The imperial palace, what kind of place was it? For an emperor, the most important thing was to learn to restrain and balance. Not only did the imperial court need to maintain balance, but the harem also had to be balanced. So how could an emperor be allowed to dote on just one concubine? Moreover, above this concubine, there was an empress who presided over the central palace.
Therefore, Situ Chuanqiong knew that it was time to move against the Chu family, to which Empress Chu Yulan belonged.
When Situ Chuanqiong ascended the throne, he changed the reign title. The novel world changed from "Great Ming Dynasty" to "Great Ding Dynasty." Chu Qian was a true veteran of two dynasties and remained the Grand General of the Protectorate.
In reality, Emperor Situ Chuanqiong had long been dissatisfied with their Chu family. After all, he, who was weak in power back then, had relied on the Chu family to ascend the throne smoothly. The Chu family had treated him very well, but the existence of the Chu family constantly reminded him of his powerlessness in his youth.
Furthermore, in recent years, Situ Chuanqiong had firmly established his rule, and both external threats and internal troubles had been resolved. He no longer needed the Grand General of the Protectorate. Moreover, because Chu Qian had extremely high prestige among the populace, he feared that the Chu family's achievements would overshadow his own and threaten his imperial throne.
If the Chu family continued to flourish, then the Empress's maternal clan would be too powerful. As long as the harem had such a powerful Chu Yulan, Situ Chuanqiong could not even think of exclusively doting on his beloved Leng Yuanxiang. Therefore, this man, who was actually ungrateful but outwardly claimed to be pursuing true love, found people to frame Chu Qian, accusing him of colluding with foreign tribes and harboring rebellious intentions.
Although Situ Chuanqiong publicly stated that he would conduct a thorough investigation, he secretly arrested Chu family's three sons and subjected them to severe torture until they could not withstand the ordeal and all died. He also had people forge confessions and declared that the Chu family members had committed suicide out of guilt.
Chu Qian, over fifty years old, rushed back from outside the pass, wanting to clear his name and that of his family. However, the few soldiers who followed him back further solidified Situ Chuanqiong's accusation of him leading troops in rebellion.
In the end, the Chu family, loyal and valiant throughout their lives, who had fought countless battles for the country and its people, were condemned to death for treason.
The original owner, Chu Yulan, had her news blocked by Situ Chuanqiong. By the time she learned of it, it was already the day her family was executed. She tearfully knelt before the emperor, proclaiming that her father and brothers could not have rebelled, but it was all to no avail.
However, to avoid being criticized by the world for being ungrateful and abandoning them after they had served their purpose, Situ Chuanqiong did not strip Chu Yulan of her Empress title even after the Chu family was executed. He outwardly pretended to love the original owner, often bestowing lavish gifts upon her.
But the original owner, having long since been disillusioned with such a man, did not fall for his act and voluntarily requested to be confined to the cold palace for reflection and atonement.
Situ Chuanqiong feigned a period of persuasion, then readily agreed. He also put on a show to the outside world, acting as if he were heartbroken by the Empress, and no longer summoned other concubines at night. Of course, every night, he would secretly visit the palace of his beloved, Leng Yuanxiang, and revel in their passion.
However, others were unaware of these matters. Thus, these concubines hated Chu Yulan intensely, often finding excuses to mock her in the cold palace, with the Noble Consort Qin Mingzhu being the most audacious. Ultimately, the original owner also died at Qin Mingzhu's hands; she found someone to set fire to the cold palace, feigning an accidental fire that killed the original owner.
And all of this, in fact, Emperor Situ Chuanqiong already knew. It could be said that Qin Mingzhu's successful burning of the original owner was also silently tolerated by him.
After Qin Mingzhu helped him eliminate the original Empress Chu Yulan, Situ Chuanqiong found witnesses to accuse Qin Mingzhu of murdering the current Empress.
Qin Mingzhu was stripped of her Noble Consort title, expelled from the imperial palace, and banished to "Jingshan Nunnery" to practice asceticism, spending the rest of her life with simple prayers and Buddhist scriptures. This was the result of the diligent efforts of her father, Prime Minister Qin Feng, and from then on, the Prime Minister's faction was severely weakened, while the position of Prime Minister Leng Guang became increasingly prominent.
After some time, Situ Chuanqiong promoted his beloved Leng Yuanxiang, Consort Leng, to Empress, truly making her the highest symbol in the harem.
The novel "Time Travel Love You" concludes with Emperor Situ Chuanqiong and Empress Leng Yuanxiang living in marital bliss, raising three princes and two princesses. The affection between the Emperor and Empress was genuine and touching. The Emperor even dismissed his three thousand concubines for the sake of the Empress, establishing a beautiful model of lifelong monogamy in the "Great Ding Dynasty."
As for the minor character in the novel, the original Empress Chu Yulan, she was used by this scoundrel emperor her entire life and ultimately burned to death before she was even thirty years old.
What her Chu family had done on the battlefield, protecting the country and its people, like her own body, had long since turned to ash, scattered to the ends of the earth, with no one remembering.
Upon receiving this complete story, Xiao Wenqiang opened her eyes again. In reality, only a moment had passed. Her face still burned with pain, but this pain could not compare to the agony of the original owner being scorched by flames, nor to the helplessness and despair she felt while desperately rolling and wailing. Having gained the other's memories, Xiao Wenqiang felt the same, her heart still aching subtly, her complexion growing paler.
Chu Li, a young palace maid, had served the original owner, Chu Yulan, since she was a young lady. Now, in the cold palace, only this Chu Li resolutely followed her to continue serving her. In the end, in the fiery inferno, the only one who was burned alive with her was this loyal palace maid.
Chu Li looked at Chu Yulan's suddenly pale face lying on the bed and thought she was again thinking about the massacre of the Chu family. So, she said with tears, "Miss, please don't be too sad. If the master, madam, and young masters have spirits, they surely wouldn't want you to be so distressed."
In private, Chu Yulan still had Chu Li address her this way. Now that only their mistress and servant remained of the Chu family, calling out like this made her feel as if she could return to her happy days as a young lady, with her family all healthy and safe by her side.
"Xiao Li, you should go down first. I want to be alone for a while," Xiao Wenqiang said. In fact, she wasn't sad at all; only the original owner's soul was grieving.
Once she was alone, Xiao Wenqiang quickly asked, "What is the original owner's wish?"
【Since Chu Yulan's soul power is already very weak, the time reversal cannot go back to before the Chu family was annihilated. Therefore, her current wish is to make Situ Chuanqiong die, and before he dies, he must also taste the pain of being betrayed and abandoned by his beloved. She also wants all those who insulted her and profited by stepping on the remains of their Chu family to pay the price! If possible, she hopes Chu Li can survive.】
"Okay, 86365, help me tell Chu Yulan that I will help her fulfill her wish! If I exceed the requirements, will there be extra points?" Xiao Wenqiang asked with concern.
【Chu Yulan's soul power is insufficient. Completing the mission perfectly will only earn you a maximum of 20,000 points.】
"Alright! Given that her requirements are not too high, I will complete the mission for her as quickly as possible!" Xiao Wenqiang finally decided.