Chapter 79: Thunderous Wrath, the Prisoner Executed

The air in the Hall of Supreme Harmony felt like it had been pierced by a red-hot iron; even the candlelight trembled slightly under the emperor's furious glare. On the bright yellow dragon case, Shen's secret letter of treason, Shen Fu's testimony, and Doctor Liu's silver hairpin were laid out in a row. Each piece of evidence was like a sharp knife, piercing the hearts of the civil and military officials in the hall.

"Chen Wanshan!" The emperor's voice seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth, with anger that shook the pillars. "You are the prime minister of this dynasty, eating the emperor's salary, yet you are collaborating with the enemy and treasoning against your country! You framed loyal people and took human lives. Do you know your crime?"

Prime Minister Shen collapsed on the gold bricks, his purple official robes soaked with cold sweat, his once neatly combed hair tangled, covering his pale face. He opened his mouth, but only a hoarse sound came out of his throat, and his fingertips dug deep bloody marks on the ground. At this point, the evidence was irrefutable, and he had no room for excuses.

"Your Majesty! I am innocent!" He suddenly burst into a hoarse cry and struggled to crawl towards the dragon case, but the guards held his shoulders tightly. "It was Yun Zhi! She was the one who tricked these people into fabricating evidence! I am loyal to Your Majesty, how could I have colluded with the enemy and betrayed my country! Please, Your Majesty, investigate again! Investigate again!"

"Investigate further?" The emperor slammed the dragon table, causing the jade ruyi on the table to jump up. "Chen Wanshan, do you think I'm a tyrant? There's your handwriting on the secret letter, the witnesses have evidence of your guilt, and even your daughter has confessed it herself! How long are you going to keep quibbling?"

He raised his hand and pointed outside the hall, his voice filled with unquestionable majesty: "Pass on my decree - Shen Wanshan has framed loyal officials and colluded with the enemy for treason. His crimes are extremely heinous and he will be thrown into the Heavenly Prison and executed on a later date! His daughter Shen Qingyue, who colluded with him in the crime and deceived the emperor, will also be thrown into the Heavenly Prison and punished with the same crime as Shen Wanshan! All of the Shen family's property will be confiscated and put into the national treasury! All of the Shen family's accomplices will be handed over to the Dali Temple for a thorough investigation. Not a single one will be spared!"

"Your Majesty, please spare my life! Your Majesty, please spare my life!" Prime Minister Shen's cries suddenly became shrill, tears mixed with snot streaming down his face, and he no longer had the dignity of a prime minister. "I am willing to hand over all my property! I am willing to be exiled to a bitter and cold place! Please, Your Majesty, spare my life!"

The guards ignored his pleas and grabbed his arms to drag him out. Prime Minister Shen's nails scratched long bloody marks on the gold bricks, and his eyes were fixed on Yun Zhi, as if he wanted to eat her alive: "Yun Zhi! You bitch! Even if I become a ghost, I will not let you go!"

Yun Zhi stood there, her eyes as calm as a deep pool of water. She watched Prime Minister Shen being dragged out of the palace, his scattered official hat rolling on the ground. She felt no joy in her heart, only a heavy sense of relief. She had waited three years for this day, and the entire Yun family had waited for three years. Finally, justice had been served.

"And you!" The emperor's gaze turned to Shen Qingyue, who was pinned to the ground by the guards. Her pomegranate red skirt had been torn to pieces, and the rouge on her face was mixed with tears. She looked as miserable as a madman.

"No! I'm not wrong!" Shen Qingyue suddenly screamed, struggling to break free from the guards' hands, "I just want to be with the prince! It was Yun Zhi who stole my prince! She killed me! Your Majesty, you can't kill me! I belong to the prince! The prince will save me!"

She looked at Xiao Jin like a madman, her eyes full of pleading: "Your Majesty! Please beg His Majesty to spare me! Have you forgotten our agreement? You said you would marry me! Please save me!"

Xiao Jin slumped on the ground, his dark brocade robe stained with dust, his face still stained with tears. He watched Shen Qingyue's frantic expression, listened to her pleas, and felt his heart pierced by countless needles, the pain so intense that even breathing was difficult. He tried to speak, but found himself unable to utter a single word. He had personally raised this woman to the position of "White Moonlight," and he had personally ignored the Yun family's injustice. Now, how could he have the nerve to ask His Majesty to forgive her?

"Your Highness! Speak!" Shen Qingyue became even more agitated when she saw Xiao Jin didn't respond. She suddenly broke free from the guards' hands and threw herself at Xiao Jin, but was held down by the guards again. "You coward! Have you forgotten that I faked my death for you for three years? Have you forgotten everything I've done for you? If you don't save me now, you'll regret it! You will definitely regret it!"

"Drag her away!" The emperor's voice was filled with disgust. "Throw her into the Heavenly Prison together with Shen Wanshan. Don't let her run wild in the palace anymore!"

The guards didn't dare to delay and carried the frantically struggling Shen Qingyue out. Shen Qingyue's curses echoed outside the palace, shrill like a ghost's cry: "Yun Zhi! You will die a horrible death! Xiao Jin! You ungrateful man! Even if I become a ghost, I will not let you go!"

As the palace door creaked shut, the Hall of Supreme Harmony finally regained some calm, leaving only the emperor's heavy breathing and Xiao Jin's suppressed sobs.

The emperor took a deep breath and turned his gaze to Yun Zhi, who was kneeling on the ground. His tone finally softened. "Yun Zhi, you have cleared the Yun family's grievances and exposed the Shen family's conspiracy, making great contributions to the country. I have issued an edict to restore your father, Yun Xiao, the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery, and to bury all 173 members of the Yun family with honor. All officials involved in framing the Yun family will be severely punished. If you have any other requests, please feel free to ask me."

Yun Zhi slowly stood up. Her plain clothes were dusty, yet she still looked clean and resolute. She bowed to the emperor, her voice calm but with a barely perceptible tremor. "Your Majesty, I have only one request—I beg Your Majesty to allow me to move the Yun family's spirit tablets back to the ancestral tomb, so that they may rest in peace."

"Approved." The emperor nodded, and added, "I can also confer upon you the title of County Princess, grant you a mansion and fertile land, and ensure you have a comfortable life for the rest of your life."

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your kindness." Yun Zhi bowed again, but politely declined. "This humble servant seeks no title, no reward. I am already satisfied that the Yun family's grievances have been redressed. I simply wish to stay away from the disputes of the court and spend the rest of my life guarding the Yun family's tombs."

Her words stunned all the officials in the hall. No one had expected that, despite such great achievements, she would ask for nothing, simply to spend the rest of her life guarding her family's spirit tablets. Some looked at her with admiration, some with sympathy, and still others sighed quietly—this woman, after all she had endured, ultimately wanted nothing more than to be with her family.

The emperor saw the calmness in Yun Zhi's eyes and knew she had made up her mind, so he stopped pushing. "Since that's the case, I won't force you. If you need anything, you can come to the palace and report to me at any time." He raised his hand and gestured to the eunuch, "Propagate my other decree - restore the title of the Yun family's Loyal and Brave Marquisate, and return all confiscated property to Yun Zhi."

The eunuch walked up to Yun Zhi, holding the bright yellow imperial edict. He spoke in a resounding voice, "Yun Zhi, accept this order—by the will of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: The Yun family, a family of loyal and righteous men, have been framed by the Shen family, bringing injustice to the entire family. I feel deeply guilty. Therefore, I hereby reinstate Yun Xiao's title of Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery, grant him a lavish burial, and return his family property. Yun Zhi, having exposed the treacherous and corrupt officials and rendered meritorious service to the state, is hereby permitted to guard the tombs of the Yun family members. I also grant him one hundred taels of gold and one thousand pieces of silk. This is my decree."

Yun Zhi took the imperial edict with both hands, her fingertips touching the cool satin, and her eyes finally reddened slightly. She kowtowed to the emperor again, her voice choked with years of suppressed sobs: "Your Majesty, your humble servant, Yun Zhi, thanks you for your grace. If the spirits of the Yun family are still in heaven, they will surely be grateful for your majesty's wisdom."

She slowly stood up, holding the imperial edict, and turned to look outside the hall. Sunlight shone through the cracks in the hall door, casting a gilded light on her. Her steps were light yet firm, each one a farewell to the suffering of the past and a step toward the peace of the future.

Xiao Jin slumped on the ground, watching Yun Zhi holding the imperial edict. It felt like a piece of his heart had been ripped out. He wanted to step forward, to say something, to make amends for his mistake, but he found he didn't even have the strength to stand. He could only watch her walk out of the hall, her figure growing farther and farther away until it finally disappeared into the sunlight.

The officials in the palace sighed softly as they watched Xiao Jin's distraught expression and Yun Zhi's resolute back. Everyone knew that Prince Duan would never receive Yun Zhi's forgiveness. He had protected the wrong person, hated the wrong person, and ultimately, could only spend the rest of his life in endless regret.

Yun Zhi walked out of the Hall of Supreme Harmony and stood in the palace square, looking up at the sky. The sky was blue, the clouds white, and the sun was shining brightly, reminiscent of the days when she played with her father in the gardens of the Marquisate as a child. She held the imperial edict in her hands, gently closed her eyes, and silently recited to herself, "Father, Mother, Brother, and my children... Did you see this? The injustice of our Yun family has finally been cleared. You can rest in peace."

A gentle breeze blew by, carrying a faint floral scent, like a response from family. Yun Zhi opened her eyes, tears finally falling, no longer filled with sadness, but with relief. She turned and walked outside the palace—there, Xie Heng and Liu Zhong were waiting for her, waiting to take her away from this place filled with painful memories.

But she didn't know that within the palace walls, Xiao Jin was still slumped on the golden bricks of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, staring at the direction she had disappeared, tears streaming silently. His world had already completely collapsed with Shen Qingyue's madness and Yun Zhi's departure, leaving only endless regret, which coiled around him like a venomous snake, leaving him with no peace for eternity.

Outside the palace gate, Xie Heng and Liu Zhong saw Yun Zhi approaching and hurried to greet her. Xie Heng looked at the tears in her eyes and asked softly, "Is it all over?"

Yun Zhi nodded, her hand holding the imperial edict slightly tightened: "It's over. Next, I have to go get the spirit tablets of my family and bring them home."

Liu Zhong sighed, "Miss, you've suffered a lot. With this old servant and Doctor Xie here, we won't let you suffer any more grievances."

Yun Zhi looked at them, a faint smile finally breaking through her lips—the first time in three years that she had truly smiled. The sunlight fell on her face, dispelling all the gloom and illuminating her future path.

But will this path truly be as peaceful as she desires? Will Xiao Jin, within the palace walls, finally give up? And will any of the officials implicated by the Shen family still slip through the cracks? These questions, like a faint shadow, hang over her mind, laying the groundwork for the story to follow.