Chapter 64: Holy Decree (2) [VIP]

"Hurry up and leave. This is a dangerous place and we can't stay here any longer." The palace slaves who were watching suddenly dispersed. In order to save their own lives, they all retreated immediately and did not dare to stay here any longer.

Chu Qingluo only felt her whole body soft and tender, and the surging indifference was slowly withdrawn by the gentleman, leaving her full of shyness and confusion.

Seeing the onlookers suddenly scatter, she looked back in the direction of the sound, and at one glance at the hidden arrow, she knew who had done it.

The only one who could come and go freely in the palace and dared to shoot arrows in public was Fu Zhao Zuo Shi.

This arrow is aimed at you, sir.

She was worried that if she wasn't by her husband's side, the madman would be driven to desperation and really take his life: "Feng Yan saw it, and I'm afraid the husband will be in trouble tonight..."

Qu Hanjin chuckled after hearing this, but there was a hint of coldness in his smile. He asked in a deep voice, "Even His Highness isn't afraid, so you think I would be afraid of a shadow guard?"

After he finished speaking, he seemed to be still unsatisfied, so he leaned over and kissed her again. Seeing that she still did not dodge, her deep eyes were shimmering with desire.

"He's no ordinary assassin. He could easily take your life," Chu Qingluo whispered, finally regaining some composure. "Sir, your actions... have alarmed the entire Daning Palace. I, too, cannot escape blame."

The silver bell-like voice lingered in his ears, plucking the strings of his heart. The young man laughed softly and replied in a hoarse and deep voice: "It doesn't matter. I know what you want..."

"I will do my best to serve you."

She was worried about her master's safety after all, so she struggled to break free and said solemnly, "Sir, if you don't let go, His Highness's attendants will come to summon you."

"Your Highness has gone to the Ministry of Justice for inspection."

As if he already knew the whereabouts of the Ninth Prince, Qu Hanjin didn't care at all and replied calmly: "It will take a few days for this rumor to reach his ears."

"He went to the Ministry of Justice to monitor who was carrying out the executions?" She frowned slightly, waiting quietly in Yu Suxue's arms, her tone unintentionally turning cold.

She must have a clear understanding of all matters concerning the Daning Dynasty, especially the movements of the Ninth Prince, which she must keep under control.

"The person being punished is a court official?" The teacher did not answer. Chu Qingluo dared to guess, but noticed that he was in a strange mood.

He just mentioned it briefly without saying much.

The person in front of her seemed to be hiding something. She raised her eyes and looked at him, her phoenix eyes filled with unclear emotions. She wanted to see some truth from the man's deep and clear eyes.

After a gentle embrace, Qu Hanjin paused for a long moment before uttering an ambiguous sentence: "Qingluo, as long as you are safe, I don't care about anything else, and I don't have the heart to investigate..."

"From what you said, the person being tortured seems to be acquainted with me..." She seemed to understand a little bit, and heard the hidden meaning in the words, and her mind was inexplicably dazed.

“Who is it…?”

He had always known that she was stubborn, and this time he couldn't hide it for long. He pondered for a moment, then slowly opened his thin lips and said, "Do you remember that on the day of the assassination of the crown prince, Sheng Youzhang also entered the palace."

Chu Qingluo was even more puzzled. At that time, Sheng Youzhang had entered the palace to pay homage to the emperor. What did the Ministry of Justice have to do with him? Could it be that the man had just entered the court and broken court rules, angering the emperor and thus being punished...

She nodded lightly, answering what she knew, her mind filled with doubts: "Master Sheng entered the palace to meet the emperor, to serve as an official in the court, to become a compiler in the Hanlin Academy..."

"The prince was assassinated that day. In order to give an explanation to the entire court, Your Highness needs to find someone else to die in his place." There was a chill in the words she said. Qu Hanjin looked down at her solemnly, knowing that she would understand.

Death in place of...

The Ninth Prince casually chose Sheng Youzhangcheng as the scapegoat, while he himself escaped without taking the slightest sin. She sneered. With so many loopholes, Emperor Xuanlong actually believed it...

No, the guards of the Eastern Palace were withdrawn, and Emperor Daning should have known about it long ago, but his heart was biased towards the Ninth Prince, so he pretended to turn a blind eye.

After all, His Highness is the most likely person to inherit the throne now, and Emperor Xuanlong must protect his life in order to preserve the country.

"Is this how the Ninth Prince is looking for a scapegoat?" Chu Qingluo stood there coldly, her heart filled with resentment. She looked towards the Ministry of Justice, "I originally wanted to drag the Ninth Prince into this quagmire with me. If we become one, he wouldn't dare to touch you or me..."

"But he randomly found someone and put all the blame on Master Sheng..."

Thinking that the man being tortured at this moment was the elegant man with whom she used to go to the garden to appreciate the flowers, her heart trembled. She walked forward in a daze, wanting to take a closer look at the young man who had recently passed the imperial examination and become the top scorer.

She knew she shouldn't go.

Young Master Sheng was simply unlucky and was targeted by the Ninth Prince for no reason, which led to his tragic fate.

But she was the one who murdered the prince...

She was cold-hearted and didn't mean to sympathize. She just thought of Sheng Youzhang reading alone in the stone pavilion and the gentle and elegant young man in purple talking about the art of playing the zither with her. Every scene was unforgettable.

She is probably...a person, a friend who only talks about knowledge and never mentions the past.

The closer she got to the Ministry of Punishment, the clearer the sounds of torture became. She could hear them clearly. What came from inside was...

Sheng Youzhang was punished with caning.

The punishment stick came down hard, one after another, the sound resonating in the air was particularly deafening, and then it hit hard into the heart.

Chu Qingluo heard the sound and walked to the Fang Mansion. Seeing that it was guarded by palace guards, she wanted to go through a small path and enter. "Since it is a capital crime, why punish it with caning? A cup of poisoned wine will be enough."

, he quietly stepped back and gave way respectfully.

The reputation of the Grand Master of Music of the Ministry of Rites still spreads inside and outside the palace. Even His Majesty respects this gentleman, so these palace attendants would think twice and would be willing to let him visit the prison regardless of whether His Majesty permits or not.

The caning was still severe, but she went straight to the prison without hesitation or thinking too much.

"Your Majesty has imposed this crime for the whole world to see." The young man on the side walked in the prison corridor and replied cautiously, "Tell the world that those who have disrespected the imperial authority and plotted to murder the imperial heir are guilty."

"From the beginning to the end, Master Sheng is the most innocent..."

She sighed unconsciously and stopped in front of a cell.

The prison in front of her was surrounded by walls. She couldn't see what was going on inside the cell, nor could she hear any sound except the sound of sticks. A chill passed through her heart.

The delicate figure in front of him suddenly stopped. Qu Hanjin's face was solemn as he whispered, "Qingluo, the Ninth Prince is very cunning. You must not approach him any further. I will take you back to the palace."

There was dead silence in the prison, with only the sound of flogging being heard repeatedly.

She stood there in shock, separated by a wall, not hearing any other sounds from within, nor the low cries of unbearable pain.

"How long has this beating lasted?" Chu Qingluo's eyes flashed with confusion for a few moments, and he stiffened his body. After a while, he asked, "Why didn't they stop..."

She then looked at the gentleman, who lowered his eyes slightly and replied to her calmly.

"Sheng Youzhang...he died a long time ago."

All her bones seemed to feel cold in an instant, spreading into her heart, making her shiver uncontrollably.

When Chu Qingluo heard someone coming from behind, she turned around and bowed respectfully.

She recognized the person who came. It was Eunuch Tao, the eunuch beside Emperor Xuanlong, who came here on orders.

Seeing Mr. Qu and Miss Chu standing in front of the prison door, Eunuch Tao just bowed silently, without asking any other questions, and waved his sleeves to order the accompanying jailer to open the door.

After looking inside for a few moments, the eunuch sighed helplessly and raised his hand to stop him, saying, "Stop beating him. He's been dead for a long time."

"I will report to His Majesty. You may all withdraw."

The sound of the sticks falling during the execution finally stopped. Eunuch Tao sent the jailer away, gently shook the whisk in his hand, and slowly walked out of the cell. His figure faded away under the illumination of the wall lamps on both sides of the prison corridor.

Chu Qingluo looked silently. A figure was lying peacefully on the central chopping board. He was still wearing a purple shirt, and his back was a bloody mess.

The person at the table had his eyes closed quietly, biting a handkerchief. When the handkerchief fell, blood flowed from his mouth.

But the man still didn't move, as if he was sleeping peacefully and would never wake up again.

She walked into the cell silently, staring at the cold corpse. Even though her heart was cold, she trembled slightly at the scene in the cell.

The death of this top scholar was so tragic that no one knew the whole story and he was beaten to death.

"Don't go."

The gentleman behind her whispered advice, but she could not hear it clearly, but she walked closer anyway, her eyes filled with imperceptible sadness and hatred.

Chu Qingluo looked back in confusion with a gloomy expression, and asked the flawless and elegant figure beside the door with a melancholy look, "It was clearly me who assassinated the prince, so why did someone who had nothing to do with him end up being punished..."

"He's just a scholar who can't even use a sword. How could he kill the prince..."

When she said this, she couldn't help but sneer, feeling that this world was too absurd.

As a prince, he could arbitrarily drag an official of the court to bear the blame for the crime. The so-called "the emperor is guilty of the same crime as the common people" is absurd. In the fight for the throne, the innocent officials are hurt in the end.

"Your Majesty is well aware of this, but it is absolutely impossible for you to punish the Ninth Prince," Qu Hanjin said with a hint of worry. He walked steadily into the cell, gently grasped her wrist, and wanted to lead her out of the cell. "This move is a very bad strategy for Your Majesty."

The doubt in her eyes seemed to deepen. She asked with a look of regret, but she already had the answer in her heart: "As a fellow heir to the throne, Your Majesty, don't you want to avenge the Crown Prince?"

He remained silent for a moment, then carefully chose his words before answering softly, "They are all your Majesty's flesh and blood. Your Majesty will not kill them and will certainly allow the Ninth Prince to carry out his plan. Sheng Youzhang... just had bad luck."

How could she not know such a simple truth...

It's just that the hatred buried deep inside seems to roar in the silence, gradually devouring all thoughts, leaving only desolation and a sense of unwillingness in the heart.

"Sir, you knew from the beginning that Young Master Sheng would die tragically because of this..."

Chu Qingluo was thinking quietly, glancing at the graceful figure. Seeing that the gentleman had just remained silent, she had already understood something.

As if sensing an approaching crisis, Qingleng frowned slightly, still evading her question and sternly replied, "Come back with me. You must not stay here for long."

"Yes or no?"

There was a hint of determination in her words. She asked again in a serious voice, knowing that the gentleman was definitely not a saint.

Last time, you were able to protect Miss Xu, but this time, facing the Ninth Prince, you are indeed powerless.