Chapter 1 Pei Ji. I am sorry for him.
“Bang—”
“Bang—”
“Bang—”
The drum for reporting to the emperor next to the court was being struck loudly. The man beating the drum was wearing a crimson official uniform and a jade crown on his head. As he beat the drum, his wide sleeves kept sliding down, and the water patterns embroidered on the hem also rippled like the tide.
Deng Wen's drumstick was quite heavy. Every time he struck it, his jade-like face turned a little paler. Even the red mole between his eyebrows became much lighter, and the base of his thumb was cracked because of the tight grip he held on the drumstick.
Those clear and bright eyes were stubborn and tough, as if he would keep knocking as long as the person inside didn't show up.
Whenever the drum was struck to report something, no one dared to stop it. However, several people went in to report, but there was never any response.
He Zhiliao opened his dry lips, his upper and lower lips stuck together, and a drop of blood came out when he opened them.
"Master He, according to the rules, you should be caned and tortured."
A eunuch in brocade clothes holding a whisk walked out, and his address changed to "as before". He looked at He Zhiliao with helplessness and pity in his eyes. No one had expected that this young master could do such a thing.
If it were someone else, they would have fainted from shock after hearing such a punishment. However, He Zhiliao was extremely happy. He knelt down and kowtowed towards the court, then quickly stood up and lay down on the prepared bench.
Before beating the drum to file a complaint to the emperor, one must be punished, only then will His Majesty hear the case.
As soon as he lay down, two guards hit him hard on the back of his waist with thick wooden sticks, one after another. He bit his lower lip in pain until it bled, but he didn't even make a sound.
The lower back was soon covered with bloody marks from being beaten with the stick. The person who was applying the clamps immediately clamped his ten fingers after the beating. His fingers were connected to his heart, and he whimpered in pain, watching his fingers swell up.
"Okay, we still have to keep his handwriting to write." Eunuch Peng frowned slightly and stopped him.
He Zhiliao's eyes were unfocused, tears were rolling down his eyes, and blood was flowing out of his mouth, but none of this mattered. He would soon see His Majesty and would soon be able to defend the Pei family.
He was carried in by two guards and gently placed on the court.
He Zhiliao supported his upper body with his elbows and tried to kneel down, but he failed after trying for a long time. He could only lie down again and again, tears streaming down his face. He couldn't be so useless. He couldn't offend His Majesty again.
"Forget it, let it be." His Majesty said in a deep voice, and seemed to remember that he could not speak, so he signaled Eunuch Peng to help him kneel up.
He Zhiliao knelt down in pain, raised his eyes and looked directly at the emperor. His clear eyes were filled with eagerness, hoping that he would immediately read the petition he had submitted.
Her husband's family never rebelled, her husband's elder sister never murdered the eldest son, and her husband never attacked the prince... Every one of them was a false accusation.
The superior said nothing, lightly tapping the petition in front of him. He said in a deep voice, "I have read what you handed me. I only allowed you to divorce because of your father's loyalty to the country and because I took pity on your disability. But you are so ungrateful. Isn't it a waste of my efforts?"
Upon hearing this, He Zhiliao immediately kowtowed, then eagerly grabbed the pen and ink beside him and wrote, not caring about the swelling and pain in his fingers, as he was only focused on explaining.
[This minister does not intend to contradict Your Majesty, but the facts concerning the Pei family are false accusations. Your Majesty is a wise ruler, and I implore you to investigate thoroughly.]
His handwriting was illegible, but Emperor An could still read it clearly.
But even if they saw it clearly, the imperial edict had already been issued and the Pei family had already arrested him and prepared to execute him.
How can the order be changed from morning to night?
Wouldn't he want the whole world to laugh at him for being untrustworthy?
What's more, the Pei family's rebellion and treason is a foregone conclusion and cannot be doubted.
The letters, transfer orders, badges concerning the Pei family's conspiracy to rebel, as well as the witnesses and evidence of his concubine Pei Yueting murdering the legitimate prince, are all complete and more real than this so-called petition.
As the Son of Heaven, he naturally has to control the government and eliminate those who plot rebellion, otherwise his great capital will be overthrown by such treacherous villains!
"Forget it. I only saw you today because I felt sorry for you. But if you persist in being recalcitrant, I will definitely hold your mother's family accountable!" Emperor An said in a deep voice. Perhaps he had thought of something, and then he said to Eunuch Peng beside him, "Why don't you take Young Master He away for treatment?"
Upon hearing this, Eunuch Peng immediately raised his hand to call the young eunuchs guarding outside. Just as they were about to approach He Zhiliao, he shook his head and continued to write quickly on the paper despite the pain.
[Your Majesty, please grant me permission to visit you in prison. After all, we are husband and wife. Please grant me permission.]
Eunuch Peng quickly handed the paper to Emperor An. Emperor An looked at him in silence for a moment and said, "I know you are deeply loyal and affectionate. So go and take a look."
He Zhiliao's face lit up with joy, and he immediately kowtowed repeatedly to apologize.
Two young eunuchs hurriedly took him out, fearing that if he stayed any longer, his blood would stain the emperor's study.
Chun Jian, the personal servant, was also shocked to see him being carried out with his hands and feet intact. When he saw his miserable appearance again, tears came to his eyes and he hurried forward to support him.
"Master, let's go home..."
He Zhiliao shook his head, and the eunuch beside him immediately said, "Your Majesty is so gracious that he allows Young Master He to visit you in the imperial prison. Young Master He, take care."
He Zhiliao nodded and turned to look at Chun Jian. He pointed at his clothes and Chun Jian immediately understood, "I will change your clothes for you right away."
After leaving the palace gate, they drove the carriage directly to the imperial prison without having time to treat their injuries. They saw some shops on the way and bought a lot of things from them.
The imperial prison was a place specifically for imprisoning criminal officials. The head of the Pei family was temporarily imprisoned here, while the servants below had been executed and buried in a mass grave as soon as the imperial edict was issued.
He Zhiliao rushed to the imperial prison in a hurry. His face was pale and bloodless. He only relied on his last breath, the determination to see Pei Ji even if he died, to force himself into prison.
"Pei family, someone is here to see."
Following the jailer's calm voice, all the Pei family members in the prison raised their eyes and saw He Zhiliao coming.
They knew exactly who he came for.
The once glorious Pei family became prisoners overnight. No matter how high Pei Ji's ambition was, it has now disappeared without a trace.
He raised his eyelids and looked at the former Zhengjun. Perhaps because he had been tormented by the rumors outside during this period, he was not living a happy life. His face was pale and his body was much thinner. He was no longer as cute as before.
"What are you doing here? I've already let you divorce, why are you still pestering me?" Pei Ji said these unpleasant words in a hoarse voice, as if he didn't even want to look at him.
He Zhiliao quickly shook his head and hurried to explain, making gestures towards him, trying to let him know that he was not there to laugh at his joke, and that they were not really going to run away when disaster struck.
But Pei Ji had never cared about him before, so how could he know what his messy gestures meant?
It's just him, a mute, winking at me.
Pei Ji seemed to be very upset. His tall figure leaned against the wall, looking at him indifferently, and said impatiently: "Stop shaking your hands. What do you expect me to see?"
He Zhiliao stood there in a daze as if he had been hit hard.
Chun Jian felt sorry for his young master and ignored his previous instructions. He immediately shouted angrily, "General Pei, you should have a conscience. Our young master just went to the court to clear the Pei family's grievances. You can't treat him like this!"
As soon as these words came out, all the Pei family members in the prison looked at him in shock.
Everyone knows about the Dengwen Drum, and everyone knows that if you beat the Dengwen Drum and want to see His Majesty, you will have to endure punishment, especially the torture rods, which are connected to your heart with ten fingers, and the pain is excruciating!
For hundreds of years since the Tianqi reign, very few people have tried to beat the drum to report crimes, and all of them died after being punished.
"Why do you have to do this?" Pei Ji's tough and weathered face was full of pity. He had not treated He Zhiliao well. When he was in the Pei family, he always ignored him. He did not deserve this from her.
【I will try my best to do whatever I can. I am willing to do it, and you don’t need to feel guilty. 】
He Zhiliao wrote words on the ground with his swollen hands. He knew very well that the Pei family would not rebel, so he did all this, firstly to speak for the Pei family, and secondly to tell Pei Ji what he meant.
"Do you think I'll like you just because you act like this? I advise you to go home immediately and never show up in front of me again. Our Pei family's affairs have nothing to do with you, and you don't need to worry about them. You're making all these gestures, are you asking me to marry you?"
"I'll tell you what I said before. I've never been attracted to you. If you hadn't been determined to marry me, I wouldn't even look at you. Not to mention that you're not a member of the Pei family anymore, and I don't need you to do anything for me. Everything you've done is hypocritical to me."
"Go back to your mansion! If you come again, I'll just die here and put an end to your unrealistic ideas!"
These words were particularly serious, not only to cut off all thoughts of He Zhile, but also to express his own feelings.
Every word he said was that there was no possibility between him and the other party.
He Zhiliao shook his head in panic, looking at him with a pale face, tears in his bright eyes. He tried to force a smile to respond, trying to explain that he did all this willingly and had nothing else to ask for, but when he met Pei Ji's cold eyes, he could do nothing.
"Get out of here!"
Following Pei Ji's roar, the jailer who was guarding outside came in and urged, "Master He, you have to leave. It's not good for you to stay any longer."
"Master, let's go!" Chun Jian helped up his light body, his face full of anger. General Pei was not worth his master's hard work!
He Zhiliao just looked at Pei Ji with bright eyes. He would go back and beg his father again. The Pei family should not be blamed for something they did not do.
Pei Ji watched the frail figure leave quietly. Even though he thought about it many times, he no longer had the chance to say those inappropriate words.
"Although what you said is harsh, it is true." Mother Pei sighed softly. Their family is in this situation now. If she said those heartfelt words again, it would really hurt He Zhi.
The Pei family is in an awkward situation now, and they are doomed to die. Anyone who comes into contact with them will be killed. The reason why the He family and He Zhi were shown leniency is simply because Your Majesty knows that the Pei and He families have always been incompatible, and he feels sorry for the mute He Zhi.
But the emperor has always been moody. He might pity him today, but if he doesn't pity him tomorrow, he will issue an imperial decree to sentence him to death.
The fewer people who are connected with the Pei family, the better.
"I'm sorry for him." Pei Ji said and closed his eyes.
No matter how He Zhiliao begged his father to speak for the Pei family, all he got was indifference and disregard. No one would get involved in the Pei family's mess.
In addition, he was seriously injured and could no longer hold on after the repeated blows, and completely fainted.
When he woke up again, it was the day of Pei's beheading.
The entire capital city cheered and beat drums, as if getting rid of the Pei family was the same as saving the entire Apocalypse.
More than a dozen members of the Pei family's main family knelt at the execution ground with their backs straightened. Even the young children were not spared, quietly waiting for the arrival of noon.
Pei Ji kept staring at the road he came from. He was both expectant and afraid.
"It's noon. Execute the traitor Pei family!"
As the voice rang out, a frail figure stumbled into the crowd. He shouted excitedly, but could not say anything.
When he broke through the crowd and reached the front, the executioner's knife fell on Pei Ji's neck.
"ah!!!"
Pei Ji!!!
He collapsed and screamed, tears streaming down his face. He wanted to rush forward like a madman, but was stopped by the guards in front of him.
Pei Ji!!!
Pei Ji no longer frowned like before. He seemed to be laughing. He was sorry for the little mute. If he had known this earlier, if there was an afterlife, he should have done it earlier...
Blood splattered everywhere, and He Zhiliao vomited a mouthful of blood with the blood splashing on his face.
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New start~ I will directly post 10,000 words! Lots of comments! [Rainbow fart]
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