Where is there such a miserable emperor?!

Chapter 33: How Could an Emperor Be This Miserable?!

Chu Lu took several deep breaths, barely calming himself before returning to his original spot. He opened the Chat Group and said, "I'm back. Continue the story. The Empress slandered Consort Ping, what happened next?"

Xu Liniang: "After that, the little maidservant came to me for help, and I rushed over immediately. When I arrived, the Empress had already tied up Consort Ping and piled firewood underneath. I told the Empress to stop. Unexpectedly, the Empress drew the Imperial Sword bestowed by the late Emperor with a swish, saying this sword could execute a foolish ruler from above and treacherous officials from below. She claimed I was a foolish ruler for protecting a demon, and that she was going to kill me."

"I was greatly alarmed and had no choice but to flee."

Chu Lu: "..."

Chu Lu: "Wait a moment. Bestowed by the late Emperor? Wasn't that your dad. Uh, your mom who gave it to you?"

Xu Liniang: "Mm."

Chu Lu: "So your Empress, with the sword your mom gave her, wanted to kill you? And you were so scared you ran around everywhere."

Xu Liniang: "Mm."

Chu Lu: "... Please wait a moment."

A moment later, Chu Lu returned after venting his frustrations and said, "Continue. Did you manage to escape?"

Xu Liniang: "Honestly, no... As I was running, I called for the Imperial Guards to protect me, but the General of the Imperial Guards was the Empress's cousin and refused to act, dragging her feet. A soldier even tried to shoot an arrow, but she blocked it."

Chu Lu: "So, in simple terms, the General of the Imperial Guards helped the Empress assassinate the Emperor? I..."

Chu Lu: "I need to step away for a bit again."

Xu Liniang became unhappy: "Chu Lu, don't just leave whenever you feel like it, okay? Didn't you say that important matters should come first?"

The other jokers also expressed their dissatisfaction: "Yeah. Besides, why are you leaving? Is your stomach upset?"

Chu Lu looked extremely distressed.

—My brain is upset!

He took a deep breath and said, "Alright, alright, I won't leave. Please continue."

Xu Liniang then continued, "Finally, I couldn't run anymore and was caught by her. She held the sword to my neck and said she would kill me if I didn't come to my senses. At this moment, my stepmother, the Empress Dowager, heard the commotion and rushed over. She was stunned to see the scene and quickly told the Empress to stop."

"The Empress insisted that the Emperor was in the wrong first and wouldn't stop until she got an explanation. The Empress Dowager then told me to apologize quickly. Seeing that none of the Imperial Guards would intervene, I had no choice but to kneel and apologize."

Chu Lu: "You knelt..."

Chu Lu rubbed his forehead, feeling his blood pressure surge. He gritted his teeth and managed to say, "Continue."

Xu Liniang said, "Only then did the Empress sheathe her sword. Afterwards, she burned Consort Ping to death. I was so enraged that I fell gravely ill. The turmoil ended for the time being."

Chu Lu: "That's it? She was going to execute the Emperor! Wasn't there any punishment?"

Xu Liniang: "But she had the Imperial Sword bestowed by the late Emperor..."

Chu Lu stood up and dismantled the chair he was sitting on. Only then did he feel a little better. "What happened next?"

Xu Liniang: "After I fell ill, the Empress pretended to be solicitous and brought me medicine every day. At first, I thought she felt guilty, but the more I drank, the weaker I became. That's when I realized she had poisoned the medicine. So I refused to drink it."

"But as soon as she saw me like this, she said that she had been kind-hearted, but the Emperor didn't appreciate it. She claimed it must be the vengeful spirit of Consort Ping that was clouding the Emperor's mind, and that she was going to scatter Consort Ping's ashes. My beloved woman! If I couldn't save her life, how could I let her ashes be scattered? I had no choice but to force myself to drink it."

"After drinking it, she laughed heartily and said, 'You actually drank it. You truly love her.' Then she turned and left."

Chu Lu: "... I take back my words. I need to leave for a while."

After smashing five sandbags and seven stone locks, he returned and said, "Continue!"

Xu Liniang: "After that, I realized I had to fight back. So, during the day, she would come to feed me medicine. After she left, I would force myself to vomit it all up, thinking that once I recovered, I would go to the civil and military officials to file a complaint. However, the Empress Dowager noticed my abnormality first and went to settle scores with the Empress, only to be scolded by the Empress and fall ill herself."

"Seeing this situation, I couldn't delay any longer. I forced myself to attend court despite my illness. However, no one was willing to support me. The Empress even ran over, crying, saying I had gone mad and that this couldn't continue, urging me to return to the deep palace for proper recuperation. She proposed to temporarily handle court affairs by ruling from behind the curtain."

"Later, I found out that during my illness, she had stolen the Imperial Seal, reviewed memorials, and decided on personnel changes, promoting everyone from the Liu family. Even the Prime Minister was from the Liu family. That's why no one listened to me."

Chu Lu: "..."

Chu Lu's eyes saw stars. He felt his sanity was about to crumble under the erosion of the Female Fiction plot.

This was too absurd.

Xu Liniang: "After that, I was confined to the deep palace. The Empress's cousin, the General of the Imperial Guards, brought a group of soldiers to guard my entrance, claiming it was for my safety. I was filled with grief and indignation, cursing the Empress as a poisonous woman, which enraged the General. She grabbed me by the collar, lifted me up, and slapped me twice, asking if I dared to curse again. I had no choice but to shut up."

"Later, a great drought struck the land. The Empress claimed it was due to the Emperor's lack of virtue, a punishment from heaven. So she tied me up, dragged me to the rooftop, and whipped me for half an hour. After that, I was left with barely half a life and could no longer get out of bed."

Chu Lu: "No, I can't take it anymore. How can there be such an absurd Emperor like you? Even if you... wasn't there anyone who helped you?"

Xu Liniang: "Yes. The Vassal Kings in various regions heard about this matter and attacked the imperial capital under the pretext of 'clearing the ruler's surroundings,' with an army of 300,000 converging. The Empress was furious, saying she hadn't mistreated the Emperor at all and that they were using this as an excuse to rebel. So the Vassal Kings said, 'Oh, it was all a misunderstanding? Then we'll leave.'"

"After that, no one came to help me. My condition worsened, and I died one day."

Chu Lu's cheeks twitched, and blood seeped from the corner of his mouth from anger.

Chu Lu: "You too, you too, sigh! What about after you were reborn? What's the situation now?"

Xu Liniang: "I was reborn two months ago. The Empress killing Consort Ping happened twenty days ago. Since I already knew how things would unfold, I resisted with all my might this time."

Chu Lu: "So the situation should be much better now, right?"

Xu Liniang: "... I'm currently in the deep palace, guarded by the General. She slapped me yesterday."

Chu Lu: "..."

Chu Lu couldn't take it anymore. With a splurt, he spat out a mouthful of blood.

—Unbelievable! How can this be so unbelievable?! Who writes these plots, and who reads them?!