But no one expected that in the next moment, a flash of sword light appeared, and blood gushed out.
Lu Guang clutched his finger and collapsed to the ground, groaning in pain.
A severed finger fell to the ground, splattering blood everywhere.
"How dare you?" Lu Guang was stunned.
Qu Jingyun did the same, her eyes widening.
But when his gaze fell on the long sword in Shen Yunting's hand, he immediately understood and felt relieved.
Lu Guang was helped up by the guards beside him, glaring at Shen Yunting with hatred, his teeth almost grinding to powder.
"You actually dared to lay a hand on me! You're finished! I will never let you get away with this!"
He beckoned to his guards to attack Shen Yunting.
He said bitterly, "I will definitely not let you leave here alive today."
“You are no longer the high and mighty General Shen you once were. Today you actually dared to lay a hand on me. I will definitely go to the Emperor to complain about you and say that you are wantonly taking revenge.”
"You're not happy because my cousin found out what you did and you're deliberately seeking revenge, and you're also not happy with the Emperor. I wonder how you'll handle that situation?"
Lu Guang's hateful gaze fell on the severed finger on the ground, his eyes growing colder and colder.
But Shen Yunting fearlessly brandished his long sword.
"If you dare take another step forward, I will take your life. I mean what I say."
Lu Guang completely disregarded Shen Yunting's threats and waved his hand, ready to continue his attack.
Upon seeing this, Qu Jingyun let out a cold laugh.
"You must see this clearly. The long sword in Yun Ting's hand is the Crimson Sky Sword, bestowed by the Emperor himself. It represents the Emperor's personal presence and allows for execution without prior approval."
"Why aren't you kneeling down?"
"That's impossible." Lu Guang's face was full of disbelief, and his face turned deathly pale instantly.
"If this is a lie, it would be a crime of deceiving the emperor. Do you think Yun Ting would give you such a huge handle?"
Qu Jingyun let out a cold laugh and looked up at the other person.
His tone was full of sarcasm: "Back then, Yun Ting went to the battlefield with the Emperor, risking his life together. He trusted the Emperor implicitly and was even bestowed with a personal sword."
"Your cousin should know about this too, why don't you go back and ask him?"
This was an outcome Lu Guang hadn't anticipated, and his face immediately darkened.
If that's the case, even if he dies by this sword today, he can only accept his bad luck.
Lu Guang was filled with resentment.
But when his gaze fell upon the sword, he could only reluctantly kneel down.
"Just as you said, let's go to the Golden Palace and settle this matter before the Emperor."
Shen Yunting snorted coldly and said rudely, "Let the Emperor decide who is at fault for today's events."
"I know what you're relying on. The Emperor is wary of me and tacitly allows your cousin to frame me. But do you really think this matter can be brought to the Emperor's attention so openly?"
"The Emperor acted with righteous indignation, but he will never admit it. You were foolish enough to publicize this matter. Did your good cousin teach you to do that?"
"He must be no fool to have risen to the position of Minister. I want to see if he can protect you in front of the Emperor."
"Or do you still dare to openly say to the Emperor that you are humiliating me and the County Princess because you think the Emperor is afraid of you?"
Every word was like a knife piercing Lu Guang's heart.
He was so scared that he was trembling all over.
Although he was foolish, he knew that if the matter really reached the Emperor's ears, he would definitely be the one to die.
Not to mention that his and Zhang Zhou's motives towards Qu Jingyun were truly shameful.
"I'll give you three days to clarify what happened today. If anyone in the capital speaks ill of the Rouge Shop, I will hold you two brothers responsible."
“I will definitely force you to go to the Emperor yourself to seek justice, and it will definitely not be as simple as cutting off one of your fingers.”
Shen Yunting snorted coldly and said directly, "Get out of here."
Having said that, Lu Guang dared not stay any longer and could only scramble away.
His burning hatred had to be forcibly suppressed.
Not long after he ran away, he suddenly remembered something and his body began to tremble.
If my cousin knew that he hadn't managed to get this done and that it had turned into this mess, I wonder how angry he would be.
Lu Guang turned to look at Qu Jingyun and the other person behind him, his heart filled with hatred.
Anyway, their happiness won't last long.
He can just wait patiently.
“Even today, we don’t need to swallow our anger like this. They are even less willing to make a scene than we are. You don’t need to wrong yourself.”
Shen Yunting's pained gaze fell on Qu Jingyun.
Her tone softened even more: "In the end, it's all my fault for dragging you down with me."
“We don’t need to say these things to each other.” Qu Jingyun shook her head.
A cold smile appeared on his lips: "Zhang Zhou won't be arrogant for long. He actually dared to let his cousin go to such lengths. The Emperor isn't stupid; he certainly won't let him off easily."
It's true that the Emperor is wary of Shen Yunting, but after more than twenty years of friendship, he would never allow these people to humiliate them like this.
Not to mention, this was under the circumstances that Shen Yunting handed over military power despite knowing he had been framed.
If the Emperor were to actually protect Lu Guang, it might really provoke public resentment.
The Emperor is a smart man; he wouldn't do something so foolish.
Shen Yunting smiled back, then glanced at the distance and his eyes turned cold.
Lu Guang's fate will definitely not be as simple as losing a finger.
Two hours later, Zhang Zhou entered the palace in a fit of rage and knelt at the entrance of the Imperial Study.
It wasn't until dusk that the people inside the imperial study finally allowed him to enter.
As soon as he entered, Zhang Zhou knelt down on the ground.
She tearfully accused Shen Yunting and Qu Jingyun of their crimes.
According to him, Shen Yunting was dissatisfied with his conviction and first ordered Qu Jingyun to poison his cousin's wife, disfiguring her.
He then cut off his cousin's fingers.
That's not all. His cousin was also beaten up with a sack over his head on his way home and remains unconscious to this day.
“Your Majesty, Shen Yunting is utterly despicable. He was the one who embezzled first. I was merely doing what I was supposed to do. How could he retaliate like this? He is utterly insidious.”
Zhang Zhou angrily complained, but he didn't receive a response from the emperor for a long time.
The unease in my heart grew stronger.
He could only cautiously call out, "Your Majesty?"
The Emperor's voice finally rang out, his majestic tone tinged with a chilling malevolence.
"Do you think I'm a fool? That I'd tolerate such deception from you?"
Zhang Zhou's body trembled, and his face instantly turned pale.
He hurriedly replied, "Every word I have said is true, and I have not lied to Your Majesty in any way."
"Then why didn't you tell me that Lu Guang threatened the county magistrate with the rouge recipe as compensation, and even made insolent remarks about making the county magistrate his mistress?"
The Emperor stared coldly at Zhang Zhou before him, his eyes filled with deep anger.
"You have some nerve, letting your cousin go to such lengths."
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