Chapter 103 Summary Execution

Chapter 103 Summary Execution

Empress Dowager Wei abruptly lifted her head, her gaze falling on Wei Zhong, who was kneeling behind the curtain. Wei Zhong's face was a mask of panic, and he opened his mouth to deny ever saying such things to Zhou Ying.

But Empress Dowager Wei cut him off instantly.

In the grand hall, Empress Dowager Wei's eyes blazed, and her voice rang out sharply: "Preposterous!"

Without the barrier of the curtain, Shi Yuanxi caught the brief flicker of panic on her face.

Empress Dowager Wei was taut as a drawn bow, her body rigid, her breath coming in short gasps, and her usually imperious face now twisted with ferocity.

"I am the late Emperor's mother by birth! Wei Changhong and the late Emperor were bound by blood. The Wei family has never betrayed the late Emperor!"

"Even during his reign, the late Emperor esteemed Wei Changhong highly. Now, to target the Wei family, you dare to spew such baseless nonsense."

Shi Yuanxi's revelation struck at the deepest, darkest secret in Empress Dowager Wei's heart. Even as she knew the odds were stacked against her, she clenched her teeth and spat out:

"Such impudence! You deserve death!"

Confronted with such an accusation, Empress Dowager Wei's fury was inevitable.

Yet, she remained in the hall, her court robes offering a semblance of composure, so only those nearest to her caught the subtle signs.

The Empress Dowager, ever the picture of royal poise, now trembled faintly beneath her courtly garb.

Even when Wei Changhong faced treason charges, she had not been this unhinged.

Having long held sway in the palace, her mindset was anything but ordinary.

Only issues tied to the late Emperor could pierce her defenses with ease.

Her apparent fury masked a turbulent mix of anger, guilt, and anguish.

Until today, Empress Dowager Wei had never thought anyone would revisit the late Emperor's sudden demise.

By the second year of his reign, the bond between mother and son had frayed to the breaking point.

She had tirelessly paved the path for Wei Changhong and the Wei family's legacy, but the late Emperor, distrustful of the maternal clan's sway, had thwarted their ambitions.

He had even secretly executed a member of the Wei family.

This person could be considered Empress Dowager Wei's cousin, the late Emperor's uncle.

The late Emperor, disregarding familial ties, was determined to bring Zhou Ying, that wretched woman, into the palace, making a mockery of Empress Dowager Wei in front of the entire world.

As time passed, Empress Dowager Wei became increasingly disappointed in the late Emperor, until her heart turned cold.

But from beginning to end, she had never thought of killing her own son.

To her, the Wei family was important, but the late Emperor was her child, whom she had carried for ten months and worked hard to protect.

Even if their relationship had deteriorated to an irreconcilable point, she would never commit such a heinous act.

Despite this, Empress Dowager Wei could sense that Wei Changhong was gradually losing patience.

However, she never expected that Wei Changhong would instruct someone close to her to harm the late Emperor.

The person who carried out the act was someone she had brought into the palace from outside, someone who had been by her side for decades, the late Emperor's wet nurse.

At that moment, Empress Dowager Wei knew she couldn't distance herself from this matter.

Regardless of her involvement or thoughts, if the late Emperor knew about this, the Wei family—including her—would be branded as traitors.

Her position as Empress Dowager could be at risk.

She knew Wei Changhong was forcing her to side with the Wei family, but deep down, she still resented him for such a ruthless act.

Fortunately, the orchid plant had not been in the late Emperor's study for long. After it was removed, Empress Dowager Wei suspected that the late Emperor had discovered the poison inside, which was why he had publicly reprimanded the attendants from the flower room.

She also had the orchid smashed and destroyed to gauge the late Emperor's reaction.

But the late Emperor seemed apparently completely unaware of the matter, and his health showed no signs of discomfort afterward. Empress Dowager Wei breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that the late Emperor's youthful constitution had spared him from harm.

Who would have thought that just three months later, the late Emperor suddenly died, having met only Zhou Ying before his death.

...Whether the late Emperor was killed by that poison, even Empress Dowager Wei didn't know. The Imperial Medical Bureau had only one or two members of the Wei family, and Wei Changhong was skilled in using slow-acting poison that gradually destroyed the body, undetectable by pulse diagnosis in its early stages.

But she also knew that, no matter how the late Emperor died, as long as the Wei family had done such a thing, it was tantamount to assassinating the late Emperor.

With the late Emperor dead, once this matter was exposed, the Wei family would collapse.

So even though Empress Dowager Wei resented Wei Changhong for this deed, to preserve her position and the Wei family's prosperity, she had to suppress this matter.

She had eliminated everyone around her who had been involved in this affair.

Her sole concern was Zhou Ying.

Empress Dowager Wei had long suspected that the late Emperor had known about this and had told Zhou Ying.

That was why they were particularly wary of Zhou Ying and had held off on acting against her, fearing it would cause unrest.

Unexpectedly, the matter she had worked so hard to conceal was blatantly exposed by Shi Yuanxi in the court.

How could Empress Dowager Wei stay calm?

She took a deep breath, attempting to compose herself as she always did, but she couldn't control her trembling body and could only repeatedly scold:

"You, in order to achieve your goal, stopped at nothing to bribe the palace attendants around me to testify to your absurd claims!"

"With such malicious motives, what exactly are you trying to do?"

Shi Yuanxi, however, let out a brief sneer. She glanced at Wei Zhong and said, "Bribe? Your Majesty overestimates this humble official."

"Wei Zhong has been in Your Majesty's service for decades, and his hands are stained with countless lives. This humble official is merely a lowly Hanlin Reader—how could I possibly bribe such a loyal servant?"

Her eyes filled with mockery, leaving no room for Empress Dowager Wei to argue, she continued, "After so many years, with Your Majesty shielding him in the palace, Minister Wei probably never worried that this matter would be exposed, did he?"

"With Minister Wei's immense influence, he must have long since dealt with everyone involved."

She met Wei Changhong's stern and terrifying gaze without a trace of fear and said coldly:

"But the Liang dynasty, after all, does not belong to the Wei family."

"In the matter of assassinating the late Emperor, besides Wei Zhong by Your Majesty's side and the palace attendants from the late Emperor's palace, there are other witnesses." Shi Yuanxi paused slightly, looking around, "Nanny Cen from the palace's Household Administration Bureau can testify to this."

Empress Dowager Wei clenched her hands, her nails digging deeply into her flesh.

That despicable Zhou Ying even managed to infiltrate the Imperial Household Department.

Nanny Cen, a seasoned palace veteran who had served through three reigns, her words carried immense authority.

Not to mention...

Shi Yuanxi said in a grave tone, "After the Emperor's death, the Empress Dowager maneuvered to expel Imperial Concubine Zhou from the palace."

"The ministers in this hall are well aware of the situation at Qingyun Temple. The Empress Dowager forbade the palace from sending any supplies to Qingyun Temple, yet every month, she had a pot of plants delivered."

"At first, Imperial Concubine Zhou didn't notice anything amiss, until her health suddenly deteriorated. Once active and energetic, she became emaciated in a short span, repeatedly on the verge of death."

Every action in this world has its consequences.

Empress Dowager Wei drove Zhou Ying to Qingyun Temple and subjected her to repeated poisoning.

When she carried out these deeds, she never imagined that one day they would become the key evidence in their plot to assassinate the late Emperor.

Those who habitually use deceit to harm others often repeat their methods.

The way they harmed the late Emperor was the same way they harmed Zhou Ying.

"Everyone at Qingyun Temple can testify to this! If the Empress Dowager remains unyielding..." Shi Yuanxi sneered momentarily, then looked up at Xie Yuwei in front.

With the Wei family's downfall, Zhou Ying stood to gain directly. In such a situation, Xie Yuwei likely wouldn't step in to help them bring down the Wei family.

He wouldn't, but Consort Jiang Taifei would.

Consort Jiang Taifei had nursed a grudge over this matter for years. If she learned it was the Wei family's doing, how could she possibly spare Empress Dowager Wei?

"We can summon another victim to court," Shi Yuanxi said coldly, looking at Empress Dowager Wei in the hall. "This person is none other than Consort Jiang Taifei, whom the Empress Dowager ordered to be poisoned with a potent toxin concealed in plants."

At this point, no further proof was necessary.

With two victims in the inner palace and multiple witnesses to testify, this matter was undoubtedly true.

The court officials were incensed.

The death of the late Emperor was a tragedy for the entire Liang dynasty, especially in the past two years when the court had been in disarray. Many ministers, reminiscing about the late Emperor in their midnight dreams, were overcome with heartache and sorrow.

Even today, many ministers still frequently write eulogies in memory of the late Emperor.

Regardless of Wei Changhong's other misdeeds, the mere act of conspiring against the late Emperor warranted his death a thousand times over.

This crime was too grave, and even invoking Yan Guanghai or the Empress Dowager couldn't clear his name.

Empress Dowager Wei, seated at the head of the hall, turned pale. She tried several times to speak in her defense, but was drowned out by the enraged ministers below.

"In the many years since the founding of our Liang dynasty, such a thing has never occurred! How can the Wei family face the late Emperor, the court, and the common people!?"

"The late Emperor was diligent in governance and loved his people. As the Empress Dowager said, he held Wei Changhong in high regard, yet you, traitor, dared to harbor disloyal thoughts and commit such a heinous act!"

"You, rebel, deserve to die ten thousand deaths!"

In their fury, the ministers nearly tore Wei Changhong apart.

As the guards beside him were about to act, the Shadow Guard outside had already taken control of the troops, armed with double-barreled assault rifles, and marched to the front of the hall.

Looking out, the area outside the hall was shrouded in darkness.

The mere presence of the Shadow Guard standing outside cast an unprecedented pall of oppression over the court.

In that instant, both Empress Dowager Wei on the throne and Wei Changhong realized simultaneously that their time had come.

Shi Yuanxi stepped forward within firing range, straightening her spine. She composed herself, her eyes cold and unwavering as she looked up at Empress Dowager Wei and proclaimed:

"The Wei family, under the protection of the Empress Dowager, has committed numerous heinous crimes. The Liang dynasty court will not stand for such acts."

"In the political affairs of the court, there is no room for the slightest negligence, and all this turmoil stems from the Empress Dowager."

"To answer to the people and to rectify the court's atmosphere, I request that Empress Dowager Wei—"

"Step down at once!"

This "step down" was different from the usual adjournment of the morning court. It effectively stripped Empress Dowager Wei of her authority and expelled her from the court.

Typically, court officials lacked such power.

But the current circumstances defied normal conventions. As the one who had uncovered the Wei family's crimes, Shi Yuanxi represented all the officials of the Liang dynasty's court. Empress Dowager Wei was no emperor, and her ouster reflected the will of the entire court.

The Wei family had controlled the court for many years. Empress Dowager Wei never imagined that she would end up being driven out of the court by a woman she had never deigned to notice.

Not a word of what she wished to say could pass her lips, and she could not accept the reversal of her status and position. Overwhelmed by intense emotions, she collapsed in a faint.

Seeing this, Wei Changhong's eyes darted wildly, and he shouted, "Empress Dowager!"

He wanted to move, but before he could act, the Shadow Guard swarmed in from behind and pinned him to the court floor.

Zhou Ying raised her eyes and spoke coldly, "By the order of the Emperor's personal guard."

With Empress Dowager Wei stripped of her power and the young emperor temporarily unable to govern, the entire court was filled with Zhou Ying's people.

The dark barrels of the guns were Zhou Ying's voice of authority.

At Zhou Ying's command, all the Shadow Guard responded in unison.

"We obey your orders."

"Immediately dispatch troops out of the city to assist the Zhenbei army in quelling the unrest outside!" Zhou Ying paused briefly. "Also, appoint Shi Yuanxi as the execution supervisor and escort the criminal Wei Changhong to the execution ground in the capital for immediate execution!"

Shi Yuanxi's eyes flickered slightly, and she said calmly, "Your servant obeys the decree."

When she looked up again, the remaining Wei family guards in the palace had all been apprehended by the Shadow Guard.

The court officials, their emotions complex, all looked up at them.

From this day forward, the person controlling the court would completely change hands.

And this was only the beginning.

Amidst the chaos in various parts of the capital, before Shi Yuanxi escorted Wei Changhong out of the palace, the Zhenbei army finally sent word of their victory.

This had indeed been a close call. Had they entered the capital a few days later, the tens of thousands of troops the Wei family had hidden in the deep mountains and forests would have joined forces with the Jingji Camp to storm the city gates.

At that point, even with the powerful double-barreled assault rifles in the hands of the Shadow Guard, they would have stood little chance against such a large force.

Although the guns were powerful, the bullets they could produce were limited.

The Zhenbei army's success in suppressing the rebellion was also due to the fact that the private soldiers raised by the Wei family were not yet formidable. Although Fang Yun and others were strong, they were no match for the double-barreled assault rifles.

Fewer than three thousand Shadow Guards remained in the capital, the remaining several hundred double-barreled assault rifles were allocated to the Zhenbei Army.

These several hundred firearms, coupled with the formidable presence of the Zhenbei Army, put immense pressure on the opposing forces. After Fang Yun's death, the rebel army was in complete disarray.

The situation at the Jingji Camp was also under control.

Once she confirmed the overall situation was under control, Shi Yuanxi, relieved, immediately led her team to escort Wei Changhong to the execution ground.

This treacherous official, whose hands were stained with the blood of countless lives, was confined in a prison cart.

Unfortunately, due to the recent turmoil in the capital, the streets were empty.

The curfew was still partially in effect, and the capital's citizens were hesitant to venture out.

On this street, aside from Shi Yuanxi's entourage, only one carriage moved alongside them.

With a single glance, Shi Yuanxi grasped the other party's intentions.

Before entering the execution ground, she ordered the procession to stop and watched as Xu Jinghe stepped down from the carriage, his expression stern.

The area around the prison cart was crowded with Shi Yuanxi's people, but Xu Jinghe showed no hesitation, his cold gaze fixed on Wei Changhong.

He harbored a deep-seated blood feud with the Wei family, and with Wei Changhong's impending death, certain words needed to be spoken.

Shi Yuanxi glanced in that direction, ready to step aside and give Xu Jinghe space to speak, when he openly stated:

"Minister Wei, when you targeted my elder brother, did you ever think this day would come?"

Wei Changhong, though in a wretched state, sneered and laughed coldly: "What I regret most is not having wiped out the entire Xu family of Jiangnan back then."

The covert guards beside Xu Jinghe were visibly disturbed. This man, on the brink of death, showed no remorse and even tried to provoke Xu Jinghe with his words.

Xu Jinghe's eyes darkened, his expression cold, as he spoke indifferently: "Is that so?"

His voice seemed emotionless, but Shi Yuanxi noticed the coldness in his demeanor.

She lowered her gaze and commanded directly: "Take him to the execution ground."

The Shadow Guards nearby obeyed, and Wei Changhong was dragged out of the prison cart by Shadow Thirteen. His disheveled hair obscured his vicious eyes, and as he passed by Xu Jinghe, he mocked:

"The Xu family has lost their minds. You, ruthless in your actions, were not allowed into the capital, and instead, they sent the naive and inexperienced Xu Min'an."

"Heh." He chuckled briefly: "Ridiculous."

He used Xu Min'an's death to taunt the man before him.

Unexpectedly, the seemingly frail and elegant gentleman swiftly drew a sharp dagger from his sleeve.

His slender fingers gripped the dagger, and he swiftly bypassed Shadow Thirteen, plunging the blade into Wei Changhong's side.

"Ah!!!" Wei Changhong, caught completely off guard, suffered a severe blow, blood streaming down half his body. His previously sinister and mocking expression turned to one of agony.

Shadow Thirteen and Shadow Hai, who were restraining Wei Changhong, were both stunned. Xu Jinghe's actions were swift, and by the time they noticed, he had already struck.

In his shock, Shadow Thirteen quickly turned to look at Shi Yuanxi, only to see her watching calmly, showing no intention of stopping him.

He immediately understood and signaled to the Shadow Guards behind him.

Criminals who committed grave offenses would typically be tortured before execution, but Wei Changhong would not experience this, which was a pity.

Xu Jinghe was the Vice Minister of the Board of Punishments, and when he took action, Shi Yuanxi took it as him meting out punishment to Wei Changhong.

But Shi Yuanxi didn’t expect Xu Jinghe to strike right in front of her. This was a risky move. They were only briefly on the same side, and by doing this, he was handing leverage to Shi Yuanxi.

Shi Yuanxi was stunned for a moment. Lord Xu, strikingly handsome and elegant, quickly pulled out the dagger and, without a second thought, drove it into Wei Changhong’s thigh.

Blood sprayed, splashing his robe and his cold, expressionless face.

Xu Jinghe pulled out a handkerchief, wiping the blood off his face as he fixed Wei Changhong with his deep, ocean-like gaze, saying:

"This dagger was a gift I gave my brother before he came to the capital."

He stared at Wei Changhong’s agonized face and said icily, "He never had the chance to use this dagger before he died."

"Today, I’ll act in his place and repay all the pain you caused him."

With that, he raised the dagger and drove it deep into Wei Changhong’s body again.

Xu Jinghe didn’t pull the dagger out right away this time, but instead said, "You schemed your way close to my brother, using his skills to help the late emperor win half the kingdom."

"But when the late emperor’s plans were almost complete, you cut him out."

As Wei Changhong put it, Xu Min'an and Xu Jinghe were nothing alike.

Xu Min'an was humble, kind, the picture of a true gentleman.

Xu Jinghe, though, was different—he only mimicked Xu Min'an’s gentleness on the surface.

Xu Min'an was a true gentleman, with the noble integrity of a scholar. When he first came to the capital, he was full of ambition and ideals, determined to bring peace to the people.

After earning the trust of the late emperor, then Prince Heng, he wrote to Xu Jinghe, saying he’d found an extraordinarily wise ruler.

When Prince Heng favored him, he never thought his worldly talent would lead to his downfall.

Toward the end of his time in the capital, Xu Min'an seldom wrote to Xu Jinghe. In his final letter, he said Wei Changhong had accused him to the late emperor of secretly meeting with court officials, plotting against him, and looking for a new master.

By then, Prince Yu was already dead, and Prince Heng’s influence was at its peak. Huai Kang Di had already named him crown prince.

Xu Min'an hadn’t done any of it.

Wei Changhong, intent on framing him, had prepared a wealth of evidence to present to the late emperor.

The wise ruler Xu Min'an had chosen did not choose to believe him.

After seeing the evidence, the late emperor stripped Xu Min'an of all his positions and ordered him to return home to reflect on his mistakes.

In utter despair, Xu Min'an wrote this letter and sent it to Jiangnan.

Upon receiving the letter, Xu Jinghe immediately packed up and rushed to the capital.

But before he could enter the capital, tragic news arrived.

Xu Min'an had repeatedly sought an audience with the late emperor for several days but failed to see him. All he received was an order of condemnation.

All the achievements Xu Min'an had painstakingly planned for the late emperor were divided between the Xie and Wei families.

Instead, he became a criminal, not only losing his official position but also bringing trouble to his family.

Without even seeing the late emperor, he was thrown into prison, where he suffered greatly and died of illness.

All Xu Jinghe was left with was a cold corpse.

After Xu Min'an's death, the late emperor finally investigated his case and cleared his name, but ultimately took no action against Wei Changhong, the main instigator.

After the late emperor ascended the throne, Xu Min'an's death was officially attributed to an accidental illness.

The late emperor remained the Son of Heaven, while the Xie and Wei families wielded significant power. Only Xu Jinghe's family was left without an elder brother.

Xu Jinghe leaned in close to Wei Changhong and whispered, "You plotted to kill my brother, thinking you could seize power from then on."

"Now you dominate the court, yet here you are, ending up like this."

He drove the dagger deep into Wei Changhong's abdomen, his voice icy and devoid of emotion:

"Can you stomach this blood-soaked achievement?"

His tone was calm, and in the next moment, he stepped back several paces, coldly declaring, "It’s time for the execution."

Shi Yuanxi glanced at him and ordered the barely alive Wei Changhong to be dragged to the execution ground.

She didn’t bother asking Wei Changhong what Xu Jinghe had said to him.

Even in his final moments, Wei Changhong refused to give up. Before she left, he clutched his wound, mustered all his strength to look up at her, and said with a grim expression:

"...I should have killed you the moment you presented the blueprint."

Xu Jinghe's words stirred the final embers of resentment in Wei Changhong's heart. From start to finish, he never believed he had done anything wrong. If there was any mistake, it was failing to kill Shi Yuanxi in time, allowing her to rise to this level.

To his surprise, Shi Yuanxi calmly looked at him and said coolly, "Then Minister Wei should have acted much earlier."

In excruciating pain, Wei Changhong writhed in agony, his mind clouded. He struggled to grasp the meaning of Shi Yuanxi's words as she whispered beside him:

"Minister Wei, you don’t know yet, do you? Your son, Wei Qingxing, was killed by my own hand."

Wei Changhong suddenly realized, his eyes wide with fury.

The crossbow, the weapons... the musket she used that day.

Overcome with shock and rage, he lost control, blood gushing from his mouth as he muttered incoherently, a mix of curses and panic. But when he looked up, he saw the executioner already standing before him.

"Snap!" Shi Yuanxi dropped the execution order as he stared at her in horror, fear, and fury.

Following that, the executioner raised the large blade.

Whoosh—

With a swift motion, Wei Changhong's words, if any, could never be spoken again in this lifetime. His body shifted, and he collapsed to the ground with a thud.