“Why?”
“Why are you doing this to me!”
Chu Yin gasped, her eyes flushed, and she looked at Feng Chaoge with hatred.
Feng Chaoge looked calm and said, “Back then, Gao Fan embezzled the disaster relief money on your orders, right?”
A trace of panic flashed under Chu Yin’s eyes, “I don’t-know what you’re talking about.”
“Gao Fan was persuaded by your intimidation to embezzle the relief money, and after the incident, he became your scapegoat.”
“Because you were afraid Gao Fan would turn you in, you tried your best to free him and ended up changing the death sentence to being sent to the northern border.”
“The rest of the Gao family was left in the Capital as hostages to threaten him.”
“And then Gao Fan became a tool for you to collude with the Tiger Clan.”
Feng Chaoge looked at him, “Did I say something wrong?”
Chu Yin’s back was already wet with cold sweat.
So she knows everything!
Feng Chaoge said, “Besides, you formed a party for your own sake, threatened the integrity of the Empire, and did all sorts of evil things, why do you think I should do this to you?”
Chu Yin gritted his teeth and said, “What evidence do you have?”
He had never left any traces of what he had done, not even Chu Qi knew what he had done.
Even if the Holy Empress was aware of it, there was no solid evidence.
Feng Chaoge shook his head, “I don’t need evidence.”
Chu Yin was stunned and dumbfounded.
Indeed.
With the other party’s status and means, there were hundreds of ways to make his life worse than death.
And he was naive enough to think that as long as his hands and feet were clean, he would be fine….
“The name given by the late emperor was originally ‘Xianqing Pond’, in the hope that you would be like the still waters and the self-cleaning cranes, purify your body and clean yourself, and not covet power and influence.”
“If you have ambition but no ability, you will only get yourself killed.”
“But you have taken the liberty of changing the name, claiming to be a virtuous king and forming a party.”
“I have given you the opportunity, but you do not know how to appreciate it.”
Feng Chaoge had promised the late emperor not to lay his hands on Chu Yin.
However, the other party was not willing to be a peaceful prince and had colluded with outsiders, dividing the Nine Regions and trying to give up land to become emperor.
This had touched the bottom line of Feng Chaoge’s tolerance.
Looking at Chu Yin, who had lost his soul, Feng Chaoge said indifferently, “I will choose a good day for you, go in peace.”
Chu Yin suddenly raised his head and said fearfully, “You can’t kill me! I have the late emperor’s golden voucher, even if you are the Empress, you have no right to kill me!”
Feng Chaoge shook her head and said, “Even the golden voucher does not forgive the crime of betrayal, and the next generation will not avoid death.”
The gold voucher is not almighty.
It will not be able to exempt the crime of betrayal from the death penalty, and the descendants are also involved.
Feng Chaoge looked a little tired, got up and was about to leave.
Chu Yin grabbed the railing and hissed, “I’m the only royal family member left! If you kill me and Chu Qi, there will be no one left in the royal family! What will happen then?”
Feng Chaoge’s body stopped.
A moment later, without looking back, she said softly, “If all the royal family is like you, I might as well hand over the empire to the Demonic path.”
“Feng Chaoge!”
Looking at the fading back, Chu Yin sat helplessly on the ground, his hollow eyes full of despair.
Outside the imperial prison.
It was already getting dark.
The ministers were waiting outside.
When they saw Feng Chaoge walk out, they hurriedly knelt on the ground.
Chen Wangchuan spoke, “Your Majesty, the matter of Prince Chu ……”
Feng Chaoge said, “When the emperor’s son breaks the law, he is just as guilty as commoners, do not be afraid just because he is a prince.”
Chen Wangchuan nodded his head, “I understand.”
Feng Chaoge boarded the luxurious phoenix carriage, but did not leave immediately, but turned to look at Su Shi, “Where are you staying for the night?”
Su Shi shrugged, “I thought I would stay at Chen Residence.”
“Not allowed.”
Feng Chaoge’s face was expressionless as he said, “Hop on and follow me back to the palace.”
Su Shi wanted to refuse, but looking at the other party’s slightly downcast eyes, something suddenly touched his heart.
After hesitating for a moment, he boarded the carriage anyway.
The phoenix carriage shone with golden light and floated away.
The scene was silent.
The ministers were still kneeling, not daring to look up, as if they had heard nothing.
Cold sweat flowed onto the ground drop by drop.
Chen Wangchuan swallowed his saliva.
“Riding in the same carriage, living in the same palace ……”
“Her Majesty and Su Shi’s relationship, seems a little too good?”
Inside the luxury carriage.
Su Shi sat on a wooden chair carved with a flying phoenix and looked at Feng Chaoge with a strange look.
Feng Chaoge’s eyebrows raised, “Why are you looking at me like that?”
Su Shi asked, “Are you seriously saying that you want to hand over the Empire to the Demonic path?”
“I did not mean it.”
Feng Chaoge’s eyes looked at him, “But if you want to ……”
“I don’t want it.”
Su Shi’s head shook into a crackle.
Seeing his evasive look, Feng Chaoge was slightly amused and shook her head, “This sprawling Empire, some people are desperate to seize it, while you don’t even want it even though it’s free.”
Her tone was a little mocking and a little helpless.
Su Shi shrugged his shoulders, “Everyone wants different things.”
Feng Chaoge said curiously, “Then what do you want?”
Su Shi thought about it and said seriously, “I want to hold my fate in my own hands, I want to protect the people I want to protect.”
“The people you want to protect ……”
Confusion swept across the bottom of Feng Chaoge’s eyes.
She is the Empress, who rules all the states, and everyone in the world respects her and fears her, but who wants to protect her from the bottom of their hearts?
More to the point, did she need them to protect her?
She sat high on the cold throne, looking down at the world, but there was no one around her.
“All emperors were lonely in ancient times.”
Su Shi seemed to understand her thoughts, “Since you have ascended the throne, it is only natural that you are lonely in such a high place.”
Feng Chaoge was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, “Do you know why I asked you to come to the imperial prison?”
Su Shi shook his head.
Feng Chaoge obviously knew everything, there was no need to “interrogate” Chu Yin.
There was no need for his presence.
“Because I want you to know that the reason Chu Yin is like this is because he deserves it.”
“I have given him many chances before this.”
Feng Chaoge shook her head, “My heart is not as hard as stone.”
Su Shi froze for a moment, “You called me here just to prove this?”
Feng Chaoge turned her head and said in a low voice, “You said that my heart is filled with intrigue and interests …… I can’t accept it!”
Su Shi was silent for a moment.
He did not expect that part of the morning to make the Holy Empress care so much.
“Knowing full well that Chu Yin colluded with the Tiger Clan, knowing full well that there is something fishy under the Xianqing Pond, yet you said nothing.”
Feng Chaoge snorted coldly, “You say I am filled with intrigue, aren’t you the one who is actually filled with intrigue?”
Su Shi scratched his head, “You don’t really think I planned it all do you?”
“I do!”
Feng Chaoge glanced at him, “You saw me taking a shower and I haven’t punished you yet.”
Su Shi looked bitter, “Then how will you punish?”
“Empress domination is no better than a drunken life.”
Feng Chaoge said indifferently, “You will be punished for drinking with me!”