Chapter – 07
On the celestial screen, Liu Sanqi looked at the camera and said:
“Many darlings have probably heard the saying that the best way to capture a fortress is to break it from within.”
“Just as the Najie had hoped, Emperor Jingli’s sudden return brought considerable turmoil to the Great Jing court.”
“Because even though Emperor Jingwu had already been on the throne for two years, there were always those who believed his claim to the throne was illegitimate. Moreover, because Emperor Jingwu cracked down harshly on corruption, some officials even privately remarked that serving under Emperor Jingli was far more comfortable and enjoyable than under Emperor Jingwu.”
“So when Emperor Jingli returned to the Great Jing Dynasty, some opportunists began to stir, attempting to use him to overthrow Emperor Jingwu’s rule.”
“However, the moment Emperor Jingwu met Emperor Jingli again, he put an end to this absurd spectacle of two emperors with swift and decisive action.”
“At the morning court, Emperor Jingwu directly summoned Emperor Jingli to appear before him.”
“And just as the officials were puzzled and confused by this move, the moment Emperor Jingli stepped into court, Emperor Jingwu drew a saber from a guard beside him and ran it through Emperor Jingli in one clean, swift motion.”
“According to the court historians, all the civil and military officials were utterly stunned and horrified.”
“No one had expected Emperor Jingwu to resolve the threat of Emperor Jingli once and for all in such a simple, brutal manner.”
On the celestial screen, the livestream viewers were clearly excited about this event, and the comments came flooding in:
[Even though I already knew about this, hearing Sanqi tell it again still feels so satisfying!]
[This is exactly why he earned the title ‘Emperor of Blunt Force’âdecisive and ruthless!]
[If you ask me, our Emperor Jingwu was still too merciful. A tyrant as criminally evil as Emperor Jingli should have been cut into a thousand pieces!]
[A thousand pieces wouldn’t be enough! Think of how many people he killed! Thank goodness Emperor Jingwu just ended him right there, without letting him continue to enjoy wealth and glory. Otherwise, all those who died unjustly because of him could never rest in peace even in the afterlife!]
[Emperor Jingwu did an amazing job!! A little fangirl cheering wildly for my great Emperor Jingwu!!]
…
“After stabbing Emperor Jingli to death, Emperor Jingwu immediately announced to his ministers that he had just executed a spy sent by the Najie.”
“Emperor Jingwu told everyone that he knew Emperor Jingli intimatelyâeven if he were burned to ashes, he could still recognize his form. And this ‘Emperor Jingli’ before them was actually a fraud arranged by the Najie tribe, so killing him was the only way to vent their anger. As for the real Emperor Jingli, he had certainly died long ago at the Najie’s hands, his bones scattered who knows where.”
“I have to say, sometimes I feel our Emperor Jingwu had a bit of a mischievous streak in how he spoke and acted.”
“Emperor Jingwu and his ministers all knew perfectly well that the Emperor Jingli he killed was the real one. But after Emperor Jingwu announced this ‘exposure of a fraud,’ even those who disagreed with his claim couldn’t refute itâbecause Emperor Jingli was already cold, and arguing about his authenticity was pointless.”
“As for the Najie, who had wanted to see the Great Jing Dynasty make a fool of itself, upon learning that Emperor Jingwu had cut the Gordian knot and eliminated Emperor Jingli in one stroke, they were naturally furiousâfeeling they had wasted an important bargaining chip and had instead strengthened Emperor Jingwu’s control over the court!”
Under the canopy, within the imperial palace, Yin Rui’s face had long since turned pale and flushed with anger when he heard earlier that he had been executed with a single strike by Emperor Jingwu.
So, when he noticed out of the corner of his eye that his consort, Liu Jingya, though keeping her head down, had the corners of her mouth slightly upturned, his fury reached its peak. He immediately launched into a tirade against her:
“You venomous woman! What are you laughing at?! Don’t think I can’t guessâit must have been you, this scheming woman, secretly pulling the strings, that caused my son to bear theĺĺ¤ infamy of killing his own father!”
In Yin Rui’s view, the “Emperor Jingwu” mentioned on the heavenly screen must be one of his bloodline.
He currently had four sons, and judging by age, temperament, and ability, the eldestâborn of Liu Jingyaâwas the most likely candidate.
Liu Jingya had not expected that her involuntary smile would be caught by Yin Rui.
Yet, facing the furious Yin Rui, she remained utterly unflustered.
Noticing even Emperor Jingming’s gaze upon her, Liu Jingya adopted an innocent expression and replied in a puzzled tone:
“Your Highness, you must have misseen; I was not laughing just now.”
“Hah! I saw it clearly with my own eyes, and you still dare to be stubborn?!” Yin Rui glared at her with hatred, venting all the pent-up anger he had accumulated onto Liu Jingya. “You lowly wretch, don’t think I don’t knowâcompared to being my empress, you are far more eager to be the empress dowager when your son takes the throne!”
Upon hearing this, Liu Jingya’s eyes instantly reddened. She hurriedly lowered her head and dabbed at her eyes with her handkerchief, putting on a pitiful and aggrieved appearance.
Though Empress Xu knew in her heart that Liu Jingya might not be as innocent as she appeared, she did not find anything wrong with Liu Jingya’s desire to become empress dowager.
After all, if given the choice, she too would rather be empress dowager than empress.
However, despite understanding Liu Jingya’s feelings, Empress Xu had no intention of intervening in the couple’s quarrel.
After all, even if Liu Jingya and Yin Rui had to address her as “Empress Mother,” she shared no real blood ties with them.
Now, within these palace walls, the only one she truly cared about and could not let go of was her daughter, Yin Ning.
Empress Xu chose to stand by and watch, but Emperor Jingming could no longer tolerate Yin Rui making a further spectacle of himself and disgracing the royal family.
He turned to the chief eunuch, Yuan Li, and said through gritted teeth: “Go and stuff his mouth! I do not wish to hear another sound from him!”
Knowing that Emperor Jingming was beside himself with rage, Yuan Li immediately took two young eunuchs over and gagged Yin Rui’s mouth with a piece of cloth.
Being punished so publicly before everyone, Yin Rui was naturally mortified to the extreme.
On the heavenly screen, Liu Sanqi now wore a sly grin:
“Speaking of which, if Emperor Jingming knew of this in the underworld, he really ought to thank Emperor Jingwu!”
“If it weren’t for Emperor Jingwu’s swift decisiveness in finishing off Emperor Jingli, who knows how many more jokes that fool would have made!”
“But then again, I am curiousâif Emperor Jingming, in the afterlife, learned that the successor he chose turned out to be such a useless, fatuous ruler, would he slap himself a few times in regret, thinking himself blind?”
“Alright, that’s all for today’s livestream! See you next time, my loveliesâdon’t miss it!”
As Liu Sanqi vanished from the heavenly screen, the screen gradually faded and disappeared from everyone’s sight.
However, in the palace, Liu Sanqi’s remark about Emperor Jingming’s poor judgment had left the atmosphere rather awkward.
In the end, it was Emperor Jingming himself who broke the silence: “To have chosen such an unworthy successor, I am indeed ashamed to face our ancestors. Thankfully, Heaven has blessed us, sending Miss Liu Sanqi specifically to warn our Great Jingâthis shows that our dynasty still enjoys divine favor and enduring prosperity!”
With the emperor framing matters in such a light, the ministers naturally fell over themselves offering congratulations.
But Emperor Jingming had no mind for flattery; after a short while, he dismissed the court officials to return home.
Yet, before leaving, everyone noticed a detail: although Yin Rui had been ordered to the imperial prison, Emperor Jingming kept Yin Rui’s four sons in the palace, asking them to stay for some time.
Emperor Jingming’s signal was hardly subtleâclearly, he believed the “Emperor Jingwu” mentioned on the heavenly screen was one of Yin Rui’s four sons.
Many shrewd minds immediately began calculating, wondering if they should make early contact with the maternal families of those four imperial grandsons, lest they miss this rare chance for “meritorious service” in backing the future emperor.
