor trusted Daji and created the torture of branding to kill the loyal. He tried his best to remonstrate but did not listen. He could not change the emperor's mind. He felt that he could not change the situation. His heart was like dead ashes. He had to resign and return to his hometown. He was not a person who was afraid of death.”
"So what? In any case, he ran away and left the mess for you to clean up. He was mentally and physically exhausted, and this old man's heart ached when he saw it.”Jizi said indignantly.
Ziqi took a sip of tea and smiled as he stroked his beard. Jizi stared at him and shouted,"You're not the head of the household and don't know the price of firewood and rice. You're talking nonsense here. It's useless." I'm so angry."
Ziqi replied unhurriedly," The old man is still so short-tempered. You only know one thing and don't know the other. How do you know that the Minister of State has already put his horse on the south mountain and put his weapons into the warehouse? This is not the Shang Rong who abhors evil and is deeply righteous." This old man is telling you, Shang Rong is always worried about the country. Prince Yin Jiao escaped from Zhaoge. It was the Prime Minister who took him in. He knew what had happened and scolded King Zhou. He said that he would go to Zhaoge personally to remonstrate with the emperor and abolish Daji to save the disaster.”
"Is there really such a thing?" asked Jizi.
Ziqi said,"You are not joking. How can such a big matter be treated as a joke?"”
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。