Zhu Yourong's rebuttal and rebuke shocked the whole audience.
She was a gentle and elegant female teacher in the academy. She lived a simple and peaceful life and lived a casual and elegant life.
She is the kind of female teacher who will patiently listen to any questions asked by students, smiling and answering in a gentle voice. She is liked by most students, and they tend to subconsciously feel that they are the one valued by Mr. Zhu, the most special one, and they are eager to get close to her, although the fact may not be so...
However, from this point we can roughly understand why Zhao Rong was disliked by many male students in the school and academy before.
Because since Zhao Rong came to the school, they suddenly discovered that they were not the most special one in Mr. Zhu’s calligraphy class.
It’s like when you were a student, you sat in the audience and watched a classmate go up to the stage and ask the teacher questions, and in the end the teacher asked him questions and they interacted closely…
But saying this does not mean that Zhu Yourong is easy to talk to or bully, it's just because she is not serious yet.
And at this time.
Mr. Zhu was serious.
She refused to give in and looked directly at Li Wangque who was being held by Dugu Chanyi:
"Your Majesty, do you know what this 'Mr. Zhang' you want to protect did before coming to this celebration? This demon is always doing evil things. He didn't contribute to the Fengshan ceremony at all, but now he comes to join in the fun."
The once gentle and elegant female teacher in the academy has now turned into a strict teacher. Even the powerful emperor at the foot of the mountain has to listen to her instructions and be beaten by the teacher.
Zhu Yourong pointed at Zhang Huizhi and said, "Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager, do you know where Mr. Zhao Ziyu, who worked so hard to organize the Fengshan Ceremony for you, is now?"
Li Wangque and Dugu Chanyi stared at each other in shock, "Sir, are you saying..."
Zhu Yourong swung his sleeves, stood with his hands behind his back, stared at Zhang Hui and said word by word: "It was this evil beast who colluded with the thieves and tricked Zi Yu, who trusted him, into his residence under the pretext of drinking. Zi Yu happily went to the party with Miss Qian'er, but was attacked by the old thieves who had ambushed them in advance. They were caught off guard and were in danger..."
The woman took a deep breath and her voice became even colder:
"At the critical moment, Ziyu helped Miss Qian'er escape, but he...he himself was trapped in a desperate situation...his whereabouts are still unknown. Now you know why Miss Lingfei and Miss Qian'er came to this beast in a threatening manner to 'demand' their husbands."
"I...I..." Zhang Huizhi's lips moved.
Zhu Yourong looked at Zhang Huizhi and said righteously, "What do you mean by 'you'? How dare you stand here and celebrate the Fengshan ceremony that Ziyu has worked so hard to organize? You are such a mean person, so shameless and vulgar, are you worthy of reading the books of sages? I am ashamed to be a Confucian scholar with you! Take off the Confucian robe of a sage's disciple! Don't pollute my eyes again!"
The more she spoke, the harder it became to suppress her emotions. She raised her jade hand, waved it angrily, and slapped Zhang Huizhi across the air.
The latter had no power to fight back and spun dozens of times in the air before falling heavily to the ground.
The Confucian robe and headscarf on his body were blown into rags by the "Quick Wind" beside Zhu Yourong.
He was lying on the ground, with disheveled hair, half of his face swollen, his mouth full of blood, broken teeth all over the floor, and the only white undershirt left on his body was also extremely dirty.
He no longer has the neat, clean and rigorous image of a Confucian scholar.
The whole audience was silent.
After hearing Mr. Zhu's powerful words and Zhang Huizhi's guilty expression, everyone fell silent.
I finally understood the cause of everything that happened today.
Some people were suddenly enlightened, some were indifferent, some were relieved, some were incredulous, and some had complicated expressions.
Li Wangque suddenly felt the strength of the arm that was holding his waist loosen, and he pushed it away, but at this moment he no longer cared about his mother's reaction.
The young emperor of Dali turned his head in shock and looked at Zhang Huizhi who was trying to get up.
He broke the silence and said seriously, "Zhang... Yushi, is what this academy teacher said true? You... betrayed Mr. Zhao who trusted you?"
Zhang Huizhi covered his swollen face with his hands, and explained with fear and hope: "Your Majesty, it is not like that. I...I am here for the sake of the country..."
"Zhang Yushi! Zhang Huizhi!" Li Wangque raised his head and interrupted, shouting, "I want to ask you, where is my Mr. Zhao?"
"Your Majesty...the country...the country of Dali..." Zhang Huizhi was so anxious that his blood boiled. His face, which was already swollen like a pig's head, turned red like a freshly taken out pig's liver.
Unfortunately, Li Wangque had no intention of listening to his explanation. The young man had already learned the truth that he had never believed before.
"Mr. Zhao...Mr. Zhao..."
Li Wangque took a few unsteady steps back, as if he was weighed down by the golden imperial crown on his head and was unable to raise his head or straighten his back.
Before the big ceremony in the morning, when Mr. Zhao put it on him with a smile, he clearly said with confidence that the crown was not heavy.
The young man in dragon robe looked around, muttering stupidly: "Sir, where are you... Come back, come back soon..."
Zhang Huizhi's body froze in place, staring blankly at Li Wangque, who was trying to find a certain gentleman's reaction. He was stunned and opened his mouth.
He remembered the young man who had questioned him about the 'imperial way, the kingly way, the domineering way and the powerful way' in the imperial study... Didn't His Majesty always tell him that the country of Dali should be put first...
But I don’t know when it started… It should be when that person came to Hanjing, the Queen Mother led the princes, officials and 100,000 citizens out of the city to welcome him, and the young emperor went to lead the horse for that person with a look of ignorant admiration… From that time on, Li Wangque would always suddenly mention a certain Mr. Zhao when discussing with him, always… Mr. Zhao said… Mr. Zhao said…
Zhang Huizhi admitted that he was somewhat envious of Zhao Rong.
But... in the eyes of His Majesty, isn't the entire Dali country less important than a foreign gentleman... Even though things have now revealed that he has been defeated miserably, he will accept his fate and punishment, but everything he, Zhang Huizhi, has done is for the Dali country.
To exchange a foreign Confucian scholar who was destined to leave for the prosperity of Dali... Your Majesty and the Queen, don't you believe or understand his painstaking efforts?
In the center of the platform, Zhang Huizhi knelt on the ground with weak knees and slowly lowered his head. The remaining light in his eyes gradually went out along with the blood-red sunset.
Compared with the current embarrassment, the pain all over the body, the burning pig-like face, and the gazes from all sides that stung his dignity... Compared with these, Zhang Huizhi felt that the most desperate and despairing thing was that something called faith and ideals in his heart were dying.
At this moment, everyone on and off the stage watched Zhang Huizhi coldly.
At this moment, an unexpected figure suddenly walked out from beside Li Wangque, who was raising his hand to wipe the corner of his eyes.
Dugu Chanyi ignored her skirt that was dragging on the ground, strode back to the center of the platform, expressionless, and raised her jade hand.
This slender, well-maintained hand is covered with a wide cuff of fabric.
“Bang!”
A slap that was still crisp and powerful even through the cloth of the cuffs.
Dugu Chanyi slammed the left cheek of the kneeling scholar in front of him. The latter let out a howl and fell to the ground again, covering his face and coughing up blood wildly.
Dugu Chanyi looked coldly at Zhang Huizhi, who was curled up on the ground like a weak shrimp, and tore off the right sleeve of his dress and threw it on the ground beside him with hatred.
"Traitor. A disgrace to the world."
She originally thought that this conflict might be a misunderstanding, and that Zhao Ziyu might have been delayed due to other things and did not return in time, which led to Zhao Qianer, Zhao Lingfei and others coming to look for him.
Or maybe Zhao Rong deliberately left his wives and concubines at home and went to other places in Lidi to look for beautiful women. It was understandable that he relaxed after the Fengshan ceremony. Not all men are like this. How can home flowers be as fragrant as wild flowers? Besides, Lidi was also rich in beauties, so it was normal for a man to be unable to control himself.
However, what Dugu Chanyi had never expected was that Zhang Huizhi actually dared to collude with external forces to set a trap for Zhao Rong!
Not to mention whether his behavior would implicate Dali and offend the relevant forces of Linlu Academy and Duyou City.
Let’s just talk about Dugu Chanyi as an individual.
It was true that she had been hoping that Zhao Ziyu would leave Dali as soon as possible, but Dugu Chanyi only "avoided" him, not "hated" him.
She knew in her heart that Zhao Ziyu was the savior of this orphan and widow.
However, Dugu Chanyi had complicated emotions towards this young Confucian scholar who seemed greedy, lustful and hypocritical, but she couldn't tell what they were.
Maybe the two of them knew what happened in the Guanghan Palace bath that day, and they had a common secret, so they were embarrassed to meet each other...
However, whenever she heard Que'er mention "Mr. Zhao" from time to time, Dugu Chanyi felt a headache and unhappy.
Why do I feel like... a child is urging me to do something?
No matter what, at least Dugu Chanyi acquiesced and thanked Zhao Rong for his great help in the Fengshan ceremony, even though he might have helped out of Li Wangque's consideration.
So now facing the betrayer, President Zhang, she felt both ashamed and angry.
"Zhang Huizhi!" Dugu Chanyi asked coldly, "How dare you!?"
After she finished speaking, she took a deep breath, and without waiting for Zhang Huizhi's reaction, she turned around and announced: "From now on, this shameful traitor is no longer a member of the Li Court. All positions including that of the Dali Censor will be removed. No descendants of the family will ever be employed. All family members within the fifth degree of mourning can be expelled from the country..."
Dugu Chanyi's thundering and severe punishment directly sentenced Zhang Huizhi and his family's official career to an end.
Zhang Huizhi's wife and children cried and wailed, but it was of no use. They were stopped by Xianyue Li Nu, a subordinate of Mu Jin, who forbade them to approach Zhang Huizhi.
No civil or military officials in the audience had any objection and they all responded in agreement.
"As for how to deal with this shameful traitor..." Dugu Chanyi said this and turned to look at Zhao Lingfei, Zhu Yourong and other women who had been watching coldly.
She paid her respects to the Queen Mother Dali and apologized sincerely:
"...I failed to manage my subordinates well, and caused Mr. Zhao, my great benefactor, to die right under my nose. It was all my fault, and I regret that I cannot do it again... My Lords, you can do whatever you want with this traitor. If there is anything that Your Majesty and I can do to help with the search and rescue of Mr. Zhao, please let me know! So that we can make up for our mistakes."
Concubine Zhao Lingfei, Zhao Qianer and Li Bai remained silent and looked at her.
Only Zhu Yourong nodded slightly under the woman's sincere gaze.
Dugu Chanyi sighed softly, turned around immediately, no longer looking at the miserable Zhang Huizhi on the ground, and directly walked off the stage holding the hand of the distraught little emperor.
"Your Majesty... Your Majesty..." Zhang Huizhi, who was lying on the ground, tried hard to raise his head, coughing up blood and crawling towards the departing backs of Dugu Chanyi and Li Wangque.
However, the two men did not even turn their heads. The ministers below the stage looked at Zhang Huizhi with cold disgust and turned their eyes away, avoiding him as if he were a plague god.
Also including...the old censor who came forward first.
"Old Censor Cheng." Zhu Yourong suddenly said to the old man in the audience.
Being called by the female teacher of the academy, the old man, who was also a Confucian scholar, had to reply. He stopped respectfully, bowed and replied, "I am here."
"Are you familiar with the Dali Code?"
The old censor bent his back even more, "Yes."
Zhu Yourong did not look at him in the audience, but put his hands behind his back, looked down at Zhang Huizhi, and said calmly: "If I remember correctly, Ziyu still resigned from his post and left the court. According to the laws of your dynasty, how should those who persecute and betray their colleagues in the officialdom and deliberately kill people be dealt with?"
The old censor took one last look at his former colleagues on the stage, closed his eyes for a breath, then opened them and nodded:
"Lingchi."
The old man's voice was extremely cold.
Zhang Huizhi's body began to tremble.
The old censor spat at Zhang Huizhi fiercely, feeling ashamed for having just stood up for this traitor.
The old censor covered his face and retreated.
Zhang Huizhi had stopped crawling forward. He lay on the ground beside the feet of Zhu Yourong, Zhao Lingfei and others, his eyes dead.
Zhao Qian'er followed the young lady and watched indifferently all the things that happened in a short period of time.
She glanced at Zhang Huizhi's numb and dull expression, and somewhat understood Mr. Zhu's behavior and the young lady's voice transmission just now, and answered.
Zhao Qian'er was a little impatient with the nagging of Dugu Chanyi and others, so she sent a message to Zhao Lingfei, urging them to quickly "interrogate" Zhang Huizhi and not waste any more time.
Although the young lady had silently sent a message to her before, saying that Mr. Bai had also arrived, although he had not shown his true self, he was searching for Brother Rong'er all the time, and would inform them as soon as there was any news.
But Xiao Qian'er still had no patience. Every time she let this traitor and scum live longer, she felt more guilty towards Brother Rong'er.
However, the lady still stopped her and chose to continue cooperating with Mr. Zhu.
Thinking of this, Zhao Qian'er glanced at the lady in front of her who was calmly looking down at the man on the ground...
Concubine Zhao Lingfei: "One afternoon, during a nap, Brother Rong'er rested his head on my legs and chatted. I suddenly had an idea and asked him if, like in every storybook, childhood sweethearts would eventually leave their childhood sweethearts, such as transferring their affections to the one who fell in love with them. Brother Rong'er pretended to be angry and flicked my forehead, but then he smiled and said to me... First, rule out the possibility of this mistake, and then he mentioned death...
"Brother Rong Er said that there are three kinds of death for a person: social death, ideal death, and physical death.
“When almost everyone spurns or forgets a person, he is socially dead; when the beliefs and ideals he holds fast in his heart are shattered, he is ideally dead; and when he stops breathing and his body loses the last bit of heat, he is physically dead.
“Most of the time when people in the world talk about death, they are referring to the third kind of death.
"However, for some people, social death and ideal death are more painful than physical death, and this is also the meaning of a person's existence..."
The young lady paused for a moment before she said softly, "Brother Rong'er said that if there ever comes a day when he passes away, as long as you and I live well for him and don't forget him, then he will always be by our side."
At this moment, Zhao Qian'er tried to hold back the words that flashed through her mind again. She lowered her head and pursed her lips.
Concubine Zhao Ling, who had been quiet the whole time, nodded to Zhu Yourong, who had completely forced Zhang Huizhi to death.
She raised her steps and walked towards Zhang Huizhi.
This tall woman had a purple sword on her shoulder, and purple air surrounded her body. She looked coldly at the miserable scholar who was abandoned by everyone and died of his ideals on the ground:
"You still have one small chance."
Xiao Qian'er picked up a stinging thunder and walked tacitly to the side of Zhang Huizhi's wife and children, looking at him coldly.
He will definitely die, but there is a slight chance that he will not be completely "dead". For example, he will leave behind two close relatives who can remember him, but the latter two will definitely not have the opportunity to turn over and take revenge.
Zhang Huizhi nodded numbly like a walking corpse. He lowered his head and took out a well-maintained Siqi scholar jade disk.
In addition to being a symbol of scholar's status, it is also an exquisite Sumeru object.
Zhang Huizhi took out an object from the jade disk and placed it silently on the ground in front of him.
This is an arm belonging to a man.
On the platform, the air suddenly froze.
Solidification in the true sense.
When they saw the broken arm for the first time, Zhao Lingfei, Zhu Yourong and Zhao Qianer trembled all over.
The water vapor in the air around them condensed into ice.
Even Zhao Lingfei and Zhu Yourong, who were usually calm, could no longer hold back when they saw his broken arm.
Without waiting for Zhang Huizhi to explain, the three women stepped forward and came to his side.
The small purple sword on Zhao Lingfei's shoulder shook, and a circle of purple mist expanded, covering the three women and Zhang Huizhi who was kneeling on the ground.
The people in the audience looked at each other in bewilderment, as they had lost their view of the stage.
But the next second.
“Aaaaaaaa——!”
A cruel roar belonging to Zhang Huizhi came from the purple mist in the center of the platform!
The purple mist did not cause the slightest ripple.
"Noisy." Zhao Lingfei's calm voice came.
A terrifying murderous intent was suppressed in the calmness.
The woman's voice seemed to have power in this small world constructed by purple air. The next second, the purple mist rolled, and Zhang Huizhi's howling disappeared.
It's like... the sound has been blocked.
"Miss."
Xiao Qian'er's voice was heard in the purple mist where the situation could not be seen clearly.
"Brother Rong'er's whereabouts are important. Don't let him die first. Kill him... Let Qian'er come later."
She said softly.
Zhao Lingfei: "Yes."
Soon, the purple mist fell into silence again. Except for Zhang Hui, even the voices of the three women were no longer heard.
The people in the audience were extremely curious, but they had no choice but to wait patiently.
About half a cup of tea passed.
In the center of the platform, the purple mist that had been calm all along suddenly began to stir.
Purple air is swirling.
Three female figures walked out one after another. Zhang Huizhi was nowhere to be seen. He was still in the purple air behind him.
Three women, with three arms, came out temporarily.
That's right, three arms.
There were three women, each holding a man's arm.
Zhao Lingfei and Zhu Yourong, who were walking in the front, came out and threw their bloody arms with bones and veins on the ground like garbage.
Xiao Qian'er, who was following behind them, was holding Zhao Rong's broken arm carefully in her small hands. The girl had her head buried and her expression could not be seen clearly.
Only then could the faint sound of someone's weak and painful breathing be heard from the purple mist behind her...
At this moment, Xiao Qian'er tilted her head slightly, staring at the extremely familiar arm in her hand. She would have to go into the purple mist again later, because... she had already asked the young lady and Mr. Zhu for "the remaining Zhang Huizhi".
But right now, the most important thing is to find Brother Rong'er.