Three Joys

Chapter 51

In the 9th year of Ningwu, it was a crucial year for many. The first half of the year had been relatively calm, but in the second half, over a span of just six months, there were tumultuous events that unfolded.

The root cause of all these events, most people believed, was the death of Empress Chen, who had passed away many years ago. Regardless of the current emperor's concerns and dissatisfaction with noble families, the death of Empress Chen seemed to be the prelude to a series of unexpected changes. It was widely known that Empress Chen had married the current emperor and had gained exclusive favor, but she remained childless for many years. Under pressure from courtiers and the Empress Dowager, the emperor had to take additional concubines. Concubine Xie who entered the palace during that period, was among them, and two years later, Empress Chen died in a state of melancholy.

The events of that time had long been forgotten, but no one had expected that the current emperor never abandoned his pursuit of the truth. It was a twist of fate that led to the uncovering of the story. It turned out that the physician Hu, who had treated Empress Chen at the time, had not actually died. He had faked his own death and concealed himself in the common populace.

This revelation led to the discovery that Empress Chen had been poisoned to death, and the mastermind behind the poisoning was none other than the current Empress Dowager. At that time, even though the emperor had taken new concubines, he continued to be intimate with Empress Chen. The Empress Dowager believed that the emperor's affection for her was not suitable for bearing an heir. When the emperor suggested adopting a child from the imperial family, the Empress Dowager developed murderous intentions toward Empress Chen.

In reality, the Empress Dowager's motives may have been more self-serving. The Chen family was of lowly origins, and in the royal court, there was no room for commoners to share the same glory as noble families.

On the other hand, the new consort, concubine Xie, was the Empress Dowager's niece. After weighing various interests, Empress Chen had no choice but to be killed. The Empress Dowager and her niece conspired to murder Empress Chen.

After Empress Chen's death Concubine Xie quickly rose to prominence and bore the emperor a crown prince and a princess. She was now titled the Consort, though not the Empress, but she was the de facto leader of the harem. Unfortunately, they had underestimated the depth of the emperor's feelings for Empress Chen.

The old case was uncovered, and rumors spread that the emperor was extremely enraged. When Consort Xie confessed to her crimes, she was executed on the spot in the imperial palace, without any consideration for their more than a decade of marriage. The Empress Dowager was immediately terrified, and the emperor placed her under house arrest in the palace, where no one could visit her.

This incident had far-reaching consequences. The chief secretary, Lord Xie hurried to the palace but failed to see the emperor's face. Even worse, all three of his sons were arrested. In just one night, the entire city was under curfew, and over a thousand imperial guards surrounded the Xie residence. The emperor's maneuvers left no room for defense, and every opportunity to catch one's breath vanished. Except for the Li family, closely related to the royal family, and the deeply entangled Xie family, both the Xu and Qin families dared not make any rash moves.

Subsequently, within a month, the Xie family was exposed by courtiers for a litany of crimes, from bribery to treason. Every accusation was a capital offense. Finally, two charges were confirmed: bribery and embezzlement of disaster relief funds.

Since the downfall of Consort Xie, people had been constantly seeking an request at the gates of the Xu residence. However, since the execution of Consort Xie, the lord of the Xu family had been feigning illness, not attending court or receiving visitors.