19. Kneel
All the civil and military officials in the court just stared at Yun Zhihe in the hall in amazement.
They were speechless and no one objected.
Xuanyuan Ying was silent for a long time. He looked at Yun Zhihe, his voice hoarse, echoing in the silent hall.
"...I, considering you a loyal minister, will pardon your crime of disobeying the imperial edict, but you must make amends."
"I ordered you to bring people with the Dali Temple to investigate the Song Mansion to prove that what I said is true."
He turned to look at the gray-faced Minister Song, his eyes cold, "Minister Song's crime is suspected and he is temporarily dismissed for investigation."
Xuanyuan Ying closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
"If what you said is true, Madam Song will be killed on the spot! Minister Song will be imprisoned."
Minister Song suddenly collapsed, his face ashen.
He did not respond to what Yun Zhihe had just said about the slave system. To put it simply, it was to upgrade slaves to slave status so that they could have human rights. To put it more broadly, it was to abolish the slave system.
This matter requires consideration from many aspects, and now... I can't make promises lightly.
"As for the slave system, I will consider it at another time."
All the civil and military officials in the court were staring at him, especially Queen Mother Cheng, who stared at him with her sharp phoenix eyes, giving him hints.
Xuanyuan Ying passed by without any expression.
The reform of the slave class was briefly mentioned, and the ceremony of announcing the names of the descendants of the nobles began slowly. However, everyone had their own thoughts, and the emperor on the platform was also indifferent.
Yun Zhihe stepped aside, sweating lightly and his hair slightly wet.
She had just gambled with her own future by causing a big fuss by talking about quitting her official position. If His Majesty did not tell her where to go, then she would have no chance of pursuing a career in officialdom.
Now that she has spoken out about investigating the Song Mansion together with the Dali Temple, it is like silently protecting her and ensuring that she will not be expelled from the officialdom because of her remarks about abandoning her official position.
She closed her eyes, then opened them and looked into the distance, with a hint of desolation in her eyes.
here we go……
After the announcement was over, Cui Mingyu rushed up to her, grabbed her shoulder without any pressure, and spoke to her.
"How can you be so ignorant?! I know you want to change this despicable society that treats human life as worthless, but how can you alone change it?!"
"What will happen next if you don't have the chance to pursue a career in government? Isn't your dream to become an official?!"
She accused at the top of her lungs, her phoenix eyes staring at her, tears seeping out.
"You don't know what's good for you! The three of us clearly planned to expose the Song family, but how did it become you risking your life and your future?!"
"What if you were punished and killed?!"
She looked very emotional, Li Miaomiao remained silent beside her, and Yun Zhihe smiled bitterly with some helplessness.
She also knew that today was a gamble.
But she really couldn't swallow this.
As she said, what's the point of being an official if you can't do anything for the people? Is this the kind of official she wants?
After she knew that Song Er was raising dogs with human flesh, even though her expression did not change, she could not sleep at night. In the middle of the night, she would wrap herself in her underwear and lean against the window to look at the moon.
She just looked up in a daze, at the bright moon in the sky and the bright moonlight.
The moonlight is cold and distant, shining silently on the earth.
Her mother was an honest official who was dedicated to serving the people, and what she wanted to do was to make the world peaceful and prosperous.
The ceremony of announcing the imperial examinations is the best opportunity.
She is not stupid. Considering the years of nurturing between His Majesty and her and the mother's regard for her, he will not sentence her to death. This is half the battle.
If we fail, even history books will record this moment, and one day... the status of slavery will be abolished.
As for not telling Li Miaomiao and Cui Mingyu, it was because I was afraid that they would worry.
Seeing her absentmindedly thinking about things, Cui Mingyu was furious again, "You are so arrogant! You are so great! What you did today was useless? His Majesty just ignored it with a few words!"
Yun Zhihe blinked and chuckled in relaxation. He was so nervous that he couldn't laugh just now.
"No...it won't work."
All the civil and military officials in the court gathered in the Hall of Supreme Harmony. This was the best opportunity to let them realize the disadvantages of their lowly status... There would always be someone who would think about it.
Soon, people from the Dali Temple found Yun Zhihe, and Su Lin, the Shaoqing of the Dali Temple, walked slowly forward and invited her to go to the Song Mansion together.
Her expression was cold and she spoke calmly, "Someone has surrounded the Song Mansion. It's time for us to go."
This is Su Lin's nature. He is the Shaoqing of Dali Temple at a young age and does not talk much with Yun Zhihe.
The red official uniform made her posture stand out tall and straight, and the sword at her waist made her temperament more sharp. The corners of her eyes were slightly raised, exuding a sense of dominance and coldness.
When she and Yun Zhihe entered the Song Mansion, they looked around at the trembling servants in the Song Mansion, and randomly picked someone to lead them to find Song Er's dog yard.
Yun Zhihe just followed them forward with a dull expression, without the teasing he had just shown when talking to Cui Mingyu. The closer they got, the darker his eyes became.
She suppressed the turbulent look in her eyes and felt the increasingly strong smell of blood.
Su Lin smelled the blood and became alert. He frowned, drew his sword and walked forward cautiously. The others did the same, all with serious expressions.
Yun Zhihe seemed to be fine, still strolling behind, looking at the surrounding garden flowers and plants with a slight amazement.
...Minister Song is really extravagant. He even grows flowers like these as wild flowers.
The servant leading the way became more and more frightened, trembling and not daring to push open the door of the kennel.
Song Er usually doesn't let servants like her get close to the kennel, and she often hangs out with the hunting dogs, so it's common for her not to come out for several days.
If she can't be found in the mansion, then she must be in the kennel.
The servant was trembling with fear. She was really afraid of those hounds that discerned human flesh. She turned around and begged for mercy, "Sir, sir... I, I am really scared... I dare not open the door..."
The kennel was quiet, and it was surprising to hear no dogs barking.
"Bang——"
Su Lin's face darkened and he kicked open the door of the kennel. As the door opened, a scream pierced the silent sky.
“Ah ...
The servant screamed in fear, and when he saw what was inside, he suddenly collapsed to the ground, rolled his eyes and fainted.
No one cared about the servant, they just stared at the yard in amazement. Some people couldn't bear such a scene, so they turned sideways and vomited.
——Song Erying is dead.
Because in the silent dog yard, there lay a half-eaten corpse, with blood and flesh splattered everywhere, and there were...indistinguishable organs on the ground. The hunting dogs were also lying on the ground with blood on their teeth.
"vomit……"
The strong smell of blood hit my face.
Su Lin suppressed his nausea and walked forward, alert to the hounds around him. When he got closer, he found that these ferocious hounds were already dead.
Looking at the remains, she held her breath and examined them for a while. The face didn't seem to have much damage, but the expression was creepy, and the eyes were open after death, which was horrifying to see.
——It’s definitely Madam Song Er.
She waved her hand and people gathered around to investigate the scene.
Yun Zhihe didn't come closer, but just stood outside the door and watched the tragedy in the yard quietly, his expression calm.
She was out of tune with the blood-red ground. She stood tall and graceful, standing there alone like a crane fairy, cold and unique.
When the servant woke up slowly and looked at her in a daze, she smiled beautifully and gently.
"ah--"
The servant rolled his eyes and fainted again.
She just felt creepy. How could Yun Zhihe smile so clearly and uniquely in such a bloody scene?
Before filling in the list, Cui Mingyu made friends with Song Er and used them to explore the area and get information, so he knew that she often bought drugs from the West Market to make hunting dogs strong and violent.
Li Miaomiao works as a retainer to collect confessions and investigate the Song Mansion.
Yun Zhihe lowered her eyes, and she ordered people to go to the West Market to buy a strong medicine that could make the wild beast violent.
This medicine is used in fighting arenas. After eating this medicine, wild beasts will suddenly become violent and bloodthirsty. Unfortunately, it is a one-time effect. Soon after eating it, the beasts will not be able to withstand the drug's properties and will explode and die.
She had never been to the Song Mansion, nor had she done anything herself. She just contacted the two of them every day, played with the chessboard, and arranged everything.
If we investigate further, we will find that Song Er fed the animal too much medicine for animal training, which led to the consequences.
Yun Zhihe looked at the wreckage in the yard, then at the hem of her skirt stained with a slight bloodstain, which looked particularly creepy against her white robe.
She is not tactless, nor is she a spineless kind-hearted person. Even though she is clear-headed and unique, with an elegant demeanor, she is not really ignorant of the world.
If goodness is not upheld, we can only tear the world apart with our own hands.
I wonder if Madam Song Er truly felt the pain and despair of the slaves she killed when she was torn and bitten by the hunting dogs.
Yun Zhihe closed his eyes.
The affairs of the Song family became known to everyone. Su Lin sent people to search for the bones carefully in the past few days, and finally found the burial place on the back mountain of the Song Mansion.
There are many skeletons.
Holy Palace
Xuanyuan Ying looked at the memorial in his hand that Su Lin had presented overnight. His fingertips tightened suddenly, causing wrinkles on the memorial. He pursed his lower lip and calmed his anxious breathing.
After several days of searching and sorting, the remains have been clearly counted.
His phoenix eyes seemed to be self-torturing as he just looked at the line of words on the memorial over and over again.
"...a total of over 1,300 skeletons were found."
Just a few words, each one is heart-wrenching.
"Bang!"
Xuanyuan Ying's face turned cold and he threw the memorial on the table fiercely, furious.
Such a tragedy happened under the feet of the emperor. It is really an insult to his face and an insult to his people!
He was breathing rapidly, and Eunuch Li beside him hurriedly supported him, saying something.
"Your Majesty, please don't get too angry. Evil will be punished. Thanks to ladies Yun, Cui, and Li, this matter has come to a conclusion."
He gently comforted Xuanyuan Ying, who was trembling with anger, and put a fur coat on him.
It started snowing recently. It started with light snow and then turned into heavy snow. It was so cold that I was shivering. Your Majesty's body was cold, and no matter how warm the charcoal was, it felt cold. I couldn't sleep at night.
After Xuanyuan Ying calmed down his trembling, he slowly walked to the window wrapped in a fur coat.
“…Open the window.”
His eyes drooped, with a hint of desolation in them, his face turned pale, and he asked Eunuch Li in a hoarse voice to open the window.
"call--"
Eunuch Li sighed lightly and slowly opened the window. In an instant, the wind and snow drifted in through the window, making a desolate sound.
The winter snow was flying, covering every courtyard. The dead trees were swaying, the north wind was howling, and the figures of people could be vaguely seen in the heavy snow.
Yun Zhihe knelt outside the Shengchen Palace, staring blankly at the falling snow with his eyes downcast. His face was haggard, and he let the snowflakes stain his clothes, almost burying him. His slender figure was shaky.
Xuanyuan Ying clenched his hands, his fingertips trembled, his breathing became shaky, and he just looked at Yun Zhihe's back buried in the wind and snow.
Eunuch Li couldn't bear to see this, and he pleaded with the emperor with a soft heart.
"Your Majesty... Madam Yun has been kneeling for three days."
"It was a little snow the other day, so it was still warm. But today it snowed heavily. Even an ordinary woman wouldn't be able to handle not eating or drinking for three days..."
"You, you let her get up."
Xuanyuan Ying looked at the trembling shadow outside the window in silence.
His voice was hoarse and trembling at the end. His voice was broken, but his eyes did not move away at all, and they were slightly sour and red.
Hoarse and voiceless.
"...Do you think I don't feel bad?"
The heavy snow blurred her eyes and she could no longer see anything other than white.
Yun Zhihe was already weak. She was panting, her eyes were blank, and her body could no longer feel the temperature.
Fortunately, she was wearing the jade fox coat given by the emperor, which was warm and she did not freeze after three days.
It was not Xuanyuan Ying who ordered her to kneel, but after seeing Song Er's tragedy that day, she lifted up her robe and knelt outside the Shengchen Palace.
Kneel down and he will forgive her death penalty for disobeying the emperor's order in public.
The emperor's grace is immense, and to disobey his order in public is to rebel against the imperial power. If anyone is determined to pursue the matter, she will surely die.
The second time she knelt, she knelt because he gave her an official position and did not drive her away from the officialdom.
Her statement that "If an official does not do anything, it is better not to be an official, as the officialdom is either clean or corrupt" was already a gamble, a gamble on her future and her end.
Xuanyuan Ying stepped forward to ask her to do the job, saving his own face and saving her.
...to ensure that she becomes an official.
She knelt three times to coerce and threaten the emperor.
She dared to come to the imperial examination ceremony just this once, just to force Xuanyuan Ying to sacrifice the honor of the top scholar's wife, her life, the title of a loyal minister's descendant, her own career, and the love he had for raising her for many years...
——Force the emperor.
Force him to make a decision and force him to face up to the slave system.
Kneel four times, kneel to the world.
This matter must have a satisfactory outcome. If we look into it carefully, the Song family mother and daughter are guilty of unforgivable crimes, but they cannot be sentenced to death. There will always be people in the world who will accuse the emperor of being harsh based on the law.
Minister Song will not receive any substantial punishment, at most... he will be demoted.
Therefore, she knelt before the world, before history books, and before the law, letting the people of the world see and shutting up the gossips of the world.
Yun Zhihe's body was extremely weak, her lips trembled unconsciously, and she could no longer lift her eyes.
Her consciousness slowly faded away, and she saw the falling snow, which half buried her body. She saw the falling snow turning into ice on her brows and eyelashes, and there was no warmth left.
She could feel her body temperature steadily draining away, and she knew her consciousness was dissipating uncontrollably.
In the past few days, many people have pleaded for her, but they were all scolded back by Xuanyuan Ying. The second prince was stubborn and rushed into the Shengchen Palace and knelt down with a thud.
She still remembered the arrogant and unruly man, his back straight, kneeling in the falling snow, speaking in a clear voice.
"As long as she kneels here, I will kneel here!"
No matter how she pulled, he just wouldn't stand up. No matter how she tried to persuade him, he wouldn't listen. In the end, he was too weak and had his period, so he passed out after kneeling for a whole day.
"call……"
Her breathing was shallow and she could only think lightly. She no longer felt hungry and her body did not feel cold.
"Your Majesty! There's blood..."
Xuanyuan Ying looked at the figure outside the window silently, his nails digging into the flesh, and blood dripped out. Eunuch Li exclaimed and hurriedly pulled his arm.
The two of them didn't exchange a single word, but Xuanyuan Ying knew the purpose of her kneeling.
He could only go along with this drama, drama for all the civil and military officials in the court, drama for the imperial power, drama for the world, and drama for himself.
Even though I couldn't sleep all night, wondering if she couldn't bear it, I secretly watched her figure through the cracks in the window at night.
——This is his Mingyue, his wife Xiaoyun.
Xuanyuan Ying's lower lip was bitten and bleeding. His eyes were red. He closed his eyes and ordered in a cold voice, "Close the window."
Eunuch Li sighed again.
...He just couldn't bear to watch the next scene.
“Hmm…”
Yun Zhihe was in a trance for a moment, and the coldness all over his body froze. He swayed a little, and his body was about to fall to the ground.
Suddenly, I felt warm in an instant.
For just a moment, she could only vaguely see the shadow through her frozen eyelashes.
She could feel the sudden surge of warmth hitting her whole body. The piercing warmth made her indulge in it involuntarily. Her heart began to boil and her consciousness gradually faded away.
She was held in someone's arms, and the fur coat on that person was extremely warm—
Like, familiar warmth.
She fainted.
Before that, she felt someone's lips lightly touching her forehead and heard someone speak softly in her ears.
"Don't be afraid...Brother is back."
The author has something to say:
The heroine isn’t kneeling to a man!!! She’s kneeling to the feudal dynasty and imperial power!!! Even if the emperor were a woman, she would still kneel!!!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
