Chapter 53
The sun sets in the west, and the setting sun looks like blood.
As all the people in the palace were controlled by the officers and soldiers, the riot had subsided and fell into a deathly silence.
The maids and servants of the palace were detained elsewhere, while the nobles were escorted to the main hall together.
Chu Miaomiao originally thought that she, the princess, and Aunt Zhou were the only three people in the main hall, but she didn't expect that King Chu and Chu Xinxiu were also tied up and lying on the ground, looking as miserable as dogs that had lost their homes.
Oh.
Chu Miaomiao sneered, wondering if they had considered the current situation when they started the rebellion.
"Princess."
A familiar voice sounded, but that voice was like iceberg cold water, piercing to the bone.
Chu Miaomiao's heart ached slightly, but she didn't dare to look up at the other person.
"What a surprise."
Wei Zhen's lips curled slightly, but the smile didn't reach his eyes. His deep eyes stared straight at Chu Miaomiao, as if he wanted to see through the person in front of him completely.
"I thought it would take some time to find the princess, but I didn't expect it to be so easy."
Chu Miaomiao took a deep breath, still not daring to look up at Wei Zhen who was sitting on the throne. She simply knelt on the ground with her brows lowered. “The sinner Chu Miaomiao pays homage to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.”
Wei Zhen just stared at her for a moment before looking away and looking at the deputy general beside him: "Have you finished counting everyone in the palace?"
The deputy general said respectfully, "Your Highness, the Crown Prince has completed the entire count, and no one has escaped."
Wei Zhen originally planned to imprison everyone in the prefectural prison, but the Chu Palace had nearly 400 people in total. Besides the prefectural prison, the Chu Palace itself and the surrounding abandoned temples also became temporary prisons.
The masterminds of the rebellion, the King of Chu and his family were imprisoned in the ancestral hall of the palace. There were more than a dozen soldiers guarding the hall, and not even a fly could fly out.
As the leader of the rebels, the King of Chu had been specifically ordered by the sage to be brought back for execution. Therefore, Wei Zhen summoned a doctor to briefly treat his wounds; after all, they just wanted to keep him alive before reaching the capital.
As night fell, the guards at the gate lit torches. With the little light from outside, the ancestral hall, where the ancestral tablets were enshrined, looked less eerie.
Sudden by this disaster, Aunt Zhou lay beside the King of Chu, sobbing and wiping away tears. When Chu Xinxiu thought of what kind of ending he would face, he trembled, his face turned pale, and he cried even more miserably than his mother.
The two people surrounded the King of Chu and cried, and the King of Chu was also very upset.
He couldn't help but look to another corner. Princess Chu was leaning against the wall, very calm, as if she had already anticipated the outcome of today. Following the princess's gaze, he saw Chu Miaomiao sitting on the ground, looking at the ancestral tablet.
The one who had always been the most boisterous of his three children was unusually quiet at this moment.
"Chu Miaomiao."
The King of Chu spoke up and asked the question in his mind: "You should be in the capital, why are you here?"
Chu Miaomiao did not hear a trace of care and concern in her father's voice, but rather full of suspicion.
"Father, this shouldn't be a question. Since I have nothing else to do, please allow me to speculate on your thoughts."
Chu Miaomiao sneered, turned to face the King of Chu, and told him what was in his mind.
"You're not curious about why I came back, but why I was able to come back. According to your assumptions, my elder brother and sister-in-law and I should have passed away, becoming sacrifices for your great cause. But not only did I survive, but I'm standing before you alive. This proves that I was able to return because someone was able to let me go.
Who is this person? Who can decide the fate of a traitor's daughter? Of course, only the Saint. You suspect that I have reached some kind of deal with the Saint that is disadvantageous to you. Are you wondering if I revealed something to the Saint that led to your failure today?
Chu Xinxiu looked at Chu Miaomiao in astonishment, and said in dismay, "Could it really be you?"
Seeing that the King of Chu's expression was becoming increasingly solemn and his gaze at her was becoming increasingly fierce, Chu Miaomiao felt even more sad.
She must have guessed everything correctly. It was really interesting. When did Chu Miaomiao become so good at guessing people's hearts?
Chu Miaomiao sighed deeply, "What a pity! Brains are a good thing, but neither you nor Chu Xinxiu have them."
"Chu Miaomiao, you are so outrageous!" King Chu shouted angrily.
"Father, please be at ease." Chu Miaomiao stood up and walked closer to the tablet. She looked up at the highest tablet of the ancestors of the Chu family and said quietly, "I'm going to die soon anyway. What's the point of sticking to those broken rules?"
Chu Miaomiao actually despised him as a father so much that the King of Chu was so angry that the wound he had just treated began to hurt.
"You wicked son! If I had known you were such an unfilial offspring, I should have strangled you to death when you were born!"
"Mr. Chu! How dare you treat my daughter like this!" The princess, who had been silent, suddenly became furious, as if if the King of Chu cursed her again, she would immediately rush up and tear him to pieces.
"I will also return this sentence to you on behalf of our ancestors."
Chu Miaomiao ignored the violent words and pointed at the statue at the highest point.
"Our Chu ancestors fought alongside our great-grandfather throughout his many campaigns, achieving immense merit and meritorious service. They were thus granted the title of king, ensuring that their descendants enjoyed endless wealth and glory. And you, on the other hand, have inherited the title and wealth thanks to your ancestors. Isn't it better to live a peaceful and comfortable life of wealth and leisure? How could you be so foolish as to rebel against the imperial court, covet the throne, and bring our entire family to their doom?"
"What do you, a girl who knows nothing about the world, know? We have all fought for the cause of the Yong Dynasty. Is the Wei family the only one who can rule the world?"
"Perhaps anyone could have sat on that throne back then, but today! Isn't the bloody truth already laid out before you? His Wei family has been passed down for generations since Emperor Gaozu, meticulously managing the Yong Dynasty for so many years. Do you think you can overthrow it with your own strength?"
Chu Miaomiao found it funny: "At your age, you still can't see the situation clearly. I don't know whether to praise you for your innocence or scold you for being extremely stupid."
The King of Chu was so enraged that he spat out a mouthful of blood. Concubine Zhou and Chu Xinxiu, who were standing beside him, both cried out in fear, fearing that the King of Chu would die of anger.
Chu Xinxiu scolded Chu Miaomiao: "Shut up! You're only happy if Dad gets pissed off to death?! You're committing patricide, don't you understand?"
Chu Miaomiao watched all this with indifference: "Compared to my father's personal act of destroying the Chu family's bloodline, what I have done is nothing. If I really piss my father off to death, maybe all my ancestors will thank me."
"Whether the Chu family's ancestors are grateful to the princess is still unknown, but I still need the King of Chu to return to the capital with a breath of fresh air."
A teasing yet cold voice echoed from outside the door. It was none other than Wei Zhen. He had heard that the King of Chu and his daughter were arguing fiercely in the ancestral hall, and fearing that the King of Chu might die of rage, which would be difficult for him to report, he had put aside his official duties and hurried over.
"Princess, be careful with your words."
As long as she faced Wei Zhen, Chu Miaomiao's arrogance would be greatly reduced. She did not reply, but silently sat back in front of the altar.
"I need the King of Chu alive, so the princess—"
Wei Zhen was standing by the door, looking at Chu Miaomiao with a half-smile: "Please follow me."
Chu Miaomiao didn't turn around, still sitting there motionless, her refusal obvious. But her hands, hidden under her sleeves, were clenched into fists, trembling slightly.
She didn't want to face Wei Zhen, nor did she have the courage to face him. Especially when she thought of his tenderness towards her, how he had resolutely chosen her despite the pressure from the Saint, and the ink seal she had asked the Saint to return, she felt guilty and heartbroken.
How could she have the nerve to see someone she had hurt so deeply?
Wei Zhen had clearly lost his patience. He casually drew the sword from his guard's waist and strode towards Chu Miaomiao. With a flash of cold light, the blade pointed directly at her throat, forcing her to raise her head and meet his gaze.
This time, Wei Zhen didn't try to argue with her. He just said coldly, "Go."
"We're all going to die anyway." Chu Miaomiao still refused to look at him, closing her eyes slightly and saying calmly, "Your Highness, it doesn't matter if you take action now."
This attitude completely infuriated Wei Zhen. He threw his sword to the ground and grabbed Chu Miaomiao's wrist. No matter how she struggled, she couldn't break free.
The others watched this scene in horror. It was not until Chu Miaomiao was led out of the ancestral hall that Princess Chu woke up from her dream and tried to chase after her: "Miaomiao!"
The guards put their halberds in front of her and shouted, "Back off!"
In order to facilitate the guarding of prisoners and the handling of official business, Wei Zhen temporarily used the Chu Palace as the central military tent. He had lived in the Chu Palace for a period of time and was relatively familiar with the palace. He soon took Chu Miaomiao back to her own courtyard.
Wei Zhen ruthlessly threw her into the room, then closed the door and turned around to look directly at Chu Miaomiao.
Chu Miaomiao was naturally no match for Wei Zhen in terms of strength, and she nearly fell to the ground. Just as she was holding onto the table to steady herself, she saw Wei Zhen looking down at her.
She quickly lowered her head, avoiding his gaze.
"Princess, we're meeting again, don't you have anything to say?"
"You can kill me or chop me up as you please. I have nothing to say."
Wei Zhen laughed instead of getting angry, and even applauded her: "The princess treats life and death as nothing. I admire your magnanimity."
Wei Zhen's tone was sinister, completely different from his usual noble demeanor. Today he seemed like a completely different person.
Every time he took a step forward, Chu Miaomiao took a step back, until he forced Chu Miaomiao back to the wall, where she had no escape.
Wei Zhen leaned over and whispered in her ear, almost inaudibly, "But in this world, between life and death, there is another situation."
The warm breath sprayed on Chu Miaomiao's ears, making her want to turn sideways and escape. But Wei Zhen didn't give her any chance at all. He tightly grasped her left arm and pressed her back to the wall, forcing her to endure the discomfort he brought her.
There was no space between them anymore; they were pressed tightly together.
"Let go...of me."
The wound on Chu Miaomiao's left arm had not yet healed completely, and the pain from such force made her frown.
In the past, Wei Zhen would never have been willing to treat Chu Miaomiao this way. However, things were different now. When he received the ink seal, all that remained in his heart was anger and resentment.
She was just feeling physically unwell, but she cut into his heart again and again, not caring whether he felt pain or not.
Wei Zhen not only chose to ignore it, he even used a little more force, causing Chu Miaomiao to gasp in pain.
He still leaned over to Chu Miaomiao's ear, as if whispering to a lover, but every word he said pierced her heart: "The other situation between life and death is that life is worse than death."
Wei Zhen deliberately spoke the four words "life is worse than death" very slowly and heavily, with a strong sense of intimidation in his tone.
"A heroine like the princess wouldn't be afraid, would she?"
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