Chapter 101 Who dares to hurt her!

The leading guard of the garrison hurriedly knelt and apologized, "Your Majesty! It was...it was an accidental injury by our humble servants. This wasn't Concubine Yun's blood..."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Jin's tense heartstrings relaxed a little, but his anger remained.

He looked at Yun Zhao, who stood stubbornly in place, coldly gazing at him. He suppressed the surging pain in his heart and steeled his heart as he issued an order: "Empress Yun Zhao, you have trespassed through the palace gate and violated palace rules. From now on, you will be confined to the side hall of Yanying Palace. Without my permission, you are not allowed to take a single step out! All palace affairs will be temporarily handled by Zhang Fuan!"

Yun Zhao allowed the eunuch who came forward to "invite" her to go back. She did not say a word from beginning to end. She only looked at Xiao Jin with her cold and extremely disappointed eyes for the last time.

Zhang Fuan swallowed his words of advice and sighed silently.

Outside the side hall of Yanying Palace, Xiao Tao rushed in crying and begging for an audience, but was ruthlessly stopped by the imperial guards. Zhang Fuan persuaded her to leave with all his might, and then entered the inner hall carrying a bowl of soup.

Yun Zhao was seen sitting by the window with his back straight, his face as gloomy as water, like a jade sculpture that had lost its soul.

"Oh my dear aunt!" Zhang Fuan placed the soup bowl gently on the table, feeling distressed and anxious. "You have always been the calmest and most composed person. What happened today? How could you be so foolish?"

Yun Zhao stared out the window with a blank gaze. His voice was cold and calm, yet it carried a chilling resoluteness. "Eunuch Zhang, there's no need to persuade me. My father and brother risked their lives to protect the stability of this country! But what did they get in the end? The bird is dead, the bow is put away, and they frame and slander me! I, Yun Zhao, have done nothing wrong, and my entire Yun family has done nothing wrong!"

"Misunderstanding! There must be a huge misunderstanding!" Zhang Fuan stamped his feet anxiously. "Your Majesty... He's so angry that he hasn't even eaten his dinner. He's probably feeling even worse than you! Just rest here quietly for a few days, wait for things to calm down, and for the truth to come out. Everything will naturally be fine. It wouldn't be a big deal to reinstate him..."

"I don't care!" Yun Zhao interrupted him abruptly, turning his head, his eyes filled with unprecedented coldness and determination. "If I can't save my father and wash away this overwhelming injustice, then there's no point in me living..."

Xiao Jin heard Yun Zhao's decisive words clearly outside the hall. He could no longer bear it, so he pushed open the door of the hall and strode into the inner room, bringing up a gust of cold wind.

He stared at Yun Zhao intently, a terrifying storm swirling in his eyes. His voice was hoarse from extreme anger and a deeper fear: "Yun Zhao! Dare you die and see! If you dare to have even the slightest thought of committing suicide, I will let the entire Yun family - be buried with you!"

Yun Zhao raised his eyes, bloodshot from tears and despair, and fearlessly met his furious gaze. His voice was icy and lifeless, "Your Majesty, imprisoning me here is no different from death. I am nothing more than a breathing corpse."

Xiao Jin looked at her pale face, her tightly pursed, slightly trembling lips, and her fists, knuckles white from exertion. He felt as if a huge rock had crushed his heart. He practically gritted his teeth, squeezing out a voice: "I have not imprisoned you! This is only a temporary confinement! The affairs of the court are treacherous and complex, and it is not your place to interfere!"

"Is this minister interfering in state affairs?" Yun Zhao's voice suddenly rose, as if he had heard a huge joke, filled with sharp sarcasm and endless sadness. "Your Majesty doesn't trust me! You don't trust my father! You would rather believe the slanders of those treacherous villains than the loyal and valiant hearts of our Yun family!"

"What about you?!" Xiao Jin was completely enraged by her words. He took a step closer, roaring so loudly that the beams of the palace seemed to tremble. "Yun Zhao! Have you ever believed me even a little bit?! Even just a fraction?! You keep saying that I don't believe you, but from the beginning to the end, have you ever truly believed me?!"

This earth-shattering question struck like a heavy hammer. The hall instantly fell into a dead silence, and even the air seemed to freeze.

"Yeah... I never seem to have truly trusted him. But... Father would never kill innocent people! This is an ironclad fact! Xiao Jin... he's simply using this opportunity to reclaim the Yun Family's military power!"

Zhang Fuan was terrified by this terrifying confrontation. He hurriedly stepped forward to mediate, his voice tinged with tears: "Your Majesty, calm down! Your Majesty, calm down! Please prioritize the emperor's health! Your eyes... The palace lady was also anxious and worried. After all, it was a loved one who suffered an injustice, so it's inevitable that she would act impulsively..."

Yun Zhao was suddenly reminded by Zhang Fuan's words—[Eyes? Oh, Xiao Jin's eyes! He had clearly recovered a few days ago, so why is he back again today... Could it be that the anger he's been experiencing these days has caused a relapse of his old condition?]

Xiao Jin's gaze was always fixed on Yun Zhao's face, never moving away, as if he wanted to engrave every change of her emotions into his heart.

He looked at the complex expression that flashed across her eyes, and said in a deep voice with unquestionable strength: "Stay here quietly for me! No more nonsense! No matter what news comes from outside, don't believe a single word!"

He paused, each word spoken with great gravity, as if exhausting all his strength. "Yun Zhao, remember this—I have never harbored any ill will towards you, or the entire Yun family, from beginning to end!"

After saying this, he turned abruptly, no longer looking at her, as if he would lose control if he stayed a moment longer. The corner of his bright yellow robe drew a decisive arc, and he strode away.

Zhang Fuan looked at Yun Zhao with a complicated expression, sighed heavily, and hurriedly trotted after him.

The palace door closed again. From outside came Xiao Jin's cold, unquestionable command: "Without my order, no one may set foot in the side hall! All food and daily necessities will still be provided according to the imperial concubine's provisions. If anyone deducts or neglects even a little bit, I will punish them severely and will not tolerate it!"

The guards outside the hall responded solemnly.

Soon, the surroundings fell into a suffocating silence.

Yun Zhao seemed to have lost all his strength and slowly sat back in his chair.

The hard shell that was held up suddenly shattered, and the hot tears finally burst out, silently sliding across the pale cheeks and dripping onto the cold lapels.

Grievances, anger, worries, and the suppressed wavering caused by his last words, intertwined into a huge web that tightly wrapped around her, making it almost impossible for her to breathe.

…

Meanwhile, inside the Zhaixing Tower, Xiao Jin was leaning against the railing alone, guzzling strong liquor, trying to numb his throbbing heart with the burning sensation.

Ayun had already been sent back to the inner room to rest, and she knew nothing about the earth-shaking changes outside.

A dark figure, as silent as a ghost, knelt behind him and reported in a low voice, "Your Majesty, Concubine Yun... has been weeping alone in the palace for half an hour."

There was a crisp "click" sound!

The white jade wine glass in Xiao Jin's hand was actually shattered by him! The sharp fragments instantly pierced his palm, and bright red blood gushed out, dripping down his wrist, and spreading dazzling red spots on the expensive carpet.

"Get lost!" Xiao Jin squeezed out a word from his throat, his voice hoarse and terrifying. "From now on, you don't have to report anything she does!"

"Yes!" The secret guard was startled and immediately disappeared without a trace.

"Your Majesty! Your hand!" Zhang Fuan rushed forward with an exclamation, hurriedly took out the medicine box, and carefully cleaned the wound and applied medicine and bandage it.

During the whole process, Xiao Jin never frowned, as if the bloody hand was not his own.

He simply grabbed another jug ​​of wine, tilted his head back and drank it down, letting the spicy liquid burn his throat, trying to suppress the heartache that was a thousand times more intense than the wound on his hand.

By the time his palm was bandaged, Ayun in the inner room had fallen into a deep sleep.

Xiao Jin then stood up and returned to the Zichen Palace in silence, with a strong smell of alcohol and lingering low mood.

The hall was brightly lit with candles, and several trusted ministers had quietly waited here through a secret passage.

Xiao Jin spread out his injured palm, letting the glaring white gauze remind him of his clarity and determination at the moment.

His gaze swept over the crowd, and his voice was low and decisive, carrying the unquestionable imperial pressure: "Tomorrow, I will issue an order to confiscate Yun Chongshan's military power and transfer it to the Prince of Qin for temporary command."

Several confidants looked stern, glanced at each other, and bowed in response, "Your Majesty, we obey your command! Everything has been arranged, and we only await your Majesty's order!"