"Your Highness... Madam, let's stop arguing." Seeing the two of them locked in a fierce argument, Wei Yao quickly stepped forward to mediate: "Actually..."
He was fine when he didn't speak, but as soon as he did, Zheng Quchi seemed to remember something and looked at him and Wang Zebang expressionlessly: "What are you two doing here?"
Wang Zebang and Wei Yao immediately froze, their minds in a panic. They stammered and stammered, not knowing how to respond for a moment.
Seeing their guilty looks, Zheng Quchi scoffed, but didn't press the matter. Instead, he turned to Yuan Xingzhou and asked, "Are you going to release the person or not?"
The way this question was asked had a somewhat coercive tone.
Seeing that she was pressuring him so aggressively for this group of unrelated people, and even showing signs of turning against him, Yuan Xingzhou gave a sarcastic smile: "I won't let go."
"You won't let me go, huh?"
Zheng Quchi nodded as if he understood, but his expression remained extremely indifferent and calm, as if he were extremely disappointed.
She looked at the people in the hall who were desperately begging for mercy. Some were cursing loudly, but were kicked and had their ribs broken and were spitting blood. Some were crying and regretting their actions. Some were cowering in a corner in fear, hoping to escape this death. Of course, there was also a small number of people who looked numb, as if they had expected today's scene.
Yuan Xingzhou was determined to massacre the Yixiu Palace. Zheng Quchi had a slight understanding of his thoughts. He was a stubborn and extreme person who did not advocate governing the country with virtue. He used an iron-fisted approach and only intended to eliminate the disease of Ye Kingdom in one fell swoop and exterminate the Yuan clan to vent his anger.
However, Zheng Quchi did not want to see such a bloody scene of torture.
She had previously thought that the biggest villain in the entire palace was Empress Ye, and that eliminating her would restore a clear sky to Shengjing. Little did she know that the final boss was Yuan Xingzhou.
Her previous thinking was too naive and superficial. He didn't need her to save him. The people who really needed saving were the ones who had fallen into his hands.
She didn't know how many of these people were truly deserving of death, or how many were implicated but not deserving of it. However, considering the families of the officials who were waiting anxiously outside the city, and the other officials who were living in fear, the matter involved a wide range of people. If she insisted on executing them on the spot, this uproar would not be able to be quelled in a short time.
The more gentle Yuan Xingzhou's smile, the colder and clearer his eyes became, like a frozen river in winter, devoid of any warmth, making people feel chilled just by looking at them.
"so what?"
“So…” Zheng Quchi took a deep breath, and like him, he grinned, saying in a forced smile, “I don’t care anymore.”
Yuan Xingzhou's expression froze immediately; he was somewhat taken aback by her sudden change in attitude.
"What did you say?" He thought he had misheard.
Zheng Quchi spread his hands and said easily, "I said I don't care anymore, and I've tried to persuade you, but Your Highness is determined to do it your own way. So the life and death of these people are entirely up to Your Highness, no, I should call you the Regent. Let the Regent decide. I am just a woman with no official position, and I shouldn't interfere in court affairs. This time, entering the palace without being summoned is already an overstepping of my bounds and a great disrespect."
As she spoke, she looked at Yuan Xingzhou with a sincere and honest gaze: "It is already a great fortune that the Regent does not blame me. Since I have chosen to stand with the Regent, even if we are wrong, I will walk with you to the end."
"Kill them, I'll watch with you."
After saying that, she looked around, chose a spot with a good view, walked over in small steps, and then waited with wide eyes to watch him execute these people, meticulous in every detail.
She urged him, looking ready, "Your Highness, you may continue."
What was she saying? Her act of "betrayal" left Empress Ye and all the court officials dumbfounded—she, she just argued a few words and that was it? She wouldn't plead for them anymore?
Shouldn't she have resorted to crying, making a scene, and threatening suicide, shouting and arguing with Yuan Xingzhou until they became bitter enemies and even went to war, ultimately forcing Yuan Xingzhou to compromise by threatening suicide?
How could she just casually offer a few words of advice, and if he disagreed, would she only care about protecting herself and go along with it?!
Not to mention the group of people who were inwardly roaring with shock after she turned the tide and saved the day, even those in the hall, led by Yuan Xingzhou, were speechless with astonishment.
Honestly, I've seen companies start strong and then decline, but I've never seen one start strong and then go completely erratic like this. They don't even consider how much disappointment they'll feel before giving up without a second thought.
"General's wife, save us! Save our lives! I... I did not collude with other countries. I only accepted bribes. I know I was wrong. I will be loyal to His Highness from now on and will never betray the Kingdom of Ye."
"Although I was ordered by Empress Ye, I had no choice. She threatened my family, and I dared not disobey."
"General's wife, you can't abandon us! We are guilty, but if you are willing to give us a chance, we will definitely repent and dedicate ourselves to the cause until our dying breath..."
To be fair, none of the civil and military officials selected to serve in the Ye Kingdom were entirely incompetent. However, the upper beam was crooked, and the lower beams followed suit. The Queen of Ye and the King of Ye were engaged in open and covert struggles, while those vying for power used various means to demote each other's factions. The court was corrupt, laws and regulations were lax, and the atmosphere was decadent.
Even the most intelligent and talented person is useless if they neglect their duties and instead engage in power struggles and currying favor with the powerful. Nearly a third of the officials here were captured by Yuan Xingzhou and used as case examples; among them was even the Duke of Liu.
Because of Liu Fengmian's relationship with Liu Chaiji, Zheng Quchi, though he had never interacted with this Duke Liu, naturally assumed that he was a loyal and capable minister with principles. However, he never expected that even he was one of the targets that Yuan Xingzhou wanted to eliminate.
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