“Prince Jing has committed a capital offense by mobilizing troops without authorization. I haven’t even settled accounts with you yet, and you still want to marry the eldest daughter of the Ye family?”
The emperor's voice was filled with sarcasm and anger!
Yun Zhuo looked at him in astonishment.
The Emperor said, "How can someone like you be worthy of marrying the eldest daughter of the Ye family? I will spare your life for now, considering your merit in saving my life, but you will not escape punishment. Guards, take Prince Jing to the prison to await your fate!"
Immediately, guards rushed forward.
But the court officials knelt down first.
"Your Majesty! Although Prince Jing's unauthorized troop deployment is a serious crime, please be lenient in sentencing him, considering his mitigating circumstances!"
"Prince Jing is currently seriously injured. If he is sent to prison, his life may be in danger!"
“Your Majesty, although Prince Jing has mobilized troops without authorization, it is not for rebellion, but to protect Your Majesty. He has no intention of disloyalty to the Great Zhou, and he is respectful and filial to Your Majesty. Even if Your Majesty wants to punish him, please confine Prince Jing to his residence and spare his life.”
"I second that proposal!"
"I second that opinion!"
The emperor looked at the kneeling courtiers, so many of whom were pleading for Yun Zhuo, and he was so angry that the veins on his forehead throbbed.
He did not respond to the courtiers' requests immediately, but instead shifted the topic back to Ye Qingxue.
"Ye Qingxue, Prince Jing is guilty of a crime, while you are a person of merit. I will never grant you two a marriage! He is not worthy of you!"
Everyone: "..."
This is the first time I've heard an emperor say that his son is not good enough for the daughter of a subject. It shows how disappointed and angry the emperor was with Prince Jing.
The Emperor said, “I pity Pan Heng’s deep affection for you, and you have also made a promise to him. I have specially granted you two a marriage... If you refute this matter again, I can only say that Prince Jing is bewitching you, and I will not let you off lightly!”
Ye Qingxue was startled.
No one will be let off lightly.
Will Yun Zhuo not be let off lightly?
If she doesn't agree to marry Pan Heng, Yun Zhuo's life will be in danger.
Is the emperor threatening Yun Zhuo's life?
Ye Qingxue looked at Yun Zhuo, who was also looking at her, but Yun Zhuo's face was extremely pale and covered in cold sweat.
Yun Zhuo would never mobilize troops without authorization; she knew what Chu Xianyun had told him.
However, the emperor denied that he had ordered Qin Tianrui to secretly mobilize troops to the capital to protect him. So, who was lying?
For Yun Zhuo, one side is her biological father;
On the other side is his master, who raised him from childhood, who protected him countless times on the battlefield, a master who is more than a father to him...
Whom should he suspect, and whom should he believe?
If the emperor had not issued the order to mobilize troops, then it was his master, Qin Tianrui, who was trying to kill him.
If the emperor truly issued the order, but now denies it, pushing Qin Tianrui and Chu Xianyun out is tantamount to putting them to death.
How should I choose?
Yun Zhuo had no choice, which is why she is so silent now, right?
If Ye Qingxue put herself in her shoes, she would feel excruciating pain if she had to choose between her father and Granny Xing to trust, and it would be almost unbearable.
She abruptly turned her gaze away and faced the emperor on the high platform.
The emperor's eyes were deep and his presence imposing.
"Thank you for recognizing my merits, Your Majesty. I have no other wish than to exchange all my merits for a lifetime of love with Prince Jing. Please grant my request, Your Majesty."
Ye Qingxue kowtowed loudly to the ground.
I didn't see the emperor's furious face.
She continued, "I still stand by what I said before: I will marry no one but Prince Jing, Yun Zhuo. Whether he is worthy of me or whether I am worthy of him is not important. What is important is that I have only him in my heart, and no one else."
Not only was the emperor shocked, but the court officials were also shocked.
I was shocked by Ye Qingxue's determination and persistence.
If it were the previous Prince Jing, the one who hadn't committed the serious crime of "unauthorized troop deployment," then Ye Qingxue's insistence on marrying him would be understandable.
However, given Ye Qingxue's current status, she could clearly choose someone with a more powerful position.
But she didn't!
She not only refused the emperor's bestowal of marriage upon her and Pan Heng, but even pleaded with the emperor to grant her and Prince Jing their blessing, based on all her merits!
What incredible resilience and courage!
"If Your Majesty insists on bestowing this humble woman with the young master of the Pan family, this humble woman can only say—" Ye Qingxue suddenly straightened up.
Everyone was watching her; the Zichen Palace was completely silent.
Then Ye Qingxue's voice rang out in a deep tone, "This subject is unwilling!"
These four words, though brief, are like mountains rising suddenly from the ground, soaring straight into the sky, unshakable by human power; like a tidal wave, which can only be allowed to roll forward unstoppably!
"Insolence!" The emperor slammed his hand on the table, the teacups clattering and tea spilling out. "Do you know that disobeying an imperial edict is a capital offense!"
The guards had already drawn their swords and were pointing them at Ye Qingxue.
Unexpectedly, Ye Qingxue pulled out the only hairpin on her head and held it to her throat.
The sharp hairpin easily cut through the skin of her neck, and the crimson blood made her skin appear even whiter.
Ye Qingxue, however, seemed not to feel any pain.
Her eyes reddened, her gaze resolute: "This subject understands, so today either I will shed my blood in the Zichen Palace, or Your Majesty will rescind your decree!"
The emperor was taken aback; he had never imagined that anyone would dare to defy his imperial decree.
Even the most powerful and influential ministers dared not do so.
But today someone dared to do it.
And this person is even a woman!
He laughed in fury: "Fine! Since that's how it is, I'll grant your wish! Guards! Ye Qingxue has disobeyed the imperial decree and committed treason! Drag her away and execute her on the spot!"
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