Free Web NovelChapter 833: Chapter 838, Chapter 839: Chen Shu, Empress Zhao’s Suicide Attempt_2
Testing if I hate him.
After all, what Zhao Yushu just said was somewhat odd.
Thinking of this, Emperor Yong’an felt a tinge of sorrow in his heart.
The relationship that he had with her for so many years was not even comparable to a small part of what she had with King Wei. Even at this moment, she still came to test him.
"No." Emperor Yong’an’s voice was incomparably firm.
However, these words were like someone taking a chisel and chiseling Zhao Yushu’s heart bit by bit, causing her heart to ache deeply. But she didn’t believe him and instead became somewhat hysterical: "You’re lying. Otherwise, why doesn’t Your Majesty dare to look at me?"
Emperor Yong’an turned around, looking at Zhao Yushu, who was crying like a pear blossom bathed in rain. Even his heart was somewhat moved. If he hadn’t seen with his own eyes the affair between her and King Wei at that time, Emperor Yong’an might have been deceived by her current appearance.
Emperor Yong’an steeled his heart and said, "No."
Hearing this, Zhao Yushu’s delicate body wavered as if about to fall. Holding her heart with one hand, she pointed at Emperor Yong’an with the other: "Your Majesty, do you dare to look into my eyes and say that again?"
"No." Emperor Yong’an looked into Zhao Yushu’s eyes and said without a trace of hesitation.
Upon receiving such a blow, Zhao Yushu immediately collapsed to the ground in a sitting position, her heart feeling hopeless.
She couldn’t believe it; she didn’t want to accept it.
After crying for a while, she thought of something again, or perhaps she was making excuses for Emperor Yong’an. She sobbed, "If not coerced, then forced, isn’t it that the Wu Family promised Your Majesty that as long as Your Majesty made the Wu clan the Empress, they would ensure Your Majesty’s safety?"
The matter with Wu Xian happened too suddenly.
It inevitably made Zhao Yushu think this way.
Emperor Yong’an’s hand, hidden in his sleeve, clenched slightly, but as a puppet Emperor for these few years, he had long since learned to control his expressions and thoughts, resolutely saying, "No."
To reassure King Wei behind Zhao Yushu, Emperor Yong’an finally said, "The ties of love between you and I have come to an end."
"The ties of love have come to an end!"
"The ties of love have come to an end!"
"..."
These words echoed like the reverberations in a valley in Zhao Yushu’s ears, constantly resounding in her mind and extinguishing her last ray of hope.
The light in her eyes suddenly vanished.
She didn’t know how she walked out of Emperor Yong’an’s bedroom.
She walked like a walking corpse along the palace path.
Even though she was deposed by Emperor Yong’an, she wasn’t imprisoned or punished; though deposed, she was no longer Empress, but still a consort in this palace.
The passing palace maids and eunuchs greeted her, but it was as if she didn’t hear them.
She walked aimlessly.
Unconsciously, she arrived at the rear garden.
Looking at the calm lake surface, Zhao Yushu felt that living held no meaning, and she walked straight towards the lake.
"The Empress has fallen into the water."
Behind her, the palace maid who attended Zhao Yushu was following but hadn’t gotten too close because of her appearance. At this moment, upon seeing Zhao Yushu fall into the water, she cried out frantically while heading towards the lake.
...
Before this.
Inside Han Yuan Hall.
Geng Songfu, Zuo Lianglun, Wu Yanqing, and others were also bewildered upon learning that Emperor Yong’an had deposed the Empress.
Although recently, they were paving the way for Chen Mo to advance further.
But they definitely didn’t intend for Emperor Yong’an to depose the Empress.
This was entirely Emperor Yong’an’s own decision.
However, from a procedural perspective, Emperor Yong’an’s decree didn’t pass through Han Yuan Hall, so it technically wasn’t effective. After all, deposing the Empress wasn’t a trivial matter; it needed their agreement and King Wei’s. Without agreement, it was entirely Emperor Yong’an’s "self-amusement," and the decree might not even leave the Imperial Palace.
But whether or not it took effect, and whether or not Emperor Yong’an did it, was a separate matter.
At least Emperor Yong’an had the intention to depose the Emperor and took action.
Geng Songfu guessed that Emperor Yong’an was terrified, causing him to panic.
While they were still puzzled.
Chen Mo arrived.
As soon as Chen Mo entered, he questioned them about the matter, asking if they were involved.
Geng Songfu saw that at this point, there was nothing to hide anymore, so he explained his plan to Chen Mo, assuring that the Empress’s deposition was definitely not part of his plan.
Seeing that Geng Songfu was paving the way for his ascension to Emperor, Chen Mo was both angry and happy, along with a hint of surprise, finally raising his hand to point at Geng Songfu, "You’re making a mess, you’re putting me in an unjust position."
"Prince, you’ve misunderstood; you have the royal bloodline of the Chen Kingdom. Why shouldn’t you become Emperor? Moreover, if it weren’t for you, who knows how many would now call themselves Emperor and how many would call themselves few. Considering the internal and external troubles during the Supreme Emperor’s reign, it was precarious, and if it weren’t for your eastern campaigns and western battles, where would today’s peace come from? You are deserving of the Great Song, how can there be talk of injustice?" Geng Songfu said.
"You’re harming... me. Starting today, you each forfeit a year’s salary."
Chen Mo pointed at Geng Songfu, then left Han Yuan Hall in anger, sweeping his sleeves.
"Chancellor Geng, what does the Prince mean by this? Does he truly not wish to advance further?" Wu Yanqing asked.
"No." Geng Songfu shook his head, looking at Chen Mo’s departing back, and said with deep eyes, "The Prince is prepared for it too. Let’s continue with our plan."
...
Regarding Geng Songfu’s plan, Chen Mo wasn’t too angry. At least his subordinates were proactively solving problems for him, rather than having him directly propose it, as that would be too direct.
The outburst in Han Yuan Hall just now, to put it bluntly, was a performance for outsiders to see.
He did want to ascend the throne, but it couldn’t be openly shown.
After leaving Han Yuan Hall, Chen Mo headed toward Shoukang Palace to discuss with the Empress Dowager about Emperor Yong’an’s deposition and matters concerning Xiaochen Qin.
While passing through the rear garden, he suddenly heard the panicked cries of a palace maid inside.
"The Empress has fallen into the water..."
Upon hearing this, Chen Mo’s heart gave a jolt, and he headed inside.
Arriving closer, he saw a woman in a luxurious long dress struggling in the water, while a maid by the lake was calling for help in a panic, utterly flustered.
"Empress!"
Chen Mo raised an eyebrow, hesitated not even for a moment, and directly used Cloud Traveling Step, lightly stepping on the lake surface a few times, and then grabbed Zhao Yushu’s arm, pulling her to the shore.
Zhao Yushu couldn’t swim, and even though she actively sought death, at the moment she began sinking, her survival instincts prompted her to struggle wildly.
Fortunately, Chen Mo saved her in time. Zhao Yushu only drank a few mouthfuls of lake water and didn’t even lose consciousness, only coughing violently a few times, spitting out some water.
Once she regained her senses, Zhao Yushu crawled towards the lake again.
Seeing Empress Zhao’s deathly despair, Chen Mo noticed she was heading toward the lake again, immediately realizing she was trying to commit suicide. He quickly grabbed her, pulling her back, and asked, "Empress, why do you seek to end your life?"
Being stopped from dying and looking up to see Chen Mo, Zhao Yushu’s anger surged from her heart, and she raised her hand in fury to slap Chen Mo: "It’s all your fault."
Though Emperor Yong’an said it wasn’t so, Zhao Yushu still believed that Chen Mo was coercing him behind the scenes.
However, this slap was something Zhao Yushu definitely couldn’t accomplish.
Chen Mo caught her fair wrist, saying, "What does the Empress mean by this? I, Your Majesty, don’t understand."
The palace maid beside him also spoke up for Chen Mo: "My lady, it was King Wei who saved you."
Gazing at the young man feigning ignorance while gripping her wrist, Zhao Yushu’s heart burned with even more resentment. At this point, she didn’t care about offending Chen Mo—after all, even death wasn’t frightening to her now—and she shouted angrily, "Let go of me. If you wish that no one knows, unless you had not done it yourself. You know well what you have done."
At her words, Chen Mo realized that Empress Zhao was blaming him for her deposition.
But this was something he couldn’t explain or clarify, given that Geng Songfu and the others were his people.
With a sigh in his heart, Chen Mo looked towards Zhao Yushu, saying, "Empress, I think the Emperor acted impulsively in deposing you; you needn’t dwell on it. Later, I’ll speak with the Emperor to have him retract his decision.
Empress, you must look forward. You should consider not just for yourself, but also for your father and mother."
