Chapter 316: One Hundred Strike
"That way, you can keep an eye on your father-in-law and prevent him from being retaliated against. What do you think?"
"I absolutely have no such intention! I have lost my memory for nearly two years and don't even know the most basic military training during that time. It's difficult for me to assume the position of general."
"In order to ensure the normal conduct of all military affairs, I implore His Majesty to take back my military power and appoint another virtuous commander!"
The emperor looked at the person kneeling in front of him, and suddenly a mysterious smile appeared on his face.
A person who has no weaknesses, no desires, and doesn't care about anything is very terrifying. Dugu Yu in the past was such a terrifying existence, so the emperor has always been wary of him.
But the more indestructible a person is, the more likely he is to be doomed if he develops a weak spot. He will remove all his armor just to protect that softest spot.
Qin Qingyao is his weak spot!
Now, let alone poking Qin Qingyao, even if the Qin family might be in danger, he would lose his weapons and become panic-stricken.
The more he tried to cover it up, the more the emperor would see how much he protected the Qin family.
In order to prove that he had not formed a clique with the Qin family, he even handed over all his military power and resigned from the position of general to prove their innocence so that the emperor would not be suspicious of the Qin family.
As the King of Wuling and the God of War General of Zhaoling State, everything he has today was fought for on the battlefield. It goes without saying how important military power is to him.
But the emperor only tested him slightly, and he surrendered immediately, without even the slightest hesitation, and handed over everything he had.
The emperor's smile gradually widened, and he became more and more satisfied with Dugu Yuzhen. For such a capable man with leverage in his hands, not only would he not take back his military power, but he would entrust him with even more important tasks!
Because from now on, we won’t have to worry about him becoming too powerful and out of control. If we really can’t control him, we won’t be able to deal with Qin Qingyao either!
"My dear minister, you are too kind. If I were to expel a military genius like you, who is rare in a century, from the court, wouldn't I become a tyrant, a despicable ruler forever infamous? You don't want to put me in such an embarrassing situation, do you?"
"I dare not!"
"Speaking of which, you previously allocated 50,000 troops to guard Jiayi Pass, and your troops haven't been replenished yet. How about I increase the conscription quota for your Northwest Camp by 50,000 next spring?"
Dugu Yu was bewildered. When had he mobilized 50,000 troops? Was it his men who were guarding Jiayi Pass now?
Emperor, "What's with that expression on your face? How long has it been since you last cared about military affairs? I only allow you to rest at home and not attend court, but I didn't say you can retire and return home now!"
Dugu Yu bowed his head respectfully and said, "This minister deserves to die!"
"Alright! There's no need to mention the matter of returning military power. I'm not that incompetent. As for Ling Anli, although she was at fault first, you were too harsh. If I don't punish you, I won't be able to explain myself to the Concubine Dowager."
"Come here! Drag King Wu Ling away and give him a hundred lashes!"
"yes!"
"My lord, thank you Lord for your kindness!"
…
After Qin Qingyao returned home and calmed down, she began to pack up Qiuqiu's things and burned them all. There was no longer anything related to it in the house to avoid being reminded of it by the past.
After she was done, Bai Zhi asked her to go to dinner and she asked Dugu Yu, "What did the prince do?"
"Not long after the prince came back, he left the palace again."
"Leaving the house? What are you doing?"
"I don't know. The prince didn't tell me anything. He just told the kitchen to make more of the princess's favorite dishes before he left, saying that he didn't need to cook for her anymore."
Qin Qingyao suddenly had a bad feeling in his heart. He didn't need to live in the Qin family anymore, so why did he go out without saying a word?
"Tell the kitchen not to serve the food yet. I'll go find the prince."
Qin Qingyao was about to leave after she finished speaking, and Bai Zhi followed nervously behind her, "Princess, it's getting dark now, where are you going to find the prince? The prince might have some important business and will be back soon after he's done!"
Bai Zhi's voice was so loud that it alarmed the guards in the mansion. Before Qin Qingyao even reached the gate, Zhao Jinghan and the housekeeper arrived.
"Jinghan? Why are you here? Aren't you following the prince?"
Zhao Jinghan, "The prince won't let me follow..."
"You won't let me? Aren't you the commander of his guards? How can you protect him if you don't follow him?"
Seeing Zhao Jinghan, Qin Qingyao became even more worried. Where on earth was Dugu Yu going? Why did he have to be alone?
Seeing that he couldn't stop her, the housekeeper had to tell the truth, "Princess, the prince actually went to the palace to apologize. Princess Anli is dead, and someone must take responsibility for this matter. It's better for the prince to apologize himself than for the emperor to send the imperial guards to arrest him."
"The prince didn't tell you because he didn't want you to worry. If you rush to the palace now, not only will you be unable to help the prince, but it will also make things more complicated."
"You go back first, wait, the prince will be back soon."
Qin Qingyao stood there, not knowing what to do. Apologize? What was he going to do? Pay for Ling Anli's life?
If this matter was so serious, why did he accompany her out of the city and comfort and take care of her as if nothing had happened?
She was so immersed in the pain of losing Qiuqiu and the endless guilt that she forgot that no one would care about the dog except her.
The people wouldn't, Prince Yi wouldn't, and the Emperor certainly wouldn't! So Ling Anli didn't need to pay for poisoning her dog, but he would for killing her!
Qin Qingyao pulled her sleeves and wiped away the tears on her face. She hated crying and hated herself for being a useless person who could do nothing but cry.
But the housekeeper was right. If she ran to the palace recklessly, not to mention whether she could get in, what could she do even if she got in?
Now think about it, when Dugu Yu pushed her away and held the sword himself, he had already seen all the consequences and was already prepared.
Qin Qingyao looked around helplessly. The gate was right in front of her, but she couldn't go out. She couldn't let people worry about her anymore and couldn't make things more complicated.
She didn't want to go back to her room, and it was even more impossible for her to go to dinner as if nothing had happened. She walked a few steps like a wandering soul, not knowing what she was looking for.
Finally, she walked to the pavilion at the door where she used to wait for Dugu Yu to come home from court every day, leaned against the pillar, slid down the steps and sat down.
She hugged her legs, rested her chin on her knees, and stared at the gate of the palace. She was going to wait here for Dugu Yu to come home. If he came back, she would be the first to see him.
The housekeeper told Bai Zhi to help her get the cloak, and then asked the guards to disperse and not disturb the princess here.
…
There were one hundred boards and three of the wooden sticks used for execution were broken. When Dugu Yu was helped down from the wide bench for execution, the ground was already wet, the front half was sweat and the back half was blood.
His lower body below the waist was completely soaked in blood, and his legs had completely lost feeling.
With the little consciousness he had left, he said "Send me home" and then fainted completely.
The emperor beat him with a hundred sticks to give an explanation to Prince Yi and the old concubine, but he didn't really want to kill him, so there was an imperial physician on standby to treat and bandage him.
While applying the medicine, Dugu Yu, who had already fainted, was awakened by the pain.
"This is not the palace, send me back!"
The imperial physician was so frightened by the bloody wounds on his body that his hands were shaking. "Your Highness, please don't move. Let me apply medicine and bandage you. Otherwise, if you injure your bones, you will be disabled in the future!"
"What time is it?"
"It's almost midnight. The Emperor has granted you permission to recuperate in the palace. Please rest assured and return to the palace when your injuries have healed. You are so injured now that you really can't move!"
How could he rest and recuperate in the palace? He would rather lie on the street and recuperate!
"No need, I'm fine, help me up!"
The imperial physician had never seen such a stubborn and desperate person, so he had no choice but to report it to the emperor.
A tough guy who didn't say a word after being beaten with a hundred sticks, you can imagine how stubborn his temper is. Who can stop him from leaving?
"Send someone to carry him back."
The emperor's order was once again met with resistance from Dugu Yu. Was he carrying himself all the way home in such a way that everyone in the world would come to watch him get beaten to a pulp? Did he not care about his dignity?
The emperor was almost laughed at by Dugu Yu. He was so injured that he couldn't even stand up, and yet there were so many troubles?
I used to think this person’s temper was extremely unpredictable, and that he didn’t care about anything and was completely unpredictable. But only now did I realize that he actually has so many bad habits!
"Send him a carriage. If he keeps being picky, I'll just let him go back on his own!"
This time, Dugu Yu did not continue to be picky. He lay on a stretcher and was stuffed into a carriage, rushing all the way to Prince Wuling's Mansion.
But when he arrived at the gate of the palace, he refused to let anyone carry him on a stretcher, and insisted on getting off the ground and walking back by himself.
The guards specially sent by the emperor to carry his stretcher were almost terrified. "Are you sure you can find your legs now? Can you walk by yourself?"
Just as I helped him down and stood him against the carriage frame, I let go and he almost fell to the ground.
Several guards were nearly frightened to death and were determined not to let the prince act so willfully again. During the stalemate, Qin Qingyao heard the noise outside the door and came out.
"Husband, you're back!"
Almost as soon as she approached, she smelled the smell of blood on Dugu Yu. She walked over and put one of Dugu Yu's arms on her shoulders, letting him lean his body weight against her and holding him steadily.
"Thank you for your hard work, my dear guards. Please go back and report. I will take good care of the prince!"
The housekeeper and Zhao Jinghan hurried over, one gave the guards some money for their hard work, and the other helped Qin Qingyao support Dugu Yu back to the house.
After Qin Qingyao and Zhao Jinghan helped Dugu Yu to the bed, the housekeeper followed behind, "Princess, this is what the guards gave us just now. They said it's medicine for injuries given by the emperor."
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