NOVEL NEXT
Chapter 47
Three days later.
Gu Sang woke up early to pack her things. She changed into a sportswear outfit, which would make it more convenient for her to travel.
First, she had to take the high-speed train. Before leaving, Gu Sang checked all her documents and credentials.
With everything ready, Gu Sang started her live stream.
Unexpectedly!
As soon as she opened the live stream, she saw several consorts kneeling before her in the camera view of the Xuyang Palace.
"Sister Sang, please save Consort Zhao. The Emperor is about to beat her to death!"
"Consort Zhao disobeyed the Emperor's orders and secretly went to seek help from the Elder Princess to aid the disaster victims. But the news reached the capital, and it seems the Elder Princess rescued an entire city of people. Those people apparently want to follow the Elder Princess now..."
"When the Emperor learned of this, he didn't say anything that day, but the next day he found an excuse to slander Consort Zhao as unchaste and sent her to the Palace of Exile. Every night we can hear her screams of agony echoing from the Palace of Exile."
Gu Sang stood expressionless, her face showing no emotion, but deep down she wished she could stab Pei Changying to death.
She knew Pei Changying would be furious.
But at least he should have maintained appearances, right?
He should have waited a few months before punishing Consort Zhao!
But she never expected that, for the sake of forcing her to admit her wrongdoings, Pei Changying would throw away all pretense and disregard his reputation! On that very day, he slandered Consort Zhao as unchaste!
Gu Sang took a deep breath and suppressed the anger in her eyes.
She comforted the consorts, "Don't cry, I won't let this go. Tell her to stay strong."
"Tell her to wait for me!"
"Your Consort Zhao is an extraordinary woman. She saved 130,000 people and rescued an entire city from disaster!"
"Heaven bears witness. Pei Changying is unworthy of his position, and retribution will come sooner or later!"
When the live stream appeared, the atmosphere in the grand hall was tense to the extreme.
Zhao's Father dared to question Pei Changying in the grand hall, asking why he had to torture his daughter so cruelly. His voice was full of bleeding sorrow, his eyes filled with disappointment.
Upon hearing Gu Sang's voice from the live stream, Pei Changying abruptly raised his head.
His bloodshot eyes glared at Gu Sang, as if he wanted to crush her to pieces!
That damned poisonous woman, ever since she returned to that modern world, she had been deceiving people with her words on the live stream, causing his subjects to lose faith in him!
She had caused rumors to spread throughout the capital, claiming that the Emperor disregarded the lives of an entire city!
"You still dare to come out and say such things as 'Heaven bears witness' and 'unworthy of his position'?"
"I'll tell you, I am the heaven itself!"
"No one can defy my orders, let alone Consort Zhao colluding with the Elder Princess. I haven't even pursued that matter. What I'm pursuing is her unchastity!"
"She dared to keep another man's intimate belongings. Her crime of deceiving the Emperor deserves death a thousand times over! I will torture her day and night!"
"Gu Sang, this time, even if you beg me, it will be useless, unless you appear before me today and admit your wrongdoings!"
Upon hearing this, Zhao's Father cried out in anguish, claiming his daughter's innocence.
Of course it was a false accusation!
What unchastity?
That was just an excuse fabricated by Pei Changying to torture Consort Zhao!
Gu Sang was utterly disgusted by this man. She spoke coldly and ruthlessly, "You will probably be disappointed, as you won't see me begging pitifully, nor will you be able to strike my face. A person like you who breaks his promises doesn't deserve anyone's trust!"
"Pei Changying, will you persist in your delusion?"
"Consort Zhao saved the lives of an entire city, yet in your eyes, that is called collusion?"
"Controlling tens of thousands of plague victims is called betrayal?"
"In your eyes, the only thing that matters is the throne, isn't it? You don't even bother pretending anymore, and directly slander Consort Zhao as unchaste!"
"Can't you see the looks the officials in this hall are giving you?"
"Can't you see the coldness of the people in that city toward you?"
"They are utterly disappointed in you! Even the most loyal old officials can't believe that you could be so cruel to your own subjects."
"Consort Zhao's heart was for the realm. What crime has she committed? By slandering and torturing Consort Zhao like this, aren't you afraid that one day power will turn against you?"
After she finished speaking.
"Bang!"
Pei Changying kicked over the imperial desk with his foot. "Shut up! Gu Sang! Even now, you're still sowing discord! You want to turn me against the people and officials!"
His eyes were red as he glared at Gu Sang's face, which seemed to be separated from him by tens of thousands of miles despite being only a few meters away. He was so angry that his scalp was trembling.
All the civil and military officials knelt on the ground in the grand hall. They slightly raised their heads and saw Pei Changying's enraged and ashamed expression...
Was this Emperor still the sovereign they should follow?
For his own selfish reasons, he didn't hesitate to slander a loyal person who had saved the people.
Because he was unwilling to admit it, he forbade the officials from searching for the sweet potatoes and threatened to make Gu Sang return and admit her wrongdoings.
They opened their mouths, wanting to advise him, but in the end they remained silent and lowered their heads...
Zhao's Father was even more enraged, his eyes turning red. There were rumors in the palace that Consort Zhao was being tortured by the Emperor day and night.
As a father pleading for his daughter, he was publicly humiliated by the Emperor in the court. If it weren't for the officials speaking up for him, he might have lost his position.
At this moment, hearing the words coming out of Pei Changying's mouth,
Zhao's Father was utterly disheartened and deeply disappointed...
"Sowing discord?"
"Heh, you can think that way if you want, but people's hearts are not something you can control!"
"And I will not be threatened by you!"
"Forget it, I'm going to take the high-speed train now, and then a plane later. Heaven is watching, and I'm waiting for you to fall and shatter into pieces." Gu Sang suppressed her anger and withdrew her gaze, silently vowing in her heart, "Don't be afraid, Consort Zhao. Once I make the arrangements, I will save you..."
After getting off the high-speed train at the station, she followed the crowd through security.
Inside, there was an extremely large waiting room.
At a glance, the end of this waiting room was out of sight.
Gu Sang found a spot to sit down.
The camera then turned back to the grand hall, where the officials had not yet recovered from the shock. They didn't even dare to breathe heavily, while only the people outside watching the live stream were engaged in heated discussions.
The people widened their eyes, gazing at the screens. "What are they waiting for? Why are they all sitting there?"
"Look, why is everyone holding a box?"
"This must be for war, right? Otherwise, why would there be so many people?"
"Hah, you see many weak women there. How could it possibly be for war? If women could go to war, wouldn't the nation perish!"
As the ancients debated, the atmosphere in the grand hall also began to shift.
The officials slowly raised their heads and began to examine the high-speed train room shown in the video.
At this moment.
The announcement echoed throughout the waiting room, and immediately many people lined up at the ticket gate.
Seeing the commoners' wild guesses, Gu Sang spoke up to explain: "Don't worry, these people aren't going to war, but rather going on a long journey."
"A place that would take you a month to reach, I can get there in half a day."
"What I'm about to take is a high-speed train, which can travel between 250 to 350 kilometers in half an hour."
As he was explaining, the announcement sounded again.
Gu Sang carried his luggage and went to queue for the ticket gate.
The ancient people opened their eyes wide and listened, and when they heard that it could travel 350 kilometers in half an hour, they were dumbfounded!
350??
What kind of concept is that!
Then, then doesn't that mean in less than two hours, one could travel a thousand miles?!
"That's... impossible, even the most precious thousand-mile horse can't run that fast!"
"Yeah! A thousand-mile journey in two hours, only immortals can achieve that? Even immortals can't fly that fast!"
"What is this high-speed train, to be so terrifying?"