Quick Transmigration Cannon Fodder's Record of Counterattacks

Chapter 3611: The Most Favoured Woman in the Inner Palace (30)

The general felt a bitter taste in his mouth. This course of action would completely shatter the order of the imperial court. Although he didn’t know what kind of madness had taken hold of Ao Tianze, he didn’t dare follow him into insanity.

To kill every concubine in the inner palace out of the blue, and without even assigning them a crime… if he did such a thing, there was no telling how history would judge him. Furthermore, the concubines had their own maternal families. Even if they were married to the emperor, they still represented the power of the great clans.

If he offended that many people, he would never be able to show his face in court again. No official’s record was ever truly spotless, after all. His career would be at its end. The general did not want to be ruined for no reason, even if the order came from the emperor himself.

“Your Majesty, this is absolutely unacceptable,” the general pleaded while kneeling on the ground. “Doing this might cause the collapse of the state, and besides, there is no justification for it.”

“I told you to do it, so do it. If you succeed, I will name you grand general and grant you control over the military. No one will ever dare touch you.” Ao Tianze understood the general’s hesitation and offered a massive temptation.

To go from a mere General to a grand general was a qualitative leap in status.

“This servant… ah.” The general left the imperial study and immediately dispatched several small units of soldiers to deliver the news to several noble families. He couldn’t be the one to take the fall for this alone. Since he was giving them advance warning, those families shouldn’t point their spears at him. Perhaps if the court officials staged a death-protest, the whole matter would be dropped.

At the same time, he arranged for the guards to seize the concubines. He didn’t dare offend either side, so he decided to capture them first while ensuring no lives were taken. The general’s mind was a whirlwind of curses, wondering what on earth had happened to Ao Tianze.

“Your Highness, the guards are here to seize us!” Xi’er ran in, looking completely panicked.

Ning Shu froze for a moment, but she reacted quickly. This was the moment when the ‘dagger was revealed.’

She used a cloth to wrap one baby and strap it to her back, while she held the other in her arms. A guard entered and said, “Empress, forgive our rudeness.”

As the guards moved to grab her, Ning Shu said coldly, “I will walk on my own.”

Outside Jiaofang Palace, she encountered the other concubines. They were all utterly bewildered, and they had no idea what was happening. As the guards seized them, they struggled with all their might, until their hair and clothes became a mess. Most of them were paralyzed with terror. When they saw that even the empress had been seized, their horror grew, and they began crying out to Ning Shu for help. This sudden turn of events had left them all in a state of shock.

Ning Shu gave a pointed look to the martial arts maid beside her. The maid understood immediately and struck out at the nearby guards, holding them back. Ning Shu then bolted toward the imperial study, clutching the baby in her arm. The guards behind her gave chase. When the other concubines saw Ning Shu run, they began scratching and biting the guards holding them, leaving their faces covered in claw marks.

While wincing in pain, the guards loosened their grip. The freed concubines all scrambled in the direction Ning Shu had run—toward the imperial study, where the emperor was.

Fu Min listened to the commotion outside the palace—the sound of children crying, the terrified screams of women, and the clanking of weapons. She squeezed her handkerchief and asked, “What is happening out there?”

“I do not know, but I saw guards seizing the concubines,” the maid beside her replied.

Why were they seizing the concubines? Fu Min had a vague sense of what Ao Tianze might be trying to do, but part of her felt it was impossible. How could he do such a thing? It would shake the very foundations of the court.

Fu Min pulled out the secret decree from beneath her pillow. Along with the decree was a jade pendant carved with a massive dragon. It was made of black jade, a pure, solid black. Ao Tianze had told her to take this jade out if she were ever in danger. He said it was a power he was giving her, a power that would protect her.

Tears welled in Fu Min’s eyes. She wanted to leave the courtyard, but her legs felt as heavy as lead. Did Ao Tianze want the women of the inner palace to follow him to the grave?

Besides that, she truly couldn’t understand why he was doing this. He had given her a decree and some secret power, yet he was also going to slaughter everyone else in the inner palace? For a mother of the nation to be forced to follow a husband into the grave… such a thing was unheard of.

Fu Min felt lost and overwhelmed. For the first time, the bloody cruelty of the imperial family was being displayed before her in all its gore.

Ning Shu knelt outside the imperial study, pleading at the top of her lungs. “Your Majesty, spare me! I do not know what I have done wrong!”

Her shrill, desperate voice made the child in her arms burst into a loud wail. The combined sound of her cries and the baby’s screaming was enough to give anyone goosebumps. The sheer noise made Ao Tianze, inside the imperial study, feel exceptionally irritated. He took an elixir and closed his eyes to rest his mind. When he opened them again, he looked much more energized.

“General Wu, execute the empress. Those two children are annoying this emperor to death. Silence them,” Ao Tianze said indifferently. He had reached the end of his rope.

He had truly had enough of the constraints of the court and the inner palace. Since he was going to die anyway, he knew exactly what the empress was planning. She wanted Ao Yong to inherit the throne, which was why he had issued that secret decree beforehand. Even before his death, he wanted to make these noble families feel some pain.

General Wu was at a loss.

Holy hell, the emperor has definitely gone mad.

Ning Shu continued to wail outside. Many of the concubines ignored their dignity and knelt on the ground as well, joining her in her cries. “We beg Your Majesty for mercy! Your Majesty…”

For a moment, the air outside was filled with a cacophony of shrill screams and the crying of children.

“Go and kill them,” Ao Tianze said coldly.

General Wu did not dare defy a direct imperial command. He walked out of the Imperial Study and drew his shining sword. “Whoever continues to cry, this general shall kill her!”

The concubines were instantly silenced, though many continued to hiccup through their sobs. General Wu’s heart was heavy as well. The fact that these concubines had reached the door of the imperial study at all was because he had intentionally looked the other way. He had hoped that if they came to beg for mercy, the emperor might soften his heart for the sake of their shared history.

However, the emperor remained completely unmoved. This put General Wu in a difficult position. If it were a single concubine who had committed a proven crime, he would have acted immediately. But facing dozens of them…

He did not dare take the blame upon himself. He could only use threats to keep them quiet.

He hoped that the officials who had been notified would arrive quickly, along with the imperial princes and the clan elders.

Master Tan was among the first group of officials to arrive. He saw Ning Shu kneeling in the front under the blazing sun, a baby on her back and another in her arms, looking utterly wretched. She looked nothing like the dignified mother of the nation.

The arriving officials all dropped to their knees in a rustling wave, pleading with Ao Tianze for mercy. Some of the more blunt officials demanded to know exactly what crimes the concubines had committed.