Chapter 42 Kill.
"If it weren't for the fact that this nameless nunnery was once a place of practice for royal women who kept their hair intact, and thus had a secret passage, how could this poor nun have escaped? The abbess originally disagreed with donating half of the nunnery, but was tricked by a few old nuns, and had no choice but to accept the money. Besides, there were girls they had kidnapped from who-knows-where imprisoned inside..."
When Li Mingshao led his men up, the little nun recounted the whole story. When she mentioned Xue Ying'er's escape, Li Mingshao's heart sank.
How could Xue Ying'er have escaped so easily if she didn't know the way to the capital? Presumably, that waterway wasn't known to only this nun.
I was really careless.
He paused and gestured to his subordinates. The subordinates lowered their heads, adopting an air of remorse as the summons was given.
Wo Xue whispered to Yan Dibai, "Your Majesty, Li Er has arrived."
Yan Dibai excused Li Mingshao from bowing and leisurely crossed one leg, waiting to watch the show.
Yan Xifang had been gently comforting Yuanyu for a while, and even brought her a padded jacket to warm her up. Seeing that this princess was truly kind and considerate, Yuanyu felt a great weight lifted from her heart. The pain of being bullied for so long suddenly turned into courage, and her eyes blazed as she stared at the approaching soldiers, determined to seek justice for herself and her fellow disciples.
Li Mingshao first apologized to Yuanyu, offering a heartfelt speech and pleading with the young emperor and princess to investigate thoroughly, further stating that he would show no leniency. The guard behind him then knelt down.
Yuan Yu stood up. "Your Highness, I have seen this man before. He was the first to commit evil; his crimes are heinous!"
Yan Xifang said in a deep voice, "Do you know your crime?"
The soldier bowed his head meekly and said, "This humble servant..."
Yan Xifang stepped forward: "How many more accomplices do you have?"
Yuan Yu interjected, "There are plenty! More than dozens!"
Yan Xifang's face darkened with anger: "Take him away and bring all the guards residing at the Nameless Nunnery here for interrogation!"
Just as Yuanyu was pleased with the princess's righteousness, the guard suddenly kowtowed heavily:
“Your Highness, please investigate! Although we were driven by lust, we did not force anyone! It was the nun who first provoked us, asking if we had paid for the goods. The guards were in their prime and couldn't resist. We absolutely did not force anyone into prostitution!”
Yuan Yu exclaimed in surprise: "No! You first tried to lure my martial uncle with money, and then you went even further!"
The guards retorted indignantly, "You monks are not pure at all. Your words are nothing but lies, deceiving His Majesty and the princess. Your crime deserves death!"
Yuan Yu was furious, and Yan Xifang quickly said:
"You say they started it, do you have any evidence?"
The guards hurriedly replied, "Your Highness, yes! It is none other than the nun Yuanqing, who was the first to succeed with us!"
The turn of events left Yuan Yu stunned, and Yan Xifang unconsciously raised her voice: "Where is he! Bring him here!"
Li Mingshao turned and gestured, and a woman in black robes staggered forward. After bowing, she removed her black robes, revealing grey monk's robes underneath. She began chanting Buddhist prayers, saying:
“This humble nun testifies that Yuan Yu’s words are incorrect. It is because Yuan Yu was dissatisfied with the money and wanted to return to secular life that he caused this commotion.”
Yuan Yu was completely taken aback by her uncle's presence. Already stunned, she was further shocked by his words and burst into a piercing cry: "Uncle, you're talking nonsense! We didn't come willingly! How can you face the abbot and the Buddha like this?!"
"Amitabha Buddha, this humble nun dares to swear before the Buddha—"
Seeing that she actually held up three fingers, Yuanyu was extremely anxious. Just then, another female voice suddenly rang out:
"Master Yuanqing, are you really willing to swear an oath? Aren't you afraid of Buddha's punishment?!"
Yan Xifang turned around, and the guards at the top of the stairs shouted in unison:
"Who is it!"
Yan Dibai suddenly glanced sideways, his gaze instantly becoming serious.
The girl in the fur-trimmed jacket and skirt was stopped outside the weapons; her face, flushed red by the wind, looked like a stained red goose egg from afar. Her two slightly upturned eyes blinked briefly, staring intently at him.
Everyone stopped what they were doing when Yang Liuqing appeared.
Yan Dibai's fingers, which were fiddling with the bow, slid across the string. Remembering that she had rejected him that morning, the "go" he was about to utter turned into a cold snort.
Qingqing immediately realized that Yan Dibai was throwing a tantrum again when she saw his expression. However, the little nun Yuanyu, who was crying with snot all over her face, couldn't wait any longer.
She stepped forward and first bowed to Yan Xifang and the other palace concubines. Then, looking at Yan Dibai, she said:
"Your Majesty, I am late, please forgive me. However, the evidence Your Majesty instructed me to investigate has yielded some results."
Yan Xifang's pupils dilated in shock. "Your Majesty, wasn't this matter supposed to be handled by me? Why is Imperial Attendant Yang..." She couldn't believe it.
"When did His Majesty give this order to Imperial Attendant Yang?"
How could Yan Dibai possibly know about this? He was completely baffled.
He had no time to bother with finding out about a nunnery. Besides, he hadn't seen Yang Liuqing at all today, so where had he given her instructions?
They had just said that the interrogation would be conducted by the elder sister, and then they launched a secret search... Yan Di glared at Yang Liuqing; she certainly had a lot of nerve.
They even dared to forge imperial edicts.
Logically speaking, this should be considered a heinous crime. At worst, confiscation of property and extermination of the entire clan would be considered lenient. However, Yan Dibai, sitting there lazily, inexplicably ignored the numerous and punishable offenses.
He gave a cold laugh, pondering the grudge from that morning, and was about to reject the idea of embarrassing Yang Liuqing.
"I," he was about to speak when the girl, who always maintained a calm and reserved demeanor, blinked her eyes at him twice.
Yan Di's eyes widened in surprise. The words "I didn't" were swallowed back down his throat as if by some strange impulse.
Without avoiding Yan Xifang's gaze, Yan Dibai plucked the bowstring. In the eyes of Yan Xifang and her group, this was tacit agreement.
Yan Xifang was greatly alarmed. In the shadows, Li Mingshao looked at Yang Liuqing with unusual surprise.
The girl in green pushed the back of her sword, looked around, and said loudly:
“Yuanqing, Yuanyu, and even the soldiers of the Li family each have their own version of events, and there is no solid evidence. Today, we cannot make a decision based on just a few people’s words. If we really want to get to the bottom of things and reveal the truth, we need a fair and just person to lead troops to thoroughly investigate the Nameless Nunnery.”
Yuan Qing, who had been kneeling, trembled. The guard immediately said:
"Your Excellency speaks of evidence; is this statement also evidence?"
Qingqing retorted, "The evidence is at the nameless nunnery. We just need to go in and investigate. The Li family rents there; surely no one would fabricate evidence or destroy it?"
As the soldiers were rendered speechless by her words, Qingqing looked at Yan Xifang:
“Princess, please forgive my rudeness. But it is truly unseemly for someone from outside the capital to be insulted in the capital. We must thoroughly investigate from top to bottom to ensure that the matter is accepted.”
Yan Xifang dug her nails into her palms, staring intently at Yang Liuqing, but only smiled: "The Imperial Attendant is right. I was afraid of disturbing the auspicious day and acted hastily. His Majesty instructed the Imperial Attendant to investigate, and the Imperial Attendant must know all the intricacies to have said this. I have lived in seclusion for a long time and am often ill, so I really don't understand those tricks."
“In that case,” she earnestly said to Yan Dibai, “Your Majesty, could you lead some men to take a look?”
Yang Liuqing's eyes lit up as she glanced at the boy with an ambiguous attitude.
Yan Dibai wanted to draw his bow and shoot Yang Liuqing straight through.
They went back and forth, their words practically choked on each other, and only an incorrigible tyrant would have managed to brush this off.
Especially with so many eyes watching, and below them, a crowd of people holding their breath in suspense, today's performance was extremely important. It would directly influence the people's perception of the emperor.
However, Yan Dibai really was an extremely incompetent ruler.
Qingqing's heart was pounding.
If Yan Dibai continues to act recklessly when such a golden opportunity to gather imperial aura has come knocking on his door, then there may truly be no way to salvage the situation.
Keep in mind that the current value is still 5, and a new competitor is standing by...
The urgency on her face was obvious. The girl's breathing quickened, and she lunged forward, "Your Majesty."
Yan Dibai touched her bright red lips slowly, looked deeply at Yang Liuqing, stood up, and strolled leisurely to the kneeling people.
Yuanqing trembled even more violently.
Yan Dibai only took a few steps before giving up on further questioning. He looked again at Yang Liuqing, whose gaze had been fixed on him the entire time.
The boy's expression was mocking as he scrutinized her from head to toe. A dark glint flashed in his eyes.
The crowd was puzzled, unsure of the young emperor's intentions. They then saw the young maidservant quickly lower her head, as if afraid to face the emperor.
Just as Wo Xue was beginning to sense something unusual, His Majesty gave the order:
"Yifu, lead your men to search the nameless temple thoroughly. Do not miss any cracks in the ground."
Qingqing opened her mouth, completely bewildered, almost thinking she had misheard.
Yan Dibai actually didn't expose her? And even went along with her and helped her?
The unexpected joy was truly indescribable. Yi Fu acted decisively, and in front of the ashen-faced guards, he led a large group of men to the outskirts of the capital.
Now that things have come to this, there's no point in trying to argue anymore. We can only wait for the return of the upright and incorruptible Lord Yifu to make a judgment.
Yan Xifang was already struggling to stand.
She had planned many things today, but the incident with the nameless nun disrupted all her plans. She never expected that the young emperor, who claimed to respect her, would outwardly comply but inwardly defy her.
Yan Xifang swayed, and the maid hurriedly supported her: "Princess!"
"The princess is already suffering from both qi and blood deficiency, what should we do!"
Li Mingshao hurriedly went over to touch her forehead, but realized something was wrong as soon as he touched it. He immediately withdrew his hand and said to Yan Dibai:
"Your Majesty, it is chilly at night. Perhaps you should let Mother return to the palace first?"
Yan Dibai glanced indifferently at his hand, then looked at his weak sister. He paused, then smiled regretfully:
"Yes... Sister needs to take good care of herself."
Yan Xifang kept her eyes tightly closed.
Qingqing watched the group leave, feeling that Yan Dibai was acting strangely today. But soon, she didn't have time to figure out what was wrong with him.
Yi Fu brought back a group of soldiers and nuns.
But it wasn't just people; there was also half a box of silver.
The onlookers gasped in surprise as Yi Fu scattered the silver coins.
"Your Majesty, they were all found under Yuanqing's bed. Although the silver coins did not bear the Li family's mark, they were all of uniform size, remarkably consistent with the specifications found in the guardhouses."
Yi Fu was old and had seen a lot. He searched everywhere, from the brick seams to under the bed and the tiles, and indeed found many clues.
Yuan Qing's face turned pale. "No, no..."
Although she had agreed to the request from the guards, how could she be so foolish as to hide money in the room?
"Your Majesty, someone has framed us! Someone has framed us!"
Yuan Yu burst into tears: "Who could frame you? Your room is locked every day, how many people can get in? No wonder they're trying to frame me! So you took so much money from them, Uncle! If His Majesty hadn't investigated, I would be dead, and my fellow disciples who were bullied would have had nowhere to seek justice!"
With a flick of his sword, Yi Fu pointed at the soldiers on the ground: "Everyone else has given their confessions, what else do you have to say?"
The guard glared at him fiercely, then glanced at his several colleagues behind him with their heads bowed, and knew that this matter was far from over.
He glanced at Li Mingshao discreetly, and seeing the patriarch remain silent, he instantly lost his nerve and resignedly lowered his head.
It's a pity that someone took advantage of the situation; it was truly bad luck.
"It is the younger one who colludes with Yuan Qing."
“In that case,” Woxhe shook his head, “what does His Majesty intend to do with them?”
Qingqing immediately stood up straight, staring longingly at Yan Dibai.
Yan Dibai narrowed his eyes inexplicably. Looking at her shimmering eyes, he suddenly burst into laughter. Against the backdrop of the dark night and the chilling atmosphere of the heights, everyone felt a chill run down their spines.
Completely ignoring the insects that begged for mercy, the young man looked down upon the world with arrogance and nonchalance, yet he was the only one worthy of respect, his words encapsulating the spirit of an emperor:
"kill."
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Author's Note: Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 2023-10-10 23:30:19 and 2023-10-11 23:45:46!
Thank you to the little angel who watered the nutrient solution: 10 bottles of copper;
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
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