Chapter 208 Unworthy to be a husband, a father, or even a ruler!

Chapter 208 Unworthy to be a husband, a father, or even a ruler!

Li Ye stared intently at the basin.

In the water, two drops of blood slowly dispersed, gradually approaching and merging, eventually forming a small dark red halo that could no longer be distinguished from each other.

"The blood is compatible!" Imperial Physician Wen exclaimed first, his voice filled with excitement, "Her Highness the Princess is indeed His Majesty's biological daughter!"

After he finished speaking, a low cheer erupted in the hall.

Su Qingci finally felt relieved, and her gaze towards Li Yuanzhao held a newfound respect.

After this public verification of her identity in front of civil and military officials and envoys from various countries, from then on, no one in the world could question the bloodline of the eldest princess!

Even the emperor cannot!

Li Ye leaned back on the throne in a daze, his gaze sweeping over the calm-faced Li Yuanzhao and the cheering crowd.

But he quickly regained his composure and looked at Cui Yunyi, "I knew it! How could Que Nu, with her celestial beauty, not be my own daughter! Cui has spread rumors and slandered the royal bloodline; she deserves to die! Guards, drag her away immediately and execute her on the spot!"

He was eager to convict Cui Yunyi and to brand her with the label of "framing."

In this way, everything she says will be considered ravings of madness, and no one will believe her anymore.

Cui Yunyi then snapped out of her paternity test and looked at Li Ye.

A sarcastic smile tugged at the corner of her lips. "Li Ye! Even if Li Yuanzhao is your biological daughter, so what?! That doesn't change the fact that you, a hypocrite, killed her own mother!"

These words were like a thunderclap, instantly silencing the cheers that had just erupted in the hall, replacing them with a deathly silence.

The officials' smiles froze, and they looked at Li Ye on the throne in disbelief.

What?

Did this emperor, who has presented himself as a "devoted emperor" for many years, actually kill his first wife?

That can't be right, can it?

Shen Guojiu and Liang Guogong looked at Li Ye with disbelief.

Li Ye's face instantly turned bright red, and he retorted sharply, "You vile woman, you just lied and framed my daughter, and now you're trying to fabricate rumors to slander me! Cui Yunyi, do you think this will delay your death?!"

Looking at Li Ye's flustered appearance, Cui Yunyi sneered, "I'm talking nonsense? Back when Shen Lang was giving birth, you really thought no one knew that you had Imperial Physician Wen administer acupuncture to kill Shen Lang?"

"Now that the two people from the delivery room back then are here, do you dare to confront Imperial Physician Wen and Granny Wang again in front of all the officials and tell them the truth about what happened in the delivery room back then!"

Everyone immediately recalled what Wang Po had just said: "After Physician Wen administered acupuncture to the Empress, the bleeding became even more profuse."

I didn't think anything of it at the time, but now I realize something's wrong.

In addition, His Majesty's voice tonight clearly showed panic, and his eagerness to kill the Imperial Concubine was evident.

This made everyone realize that this matter was very likely true.

Everyone eagerly looked at Physician Wen, wanting to see what he would say.

Shen Guojiu then drew the sword from Shen Churong's waist and held it to Imperial Physician Wen's neck.

"Speak! Did you kill my elder sister on Li Ye's orders?!"

Everyone could tell that Shen Guojiu no longer addressed His Majesty as "Your Majesty," but instead called him by his given name.

This is a grave offense of disrespect, and the fact that violence was used in the palace only exacerbates the crime.

Shen Churong looked at his father with concern, fearing that he might act impulsively and ruin His Highness's grand plan.

Duke Liang's face also darkened. "Imperial Physician Wen, what exactly was the cause of the Empress's death back then?"

Li Ye was still in a fit of impotent rage, yelling, "Rebellion! Rebellion! Are you all plotting a rebellion?!"

Physician Wen had no idea that, in addition to the play arranged by the Princess, there was another play waiting for him today.

In his panic, he instinctively looked at Li Yuanzhao, his eyes filled with pleading.

Li Yuanzhao spoke calmly, "Imperial Physician Wen, if you tell the truth, you might still be spared. If you continue to conceal the truth, I cannot protect you."

Upon hearing this, Imperial Physician Wen breathed a sigh of relief, knelt down, and explained to everyone.

“Back then… back then, Her Majesty the Empress did bleed during childbirth, but it wasn’t serious. With proper acupuncture and medicine, her life would have been in no danger! But… but His Majesty ordered me… to kill the Empress! His Majesty’s decree, how could I… how dare I disobey! I beg the Imperial Uncle for mercy! I beg the Princess for mercy!”

Li Ye never expected that Imperial Physician Wen would betray him. He slumped onto the dragon throne, still muttering, "No... I didn't! I didn't kill her! He's lying to you! He's lying!"

After hearing the Imperial Physician Wen's confession, Shen Guojiu was consumed by rage. Before anyone could react, he slashed down with his long sword.

With a "thud," Physician Wen's head fell to the ground, and blood spurted out.

Li Yuanzhao watched this scene from the side, without making any attempt to stop it.

She did want to spare his life, but unfortunately... Shen Guojiu didn't want to.

Imperial Physician Wen's head rolled a few times on the ground and came to rest right at Li Ye's feet.

Li Ye screamed in fright, his body shrinking back so much that he was practically curled up on the dragon throne, no longer resembling an emperor at all.

Shen Guojiu, carrying a blood-stained longsword, pointed it directly at Li Ye.

"Li Ye! My elder sister treated you well! Back then, she used all the power of the Shen family to help you ascend to the throne. Why would you do such a cruel thing?!"

"I didn't...it wasn't me..."

Li Ye muttered to himself with a vacant look in his eyes, unable to utter a complete sentence for a long time.

Just then, Cui Yunyi suddenly let out a shrill laugh, "What else could it be?"

Her gaze swept over everyone in the hall, as if she wanted to tear Li Ye's true colors apart in front of them.

"Because Li Ye is, at heart, an ungrateful and despicable person!"

She turned to Li Ye on the dragon throne, "Shen Lang helped you rise to power, yet you took advantage of her weakness and vulnerability during childbirth to kill her with such insidious means!"

"And my Cui family too!" Her voice suddenly rose, filled with intense hatred. "After Shen Lang died, your throne was not secure, and it was our Cui family that mobilized the entire clan to support you."

"But after you secured your throne, you became wary of the Cui family's power and, together with Li Yuanzhao, suppressed them at every turn, driving the Cui family to the brink of destruction!"

She then looked at Li Yuanzhao, her eyes filled with complex emotions: "Even Li Yuanzhao is nothing more than a tool for you to govern the court and stabilize the people's hearts, to deal with powerful families, to intimidate court officials, and to bear the infamy for you!"

"You killed your benefactor, harmed your wife and daughters, slaughtered your meritorious officials, and are ungrateful and treacherous!" Cui Yunyi's voice was full of sarcasm, each word piercing the heart. "A person like you is not worthy of being a husband, a father, or even a ruler!"

As Li Ye listened to this series of accusations, his face turned from white to green, and then from green to purple.

He pointed at Cui Yunyi, his lips trembling, "You...you..."

Especially after hearing Cui Yunyi's last words that struck at his heart, he was so enraged that he spat out a mouthful of blood.

Suddenly everything went black, and his body fell heavily backward, completely losing consciousness.