The Command to Pamper the Husband - Chapter 205

The Empress could no longer remain calm.

“Shut up!”

The Empress jumped up and shouted angrily at Noble Consort De.

Noble Consort De sneered, “Is Your Majesty afraid of what I might say? You’ve already done these things; why fear my words? Wasn’t the favorite concubine in the Assistant Minister of War’s household placed there by you? And the Assistant Minister of the Imperial Court’s family—”

The Empress, in a panic, grabbed the teacup from the table behind her and threw it at Noble Consort De.

Noble Consort De laughed loudly.

“Your Majesty, losing your temper like this is hardly fitting for the head of the harem.”

“Shut up!” The Empress glared venomously at Noble Consort De, then turned to kneel before the Emperor. “Your Majesty, please see the truth. I am innocent.”

Noble Consort De snorted coldly, “If you are innocent, why not let me speak?”

The Empress gritted her teeth, “Why should I let you spread your slanderous lies about me!”

Her face twisted with rage, her eyes cold.

The Emperor leaned back in his chair, his deep eyes fixed on the two women before him. Noble Consort De’s words had stunned him, but what truly chilled him was the Crown Prince’s earlier report.

Those missing girls were meticulously trained by the Empress and Noble Consort Shu, then sent to the residences of high-ranking officials. Some became the favorites of these officials, and even if they remained mere servants, they could still gather information.

The Emperor shivered at the thought. What if every official’s household had such girls? What if the military leaders were also surrounded by them? Would this still be his empire?

He slammed the table in rage. “Confine the Empress to the side hall of the Imperial Study!”

The Empress was stunned, looking at the Emperor in disbelief.

“Your Majesty, I am truly innocent. Those girls have nothing to do with me, and neither do those weapons! Do not be deceived by this wicked woman.”

The Emperor said nothing, his face full of fury.

A young eunuch stepped forward to escort the Empress.

The Empress struggled and shouted, “Your Majesty trusts this wicked woman over me? Do you know that this woman has continued her affair with her former lover even after entering the palace?”

The Emperor’s eyes twitched, looking at Noble Consort De.

Noble Consort De lay on the ground, her face obscured.

“Your Majesty, Noble Consort De and…”

Before the Empress could finish, Noble Consort De suddenly sprang up like the wind and lunged at her, holding a golden hairpin.

The sharp end of the hairpin pierced the Empress’s throat.

The Empress’s eyes widened in horror as she looked at Noble Consort De. Her arms, held by two eunuchs, prevented her from resisting.

The eunuchs were too shocked to react in time. When they finally pushed Noble Consort De away, the Empress had already fallen to the ground, unable to finish her sentence.

“Audacious!”

Killing in his presence, and the Empress no less, the Emperor was shocked by Noble Consort De’s audacity and even more convinced of the Crown Prince’s accusations about her and the heir of the Duke of Ning.

“Did you kill for him?”

Having killed the Empress, Noble Consort De seemed exhausted and collapsed again.

After a long silence, she laughed grimly. The sound was eerie, like a ghost.

“I killed for my child. Li Yang is Your Majesty’s Princess. No matter what I do, as long as it’s for Li Yang, it’s justified.”

The Emperor looked at her with disgust.

“You are unworthy of being Li Yang’s mother.”

Noble Consort De sneered.

“Am I unworthy? Li Yang thinks I’m a good mother.”

“That’s because Li Yang doesn’t know about your shameless deeds with the heir of the Duke of Ning.”

Noble Consort De’s laughter interrupted the Emperor.

“Do you really believe that? If I truly had an affair with the heir of the Duke of Ning, the Empress Dowager would have executed me when the gold box fell at the banquet. She wouldn’t have let me live to disgrace the royal family.”

This was a point the Emperor couldn’t ignore. He knew the Empress Dowager recognized the gold box. He had resented her for not telling him about it, thinking she didn’t care about him. The Empress Dowager had always favored his elder brother, and he had grown accustomed to it. He had hoped to forget this over time.

But the Crown Prince had told him that Noble Consort De and the heir of the Duke of Ning were lovers. This infuriated him, but he couldn’t understand why the Empress Dowager hadn’t informed him. Why had she kept this from him and allowed Noble Consort De to live?

Now, hearing Noble Consort De’s words, the Emperor wanted her to prove her innocence, so he wouldn’t be utterly disappointed in the Empress Dowager.

The Emperor glared at Noble Consort De.

After laughing, Noble Consort De lay on the ground, panting.

After a long pause, she said, “It’s true that I had contact with the heir of the Duke of Ning, but it wasn’t a romantic affair. I am the daughter of the Duke of Ning, and it’s only natural for me to be in contact with my brother. What’s wrong with that?”

The Emperor’s eyes widened.

“You are the daughter of the Duke of Ning? Then the Marquis of Jingning…”

This astonishing revelation!

Noble Consort De smiled bitterly.

“Family feuds and identity swaps are common among the wealthy. To secure the position of heir, those noblewomen would do anything. If Your Majesty is interested, you can ask the Empress Dowager.”

Her voice was as cold as ice.

The Emperor’s mouth hung open, unable to process the revelation.

“Then why did you kill the Empress?”

Noble Consort De laughed, “The Empress has blackmailed me with my brother’s identity for half my life. I’ve had enough. She thought she could use it to make me do her bidding, but how laughable.”

“But you did her bidding. You hid a large cache of weapons in the Marquis of Jingning’s estate.”

Noble Consort De replied, “I didn’t want my brother to be burdened with unnecessary trouble. He’s already suffering at the border. If his identity were discovered, he could be in grave danger.”

The Emperor studied Noble Consort De’s expression.

After a moment, he sneered, “I don’t believe a word you’re saying. Take her away and beat her to death!”

After all the commotion, things had returned to their starting point, except now the Empress was also dead.

Noble Consort De was dragged away by the eunuchs. She looked at the Emperor with a strange expression.

“What has made you so distrustful? Would you rather believe that you were cuckolded than trust my words? Has ruling with fear and suspicion for so long made you paranoid?”

The Emperor grabbed a brush and threw it at her.

“Take her away!”

Even after Noble Consort De was taken away and beaten to death, the Emperor sat behind his desk, breathing heavily, unable to calm down.

On the floor of the Imperial Study lay the Empress’s body, her luxurious palace attire now stiffening in death.