On her second day back in the Royal Capital, Su Rong spared the Nanchu Queen but at the same ruthlessly executed the Liu’an Prince and all involved in his case. This action caused shockwaves throughout the entire Nanchu court and country.
Even Ye Xiang was taken aback.
Upon hearing the news, Ye Xiang inquired repeatedly, "Did the Princess really order everyone to be killed? Even the children were not spared?"
The messenger confirmed, "Indeed, Your Excellency, everyone was killed. Not a single male was left untouched. As for the women in the royal prison, medical personnel have been dispatched to examine them. If any are found to be pregnant, they too will be subjected to abortion before being exiled."
Ye Xiang gasped and thought to himself, Su Rong was relentless and ruthless. She firmly secured the throne for herself, sending a clear message to the Chu clan that anyone harboring ambition for the throne would share the same fate as the Liu’an Prince.
He dismissively gestured, "Alright, I am aware of it now. You may leave!"
After the messenger had left, Ye Xiang pondered the situation and concluded that there was nothing wrong with having such a princess. The current King was too soft-hearted leading to escalating ambitions in the Royal Family and Nangong Family, which could have cost him his life. It was the princess who saved his family.
With this train of thought, Ye Xiang quickly found peace within himself. Let them die since dying was but a penalty far too lenient for their crime of treason. This would serve as a stern warning to the Chu Royal Family.
Those who did not participate in the Liu’an Prince’s rebellion, or who merely kept a watchful eye on the situation without taking action, would most likely refrain from such actions in the future, staying low key instead.
Upon returning to the palace, Fen Ling and Li He were instructed to bathe, change their clothes, and burn incense to dispel the negative energy before meeting Su Rong and the Nanchu King.
After her lunch, Su Rong stayed at the palace to play chess and digest food with the Nanchu King while waiting for Fen Ling to report back.
Feeling refreshed after his bath, Fen Ling told Su Rong, "Sister, the execution was carried out. The Liu’an Prince was tortured to death at the end."
Su Rong nodded, "Alright, go get some rest!" 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖
Fen Ling shook his head, "I’m neither sleepy nor tired."
Su Rong handed him the chess piece, "Excellent, then you can accompany my Father in the game of chess. I will go and rest."
Fen Ling took the chess piece with a puzzled "Huh?", looking at the Nanchu King.
The Nanchu King chuckled and waved his hand "Let her be, Fen Ling, you come and play with me. I also don’t feel like sleeping this afternoon."
Having just executed the Liu’an Prince, he too was unable to sleep. Despite the Liu’an Prince’s guilt, he couldn’t help but recall their childhood. They were brothers, playmates, they grew up together.
Fen Ling nodded, taking a seat, "Alright, as Your Majesty wishes."
Li He who was standing by thought to himself, Master Feng’s mental state was truly stable. Just as expected from the princess’s personal guard who had been through countless sword fights and had seen bloody battles.
Su Rong intended not to be as busy as Zhou Gu was on his second day in the capital. After dealing with the Queen and the Liu’an Prince, she intended to take rest. After attending the early court session with the Nanchu King tomorrow, it would be uncertain when she would get another day or half a day to rest.
Thus, regardless of the turmoil that she stirred up in the city and the court by executing the Liu’an Prince, she simply went back to bed and quickly fell into a deep sleep.
Upon Ye Guixue’s arrival in the capital, he was hindered by numerous affairs. Therefore, he reported to the Ministry of Personnel early in the morning. Halfway through his busy day, he heard about Su Rong’s imperial edict where she took immediate and ruthless action against Liu’an Prince. He was not surprised at all.
If the princess were a kind-hearted person easy to take advantage of, she wouldn’t have counter-attacked and forced Dawei to surrender, cede territory and pay indemnity.
Although he was unfazed, others were not. Following the event, the entire Ministry of Personnel was shocked. They weren’t upset about the fate of the Liu’an Prince, but were aghast and terrified about possible repercussions. Consequently, they all ran to Ye Guixue to probe for information. Even the Minister of Personnel himself couldn’t remain seated and sought Ye Guixue to find out whether the princess intended to cleanse the court, and if the execution of Liu’an Prince was just the beginning.
Ye Guixue shook his head at the crowd, "The princess prefers to be decisive and avoids keeping matters in suspense. The execution of the Liu’an Prince on her first day back in the capital didn’t indicate her intention to purge the court, but because she felt that the case had been delayed long enough by the King. It was better to resolve it sooner and put it behind us. You all need not worry. The princess isn’t a senseless killer. As long as you’re not involved in treason and intents to overthrow the court, you can continue to serve the court without concerns. The princess is fair in treating her subjects. She rewards the good and punishes the evil, and she won’t be unfair to loyal and capable officials and generals."
Upon hearing his words, the crowd sighed in relief, "That’s good to hear. We were scared to death."
After everyone had left, the Minister of Personnel said to Ye Guixue, "Guixue, you didn’t tell us everything, did you?"
Ye Guixue smiled at the old minister, "In your presence, there are no secrets, Sir. Her move served two purposes - to deter others and to seek revenge for the King and Lord Thursday. The Liu’an Prince once almost killed the King and Lord Thursday. If it were not for the princess’s timely intervention, they wouldn’t have survived. Given this, even if the Liu’an Prince was tortured for ten years until he wished for death, it would have been no more than he deserved."
The Minister of Personnel nodded, "That explains it. It’s only right for the princess to act this way. She earned the respect of others by sending Dawei packing, and after today, nobody would dare to cross her."
He gave Ye Guixue a pat on the shoulder, "If it weren’t for the staffing needs in court, after the princess’s return to the capital, I would have retired myself. A virtuous ruler is hard to come by and Nanchu finally awaits the return of its phoenix. I’m hesitating about my retirement. I’ll hang on for another year. When things become stable and prosperous a year later, you should take up my position."
Upon hearing this, Ye Guixue was taken aback and hastily replied, "My dear Sir, what are you talking about? You’re still vigorous and able to render service to the court for many more years. I was merely promoted to my current position by the King before my departure to Daliang; just half a year ago. Please do not say such things. My qualifications are still not sufficient for your position."
The Minister of Personnel laughed wholeheartedly while patting Ye Guixue’s shoulder, "What are you talking about? It’s all about ability. Don’t be modest. Despite your young age, your judgement, temperament, capability, and achievements are already recognised by everyone. You have paved a bright future for Ye Xiang Residence, thus ensuring peace for the next hundred years. What happened to the Nangong Family and Liu’an Prince? It’s clear for everyone to see."
Seeing that Ye Guixue wanted to say something else, he laughed and waved his hand, "I am getting old. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have left so many things for you to handle upon your return. Hurry and get back to work! I’ve got my own things to handle. The princess will be attending her first imperial court session tomorrow, we must be at our best."
Ye Guixue stopped talking, smiled, nodded, and showed the old minister out of his office.
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