Chapter 647 How dare she!
Seeing that Jiang Nuanzhi didn't take him seriously and didn't even look at him directly, Jiang Ren's forehead veins throbbed twice. He looked at the Emperor and said, "Your Majesty, I request permission to go to the General's Mansion to welcome the Princess back."
The next second, she squinted at Jiang Nuanzhi in front of her and asked, "Why isn't Madam Li saying anything? Is there something you're unhappy about?"
"How utterly insolent!" Wang Lang, the Minister of Revenue, looked displeased. He sized up Jiang Nuanzhi before him, then scoffed contemptuously, "Ignorant woman, do you think this court is your private quarters? Trying to act childish here! Don't you even know what kind of occasion this is!"
As he spoke, he raised his voice, his face contorted with arrogance, and said, “Your Majesty, General Li Rong has just obtained the Tiger Tally and gained military power. Yet his wife dares to defy imperial authority in the court. How arrogant! It seems that the two of them have forgotten that they were once traitors who colluded with the enemy. In my humble opinion, these two must have rebellious intentions and should be executed without mercy. Now, I implore Your Majesty to allow Li Rong to return to the capital before punishing him.”
As he said this, he gave Jiang Nuanzhi a cold glance, his eyes still holding a hint of resentment.
In fact, as soon as he said this, the expressions of the people around him changed immediately.
The ministers looked at each other, their eyes filled with shock. In fact, Wang Lang was not the only one who wanted Li Rong dead.
When the Li family fell into ruin, with Xiao Yuanshan in power, who didn't take advantage of their misfortune?
Now that Li Rong has been reinstated and is the Crown Prince's tutor, it's clear that his wife and the Crown Prince are quite close. With the Emperor unwell, who can guarantee that Li Rong and his wife won't seek revenge after the Crown Prince ascends the throne?
You must understand, these two are not some old and decrepit ministers; they are both in their prime! If they were oppressed, it could have lasted for years.
However, Li Rong has just led his troops out to war, and the deafening cheers of the people can still be heard outside. Yesterday, the war songs in the military camp were so loud they made one's scalp tingle. Today, Wang Lang dares to so openly cause trouble in front of the Emperor. This is indeed somewhat like discarding a used tool after it has served its purpose, and it is far too ugly. It is truly inappropriate.
Even so, no one stepped forward to stop him. Even the old ministers who had spoken up for Li Rong earlier just frowned and looked at the emperor's attitude with barely perceptible eyes.
The surrounding atmosphere was subtly pushed into an eerie silence.
The emperor on the city wall lowered his eyes and looked down at the woman who stood alone among his ministers in the distance.
Her flawless face remained expressionless, her eyes lowered slightly, her fingertips casually stroking the tassel of the dagger at her waist. Suddenly, a faint smile appeared on her lips, as if she hadn't heard a sound around her. Surprisingly, this petite woman, standing opposite a court full of civil and military officials, displayed an aura that was in no way weak.
The pale-faced emperor raised an eyebrow, then chuckled softly and asked in a gentle voice, "Physician Jiang, what do you think?"
Jiang Nuanzhi slowly raised her head, her clear eyes reflecting the faces of the crowd—some disdainful, some contemptuous, some indifferent, and of course, most just watching the show. Finally, her gaze settled on Lord Wang Lang, who was not far away.
Before she could even speak, Wang Lang sneered again: "Ignorant woman, don't try to argue. Li Rong is a traitor, and his wife and children should be imprisoned... It's only because the Emperor is merciful that you're in the court now. Why don't you just pfft it?"
Suddenly, a voice that startled everyone rang in their ears.
The gleaming dagger plunged into Wang Lang's chest with a soft thud.
The sound of the dagger piercing flesh was as light as the wind rustling through cloth. Wang Lang's words caught in his throat, his eyes wide open. He looked down at his bleeding heart, then looked up at the unbelievably beautiful face in front of him.
"Insolence! Protect the Emperor!"
The sounds of swords being drawn from their sheaths echoed throughout the palace. The emperor's guards watched Jiang Nuanzhi warily, their swords all pointed at her. Everyone around her stared at Jiang Nuanzhi in shock.
Despite the threat of weapons, Jiang Nuanzhi still wore a smile. Her dark hair danced in the biting wind, and snowflakes brushed against her face, clinging to her long eyelashes. Before her, blood streamed down Wang Lang's chest from the blade of a dagger, soaking her sleeves.
Jiang Nuanzhi twisted her wrist slightly, and when the dagger was pulled out, blood splattered onto a large part of her skirt. She pushed the fat man in front of her away as if he were a piece of trash.
Wang Lang, who had just been shouting, lay in a pool of blood like a rag doll, and the stench of blood instantly spread around him.
Wang Lang's eyes were still wide open. The last image in his mind was the fair, delicate hand on his chest, the fingertips of which were even faintly red from gripping the dagger tightly.
He was still bewildered that he, a proud and upright man, had died at the hands of a woman he had always looked down upon.
"What are you waiting for? Seize this vixen!" Jiang Ren, still shocked, looked at Jiang Nuanzhi with a complex expression as she killed with ease. Her pale face was stained with blood, a striking blend of beauty and malevolence. For a moment, his heart pounded.
He was a high-ranking official in the Court of Judicial Review, and he had handled countless cases throughout his life. Yet, for a moment, he felt uneasy about the woman who had taken the lives of others.
How could she do this?
She would actually do that!
"Let's see who dares!" Jiang Nuanzhi's cool eyes swept over the crowd. She raised her hand and slowly wiped the blood off the dagger with a handkerchief. Her voice was not loud, but every word was clear: "I am the wife of the God of War, Li Rong. Now I am purging the traitors who are sowing discord between the emperor and his subjects, and I am sharing the burden with my lord!"
In an instant, Jiang Nuanzhi stood facing the crowd. At this moment, four figures in black suddenly appeared beside her, like four mountains. Just by standing there, they exuded a sense of oppression and were definitely not to be underestimated.
Jiang Nuanzhi looked at the people around her; now they were probably all able to listen to her properly.
She nodded slightly and bowed to the emperor before her: "Your Majesty, I acted impulsively, and I admit my mistake. This Minister Wang intended to sow discord between the emperor and his ministers. In these extraordinary times, the court and the country are in turmoil. The God of War, Li Rong, has been entrusted with a perilous mission to fight on the frontier for the sake of the emperor, the country, and the people! No one is allowed to question his identity! The relationship between the emperor and his ministers cannot be broken down by such petty words. Otherwise, wouldn't the people of the world say that Your Majesty has crossed the river and burned the bridge, and is ungrateful?"
The city walls fell silent in the blink of an eye, with only the sound of wind and snow howling.
"You...you're being insolent! You're just spouting nonsense!" One of the young officials pointed at Jiang Nuanzhi in disbelief and said, "You dare to enter and leave the palace with secret guards and daggers, and you even dare to openly kill court officials. Do you really intend to rebel?"
The speaker was the young official who had previously expressed shame in court about sharing a room with a woman. Now, standing opposite Jiang Nuanzhi, he looked utterly incredulous, seemingly unable to believe that a woman would dare to kill a high-ranking official in court.
(End of this chapter)
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