Chapter 87 Does it hurt to serve your sister while she bathes?
Yuan Xiao suddenly knelt down in the center of the hall, showing the whip marks on his face, and accused Yuan Yan to the Empress Dowager.
Looking at Yuan Xiao's face, the ministers on either side immediately had a guess in their minds.
When the military report that Yuan Xiao had lost Ji City reached the capital, it caused a commotion. No one expected Yuan Xiao to be so audacious and reckless, so easily "giving" Ji City to the enemy. Hearing this, they couldn't help but feel a sense of absurdity.
Yuan Yan, who was standing to the side, had long anticipated this moment. She looked at Yuan Xiao, who was accusing her, as if she were watching a monkey, her face completely unmoved.
“You only talk about your injuries, but why don’t you explain why the King of Qin whipped you?” Yuan Hao knew perfectly well.
"Because...because your son lost to the enemy."
"But I led the troops into battle to serve the Phoenix Kingdom! Even if we are defeated, it should be the Empress Mother who punishes us, not her," Yuan Xiao argued.
Clearly, after all these days, Yuan Xiao still hasn't realized his mistake.
Upon hearing this, a look of utter disappointment flashed across Yuan Hao's eyes.
"You disobeyed orders and mobilized troops without authorization, lost Ji City, and then abandoned your soldiers and fled on your own. If it weren't for the King of Qin risking his life to lead troops into the city, Ji City would likely have been difficult to recover... Such behavior cannot be summed up by simply saying that you were defeated. Do you still think you are without fault?"
Yuan Xiao found it difficult to refute, but upon hearing Yuan Yan's name, his expression still betrayed his resentment and hatred.
Yuan Hao looked at her with an unprecedented coldness in his expression.
"Ji City is a vital location in Youzhou. If it is lost, the enemy can easily advance and occupy Youzhou. If they also gain Youzhou, their next step will most likely be a large-scale offensive towards the capital."
"Such an important city, you just let it fall like a child's game. If the enemy really manages to capture the capital, can you bear the responsibility?"
Yuan Xiao stubbornly replied, "Your subject dares not."
“It is only right for the King of Qin to punish you.” Yuan Hao’s brows furrowed, his eyes lowered, and his face was like a dark cloud, full of the feeling that a storm was about to break.
These words were extremely serious, and the officials present were all taken aback upon hearing them.
Yuan Xiao sensed the ill intent in her mother's words and suddenly looked up. Just moments ago, she was filled with resentment, but now she finally felt a hint of astonishment and fear.
"Today I will rid the world of this scourge."
Yuan Hao solemnly ordered, "Guards, strip the criminal Yuan Xiao of his regalia and drag him out to be dealt with according to the law."
"According to the law? What do you mean, 'According to the law'?" Yuan Xiao looked horrified.
According to the law, if she were just an ordinary general, the act of arbitrarily mobilizing troops would be enough to cost her her life.
Does the Queen Mother mean she really wants to kill her?
Yuan Xiao couldn't believe that Yuan Hao would be so heartless towards his mother, and couldn't help but cry out, "Mother Empress?!"
[Host, it seems the Emperor is truly determined to kill Yuan Xiao this time.] The system exclaimed in surprise.
[We've endured this for so long, and we're finally able to get rid of this scourge. Host, you can finally avenge your assassination attempt!]
It still remembered the underhanded tactics Yuan Xiao had used against Yuan Yan, and now it couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction at having avenged its great wrong.
"Don't be so happy yet." Yuan Yan wasn't as naive as it was.
"Don't forget, there's still one standard procedure we haven't followed yet."
【Huh? What?】The system was confused and didn't understand.
But it quickly understood what Yuan Yan meant.
After Yuan Xiao gave the order, Yuan Jing was the first to react.
She knelt down with a thud, kowtowed loudly, and pleaded for Yuan Xiao's life.
"Your Majesty, please calm down! My third sister is young and ignorant. In a moment of confusion, she made a grave mistake that led to the fall of Ji City. It is indeed infuriating."
"But where are the generals and commanders in the army at this time? This matter cannot be solely the fault of the Third Princess; it is also due to the failure of the generals and their subordinates to fulfill their duties."
"The Empress Dowager is impartial and incorruptible, but it would be unfair to blame the Third Princess alone for this matter. The Third Princess was able to mobilize troops for battle; are those people without fault as well?"
Yuan Jing didn't want to lose Yuan Xiao as an ally, so he tried to exonerate Yuan Xiao by shifting the blame onto General Chen and Yuan Xiao's associates.
Upon hearing this, General Chen could only kneel down, his face filled with shame. "What the Prince of Qi said is very true. The loss of Ji City is an unforgivable crime. I beg Your Majesty to punish me."
Yuan Hao stared at them without saying a word.
Seeing the emperor's expression, the ministers also tried to stop him, and for a moment, various voices saying "Your Majesty, please calm down" echoed in the hall.
"I beg Your Majesty to spare my third sister this time, for my sake!" Yuan Jing kowtowed.
Among the ministers, only Yuan Yan stepped forward. "General Chen went deep into enemy territory to rescue the Third Princess, fighting fiercely and sustaining serious injuries before bringing her back. Even though his body could hardly hold on, he still held Pingcheng and fought against the enemy. I believe that General Chen has fulfilled his duties as a general, and the blame for this should not be placed entirely on him."
General Chen was filled with gratitude when he heard His Highness the Prince of Qin speak up for her.
[Host, so this is the fixed procedure you were talking about?] The system was dumbfounded.
It was merely a system, and based on its calculations, it felt that keeping Yuan Xiao would only bring harm to the Phoenix Kingdom. It didn't understand people's hearts, so naturally it couldn't comprehend this drama of ministers advising each other.
“No matter what, Yuan Xiao is still the Empress’s biological daughter. As long as it’s not a serious crime like treason that threatens the throne, the Empress would never have the heart to really kill her. She would at least spare her life,” Yuan Yan said.
The system didn't believe it and was about to refute it when Yuan Hao slowly spoke.
"The third princess, Yuanxiao, disobeyed military orders and mobilized troops without authorization, resulting in the loss of Jicheng. Instead of defending Pingcheng, she abandoned the city and fled, causing the deaths of soldiers and civilians."
"Now he is removed from the imperial clan, reduced to a commoner, and imprisoned for life, and may not leave without an imperial edict."
In addition, Yuan Hao also punished all of Yuan Xiao's attendants. Even Yin Weiyong, who had flattered and fawned over Yuan Xiao that day, was not spared and was ordered by the Empress Dowager to be severely punished by the Ministry of Justice.
As for General Chen, she was also guilty of dereliction of duty, but considering that she rescued Yuan Xiao and defended the city despite her injuries, Yuan Hao reduced her punishment, which made General Chen very grateful.
Yuan Xiao clearly did not expect that his mother would directly strip her of her title and reduce her to a commoner, and then imprison her for life.
This means that she will not only have no chance of inheriting the throne, but will also spend the rest of her life under supervision, which is no different from being dead.
Upon hearing the imperial decree, Yuan Xiao finally panicked.
"Mother Empress, Mother Empress... Your son knows he was wrong!" Her stubborn expression had completely disappeared. Before being taken away, she repeatedly admitted her mistake and kowtowed desperately.
"I beg Your Majesty's forgiveness this once, I will never dare to do it again..."
Yuan Hao listened to Yuan Xiao's shouts fading into the distance, seemingly oblivious, his expression unchanged, his true feelings unknown.
[Host, you're right. Yuan Xiao is indeed not dead, but there will be no future for him.] The system sighed upon seeing this.
[Anyway, congratulations to the host for eliminating a competitor. Let me see how much your power level has increased...] It muttered as it ran to check the data.
Yuan Jing looked rather grim after losing Yuan Xiao as an ally.
With things having come to this point, the victory celebration banquet was definitely out of the question. Yuan Yan and the others dispersed from the palace and returned to their respective residences.
Yang Lingyi had been waiting at the mansion for a long time. Yuan Yan had not returned for a moment, and he had not rested for a moment either, insisting on waiting for Yuan Yan to return to the mansion.
"His Highness is back," a servant announced.
Yang Lingyi immediately went out of the mansion to greet him.
"Sister Yan, you're finally back. I've had the servants change the bath several times, and it's just the right temperature now. Go take a bath and rest."
Yuan Yan went to take a bath. She was tired after such a long time, so she soaked in the water and rested with her eyes closed.
Behind her, a hand gently wiped her down, as if afraid of disturbing Yuan Yan's rest, the movements were exceptionally gentle.
"Yi'er?" Yuan Yan didn't need to open her eyes to guess that it was Yang Lingyi serving her, and she raised her head slightly.
“This kind of work can be done by the servants. Yi’er is tired today, so there’s no need for him to stay here with me,” Yuan Yan said, taking his hand with concern.
"No, I need to check if my sister is injured." Yang Lingyi insisted and gently examined Yuan Yan's injuries.
“Here, here, and on her back…” Yang Lingyi was most familiar with Yuan Yan’s body and quickly found the extra scars on her body.
His voice was somewhat unsteady.
Yuan Yan sensed something was wrong and reluctantly pulled the person over to take a look. Sure enough, he found Yang Lingyi with tears in her eyes, carefully touching her scars, looking extremely distressed and on the verge of tears.
"Alright, Yi'er, why are you crying? Getting injured on the battlefield is normal. Although those people hurt me, I killed them all in the end. Thinking about it that way, there's nothing to be sad about." Yuan Yan reached out and wiped away Yang Lingyi's tears, comforting him.
"That won't do either. My sister must have been in so much pain when she was injured."
Those people are dead, so what? Why should they hurt his sister Yuan Yan? Yang Lingyi was usually reasonable and generous, but when it came to Yuan Yan, he couldn't help but become somewhat unreasonable.
Even though she knew that it was a matter of life or death on the battlefield, Yang Lingyi still couldn't help but hate the enemy soldiers who had injured Yuan Yan.
Tears streamed down Yang Lingyi's face, but his movements became even gentler.
After serving Yuan Yan his bath, Yang Lingyi had something brought over and personally applied medicine to the scars on Yuan Yan's body.
To distract Yang Lingyi, Yuan Yan told her a few interesting stories from the battlefield and also mentioned that the Empress had appointed her as the Great General of the Phoenix Guard.
"Sister, please don't rush into dangerous places next time. I don't want you to risk your life for something, I just want you to be safe and sound."
Yang Lingyi tugged at her sleeve, her eyes slightly red, and whispered.
"Understood, I'll do as your little steward says." Yuan Yan pinched Yang Lingyi's cheek and whispered in his ear.
Only when Yang Lingyi couldn't help but laugh did Yuan Yan pat his body and say, "Go to sleep. Tomorrow I will stay in the manor with you and won't go out."
"Really?" Yang Lingyi knew that Yuan Yan must have a lot to do after returning to be appointed as the Phoenix Guard General. Her eyes lit up when she heard this, and she couldn't help but show an expectant look as she was successfully distracted by Yuan Yan.
"Really, when have I ever lied to Yi'er? Go to sleep." Yuan Yan held Yang Lingyi in his arms, using him as a human pillow, hugging him tightly. The two snuggled together and soon drifted off to sleep.
...
Yuan Yan slept soundly that night, but some people couldn't sleep.
Yuan Jing couldn't sleep all night because of several things, including Yuan Xiao being demoted to a commoner and Yuan Yan becoming the Phoenix Guard General and holding the power of the imperial guards.
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