After killing four concubines, the queen was sentenced to death and reborn

Xiao Chengji stood on the high steps, his voice was steady and firm, every word was clear and piercing the sky: "Decree that Princess Anping is virtuous, diligent, docile, kind, and virtuous. She is to be canonized as Queen, and the Ministry of Rites is to set the date for the wedding as soon as possible. I decree this!" After he finished speaking, he looked at Lu Lingyuan with deep eyes and full of affection. There seemed to be thousands of words in his eyes that were difficult to express.

Zheng Xiyan's body shook violently when she heard this. Anger and grief intertwined, causing her to tremble all over, as if an invisible force was tearing at her heart. She leaned on Biluo beside her and barely stood firm. Her face was as pale as paper, her lips trembled, and her voice was as thin as a gossamer: "You..." There was unspeakable pain in those words.

At this moment, Lu Lingyuan felt as if struck by lightning. She stood there in a daze, her eyes empty and lifeless, and her despair was beyond words, as if the whole world collapsed at this moment, burying her deeply.

Eunuch Rong'an felt a chill down his spine, sweat dripping down his face, and looked embarrassed, but he did not dare to be negligent in the slightest, for fear of angering the emperor.

Seeing him hesitate, Xiao Chengji's brows flashed with displeasure, and he angrily said: "Didn't you hear what I said? Don't you want the head on your neck anymore?" Rong An was terrified when he heard this, and he immediately knelt on the ground, kowtowed and begged for mercy: "I dare not, I dare not... Your Majesty, please forgive me..."

"Hurry up and go!" Xiao Chengji's voice was filled with unquestionable majesty. Rong An felt as if he had been pardoned. He hurriedly got up from the ground and crawled out of the hall.

"Ji'er..." Zheng Xiyan's voice was filled with pleading. Her eyes were full of helplessness and sadness. She looked at Xiao Chengji, as if she wanted to awaken a trace of rationality in his heart. "Loving someone shouldn't be forced like this. If you insist on doing it, it will only hurt both of you in the end."

However, Xiao Chengji had made up his mind. He slowly walked towards Lu Lingyuan and gently lifted her up from the ground, as if she were treating a precious piece of porcelain. Lu Lingyuan looked numb and confused. She only felt that she was surrounded by endless panic and darkness.

"I will send someone to take you back home. You just need to wait for the imperial decree to confer you the title of queen. You don't have to worry about anything else. I will arrange it properly." Xiao Chengji's voice was gentle and paranoid. His hand gently stroked her hair. His affectionate and persistent eyes made people feel cold.

"I promise you that I will make you the happiest woman in the world." Xiao Chengji's fingers slowly slid down and gently touched her cheek, but Lu Lingyuan stubbornly avoided him.

Xiao Chengji laughed at himself, a hint of helplessness flashed in his eyes, "It doesn't matter, you don't have to accept this imperial decree, but your father will definitely accept it for you."

"In that case, there is no need to leave the palace in a hurry. How about I accompany you to visit the Weiyang Palace? In the future, this will be your bedroom, your home, and our home." Xiao Chengji spoke to himself, his tone full of longing for the future. However, Lu Lingyuan and Zheng Xiyan's faces became increasingly ugly, as if shrouded in an invisible haze.

"We will have many children. I will treat you well and our children well." Xiao Chengji's eyes had turned red at some point, with tears welling up in them, as if telling of his deepest desire and loneliness.

Zheng Xiyan looked at this scene, feeling an indescribable guilt and sadness in her heart, and her eyes gradually became moist.

It turned out that all this was caused by her and Xiao Xuanchen.

Perhaps this is God's retribution to them.

The death of Xiao Xuanchen inevitably cast a shadow on the young Xiao Chengji. Even though Xiao Xuanchen did many unforgivable things, he was still Xiao Chengji's father after all.

Ever since Xiao Chengji was old enough to understand, he could feel that his father didn't like him. Every time he looked at him, there was always suspicion and doubt in his eyes.

He has been working very hard to get his father's attention and love, but no matter what he does, he cannot make his father like him as much as he likes his fifth brother and Shu'er.

Later, the queen mother told herself that she was going to do something very important.

After that day, his father passed away, and his mother told him many things. He felt sorry for her and resented his father, but he still longed for his father's love and attention, hoping to get his father's approval.

He hoped that his father was still alive and hoped to see his father and mother being as loving and harmonious as before!

The warm scenes of their family being together in the past would constantly flash in his mind, and he longed for that day to come again.

Lu Lingyuan's body trembled slightly, like the last fallen leaf in autumn, swaying helplessly in the cold wind. Her eyes were red and tears were flashing, but she tried hard not to let the crystal tears slide down her cheeks.

Seeing this, Xiao Chengji felt as if his heart was pierced by a sharp object, and an indescribable pain spread. He slowly stretched out his hand, gently touched the corner of her eyes with his fingertips, and gently wiped away the tears that were about to fall. His actions were full of endless care and reluctance. "Don't cry..." His voice was low and slightly choked, and every word seemed to be squeezed out from the bottom of his heart with difficulty, full of unspeakable emotions.

Lu Lingyuan knew that the Queen Mother was the only safe haven for her at this moment, so she resolutely pushed Xiao Chengji away, her steps were fast but a little staggering, as if every step was on the edge of a knife, and she ran straight to Zheng Xiyan. Her eyes were shining with a light of help and despair, as if a drowning person had grabbed the last straw.

"Empress Dowager, you promised me, you promised me..." Lu Lingyuan clenched Zheng Xiyan's sleeves tightly with both hands, her voice was tearful, and every word revealed her unwillingness and pleading.

Zheng Xiyan looked at the tear-stained face in front of her, and a deep sense of guilt welled up in her heart. She held Lu Lingyuan's hands and said guiltily: "Child, it's all my fault. I failed to teach my son well, and you suffered so much." Her tone was full of self-blame, and her eyes were full of love and pity for Lu Lingyuan.

"Don't worry, I will take care of it for you." Zheng Xiyan's words were firm and powerful, as if they were a reassurance to Lu Lingyuan.

Then, Zheng Xiyan gently protected Lu Lingyuan behind her, her eyes suddenly became sharp, and she questioned Xiao Chengji in a cold voice: "Emperor, I will never agree to make her the queen. Do you know that the Fanyang Lu family has never married into the royal family, a fact that even Emperor Taizu could not change. Do you think you can change all this with just an imperial edict from you?" Zheng Xiyan's voice revealed unquestionable majesty.

Emperor Taizu relied on aristocratic families to establish the country. The first decree he issued after ascending the throne was to retain the privileges of aristocratic families and allow them to maintain retainers and private soldiers.

The women in the aristocratic families are all talented and beautiful. Emperor Taizu knows very well that if the Xiao family wants to maintain their rule, they must have the support of the aristocratic families.

The Emperor Taizu at that time wanted to make a woman from an aristocratic family the Crown Princess, that is, to choose a Crown Princess from an aristocratic family for the Emperor Taizong, who was still the Crown Prince at that time.

I thought things would go smoothly, but I didn't expect that several major families refused to go one after another.

This made Emperor Taizu and Emperor Taizong lose face, so that after Emperor Taizong ascended the throne, he suppressed the aristocratic families many times, but with little effect.

After that, several emperors who ascended the throne also took corresponding measures to suppress the aristocratic families, but none of them could change their roots.

In recent years, the power of the family has been relatively weakened, but if you want to move them...

"Lu Xuan is that old stubborn man. He was unwilling to do so eight years ago. How could he easily nod his head now? Don't be too confident, or you may end up in an embarrassing situation." Zheng Xiyan's words were laced with sarcasm, and she was obviously not optimistic about Xiao Chengji's plan.

Hearing this, Xiao Chengji's lips curled up into a confident and deep smile, like the blue waves under the early morning light, warm and powerful. He spoke slowly, his voice steady and magnetic, and said, "Mother, you are worrying too much. I have a plan." After that, he stood tall, with an indescribable confidence and calmness between his eyebrows, as if everything was under control, making people want to explore his mysterious plan.

"Ji'er..." Zheng Xiyan sighed softly, with a hint of helplessness and sadness in her voice.

"Mother, please go back to the palace and rest first. I have my own plans in mind. You don't need to worry too much." Xiao Chengji said in a deep voice.

"What exactly is your so-called countermeasure?" Zheng Xiyan's voice was low and powerful, her eyes sharp, trying to penetrate her son's calmness.

Xiao Chengji's eyes suddenly became deep, like two bottomless cold pools. He cast a gloomy gaze not far away, and a meaningful sneer appeared at the corner of his mouth, "Does the Queen Mother still remember the Concubine Lu?"

"Lu..." Zheng Xiyan's face suddenly changed when she heard this, as if a cold wind had blown over her, and all the blood froze instantly. An ominous premonition surged in her heart. Could it be that Ji'er was planning to...

At this time, Xiao Chengji turned his gaze to Lu Lingyuan, with a half-smile on his face, and said softly: "Yuan'er, do you still remember Lu Moyu?"

"Brother Mo Yu?" Lu Lingyuan whispered, her voice as thin as a mosquito, a trace of nostalgia and confusion flashed in her eyes.

"Lu Moyu is a descendant of a branch of your Fanyang Lu family. His parents died when he was young, leaving him alone and helpless. Your father, as the clan leader, was kind-hearted and took him into his home, treating him as his own son. Lu Moyu is extremely talented, especially in martial arts. He is a rare genius that is hard to come by in a century." Xiao Chengji narrated slowly, with a tone of admiration and regret.

"Your father spared no expense to hire a famous teacher to train you carefully. On weekdays, he often stayed by your side and gave you personal guidance. Even your two elder brothers rarely had the opportunity to be taught by your father in person. This shows how much your father values ​​and expects of Lu Moyu."

"However, things are unpredictable. Why did Lu Moyu suddenly disappear and where did he go? Coincidentally, Concubine Lu also passed away almost at the same time." Xiao Chengji said with a smile on his face.

Zheng Xiyan bit her lower lip with a barely perceptible tremor. Obviously, she had guessed Xiao Chengji's intention to some extent, and her heart was filled with mixed feelings.

"Lu Moyu, as an official appointed by the court, you dared to secretly seduce the concubine of the previous emperor. This behavior is tantamount to playing with fire and getting burned, and it is also a heinous crime that involves nine clans. I am thinking of the Fanyang Lu family, who have devoted themselves to Daliang for generations and have made outstanding contributions. Although I am angry and unwilling in my heart, I can barely suppress it and not impose this crime on you, the entire Fanyang Lu family." Xiao Chengji said in a deep voice, and these words were specifically said to Lu Lingyuan.

"But if this matter is leaked to the outside, the good reputation accumulated by the Fanyang Lu family for a hundred years will be destroyed in an instant!" When Xiao Chengji said this, his tone unconsciously carried a hint of unquestionable threat. His purpose was nothing more than to force Lu Lingyuan to bow her head and compromise in order to preserve the family's face.

"Mother, you have always known about this, right?" Xiao Chengji stared at her with a sharp gaze, but his heart was filled with ripples. "No, maybe I shouldn't be so tactful. I should say that the reason why Concubine Lu and Lu Moyu were able to escape from the palace without anyone noticing was because you, mother, planned and let them go, right?"

After saying that, a hint of doubt flashed across Xiao Chengji's eyes. He really didn't understand why his mother would do such a puzzling thing. You know, if the affair between Concubine Lu and Lu Moyu was exposed, it would be a great shame for the royal family.

"And Concubine Yi, she didn't actually die, but was secretly sent out of the palace by you, your mother, and ran away with her childhood sweetheart!" Xiao Chengji's brows were furrowed tighter and tighter, and his face became more and more gloomy, as if water could drip out of it.

"But, mother, I really don't understand. When father was alive, he doted on Concubine Yi and Concubine Lu. Why did you do this?" Xiao Chengji's tone was full of confusion.

"How do you know? Ji'er, it's shameful that you use such means to force her to agree to marry you!" Zheng Xiyan said disappointedly.

"Mother, I have no choice. I don't care about anything else in order to marry Yuan'er." Xiao Chengji looked at her tenderly.

So where is Brother Mo Yu now?

Once this matter is exposed, it will be a shame that the Fanyang Lu family cannot bear. Not only will it bring shame to the clan members, but the family's century-old foundation may be destroyed.

Thinking of this, her heart couldn't help but feel heavier, as if she was being pressed down by a huge rock and she couldn't breathe.

The air around seemed to be frozen, so heavy that it was suffocating.

"I have found out where Lu Moyu and Concubine Lu are hiding. How should this matter be handled? It all depends on what decision Yuan'er makes. Xiao Chengji slowly stretched out his hand, his palm warm and firm, gently wrapped her soft and boneless hands, his eyes filled with endless affection and doting.

Hearing this, Lu Lingyuan suddenly raised her tearful eyes, and a faint blush appeared around her eyes, like peach blossoms in the early morning light, with a bit of shyness and weakness that could not withstand the cool breeze. Her eyelashes trembled slightly, and a few crystal tears were still hanging on them, flashing a sad and moving light. Even a heartless person would feel a bit of pity and protection when seeing her.