OBS Chapter 1463 The Only Thought of Survival
Chapter 1463 The Only Thought of Survival
Consort Qi merely stared coldly at Prince Jin, as if he were a clown.
The resentment that had been building up in her heart for so long finally found its most cathartic release today!
Li Changde, who had been observing coldly all along, finally waved his hand: "Gag him and take him away."
"Yes!"
The Imperial Guards obeyed the order and ruthlessly shut up the Prince of Jin's filthy curses, dragging him away like a dead dog.
Consort Qi stood there, looking in the direction where Prince Jin had disappeared. It was as if all the strength had been drained from her body, and she swayed so much that she could barely stand.
The maidservant quickly stepped forward to support her.
Having avenged her great wrong, Consort Qi's face was left with only endless emptiness and pallor...
The vermilion gates of the Prince of Jin's mansion were sealed with a cold, imposing seal, and the place instantly became deserted, as if the tree had fallen and the monkeys had scattered.
Apart from Consort Qi, who was pardoned by special decree for her meritorious report, everyone in the household, from stewards and staff to servants and maids, who had any connection with Prince Jin, was arrested and taken away by the Imperial Guards.
The once ornate courtyard is now nothing but a mess after being ransacked and looted.
Lu Jiangyue mingled among the weeping women, her wrists bound by cold iron chains.
She was so regretful she could have kicked herself!
She had racked her brains back then, thinking that by climbing the big tree of the Prince of Jin's mansion, even if she was just an insignificant concubine, she could live a life of luxury and be flattered by others.
Who would have thought... she didn't enjoy her good fortune for long. The Prince of Jin's temper was unpredictable, and she was beaten quite a bit, living in constant fear.
Now, all that glory and wealth has turned out to be a mirage, and he's even going to be implicated and spend his days in a dark and hopeless prison!
At this moment, Lu Jiangyue only hoped that her brother, who was serving as the magistrate of Xingyang, would receive the news soon and, out of consideration for their sibling relationship, find a way to help her escape her misery.
Bingqiao was completely stunned, as if she had lost her soul, and was being pushed forward...
She still remembers how many of her sisters envied her good fortune when she was assigned to work at Yongshou Palace.
Although the Imperial Noble Consort was dignified, she never mistreated the palace servants without cause. The allowances and dignity of Yongshou Palace were unparalleled among the six palaces.
But she was bewitched and dissatisfied with being just a palace maid being ordered around. She dreamed of turning the tables and becoming the master, and went to great lengths to get in touch with the Prince of Jin.
Now her dream of becoming a mistress has come true; she's become a concubine in the Prince of Jin's mansion. But before she's even had a single good day, she's become a prisoner, and might even lose her head...
Looking back now, the days when I was a second-class palace maid in Yongshou Palace were like living in paradise. I was sheltered from the wind and rain, received my monthly salary on time, and occasionally even received some rewards from the empress.
Bingqiao felt a strong sense of regret, but she bit her lower lip tightly, unwilling to admit how foolish her choice had been.
To admit it would be to deny the fleeting and illusory glory she had fought so hard for...
The once grand Prince's mansion was now completely empty, leaving only Consort Qi and her personal maid.
She stood alone in the messy front yard, still wearing that plain dress.
Although Consort Qi betrayed him at the most crucial moment, delivering a fatal blow to Prince Jin, her maternal family, the Qi family, had already staked the entire clan's fortunes and lives on Prince Jin's ship.
One glory and one glory.
They would never understand or support her "betrayal," and might even hate her to the core.
Therefore, Consort Qi secretly collected evidence and pledged allegiance to the emperor, but never divulged a word of it to the Qi family.
Now, the Qi family has also been implicated by the downfall of the Prince of Jin, and all the main members have been imprisoned.
The only thought that kept Consort Qi alive was waiting for the day when Prince Jin's head would roll!
Only by witnessing his fate could she find some solace in her utterly ruined life.
At this moment, Consort Qi didn't know where to go either.
The world is so vast, it seems there is nowhere left for her to belong...
……
With the Prince of Jin confined to the Imperial Clan Court, the atmosphere in some of the grand mansions in the capital was extremely somber.
Some members of the royal family who had secretly supported Prince Jin were hoping to take advantage of the Fourth Prince's birthday banquet to sneak into the palace under the guise of celebration, and perhaps find an opportunity to create chaos.
Perhaps we can take this opportunity to plead with His Majesty and find a way to rescue Prince Jin.
At the very least, we should try to find out the truth.
Who would have thought that the Imperial Noble Consort would be so tactless, canceling the Fourth Prince's birthday banquet on the grounds that it was inappropriate to be extravagant, and even preventing them, the imperial relatives, from easily entering the palace.
The plan was aborted before it could be implemented, and several leading relatives were as anxious as ants on a hot pan, pacing back and forth in the secret room.
"What should we do now? The palace is heavily guarded, and our people can't get any messages in or find out what's going on inside."
"The Prince of Jin is imprisoned within the high walls of the Imperial Clan Court, a place of impregnable defenses. Breaking him out of prison is a pipe dream!"
"Are we just going to stand by and watch Prince Jin's fate end like this?"
"What else can we do? His Majesty is determined to clean house this time!"
"We can't just sit here and wait to die! Let's think of something else..."
"..."
The group lowered their voices and anxiously discussed their options, trying to find a sliver of opportunity they could exploit.
Although the Prince of Jin has fallen, those who were already tied to him must find another way out if they don't want to be completely overwhelmed by the upcoming storms.
Or... fight to the death!
……
Princess Yun'an's Mansion.
A trusted maidservant hurried through the corridor, reporting that Prince Jin had been imprisoned in the Imperial Clan Court and that the entire Prince Jin's residence had been ransacked.
"...Nonsense!"
Princess Yun'an's beautiful face was filled with disbelief and anger: "How could Eighth Brother have done such a thing?!"
"He is the gentlest person he ever is, and he never says a harsh word to anyone. Someone must have framed him!"
"Yes, someone can't stand to see him doing well, so they fabricated these charges!"
In Princess Yun'an's heart, her eighth brother would always be that elegant and charming elder brother who would speak to her with gentle smiles. He had absolutely no connection to the heinous crimes of forming cliques for personal gain or coveting power.
The maid lowered her head and said, "Even if you gave me a hundred lives, I wouldn't dare to talk nonsense..."
Princess Yun'an understood this principle perfectly well, and was deeply worried.
Although she was a princess and enjoyed all the riches and honors, she had no right to interfere in important political affairs.
She could neither argue in court nor access the case files, and she couldn't even find a suitable way to speak up for her myna bird.
"No...I can't just stand by and watch..."
Princess Yun'an paced back and forth in her magnificent bedchamber: "I must go to the palace to plead with my brother! He must have been deceived by a villain!"
She was just about to walk out when she stopped in her tracks.
Although Princess Yun'an was arrogant and spoiled, she was not entirely ignorant of the ways of the world.