Chapter 167 The Fall of a Monarch

Chapter 167 The Fall of a Monarch

As Xie Yan stepped out of the study, Imperial Censor Zhang hurriedly entered and saw Xue Yubai and Xue Qingning among them. In any case, they were all on his side.

He then reported to Xie Yan: "Prince Jing, there is unusual activity outside Luoyang. There are suspicious people at all four city gates. It is estimated that a prince from one of the fiefdoms has returned and is gathering information about the palace."

Xie Yan's eyes changed slightly. He had spies in every fiefdom. If they brought troops over, how could he not know?

Both Xue Yubai and Xue Qingning's eyes changed color.

Xue Yubai said, "It seems there's still a bird lurking in the shadows!"

“With my family holding absolute power, the Emperor must still have a backup plan.” Xie Yan frowned slightly and said to Imperial Censor Zhang, “Go and have Yang Zhi investigate. Report back every half hour.”

"I'll go right away," Imperial Censor Zhang agreed, glancing towards the Emperor's bedchamber. "Is the Emperor still asleep?"

Xie Yan understood that he cared about the outcome. "It's almost done. It's ours."

Imperial Censor Zhang gave a thumbs up, "Your Highness Prince Jing is mighty!"

"Go on with your work." Xie Yan knew that these people had entrusted their lives to him, so how could he ignore them?

Therefore, he also wanted to grant their wish.

Imperial Censor Zhang smiled and waved goodbye as he left.

Xie Yan watched Imperial Censor Zhang leave, pondered for a moment, then turned and headed towards his bedchamber.

Xue Yubai and Xue Qingning followed behind.

Inside the palace, there was a strong, bitter smell, mixed with some other scents.

Inside the room, there was an incense burner burning, which emitted a medicinal aroma, but it didn't seem to be of much use.

Instead, it made the smell in the house even worse.

The palace servants in the inner palace have all been placed under house arrest, and no one is serving them, yet the lights are still burning.

On the dragon bed, Emperor Xie Yuan lay still wearing yesterday's dragon robe, his eyes staring blankly at the top of the tent.

After Xie Yan entered the room, he turned his head slightly, and when he saw Xie Yan's face clearly, the anger on his face was gone.

There was a hint of suppressed emotion beneath the calm.

Xie Yan walked to the bedside table, opened the box containing the jade seal, and took it out.

Then he turned and walked to the dragon bed, saying to the emperor, "The victor is king, the loser is villain. Press the imperial seal!"

He unfolded the imperial edict. "Well? How well do I imitate your handwriting?"

Xie Yuan looked at the words on it and instantly became breathless, gasping for air.

The previously suppressed emotions exploded instantly.

Xie Yuan had been emperor for over twenty years and had never experienced such a situation.

He glared at Xie Yan, trying to speak, but found that he couldn't utter a word.

Surprise and fear struck at the same time, like a storm.

Xie Yan had no time to argue with him, so he took Xie Yuan's hand and stuffed the jade seal into it.

Xie Yuan refused and wouldn't press down, but Xie Yan forcibly pressed him down onto the will.

As the crimson mark fell, Xie Yuan glared angrily, as if all his strength had been drained away in an instant.

Xie Yan also released his hand in disgust, picked up the jade seal and stood up.

"You want to leave a will to kill me? You want to eliminate me completely? You've done so many evil deeds, it's already a miracle that you've lived to the end."

With that, Xie Yan took out the will written by Xie Yuan himself, walked to the burning candle, and handed it to Xue Qingning, saying, "Go burn it."

Xue Qingning was somewhat surprised and guessed that it was the emperor's will.

I reached out and took it, and couldn't resist opening it with a hint of suspicion.

After seeing Xie Yu's name with his own eyes, he sneered and lit the fire himself.

The flames quickly ignited.

Xie Yuan, lying on the dragon bed, was extremely excited. He tried to get up to stop them, but he could neither make a sound nor move.

He could only desperately try to signal to Xue Qingning with his eyes, but Xie Yan inadvertently took two steps and blocked Xue Qingning's path.

He even provoked him in a very despicable way, "Father, is this unexpected? Are you very angry?"

Xie Yuan coughed up a mouthful of blood, instantly staining the brocade quilt red.

After burning the imperial edict, Xue Qingning walked over to Xie Yuan, who was lying on the dragon bed.

“Father, do you know that I hate you? If it weren’t for your marriage, I would not have been separated from Xie Yan.”

"I know you did this on purpose, afraid that our Xue family would support Xie Yan."

Her tone was casual, like she was chatting, but every word seemed to be filled with piercing resentment.

Xue Yubai couldn't help but speak up, his eyes filled with the satisfaction of revenge.

"They have suppressed our Xue family, causing us to be gradually demoted from a family that has been passed down for generations to a lowly, idle position, where we don't even have the chance to attend the morning court."

"Then I'll have my sister marry the Second Prince to silence the gossip. Your combination of kindness and coercion is truly torturous."

Xue Qingning chuckled lightly: "Do you know how disgusting it is for me to dance in front of you? Every time I call you 'Father Emperor,' I feel like I'm betraying my family."

"Enduring humiliation and flattery was all for this day."

"You can't stop us anymore, so you can go in peace!"

Xie Yuan could no longer hold on; a mouthful of blood choked in his chest, unable to escape.

His eyes were wide open, and his face was purple. He still wanted to say something to Xue Qingning, but his lifespan had come to an end.

He slowly closed his eyes, thus ending his life as an emperor.

Xie Yan looked at that face, the face he feared most when he was a child.

Now, he is no longer afraid, but he doesn't want to look at it anymore.

As he stepped out of the palace, he said to a guard outside, "Go and summon the imperial physician, and all those in the palace."

The guard immediately obeyed the order.

When Xue Qingning was alone in the palace, she picked up the kettle and extinguished the flame in the incense burner.

"The sooner you die, the sooner you'll be free," she whispered. "Xie Yao, you and your son are both rotten. Go and reunite!"

Xue Yubai turned back and said, "Qingning, you should go back! It's not appropriate for you to stay here. Wait for a summons before entering the palace."

Xue Qingning turned around, wanting to say that she just wanted to stay here and witness everything that was to come.

However, her detestable status as the Second Imperial Concubine created a chasm between her and Xie Yan.

*

As the palace bells tolled, Shen Nanzi awoke from a nightmare.

She was lying on the edge of Xie Yu's bed when she suddenly sat up.

The sound of the funeral drum was low and mournful, each beat striking the chest and making one's heart pound.

The sound of Consort Wei crying came from behind.

Shen Nanzi turned her head and saw Consort Wei lying on the table in the outer room, her shoulders trembling slightly with grief.

Shen Nanzi then realized that she was in Xie Yu's room.

She slowly turned her head and looked at Xie Yu on the bed.

He had already woken up, tears streaming down his face.

Thinking of the father-son relationship between him and the emperor, Shen Nanzi, who had lost her mother, understood that such grief could not be consoled.

It can only heal slowly over time, day by day.

Thinking of her brother, Consort Wei had told her about the situation outside the night before.

My brother is still alive and well, but the Emperor has passed away.

I wonder how Xie Yan will deal with his brother?

Now that his condition has stabilized, she needs to find a way to get out.

Her sister-in-law was still waiting for her.