Chapter 227: Deposed Empress

Wan Tang knelt beside him, calmly watching everything that unfolded.

She knew that her part in the drama was almost finished.

What remained, she left to them.

Chu Yunzheng was no fool; on the contrary, he was extremely adept at the art of manipulating an emperor's mind.

The Xiao Family repeatedly crossed Chu Yunzheng's line, and now Wan Tang had placed the opportunity before him.

How could the shrewd Emperor not seize this chance?

【The good show has begun; Xiao Mingshu really rolled a stone to smash her own foot this time.】

【I'm now totally ship‑ping Wan Tang and Xiao Huihui as a couple; aren't these two better than those lazy men?】

【Qi Qi has been waiting for this day for a long time; as soon as the Duke of Ning rebels, Qi Qi will immediately risk his life to impeach the Xiao Family. Not to mention, Qi Er's side has already been prepared.】

【What, is Zhou Su a vegetarian? As soon as his little mouth opens, I want him shut up!】

When Ning Zhan, the Duke of Ning, stepped into the hall, the air suddenly solidified.

He did not look at the mess on the floor; his aged yet sharp gaze pierced straight into the inner hall.

His voice was low and steady yet carried the weight of a thousand pounds: "Emperor, the old minister asks only one question—are the young lady's life still safe?"

Each word struck Chu Yunzheng's heart.

Chu Yunzheng rose immediately, his tone bearing unmistakable respect: "Duke, rest assured, the Virtuous Consort and the princess have both been rescued."

"Duke!" Xiao Mingshu, like a drowning person clutching a floating log, cried out first, "You must see clearly! It was the Virtuous Consort Wan Tang, out of jealousy, who poisoned to harm the Noble Consort and the princess!"

Wan Tang still bowed her head; upon hearing it, only a faint tug at the corner of her mouth appeared, the curve filled with icy shards.

The Duke of Ning paid no heed to the Empress Dowager's accusation; his eyes, which saw through the world, slowly scanned everyone before finally fixing on Chu Yunzheng's face.

"Emperor, the old minister wishes to hear the Holy Judgment."

He kicked the metaphorical ball back to the Emperor steadily, his posture respectful yet unyielding.

Chu Yunzheng's expression grew solemn as he succinctly laid out the speculation that the poison was hidden in the sleeve, that the Cold Palace was being framed, and that it might be intended to provoke conflict between the Ning family and imperial authority.

With each sentence he spoke, the Duke of Ning's complexion darkened a notch.

When he finished listening, the elder's chest rose and fell violently, and a murderous aura mingled with fury and dread spread out.

"Excellent! What a perfect motherly exemplar for the world!"

The Duke of Ning, furious to the point of a bitter laugh, pointed at Xiao Mingshu, his voice booming like a great bell, "My Ning sons sacrifice their lives for the nation, their blood staining the battlefield."

"My daughter, in the Emperor's palace, is to suffer such a poisonous hand?!"

"Emperor, if this palace has become a den of wolves, I will take my young daughter home today."

"My daughter, Ning Zhan's, will not endure this grinding!"

Those words rang out like thunder.

It was a bare‑knuckle challenge to imperial authority, and also a pressure tactic of retreating to advance.

Chu Yunzheng's face instantly darkened like water; the emperor's majesty was struck hard.

He slammed the imperial desk hard: "Duke, choose your words carefully; I will see this matter through to the end."

"Ouyang Qing, quickly summon Xiao Sihai to the palace for an audience; I will question the Xiao Family face‑to‑face!"

"No need," the Duke of Ning sneered with a smile, "the old minister can no longer see Bai Li, and does not wish to lose another daughter."

When the Duke of Ning uttered that tear‑filled question, especially the moment the name "Bai Li" was shouted, Xiao Mingshu knew it was over.

Once the emperor's unhealable scar deep within his heart—and the woman who had long become his pale moon—were touched, any defense would be feeble and pale.

The Emperor's guilt and his compensatory feelings toward the Ning family would devour all reason like lava.

She could no longer sustain the forced composure; with a "thud," she fell heavily to her knees, the sound of her knees striking the golden bricks clear.

She abandoned all the Empress Dowager's decorum, tears and sobs mingling, crawled two steps toward Chu Yunzheng, and shouted in a sharp, frantic voice:

"Emperor, I confess. But I can swear to Heaven that I never intended to harm the life of Hui Guifei's younger sister."

She lifted her tear‑filled eyes, trying to seize the last sliver of hope, and thrust the blame entirely onto Wan Tang.

"I… I only think that the Virtuous Consort Wan Tang's very existence is a mistake."

"Her background is unknown, her scheming deep; keeping her in the palace will sooner or later be a disaster."

"I only wanted to relieve the Emperor's worries by removing this hidden threat!"

She gasped rapidly, striving to make her words sound credible: "So… so I only ordered someone to sprinkle on the Noble Consort's sister's garments a powder that would cause the skin to redden, swell, and itch."

"I only wanted her to be declared ill and rest for a few days, with no threat to her life! I never imagined it would turn into a deadly poison plot!"

At this point, she seemed to clutch a lifeline, suddenly pointing a finger at the ever‑silent Wan Tang.

Her gaze seethed with venom as she shrieked, "It's her! It must be her!"

"Emperor, this is all her conspiracy!"

【I have to say, our Duke's acting is commendable. Xiao Shunzi's letter had already been delivered to the Guogong Mansion.】

【When I read the original, I liked the Duke of Ning a lot; when the Mo Family fell into disaster, the Duke of Ning was the only one who spoke for them and believed in the Mo Family.】

【Unfortunately, the Duke of Ning's voice could never withstand the surging tide. Moreover, the tide behind this matter was already a person of overwhelming power.】

【The Duke of Ning already owed a debt to Xiao Huihui's birth mother. When his daughter faced this, he naturally had to step forward and be a good father.】

【Xiao Mingshu always has the Xiao Family behind her; trying to overthrow her won't be that easy!】

Wan Tang immediately lifted her tear‑filled eyes, her expression both aggrieved and terrified.

Her voice trembled: "Empress Dowager, I do not know what I have truly done wrong, yet I have been cast into the Cold Palace. Why does the Empress Dowager still seek to eradicate me, pinning this massive crime on me?"

Xiao Mingshu, driven to the brink, shouted indiscriminately, "Stop pretending!"

"Xiao Mingshu!" Chu Yunzheng warned sharply, trying to stop her from revealing that secret.

Wan Tang, however, wanted her to lose control; she feigned confusion, pressing forward step by step: "Why? Empress Dowager, why say I should not live? Who exactly am I?"

Seeing the Emperor block her, Xiao Mingshu instead became crazily reckless, as if breaking the pot and letting it fall.

She suddenly turned toward the Duke of Ning, whose face was full of rage and sorrow, and shrill‑voiced, "Duke of Ning, you constantly proclaim loyalty to the sovereign and love for the country; do you know who this 'Virtuous Consort' kneeling before you really is?"

"She is the remnant of the Mo family who colluded with the enemy and betrayed the nation back then, the last lingering scourge left by the Mo family!"

She had thought the Duke of Ning would become furious because of this and would immediately petition the Emperor to execute Wan Tang.

Yet the Duke of Ning's reaction surprised everyone.

The fury on his face gradually gave way to a deep, indescribable sorrow.

His gaze toward Wan Tang was filled with complex emotions, and even his towering frame trembled slightly.

He pushed aside the attendant who was supporting him and walked step by step to Wan Tang's side.

His voice was hoarse and gentle, as if afraid to disturb something: "Child… you… what person is Mo Zisuan to you?"

Wan Tang lifted her head, her eyes clear and composed, and openly admitted: "My maternal grandfather."

Then she lowered her head again, her tone heavy with grief, "I am the offspring of a sinner."

Unexpectedly, upon hearing this, the Duke of Ning's fierce eyes instantly filled with tears, and two streams of hot tears rolled down his weather‑worn face.

Xiao Mingshu stared in stunned disbelief and shrill‑voiced, "Duke of Ning! You… why are you like this?"

"She is the descendant of a traitor!"

The Duke of Ning snapped his head around, his gaze like lightning striking Xiao Mingshu; there was no trace of sorrow left in his eyes, only stern righteousness and resolve.

He lifted the hem of his robe and knelt heavily before Chu Yunzheng, his voice resonant: "Emperor, Empress Xiao, her virtue is lacking, her heart is vicious, she has framed the Imperial Concubine."

"She even baselessly slanders the lineage of court officials, truly unfit for the motherly role of the realm!"

"Old Minister humbly petitions the Emperor, for the sake of the state, to depose her from her position!"

Chu Yunzheng looked at the kneeling Duke of Ning, a barely perceptible glint flashing in his eyes, even a hint of ease.

Yet his face showed a heavy expression as he sighed, "Duke, please rise."

"Xiao Family… indeed wields great power, and has spoiled their daughter to this point; that is my fault."

The Duke of Ning lifted his head, his tone decisive: "The Empress lacks virtue; if the Xiao Family still harbors any loyalty to the sovereign, they should reflect upon themselves!"

"If they dare cause trouble because of this, Old Minister will stake this very bone and demand an explanation from the Xiao Family!"

Chu Yunzheng wanted exactly those words!

He immediately followed through, his tone seeming resigned yet resolute: "If so… to secure the Imperial harem and stabilize the court, I decree to strip Empress Xiao Mingshu of her title and demote her to… a consort."

Xiao Mingshu collapsed weakly on the ground.

After uttering those words, Chu Yunzheng didn't even bother to look at her, merely waved his hand.

Immediately someone escorted Xiao Mingshu away from the scene.

The Duke of Ning, however, did not look at her; his gaze fell on Wan Tang, a complex, indescribable expression,

containing reminiscence, sorrow, and a barely perceptible tenderness, as if looking at his own junior.

He slowly straightened up, his voice bearing the wear of years, as if speaking to Chu Yunzheng yet also to himself: "I, an old man who gained a daughter in my later years, cherish her as a treasure."

"But Mo Zisuan, that old fellow… had already established a family early on, with descendants…"

He paused, his tone heavy, "The Mo Family affair back then was his own misstep, self‑inflicted; Old Minister has nothing to say."

Shifting his tone, he looked again at Wan Tang, his eyes revealing deep sentiment: "However, Emperor, I once owed Mo Zisuan a life on the battlefield."

"That debt has lingered for most of my life."

Chu Yunzheng's pupils narrowed, as if foreseeing something, and he said gravely, "Duke, you mean you wish me to pardon Wan Tang's crime?"

Wan Tang's heart rose to her throat in an instant, her eyes nervously flickering between the Duke of Ning and Chu Yunzheng.

An indescribable, even she herself dared not contemplate, hope quietly sprouted in her heart.

Yet Chu Yunzheng suddenly smiled, a smile tinged with a hint of helplessness and undeniable imperial authority.

He waved his hand: "Duke, you should know. The Mo Family case was decreed by the Late Emperor, an iron case as solid as a mountain."

"The Late Emperor ordered the extermination of the nine families."

"Now that she lives, it is because I, recalling past ties, have shown mercy beyond the law."

"Her 'crime' lies not in whether I pursue it, but in her very bloodline."

"Then, how could it be pardoned?"

The atmosphere in the hall solidified once more.

Yet no one expected that, upon hearing this, the Duke of Ning again lifted his robe hem and knelt before Chu Yunzheng, slowly yet unwaveringly.

Word by word, he said clearly, "Emperor, Old Minister knows this matter puts you in a difficult position."

"Old Minister is willing to exchange his lifetime military merits, the iron‑clad edicts, all his honors… for a single grace from the Emperor."

He raised his head, his gaze blazing, and declared:

"Pardon the Mo Clan orphan Wan Tang, no guilt."