50. Execution

"That's all?"

Yun Zhihe raised his hand and flipped through the information, frowning slightly.

Li Lun nodded and hesitated before speaking.

"Most of the staff are here, and we won't get anything out of their confessions."

"...They only said that Minister Song gave them a huge sum of money to appease them."

Minister Song had been immersed in officialdom for half his life. He had a total of 178 staff members in his residence. Excluding those who died of illness or left the capital and disappeared, there were still 132 people left.

These 132 people knew nothing about anything. They only knew that they had inherited a huge sum of money, but had no idea how it came from.

If each of these more than one hundred people had this huge sum of money, the total would not be a small number. However, when the Song family's property was searched, only a small amount of silver was found.

The tax embezzlement this time was originally a small number. After checking the accounts of previous years, it was found that only a small amount flowed into the Song Mansion.

What about the money in the Song Mansion? Who had the ability to move it when Su Lin raided the Song Mansion? Or was it that the Song Mansion itself was not rich?

It has been nearly a year since the Song Mansion was raided, and it is difficult to investigate again.

Yun Zhihe frowned, thought for a while, and let Li Lun leave.

She felt a little annoyed, so she opened the window and took a deep breath.

Although this time was depressing, following this corruption case, several people from Xuanyuan's party and some parasites were eliminated, so it can be considered a gain.

Before she could calm down for a while, she heard Azhi speak at the door.

"Miss...um, the barbarian prince is here to visit."

Before Yun Zhihe could ask him to come in, the door was opened and Mo Beise pushed it open without any psychological burden.

Yun Zhihe paused.

This time he was dressed properly. Although they were not Central Plains clothes, there was not much exposed skin.

Mo Beise glanced at her, walked straight up to her, sat on her chair, and then lazily lay down on the table.

I heard that he and the second prince get along pretty well, and they even went horseback riding two days ago.

Yun Zhihe was a little confused. She saw him lying on the table, looking up at her with seductive eyes.

“…Yes, what’s going on?”

“…Tsk.”

Mo Beise uttered a bored "tsk" and blinked at her with his eyelashes fluttering as he chuckled, "Can't I come find you if I have nothing to do?"

…

Yun Zhihe didn't know what to say and was speechless for a moment.

Mo Beise chuckled and leaned back in a comfortable position. No one knew where he got such charm from, but every move he made was charming.

"Although the capital is vast, there's nothing interesting to see..." He twirled his hair with his fingertips and said to Yun Zhihe, "If Madam Yun has nothing to do, will you please accompany me for a bit of sightseeing?"

Didn’t Yuanzi Luo take him around?

Yun Zhihe wanted to refuse, she was not in the mood to play with him at the moment.

"I'm sorry... I don't have any..."

"Shh-"

He narrowed his eyes slightly and put a finger between his lips, as if complaining.

"Don't say anything that will spoil the fun."

"Your Majesty has issued orders to let me have fun... What? You won't obey His Majesty?"

Yun Zhihe felt helpless.

"I'm afraid my usual activities don't suit the prince's taste. I just write, paint, and participate in poetry gatherings."

Mo Beise really had no interest in these pretentious things.

He paused for a moment, then looked up at her again, "This prince will take you out to play."

He only stayed in Beijing for a few days, how could he have fun?

Despite this, Yun Zhihe still followed him out and asked only when they got into the carriage.

"Prince, where are we going?"

Mo Beise raised his eyebrows and slowly straightened his sleeves, "Hunting ground."

Yun Zhihe paused.

This is a private hunting ground, luxuriously and magnificently decorated. However, as soon as you step in, you can hear a low, hoarse voice with a hint of dissatisfaction.

"You are late today..."

The second prince was tidying up his bow and arrow, then looked up at Mo Beise and muttered something, but suddenly stopped and stopped what he was doing.

He stared at Yun Zhihe with his pine green eyes, then quickly and hurriedly put the bow and arrow aside to cover up, feeling a little at a loss.

Mo Beise was also surprised by his series of actions, but he smiled.

"Today I invited this Lady Yun to go sightseeing with me."

Qin Zhize remained silent, lowering his eyes to look at the rabbit next to him whose hind legs were shot through, his fingertips trembling slightly.

Would she think... he was cruel?

Mo Beise suddenly grabbed Yun Zhihe's hand and said in a cheerful voice, "Madam Yun, do you like riding and shooting? If you don't know how, I can teach you."

Qin Zhi frowned, his expression turned cold, and he pursed his lips.

He took a step forward and walked in front of Yun Zhihe. Even so, he didn't know what to say. He just opened his mouth and hesitated.

Mo Beise then pulled her to the place where they could choose bows and arrows. His fingertips gently touched and stroked the arrow shafts. He raised his eyebrows and chuckled, "Madam Yun, can you ride and shoot? If not, you can ride with me..."

"meeting."

Although Yun Zhihe is a scholar with a literary temperament, he is also good at riding and shooting. Noble ladies need to be proficient in etiquette, music, archery, charioteering, calligraphy and mathematics.

She wasn't as good at riding and shooting as those who lived on horseback all day, but she was not bad either.

"If you were to ride on the same horse with this prince..." His fingertips touched Yun Zhihe's neck, his fingertips were gentle, and his breath was as sweet as orchid, like a lover's murmur.

"This prince, you can even put your arms around my waist."

The last few words were spoken lightly and softly.

It's like she's seducing you.

Yun Zhihe suddenly took his hand away, feeling helpless.

"Your Highness, I, your servant, can ride my own horse."

Hearing her answer, Mo Beise did not try to hide his disappointment at all.

"Okay...don't regret it."

"Not just anyone can hold this prince."

He shrugged nonchalantly and let go of her hand.

He turned around and smiled at Qin Zhi.

"Madam Yun is a wonderful person, and His Highness the Second Prince does not need to be so reserved."

Qin Zhi stood aside with a cold expression on his face, but he couldn't lose his temper. He was holding the breath in his chest and couldn't feel relieved until he let it out.

He was originally somewhat fond of this barbarian man.

But... this man is too dissolute!

Even a prostitute in a brothel wouldn't say those words, so how could he have the nerve to say them?!

He and Mo Beise had some similar interests and hobbies, so they made plans to play together a few times. This hunting ground was also his private property. The two of them were neither familiar nor unfamiliar, and there was only a feeling of mutual appreciation between them.

Who could have known... that Mo Beise would ride his horse, use his bow and arrow, and even seduce... his woman.

Qin Zhi frowned, and suddenly a little bit of grievance and anger in his heart burned in his chest, especially fiercely.

Mo Beise smiled, his deep blue eyes a little dark. He stood up, mounted his horse, and smiled at Yun Zhihe.

"This prince really wants a little fox...hmm..." He blinked.

"The little white fox that Master Wen brought out last time was truly adorable. I also heard it was a gift from Madam Yun. How about hunting one for me?"

When Qin Zhi heard Wen Yanhe's name, his face turned even uglier. He opened his mouth and wanted to tell Mo Beise to get out, but he didn't say anything because of Yun Zhihe.

Yun Zhihe paused and smiled, "The fox was given to me by the Second Prince a long time ago. I am not very skilled in this art, so I will just watch the two princes have fun."

She really had no interest in horse riding and archery, so she just rode the horse around twice to satisfy his interest.

“…This prince will hunt for you.”

The second prince, who had been silent all this time, spoke. Qin Zhi's face was cold and he couldn't smile.

Mo Beise paused, chuckled, and said, "Then I'll have to trouble the Second Emperor..."

Before he could finish his words, Qin Zhi rushed over on his horse. A black shadow flashed by, and a gust of wind blew, causing his hair to flutter. His Mobei-colored smile had not yet disappeared.

He said to Yun Zhihe, "Madam Yun, the Second Prince and I are very interested. Please stay here and come back to find us later."

"shelf!"

He laughed and followed on horseback, his expression carefree and his hair flying.

Yun Zhihe paused and sighed.

She turned around for a while, and then Mo Beise's servant came over and brought a few envoys and ministers. She asked for permission to speak.

"Madam, we have something important to discuss with the prince. Could you please take us to the dense forest to find him?"

Yun Zhihe saw that there were court officials and envoys among them, and knew that this was an important matter between the two countries, so he agreed to it and walked towards the dense forest with everyone.

…

However, the hunting ground was covered with dense jungle, and the two men ran deeper into the jungle, and soon they reached the deep end.

Mo Beise was riding a horse, sweating slightly on his body. He spoke lazily behind Qin Zhi.

"Your Highness, Second Prince, why are you so angry?"

Qin Zhi paused, slowly stopped his horse, turned to look at him with an unhappy expression.

“…It’s none of your business.”

Mo Beise sneered, and the atmosphere between the two began to become weird. Mo Beise's voice was soft and gentle, with a unique hoarseness and tone.

"I just invited Madam Yun to the hunting grounds, but the Second Prince got so angry. I thought you liked Madam Yun."

Qin Zhi paused, turned his head suddenly to look at him, frowned, and stopped talking.

Mo Beise's smile widened, and he laughed out loud, "Your Highness is so adorable... To think you're jealous, and that's why you're so hostile to Beise..."

"Hahaha, so cute..."

He laughed so hard that he fell backwards, tears welling up in the corners of his eyes, and he looked particularly cheerful and sarcastic.

"you……"

Qin Zhi wanted to scold.

"What a pity..." Mo Beise stretched out his fingertips and wiped away the tears that seeped from the corners of his eyes.

He stared into Qin Zhi's eyes, emphasizing each word.

"Last night, Madam Yun and I...were husband and wife."

Qin Zhi paused, his eyes widened, and his head suddenly started ringing.

He licked the corner of his lips as if savoring something, his eyes seductive, "My waist is still sore today. Madam Yun really doesn't have any mercy on women. Just look at her..."

He ripped open his clothes, revealing the red marks on his chest.

It seems like a complaint, but it is also full of sweetness.

"It's really vicious. The bite won't go away. It's really bad."

"Tonight... Madam Yun invited me to meet her."

"You shameless slut—"

Qin Zhi's breathing was heavy, his eyes red, "You, you are shameless! You are just a lowly prince of a barbarian tribe, how dare you, how dare you seduce Yun Zhihe!"

"Where do you get the nerve?!"

His lips trembled and his eyes began to turn red uncontrollably.

Mo Beise sneered, "You can't get it, and you come to blame me... If the Second Prince is capable, why not take off your clothes and throw yourself into the arms of a prostitute like that?"

"Oh..." He covered his lips and chuckled, "Could it be that after trying, Madam Yun didn't like it?"

“You, you—!”

Mo Bei's smile grew darker.

Qin Zhi was so angry that his head was ringing and his eyes were red. He picked up his bow and arrow, drew the bow and was about to shoot.

"call out--"

With the sound of the arrow shooting out, Mo Beise cried out in pain and blood splattered everywhere.

"ah----!"

Mo Beise suddenly fell off his horse, his face pale as he covered his shoulder. An arrow had pierced his shoulder.

“Prince!!”

“Your Highness—!”

Several women's screams were heard, and the court officials and envoys were all shocked. The court officials looked at the second prince and Yun Zhihe at a loss, while Yun Zhihe looked at Qin Zhi with a cold expression.

Qin Zhi paused, as if he didn't know what he had done, and suddenly put down the bow and arrow, which fell with a "bang".

He was a little confused and tried to explain in a hoarse voice.

"No... I, I wasn't aiming at him, I was aiming at the side... He did it on purpose..."

"I, I just want to scare him..."

Yun Zhihe paused, dismounted and walked forward with the exclaiming envoy. Mo Beise's eyes were filled with tears and her beautiful eyes were trembling.

"Second Prince...Beise, I just said a few words to my sweetheart, why is it so..."

He was in tears, blood was flowing from his shoulders, his palms were stained, and then he fainted in the envoy's arms.

The envoy trembled with fear and shouted, "Your Highness! Your Highness——!"

Her eyes widened in anger. "This is how you, the Ling Kingdom, treat guests! If we hadn't arrived earlier, would His Royal Highness have been killed by this vicious man?!"

Qin Zhi's eyes turned red, and tears finally fell, "No, I didn't aim at him... Really, he was alone..."

"Shut up! You're so vicious! You shameless, vicious husband!"

The barbarian envoy roared, and several people hurriedly picked up Mo Beise and left to find a doctor.

The Central Plains officials nearby were also at a loss.

How, how is this?

Yun Zhihe pursed her lips and walked to Qin Zhi's side. Seeing that his eyes were dull, he was obviously frightened.

She touched his shoulder and looked him in the eye. "Second Prince, what happened?"

Qin Zhi, as if grasping at a lifeline, spoke with trembling lips, "It was him. He was rude and insulted you and me... Then I wanted to scare him, but I wasn't aiming at him, so he bumped into me."

Yun Zhihe paused, frowning.

Although Qin Zhi is arrogant and unbridled, he knows his limits and would definitely not deliberately target anyone.

Just now, Qin Zhi also aimed at the tree trunk next to him, hoping that this shameless man would shut up, but he didn't expect...

She closed her eyes.

I had a vague guess in my mind.

Yun Zhihe took a deep breath, his expression serious, and comforted the tearful and trembling Qin Zhi, "Your Highness, don't panic..."

Qin Zhi's voice was hoarse, and he suddenly threw himself into Yun Zhihe's arms.

"Don't hate me, I'm not... it's him, himself..."

"Really, I didn't mean to... I didn't expect..."

The phrase "shameless and vicious husband" just now left him with a lot of shadows.

He had been spoiled since he was a child and had always been surrounded by people. This was the first time he had been scolded so viciously.

Tears spread across Yun Zhihe's chest, wetting her clothes. Yun Zhihe reached out and touched his back.

"Your Highness...don't cry."

She sighed and knew what was going on.

If what Qin Zhi said is true, he might have fallen into... Mo Bei's trap.

…

The second prince actually openly killed Mo Beise. Soon, all the court officials knew about it, and the emperor was furious.

The barbarian envoys scolded Ling State for its lack of hospitality and burst into tears in the court, crying that their prince, who was more beautiful than flowers, had been shot by an arrow and was bedridden. He was still unconscious and had a scar on his shoulder.

Some court officials also saw it with their own eyes and could only sigh. They had thought that the second prince had changed his character, but they did not expect him to become even more ruthless and even want to kill the barbarian prince.

How... can you act so willfully?

"The Second Prince has acted recklessly. I will discipline him strictly. The barbarian envoys will naturally be treated well in the mausoleum. This matter is the Second Prince's fault..."

Xuanyuan Ying said a few words to comfort him, and then asked someone to read out a series of compensation and rewards.

Xuanyuan Ying dismissed the morning court with a cold expression, took a deep breath, and walked into the imperial study. Yun Zhihe followed him in and continued to speak.

"Your Majesty, this is strange. Your Highness did not do it on purpose..."

Xuanyuan Ying sneered, "Don't I know his personality? He's arrogant and willful, acting recklessly... He fell into someone else's trap and didn't know how to refute it. How stupid!"

"He is stupid, so Mo Beise thinks I am stupid too."

"This Mo Beise is so bold, framing others, using threats and inducements... He even thought of threatening me!"

His voice was hoarse for a moment, and the anger in his chest grew even stronger, but he reached out and rubbed his forehead, pursing his lips.

Didn't he know what this meant?

The barbarians are really... very brave.

Xuanyuan Ying probably thought that he had been too violent just now, so he tried to suppress his voice and anger in front of Yun Zhihe and took a deep breath.

"Go to the Imperial Hospital."

Xuanyuan Ying paused, and everyone followed him to the Imperial Hospital. Yun Zhihe stood guard at the door, leaving Xuanyuan Ying alone to enter the room where Mo Beise was unconscious.

As soon as he stepped in, he was hit by a strong smell of medicine. He glanced at Mo Beise lying on the bed with disgust and spoke.

"Get up."

Mo Beise woke up slowly, his face was pale and pitiful, "Your Majesty."

Xuanyuan Ying lowered his eyes to look at him, his face expressionless. "After such a long journey, are you happy to see me?"

"Well, what do you want?"

Mo Beise paused, his lips pale, his voice soft, "Your Majesty, I know that Your Majesty is a top-notch military and civil officer, and you had no choice but to do this."

He sobbed and shed tears.

If Xuanyuan Ying did not agree to his conditions, Qin Zhi would be accused of murdering the barbarian prince, and his name might even be cursed in history books. If he agreed, Mo Beise would be cleared of the charges.

Xuanyuan Ying closed his eyes and said, "...speak."

"The barbarians are fighting among themselves, and several factions remain. Bei Se has few requests to make. I simply ask Your Majesty to send a few thousand elite soldiers to guard the Beidi border and to prevent the soldiers led by Bei Se's sisters from entering the Ling Dynasty."

"If they enter, just kill them."

"Beise already knows about the sisters' plan. They want to join forces to overthrow the regime of the eldest princess, who is the same father as Beise. This matter is urgent, and Beise has no choice but to resort to this desperate measure."

Xuanyuan Ying paused, "I will defend my borders myself."

He closed his eyes, thought for a moment, and obviously agreed.

And after thinking through what happened before, I realized that the trade concessions were probably just compensation from the barbarians.

…

After a while, Xuanyuan Ying came out with a grim expression and spoke to the envoys and court officials next to him.

"The barbarian prince is seriously injured and has not yet woken up. I am truly heartbroken."

He pursed his lips and said sternly, "Call that rebellious son over here!"

Yun Zhihe paused and wanted to plead for mercy.

"His Majesty……"

Xuanyuan Ying paused, raised his hand to stop Yun Zhihe from speaking, "...Stop talking."

After waiting for a while, the palace maid brought the second prince over. Qin Zhi pursed his lips and his face turned pale.

As Xuanyuan Ying raised his eyes, Eunuch Li brought a tray covered with a red cloth, the shape of which was faintly visible.

It's... a whip.

Xuanyuan Ying sat on the chair, took a sip of tea, suppressed his emotions, and began to explain.

"This is what our ancestor used to reprimand rebellious women. Legend has it that it was made from dragon skin, and it exudes a sense of righteousness."

He put down the tea, touched the rim of the cup with his fingertips, and looked down at Qin Zhi who was kneeling down.

"...Qin Zhi, do you realize your mistake?"

Qin Zhi paused, lowered his head, and spoke in a hoarse voice.

"I know I'm wrong."

"Okay." Xuanyuan Ying looked down proudly, "Twenty lashes, execution."

Xuanyuan Ying had already asked people to call the court officials, who arrived one after another. They looked at the whip with fear on their faces. Some of them could not bear it and pleaded for mercy.

"Your Majesty... This is a divine weapon. Even if the Second Prince did something wrong, he would be crippled if he was whipped like this..."

"Women can't bear it..."

"Your Majesty, it would be better to send him to a temple for training. This whip... is truly vicious."

…

"No need to say more, I have made up my mind."

Xuanyuan Ying spoke in a hoarse voice. Looking at his stern face, no one dared to plead for mercy even though they looked at each other.

Qin Zhi knelt on the ground, lowered his head, pursed his lips, and his shoulders trembled slightly.

The man holding the whip was already behind Qin Zhi.

Everyone couldn't bear it. They studied the Second Prince's book every day and didn't know when they fell in love with him. After all, he was a spoiled man. As a prince, it was okay for him to be a little willful.

"Execution—"

Following the melodious voice of the palace servants, the whip fell fiercely and hit the second prince.

"Uh-huh—"

Qin Zhi lowered his head, feeling a burning pain on his back. The pain was unbearable, and sweat flowed down the tip of his chin and dripped onto the ground, which was particularly horrifying.

The second whip started, and the whip came down hard again, the sound was particularly harsh. Qin Zhi retched and his eyes were dazed.

The clothes on his back were stained with blood, and the court officials sighed.

Just as the man holding the whip raised his hand to strike again, a sound suddenly came.

"……stop!"

Everyone was shocked, and suddenly they saw a figure rushing over, throwing himself on Qin Zhi and blocking the whip for him.

"Uh..."

That person turned out to be... Mo Beise.

Mo Beise was hit by a brutal whip on his back, and coupled with the wound on his shoulder, he cried out in pain and his face turned pale.

Qin Zhi was startled, his back was covered with the color of Mobei.

His lips were pale and his voice was fierce, "What are you doing here?!"

The court officials were also particularly confused by this astonishing scene. Mo Beise suddenly cried out and looked up. The whip wounds on his back were oozing blood, which was particularly creepy.

"Your Majesty! The Second Prince didn't do it on purpose!"

He sobbed, "When Beise woke up, he heard the sound of the Second Prince's execution and heard someone explain the reason."

"Beise and the Second Prince hit it off right away. Everyone knows they've been getting along very well these past few days. How could the Second Prince have plotted to murder Beise?"

"The Second Prince wanted to hunt a fox for Beise. We were deep in the forest when he saw the fox and shot an arrow. I saw that the fox was so cute and rushed over. That's how this misunderstanding happened..."

"Madam Yun can testify for us that the Second Prince just wanted to hunt a fox for Beise."

Mo Beise's face was pale, he was extremely weak, and his voice was hoarse.

Yun Zhihe paused, bowed, and said, "Your Majesty, I can testify that the Second Prince does intend to hunt foxes."

It turned out to be... a misunderstanding?

The court officials looked at each other in bewilderment.

Only Mo Beise lowered his head, his hair covering his face, his eyes dark.

...A man worthy of being the emperor.

Xuanyuan Ying wanted him to put on a show in front of the court officials to clarify the matter of the Second Prince plotting to murder him. Originally, Mo Beise was going to clarify it in public after he woke up, but he didn't expect that he would be whipped and have to perform a self-torture drama.

Now, everyone knew that the second prince was wrongly accused and had been punished with twenty lashes for nothing. This not only preserved Xuanyuan Ying's reputation as a strict and fair father, but also made the world full of sympathy for the second prince who had been whipped twice for no reason.

And...the whip that Mo Beise received.

It was Xuanyuan Ying who specifically ordered him to rush forward and receive the punishment.

One is to increase the credibility of the clarification, and the other is Mo Beise’s punishment…the punishment for being clever.

Killing four birds with one stone, that's really amazing.

He had specifically ordered this whipping, and I'm afraid the beating was even more severe than that on the Second Prince. His back was probably covered in blood.

Mo Beise's whole body was covered in cold sweat. The two injuries on his shoulders and back combined, and he trembled a few times before actually fainting.

There was another panic.

The author has something to say:

The second prince is the dumbest of these men, so pitiful