32. Blame
◎Your Highness is awake. Did I hurt you just now?◎
Chapter 32
"Jian Xi, even you want to force me?"
There were only the emperor and Ji Ci in the Taiji Hall.
The emperor wore a golden dragon robe, with a dragon-patterned jade belt around his waist. The golden sculptures in the Taiji Hall reflected the light, catching the golden embroidery on the robe, making it dazzling.
The emperor spoke in an angry tone, narrowing his eyes and staring at Ji Ci who was standing below.
Ji Ci lifted his robe and knelt, clasping his hands in a neither humble nor arrogant manner, saying, "Your Majesty, the matter between General Dingbei and Chen Zheng has already spread to the people. If we don't re-examine the Pinghui incident, I'm afraid it will be difficult to quell the public anger."
"So what if the people are indignant?" the emperor slammed his fist on the table in anger. "One by one, everyone is forcing me. Have you forgotten whose kingdom this is? Who is the emperor? You are my brother, the person I trust most!"
The emperor stood up and swept the memorial on the table to the ground with force, then grabbed the inkstone and smashed it at Ji Ci. He did not dodge, and the inkstone scratched his forehead, causing a trickle of blood to flow out. Finally, it fell to the ground and rolled several times.
All the eunuchs and palace maids in the Taiji Palace knelt down instantly, prostrating themselves on the ground, trembling with fear.
"Everyone, step back."
"Yes." The eunuchs and palace maids immediately stood up and filed out. They did not dare to stay here for fear that they would hear even a word they said to the emperor and Prince Qi.
"Your Majesty, please calm down and let me finish what I have to say." Ji Ci bowed and stood up again, staring straight into the emperor's sharp eyes.
"Speak." The emperor took a deep breath to calm himself, looked at the bloody red on his forehead, and closed his eyes. Seeing that he really couldn't do anything about him, he allowed him to finish his words.
"Your Majesty must understand the principle that water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it, especially with the Li Kingdom now watching closely. While Jin may seem to have enjoyed three years of peace, in reality, these three years of peace have already reached their limit. Over the years, the economy and military may have seemed prosperous and strong, but in reality, progress is struggling."
"According to my intelligence, several aristocratic families in the east have begun secretly inciting rebellion under the guise of Dingbei. The Li Kingdom is also eyeing them covetously. It's possible that among those instigating the people there are Li Kingdom spies. Our Later Jin was recently restored, but the deep-rooted ills of the Former Jin still persist."
"Although the current situation is fundamentally different, Your Majesty, don't you think it is very similar to the situation before the destruction of the previous Jin Dynasty?"
The emperor choked, took two steps back, and sat back on the dragon throne as if he had lost his strength, breathing deeply.
During the early Jin Dynasty, the former emperor was arrogant, extravagant and licentious, and abused torture. There were many false cases in prisons, and people in various places were dissatisfied.
It all started with a case of a scholar from an imperial family who, after failing to seize a common woman, allowed his slave to commit the crime, which caused many scholars to complain. Unable to suppress the situation, the late emperor launched a massive criminal justice system.
Later, due to the impact of famine across the country, dozens of princes and nobles rose up in rebellion in response to public outrage.
King Li Yan finally occupied Ganyang. When the army was at the gates of the city, the late emperor was still lying in the arms of a beauty, watching singing and dancing girls, and eating minced meat.
Finally, he fled to Shengjing, was promised great benefits, and with the encouragement of the gentry, he restored the Later Jin Dynasty.
Several years ago, the country was plagued by constant war. Besides defending against the Li army, the country also had to suppress dozens of rioters within its borders. After the previous emperor's death, Emperor Su of Jin ascended the throne. With the help of Prince Qi, he pacified the rebellious kings, eliminated the powerful aristocratic families, reached a ceasefire with the Li Kingdom, and implemented new policies.
The pain of national destruction in the past is a lesson, and the public anger and voices cannot be ignored.
The emperor gnashed his teeth, somewhat bewildered, and said, "Do you really want me to issue an edict of apology?"
Ji Ci blurted out: "Your Majesty, you must not blame yourself. The current situation is uncertain and it is not a safe time. Once you blame yourself, the secret nobles will take this opportunity to rise up." Ji Ci shook his head slightly.
"So what? The perpetrators have been apprehended, and those who shouldn't have died have died. Once the Pinghuai Campaign is thoroughly investigated, it will be discovered that the battle reports had already reached the capital."
The two of them sat in silence. Ji Ci lowered his head and thought for a long time before saying, "Your Majesty, when the battle of Pinghui was fought, I was in Kangdu."
Kangdu County is the only way to go from Shengjing to Pinghuai and Beiting Protectorate.
The emperor's eyes darkened, he touched the golden dragon's handle, and said in a lost voice: "...Jian Xi, what do you mean?"
"Your Majesty originally conveyed the Holy Will to the Beiting Protectorate."
The cold wind hit the windows, making a sound of wood colliding. Although the best charcoal fire was burning in the room, people still felt unbearably cold.
Winter is always like this.
…
Since that night on the boulder, Ji Ci disappeared again and did not return to the palace for many days.
Jiang Qiuye was not sure whether this person was shy or embarrassed?
Is it so embarrassing that he doesn't even want to go back to the palace?
She suddenly felt happy to have some free time. Every day, besides researching new medicinal foods, she would take care of the little white cat Jianjian.
I have to say that Jianjian is really mean. He is just a small cat but has a lot of ideas.
Not to mention how many times he rushed out to attack Jiang Qiuye and the others, even the door of the small kitchen had to be closed on weekdays. If you weren't paying attention, Jianjian would fly onto the stove and steal food.
It's not that he didn't want to feed it. Jiang Qiuye was just extremely worried that the cat would accidentally eat some herbs and lose its life.
It was not until fifteen days later that she heard the news about Ji Ci, which shocked her greatly.
The emperor re-investigated the Pinghui case, and Qi Wang Jici actually detained the person who conveyed the imperial decree in Kangdu County for more than 20 days before the imperial decree was passed to the Beiting Protectorate.
This led to the late arrival of troops from the Beiting Protectorate, and as a result, General Dingbei's entire army was annihilated while defending the city of Pinghuai.
These days, after a joint trial by the three judicial officials, Prince Qi confessed to his crimes.
The emperor was heartbroken and stripped the accomplice, General of the Cavalry Zhang Liang, of his official position and posthumous title of "Yongwu", restored the reputation of General Dingbei, and bestowed upon him the posthumous title of "Duke Zhongyong".
Although his daughter Wang Fen was a descendant of the loyal and brave Duke, she committed the crime of exterminating the Zhang family and treason.
In consideration of his father and family's contributions, the beheading sentence was changed to hanging, and the execution was carried out three months later.
The arrested scholars and court officials were eventually acquitted, while the three people who insulted the royal family at Jingshan Academy, including Zhang Yi, were sentenced to ten strokes of the cane and then released.
When Prince Qi Jici resigned, considering his many years of military merits and political achievements, he was stripped of his noble title of prince and demoted to a county prince. He was also beaten with forty sticks and was not allowed to receive medical treatment. He was sent back to his palace to reflect on his mistakes and was not allowed to leave without the emperor's order.
Ji Ci has always been famous and has made outstanding achievements. Anyone with a discerning eye can see that the emperor was showing mercy to his men in this punishment.
If it were someone else, he would have been executed long ago.
After this incident, the public anger was calmed down and General Dingbei was restored. When Wang Fen heard the news in prison, he was grateful and kowtowed three times in the direction of Prince Qi's mansion.
Chen Zheng's death and the wave of scholars from Jingshan Academy ended here.
Jiang Qiuye and the officials were standing at the gate of the palace. At the hour of Xu, a carriage stopped in front of the palace.
Covered in blood and wearing only a thin nightgown, Prince Qi Ji Ci was carefully carried down by four attendants. Tian Qu led the way with an angry look on his face. He just said that the prince had ordered him to stay in the study after returning home, so he carried the man directly to a Luohan bed in the study.
Jiang Qiuye followed everyone all the way, looking at the unconscious Ji Ci, biting her lips tightly.
She was extremely shocked. Why?
Ji Ci actually took the blame for the emperor and ended up like this.
After the comparison, Jiang Qiuye suddenly felt that he was more like a rat in the gutter, disgusting and ridiculous.
She tugged at the sleeves of her clothes and followed everyone directly to the main courtyard. Her face was filled with worry, and her eyes seemed to be red from crying. She walked up to Tian Qu and said, "Brother Tian Qu, I will take care of the prince for the next few days."
Tian Qu watched the servants coming in and out carrying hot water, feeling anxious and embarrassed. "But..."
"If His Majesty doesn't allow the prince to treat him, then the imperial physician can't come. Although I'm not a doctor, I know a little about pharmacology. The prince usually doesn't allow anyone to touch him, so at times like this, I'm the only one who can help."
Jiang Qiuye's words shocked Tian Qu so much that his eyes widened.
Wait, he didn't understand what that meant.
Of course everyone knew that the prince didn't allow anyone to touch him, especially women.
But Miss Qiu actually said that she could touch the prince!
Did he hear some secret that would get him silenced?
Seeing Tianqu standing there in a daze without saying a word, Jiang Qiuye felt a little anxious and continued, "Besides, the prince said that as long as he is here, I can enter the main courtyard and study at will. Brother Tianqu, at this critical moment, please let me stay."
Tian Qu nodded dumbfoundedly and said, "Then I'll leave the prince to Miss Qiu's care for the next few days."
Jiang Qiuye felt relieved and walked straight into the study. He asked the servants to leave some clean clothes, medicine powder, a handkerchief, and hot water, and then everyone around him left.
She slowly squatted down, looking at Ji Ci who was unconscious on Luohan's bed, and the dormant emotions in her heart gradually surged.
The blood on Ji Ci's back and buttocks gradually turned black after drying. Even in his coma, his brows were still furrowed, and beads of sweat were on his forehead and neck. Strands of hair hung down, soaked with sweat, and stuck to his cheeks.
She said calmly, "Ji Ci, are you stupid? If a person doesn't care about himself, he will be punished by heaven and earth. Where can there be a person like you? You are really the biggest fool in the world."
After saying that, she tried to undress Ji Ci, but she didn't know how to start. Finally, she took out a pair of scissors from the side and cut open the blood-stained pajamas.
When she pulled, she found that the clothes were stuck to the rotten flesh.
Glancing at Ji Ci, who was extremely restless in his sleep, she closed her eyes and quickly tore off the clothes that were stuck to the wound.
Ji Ci groaned in pain, frowned, opened his eyes slightly, and saw that it was this young widow who was taking care of him.
Now that he was in such a broken state, exposing his body in front of her, she felt extremely ashamed and angry.
He said breathlessly, "Get out!"
Jiang Qiuye put down the clothes in her hands, looked back at Ji Ci's face, and said in a sad voice: "Your Highness is awake. I hurt you just now."
"...Go out, let Tian go or Uncle Fu come." Ji Ci's breathing was very heavy and his voice was very small.
Jiang Qiuye lowered her head and didn't look at him. "How can Tianqu and Uncle Fu be as good as me at taking care of people personally? Brother Jian Xi, do you... hate me so much?"
Ji Ci shuddered, looking at Jiang Qiuye sobbing softly in front of him, turning her head away and no longer looking at him, and was at a loss for words in an instant, "You..."
Jiang Qiuye turned back and looked at him eagerly, her eyes red and swollen, looking very pitiful. Ji Ci's mind once again emerged with the aggrieved sweeper who didn't even want the pine cone.
That's all.
He didn't say anything, just turned his head away and buried it in the pillow.
The author has something to say:
Our sister Qiuye is an extreme egoist because of her past experiences and does not understand the meaning of kindness and altruism.
But she is kind-hearted at heart. She will save a kitten if she sees it being bullied and will be soft-hearted.
It was only after she met the male protagonist that she was gradually influenced by him, thinking about the meaning of kindness and awakening the kindness in her heart. This was a relatively long process, after all, her childhood experiences were deeply rooted.
There is another chapter at noon~
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