Chapter 977 Who are you doing this for!
"Must I, in person, come and ask?"
As soon as she finished speaking, Han Yuhui knelt down with a thud. Her eyes were bloodshot, her face was as pale as paper, and she trembled as she tried to say something, but when she opened her mouth, her words were incoherent.
"emperor……"
Yuwen Yuan's gaze finally shifted from the pile of silver notes to her.
From the moment he heard that someone was plotting against Yuan Gan and heard about the suffering Yuan Gan had endured, Yuwen Yuan was filled with rage, his eyes bloodshot, as if he wanted to tear the mastermind behind it all to shreds. At this moment, looking at Han Yuhui kneeling before him, who had served him for decades, his hateful gaze was now tinged with heartache, as if he couldn't believe it, didn't want to believe it, but the cruelest, most unacceptable truth was already laid out before him.
He said in a deep voice, "It's you."
"..."
"It really was you."
"..."
"Why did you do this? Why did you try to harm my Yuangan?!"
"..."
"Whom are you doing this for!"
Upon hearing this, Han Yuhui, who had been trembling and unable to speak, suddenly shuddered, raised her head sharply to look at Yuwen Yuan, and said in a deep voice, "This servant... this servant did this for the deceased Duke Shenwu!"
Upon hearing this, the entire hall immediately fell silent.
A strange and solemn expression appeared on everyone's face. Shang Ruyi looked at Han Yuhui's red eyes, and then at Yuwen Yuan. She hadn't planned to say anything, but at this moment she lowered her eyelids and remained silent.
Yuwen Yuan took a deep breath: "For...him..."
"..."
"For his sake, you're willing to harm my grandson?!"
Han Yuhui said, "This servant knows that my crime is unforgivable, but I still have to say that the Duke of Shenwu died unjustly!"
"..."
"He devoted himself to His Majesty and the Dong family to His Majesty's country and its people, working tirelessly until his death. The Duke of Shenwu told me more than once that he was willing to expand the territory for His Majesty, even if it meant dying on the battlefield."
Yuwen Yuan's face gradually turned pale.
Han Yuhui knelt down and took several more steps forward, sobbing uncontrollably, "The Duke died at Longmen Ferry, which can be considered as fulfilling his wish, but did he really deserve to die there?"
"..."
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty knows best!"
"..."
"The Duke of Shenwu shouldn't have died. He shouldn't have died at Longmen Ferry, and he certainly shouldn't have been—"
"Enough!"
Yuwen Yuan suddenly roared, nearly shaking the entire hall. Han Yuhui's words were abruptly cut off, leaving her with red eyes and tears streaming down her face as she looked at him. Yuwen Yuan let out a deep breath and then said, "Guards, take her away and lock her up! Wen Ying, have her beaten to death!"
Several eunuchs immediately came in and dragged the unconscious Wen Ying out, but when they reached Han Yu Hui's side, they hesitated. Yu Gonggong understood and immediately asked in a low voice, "Your Majesty, where should we lock her up?"
The atmosphere in the hall froze again, and everyone looked at Yuwen Yuan.
It's important to understand that where someone is imprisoned signifies the seriousness of the matter and a certain judgment by the emperor. For example, although there were suspicions about Shang Ruyi before, the facts were unclear, the evidence insufficient, and out of consideration for the imperial family's reputation, Yuwen Yuan did not imprison her but instead confined her to Chengqian Palace. This was the emperor's way of demonstrating his attitude. So this time—
Under the intense gaze of everyone, Yuwen Yuan said coldly, "Hand it over to the Dali Temple!"
Shang Ruyi took a deep breath.
The eunuchs, upon receiving the order, immediately reached out to pull Han Yuhui up from the ground. However, she did not wait for them to do so. Instead, she knelt down, kowtowed, stood up, and walked out on her own.
Only after her figure disappeared outside the Liangyi Hall did Yuwen Yuan raise his head and give her a deep look.
That glance, though filled with resentment and anger, also seemed to reveal a deep sense of reluctance and helplessness in Shang Ruyi. It was as if someone already in a freezing cold had their last few layers of clothing taken away, leaving only bone-chilling cold for the rest of their life.
However, such vulnerability is fleeting.
The next moment, Yuwen Yuan had composed himself and said to everyone in the hall, "You may all rise."
Everyone then stood up one after another.
Yuwen Yuan then asked, "How is Yuan Gan now?"
Chu Ruoyan immediately said, "After the problem was found with that bowl of medicine, I didn't give it to Yuangan. He's only crying because he doesn't respond to the medicine he drank before that was mixed with clove powder. Fortunately, the dosage wasn't large, so he's alright. However—"
Shang Ruyi immediately said, "Your Majesty, I implore you to allow Physician Su to come and examine Yuan Gan again."
Yuwen Yuan turned to look at Eunuch Yu, who said, "This servant will immediately pass on the message."
Yuwen Yuan nodded.
Then, he looked at Shang Ruyi, his eyes gentle but also filled with guilt: "I'm sorry you've had to suffer these past few days."
Shang Ruyi hurriedly said, "Father, you are too kind. If Father had not found witnesses, I would not have been able to clear my name. It is I who have troubled Father."
Yuwen Yuan waved his hand.
Shang Ruyi then said, "However, there is one more thing, which I will dare to speak frankly about."
Yuwen Yuan said, "You speak."
Shang Ruyi said, "Since it has been proven that Sun Xianyue did not go to Qianqiu Palace that night and did not have any so-called 'private meeting' with me, then he is innocent. Father, can you release him?"
"..."
Upon hearing this, Yuwen Yuan's expression darkened.
Shang Ruyi's heart jumped into her throat. She looked at him cautiously. After a while, she heard Yuwen Yuan say, "He didn't do those things, but he came to the palace to perform, which was suspicious."
"But--"
"Okay, that's enough."
Yuwen Yuan waved his hand, interrupting Shang Ruyi, and said stiffly but still gently, "I will decide how to deal with Sun Xianyue. You don't need to worry about it. You must have had a hard time these days. Go back to Qianqiu Palace and get some rest."
"……yes."
"And Yuangan, the Imperial Physicians will come to examine him in a little while. If there is anything amiss, report to me immediately."
"Your subject understands."
Yuwen Yuan then looked at Chu Ruoyan, his gaze much gentler than before, and said, "This time, we owe you a lot too."
Chu Ruoyan had always been cautious in front of him. This time, she had almost risked her life to follow Shang Ruyi to the Liangyi Hall to "make a scene." Now that the dust had settled and the truth had come out, she seemed to have regained her senses. She felt weak all over, and when she heard Yuwen Yuan's voice, she broke out in a cold sweat.
He quickly lowered his head and whispered, "Thank you, thank you, Father Emperor."
Yuwen Yuan's gaze swept over the crowd again, and then he said, "You may all step down. I will reward you handsomely for your loyal service to Princess Qin and the young prince."
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
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