The emperor glanced at Xie Shiyan's expression and, seeing that he showed no dissatisfaction, then ordered the execution of Deputy General Li.
"Since you have confessed your guilt, I will act in accordance with the laws of Northern Qi."
"Li Shan, deputy general of the left wing army, is hereby stripped of his deputy general rank, subjected to the punishment of having his tongue cut off, and given sixty lashes, with a sentence of ten years."
"Take him away!"
At the emperor's command, Li Shan's face turned ashen.
He might not even make it through a ten-year sentence.
He was kicked by Xie Shiyan and had his tongue cut out. Without anyone to treat him, it would be difficult for him to survive three months in the dark prison.
For him, this was undoubtedly a death sentence.
But he had no other choice.
As Li Shan was dragged out, his resentful gaze swept over the emperor and Princess Jinghe.
His biggest regret wasn't offending Gu Jiangli, but listening to Princess Jinghe!
If he lived his life peacefully and didn't conspire with the princess, his position as deputy general would be enough to ensure his future security in the capital.
But now, he faces a dark and hopeless death.
Li Shan's figure completely disappeared from everyone's sight.
None of the young ladies and gentlemen from prominent families who had come to the banquet dared to move.
Everyone was looking down at their noses and contemplating their own thoughts.
Although Li Shan didn't explain himself clearly, they all understood.
Li Shan may have made mistakes, but he was nothing more than a useless pawn discarded by the mastermind.
The one who truly orchestrated all of this was Princess Jinghe...
The emperor exhaled a breath of stale air, then said to Xie Shiyan:
"General Xie, do you think I'm being cruel by treating Li Shan this way?"
Xie Shiyan said:
"Your Majesty acted in accordance with the laws of Northern Qi, which is not inappropriate. However, I believe that, apart from Li Shan, the other two soldiers also intended to harm my wife. Although they did not succeed in the end, their intentions were truly wicked."
"I think Your Majesty need not deal with these two incompetent soldiers personally; I will handle them myself."
The emperor almost broke out in a cold sweat.
It seems that Xie Shiyan is not satisfied with dealing with just one person.
"Very well, they are all your men. You can handle it as you see fit, my dear minister. I trust you will act impartially."
As long as Xie Shiyan lets this matter pass, anything goes.
"Oh, right," Xie Shiyan suddenly said.
"What's wrong?" The emperor felt a chill run down his spine when he heard him speak.
“Li Shan’s actions today may not be the work of one person alone. I think there is someone else behind him.”
Princess Jinghe froze, about to speak, but was stopped by the emperor.
“My dear minister, Li Shan has already admitted to his actions, so why bother pursuing such unrealistic matters?”
"Your Majesty, I do not intend to investigate who this person is, because his stupidity is not worth my time."
Princess Jinghe's face lost all color.
Because Xie Shiyan was looking directly at her when he said that.
Her eyes darted around, and it was unclear where she was looking.
Seeing her guilty look, Xie Shiyan continued:
"The mastermind behind this is so stupid it's laughable."
"She doesn't understand me, nor does she understand my wife."
"Let's set aside the fact that the claim that several men saw her body is false; even if it were true, it wouldn't be able to harm me at all."
“If any man’s eyes have ever looked at my wife’s body, I will gouge out their eyes and hang them on the lintel of my Xie family’s gate for all to see.”
“If any man’s hands, with filthy and lewd thoughts, touch my wife’s skin, I will cut off his hands, cook them, and make him eat them himself.”
“If any man’s mouth has uttered any filthy words to my wife, I will cut out his tongue and sew his mouth back on with needle and thread.”
“Even though my wife has gone through these things, I do not believe in any way that she will become an unclean woman because of them.”
"My hatred will be precisely directed at everyone who has harmed my wife."
Xie Shiyan's gaze was like a sharp arrow.
He aimed at Princess Jinghe and didn't move away for a moment.
Princess Jinghe swayed involuntarily and could only barely steady herself by holding onto her father's chair.
Every word Xie Shiyan spoke was directed at her, and every expression of hatred was aimed at her.
How could something as trivial as this, something without any conclusion or evidence, make Brother Ayan hate her so much?
Xie Shiyan said sarcastically, "Princess, you don't look too well."
"I... am fine..."
Princess Jinghe's voice trembled violently.
The feeling of being targeted by an evil spirit sent a surge of fear up her spine from the soles of her feet, making her tremble uncontrollably and almost instinctively start to cry.
“Princess Jinghe, I hope you don’t misunderstand me. When I said I didn’t intend to investigate who this person was, it didn’t mean I didn’t know who this person was.”
"As His Majesty said, if he hadn't been present today, you, as a princess, would naturally not have been able to control this situation."
“If the situation were in my hands, it wouldn’t just be Li Shan and his two brothers who would be punished.”
The emperor suddenly stood up.
Xie Shiyan's undisguised words also unsettled him.
"My dear minister! What do you mean by that?"
Xie Shiyan pulled Gu Jiangli back a step and bowed respectfully.
"Your Majesty, I am simply giving you face."
He spoke each word with arrogance and unbridled spirit.
The meaning behind his words was self-evident.
If the emperor hadn't been present today, he certainly wouldn't have let Princess Jinghe off so easily.
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