Chapter 27: The Caning
Beating an imperial official was a capital offense, not to mention that Wu Shishu had beaten Prime Minister Li, who was second only to the emperor in power.
Seeing Li Mian's face darken completely, everyone looked at each other, not knowing how to react for a moment.
Zhao Mingyue, who had been sitting in a wheelchair and hadn't dared to look up, was also frightened by Wu Wenxiu, and her eyes almost popped out of her head!
Is this woman, who single-handedly confronts the entire court, looking ready to swing her arms, still the same well-educated, elegant, and brilliant Wu Shishu? Has her soul been taken away?
Although she also felt that the old bastard Li Mian deserved to be beaten, because he was against her mother all day long, but after all, she couldn't really beat him!
What should I do now?
She was worried about Wu Wenxiu, when suddenly, there was a sound of slamming the table, which startled her so much that she almost jumped up.
Fortunately, she held back and turned around to look, but it was Chi Qi.
Her expression was grim, as if covered with frost, frighteningly cold. She sternly said, "Enough, Wu Shishu, do you think I'm dead? She defies the imperial court and insults the Prime Minister in court. How audacious! Come, drag her out and give her twenty lashes of the cane!"
Wu Wenxiu was stunned, her eyes full of disbelief, her lips trembling, and she wanted to say something, but before she could open her mouth, four Jinwu guards rushed forward, one covered her mouth, and one held her arm, without giving her a chance to protest, and dragged her out of the hall.
Zhao Mingyue stared at Chi Lan with her eyes wide open in astonishment, and almost stood up and questioned her loudly.
Why did A Niang punish Wu Shishu? She did nothing wrong!
But in the end, she still remembered that she was pretending to be Zhao Chun. She couldn't stand up or make a sound. Her hands hanging by her sides were clenched, her nails digging into her palms. The pain made her regain her sanity temporarily.
I can't let my mother down. She must have a reason for doing this.
As a woman, she already has a hard time taking a single step in the court. In this situation, she can only sacrifice Wu Shishu to appease the anger of the court officials, right?
Yes, that's definitely the case.
I absolutely cannot let A Niang fail.
Zhao Mingyue lowered her eyelashes and muttered to herself, "I can't stand up, I can't make a sound..." She slowly suppressed the anger in her heart.
In the hall, everyone suddenly became quiet and silent.
Beating with sticks in court was a punishment that terrified all officials. The wooden stick used to carry out the punishment was wrapped in iron sheets and even had a barb. After being beaten with sticks twenty times, the skin and flesh would be torn apart and almost no one would survive.
Even Li Mian, who wanted to sentence Wu Wenxiu to death, was speechless when he saw her being taken away by the Jinwu Guards.
After all, Wu Shishu was a trusted eunuch of Empress Dowager Chi. Since Empress Dowager Chi took the initiative to punish her and punished her so severely, if he continued to refuse to give in, he would be the one in the wrong.
But the prerequisite is that this beating in court is real.
Li Mian was just suspecting that Chi Qi was putting on a show for him when he heard a scream coming from outside the palace door. It sounded extremely shrill and didn't seem fake.
The doubts in his heart were immediately dispelled. With the cruel temper of Empress Dowager Chi, it was not impossible that she beat the person to death.
When the ministers in the hall heard this voice, they all lowered their heads. There was no joy on their faces as if they had taken revenge on their opponents. Instead, their faces were pale and their eyes were full of fear and anxiety.
Empress Dowager Chi could be so cruel to her own people, so wouldn't she be even more ruthless to them?
However, they did not know that the scene outside the Tianji Palace was completely different.
————
"Call it out miserably, otherwise the officials won't believe it."
Liu Shen'ai was wearing the uniform of the Jinwu Guard, a Pu hat on his head, a leather belt around his waist, and a single sword. He stood straight and looked at Wu Wenxiu and the executioner Yuzhao expressionlessly.
Upon hearing this, Wu Wenxiu's face immediately turned red.
Just now in the hall, she saw Liu Shen'ai's gray eyes and recognized that this was the person who broke into Xihua Palace that night.
The feeling of grievance and anger at Chi Qi punishing herself was immediately replaced by surprise.
Then he understood Chi Lu's intention. She wanted to use these twenty beatings to shut up Li Mian and those officials.
She was immediately deeply moved. She was too impulsive and caused trouble for Chi Lan.
However, it was too difficult for her to pretend to scream; she couldn't even open her mouth!
Wu Wenxiu looked at Liu Shen'ai and said hesitantly, "Why don't we just fight for real?"
But Yuzhao held the stick and looked at her, unable to bring himself to hit her. Seeing this, Liu Shen'ai reached out his hand with an indifferent look on his face, "Give it to me!" He took the stick and without a moment's hesitation, hit Wu Wenxiu below the waist.
Wu Wenxiu was caught off guard and immediately screamed in fear, "Ah——!"
"Then just hold on." Liu Shen'ai said, raising the court stick and hitting again.
Every time the stick hit, there was a very loud sound, and it seemed that the force was very strong.
In an instant, the twenty strokes of the cane were completed. Yuzhao immediately stepped forward to help Wu Wenxiu up and looked at her worriedly. Wu Wenxiu shook her head at her, gritted her teeth and said nothing.
Liu Shen'ai threw down the stick, clapped his hands, and didn't even look at them. "Wu Shishu fainted after being tortured. Yuzhao, take her back. I'll go and answer them."
After saying that, he turned and left.
Wu Wenxiu closed his eyes, and Yuzhao immediately restrained his expression and said seriously, "Yes, Coach."
Yuzhao's tense nerves finally relaxed after watching Liushen'ai turn and leave until he entered the solemn and terrifying hall.
Before, she thought Liu Shen'ai was an arrogant and rude person and disliked him very much. But after getting along with him for a while, she found that arrogance was just the most insignificant shortcoming of this person.
Yuzhao considered herself to be calm and bold, and had never been afraid of anyone in her life, but she always felt afraid of Liushenai.
But she was the instructor of the Golden Crow Guard appointed by Chi Li, and she had excellent skills. She was no match for her at all.
Thinking of the hellish training she went through on weekdays, she broke out in a cold sweat and immediately raised her hand to wipe the sweat from her forehead.
Then he turned around and looked at Wu Wenxiu who had fainted. Thinking of everything that had just happened in the hall, he felt a pang of fear in his heart again.
He whispered to the two people beside him, "Go and get the sedan chair." Both of them were trustworthy and immediately obeyed the order and left.
After a while, palace maids brought a sedan chair. Yuzhao picked up Wu Wenxiu and placed him on the sedan chair, then ordered the palace maids to carry him to the west gate of the imperial city.
When they arrived at the west gate, they hired another carriage to escort the person all the way to the house outside the palace.
Wu Yihan was watering the flowers in the yard when she heard the rumbling of wheels. The car stopped at the door and she immediately asked the servant to open it.
As soon as I opened the door, I heard my daughter's familiar voice, "No need to hold me, I can walk!"
Just as he was wondering why he had returned so early, he looked up and saw Wu Wenxiu pushing away the jade photo next to him, stumbling forward, and falling on the threshold with a thud.
"Oh my! What happened?" Wu Yixian immediately panicked and went forward worriedly.
————
Inside the Tianji Hall.
The Jinwu Guard came in to report that Wu Shishu could not bear the torture and had fainted.
The court officials immediately held their breath and looked up at the Queen Mother on the throne. Her face was still cold, her eyes were deep, and her thoughts were unpredictable.
Li Mian sighed and said in a deep voice, "The matter of Wu Shishu——"
Chi Li interrupted him coldly, "Let's end this matter regarding Wu Shishu. Please take this as a warning. Prime Minister Li, please don't waste our time and continue discussing this matter."
Li Mian had no choice but to hold back what he was about to say.
He had just been thinking about it for a long time, and was just about to use this as an excuse to prevent the female officials from attending court and participating in government affairs in the future.
Who would have thought that Empress Dowager Chi seemed to know what he was going to say, and she stopped him as soon as he opened his mouth.
"In that case, let me also express my opinion. I agree with Zhu Fangfang and Li Xiaoci. This first offense should not be pardoned."
"As for these two provisions, adult men don't even have land to divide, so giving land to women is even more impossible. Moreover, if a woman marries or remarries, the land can't be taken with her. How can this be enforced?"
"And there is a third one—" Li Mian paused at this point.
Empress Dowager Chi handed over the power to try major cases to the Yiluansi, apparently in order to weaken the power of the three judicial departments: the Ministry of Justice, the Dali Temple, and the Censorate.
The Jinwu Guards are now the personal guards of Empress Dowager Chi. With the addition of the Yiluansi, which is in charge of the imperial prison, Empress Dowager Chi's power will be even greater.
But he couldn't directly object to this point. After thinking for a moment, he changed his statement:
"Your Majesty wants to establish the Yiluansi and rebuild the team. It's not impossible, but wouldn't the power to try and judge cases conflict with the Ministry of Justice? If there are disagreements, whose decision should be followed?"
Chi Luan had remained silent while listening to his first two points. But when she heard him oppose the Yiluansi's power over the prisons, she suddenly sat up straight and said in a cold voice:
"Does Prime Minister Li also think I'm dead? If there's any dispute in the case, shouldn't it be submitted to me and I'll make the decision?"
What I’m afraid of is that you officials have no disputes and are colluding with each other. Wouldn’t her position as the empress dowager be sidelined?
Li Mian was startled and thought to himself that Queen Mother Chi was too sensitive and really difficult to deal with.
But his mind was quick, and he immediately said, "This... I am worried about Your Majesty's health. If Your Majesty has to make decisions on everything, wouldn't that be too much work?"
"Another problem is that since we've established the Yiluansi, we'll have to add officials and recruit guards, which is another huge expense. The treasury is empty, and there's been a severe drought in the south, so we can't even collect taxes. Where will the money come from?"
"The Prime Minister is right. Your Majesty, please think twice." Zhu Fangfang immediately nodded in agreement. This would reduce the power of his Ministry of Justice, so he must oppose it!
Chi Li was too lazy to argue with them and turned to look at Song Guangyi. "My dear Song Aiqing, what do you think?"
I promoted you just to see you fight each other.
Li Mian, Li Xiaoci, Zhu Fangfang and others all looked at Song Guangyi.
Song Guangyi immediately broke out in sweat on his forehead. The reason why he hadn't said anything was that he felt this matter was difficult to explain.
He personally did not agree with these three edicts, but he had already sided with Empress Dowager Chi and had to support them regardless of the consequences.
Unless Prime Minister Li falls and his family becomes the only one in power, he can express his own opinions.
Song Guangyi clutched his robe tightly, wiped the sweat from his palms, and finally spoke, "Your Majesty, as a woman, cannot help but sympathize with the hardships of women in the world. Forgiving them is truly a gesture of kindness... Besides, granting land to women is not completely impossible... Also, if the Yiluansi's expenses are really as Prime Minister Li said, and the national treasury doesn't even have this much money, then the Ministry of Revenue should be asked to reconcile the accounts and see where the money has been spent."
After the last sentence was spoken, the air in the hall became stagnant.
Li Xiaoci, the Minister of Revenue, looked very unhappy. He suddenly stepped forward and said angrily, "What do you mean by 'Where did the Ministry of Revenue spend the money?'"
This roar was like adding a drop of water to hot oil, and the silence in the hall was instantly broken.
The two factions of officials immediately started attacking each other and the argument became heated.
Chi Qi leaned back in her chair and tapped her toes impatiently. Listening to these men talking was like listening to a hundred flies buzzing. It was so annoying.
If she didn't have plans to execute and had to take it slow, she really wanted to throw a bomb and kill them.
Thinking about having to endure this kind of torture in court every day, Chi Qi became very annoyed. She decided to just blow them to death.
Zhao Mingyue, who was standing by, had no idea that her stepmother was having these dangerous thoughts in her mind.
She was worried about Wu Wenxiu and had no intention of listening to the officials arguing. She felt very uncomfortable sitting on the chair and wanted to get up and leave immediately.
Suddenly, she heard Li Mian's voice, "What does Your Majesty think?"
Zhao Mingyue was startled and looked up, only to see Li Mian staring at her with burning eyes.
Did he discover something?
She felt uneasy and subconsciously looked at Chi Li, wanting to seek help.
But she didn't expect Chi Li to meet her gaze at all. Her eyes were cold and she looked very unhappy.
Seeing all the officials in the palace looking at her, Zhao Mingyue knew that not speaking would only arouse suspicion. She could only lower her voice and said hoarsely, "Ahem! I, I don't understand what you are saying...wouldn't it be better if you all just listened to mother?"
As he spoke, he reached out and carefully tugged at Chi Li's sleeve, "Mother, I'm sleepy. Let's go back and rest."
Chi Li turned to look at her, his expression slightly relieved, and he reached out to hold her hand with a loving and indulgent expression, "Okay, let's go back and rest."
The ministers were all frowning. Wasn't the emperor still breastfeeding? If he listened to Empress Dowager Chi so much, what should they do as ministers?
Chi Li turned and looked at the court officials. "Alright, there's no need to discuss this matter any further. The Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Revenue, and the Ministry of War, find a way to implement these three imperial edicts for me. Don't tell me you can't carry them out. If you really can't carry them out, tell me, and I'll allow you to resign and go home. Okay, dismiss the court."
After saying this, without even looking at the officials' reactions, he walked towards the back hall. The maid Ling Qiong walked up quickly and pushed Zhao Mingyue away.
The ministers had no choice but to kneel down and bow in greeting.
"Long live the emperor! Long live the emperor! Long live the emperor! A thousand years! A thousand thousand years!"
All the ministers withdrew from Tianji Hall. Song Guangyi hurried to the duty room and unexpectedly bumped into Li Mian and others.
Li Xiaoci stopped him and said with a forced smile, "Minister Song has been speaking at court and has given us unique insights into the Empress Dowager's new policies. We really admire him. How about we give you our seats?"
In the past, Song Guangyi would have bent over backwards and offered some flattery to give himself a way out. But now that he had tasted the power, he was usually the only one flattered by others, not him. He really couldn't bend over any more.
He straightened his back and said with a smile, "Minister Li, you've overstepped your bounds. I only know that good people should be put to good use and that those who are capable should be given positions. Whether you can hold on to your positions or not, I trust that Your Majesty will make the final decision."
"You--!" Li Xiaoci's face immediately turned red with anger and he raised his hands.
At this time, Danying, the maidservant beside Queen Mother Chi, came over and said, "Sir Song, the Queen Mother invites you."
Song Guangyi snorted coldly, slapped Li Xiaoci's hand away, and said with a smile: "Everyone, the Queen Mother has summoned you, I will leave first." He turned around and left triumphantly.
Li Xiaoci looked at his back, his face livid, "Bah, bitch!"
Li Mian's eyes were gloomy, and a sarcastic smile appeared on the corner of his mouth. "Queen Mother Chi really found a good dog, but this good dog shouldn't block the road."
The last sentence is very meaningful.
————
After returning to the back hall, Zhao Mingyue went to the inner room to change clothes first.
Chi Yan walked to the chair behind the desk and sat down. She glanced at the pile of memorials and documents on the desk and pinched her nose in annoyance.
Damn it!
After Wu Wenxiu left, no one reviewed her memorials.
There was no other way, the show had to be completed. Wu Wenxiu had been beaten with twenty sticks, so she had to be allowed to rest at home for ten days or half a month.
Otherwise, people would come to work full of energy the next day. Anyone with a normal brain could guess that the twenty strokes of the cane were a leniency, right?
We need to find a few more people to work for her. Are we really going to let her work in this world? How is that even possible? No one is paying her!
Fortunately, the last time she asked Danying to give the female officials of Liushang Bureau a test, the answer sheets have been collected.
Just as I was thinking of asking Danying about this, Danying walked in and said, "Master, I have invited Master Song to the study."
Chi Yan tapped the table lightly with her fingers and said nonchalantly, "Send him breakfast, and then let him wait."
She had no intention of meeting him at all. The reason she asked Danying to keep him was just to put on a show for Li Mian and others, making them think that Song Guangyi was her confidant.
Danying's eyes were filled with confusion, but she didn't ask any further questions.
Sometimes, you need to understand the master's implied meaning, but sometimes, it is best not to guess the master's thoughts.
She knew how to handle the situation properly, so she responded respectfully, then walked aside and told the palace servants to bring food to Song Guangyi.
After Chi Yan saw that she had finished giving instructions, she asked her, "How is the matter with the Liushang Bureau going?"
Danying walked up to her and answered, "The ladies-in-waiting have handed in their answers. I've sorted them out and placed them in Xihua Hall. I originally planned to give them to Wu Shishu for review before presenting them to the master, but now... does the master want to see them now?"
Chi Qi frowned slightly. She was not a person who liked to do things by herself. Some things could be handed over to her subordinates. Why should she tire herself out?
Even though she was very interested in the answers of these female officials, she did not want to waste her energy reading those difficult-to-understand ancient texts.
Originally, Wu Wenxiu could help her review it, and she only needed to spend a few minutes listening to the summary report and then make a decision.
But now Wu Wenxiu has to recuperate at home, and it seems that there is no one else who can help except himself.
Chi Qi was about to speak when Zhao Mingyue, who had taken off her mask and put on mourning clothes again, walked out from the inner room. Her pale cheeks had regained their rosy complexion, her eyes were wide open, and she looked very angry.
"Those guys are going too far, Mother. I think you should drag those two old Li guys out and give them twenty lashes of the cane. See if they dare to go against you again!"
Thinking of the officials in the court just now, Chi Li sneered, "Oh, their delicate and pampered bodies don't need twenty lashes of the cane."
If she were allowed to come, she would be beaten to death in one go.
If we just kill this Li Mian, there will be another Li Mian. We have to solve the problem fundamentally.
Zhao Mingyue also knew that this was not the right thing to do, but she would feel uncomfortable if she didn't curse a few times. However, compared to those people in the court, she was still more concerned about Wu Wenxiu.
Thinking about her frail body and the fact that she had to endure twenty strokes of the cane, I felt a sense of empathy for the pain.
So he restrained his expression, walked to Chi Li's side, put his arm intimately on her shoulder, and asked softly, "Mother, is Wu Shishu okay?"
Chi Yan glanced at her and said, "It should be nothing. The people from the Golden Crow Guard know how to handle things properly. I'll go out of the palace and check on her later."
Zhao Mingyue immediately said, "Then I'll go too."
She always felt suffocated in the palace. It was not as comfortable as when she was riding horses in the hunting grounds of the Nanyang Palace. She could go outside the palace to read Wu Shishu and get some fresh air.
Chi Qi was about to agree, but suddenly thought of marking the answer sheets and glanced at Zhao Mingyue. Isn't there a ready-made laborer here?
"No, there's something urgent that I need you to do for me."
Zhao Mingyue pursed her lips in disappointment. "What's the matter?"
Chi Li stood up from her chair, pushed her to the front of the chair, and asked her to sit down. "Help me review the female official's answer sheet."
"What?" Zhao Mingyue was a little surprised and suspected that she had heard it wrong. Isn't it too much of a joke to ask her to do such a thing?
Chi Li didn't explain, turned around and told Dan Ying to get the answer sheet. Dan Ying agreed and turned to leave.
After a while, she took the answer sheet and placed it neatly on the desk in front of Zhao Mingyue.
Zhao Mingyue sat on the wide imperial chair, supporting herself on the edge of the table with her hands, feeling quite uncomfortable.
She looked at the thick stack of papers and thought that whether these female officials could become the empress dowager's close ministers would be decided by her. She was eager to try, but also felt uneasy.
He looked up at Chi Li, hesitation flickering in his eyes, "Mother, do you really want me to review it? But I've never done anything like this before. Is this really okay?"
Chi Li didn't answer, but looked at Dan Ying, "What do you think?"
Danying's heart suddenly began to beat fast. Why was he asking her? Guessing Chi Ling's meaning, she replied respectfully, "Your Highness is the princess, the master's most trusted person. Of course, she can help the master handle government affairs."
He kept his eyes on Chi Qi, but could not see any change of emotion in her eyes or eyebrows. He couldn't help but wonder what his master's intention was in doing this.
On the one hand, he tested the female officials on "how a woman should hold power", and on the other hand, he kept the princess by his side all the time and taught her how to handle government affairs. Did he want the princess to become emperor?
This idea is ridiculous.
After all, even she, who was not very literate, could name a few empress dowagers who held power, but she could not think of a single princess who had absolute power over the whole world.
There is no precedent at all.
Danying lowered her eyes and smiled self-deprecatingly. Why should a palace maid like her worry about these things? As long as she could do her master's job well, that was all.
Chi Li had no idea that her words would make Dan Ying think so much. She was simply too lazy to answer Zhao Mingyue's boring questions. If she thought it was not okay, why did she let her mark the papers?
She raised her eyes to look at Zhao Mingyue, her tone becoming more serious. "From these twenty-four papers, four will be rated as top-notch, eight as average, and twelve as low-quality, depending on the quality of the content. I also want to see if you have the ability to judge talent. Mingyue, please don't let your mother down."
Zhao Mingyue immediately became motivated, "Okay!"
I reached out and took the top answer sheet, glanced at it, saw very neat handwriting, and then looked over to see that my name was blurred out, feeling a little surprised.
She glanced at Danying secretly. Could it be that she had misunderstood her before? In this matter, she didn't think of taking advantage of the opportunity to make money?
Dan Ying looked calm. Seeing that no one was waiting for her to use her brush and ink, she walked to the table, opened the inkstone box, and said with a smile, "I will grind ink for the princess."
Chi Yan turned and walked out. "Then Danying, you stay here. I'm going to go check on Wu Shishu. I hope the papers will have been graded by the time I come back."
Zhao Mingyue didn't look up, bit the pen and started marking the papers.
My eyes swept to the question on the far right, and the five words "How do women take power" caught my eye. I immediately took a breath. This is too bold and too straightforward. Do those female officials dare to answer it?
But when I thought that this was a question asked by my mother, it seemed reasonable. She was an ambitious woman who could not be guessed by common sense.
Maybe A Niang wants to be the emperor herself, so she wants to ask about the art of being an emperor.
But even if these palace ladies dared to answer, they wouldn't be able to write any insightful opinions, right?
Zhao Mingyue also judged it by herself. She had read quite a few books, not to mention the Four Books for Women and Biographies of Women, as well as Confucian classics, poetry, military strategies, and literary and historical classics. However, when she saw this topic, she still found it difficult to start writing.
Does this "woman" refer to A Niang alone? Or does it refer to all women in the world?
If it is the former, A Niang is already the most powerful woman in the world. If she goes any further, won’t she become emperor?
But if it is the latter, "obey your father at home, obey your husband after marriage, and obey your son after your husband's death." From daughter to wife and then to mother, they must always depend on a man, otherwise they will have no place to stay. Letting them take power is like trying to pick the moon from the sky, which can only be done by a miracle.
Just now in the court, A Niang just wanted to pardon the daughter of the unfavorable relationship, but she was fiercely opposed by the ministers, let alone asking for more. Those officials would never agree, and an imperial edict that no one would execute was just a piece of empty paper.
Thinking of this, Zhao Mingyue couldn't help but frowned. This question was really difficult to answer. She decided to see how the female official answered it.
She collected her thoughts and read on carefully. The opening part was the most important.
However, she didn't expect that her pupils would suddenly shrink after reading the first sentence.
————
Wu's house outside the palace.
Wu Wenxiu was lying on the bed when she suddenly felt her pants being pulled off by her mother. She felt a tolerable pain in the wound, but she couldn't help but let out a soft hiss.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Yuzhao standing by the bed. Her face flushed slightly, and she turned her head and buried her face in the pillow, urging, "Mother, are you done? The beating wasn't heavy, there's no need to be so nervous."
Wu Yihan glanced at her wound. Although it was red, the skin was not broken. She felt relieved but also very annoyed.
God knows how shocked she was when she heard about Wu Wenxiu's heroic deeds in the court. She almost fainted on the spot.
"Is this a punishment for a beating? Insulting the Prime Minister in court, Wu Wenxiu, are you out of your mind? If it weren't for the Empress Dowager protecting you, you would have had several heads chopped off!"
As he said that, he raised his hand and patted her on the butt.
"Mom!" Wu Wenxiu felt pain and immediately turned her head, looking at her angrily. It would have been fine if she hadn't looked at her, but when she did, she was stunned.
Wu Yihan's eyes were red, tears welled up in them, and then rolled down.
Wu Wenxiu's heart immediately soured and she surrendered hastily, "Okay, okay, I promise I won't do it again next time."
Wu Yihan didn't say anything, but took out the blood-dissolving plaster and applied it on her wound. Wu Wenxiu immediately felt a coolness spreading on her skin, and the pain dissipated a lot.
She hurriedly reached out to grab the waistband of her pants and tried to pull them up, but she heard a light sigh above her head.
"You don't have to coax me. Don't I know your temper? You've been in the slave house for so many years. You've learned to be servile on the surface, but you're still a tough guy at heart. If there's a next time, you'll definitely stand up for them again."
Wu Wenxiu paused, then slowly pulled up his trousers, tightened his belt, and softly retorted:
"But didn't Mother always tell me that even if one's status is low, one should stick to one's original heart? Now that I'm in a high position, do I have to abandon my original heart? If even I won't stand up for them, who else will speak up for them?"
After Wu Yixian heard what she said, she felt both worried and proud. After a long silence, she said, "You always have your reasons. What else can I say?"
Beside the bed, Yuzhao's heart was touched, and her usually calm face softened. She took the initiative to speak: "Aunt, don't worry, I will protect my sister and won't let those people hurt her again."
Wu Wenxiu knew that Yuzhao had always been a quiet person, and she never thought that she would say these words to comfort her mother. She was surprised and grateful, and looked up at her. Just as she was about to say something, a cold voice came from the door.
"Wu Shishu, I came to see you, are you okay?"
As soon as she finished speaking, Chi Qi had already walked into the room, with Liu Shen'ai following behind her.
Wu Wenxiu hurriedly stood up and wanted to get out of bed to greet him, but Chi Yan was faster than her. She had already walked to the bed and held her down, "You don't have to get up."
Wu Yihan had already knelt down beside her. Chi Ling gave Yuzhao a look, and she immediately understood and helped him up.
Wu Wenxiu's face flushed when he saw Chi Lu's kind attitude. "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I'm fine. However, as your Majesty's attendant, I've not only been unable to share your worries, but I've also caused a lot of trouble. I truly feel ashamed of your trust."
Chi Yan held her hand and smiled, "I don't think it's a problem. On the contrary, your words in the court were very good."
Wu Wenxiu's heart was shaken. He stared at Chi Li with a trembling voice, "Your Majesty..."
"I think you understand that the reason I'm punishing you is to shut up Li Mian and the others. However," Chi Yan put away her smile, a cold look flashing in her eyes, "there won't be a next time."
Wu Wenxiu was so moved that tears welled up in her eyes. To have such a monarch who protected and recognized her, even if she died now, she would have no regrets. She said in a trembling voice, "I understand."
Seeing her eyes filled with tears, Chi Qi thought she was in pain, so she turned around and looked at Liu Shen'ai, "Did you hit her too hard?"
Liu Shen Ai rolled her eyes at her, "I bet her skin isn't even broken!"
Wu Wenxiu hurriedly wiped her tears and repeatedly said that she was really fine. Chi Yan stopped talking and took out the precious elixir from the palace and gave it to her. "Then you should take good care of your injuries first. Don't go out during this period of time."
Wu Wenxiu took the pill in his hand and nodded vigorously.
After Chi Lu finished looking at the people, she was about to leave. However, just as she turned around, she heard Wu Wenxiu's anxious voice behind her, "Your Majesty, will they still be pardoned?"
Chi Yan paused, remained silent for a moment, and then said, "Yes."
After saying that, he strode out without even looking back, and Liu Shen'ai followed him.
Yuzhao glanced at Wu Wenxiu and then followed him.
————
"Sir Song, during the morning court session, the Queen Mother left you alone. Is she going to entrust you with an important task?"
"Are we really supposed to support pardoning those female prisoners? This is ridiculous."
"Prime Minister Li's daughter was also on the list, and yet he didn't approve of it. As we said at the court meeting, once this precedent is set, there will be endless trouble!"
"And what about the land distribution law? Since the founding of the Taizu dynasty, has there ever been land distributed to the common people? This will really affect the interests of those powerful and aristocratic families. If we stand up for it, I'm afraid we won't even know how we died!"
"Yes, yes..."
A group of officials from the Poor Party gathered in the large living room of Song Guangyi's mansion. They had originally dreamed of getting promoted and making money by currying favor with the Empress Dowager, but when they heard about these three new policies, they wanted to switch sides on the spot.
They knew in their hearts that as a woman, Empress Dowager Chi would inevitably want to improve the status of women. However, she hadn't even secured her position yet, and it seemed like she had just been impulsive when she introduced this decree that had no chance of being implemented. She even wanted them to cheer for her. It was simply vicious and stupid!
Song Guangyi sat in the upper seat and drank tea leisurely. He glanced at the officials who expressed their opinions. After listening to them, he said calmly:
"It's just about releasing a few female prisoners to cheer up the Queen Mother. What's there to worry about? You're worrying too much. I think this is a good opportunity for us to suppress Li Xiang's faction and seize the opportunity to take power."
Rather than considering those trivial things, it is of course more important to get benefits right now!
In particular, he discovered that this was a shortcut to heaven.
Thinking of what happened after the morning court session, Song Guangyi couldn't help but raise a smug smile at the corner of his mouth.
At that time, Empress Dowager Chi sent someone to call him to the study. He also thought that Empress Dowager Chi wanted him to take over the burden of the new policy. He appeared calm on the surface, but he was very nervous in his heart.
However, he didn't expect that Empress Dowager Chi was just concerned about his health. She let him have a good breakfast and then let him go back to his duty.
Song Guangyi was full of doubts and didn't understand what Empress Dowager Chi was trying to do. He sat in the duty room of the Ministry of Rites and thought for a long time before he realized what Empress Dowager Chi meant - Empress Dowager Chi had taken a fancy to him!
If you think about it carefully, this guess is very reasonable.
After all, Queen Mother Chi became a widow at a young age, and inevitably felt lonely in the deep palace. When she arrived in the former dynasty, she had to face the pressure from Li Xiang's party alone. How could she, a woman, bear this?
Naturally, I wanted to find a man to rely on.
And he was the man who stood up and supported her when she was in the most difficult time!
Empress Dowager Chi must have been very touched, but unfortunately the late emperor had just died, so she didn't dare to interact with him openly. She could only secretly test his thoughts by sending him food.
Song Guangyi imagined that if he could become the empress dowager's lover, wouldn't fame, wealth and power be easily within his reach?
So before that, it would be acceptable to take a little risk for the Queen Mother's immature political views.
Song Guangyi was immersed in the fantasy of having both power and beauty. He was very excited and didn't bother to listen to their discussions anymore. He stood up and said, "I'm going to change clothes first. You guys think about it carefully."
He left the living room, walked through the corridor covered with mahogany vines, and headed towards the west toilet. Suddenly, the flowers and leaves above his head swayed, making a rustling sound.
He stopped and looked up in confusion. A sharp-nosed five-step snake poked its head out from between the flowers and leaves, staring at him with its emerald green pupils. It hissed and quickly extended and retracted its tongue.
Song Guangyi was so frightened that his whole body trembled. How could there be such a poisonous snake in his house?
He retreated cautiously, but the five-step snake suddenly pounced down and bit his throat.
"Ah——" He screamed, his body fell to the ground, twitched a few times, and then he was motionless.
A moment later, a man in black came out from behind the column, quickly came to his body and checked his breath.
Obviously dead.
The man in black stretched out his hand towards the five-step snake that was still sticking out its tongue, and the venomous snake obediently climbed up his arm.
He stood up, turned around, jumped onto the courtyard wall, and his figure disappeared in an instant.
————
On the other side, outside the Wu family mansion, four Golden Crow Guards holding knives stood in front of the carriage. When they heard the footsteps coming out, they immediately straightened their backs.
Chi Lu walked to the gate of the courtyard, suddenly stopped, turned around and looked at Yuzhao, "You stay here, and send two more guards to protect Wu Shishu's safety."
Yuzhao had already had this intention, and when she heard this, she immediately agreed, "Yes."
Chi Li nodded and stepped out of the door. In just a moment, she felt something was wrong - a pair of eyes were peeping in here.
She continued to walk out, raised her eyes calmly, and suddenly met the eyes of a thin man across the street.
The other party widened his eyes in surprise and turned away.
Want to run? Chi Qi's eyes were sharp, and just as she was about to speak, Liu Shen'ai took action first, darting out like lightning and pinning the man to the ground.
The man struggled violently but couldn't break free. He immediately shouted, "What are you doing? Why are you arresting me?"
Chi Yan walked over slowly and stared at him coldly, "Who sent you here to monitor?"
The man was stunned, then he retorted even louder, "What surveillance? I'm just an ordinary citizen!"
Chi Li turned and left, "Take him back to the Yiluansi and have him interrogated thoroughly."
Two guards stepped forward, took out a rope and tied the man up. When the man tried to protest, the guards grabbed a rag and roughly stuffed it into his mouth.
The common people nearby saw the uniforms of the Jinwu Guards and thought they were just officials investigating a case, so they all stepped away to watch the fun and dared not step forward to stop them.
Seeing that the guards had arrested the man, Chi Qi got on the carriage and ordered to return to the palace.
Just as the carriage was about to leave, a hand lifted the curtain from the outside, and then Liu Shen'ai, with a cold face, bent down and came in.
Chi Yan looked at her in confusion, "Why, don't you find the carriage too bumpy?"
Liushenai folded his hands in front of him, his face expressionless and he did not answer.
However, no one knew that in Chi Lan's sea of consciousness, the system was frantically outputting to her:
How dare you say that? I'm a high-level system, and you actually asked me to be punished and questioned my ability. You are even more shameless than the Lord God!
They said they wanted me to experience the real world, but they were just trying to trick me into doing hard labor.
In order to implant a combat program into my brain, the body they exchanged for me was the cheapest mechanical shell, without even the five senses, and my expression was so stiff it could scare a child to tears.
How is this different from when I was using a virtual system?
Look at what you have asked me to do these past few days. Either I squatted through the window and eavesdropped, or I climbed up the eaves to launch a sneak attack. You also asked me to help you train the Jinwu Guards... I was so busy that I had no time to rest, let alone experience the joy of being a human being. I don't even have the joy of being a dog!
Damn it, damn it! I must tell the Lord God that you, woman, have deceived me.
I also want to curse you, curse you to live alone for the rest of your life!
Chi Yan listened to her scolding quietly, without any emotion in her heart. She said as a matter of course, "But you are a robot to begin with, and you don't need to rest. Go keep an eye on Li Mian later. I guess that person just now was sent by him."
Seeing that she had said so much, but the host hadn't listened to a word and even wanted to order her around, Liu Shen Ai was so angry that her head was almost red and hot. "No! I quit!"
Although Chi Yan didn't understand what she was angry about, but considering that she was still needed, she softened her voice and coaxed her, "When you're done, I'll treat you to some honey shaved ice."
Liu Shen Ai turned around and looked at her with cold mechanical eyes, "Don't try to fool me again, I don't even have a sense of taste!"
"Exchange it for a taste perception program for you."
Liu Shen Ai turned back and raised her chin stiffly, "Alright! For the sake of honey shaved ice, I'll forgive you for now."
Although she didn't know what honey shaved ice tasted like, it was nice to try it.
She lifted the curtain of the car and looked at the street outside. It was crowded with people and the sounds of hawkers were endless. The afternoon sun slanted on her face, and her cold face felt a surge of warmth.
She took a deep breath, as if she could smell the rich scent of fireworks in the air, and a satisfied expression appeared on her face.
What a happy thing it is to be able to breathe freely!
It has been trapped in the darkness of nothingness for too long, and only when it talks to its host can it feel that it still exists.
The annoying thing is that the host always blocks its voice.
If its host is the most indifferent human being, then it is simply the warmest and most caring robot.
As a result, the host doesn’t know how to cherish it at all!
Just as I was thinking angrily, I heard Chi Li's voice, "Stop the car! You can get off now."
Liu Shen'ai came back to his senses and found that the carriage had arrived at Changping Street in front of the Prime Minister's Mansion. He turned around and glared at Chi Lan, then obediently jumped off the carriage.
————
At the same time, the man in black who had just appeared in the Song Mansion walked into the Prime Minister's Mansion in a dignified manner and came to the study in the outer courtyard.
He looked respectfully at Li Mian, who was sitting at the head of the table, and said, "Sir, Song Guangyi has been dealt with."
"Very good!" Li Mian laughed from his throat, then frowned again, "You didn't leave any traces, did you?"
The man in black shook his head. "I didn't leave a single trace. Even the most skilled coroner would think he was killed by a venomous snake bite."
Li Mian nodded and waved his hand at him, "Back off."
The man in black bowed and left the study, closing the door. Li Mian then looked at Li Xiaoci, who was sitting below him, and sneered, "I want to see who dares to cheer for Queen Mother Chi now that Song Guangyi, that good dog, is dead."
Li Xiaoci smiled knowingly and was about to speak when a servant came from outside the door to announce, "Master, the Minister of Justice, Mr. Zhu, wishes to see you."
Li Mian guessed that he was here for the morning court, and shouted, "Please let him in!"
After a while, footsteps were heard outside the door and the Minister of Justice Zhu Fangfang walked in. He greeted Li Mian and Li Xiaoci and then sat down.
Without waiting for Li Mian to ask, he stated the purpose of his visit, "Master Li, your daughter wanted to sue you for murdering your wives and concubines, but I stopped her. Here is the complaint, please take a look."
Li Xiaoci's face changed when he heard that. He stood up first and took the petition from his hand. He saw a bright red patch on it. Every word was written in blood, and the force was so strong that it could be seen through the back of the paper.
This unfilial daughter! He was so angry that his hands were shaking and the paper was trembling.
Zhu Fangfang sighed softly, her tone heavy, "Master Li, you saw the Empress Dowager's attitude at the court this morning. She is determined to release these female prisoners. Right now, we can still object to her on the basis of legal principles, but if she finds out about this... once she confirms the case, not only will you be in danger, but it will be difficult for us to oppose the amnesty order!"
Li Mian's face darkened upon hearing this, and he said sternly, "Li Xiaoci, how do you do things? Can't you even handle this from beginning to end?"
Li Xiaoci lowered his head, "I was careless, but——"
He looked at the petition in his hand, a hint of viciousness flashed in his eyes, and he exerted force with his hands, and tore the petition into pieces in two quick strokes. The paper fell to the ground, shattered into pieces.
"Since this unfilial girl is so resolute, I will grant her wish! Lord Zhu, it shouldn't be difficult for you to let a prisoner die quietly, right?"
The room was filled with silence for a moment before Zhu Fangfang spoke, "As long as Lord Li is determined to do it, it's just a matter of giving the order."
The three of them looked at each other and exchanged a look that showed they knew what was going on.
However, they never imagined that there was someone lying on the roof, quietly watching all this through the lifted tiles.
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