Chapter 1020 - 858: Reap What You Sow
Empress Dowager regained consciousness on the third day after the Emperor returned from the hunting grounds. However, the Jiang Family’s capable members had all died, and the blow was too great; upon awakening, she vomited blood several times.
The Emperor, upon receiving news of the Empress Dowager’s awakening, picked up the memorandum detailing the Jiang Family’s crimes from his desk and went to Cining Palace.
As soon as the Empress Dowager saw the Emperor, she struggled to sit up, gasping for breath, her eyes bloodshot as she yelled, "Emperor, you’re so cruel!"
The Emperor’s expression remained indifferent, "Am I cruel? How am I cruel? Jiang Jinghui, the Princely Heir, and Duke Cheng’en—who among them did I order to be executed?"
"Jiang Jinghui’s death was due to someone tampering with the lanterns during the Lantern Festival. Who tampered with them, Empress Dowager? You don’t need me to tell you that, do you?"
"The Princely Heir died because he and Duke Cheng’en could not resist temptation and chose to collaborate with Xiao Yeyang, only to be killed by Xiao Yeyang in the end. Empress Dowager, wouldn’t you say that he brought it upon himself?"
"As for Duke Cheng’en... daring to incite the third Prince to stage a military coup. When the coup failed, he fled deep into the hunting grounds and died in the jaws of a tiger—isn’t that what you would call fate?"
"Empress Dowager, isn’t the Jiang Family’s downfall today all because you and the Jiang Family’s ambition were too great? Being the most prominent relatives by marriage wasn’t enough; you still dreamed of controlling the sovereign of a country. Isn’t what you’ve done almost the same as plotting a coup?"
"Any Emperor with a bit of spirit, who could tolerate you?"
Empress Dowager roared, "Don’t forget that without me and the Jiang Family back in the day, you would have never been able to ascend to the throne!"