After being sent to the cold palace, the emperor’s heart was burned into ashes CHAPTER 51.2

Part 2

Staring in the direction where the sun was slowly setting in the west, Zhao Yiyi couldn’t help but take two steps forward.

She was a little homesick.

Not for the home in the Marquis Manor—that was not her home.

She missed the ancestral residence in Chang’an.

In the ancestral residence, she had a very beautiful courtyard filled with osmanthus trees. Every autumn, it was the time when the osmanthus bloomed and the fragrance drifted through the air.

This Ziwei Palace… she was truly tired of staying here.

“Niangniang, Empress Niangniang says she is unwell and it is inconvenient for her to come.”

Hearing the palace servant’s report, Taihou’s face darkened terrifyingly.

Clutching her chest to recover for a long while, she asked again, “What about Linchuan? The things sent to Yufa Temple—did they get in?”

The palace servant shook his head and whispered, “Niangniang, Yufa Temple is guarded by Bixia’s men. It could be said that… not even a mosquito can fly in. Our people pleaded outside for a long time, but they only said that without Bixia’s handwritten decree, the temple gates will not open for anyone.”

Taihou clutched her chest, feeling a sharp pain there. Unwilling to give up, she asked, “Is there truly no way at all?”

To the side, Matron Song couldn’t bear watching any longer and persuaded, “Niangniang, she is Bixia’s full sister after all. He is merely teaching her a lesson and making her suffer a little; how could he take her life? If Bixia sends her in on the front foot and you send people to deliver things on the back foot, isn’t that plainly showing distrust in Bixia and creating a deeper rift between him and the Eldest Princess for no reason?”

Taihou’s expression stiffened. She kept a tight face, turned her head, and stopped speaking.

“The plan for now is for you not to interfere with anything, even with Empress Niangniang,” Matron Song poured a cup of tea and placed it by her hand. “Whatever matters exist between Empress Niangniang and Bixia, let the couple resolve them themselves. If you interfere, what does that look like?”

She had watched over Taihou since childhood, so their bond was naturally deep. Shortly after the Emperor was established as the Crown Prince, an elder in her family fell ill, so she went back to care for them. This caretaking led to her staying outside the palace, though she would occasionally enter to sit and chat with Taihou.

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Because of this, Matron Song carried significant weight with Taihou.

“When I came into the palace last year, I heard you chatting with Grand Consort He about Bixia having no children,” Matron Song sighed heavily, speaking helplessly. “At that time, this servant wanted to say something but couldn’t find the chance. Think about it yourself—what good does it do for you to constantly talk about the fact that Bixia has no children?”

“Bixia has been calculating and capable since childhood. Let him worry about his own affairs. By using all sorts of methods from the sidelines, aren’t you clearly treating Bixia like a toddler?”

Taihou suddenly turned to look at her. Staring at that wrinkled face for a long time, she suddenly realized the truth.

She hadn’t spent much time with her son, and to this day, she still treated him like the child who used to recite books solemnly in front of her. she had completely forgotten that he had long passed the age of twenty and simply didn’t need her to make decisions for him.

Seeing Taihou’s expression loosen slightly, Matron Song thought of Prime Minister He’s instructions, gritted her teeth, and immediately administered a strong dose of medicine. “Niangniang, by making decisions for Bixia like this, it is inevitable… inevitable that there will be suspicions of ruling from behind the curtain! Not to mention Bixia, even when this old servant’s children grew up, they didn’t want to listen to this old servant’s nagging.”

Taihou looked as if she had been struck by lightning. She grabbed Matron Song’s hand and asked urgently, “Amu, then… then what should be done?”

“Niangniang should just enjoy her old age in peace from now on. Why manage those matters?” Matron Song patted Taihou’s shoulder soothingly, her voice gentle. “Stop tossing and turning over the matters between Bixia and the Empress. Isn’t it a thankless task?”

Taihou looked somewhat panicked. She momentarily regretted treating the Empress that way in the past, leading to the current situation. She couldn’t help but say, “Amu, do you think it would be good if I sent some things to the Empress? And regarding my younger sister, she is living in a Taoist temple with Seventh Prince… I don’t know if she is used to it…”

Matron Song’s expression remained unchanged. Although she secretly thought sending gifts would likely be useless, she didn’t show it. She only said warmly, “It is good that Niangniang has this heart. This old servant will arrange it in a while.” Hearing the second half of Taihou’s sentence, her expression darkened sharply. She hated Grand Consort He bitterly but didn’t show it, simply saying, “She humiliated Empress Niangniang first. It is right for Bixia to punish her. Niangniang should not interfere.”

Flipping through the memorials on the table, Gu Zhen’s expression grew calmer the further he read.

The officials standing below waited quietly. Some even curled their lips slightly. Only Wu Mao, who had served him for a long time, knew that the angrier the Emperor was, the calmer his face became.

He couldn’t help but secretly guess what matter had angered Bixia to this extent.

“The case in Henei has just concluded, and now you all have nothing to do?” Gu Zhen suddenly looked up from the memorial, smiling at the people on the left side of the hall. He held the memorial and tapped it lightly on the table a few times.

That smiling face made everyone’s hearts clench for no reason.

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The Emperor was born with a clear and handsome face—sword-like eyebrows, phoenix eyes, a high nose, and thin lips—beautiful to the extreme. But that smile seemed to carry a grim chill.

“Bixia…” Censor Li Que responded tremblingly, feeling his heart skip a beat. He immediately said respectfully, “Empress Niangniang’s actions are truly not magnanimous enough. This minister believes that the Zhao clan of Chang’an is a century-old noble clan of Guanzhong. Given Niangniang’s background of four generations of high officials and her high position as Empress, she must have the capacity for tolerance and a heart for self-reflection. To punish palace servants so severely over a trivial matter is ultimately a loss of virtuosic grace.”

Gu Zhen’s face suddenly sank. His phoenix eyes emitted a cold light, and the atmosphere in the entire Purple Heaven Hall chilled along with it.

Wu Mao immediately shouted, “Audacious! Is Empress Niangniang’s honorable name something Censor Li is qualified to mention?”

Li Que was stunned, then suddenly remembered that the Empress’s name was the character ‘Yi’. For this reason, in all court documents, whenever the character ‘Yi’ appeared, a stroke was always added or removed. It was fine to say it in private, but in his confusion and momentary indignation, he had actually said it in front of Bixia…

Thinking of this, cold sweat instantly broke out on Li Que’s back. He hurriedly knelt to beg for forgiveness. “This minister deserves ten thousand deaths!”

“You do indeed deserve to die.” Gu Zhen’s eyes remained dark and sinister, a shadow floating within them.

Everyone was horrified and bowed their bodies. For the past half-year, although Bixia’s temperament had become increasingly unrestrained, he had ultimately maintained his former modest and gentle nature. It was absolutely impossible for him to say such words.

Gu Zhen leaned back against the armrest and closed his eyes, his voice cold. “Since you know the Empress purged the palace officials, do you know that the final decree was issued by We? The punishment was also Our decision?”

The officials who had submitted the memorials were all stunned.

Contrary to what everyone thought, Gu Zhen’s anger this time was not over a trivial matter of a name taboo. In his view, that didn’t count as anything important.

But he didn’t plan to say that.

“You didn’t know? It seems the news you gentlemen gathered is not complete enough.” He couldn’t help but sneer.

The faces of the men changed, and their hearts sank to rock bottom.

Fingering the white jade pendant tied at his waist, he said indifferently, “Servants showing great disrespect to the Empress should naturally be punished severely as a warning to others. Do you ministers have any objections to this? You speak of the Empress lacking the capacity for tolerance, but do you know how long the Empress has endured?”