CHAPTER 449: CHAPTER 446: WAYS TO SAVE YOUR LIFE

Empress Xu clearly remembered, this was the third time the Emperor had hit her over the issue of children, always on the left cheek, the first time when the late Emperor was still alive.

When the Emperor came out from the palace, he saw the late Emperor and the Fourth Prince in a warm father-son rapport, but then received secret reports that someone was whispering to the late Emperor that his luck was thin and offspring sparse, fearing that someone was plotting in secret, wanting the late Emperor to select another Crown Prince.

This made the Emperor very irritable, he did not eat for an entire day. When she delivered meals and soft clothing inside, she was met with a harsh slap to the face from the Emperor.

Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth, one side of her face was swollen beyond recognition, and her ears buzzed with a constant ringing.

The second time was after the Emperor ascended the throne. Several new arrivals entered the harem, and finally, one beauty became pregnant, but sadly miscarried after three months. The Emperor punished the palace attendants, then stormed into Zhengyang Palace and hit her again.

Not only did he slap her face, but he also viciously kicked her abdomen twice. From then on, every time the Emperor came to Zhengyang Palace, it was to discuss palace matters, never indulging in any marital intimacy.

The Emperor seemed to have concluded that no matter what, she couldn’t bear a child, so there was no need to waste time with her. She couldn’t count how many times she had nightmares, dreaming that the Emperor deposed her, casting her into the cold palace.

In the dream, she was forced to leave Zhengyang Palace countless times, the worst being when an eunuch strangled her with white silk. It was suffocating, yet she couldn’t die, and she struggled desperately, hearing the sobbing of palace female officials, and the cries from the Xu Family members.

They all said the palace was filled with intrigue, and both the Empress and favored concubines feared others giving birth, but not her. After enduring repeated torment, she desperately hoped someone could give the Emperor a child, so she could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

The Emperor’s lack of offspring was always blamed on her.

This time, as the Emperor hit her again, she knew without much thought that it was once again about offspring, no... it should be for the sake of the throne. Whenever the throne felt threatened, the first reason the Emperor would think of was the absence of offspring.

Empress Xu did not get up but remained kneeling on the ground, not daring to defend herself, enduring the disgrace until the Emperor’s anger subsided.

She had no choice but to act this way because the Emperor held her and the Xu Family’s lives in his hands.

"Speak," the Emperor sat on the chair, "Which one between the Heir of Prince Lu and the Heir of Prince Qi is suitable to be Crown Prince?"

Empress Xu dared not utter a word. In such circumstances, the Emperor asking her meant that neither of the Princely Heirs was suitable, likely harboring suspicions about Prince Lu or Prince Qi.

The Emperor stared intently at Empress Xu, and she said, "Both Princely Heirs are still immature, besides, Your Majesty is still in the prime of life. The position of Crown Prince concerns the destiny of Daqi; such matters must not be decided lightly."

These words evidently placated the Emperor.

The Emperor said, "The courtiers are all urging me, so the Empress refuses to agree?"

"I believe there is still plenty of time," Empress Xu said.

The Emperor sat there silently, and after a long wait finally stood up: "My relationship with you is deep and sincere, so regardless of whether you have children or not, I can forgive you. I hope you always remain united with me."

Empress Xu quickly kowtowed.

After the Emperor left, a female official came forward to support Empress Xu, whose clothes had been soaked with cold sweat. She sensed the Emperor’s murderous intent, more terrifying than ever.

She had thought that adopting offspring from the imperial family could solve the issue of the Emperor’s childlessness, but today’s Emperor showed her the reality.

The Emperor did not trust her, nor Prince Lu or Prince Qi, much less wanted their sons.

At least while the Emperor was alive, this matter was absolutely impossible to complete smoothly.

In an instant, all of Empress Xu’s hopes shattered.

Moreover, she felt that even though the Emperor had left, there were still spies watching her. Any action she took could lead to her being mercilessly killed.

All these years, the Emperor had not placed even a shred of trust in her.

Empress Xu tightly clenched her fingers, realizing she could only pretend as if nothing had happened, perhaps dispelling the Emperor’s suspicions.

What exactly was going on? Between uncovering the truth and staying alive, she chose the latter.

If she could get through this safely, perhaps she should start making preparations; she did not want to experience something like this again.

"Today’s events must not be spoken of," Empress Xu instructed the female official, "You personally dispatch someone to keep an eye on the Heir of Prince Lu and the Heir of Prince Qi, ensuring no mishaps occur."

The female official complied.

The Empress continued, "Remember, the lives of everyone in Zhengyang Palace are at stake here. If any of them were to escape, all of us would be buried alongside them."

The female official shivered.

Empress Xu added, "No matter what method you use, you mustn’t let anyone find out, or it would be a dead end."

...

Li Tao received a letter from Prince Lu, the nine warships and soldiers on the island followed his orders.

Li Tao smiled, with this manpower, he would surely take down those people in one fell swoop. This letter was like a calming pill, Prince Lu always trusted him, he would never let Prince Lu down.

Beside him, Vice General Wu said, "The Prince assigned me to assist Mr. Li."

"Good," Li Tao said, "If they dare come again, this time they’ll meet their doom."

Vice General Wu acknowledged, then casually asked Li Tao: "Besides soldiers, there are quite a few people on this island. What do they usually do? Did they make those armors?"

Li Tao nodded, "If Vice General Wu wishes to see, I’ll have Pu Shou take you around."

"That would be good," Vice General Wu said, "I’ve long known there are several islands at sea, but this is the first time setting foot on one."

Pu Shou led Vice General Wu to first see the people at the mines, then to the village to see the women working, Vice General Wu passing by them.

As he left, Sister Chen watched his back carefully; while looking at them, he constantly had his hand on the hilt of his sword, his eyes cold and ominous, his gaze falling on each of their heads, never once on the things they made.

Sister Chen felt something was off, and found a chance to leave the house to find Zheng.

Sister Chen said, "Have you seen this person before?"

Zheng shook her head: "I heard it’s his first time here, Pu Shou is very respectful to him. He walked around the village twice, I was worried about that wall we dug out being discovered."

This person was full of a murderous aura. Sister Chen whispered, "He scrutinized us very closely." People like them were usually not worthy of a second glance; even if they fell ill, they would be taken out to die.

But this person not only looked at them but also at the situation outside the village.

What he cared about wasn’t how much work they could do, but their very existence. Why would he care about them at all?

Sister Chen said, "I feel he’s here to deal with us."

Zheng’s hand trembled.

Sister Chen said, "From now on, we should not sleep too soundly at night, always listening for any movements outside."

On the other side.

Li Tao received the news.

"Those ships have returned, we can confirm it’s those people."

"Good," Li Tao rose, "Prepare the warships, we will meet them now."