Chapter 11 Late-Night Chat
"Your mother isn't really going to be executed, is she?"
Master Cui looked worried and asked.
No matter what, Madam Cui was his wife of several decades; his death would surely sadden him.
"No, with Yao'er here, as long as Yao'er doesn't hold it against us, there's a possibility that this matter will be dealt with leniently."
"Yao'er is kind-hearted and will definitely not let Mother be sentenced to death, Father. Don't worry."
Cui Yunzhou answered with great certainty.
...
Outside the Ministry of Justice prison, Ming Shendu looked up at the twilight sky, his expression gloomy, a burning anger that he could not vent raging within him.
He recalled that when his father was falsely accused of treason, and when he and his clansmen were all imprisoned, not a single person who had been on good terms with the Ming family offered them a helping hand, even though they knew the Ming family had been framed.
At that time, he was truly in dire straits, with no one to turn to for help. One day, he was suddenly released, and His Majesty granted him special permission to investigate the case and clear the name of the Ming family.
He did not disappoint the Emperor's favor; he found evidence that the Ming family had been framed and cleared their name.
Later, he conducted an investigation.
It was only then that they learned that the turning point was when the princess spoke to the Crown Prince in his presence, asking why he wasn't given a chance. She had heard that he had been exceptionally intelligent since childhood, and if he was convicted without a proper investigation, wouldn't the Great Wei Kingdom lose a talented ruler?
After learning about this, he was filled with gratitude towards her and longed to meet her in person to thank her. However, he never expected that the first time he would meet her would be at her wedding.
At that time, her smile was more beautiful than that of a celestial being.
My father told me that he was also on her shortlist of potential husbands, but in the end, she didn't choose him.
He even felt inferior because of this, thinking that he wasn't good-looking enough, which was why she didn't choose him.
And now, such a good person as her is being verbally abused and brazenly slandered by an illiterate woman simply because she cannot have children.
If he hadn't been so rational, he would have loved to slit the woman's throat with his own dagger, so she would never be able to utter another word!
Ming Shendu withdrew his gaze from the sky, clenched his fist, turned around, and slammed his fist hard against the brick wall, his voice filled with resentment and unwillingness.
"hateful!"
It's hateful that he couldn't help her vent her anger.
It's hateful that he wasn't powerful enough to control everything. He said he would sentence Madam Cui to death, and Madam Cui's head was cut off at the execution ground.
...
Evening, at the Princess's residence.
Tianyao, dressed in her undergarments, lay on the bed, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep.
Why hasn't Yunzhou returned yet?
Why did it take him so long to get to the Ministry of Justice prison?
Didn't His Majesty say it was just to scare Madam Cui and the others?
If it's just a bluff, then let Madam Cui and the others wander around the prison for a bit, and then release them, right?
Has something gone wrong?
Just then, she heard the sound of the outer room door being pushed open.
Tianyao was overjoyed; it must be Yunzhou who had returned.
She turned to the side, her body facing outwards, her eyes shining, craning her neck to wait for Yunzhou to enter.
"Yao'er, why aren't you asleep yet?"
"Weren't you tired?"
Yunzhou pushed open the door to the inner room and came in. He saw Tianyao's bright eyes under the bright moonlight, and his heart softened. He asked her with concern.
"I can't sleep if you don't come back."
"How is it? Have your mother and the rest of your clan returned to the Cui family?"
Tianyao naturally expressed her extreme dependence on Yunzhou, and then, in a gentle tone, inquired.
Yunzhou paused, his hand still as he took off his outer robe, a look of worry on his face.
“Yao’er, all the members of the Cui family have returned to the Cui family... Only my mother is still in the Ministry of Justice prison.”
"What happened?"
Tianyao simply sat up, tilted her head, and asked with a puzzled look on her face.
Yunzhou hung his outer robe on the rack, walked to the bedside, and placed his hands on Tianyao's shoulders.
"Lie down, and I'll tell you slowly."
"good."
Following Yunzhou's hand, Tianyao lay flat on the bed.
Yunzhou took off his shoes and got into bed. He lay on his side, supporting his head with one hand and holding Tianyao's waist with the other.
"Close your eyes and listen to me."
"good."
Upon hearing this, Tianyao obediently closed her eyes.
"In the afternoon, after I greeted you, my father and I went to the Ministry of Justice prison. But not just anyone can enter the Ministry of Justice prison, so I went to find my colleague, the Minister of Justice, Ming Shendu."
“Ming Shendu? I know him. He’s very smart and good at solving cases.”
Tianyao, with her eyes closed, interjected.
Yao'er knew him after all.
Yun Zhou's eyes flickered, he thought for a moment, and then he nodded in response.
"Indeed, he is very capable, which is why he was able to rise to the position of Minister of Justice in a very short time."
"Although he is indeed very good, in my heart you are the best. You are not only good-looking, but also very talented and have a good temper. Most importantly, you have risen to the position of Minister of Personnel in a short period of time, which is the head of the six ministries."
Tianyao spoke with great pride, as if she were the one speaking, feeling honored.
Yunzhou smiled with satisfaction. No husband dislikes his wife's sincere praise and admiration.
He paused, then asked tentatively.
"Yao'er, have you had any dealings with him before?"
"Who? Is it Ming Shendu?"
“I have no connection with him! Before I married you, I lived in the palace. I was either in the Crown Prince’s Palace or the Princess’s Palace.”
"After marrying you, I didn't go out much to socialize and stayed in the princess's residence all day."
That's strange.
Yunzhou seemed to be deep in thought.
"What's wrong? Why are you suddenly asking about him? Did something happen?"
Tianyao opened her eyes curiously and asked.
"Something did happen."
"I went to him to ask him to take me to the Ministry of Justice prison, and he agreed. But we had only taken a few steps into the prison when my mother started to say things that were offensive to you."
Yunzhou paused, looked into Tianyao's eyes, and felt a deep sense of guilt.
It was because he failed to discipline his mother that his daughter, Yao'er, was repeatedly slandered by her.
"Yao'er, I'm sorry, I didn't do well enough."
Yunzhou lowered his head, closed his eyes, and gently rubbed his forehead against Tianyao's, his tone very sincere as he apologized.
Tianyao opened her eyes, a faint smile on her face, and gently shook her head.
“It’s not your fault. Even if she’s your mother, you don’t need to take on everything for her.”
“She’s an adult, twenty years older than you. If she does something wrong, she should take responsibility for it herself.”
“I won’t hold a grudge against you, so you don’t need to apologize to me.”
"But you were sad and heartbroken, weren't you?"
There were faint tears glistening in Yunzhou's eyes.
"It's okay, I'm not that fragile. It's just a few words from people. It's not like I've lost a piece of my body, it doesn't hurt."
Tianyao raised her chin and gently kissed Yunzhou's lips, speaking in a voice that was both delicate and firm.
Yunzhou felt his heart melt.
How could his Yao'er be so wonderful? So wonderful that he felt he must have saved all the people in the world in his past life to be so lucky to meet Yao'er in this life.
"So, what did your mother say about me?"
Tianyao blinked, full of curiosity, and asked.
Yun Zhou's body instantly stiffened into stone. How could he possibly utter such a thing...?
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