Chapter 76
"Lord Zhao, accept this change with resignation. Your profound grief must sadden Consort Zhao's spirit in the afterlife."
"My lord, Consort Zhao saved us all. Her virtuous act must have moved the heavens. Perhaps she has already been reborn into the future life she yearned for."
"Ah!! Lady Zhao has passed away!"
Someone cried out in alarm.
Several Imperial Physicians hurried to wipe away their tears and attend to the fallen Lady Zhao.
Zhao's Father felt a blackness engulf his vision as he swayed unsteadily, caught by a pair of strong hands. Turning his head, he saw his Eldest Son.
His son's face was streaked with tears, a mixture of resignation and worry in his eyes.
"Father, the Emperor is too cruel!"
"What shall become of us now?"
"What can we do? Under this very heaven, none can rival the Emperor's domain. All this land belongs to him, and subjects must die when the sovereign demands it."
*Ding!*
*Connection established!*
As the video call connected, Gu Sang heard Zhao's Father's despairing words.
Likewise, Lord Zhao and the others' gazes met Gu Sang's sorrow-filled eyes!
This...this...the Empress Dowager?
Punishable by the extermination of nine generations!
And the border towns not only had harsh, uninhabitable climates but were also frequently raided by barbarians.
"Perhaps it is not so grave? We have been pardoned, and the matter is settled. Surely the Emperor will not pursue us further?"
An Imperial Physician's Wife mustered her courage to ask, surreptitiously glancing towards Lord Zhao's household.
Moreover, it was Lord Zhao's family who provoked the Emperor's wrath.
The Emperor's resentment would surely be directed at Lord Zhao's clan.
Seeing they still clung to hope, Gu Sang shook her head, shattering their illusions: "When has he ever kept his promises?"
"In the past, I had no choice but to help him ascend the throne. He vowed to be my life partner and grant me the empress position, but what happened? He told me not to cling to vain fantasies, and I died a wretched death in the inner palace."
"To seize the throne, when the palace coup failed, he slaughtered his own father."
"The Second Prince was once brave and resourceful, yet he suddenly died in terror..."
Gu Sang merely recounted a few of Pei Changying's deeds, but the assembled officials and Lord Zhao's household were drenched in cold sweat.
These were palace secrets - knowledge of even one could mean execution.
In that moment, the Imperial Physicians and Lord Zhao's clan realized that this commoner who now occupied the throne, having been rained upon, sought to tear away everyone else's umbrella!
"You still hesitate? So be it. I have said my piece."
"Only, next time, there may not be another Consort Zhao to sacrifice her life to save you!"