Your eyes are crying.
Upon hearing Deng Ning's words, Sheng Ye naturally accepted the situation.
Tang Qi looked at Emperor Ming and saw that he stared at Sheng Ye for a while with a normal expression before finally looking away and nodding slightly with an "Mm".
It was this subtle action that made Tang Qi feel despair.
Emperor Ming accepted this lame and absurd reason.
The underlying meaning is self-evident—he wanted to protect them.
Perhaps Emperor Ming knew from the very beginning. No, or rather, he himself was the one who planned this from the very beginning.
All that Tang Qi did would not bring them down; instead, it would only lead him to his own demise.
He originally thought His Majesty was unaware, so he was willing to risk his life to bring the truth to light. But only now did he realize that what Zhou Ziye said back then was the truth.
Between him and Ye Qian, Ye Qian was the right one.
The truth he demanded was nothing more than another version of the story that His Majesty had abandoned.
And what about himself? Does His Majesty see him as a joke?
Perhaps from the moment Tang Qi uttered his first words, Emperor Ming had already been waiting. He was waiting for Ye Jin to enter the game, waiting for this moment that would leave Tang Qi speechless.
From beginning to end, Tang Qi had no chance of success. No wonder Deng Ning and Wu Shunyi always remained calm no matter what he said; they already knew they were making a desperate struggle, and they had nothing to be afraid of.
Tang Qi alone guarded the pitiful evidence, believing he could uncover the truth. In reality, all he did was dig a huge and deep grave for himself.
"Is there anything else you want to say?" Emperor Ming asked Tang Qi.
He finally let out a sneer.
Having understood everything, Tang Qi felt a surge of intense emotions that were both unfathomable and elusive.
Regret, resentment, grief and anger.
He knew he was about to die.
Tang Qi thought he would be afraid when he was about to die, but he wasn't. He only regretted not shooting Deng Ning in the head with an arrow.
I regret that I'm a complete idiot.
I regret letting down so many people.
He shouldn't be so arrogant.
Cheng Junshi had never felt so powerless.
Tang Qi was right beside him, and he could clearly feel his breathing, but Cheng Junshi knew he would die soon.
It is no longer a false death, but a real, tangible one.
Cheng Junshi wanted to find a way to save him, but he couldn't think of anything, so he could only kneel down abruptly.
"His Majesty."
In fact, Cheng Junshi hadn't even thought of a reason for saving Tang Qi. He didn't know what he wanted to say, and he just kept kowtowing without a care in the world.
"His Majesty,"
Cheng Junshi kowtowed repeatedly, one after another, his head making a dull thud.
—Let him live.
He used a lot of force, each impact seemed to knock him unconscious. Tang Qi was right next to him and reached out to grab his shoulder.
"Stop hitting it."
Cheng Junshi shook off Tang Qi's hand that was pressing on his shoulder. Blood was streaming down his forehead, but he still wanted to beg His Majesty.
Tang Qi didn't give him the chance. He also knelt down and firmly pressed his palm against Cheng Junshi's shoulder, preventing him from continuing.
"I don't want you to kneel," he said softly.
Whether you live or die, I don't want you to kneel down because of me.
Cheng Junshi is Cheng Junshi; I don't want you to break your bones for anyone.
"Cheng Wang, do you remember the one time you begged me?" Emperor Ming suddenly said.
"When I ordered Tang Qi to lead the eastern expedition, you pleaded for him. And now? Are you pleading for me on behalf of a dead man?" The emotion in his voice was unclear, but Tang Qi could sense a hint of disappointment in him.
It seems that Emperor Ming valued Cheng Junshi highly.
"Your Majesty," Ye Qian also knelt down, straightening his back, and said, "Now that the matter is clear and the two generals have been exonerated, this person is guilty of false accusation. According to the law, the person who makes a false accusation should be punished and executed as a traitor."
He suddenly lowered his voice and continued, "However, before this man entered the palace, he loudly proclaimed that Sheng Hui and Jin Bei were colluding with the enemy and betraying the country. Most of the people in Jingzhou heard this. If we behead him like this, I'm afraid it will not satisfy the people and will make them suspicious."
Emperor Ming looked at Ye Qian and said, "Then what do you think I should do?"
"In my opinion, this person's actions towards his elder brother, his ruler, and the country are not those of a treacherous, cunning, or wicked individual. However, false accusation is still a serious crime that cannot go unpunished. Therefore, he may be spared the death penalty, but he cannot escape punishment."
Ye Qian bent down completely; it was the only solution he could think of.
Emperor Ming remained silent, and Ye Qian, his heart pounding, kept his head down.
When Yun An saw Ye Qian's appearance, she glanced at Tang Qi. The man looked familiar; she seemed to have seen him before but wasn't very familiar with him. Ye Qian's words were clearly pleading for this man. She then looked at Shen Zhiqing and saw that she also looked nervous and frightened. After a moment's thought, Yun An went down and knelt down with them.
"Father, I believe that he should not be sentenced to death. How about we punish him with ten more strokes of the cane, and hold him accountable along with the accused? Life and death are in the hands of Heaven. If he does not die, it will be in accordance with the will of Heaven. What do you think, Father?" Yun An spoke up, offering the best solution.
Emperor Ming's expression was inscrutable on the dragon throne. The hall remained silent for a long time, as if everyone present was waiting for this trial.
The sole arbiter of this trial was now scanning the room with his eyes.
“Forty,” Emperor Ming finally spoke.
For Emperor Ming, the Wolf Army was a handy weapon. To wipe out the entire Wolf Army would be tantamount to cutting off his own flesh. However, his resentment forced him to do so. The Wolf Army was like Emperor Ming's poisoned arm. Although it was important, in order to prevent the poison from invading his heart and harming himself, Emperor Ming had no choice but to cut off his arm to save his life.
He felt a little guilty towards Lang Ce, especially towards Tang Qi. Sometimes Emperor Ming would think that if this child hadn't been born into the Tang family, he would definitely be himself, and would be Da Shuo's right-hand man.
I would want to see him grow more than anyone else.
But there's only a little bit of guilt, because there are no "what ifs" in life.
Therefore, facing those who spoke up for Tang Qi and Lang Ce, Emperor Ming felt half anger and half guilt. He might have been afraid in his midnight dreams, but he had no regrets.
"Forty strokes of the cane." He looked down at Tang Qi: "If you die here, you're really dead."
Tang Qi's heart skipped a beat.
This means that if he could endure the forty strokes of the cane, Emperor Ming would not pursue the matter further, and he would still have a chance to survive.
Forty strokes of the cane in court...
"Your Majesty—" Cheng Junshi looked up and spoke again.
"Cheng Wang," Emperor Ming looked at him again, his tone calm, "I have told you before that the most taboo thing for an official is to have selfishness. In this respect, you are far inferior to your father. You were promoted by me, so you should understand how much hope I have placed on you. I do not want you to extend your kindness to those who are not related to you."
Tang Qi curled his lip as he said "unrelated person". Cheng Junshi, who was next to him, even wanted to say something to Emperor Ming, but Tang Qi suddenly pulled his hand and pressed him to the spot.
Sometimes he was genuinely curious about how Cheng Wang had gotten his position. Even after Emperor Ming had spoken to such an extent, he still thought of pleading for leniency.
Thinking of this, Tang Qi sighed helplessly. Calling him naive was too kind; he was simply stupid.
Cheng Junshi will never learn to be prudent and protect himself.
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for sparing my life." Tang Qi bowed down, pressing himself firmly to the ground. He heard Emperor Ming's cold voice: "Thank me too soon. Save your words for when you survive."
Tang Qi was quickly lifted up and dragged away to be executed, but Emperor Ming suddenly said to Cheng Junshi and the others, "Since this is to serve as a warning to others, you all can go and watch the execution together."
As if remembering something, he turned to Sheng Ye and said, "You supervise the execution. Forty strokes, not one less, not one lighter. One less stroke, one lighter stroke—"
He turned his gaze to Cheng Junshi, paused for a second as if on purpose, and continued, "All the money is supplied to him."
Cheng Junshi looked up at Emperor Ming, his voice still calm: "I will grant your wish."
Tang Qi and the others were taken away. Emperor Ming only kept Deng Ning and Wu Shunyi. With a wave of his hand, he even drove away all the maids and servants.
Only when the hall was completely silent did Deng Ning and Wu Shunyi kneel down together in the center.
"I remember, the only person I wanted you to kill was Tang Mian."
......
The first blow landed so hard that Tang Qi let out a muffled groan. By the fifth blow, cold sweat was streaming down his forehead uncontrollably.
Ye Qian and the others were forced to stand on either side to watch the execution. Blood gradually seeped through Tang Qi's clothes, and Shen Zhiqing even closed his eyes. Emperor Ming's move was too cruel; it was utterly humiliating.
However, with so many eyes watching, Tang Qi didn't have a chance to think so much. Every blow felt like it was going to break him apart. Tang Qi could even clearly feel which part of his flesh was tearing open. Later on, Tang Qi couldn't even tell which part of him wasn't in pain anymore.
His back was quickly soaked through. Half of it was sweat, and the other half was blood, mixed together like someone had rubbed half a bag of salt into a wound, stinging him painfully.
After the twenty-five blows, Tang Qi could no longer see people clearly, but he could clearly hear the breathing of the people next to him.
Cheng Junshi knelt beside him, his arms held down by two executioners from the Directorate of Ceremonial.
"A lighter or less forceful blow will be used to punish him."
Emperor Ming's words suddenly echoed in his mind again.
"Heavier."
The executioners seemed not to have heard clearly, and both men holding the rods froze for half a second.
"Heavier."
Tang Qi no longer had the strength to say anything else, and could only numbly repeat this sentence.
The two executioners exchanged a glance, both seeing shock in each other's eyes.
Having punished so many people with caning, and heard people ask for leniency, this is the first time I've seen someone complain that they weren't beaten enough.
You really do see everything if you live long enough.
Then the court rod fell again, striking Tang Qi thirty-five times. Tang Qi spat out a mouthful of blood. His clothes were completely torn, revealing the flesh underneath. It was no longer skin that could be seen; it was all rotten, blood-stained flesh.
"No, don't be gentle."
Tang Qi could no longer speak in complete sentences; the words squeezed from his mouth sounded like rusty saws, broken and intermittent, yet he kept saying:
"Again, heavily."
Tang Qi could barely hear the last five blows, but he could vaguely hear voices around him, very noisy, like crying.
The two executioners stopped, and the caning ended. Tang Qi was no longer able to think; he couldn't even feel whether he was alive or dead.
But it should be alive, Tang Qi thought.
—Because someone held my hand.
It was icy cold, just like everyone else.
But the tears were warm, and they felt warm on the back of my hand.
"Why are you crying?"
Tang Qi forced a smile, trying her best to look less disheveled: "Didn't I protect you?"
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