Chapter 29
Qilin Guard finally brought Zhao Congyun back to report.
Yue Mingming looked at him fearfully. Zhao Congyun was still wearing the same moon-white gown he had worn that morning, with only a thin black cloak covering it.
The snow was not heavy. He didn't know how long he had been outside, but a heavy layer of snow had fallen on his shoulders. His already cold eyebrows seemed to be stained by the wind and frost, giving him an indifferent look that kept people at a distance.
Yue Mingming was still hesitating about how to remind him to be careful, but Zhao Congyun didn't even look at her, walked straight past her, and stood in front of Emperor Zhaoming with his head lowered.
The pale and bloodless face instantly reduced Emperor Zhaoming's anger by three points.
Emperor Zhaoming couldn't help but ask, "How did you get yourself into this state?"
Zhao Congyun did not answer, but asked, "Your Majesty summoned me suddenly, what's the matter?"
The voice was hoarse like a blunt knife, cutting Yue Mingming's heart. There was no bleeding, only a dull pain.
Emperor Zhaoming clenched the memorial in his hand, frowned, and said in silence for a moment, "It's the Empress who has something to ask."
He looked at Queen Li, who was slightly startled. Her eyes swept over the memorial inconspicuously. She quickly concealed her momentary loss of composure, repeated the whole story again, and "emphasized" Yue Mingming's suspicion.
"I wonder what the emperor's uncle thinks about this?" asked Queen Li.
Zhao Congyun didn't seem surprised at all, and even had a kind of calmness that seemed to be detached from the matter. He said calmly, "I believe it wasn't her. She doesn't have such ability."
Empress Li sighed deeply and said slowly, "I understand that the emperor's uncle is protecting her, but your words alone cannot clear her of suspicion, let alone convince the public. I hope the emperor's uncle will understand."
She exchanged a glance with Emperor Zhaoming and said, "Your Majesty intends to hand this case over to the Ministry of Justice for trial... During this period, I'm afraid Madam Yue cannot return home."
"Does the Queen want to hand her over to the Ministry of Justice?" Zhao Congyun asked.
Empress Li said, "This is not my intention. It is stipulated by the laws of our dynasty. As a suspect, isn't it right for her to cooperate with the investigation?"
Zhao Congyun chuckled softly. "May I ask, Your Majesty, when did our dynasty's laws stipulate that simply because she was the only survivor, she should be treated as a suspect without any evidence?"
His tone remained calm, but his words grew sharper. "When did our laws ever stipulate that anyone who casually mentioned 'witchcraft' would be subjected to groundless accusations, leading to rivers of bloodshed?"
Empress Li's expression changed: "What do you mean, uncle?"
Zhao Congyun suddenly looked up, and Queen Li's heart skipped a beat - that was a look of desperation and determination!
The next moment, his voice remained unchanged: "The Queen mentioned the law, so I discussed the law with Her Majesty... That's all."
Empress Li paused, then pleaded in a tone of grievance, "Uncle, you can ignore my words, but you must always consider the royal family's reputation and the deceased's family... They are your comrades, and even more so, your most trusted officials... If you refuse to cooperate with the investigation simply because you are a royal relative, wouldn't that give people an excuse to accuse Your Majesty and Uncle of favoritism and perverting the law?"
Zhao Congyun remained unmoved. "As long as the Empress produces evidence, I will personally send the person to the Ministry of Justice without hesitation. What do you think?"
"Uncle Emperor is forcing me..."
Zhao Congyun seemed to have run out of patience and said directly, "People died in the palace. The royal family's reputation and the appeasement of the court officials... these are the concerns of the Empress. They are none of my business."
"..." Queen Li was completely choked by these words, and Yue Mingming immediately broke out in a cold sweat for Zhao Congyun.
As expected, the previously silent Emperor Zhaoming flew into a rage upon hearing this: "Asshole! Is this something you should say? You didn't study hard in the past, and these past few years you've been living a life of debauchery. It's because I've been too indulgent with you that you can't tell right from wrong!"
"Kneel down before me!"
Zhao Congyun knelt down silently without a word of argument, his back straight.
Even now, the snow on his body still hadn't melted, and the coldness weighed on his shoulders. Yue Mingming couldn't help but think about how cold he must be, even the snow couldn't melt.
Emperor Zhaoming seemed even more dissatisfied with his silence and said coldly, "Let me ask you, if I insist on sending her to the Ministry of Justice today, what will you do?"
"Do you still want to disobey my order?!"
"I dare not," Zhao Congyun said, "but I also dare to ask Your Majesty, do you really believe she is the murderer?"
Emperor Zhaoming remained silent.
Yue Mingming finally understood at this moment that Emperor Zhaoming didn't care whether she was the murderer or not. What he cared about was Zhao Congyun's attitude.
After receiving the memorial, Emperor Zhaoming's attitude seemed to have changed.
Yesterday, Zhao Congyun refused to choose a concubine and protected her everywhere. Although Emperor Zhaoming was angry, he was more like a brother who was disappointed in his brother. But now, he is the king, and he exudes the unquestionable majesty of the emperor everywhere.
What exactly was written in that memorial?
The two of them faced each other in silence. The more Yue Mingming thought about it, the more dangerous it felt. She kowtowed solemnly and said, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, I am willing to go to the Ministry of Justice to cooperate with the investigation!"
Unexpectedly, Zhao Congyun turned his back to her and said coldly, "You are not allowed to go!"
…………
Zhao Congyun, are you crazy?
Yue Mingming was so anxious that he cursed in his heart: I gave you a way out, why did you insist on going to hell!
Emperor Zhaoming laughed in anger, "In front of me... you say you're not allowed to? Do you even know who you are?"
Bang... He threw the memorial hard on Zhao Congyun's head, knocking off the purple gold crown that tied Zhao Congyun's hair, and frightened Yue Mingming so much that he shuddered violently.
Emperor Zhaoming shouted, "Open your eyes and look carefully. Is this true?"
Zhao Congyun picked up the memorial and looked at it for a moment, then lowered his eyes and said slowly, "The private investigation of grain transport and the liaison for disaster relief are true...but the cultivation of cronies, forming a clique for personal gain, and interfering in government affairs are false."
"You're quite the pickpocket!" Emperor Zhaoming said, "If you hadn't formed a clique, how could you have arranged for disaster relief? The grain transport issue is a matter of state affairs. If you investigated it privately, how could that not be considered meddling?"
Zhao Congyun said, "If your Majesty thinks so, I have nothing to say."
"...You're rebelling! You really are rebelling!"
Emperor Zhaoming stood up in anger and kicked Zhao Congyun, but Zhao Congyun did not move.
But Yue Mingming couldn't bear to see it.
She completely forgot about the palace rules and only thought that someone would get hurt if she kicked him, so she rushed over and pulled Zhao Congyun back hard. As a result, the two forces combined, Zhao Congyun staggered and fell backwards.
Yue Mingming used almost all his strength to support him and prevent him from falling to the ground.
She didn't want to see him in such a mess.
Zhao Congyun seemed surprised too. He hadn't expected Yue Mingming to come to his rescue. He couldn't help but look up, seeing her again since they'd parted that morning.
The girl's face was covered in tears, and her eyes were red like a wronged rabbit. But Zhao Congyun could no longer be sure whether the concern and care in her eyes at this moment was real... Ever since she rejected him, he dared not harbor any more illusions.
His bright moon turned out to be just a moon in the water.
Zhao Congyun gritted his teeth, struggled to get out of the soft embrace from behind, shook off Yue Mingming's clenched hand, and said softly, "Get out of the way."
His tone was so cold that it instantly froze Yue Mingming's courage. She could only stare blankly at him as he stood up and knelt once more, a stubborn shadow.
Emperor Zhaoming looked at Zhao Congyun coldly and said, "You don't need to plead for her anymore. You two might as well go to jail together and become a pair of star-crossed mandarin ducks."
"I won't let her go to the Ministry of Justice." Zhao Congyun said.
He pulled out a bright yellow scroll from his bosom and held it high above his head. "I present this scroll of the late emperor's will, and I earnestly implore Your Majesty to grant my request."
Emperor Zhaoming was stunned, and looked at the will in Zhao Congyun's hand with complicated eyes: "How dare you..."
He didn't say anything else. Yue Mingming was horrified to find that for a moment, murderous intent flickered in Emperor Zhaoming's eyes.
There was dead silence in the hall.
After a long while, Emperor Zhaoming asked again, "Have you thought it through? Are you going to invoke the late emperor's will just for such a small matter? Don't forget... you're in danger right now!"
"I am at the mercy of Your Majesty."
"Good...good!" Emperor Zhaoming sneered as he pulled out the will. He gripped it until his fingertips turned white, and loudly ordered, "Pass on my decree. Yue is exempted from interrogation and detention by the Ministry of Justice. Return to the palace to await the results of the investigation."
"As for you..." Emperor Zhaoming's eyes no longer held the pity of a brother. He said coldly, "Since you wish to return, I will grant you your wish... Prince Jia is confined to Yongshang Palace from today. No entry or exit is allowed, and no visitors are allowed. The Qilin Guards will personally supervise!"
Zhao Congyun bowed his head: "I accept your command... Thank you."
Imprisoning a prince is unprecedented in this dynasty... All the palace maids and Qilin Guards in the room were stunned.
Only Queen Li secretly breathed a sigh of relief: everything went even more smoothly than she expected!
She glanced at Yue Mingming casually, and met Yue Mingming's confused gaze. The corners of her lips finally curled up silently.
She won.
Just as Yue Mingming guessed, her target from the beginning to the end was only Zhao Congyun.
The Qilin Guard stepped forward, and Zhao Congyun stood up, straightened his clothes, and walked straight out of Kunning Palace without looking at anyone. Yue Mingming tried to say something when he passed by, but her clenched fingers passed through the corner of his clothes, but she didn't catch anything and couldn't say anything.
Yue Mingming didn't know how he left.
She was stuffed into a carriage in a daze. The palace servants didn't even close the curtains in their haste. The wind and snow kept pouring in, but Yue Mingming turned a blind eye.
The snowflakes grew bigger and bigger, gradually covering the sky and the earth. She stared blankly outside until suddenly there was a focus in the vast white sky and earth.
The black figure stood silently at the end of the corridor. It was too far away for Yue Mingming to clearly see the expression on his face, but she was certain he was looking at her.
Yue Mingming rushed to the car window with sobs, wanting to call Zhao Congyun's name, but suddenly swallowed a mouthful of wind and snow. She coughed and waved with all her strength, fearing that Zhao Congyun would turn around and leave.
Fortunately he didn't.
He stood there until the carriage turned the corner.
Zhao Congyun thought that he had accompanied this encounter until the end and had no regrets.
All the regrets were left to Yue Mingming - the moment he could no longer see that figure, Yue Mingming realized how important this person was.
He is neither a boss nor an NPC. He is her origin in this game world, her novice village, and her paradise.
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