47. Fight
The atmosphere today was extremely solemn, and no one in the court was talking, as if they were just waiting for an opportunity to unleash a strong response.
Mother Cheng's face was cold, and it was obvious that she had listened to Xuanyuan Sui's tearful narration of what had happened.
She had no daughter in her life, only Xuanyuan Ying, this son. She loved her niece Xuanyuan Ying as her own daughter. How could she be beaten into such a miserable state? She was furious. She had already written the memorial and was only thinking about how to punish Yun Zhihe.
Even if Xuanyuan Ying thought Yun Zhihe was a treasure, this world belonged to the Xuanyuan family, not Xuanyuan Ying alone.
Mother Cheng stepped forward, her voice solemn, "Your Majesty! I have something to report, and I beg Your Majesty to make the decision!"
Xuanyuan Ying lowered his eyes to look at her, his fingertips slightly curled up and his brows slightly furrowed.
"Yun Zhihe, a fourth-rank official of the imperial court, has disregarded the royal law and defied His Majesty... Last night, he brawled with Your Majesty's cousin in East Alley, severely injuring Sui'er, who barely managed to breathe."
It wasn't a serious injury, nor was it as serious as what Mother Cheng said, that he was only breathing his last breath.
She paused, then knelt down and kowtowed.
"Your Majesty, please make the decision—"
It was already a great act of treason for a mother to kneel and kowtow to her son who held a high position. Mother Cheng seldom performed the ritual of kneeling and kowtow in the past, and her current behavior was only to force Xuanyuan to comply.
The whole court was silent.
Xuanyuan Ying closed his eyes.
The civil and military officials in the court looked at each other in confusion, obviously hiding something in their minds.
At this moment, a voice came from the entrance of the palace——
"Your Majesty, I am late for the morning court session. Please punish me."
The voice was clear and pleasant, obviously Yun Zhihe.
Xuanyuan Ying raised his eyes and looked forward, then suddenly stopped. He saw that her cold and beautiful face, as white as jade, was covered with bruises, looking miserable and pitiful.
Before he could speak, Yun Zhihe slowly walked to the middle, knelt down with a plop, and spoke in a suppressed voice.
Mother Cheng frowned and heard her say.
"Your Majesty, yesterday I saw Madam Xuanyuan harassing me in the middle of the night. I felt indignant and started an argument with her. In the end..."
She pursed her lips, lowered her head and whispered.
"Finally, Madam Xuanyuan actually called for a group to attack me, and I wrestled with her... I was injured, and that's why I was late for the court."
Her words were flawless, but also extremely perfunctory. Mother Cheng laughed in anger. She sneered and could no longer pretend to be calm on the surface.
"Madam Yun, last night Sui'er told me that you have a loyal servant with great martial arts skills who defeated a group of guards. He then asked her to beat Sui'er. How could he fight with you?!"
"This frame-up is full of loopholes!"
But... who can believe Xuanyuan Sui's words?
Yun Zhihe bowed his head and said only one sentence softly.
"—I beg your Majesty to understand."
The voice was clear and resounding, echoing in the hall.
"Yun Zhihe!"
Mother Cheng really didn't know how she could have the composure to put the blame on her son without batting an eyelid, even though she looked so bright and cheerful.
But she was also an old fox, immersed in officialdom for half her life. She took a deep breath and was about to kowtow to Xuanyuan Ying for his understanding when she heard a voice -
"Your Majesty! This Xuanyuan Sui lady is so audacious that she molested a good man and assaulted a fourth-rank official. How can we tolerate this?! I beg Your Majesty to punish her and show your wisdom—"
Mother Cheng was stunned.
The voice was old and full of sorrow. She turned her head suddenly and saw Lord Liu, who was shouldering the responsibility of Prime Minister, taking a trembling step forward.
As she spoke, many people in the court came forward, and for a moment, the court was bustling with people.
"Your Majesty! To govern the country and maintain its security, justice is the way. Although Xuanyuan Sui is your Majesty's brother, and blood is thicker than water, he must be punished—"
"Madam Yun, a fourth-rank official, was beaten in the street. Xuanyuan Sui truly disregards human ethics and despises imperial authority!"
One person sneered.
"I heard that Queen Mother Cheng is planning to have Lady Xuanyuan Sui serve as an official in the imperial court. How can she be so capable of serving as an official when she is so dissolute? Perhaps Queen Mother Cheng has made a mistake in choosing her."
"Your Majesty, I beg you to punish me—"
Most of the people in the court, young and old, who came from humble backgrounds, came forward to plead for mercy, their voices filled with indignation at the unfair treatment Yun Zhihe was receiving.
"I beg Your Majesty to punish—"
"Under the Emperor's feet, bullying others by taking advantage of their power. If this matter remains unresolved, how can we maintain peace in the world..."
"Your Majesty, Xuanyuan Sui is arrogant and domineering. Everyone in the capital knows that he is reckless and unruly. If you don't punish him, it will be a real harm to her..."
…
The voice came in waves, speaking everything.
The rest of the Xuanyuan party were all confused. They wanted to speak, but were suppressed.
Yun Zhihe knelt on the ground, the corners of his lips slightly raised, which aroused the stinging pain on his face.
This is not accidental or out of genuine resentment.
She had the connections and status left by Prime Minister Wen. Although the fight last night was peaceful at night, everyone in the poor family knew about it. They all prepared memorials and speeches overnight, just waiting to bring down Queen Mother Cheng this morning.
Although the Xuanyuan faction was stronger than the poor family, no one had expected what would happen today. They were just stunned, not knowing how to speak. Even if they spoke, how could they defeat the poor family's well-honed eloquence?
There was a commotion in the court, and Xuanyuan responded by speaking.
"...Everyone, be quiet."
There was a moment of silence.
Although the Xuanyuan clan was the most powerful, no one questioned Xuanyuan Ying's majesty.
"Xuanyuan Sui brawled in the street, assaulted officials, and molested civilians. This is truly shameful. Although he is my blood relative, he is uneducated and unskilled. He assaulted an official. According to the law, he should be beaten with fifty lashes..."
Mother Cheng was stunned. She really didn't expect Xuanyuan Yingru to be so cruel. Xuanyuan was seriously injured and had not recovered yet. Wouldn't fifty strokes of the cane be fatal?
"Your Majesty! Sui'er hasn't recovered yet. Fifty lashes would be fatal!"
Xuanyuan Ying lowered his eyes and looked at the anxiety on her face. He paused and spoke in a hoarse voice.
"According to the Queen Mother's plea, the execution will be carried out in several installments after Xuanyuan Sui recovers from his serious injuries."
This face is already sold enough.
Mother Cheng's face was no longer calm. If she were not in the court, looking at her eyes, it seemed that she wanted to confront Xuanyuan face to face.
...But that's not enough.
This time, the case was decided. First, there was no witness or physical evidence. There was no confession from the molested daughter of a decent family, and no other evidence of the assault. Second, there was no waiting for the Dali Temple to take the man to prison for investigation. Third, the poor families united to file a petition...
As long as she thought about it carefully, Mother Cheng knew that she had been tricked.
This method was simple and effective. When Mother Cheng figured it out, she was extremely angry.
If she wanted to change her mind, she could just wait until later to investigate and change her confession, delaying the investigation and avoiding punishment...
Therefore, we must seize the opportunity to win.
Pull out the spreading thin roots of Xuanyuan one by one.
Yun Zhihe kowtowed again, his voice rising, "Your Majesty! I have something to report—"
Mother Cheng's eyelids were twitching.
She held up a stack of documents in both hands, and each sentence she spoke was powerful and clear.
"Your Majesty, these are local tax documents. I've discovered numerous loopholes and suspect corruption, bribery, and falsified accounts..."
"——I ask Your Majesty to send someone to investigate."
Mother Cheng's eyes darkened and she stared at the stack of documents in Yun Zhihe's hand.
She knew very well that today was a trap set for her... no, it was a trap set for the Xuanyuan family.
That document might be a list of people from the Xuanyuan clan who were involved in corruption and bribery.
Mother Cheng closed her eyes and looked at Xuanyuan Ying sitting on the dragon throne with a dark look in her eyes.
I wonder if her good son is also involved in this.
The mother and son looked at each other, then lowered their eyes for a moment. Mother Cheng clenched her fists, making a crackling sound with her knuckles.
She heard Xuanyuan Ying's hoarse voice again, echoing in the hall.
The mother and son looked at each other again, their eyes gloomy, and neither of them was willing to avoid.
"—Investigate this case thoroughly. Those who commit corruption and bribery will be severely punished without mercy and without leniency!"
The emperor's majesty disappeared, and all the civil and military officials in the court knelt down and shouted. The person Xuanyuan was talking to was especially happy.
"Long live our emperor, long live our emperor, long, long live our emperor—"
...even if everyone has ulterior motives.
When the morning court was over, Yun Zhihe's knees were numb and trembling from kneeling. She was about to stand up when she saw Mother Cheng walking towards her with an expressionless face.
The old but well-maintained hands grasped her wrists, and without a smile, pulled her up.
His voice was low and fierce.
"Madam Yun, you really made me look good today."
"...As expected of the number one person in the capital, no one can match his demeanor and strategy."
Yun Zhihe stood up with the help of her strength, accepted the compliment lightly, and chuckled.
"Mother Cheng is so kind."
Mother Cheng took a breath, paused, and closed her eyes.
"Same temperament as your mother..."
She sneered, took a deep breath, turned around, faced Yun Zhihe with her back, and repeated the sentence.
"Same temperament as your mother."
…
She walked forward, Yun Zhihe looked at her back, and heard a vague murmur.
“…This will also be an ending.”
Yun Zhihe stared at her back in amazement, then suddenly clenched his fists. His expression was no longer calm, and his eyes were cold.
…
Yun Zhihe only came to her senses when Xuanyuan responded to her call.
She was led to the back hall by Eunuch Li. As soon as she entered the door, she saw Xuanyuan Ying with his back to her, looking at the scenery outside the window with his back straight.
Hearing the sound of the door opening, he quickly turned around, pursed his lips, and walked forward.
He stretched out his hand and approached Yun Zhihe's face.
His fingertips rubbed the wound at the corner of her lip, and he heard a slight "hiss"
Xuanyuan Ying paused, his eyes trembling, but he still spoke in a hoarse voice.
"Did it hurt you...?"
He gently lowered his trembling fingertips, turned around and picked up a small jar of ointment.
"...but the medicine hasn't been applied yet?"
Yun Zhihe nodded.
In order to make today's situation more tragic, she refused the ointment from Qingzhu and Su Zheng.
“…I knew it.”
He only spoke softly, dropping the self-proclaimed "I", and hooked the ointment on his fingertips, ready to apply it to Yun Zhihe.
Yun Zhihe paused, wanting to refuse, but saw a trace of heartache in his eyes, her lips pursed until they turned pale, but she still paused and let him apply it.
The ointment was cool, so cool that Yun Zhihe shivered slightly.
He did not ask about the affairs of the court, and completely followed Yun Zhihe's plan, even... without asking a single question.
She just lowered her eyes and applied the medicine, her fingertips cool and cautious, her eyelashes trembling, concealing the usual desolation.
Yun Zhihe paused, then spoke.
"Your Majesty...you, don't you want to ask?"
Xuanyuan Ying continued to apply ointment to the wound without pausing, his voice hoarse and faint.
"Since Jinniang said you have grown up, I believe you."
I still use the word "I".
Yun Zhihe didn't know how to start, so he lowered his eyes. The stinging wound on his face no longer hurt, but felt a chill to the bone.
Xuanyuan Ying thought she didn't believe him, so he paused and put down the ointment in his hand.
He touched her chin with his fingertips, then gently lifted it up and looked into her clear and beautiful eyes.
Each word is pronounced with emphasis.
"...I trust you."
The author has something to say:
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
