Three days from now, the morning court session, which is held every three days, will take place today.
As dawn broke, the streets were covered in snow. The common people were still asleep, but the officials were already waiting outside the palace to attend the morning court session.
"Attend court!"
The palace gates opened, and the princes and ministers entered in neat rows, each with a very serious expression on their face.
The affair at Qinian Palace had already been widely discussed in private. The downfall of Lao Ai made his followers feel uneasy, while those who had been bullied or looked down on by Lao Ai were overjoyed and were just waiting to see the show.
Upon entering Zhangtai Palace, the civil and military officials took their places and awaited Ying Zheng's arrival.
A short while later.
Ying Zheng, wearing a twelve-tassel crown, a black royal robe, and a crimson lower garment, strode in with the aura of a dragon and the gait of a tiger, his royal presence surging far beyond what he had shown before.
"Your Majesty, we pay our respects!" All the officials bowed in unison.
"No need for formalities!"
Ying Zheng flicked his sleeves, sat down before the table, and asked in a loud voice, "Are there any matters to report at this morning's court?"
The officials remained silent. Even those who wanted to speak up were deterred by the piercing gazes of their colleagues.
Everyone was waiting to see if Ying Zheng would openly discuss the matter of Lao Ai.
Seeing that no one stepped forward, Ying Zheng did not disappoint them and said in a deep voice, "Since there is nothing else, I have something to tell you all."
It's here!
Everyone's hearts jolted, knowing that the main event was about to begin, and they all became extremely alert.
"You wicked husband!"
Upon hearing Ying Zheng call his name, the wicked man stepped forward, stood at the bottom of the steps, and loudly proclaimed, "Lao Ai has wreaked havoc on the court and launched a coup at Qinian Palace, attempting to assassinate Your Majesty."
Upon hearing this, the atmosphere in the hall became tense and oppressive.
Those who were close to Lao Ai's henchmen trembled like leaves, their faces covered in cold sweat as if they had been caught in the rain.
"Bring the condemned Lao Ai into the palace!"
As soon as the wicked husband finished speaking, two burly soldiers in black armor, dressed in the Black Dragon Armor Army, entered the hall. Lao Ai, who was being carried, was like a dead dog.
To prevent him from talking nonsense, the wicked husband had already sent the imperial physician to cut off his tongue, so that his wide-open mouth could only make hissing sounds.
The wicked man's murderous gaze swept across the officials present, and then he shouted sternly: "Lao Ai, as a subject, has committed insubordination, relying on the Empress Dowager's favor to act arrogantly and domineeringly. He even considers himself the king's adoptive father. This is a grave crime of disrespect."
"Lao Ai, together with 50,000 troops from Yongcheng, plotted a rebellion and besieged Qinian Palace. The Black Dragon Armored Army suppressed the rebels and killed 50,000 rebels."
"......"
The wicked man paused for a moment, then his voice boomed like thunder in the hall, “According to the law, Lao Ai should be executed for all his crimes, and his accomplices and retainers should all be killed.”
The murderous words echoed in the quiet, empty hall, lingering for a long time. Many who were already feeling guilty were terrified and collapsed to the ground, their faces ashen.
"Guards, bring the instruments of torture!" The wicked man glanced at Lü Buwei, who was trying to appear calm, and said with a smile, "His Majesty has ordered that, in order to warn the ministers, I will personally administer the most severe punishment to Lao Ai."
"Clang, clang..."
The sound of instruments of torture clashing rang out, making the officials in the hall feel as if they were in the eighteenth level of hell, their hair standing on end, all looking at the wicked husband with terrified eyes.
As news of the villain's achievements and methods during the suppression of the Jinyang rebellion spread, who doesn't know that this guy is a living, breathing killer?
If this falls into his hands, Lao Ai's fate will likely be extremely tragic!
At this moment, several Black Dragon Armored Soldiers entered the hall carrying instruments of torture, and laid them out one by one in front of everyone.
"What the hell is all this?!"
"I don't know, I've never seen it before!"
"Why did they bring the wheels as well?"
The officials looked at the instruments of torture they had never seen before in the hands of the Black Dragon Armor Army, whispering among themselves, their curiosity dispelling the fear in their hearts.
"Damn it, our people really love watching a good show, it's true what they say, it's been around since ancient times!"
The wicked man was somewhat speechless. Seeing the scene getting a bit noisy, he laughed and said, "You ministers may not know this, but Lao Ai possesses a unique skill that we men dream of!"
"ah?"
"What kind of special skill?"
These words successfully piqued the curiosity of the officials, who all looked at Lao Ai with wide eyes, but they could hardly discern what special skills he possessed, or even the skills they had long coveted.
The wicked man stared directly at the somewhat guilty Lü Buwei and laughed, "I wonder if any of you gentlemen have ever heard of the art of turning the wheel?"
"The Wheel of Reincarnation Technique, what is that?"
Even veteran generals like Huan Yi became curious, each one wishing they could strangle the wicked husband who was keeping them in suspense.
Wang Jian said angrily, "You brat, can't you just say it all at once?!"
"Alright, let the performance begin!" The wicked man chuckled and gestured for the Black Dragon Armored Army to start their performance.
Lao Ai, now mute from the poison, was filled with terror. His lifeless eyes pleaded for his wicked husband to spare him. As the person directly involved, he naturally knew what the Wheel of Reincarnation technique was.
Meanwhile, another insider, Lü Buwei, could no longer keep up the act. He looked at the wicked husband and Ying Zheng with a deeply moved expression. Wouldn't this expose the affair between Lao Ai and Zhao Ji to the public?
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Imperial Physician Li Xi, carrying a medicine chest, slowly walked into the hall. He raised his hand and bowed to Ying Zheng on the high platform, then opened the medicine chest and took out a medicine jar.
"Mmm...."
Lao Ai struggled frantically, but he was completely controlled by the Black Dragon Armor Army and could not escape the large pill that Li Xi stuffed into his mouth.
Li Xi cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, General, this pill is my secret recipe. It is potent and fast-acting. Please wait patiently for a hundred breaths."
All eyes were fixed on Lao Ai, even his accomplices disregarded their fear and wanted to see what the wicked husband was up to.
A short while later, the hundred breaths had passed.
Lao Ai's face flushed crimson, his eyes glazed over, and he twisted his body uneasily, his legs tightly clamped together, yet he still couldn't escape the venomous eyes of everyone present.
"Good heavens, how come I've never heard of such a miraculous medicine before?" A group of elderly ministers looked at Li Xi with burning eyes, plotting how to try it out without letting anyone know.
Seeing that the time was ripe, the black-armored soldier holding the wheel immediately stepped forward and put the large wooden wheel on.
"hiss...."
"Lao Ai... he's truly a god-like figure; I am no match for him!"
The scene before them was visually stunning, leaving everyone present amazed and prompting them to repeatedly express their admiration and sense of inferiority.
The wicked man's smile turned vicious, and he shouted, "Everyone, take a good look at this, and be sure to be careful with your words and actions in the future."
The drug that Li Xi had researched was indeed potent, and its effects lasted for nearly half an hour. After the wheels rolled to the ground, Lao Ai's eyes regained their clarity.
"Ugh... Waaaaah..."
Lao Ai, who had become mute, sobbed and mumbled something incoherently, but judging from the crazed expression on his face, it was not a pleasant thing to say.
The wicked man strode forward, as if he had transformed into Rong Momo, and took the sticks handed to him by the black-armored soldiers beside him, slowly piercing them one by one into Lao Ai's fingernails.
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