Chapter 276 Execution by Beating
"No, I didn't!" Meng Xiyao covered her face and tried her best to argue.
This old man, enraged and ashamed, actually ruined her reputation; he was truly wicked.
"When I returned to the palace today, I was accompanied by palace guards and nannies. My maid Yun'er was also in the carriage when the thief broke in. They only held me hostage with a knife and there was no physical contact between us. Your Majesty can summon them and find out the truth."
Meng Xiyao did not mention Gu Yan.
Firstly, she didn't want Gu Yan to see her in such an embarrassing situation. Secondly, since the Emperor knew about today's events, he must also know that Gu Yan was present at the time. If the Emperor wanted to summon him, he would do so. Since the Emperor hadn't mentioned this person, she was afraid that by bringing up another man, the Emperor would smear her with other accusations.
The Emperor put his hands behind his back and glanced at Meng Xiyao out of the corner of his eye.
"Since you are innocent, why didn't you report to me immediately? Instead, you instructed your servants not to make a fuss. Isn't that a guilty conscience? A chaste and virtuous woman should commit suicide by cutting her throat to prove her innocence when she is held hostage by an outsider in a private carriage, instead of hiding it from everyone like you do."
Meng Xiyao felt a chill run through her body, but she remained calm and said, "I am innocent. I have neither lost my chastity nor done anything out of line. Why should I slit my own throat? It is their business if others do not believe me. Why should I prove myself with my life?"
The emperor turned his head and looked her over again.
A chilling coldness pervaded the air.
"The Meng family girls are truly not to be trifled with. They did wrong, refused to accept punishment, refused to admit their guilt, and even dared not serve the emperor. Don't say I didn't give you a chance. If you serve the emperor tonight and there is still blood on your skin, I will be lenient with you. But if you refuse to serve the emperor, then don't blame me for executing you for the crime of defiling the palace!"
Eunuch Chu chimed in from the side, "Consort Xi, you are a wise woman. You should be able to distinguish between what is important and what is not. Serving her in bed and being favored versus being executed for promiscuity—one is honor, the other is shame—it all depends on your decision."
In fact, even if Meng Xiyao disagrees with serving the emperor in bed, the emperor can still force himself on her. Not to mention waiting until night to follow the rules, even if he forced himself on Meng Xiyao right now in the Hall of Diligent Governance, no one could stop him.
However, since Meng Xingyuan had just died tragically not long ago, it was not advisable to make things too ugly. There had already been a lot of doubts in the court recently, so it was best to be a little more careful at this time.
Now it all depends on whether Meng Xiyao is clever or sensible.
Looking at the two people in front of her, Meng Xiyao couldn't help but feel a chill.
She didn't want to die, and she especially didn't want to die in such a shameful way.
She tried to convince herself to swallow her anger and accept it, like being bitten by a dog. But looking at the Emperor's frail and aged body, and remembering Gu Yan she had seen today, she still couldn't hold back.
"As I have said, I am innocent and without fault. My father's body is still warm, and I cannot serve him in bed. My father died while suppressing bandits for the court, and his body has not even been found yet. Your Majesty is forcing me like this, disregarding etiquette and fabricating accusations to ruin my reputation. It is truly heartbreaking! I will not choose either of them!"
The Emperor couldn't help but smile as he looked at Meng Xiyao's composed yet stubborn demeanor.
They're really courting death.
It's been a long time since anyone dared to speak to him like that.
More than momentary desire, he enjoyed forcefully pressing down the proud heads of courageous and spirited people, making them unable to raise their heads again.
He clapped his hands and laughed, "I didn't know that Meng Xingyuan's daughter was so spirited, daring to challenge me. Eunuch Chu, what are we waiting for? Pass down the order: Consort Xi has been having an affair with a man, defiling the palace. She shall be publicly flogged to death tomorrow at noon. I will personally witness the execution tomorrow and see if Consort Xi still has the same backbone."
Eunuch Chu sighed deeply, "Your Highness, it's not too late for you to regret it now. If I were to spread these words, it would be too late to say anything then..."
Meng Xiyao bit her lip tightly, not saying a word.
Fortunately, the old man only punished her and did not implicate the Meng family.
She was afraid that she would lose her temper and start cursing, and that the old man would take his anger out on the Meng family, which would implicate her mother and younger brother.
So even though she bit her lip until it bled, she didn't dare to speak again.
Seeing her stubbornness, Eunuch Chu stopped trying to persuade her and ordered someone to take her away. He then began to convey the Emperor's decree to the various palaces.
On the other side, Gu Yan escorted the two petty thieves to the government office and learned that they were wanted criminals of the imperial court who had committed multiple crimes. Despite the government's repeated efforts, they had not been able to capture them.
The official in charge of the case repeatedly expressed his gratitude to Gu Yan and invited him to stay for dinner. It wasn't until dusk that Gu Yan returned to his residence.
His grandmother had been waiting for him for a long time. As soon as they met, she scolded him for coming home too late. Her expression softened when she learned that he had gone to catch a thief.
It's one thing for ordinary petty thieves to steal a little food, but these two thieves specifically steal money from patients at the pharmacy; they are truly despicable.
“Since you caught a thief, Grandmother will not punish you today. In the future, if this happens again, you still need to ask someone to pass on a message to me, otherwise Grandmother will not be at ease at home.”
Grandmother was Gu Yan's only relative. She valued rules and regulations, and still held her grandson, her only remaining grandson, to high standards. Fortunately, Gu Yan was filial and sensible, and the two got along relatively well.
Upon hearing his grandmother's instructions, Gu Yan immediately admitted his mistake.
"It was my grandson's fault today. He will definitely be more careful next time."
Seeing that Gu Yan was in a good mood, his grandmother looked kind and held his hand, talking to him.
"You are the only heir left in my family, so your grandmother has to think more about you. Do you remember Meng Xiyao, the third daughter of the Meng family, whom your grandmother told you about before? She is the daughter of the prime minister who later became a concubine."
Gu Yan's heart tightened, thinking that her grandmother had found out about what happened today. Her face flushed, but she calmly replied, "I know. Why did you suddenly bring her up?"
"Fortunately, Grandmother firmly refused at the time." Grandmother smiled, quite relieved, and said, "That woman is truly a menace. Even after entering the harem, she still doesn't behave. If I had foolishly agreed to it back then, I would be crying now."
Gu Yan realized something was wrong and pressed, "What's wrong with her?"
"The news coming from the palace is that she had an affair with a man outside the palace, defiling the inner court. The Emperor has ordered her to be publicly flogged to death tomorrow at noon. Such a promiscuous woman should be severely punished. She couldn't even behave properly after marrying the Emperor; who knows what kind of trouble she would cause if she fell into another family. The Emperor's 'publicly' order probably just allows the women of the inner palace to watch, to prevent others from following suit. In my opinion, she should be taken to the palace gates and allowed to be seen by all the people of the land, thus making an example of her and deterring others from committing such depraved acts again."
Grandmother spoke with righteous indignation, but Gu Yan's expression grew worse with each word she heard.
“Grandmother, Consort Xi has always lived in the inner palace. She is only returning home to visit her family today. How could she possibly defile the palace? I’m afraid there’s some misunderstanding.”
Grandmother frowned and said, "It's all over the palace. What misunderstanding could there be? I heard it happened on the way back to the palace. That's why Grandmother said that this woman is a menace. She did such a shameful thing in just a short time."
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