When Consort Yuanshu looked over, Zhang Yuan secretly said "not good" in his heart. As expected, what followed this gaze was Consort Yuanshu's faint complaints. She said, "This concubine misses the emperor. The sedan sent by Zhao He Hall was about to bring this concubine to the main square, but it was stopped by Eunuch Yuan. Eunuch Yuan said that this concubine is a source of calamity and a fox spirit. I pester the emperor all day and make it impossible for the emperor to sleep. He also said that if this concubine went today, the emperor would die without a doubt tomorrow. Your majesty! This concubine doesn't ask for anything other than the emperor's health. If this concubine's existence really harms the emperor, then this concubine would rather die in exchange for the emperor's eternal peace. "
She said this while crying. There were faint marks on her neck and she would occasionally cough a few times. She looked as pitiful as she could be. Emperor Tianwu's heart ached when he saw this. His large hand continuously stroked Consort Yuanshu's face, trying to wipe away her tears. But those tears were like a broken string of beads. No matter how much he wiped, they wouldn't dry. His heart ached as he kept saying, "Beloved concubine, don't cry. Whoever dares to say beloved concubine is a source of calamity, zhen will skin them alive!"
When Zhang Yuan heard this, he knelt down with a "putong" sound. He looked at Consort Yuanshu in confusion and asked, "Where did Consort Yuanshu's words come from? When has this servant ever said that? Your majesty, this servant did advise Consort Yuanshu not to go to Zhao He Hall, but this servant never said anything like a source of calamity and a fox spirit! I also don't dare curse your majesty! Your majesty must investigate this thoroughly! "
Today was different from the past. If this was in the past, no matter who it was that slandered Zhang Yuan, Zhang Yuan wouldn't be afraid. This was because he believed that the emperor would definitely stand on his side. He wouldn't believe such nonsense no matter what. But it was different now. The emperor's actions were already strange and he had an unclear relationship with Consort Yuanshu. It could be said that the current Consort Yuanshu was the same as the past Consort Yun. No one could say anything bad about her. As long as it involved her, Emperor Tianwu would immediately become hostile.
Zhang Yuan's explanation did not receive a response from Emperor Tianwu. Instead, it was Cun Shan Palace's palace maid Yue Xiu who knelt down and said, "Why does Eunuch Yuan not admit it? When you chased my consort away, you were very awe-inspiring! Your Majesty, this servant can testify that Eunuch Yuan did say those words. It's not just this servant. The eunuch who came from Zhao He Hall to invite Consort Yuanshu and the sedan bearers can all testify. If your majesty doesn't believe me, you can summon them for questioning. My consort felt wronged. She was almost at the front of the hall when she was chased back. Not only was she laughed at on the way back, but Eunuch Yuan's words also hurt her consort even more. Consort couldn't get over it and sought death the moment she came back. This servant managed to save consort with great difficulty, but there was still a mark left on consort's neck. I beg your majesty to uphold justice for Consort Yuanshu! "
Following her words, the servants in the room all knelt down and begged Emperor Tianwu to uphold justice for Consort Yuanshu. At this time, Consort Yuanshu's cries became even louder. As she cried, she said, "Don't beg anymore. This consort cannot harm his majesty. As long as his majesty's health can be preserved, it doesn't matter if this consort lives or dies."
"Nonsense!" Tianwu was furious, "Without my beloved consort's company, what meaning is there for zhen to live?" After he finished speaking, he turned to glare at Zhang Yuan. The viciousness and cruelty in his eyes made Zhang Yuan feel dazed for a moment. It was just like when Emperor Tianwu threw Bu Gui Fei to the ground, he seemed to have revealed this kind of gaze. As for his many years of companionship with the Emperor, all of it had vanished into thin air with this glare.
Zhang Yuan unconsciously took two steps back. He was still kneeling on the ground, but his legs were already trembling. It was said that accompanying the monarch was like accompanying a tiger. He had once treated this old emperor like family and felt that he would only be able to rely on this emperor for the rest of his life. He was going to serve this emperor until Tianwu passed away, and then he would die with him. But now … "Your majesty." He called out in despair, "This servant really didn't say anything like that. Your majesty, please believe this servant one more time."
Tianwu clenched his fists. There was no trace of old affection in his eyes for this Zhang Yuan. Without even thinking, he blurted out: "Drag him out and behead him!"
Everyone trembled when they heard this, and their hearts were slightly startled. No one would have thought that the great eunuch of his time would end up like this. Consort Yuanshu's great favor had come too suddenly.
But just when everyone thought that Zhang Yuan was beyond saving, and even Zhang Yuan himself had given up hope, Consort Yuanshu, who was lying on the bed, felt that beheading Zhang Yuan like this would be letting him off too easily. How many times had she suffered at Zhang Yuan's hands before? How many times had she been bullied by this eunuch in the past ten years? Because she was not favored, she had to do everything she could to bribe this eunuch to see the emperor. But this eunuch was stubborn. She gave him money, but he didn't want money. She gave him face, but he didn't want face. She had no way to deal with him. Now that he had finally fallen into her hands, beheading him like this would not relieve her anger!
"Your Majesty!" She weakly called out and reached out to pull on Emperor Tianwu's sleeve. "Your Majesty, Eunuch Yuan is someone who has served by your side for so many years. Even if he didn't make any contributions, he still worked hard. I ask Your Majesty to spare his life on account of his many years of service! It is not easy to enter the palace as a servant. Your Majesty, please be magnanimous and let him live, okay? "
Tianwu looked at Consort Yuanshu and felt that this beloved consort was too sensible. Zhang Yuan had bullied her to this extent, but in the end, she was still pleading for mercy for Zhang Yuan. Seeing the marks on Consort Yuanshu's neck, the anger in Tianwu's heart burned even brighter. He wanted to not listen to Consort Yuanshu's words and forcefully behead Zhang Yuan, but for some reason, whenever he had this thought, his head would ache for no reason, as if he was resisting it. This puzzled him no matter how he thought about it.
"Forget it." He said, "Then I'll listen to beloved consort and spare him from the death penalty. But while he can be spared from the death penalty, he can't escape punishment. "He looked at Zhang Yuan and said again," Go out and receive thirty strikes, then go to the Department of Guilty Servants as a servant! "
The Department of Guilty Servants was the place where palace servants who made mistakes served. All the dirty and tiring work was done by the people in the Department of Guilty Servants. Everyone knew that palace servants who made mistakes and were thrown into the Department of Guilty Servants had less than a thirty percent chance of surviving. In that place, even if they didn't die, they would still be skinned. If a good person was sent in, they would be tortured to the point that their face would be disfigured in a few days, living a life worse than death. Every day, there would be corpses carried out of the Department of Guilty Servants. No one would ask how those people died because they were guilty servants and died for a good reason.
When Zhang Yuan heard that Emperor Tianwu was going to throw him into the Department of Guilty Servants, he even thought that it would be best if he could die during the thirty strikes. This way, he wouldn't have to go to the Department of Guilty Servants to suffer.
Unfortunately, how could things go according to his wishes. Since Emperor Tianwu said that he was going to send him to the Department of Guilty Servants to suffer, those servants who were carrying out the strikes naturally didn't dare to beat him to death. The people in the bedchamber heard waves of wails from outside, from strong to weak, one strike after another, making people's hearts tremble.
Consort Yuanshu was still lying on the bed, holding Tianwu's hand. She looked pitiful on the surface, but her heart was blooming with joy. She only thought that Zhang Yuan finally had a day like this. Just wait and see! Slowly, one by one, those people who had once humiliated her, she was going to clean them all up. This Imperial Palace must be reorganized according to her wishes, laying down all the foundations for her Mo-er's future ascension to the throne.
Without Zhang Yuan obstructing them, Consort Yuanshu and Emperor Tianwu were even more affectionate. When Emperor Tianwu saw Consort Yuanshu, the comfort in his heart surged up again. Because Consort Yuanshu was injured from hanging herself, he simply stayed in Cun Shan Palace and didn't bother Consort Yuanshu to go to Zhao He Hall. The love between the two caused others to feel envious. The JingShiFang even began to look forward to whether or not Imperial Concubine Yuan Shu would give birth to another prince for the Emperor in his declining years. This caused the imperial physicians to feel a headache. They feared that the Emperor really did have such thoughts. If that happened, they would be very busy.
Zhang Yuan was beaten until he couldn't walk. Although he was still alive, he was already half dead.
The next day, when Emperor Tianwu went to court, the eunuch at his side was changed. It was the eunuch who had helped Consort Yuanshu come up with ideas. His name was Wu Ying.
Although it was only a change in eunuch, the people in court could smell the development of the situation. Those close to the Eighth Prince were very happy about this, but those close to the Ninth Prince were all frowning.
The morning court was no longer the same as before. Now, in court, the Eighth Prince's faction was very active. In contrast, the Ninth Prince's faction was very depressed. It wasn't that they were depressed, but rather that Emperor Tianwu simply ignored them. No matter what they said, Emperor Tianwu never gave them a good look. Sometimes, he didn't even allow them to speak. Even the Left and Right Prime Ministers were often blocked by Emperor Tianwu to the point that they couldn't say anything. This made the two of them very embarrassed and very depressed.
After court was dismissed, Left Prime Minister Lu Song couldn't hold back anymore. He chased after Right Prime Minister Feng Qin and whispered, "It can't go on like this!"
Feng Qin's attitude towards Lu Song was no longer as repulsive as before. After all, Lu Song's performance in the past year was very good. The two of them had also worked together to cause trouble for the Eighth Prince's faction, so their relationship was naturally closer than before. Hearing Lu Song's words, Feng Qin also sighed. He didn't answer directly, but looked straight at Xuan Tianming. However, he saw Xuan Tianming look at him and shake his head slightly. He knew that there was nothing he could do. Only then did he say, "Let's take it one step at a time! He is the emperor, and we are his subjects. If the emperor doesn't allow the subjects to speak, what can the subjects do? "
Lu Song also said helplessly, "That's right! Even the imperial censor can't speak. What can we do? I'm just afraid that in the long run, the country … will no longer be a country! "He let out a sigh and quickly walked away, no longer talking to anyone.
Even Lu Song could say that the country would no longer be a country. How could Right Prime Minister Feng Qin not know? However, Emperor Tianwu's changes were too difficult to understand. He really didn't have any countermeasures for the time being.
After Xuan Tianming left court, he went straight back to his residence, bringing Xuan Tianhua with him to Imperial Palace Yu. Today, Xuan Tianhua wasn't the only guest in Imperial Palace Yu. When they came back, they saw that Yao Xian was also there, sitting in the front hall and talking with Feng Yu Heng.
The two of them were very respectful to Yao Xian. When they saw him, they took the initiative to salute him. Yao Xian also saluted back. Then, without any polite greetings, he directly said, "I went to Xiao Zhou a few days ago and just came back. Heng told me about the emperor. I was thinking of finding a reason to enter the palace to take a look. In the past, the emperor gave me a waist token to enter the palace, but I don't know if it's still useful. If it's not, I wonder if Your Highnesses can arrange it for me? "
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