The Ruan family?
Isn't that Lady Ruan's maternal clan?
Suddenly, the students below the stage broke their silence and began to whisper among themselves.
The scholars nearby, surprised, exchanged glances.
The matter of Consort Ruan has far-reaching implications.
From murder to selling official positions for personal gain, the cases implicated dozens of officials, both high and low-ranking.
In the past few days, the Ninth Prince has been thoroughly investigating this matter.
The Ruan family has been placed under house arrest by the Imperial Guards. Once all the evidence is gathered and the case is settled, they will all be either imprisoned or exiled...
The case is still pending, but unexpectedly, the Ruan family has taken action against Yuan Yao County.
Could it be that the Ruan family intends to capture Yuan Yao before the case is finalized to threaten the Ninth Prince and force him to abandon the investigation?
Yuan Yao also thought of this.
Using her to threaten her father is such a naive idea!
The audience.
The fake teacher bit his lip until it bled, his face contorted in pain, but he still stubbornly said, "I...I don't know anything about the Ruan family!"
"Oh, really?"
The Ninth Prince straightened up from his chair, resting his elbows on his knees, his hair falling down and cascading over his bright red robes, making him appear both gorgeous and alluring.
He revealed a bloodthirsty smile: "Bring the man up."
The Imperial Guards walked up to the students surnamed Ruan who had been called out separately, roughly shoved them, and herded them all to stand below the disciplinary platform.
The timid students were almost scared to death.
The Ninth Prince's slender white fingers twirled a strand of hair that fell beside his face as he slowly said, "I originally thought that even if the Ruan family had made a mistake, the children were innocent, and I could let them off the hook. Who would have thought that you would be so ungrateful and insist on courting death?"
His voice, imbued with inner strength, possessed an exceptionally penetrating power.
The children of the Ruan family immediately knelt down on the ground—
"I don't want to die, please, spare me."
"Waaah, I don't want to die..."
"Father! Save me! Save me..."
"..."
Upon seeing this, the fake teacher was so angry he almost vomited blood.
He clenched his chin, seething with resentment.
The Ninth Prince scoffed, gently stroking a strand of hair at his temple, and said in a light tone, "Since you're so tactless, drag a kid surnamed Ruan up here and chop off his hand first to liven things up for everyone."
As soon as he finished speaking, the little boy surnamed Ruan trembled and burst into tears.
Two imperial guards immediately stepped forward, randomly selected a frail child, and pointed their swords at him: "You, come forward!"
The child was so frightened that his face turned pale and he froze.
Another little girl stepped forward and tried to grab him: "Brother..."
"Let go!" One of the imperial guards raised his hand and pushed the little girl.
The little girl immediately fell to the ground and cried loudly in pain.
This behavior is a bit excessive.
Yuan Yao lifted the sleeve of the Ninth Prince and said, "Father, it is the adults who made the mistake, but the child was unaware of it and should not have been punished."
"Hmm?" The Ninth Prince withdrew his gaze and turned to look at Yuan Yao: "Are you blaming your father?"
“That’s not what Yao’er meant.” Yuan Yao shook her head: “Yao’er knows that the Ruan family wanted to arrest me to blackmail Father into giving up the thorough investigation and letting the Ruan family go.”
Father's kidnapping of the Ruan family's children is simply an act of retaliation, and he probably only wants to scare them and won't actually do anything.
But Father, the Imperial Guards are skilled in martial arts and don't know their own strength. If they hurt those children, even if you are in the right, you will be in the wrong!
She wasn't a saint; she just wanted to reduce the hatred level of the Ninth Prince by even a little bit, so she could live one more day of peace.
She didn't want to be killed early on because the Ninth Prince was too tyrannical.
Sigh, I'm so worried!
Originally, Yuan Yao thought that the Ninth Prince would not listen to her.
Unexpectedly, the Ninth Prince patted her head and said with a smile, "I also think that the Imperial Guards are a bit too rude."
After speaking, he raised his hand.
"Smack!"
The imperial guard who shoved the little girl had his sword fall to the ground, and his right hand was also cleanly severed, falling to the ground covered in blood.
Unable to bear the pain, the imperial guard collapsed to the ground, clutching his bleeding wound and writhing in agony.
The severed hand's fingers still twitched.
In an instant, the people around were so frightened that they all moved away.
Some of the more timid ones were almost crying from fright.
On the field, only the man who was nine thousand years old was not frightened.
Looking at the severed arm, Yuan Yao's face turned pale.
She... seems to have acted recklessly again.
The Nine Thousand Years Old is indeed cruel.
With just one sentence, she caused someone to lose an arm.
how so?
Biting her lip, Yuan Yao tried to speak: "Father..."
The Ninth Prince glanced at her lightly.
Immediately, Yuan Yao shut her mouth.
The Ninth Prince opened his jade fan and slowly said, "Don't touch anyone I haven't told you to. My dogs can only obey my orders. If they don't, they can stay by my side."
His tone was extremely intimidating.
The imperial guard, clutching his crippled hand, was deathly pale and drenched in sweat. He struggled to his feet, knelt down, and said, "Thank you, Your Highness, for sparing my life. I'll leave immediately..."
The Ninth Prince glanced at him disdainfully: "Get lost."
The Imperial Guard didn't even pick up his sword; he ran away as if his life depended on it.
Yuan Yao remained silent.
It turned out that before she even spoke, the Ninth Prince had already decided to kill the Imperial Guard.
Indeed, disobedient people are prone to causing trouble.
How could a high-ranking official like the Ninth Prince really punish his subordinate because of the words of a mere child?
At that moment, a high-pitched, loud voice rang out: "The Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel has arrived..."
In the square, the gray-haired Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel led a group of officials and hurried over.
The fake teacher on the stage changed his expression.
The child who had been pushed forward was overjoyed and cried out at the top of his lungs, "Grandpa, save me!"
It turned out that the child was the grandson of the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel!
Seeing his frail grandson crying his eyes out, the Vice Minister of Personnel sternly questioned, "Your Excellency, what crime has my grandson committed that warrants your personal judgment?!"
"Clap clap clap..."
The Ninth Prince clapped his hands and squinted, saying, "What a preemptive strike, Your Excellency."
“You…” The Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel immediately felt guilty.
He looked around and saw that all the children of the Ruan family had been brought forward.
Those children are the future hope of the Ruan family.
At that moment, they were young and pitiful, terrified beyond recognition.
All of this... is because of that person on stage!
The Vice Minister of Personnel gritted his teeth and looked up at the high platform: "How innocent are the children? Why drag them into the affairs of adults?"
As his voice faded, the Ninth Prince's shrill laughter rang out: "Your words, Vice Minister, are truly amusing. Indeed, why involve children in matters of rank?"
"My precious daughter was walking peacefully in the Imperial Academy when you captured her. What do you want with her? Hmm?"
After she finished speaking, she pulled Yuan Yao out.
Yuan Yao stood obediently in front of the Ninth Prince, small in stature, with bright black eyes, innocent and naive.
It was this child who caused the Ruan family to fall into misfortune!
In Consort Ruan, she could see the aborted prince...
The tiger cub sent by the State of Chu could hurt others, but it was close to her...
The official in charge of the Ministry of Personnel, his eyes blazing with fury, pointed at Yuan Yao and shouted angrily, "She is a demon!"
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