Zhao Qingshu was not afraid of him. He sneered and raised his chin high: "What did you say, that Song Xizhi saved someone?"
"But many more people died because of Song Xizhi! If it weren't for her being a jinx at the Fengchan Ceremony, none of this would have happened."
Upon hearing this, Su Mingli felt his blood surge and he rushed forward, ready to deliver a powerful punch to Zhao Qingshu's face.
No one had ever seen the usually refined Su Mingli so flushed and embarrassed.
Fortunately, Su Mingren arrived in a hurry and stood in front of him, stopping his actions.
"Ali! Don't be impulsive!"
Su Shaoyuan had just entered the tent when he glanced at Song Xizhi with pity before turning and kneeling down in the direction of the emperor.
"Your Majesty, if you intend to punish Song Xizhi, it would mean that this old minister has failed in his duty of managing the household, and you may punish this old minister as well!"
Su Mingli lifted his robes, turned around, and knelt down decisively: "Song Xizhi is skilled in medicine. She saved this humble subject. I beg Your Majesty to allow her to continue saving the Holy Maiden. Time is running out!"
"Song Xizhi is by no means a jinx! Your humble servant is willing to die to prove your innocence!"
Upon hearing this, Zhao Qingshu let out a cold laugh: "Your Majesty, they're only helping their own people. Lord Su is so protective of his own that he's even disregarding the fate of the nation. He's truly forgotten his roots!"
"It has always been like this. After Song Xizhi was born, his mother died. Then Su Shaoyuan was demoted, Su Mingren's career was lukewarm, and Su Mingli contracted a strange illness. The whole family is nothing!"
"Even so, you're still blinded by greed, trying to defend a jinx. You really should reflect on your actions!"
Zhao Qingshu's words were extremely sharp, causing Song Xizhi to close his eyes and try hard to control his anger.
But his voice continued to ramble on, like a demonic chant echoing in the ears: "If there were a jinx in my family, I would have set an example and personally burned my niece to death in order to fight against the court, instead of being as selfish as them!"
Upon hearing this, Song Xizhi could no longer contain himself.
But as soon as she opened her eyes, she saw a figure flying like the wind rushing to Zhao Qingshu's side.
Su Mingren swung his fist and punched Zhao Qingshu squarely in the face.
His speed was so fast and sudden that it not only made Zhao Qingshu scream, but also left the Su family members dumbfounded.
Song Xizhi stared blankly as Su Mingren used afterimages like lightning, his old teeth biting down hard on Song Xizhi's wrist. Each move was truly dazzling.
Zhao Qingshu gritted her teeth and screamed, her two weak hands desperately resisting: "Help! Help! Someone's gone mad!"
Upon hearing this, ministers and eunuchs cautiously tried to step forward to stop him, but to their surprise, Su Mingli suddenly stood up.
"Brother! You're foolish! Stop immediately and await His Majesty's judgment!"
As he spoke, he moved closer to the two men who were wrestling. Su Mingli firmly pressed down on Zhao Qingshu's resisting hands with his hands and pinned down his feet with one foot as well.
This caused Zhao Qingshu, who had already begun to resist, to take several more solid punches.
Everyone was amazed by the Su brothers' actions.
Even the Tibetan envoys looked increasingly dazed.
Is this the fighting power of a large number of civil officials?
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Song Xizhi quickly knelt down next to the girl again and continued to perform the artificial respiration and CPR that he had not yet finished.
Her treatment had shown some initial success, at least managing to keep the girl's life hanging by a thread.
Otherwise, with things delayed for so long, even if a divine being came, the living would be dragged to their deaths.
The Tibetan prince kept a close eye on his daughter, but when he saw Song Xizhi's serious and earnest expression...
He clenched his fists, his Adam's apple bobbing, but ultimately chose to stand beside Song Xizhi, shielding her from her movements.
Finally, Emperor Guangqi suppressed his anger and gritted his teeth, shouting, "Enough!"
Su Mingren stopped abruptly, then grabbed Su Mingli and made him kneel before the emperor with a thud. Panting and weeping, he cried, "Your Majesty, please forgive me! This old minister has truly been wronged..."
The emperor glanced at them, suddenly exhaled, then looked away and asked the assembled officials, "What exactly do you want?"
The ministers all knelt down: "We dare not, but for the sake of the country and its people, we beg Your Majesty to make a swift decision and give the world an explanation."
Zhao Qingshu also bit her swollen cheek, covering her scratched face, and angrily added:
"The Su family must be severely punished and held accountable, after all, they are the ones who raised such a niece!"
Su Shaoyuan cried out again in sorrow, "Your Majesty!"
The emperor took a deep breath, looking at the scene before him, feeling utterly exhausted: "Song Xizhi cannot die..."
Before he could finish speaking, someone immediately kowtowed repeatedly, saying, "Your Majesty, please reconsider! If this calamity is not eliminated, it will be difficult to silence public opinion. This is the best explanation you can give to all the people of the world!"
Other ministers echoed, "A jinx! Song Xizhi is a jinx! Dealing with her, trading one life for another, is the best way to maintain good relations between our two countries!"
Song Xizhi's actions were abruptly interrupted by the Tibetan envoy: "This demoness shows no remorse and continues to commit atrocities against the Holy Maiden's body. The Emperor must give us an explanation!"
The Su brothers practically ground their teeth to powder, leaving the emperor in a dilemma.
But at that moment, the tent flap was suddenly lifted, and a gust of cold wind blew in from outside.
Everyone looked up in surprise at the doorway and saw an ordinary-looking old man slowly walking in.
It was windy outside, and he was wearing a straw hat. When he lowered the curtain and took off the hat, everyone saw his bald head.
He was a monk.
He put his hands together, softly recited a Buddhist verse, and said, "In this life, there is no need to give an explanation to others; you only need to give an explanation to your own heart."
As the old man spoke, he cast his calm gaze upon the group of people before him, each with their own hidden agendas: "Can you live with yourselves?"
Upon hearing this, the witch doctor blushed and said, "Who are you? How did you intrude into our Tibetan camp without any reason!"
"The saint's noble body will be defiled by you at this moment!"
Upon hearing this, the emperor slowly turned around and saw a familiar face.
His body was still covered in the cold frost of the wind, and his face remained calm and peaceful even in the face of doubt and provocation, though he looked much older than the emperor remembered.
"Master Yuanhui?"
Emperor Guangqi's voice was filled with ecstatic joy.
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