Chapter 317: Chapter 314 Judgment of the Holy

The Prison Department has always looked to the Emperor for guidance.

After thinking it over, He Ying nodded, “Then summon the officials from the Prison Department.”

The person from the Prison Department who came was the Chief Wang Lishuo.

“This humble servant pays his respects to the Emperor, long live the Emperor–”

He knelt to perform the salute.

He Ying, with little patience, waved his hand, cutting off his speech, “Stand up. Tell me about Mrs. Sang’s condition.”

He no longer called Sang Ruoshui Princess Consort Sang.

She was a sinner.

Anticipating the Emperor’s question, Wang Lishuo was prepared and replied, “Mrs. Sang is physically weak and has consistently shown intentions of suicide, even biting her own tongue. She can no longer speak clearly. This humble servant had intended to summon the Imperial Physician for treatment, but some time ago…”

At this point, he glanced at the Empress not far away, lowered his voice with trepidation, “Some time ago, the Empress went to the Prison Department and said… to let her live or die by fate. Now, she breathes out more than she takes in.”

He definitely had not imposed any private punishment.

Everything was unrelated to him.

He Ying, upon hearing this, felt somewhat shocked–so Sang Yan cared more about herself. To avenge herself, she too wanted to kill Sang Ruoshui.

Thinking this, the murderous intent towards Sang Ruoshui in his heart diminished somewhat.

“Ah Yan, do you still want to kill her?”

He looked tenderly at “Sang Yan,” smiling, “If you don’t want to, I too can spare her life.”

Qing Wu was not Sang Yan and did not care about the life and death of Sang Ruoshui.

And Sang Ruoshui had long been a spent force.

It was time for her to die.

But she couldn’t say it outright; it had to be phrased delicately, “Princess Consort Sang endangered the Emperor’s health, her sin is unforgivable. Although she is my sister, I must not be lenient due to personal feelings. As for how to handle her, we shall listen to the Emperor’s sage decision.”

She adopted a righteous and stern demeanor.

He Ying watched her feeling complex emotions.

If Sang Yan pleaded on her behalf, he might feel sad and disappointed, thinking that she valued family over his safety.

Now that she did not plead for mercy, he instead worried she would be upset and disappointed, feeling that he was harsh and heartless for wanting to kill her sister.

He had made decisions against family for the sake of justice before, but with Sang Yan, he started to feel unlike himself.

Annoyed.

Headache.

And his body was in pain too.

He leaned against the pillow, holding his forehead, his expression sullen.

Luo Shan, seeing the Emperor troubled, thought for a moment and said in a low voice, “The Emperor has just awakened and should rest properly, not overstress himself with worries.”

This struck a chord with Pei Muyang.

As a staunch supporter of the Emperor, he was most concerned about his mood.

He also understood his troubles–how could he not be cautious regarding his own sister, the Empress?

It was all the fault of these ministers who had no foresight!

Thinking of this, he spoke up, “The real culprit is right there, securely detained in the Prison Department, how could she escape? There’s no need to rush in dealing with her. The Emperor has just awakened, and Mr. Wu is troubling the Emperor with this matter, truly the epitome of loyalty!”

Pei Muyang felt that Wu Lianqiu was deliberately causing trouble and still had the Sang Family in his sights.

He heard that Wu had an exceptionally close relationship with the family of the Minister of Rites, Cui Shao. Was this an act of revenge for them?

One had to admit, he had a point.

Wu Lianqiu indeed felt pity for Cui Shao–their entire family met with such a fate just because a son offended a female doctor. It was truly unjust.

And this injustice was orchestrated by the Empress herself.

“Mr. Pei speaks too harshly,” Wu Lianqiu kneeled on the ground, his back upright, speaking earnestly, “This humble servant is only concerned about the Emperor’s safety and wishes to eliminate any dangers around him.”

He grasped at the pretext of being concerned for the Emperor’s holy body, and Pei Muyang found himself momentarily speechless–this old fox indeed had a sharp tongue!

Mr. Wu, with his sharp tongue, bowed his head and continued, “I pray that His Majesty deals with the Sang Family severely and refrains from endangering himself any further.”

The implication was clear; Empress Sang and the Sang Family were considered threats. He would need to kill them to be safe.

“How insolent!”

He Ying could not stand his defamation of Sang Yan and angrily said, “If the Empress intended to kill me, I would have died in Puluo Country long ago! Would any of these matters be happening today?”

He had never guarded against Sang Yan; if she had wanted to kill him, he would have been dead eight hundred times over.

Wu Lianqiu understood the Emperor’s meaning and also felt that the Emperor had a point. However, he remained obstinate, “The Empress herself might not have intended harm, but the Sang Family could have other malicious intentions.”

His intent was to splash dirty water on the Sang Family.

If one committed a crime, the whole family would deserve to be implicated.

He Ying, unaware of Wu Lianqiu’s thoughts and also indifferent to them, barked, “Silence! This is slander! A Minister of a great nation, spouting nonsense and irresponsible remarks! Guards–”

True anger surged through him; he felt a murderous urge.

“Your Majesty, please calm your anger.”

Ignoring his peril, Wu Lianqiu continued to declare his loyalty, “This humble official harbors no other thoughts but concern for Your Majesty’s holy body.”

“I do not need it! Enough with the pretense of concern for my holy body, all noble words! You all know very well what’s truly on your minds!”

He Ying, clutching his suddenly cracked wound, labored in his breathing and continued, “You accuse the Empress of bringing calamity upon her husband, and so she moved to Qifeng Palace. You demanded the Sang Family be severely punished, and the Empress agreed not to show favoritism. What more do you want from her? Speak! All of you… cannot bear… cannot bear to see me well…”

His last words trailed off weakly, his voice revealing a touch of sorrowful desolation.

“Your Majesty, please calm down! You’re bleeding!”

Pei Muyang felt an immense heartache and hurriedly had Luo Shan attend to his wound.

Just as Luo Shan was about to step forward–

He Ying waved his hand dismissively, “All of you, get out!”

The Ministers murmured among themselves.

They looked at each other, wanting to move but stayed still.

He Ying’s ire rose further; with one hand covering his bleeding wound and the other grasping a teacup beside him, he hurled it, “Get out!”

Knowing the Emperor’s condition was not to be trifled with, Pei Muyang urgently called the guards to drag the Ministers out.

Then, in a softer voice, he coaxed, “Your Majesty, please calm down. Those Ministers are just being stubborn. You mustn’t stoop to their level.”

After coaxing, he glanced at Luo Shan, signaling for her to add a few words.

Luo Shan had been treating He Ying in the palace for several days and had grown quite familiar with Pei Muyang, quickly understanding his intention and joined in persuading, “Your Majesty, please calm your anger. Your health is of the utmost importance right now; you should focus on a good rest. Once you have recovered, you can settle scores with them later!”

She then glanced at “Sang Yan,” noting her peculiar silence today.

Qing Wu, adhering to the principle that “the more one speaks, the more mistakes one makes,” had remained silent throughout the clash between monarch and officials.

Now, upon catching the look from Luo Shan and Pei Muyang, she knew that silence would provoke suspicion, and slowly she spoke, “Your Majesty, do not distress yourself over them–it’s not worth it.”

Such a perfunctory effort at consolation might have some effect coming from “Sang Yan.”

He Ying finally contained his anger and even managed a nod and a smile, “I understand.”

After seeing the Ministers out with no one left to obstruct, he beckoned, “Ah Yan, come a bit closer.”

Qing Wu remained still, looking at Luo Shan to remind her, “Doctor Luo, please trouble yourself to help His Majesty with his wound.”

Luo Shan had been waiting for her cue to act.

Sure enough, as soon as the Empress spoke, the Emperor complied.

He sat on the bed, gazing directly at “Sang Yan,” enduring the pain of having his wounds redressed.

The sweat beaded from the pain.

It rolled down in large droplets.

He seized the moment to play the sympathy card, “Ah Yan, it hurts so much, come and blow on it for me.”

In reality, he just wanted an excuse to be closer to her.

Ever since awakening, his Ah Yan had been so cold and distant toward him, like just now–with hardly an outsider present, she actually called him Emperor, not by his personal name Xinyuan.

What exactly was wrong with her?