Chapter 898: Chapter 10: Li Yuzhu · Mu Yuanxiu Extra Story (10)

He looked at the ground in front of him, his expression sorrowful.

The ministers looked at each other, their eyes filled with immense shock.

Is this true?

Empress Hui was killed by Consort Hui?

Duke Qing’an turned to the two eunuchs carrying the Little Emperor and said, "Quickly find some shovels and dig here!"

The two eunuchs responded with a nod and ran off.

The Little Emperor was in poor health, reclining wearily in his chair.

He knew what had happened in his heart, but he didn’t know how to ask. He also knew he was just a puppet, speaking would be in vain.

Saying too much would only get him scolded by the Empress Dowager.

He feared the Empress Dowager, and he feared those around her, like Prime Minister Bei.

Prime Minister Bei always carried a sword when he came to see him in the palace.

He worried that provoking Prime Minister Bei would lead to his death.

The two eunuchs soon returned with shovels.

Under Mu Yuanxiu’s instructions, they began to dig near two plum trees.

The skeletal remains were not buried deep.

Within a quarter of an hour, they were unearthed.

When everyone saw the bright yellow robes and the embroidered phoenix on the clothing, their hearts leapt into their throats.

As for Mu Yuanxiu, his face had turned deathly white.

He pushed aside the two eunuchs, squatted down, and started scrabbling at the dirt with his hands.

Bit by bit, fearing the Empress Hui, who had long since turned into bones, would fall apart.

Gradually, the head of the skeletal remains was revealed.

The bones and soil were mixed together, long unrecognizable, but the hair and crown were seen clearly by all.

It was precisely the Empress’s phoenix crown that Empress Hui often wore.

Even more shocking was that the entire skeleton was blackened.

Clearly, it had been poisoned to death.

The onlookers gasped in horror.

Mu Yuanxiu’s face turned pale, and his body wobbled, nearly falling to the ground.

"Your Highness!" Duke Qing’an supported him, "Please control your grief."

"I’m fine," Mu Yuanxiu said hoarsely, but the corners of his eyes gradually reddened.

He slowly stood up, his gaze like a sword fixed on Prime Minister Bei.

Prime Minister Bei’s face turned white with fear.

"Prime Minister Bei, didn’t you testify back then that the Empress eloped? Didn’t you see with your own eyes her leaving the Imperial Palace with a palace guard? So why is she here? Hmm?" Mu Yuanxiu sneered coldly, "Why is she in the Plum Garden of the Glazed Palace?"

"No, no, it’s impossible, this person can’t be the Empress, it must be an impostor!" Prime Minister Bei firmly denied.

"Before entering the palace, Empress Hui once saved Consort Hui by a carriage, breaking a toe on her left foot, that’s not a secret, right?" Mu Yuanxiu said, looking at the ministers.

According to palace rules, women with physical defects were not allowed to enter the palace, and certainly couldn’t become the Emperor’s woman.

But the late Emperor liked Empress Hui at first sight and insisted on making her the Empress.

Moreover, Empress Hui was gentle and gracious, educated and reasonable, knowledgeable, outstanding in appearance, except for the missing toe, there was no flaw to be found.

The late Emperor defied all objections and made Mu Yuanxiu’s mother the Empress.

Consort Hui’s family, seeing that Empress Hui was not favored by other members of the Beiyan Royal Family, requested Empress Hui’s parents to help Consort Hui enter the palace under the pretense of helping Empress Hui.

It was common for sisters to marry the same man, and Empress Hui’s parents agreed, worried that their daughter was too kind-hearted and might suffer a loss.

However, after Consort Hui entered the palace, she was not favored.

The late Emperor never wanted her to attend to him, nor did he wish to see her, spending every day only with Empress Hui.

She often mentioned, intentionally or unintentionally, the fact that Empress Hui had a missing toe.

Because of this, even years after Mu Yuanxiu was born, it was still talked about in the palace that Empress Hui was not perfect, as she was missing a toe.

Now that Mu Yuanxiu brought up this matter again, it reminded everyone of the past.

Someone immediately said, "Right, right, the Empress was missing a toe. Look at the woman’s feet, and you’ll know?"

Mu Yuanxiu glanced at Prime Minister Bei, then squatted down again and gently removed the shoe from the left foot of the female corpse.

The skeletal foot indeed had only four toes, the little toe missing.

"Prime Minister Bei, do you have anything else to say?" Mu Yuanxiu looked at Prime Minister Bei, his gaze growing cold.

"Prime Minister Bei defamed Empress Hui, he deserves death! Your Majesty, please punish Prime Minister Bei!" Grand Tutor Fei walked to the Little Emperor and said in a loud voice.

"Please, Your Majesty, punish Prime Minister Bei!" Duke Qing’an also said loudly.

The other ministers realized that today’s situation was abnormal.

The once Consort Hui, now the Empress Dowager, was not present in court. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Moreover, the late Emperor’s prince had returned.

Now that Empress Hui’s skeletal remains were found, things were likely to become complicated.

Some who were already dissatisfied with Prime Minister Bei and Empress Dowager Hui began to demand that the Little Emperor punish Prime Minister Bei.