When Xiao Jingheng uttered these words, the corner of his eye casually glanced at Consort Yin and Ru Chang. Both of them hailed from powerful neighboring nations that Xiao Jingheng had once regarded with caution, the Ada Tribe and Mongolia.
Normally, the two of them would have no reason to join forces, but at this moment, they both spontaneously bowed to Xiao Jingheng in respect.
"Your Majesty, please rest assured that neither this concubine nor my maternal clan have any ill intentions," Consort Yin spoke.
Tan Yuezhi also spoke up in defense, "Your Majesty, I am completely loyal to you!"
"No ill intentions?" Ning Wanshuang scoffed and narrowed her eyes at him. "Even without ill intentions, you dared to conspire against the heir to the throne. If you had any ulterior motives, wouldn't the entire Qi Dynasty be in jeopardy?"
Her sharp gaze scrutinized Tan Yuezhi from head to toe, and the more she looked, the more she disliked him.
"You deceived the Emperor, plotted against the heir, and yet you dare to wear the imperial attire? Kang Yubin, strip him of his court robes and immediately send him to the Office of Judicial Torture for severe punishment!"
As Ning Wanshuang spoke, Xiao Jingheng remained silent.
In an instant, Tan Yuezhi went from being in the Emperor's favor to becoming a despised prisoner. Kang Yubin, therefore, showed no mercy in handling him.
When they forcibly removed his court robes, their actions were rough. They even tore apart the inner lining, exposing his wheat-colored skin between his waist and abdomen. With so many consorts present, it was truly unseemly.
Consort Yun instinctively covered her eyes, but in a momentary glance, it seemed as though she had caught sight of something on Tan Yuezhi.
She fixed her gaze and saw a deep-blue lotus tattooed in the middle of his back.
Consort Yun exclaimed in shock, "That... Your Majesty, please have a look!"
Her cry caught the attention of almost everyone present, all of their gazes drawn to the tattoo on Tan Yuezhi's back.
Some of the consorts were unfamiliar with the symbol, but Ning Wanshuang recognized it all too well.
At this moment, she wore a look of astonishment tinged with fear as she supported Xiao Jingheng's arm.
"Your Majesty... that is the totem of the Qinglian Cult! But... didn't my father eradicate the remnants of that cult during the Zhang Dynasty? How could they..."
Ning Wanshuang mentioned the Qinglian Cult, an organization that had been formed by the remnants of the cult during the Zhang Dynasty, prior to the Qi Dynasty.
In the 37th year of Qianyuan, the Qinglian Cult had joined forces with other rebels to rebel against the Qi Dynasty.
However, they were ultimately defeated by Ning Bochuan's mighty Qi army and ended in a crushing defeat.
After that battle, the late Emperor ordered the extermination of the remnants of the Qinglian Cult, sparing no one, regardless of age or gender.
Xiao Jingheng never expected that the remnants of the Qinglian Cult, which he had thought had long disappeared, would have been lurking by his side all this time, manipulating him so effortlessly...
Down in the hall, Tan Yuezhi was restrained by the guards, and he had no way of seeing the tattoo on his own back.
But from Ning Wanshuang's words, he could roughly guess what the tattoo on his back signified...
This matter, if it had only been Liu Chong's "declaration of death," at most it would have confirmed Tan Yuezhi's suspicion of plotting against the heir to the throne, but it wouldn't have represented his motive or ability to arrange for someone to assassinate Xiao Jingheng and blow up Chidong Dam.
However, if he were labeled as a remnant of the previous dynasty, then all of these events would have a reasonable explanation.
He initially wanted to argue, but in an instant he understood the origin of this tattoo.
On that day, he let Hehuan perform acupuncture and cupping for him, and he fell into a deep sleep.
It's likely that the room had already been filled with sedative incense at that time, and it was Hehuan who personally tattooed him during that moment.
The location was on his back, right in the middle of his spine, which he couldn't see no matter what.
Furthermore, the tattoo had been there for a year already, the colors on the surface had faded, so even if he claimed it was newly done, no one would believe it.
Moreover, if Tan Yuezhi were to continue denying it now, it would only make Xiao Jingheng continue to investigate.
If this matter implicated more than just the consort, then the "master" would undoubtedly be implicated as well.
If their country were to become unstable, his wife would have no way out.
At this point, he had no way out.
Rather than that, it would be better to gather his courage and end this matter completely with him.
"Hahahaha!"
Tan Yuezhi suddenly laughed madly, not bothering to pretend anymore, and roared at Xiao Jingheng:
"You wretched emperor! I failed to kill you! It's the greatest regret of my life!"
After speaking, he somehow mustered up brute force, broke through the guards, and charged straight at Xiao Jingheng.
Xiao Jingheng remained calm and composed in his seat.
With so many secret guards protecting him, Tan Yuezhi didn't even get close before having his tendons and ligaments severed, and was subdued once again.
At this moment, Xiao Jingheng's face was ashen, devoid of any anger, cold enough to frighten anyone.
He stood up, took measured steps toward Tan Yuezhi, then stepped on his cheek with his foot, his elbow resting on his knee, leaning closer inch by inch, using a voice only they could hear, gritted his teeth and asked:
"When you made me plant the foundation, were you deliberately plotting to make me kill my most beloved kin!?"
Tan Yuezhi laughed bitterly, spat at him, "Pah! If you weren't so afraid of death, how could you have believed my groundless talk? Hahaha, you wretched emperor, your retribution is still to come!"
His mocking laughter was chilling and terrifying, sending shivers down people's spines.
Xiao Jingheng was overwhelmed with grief and anger, and angrily declared:
"Guards! Drag this beast out for me! Flay him alive!"
Xiao Jingheng was furious to the extreme.
To the point where his eyes were red, his body trembling, and he couldn't calm his emotions for a long time.
Ning Wanshuang occasionally brushed his chest to soothe him, but Consort Yin suddenly said:
"If all of these things were done by that remnant of the previous dynasty, wouldn't Song Zhao be wrongly confined in the cold palace?"
Her untimely words left everyone speechless.
Song Zhao had been sent to the cold palace by Xiao Jingheng's order, so if she was wronged, it would be tantamount to accusing Xiao Jingheng of being an incompetent ruler.
Ning Wanshuang, Consort Yin, rolled her eyes and replied impatiently, "Song entered the cold palace because she failed to serve the Emperor properly, and that's the consequence she deserved. The Emperor has made it clear that she is not to be mentioned in the palace. Whoever dares to mention Song in the future will face the consequences according to palace rules."
With disdain, she shook her head and said, "She couldn't even take care of the Crown Prince properly, to the point that his whereabouts are now unknown. Keeping her alive is already the Emperor's mercy."
But it was this remark that pierced Xiao Jingheng's heart like a needle.
At this moment, his mind was buzzing, and he didn't even dare to turn around and see what foolish and ignorant things he had done!
A boundless sense of guilt and sorrow surged endlessly within him.
It was he who had killed the child of him and Song Zhao with his own hands.
It was he who had sent the woman he loved, who occupied his heart and mind, to the cold palace.
He didn't even know why he had acted so recklessly and confusedly...
Fortunately, Cheng Yu's matter was kept secret, and few people in the palace knew about it.
If he could hide it from Song Zhao for her lifetime, then there might still be a chance for reconciliation between him and Song Zhao.
That night, Xiao Jingheng issued an edict to reinstate Song Zhao as the honorable Imperial Consort and personally went to the cold palace to bring her out.
When he arrived, he only saw a slender figure standing under the wutong tree in plain clothes, looking up at the moon in a daze.
It had been two years and five months since they had last seen each other.
In his memory, Song Zhao's appearance had become somewhat blurred.
But today, the beauty was as radiant as before, except for a touch of coldness and distance between her brows, like a jade that couldn't be reached, commanding respect and distance.
"Zhao'er..." Xiao Jingheng called her gently, but the words choked in his throat and he couldn't spit them out no matter what.
Upon hearing his call, Song Zhao slowly withdrew her gaze and looked at him.
There was no surprise in her eyes, and she asked casually, "How did the Emperor come to the forbidden grounds of the cold palace?"
Xiao Jingheng quickly walked to her side and tightly embraced her as if she were a precious treasure. His words were filled with guilt and indebtedness, "I have wronged you. It was not until today that I finally cleared your name of injustice. Can you blame me?"
His words were sincere, but as he spoke, he felt a weak force pushing against his sturdy chest.
He loosened his embrace slightly and realized that Song Zhao was pushing him away without any expression on her face.
"Zhao'er?" He was momentarily stunned, letting Song Zhao free herself from his embrace.
Song Zhao didn't answer his question but continued to face the moon, silently shedding tears.
"Have you found Cheng Yu?" she asked.
At her question, Xiao Jingheng's heart was suddenly gripped.
He lightly touched Song Zhao's flawless porcelain skin, wiping away her tears, and then shook his head desolately, saying, "There's still no news for now. But over the years, I have never given up on finding Cheng Yu. Just a few days ago, I asked the Minister of War to come up with another plan and decided to send ten thousand more troops to..."
Before he could finish his sentence, he saw Song Zhao, who had been looking at the moon, suddenly fix her gaze on him.
Her eyes were so bright, bright enough that even the hatred veiled by tears was evident.
"You've already ordered him to be buried alive, so why waste those trivial efforts?"
