An older official, enraged, rushed up to Ye Yunheng, pointed at his nose, and cursed, "You scoundrel! You eat the court's salary, yet you harbor disloyal intentions, colluding with foreign invaders to destroy our nation. You are worse than pigs and dogs, and heaven and earth will not tolerate you!"
As if the insults weren't enough, he went up and kicked Ye Yunheng.
Despite the pain, Ye Yunheng glared at him angrily and saw the jade pendant at his waist, causing his pupils to shrink.
The minister continued to berate, "Don't you think that if it weren't for General Ye's bravery in setting up the battle in advance, even if he died in battle, the enemy would not have broken through the defense line. Otherwise, wouldn't you have plunged the people into misery, and these people include your family and friends?"
"What are you trying to achieve by doing something so heinous for such a petty personal grudge?"
The others joined in the cursing.
Ye Yunheng's eyes were filled with gloom; he knew he was not going to survive.
He turned to the emperor and cried, “Your Majesty, I was wrong. I was bewitched and thought that with my aunt’s death I could take over her military power. That’s why I was misled by the people of Dongwu.”
But seeing my aunt and comrades sinking into the swamp, I regretted it. I felt ashamed before them and dared not contact Dongwu again. Your Majesty, I have been filled with remorse all these years.”
He saw his son's jade pendant on the official, and he knew it was a threat from Prime Minister Li.
If he dares to reveal Li Xiang's identity, his wife and children will surely die.
He always wanted to leave himself an heir.
"What a great regret."
Ye Zhen interrupted him coldly, "If you regretted it, why would you have come to assassinate me?"
"I am Wan Tang's own brother. How could I do nothing after learning how badly you have harmed her?"
"So, you knew all along that Ye Wantang was not the legitimate daughter of the General's Mansion, but your younger sister."
Ye Zhen continued, "You harmed my mother because you were worried she would find out about Ye Wantang's background."
It's not a question, it's a certainty.
yes!
Ye Zhen guessed correctly.
Ye Yunheng only wanted to protect his wife and children, so he nodded, "Yes, my aunt is straightforward and will definitely make this public if she finds out. Switching royal daughters-in-law is a capital offense, and I had no choice."
"Then how did you find out about Ye Wantang's background, and when did you find out?"
"I……"
Ye Yunheng never imagined he would be arrested one day.
If Ye Zhen hadn't discovered his identity last time, he would have been a meritorious military officer who brought back intelligence from Xiyue under Li Xiang's arrangement.
There are not many promising military generals in Dayuan to begin with, and with the added advantage of being Ye Jinghong's nephew, he is bound to achieve great things.
Under such glory, who would dare to question him like this now? With his help, Wan Tang wouldn't have ended up like this.
Their family's secrets would never be exposed, so he never fabricated a lie about the current situation.
He learned the family secret from Li Heng.
When Ye Zhen suddenly asked him, he instinctively tried to lie, saying that he had accidentally overheard his parents talking.
This lie must withstand scrutiny to avoid being exposed, so he needs time to think it over.
But Ye Zhen then posed a new question, "After you killed my mother, why did you defect to Li Heng and become his adopted son?"
Ye Yunheng was taken aback.
No one knew that he was Li Xiangyi's adopted son.
The others also showed expressions of shock. The traitor was Li Xiang's adopted son, which meant there was a big problem here.
Even the emperor looked solemn.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
Ye Yunheng instinctively denied it, determined not to involve Li Xiang.
"I made a mistake back then, and I was too ashamed to return to Dayuan. I lived a life of hiding away. When I learned of my sister's fate, I couldn't bear it and returned to the capital, only to be discovered by you..."
"So, you're saying that the assassination of the Xiyue Muya chieftain, which sparked the war between Xiyue and Dayuan, was also your personal doing?"
The emperor asked this question.
Even though he has learned to keep his emotions in check over the years, he could not hide his anger at this moment.
Not long after he ascended the throne, before he had even settled into his position, Canglang launched an attack. If it weren't for Ye Jinghong's intervention, his throne would have been lost long ago.
The enemy army massacred the city, and Dayuan suffered repeated defeats. Ye Jinghong, who had just given birth, answered the call to go to war without hesitation, and the emperor always felt guilty.
This is also one of the reasons why he had been so tolerant of Ye Wantang before, but later guessed that Ye Zhen was Ye Jinghong's daughter and was willing to help her and the Crown Prince get together.
Now that he has learned that Ye Jinghong was actually murdered, and that the person who harmed him is even trying to make excuses, how could he not be furious?
Only then did Ye Yunheng realize that the emperor and Ye Zhen knew more than he had imagined.
Previously, when he and Li Xiang saw that the royal family had launched an attack on Xiyue without any precautions, they assumed that they had done it without anyone noticing.
It now appears that everything was just their own arrogance.
He glanced at the jade pendant at the minister's waist and nodded, "Yes, I want to go home and no longer be a prodigal son."
"Only when there is war in Da Yuan can I seize the opportunity to gain merit and return to Da Yuan."
What an absurd and infuriating reason!
Everyone in the hall was filled with indignation.
But Ye Yunheng insisted that it was all his doing.
Amidst the clamor of condemnation, Shi Yan calmly said to the emperor, "I have a plan; I wonder if Brother Xie would be willing to listen?"
The emperor nodded. "Brother Shi, please speak."
Shi Yan stood up and stood behind Ye Zhen. "Such traitors who aid the enemy and sell out the country deserve to be torn to pieces and executed."
"It would be better to punish him with the slow slicing, to be completed over a month."
His gaze shifted, and he looked at Ye Wantang again. "She is a woman. I am merciful, so I will let her observe the execution for twenty days first. After all, they are siblings, and she will have company on the road to the Yellow Springs."
This will also serve as a warning to the other citizens of Daeyu, showing them the consequences of treason and evil deeds.
Although everyone hated the Ye siblings to the core, they couldn't help but gasp when they heard about this method.
Lingchi involves slowly cutting away the skin and flesh until the prisoner dies. It is extremely painful and lasts for a month. No matter how stubborn Ye Yunheng is, he probably won't be able to endure it.
How could Shi Yan, who came up with this method, possibly have any mercy for Ye Wantang? He probably saw that she was too weak and would die in thirty days, so he made her observe the torture first to torment her mentally, and then used the last ten days to torment her physically.
It's cruel, but it feels good to use it on evildoers.
The emperor readily agreed, "Brother Shi, that's a good idea. Let's do it this way."
Upon hearing this, Ye Wantang, who had been pretending to be dead, was so frightened that she looked at Shi Yan, her mouth opening and closing as if silently crying out, "Father, save me!"
She even tried to impersonate Ye Jinghong's daughter.
Shi Yan frowned, then led Ye Zhen back to her seat, saying, "You're too thin. You need to eat properly."
With a turn of his head, he flicked his sleeve and sent Ye Wantang flying out of the hall!
It's an eyesore!
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