stonecrandall Chapter 1083 Even Gao Yao has his moments of helplessness!
Chapter 1083 Even Gao Yao has his moments of helplessness!
Her son, Gao Zhe, is only a little over ten years old. During this turmoil, Yu Shu did indeed intend to seize power by supporting Gao Zhe as crown prince, and to avenge her homeland against the Xiongnu. She even harbored more dangerous thoughts—in her plan to force the emperor to abdicate, she secretly contacted loyal generals in the Imperial Guard, preparing to use force if necessary.
Although she gave up at the last moment, and although those arrangements were not actually started, the thought itself was already outrageous.
Gao Yao fell silent. He looked at the woman before him, recalling how she had been brought to him as spoils of war years ago; her initial resistance and gradual acceptance; her grief and indignation when she spoke of the destruction of Tu'an by the Xiongnu; her unwavering plea for military action against the Xiongnu...
“I know you want revenge for Tu’an,” Gao Yao finally spoke. “I have already promised to fight the Xiongnu, and I will not go back on my word. The entire world will eventually be unified. I understand your anxiety. If it were anything else, I might have been more lenient…”
His voice turned cold: "But you shouldn't have thought about silencing them and forcing me to abdicate. That's the bottom line, a bottom line that no monarch can tolerate."
Yu Shu's tears finally fell. She knew she had no room for defense. Treasonous intent, in any dynasty, was a capital offense. That Gao Yao would allow her to stand here after the incident was already an immense act of leniency.
"Fortunately, you knew when to pull back from the brink." Gao Yao's tone softened slightly. "At the last moment, you chose to give up and didn't really take that step. Otherwise, you wouldn't be here today."
"This concubine... knows her sins." Yu Shu knelt on the ground, her shoulders trembling slightly.
Gao Yao sighed deeply. Yu Shu had her hateful aspects, but also her pitiful ones. The pain of national subjugation and the hatred of her clan's extermination had been gnawing at her heart for years. All her schemes and all her obsessions were ultimately for revenge.
But court politics is cruel. Some lines, once crossed, are impossible to turn back from.
"Effective immediately, Yu Shu is to move to Jing Si Palace. She is not to leave the palace without an imperial edict, and no one is allowed to visit her." Gao Yao announced the final verdict. "All provisions in Jing Si Palace will remain unchanged. Reflect on your actions."
Jingsi Palace, commonly known as the Cold Palace, was the most remote palace in the inner palace. Although it didn't deprive her of food and clothing, she was completely isolated from the world, akin to imprisonment. For a woman like Yu Shu, this was more painful than a death sentence—she would be trapped in that small space, watching helplessly as the years passed, never to see the day of revenge.
However, this was already the most lenient punishment Gao Yao could offer. To be spared execution for treason was already an exception.
"Thank you... thank you for your grace, Your Majesty." Yu Shu's voice was hoarse, each word seeming to be squeezed out of her throat. She glanced at Gao Yao one last time, her eyes filled with complex emotions—regret, resentment, despair, and a hint of relief.
At least, she's still alive. At least, Gao Yao didn't implicate her son. At least... she can still hear news from the outside world while she's in the cold palace, and perhaps one day, she'll hear the good news of the Xiongnu's annihilation.
Two older palace maids stepped forward and helped Yu Shu up. Their movements weren't gentle, but they were respectful enough. Yu Shu didn't struggle, letting them support her as she walked step by step towards the palace gate. Her shadow stretched long in the setting sun, conveying endless desolation.
The palace doors opened and closed, and Yu Shu's figure disappeared.
Now, only Gao Yao and Lü Zhi remain in the main hall.
Empress Lü remained standing, neither kneeling nor speaking. Her back was ramrod straight, and her face was expressionless. This woman, who had been one of the first to follow Gao Yao, the former eldest daughter of the Lü family, and now the queen, displayed an unusual composure.
Gao Yao looked at her without saying a word for a long time.
The candlelight flickered inside the hall, casting swaying shadows on the walls. In the distance, the faint sound of bells and drums drifted in, a signal that the palace gates were about to close. Dusk seeped through the window lattices, casting a warm, yellowish glow over everything in the hall.
“Zhi’er,” Gao Yao finally spoke, using the term they used in their early days, “it’s just us left.”
Empress Lü's body trembled almost imperceptibly. She slowly raised her head and looked at the man on the throne. Twenty years had passed, from the streets of Pei County to the palace of Xianyang, from obscurity to ruling the world... they had walked so much together.
"How does Your Majesty intend to deal with me?" Lü Zhi's voice was calm, but a slight tremor could be detected if one listened carefully.
Gao Yao rose from his throne and walked down the steps to stand before Lü Zhi. He was half a head taller than her, and as he looked down at her, his gaze was complex.
"Do you know why Yu Shu was banished to the Cold Palace?" he asked.
“Because she had thoughts she shouldn’t have had,” Lü Zhi replied.
"Then do you know why you're still standing here?"
Empress Lü remained silent.
Gao Yao reached out and gently lifted her chin, forcing her to look at him: "Because you didn't take that final step. Because although you fueled the flames and secretly orchestrated things, you stopped at the most crucial moment."
A flicker of emotion flashed in Lü Zhi's eyes.
“Furthermore,” Gao Yao’s voice was low, “you are Lü Zhi. You are my first wife, the Queen of this dynasty. There are some things I can tolerate you doing, some lines I can tolerate you testing. But you must remember—”
He tightened his grip slightly: "Never cross my line. Never force me to take action against you."
Lü Zhi's breathing quickened. She looked into Gao Yao's eyes, and in those deep eyes, she saw a warning, she saw tolerance, and she also saw... a trace of weariness.
"I...understand," she finally said softly.
Gao Yao released his hand and turned to walk to the window. Outside, dusk was deepening, and the outline of the palace appeared particularly majestic in the twilight.
"Go back!"
"Here."
Empress Lü bowed gracefully, her movements impeccable, and then slowly withdrew from the palace. Her back was ramrod straight, her gait composed, as if what had just happened was merely a routine greeting, not a life-or-death decision.
But as she turned to leave, a barely perceptible tremor still crept into her carefully maintained composure.
The palace doors closed gently behind her, separating her from the world inside and out.
Lü Zhi stood on the long corridor and took a deep breath. The early winter wind brushed against her cheeks, clearing her chaotic thoughts slightly. She knew that she had escaped a calamity—or rather, Gao Yao had given her a chance.
Gao Yao was indeed exhausted. It wasn't just physical fatigue, but a weariness that spread from the depths of his heart. Lü Zhi could sense that when he looked at her, there was not only disappointment in his eyes, but also a kind of alienation she had never seen before.