"Let's wait until this case is thoroughly investigated!"
Zhongli Mingye held her in his arms, his gaze lingering on the lake. Shen Shulan told him that Ji Qinglin had pushed her off the high platform that day, attempting to murder her.
However... initially... she didn't want this child anymore. But... after a few days, she changed her mind.
Song Jinyu visited Ji Qinglin in the prison, and Zhongli Mingye accompanied her. In any case, Ji Qinglin had held onto his moral bottom - line.
He hated the emperor intensely, but he didn't want to drag the entire Zhongli royal family down, nor did he want the Great Xia Dynasty to fall into chaos because of it.
"Senior Brother..."
Originally, she had many things to ask him, but when the words came to her lips, she didn't know how to start. "I'm no longer a disciple of Tianmen Mountain. Perhaps... I can't even be called a human being."
He let out a sarcastic laugh. How he wished the imperial court would collapse and the Great Xia Kingdom would perish. But... Miao Yunshen's teachings were still fresh in his mind: Revenge should follow the code of the Jianghu. One life for another. You can live in hatred for the next few decades, or you can strive for higher power and directly trample your enemies under your feet.
But, under no circumstances should you betray the court and the Xia Dynasty. Being an official is supposed to serve the common people of the world.
"Do you know about Shen Shulan?"
He clenched his fists tightly. She was the last person he wanted to mention. Ji Qinglin closed his eyes, trying to dispel the sorrow in his heart.
Song Jinyu was so angry that she wanted to punch him. What he did was simply inhumane! "She's pregnant with your child... How could you be so heartless?"
"Do you feel better by repeating the tragedy of ten years ago?"
Shen Shulan was so innocent. But wasn't his father's pregnant concubine innocent? Ji Qinglin would never change his mind until his death.
"I don't regret it! There's no need for you to persuade me anymore..."
However... Song Jinyu's next words made him feel ashamed. "Yes! For this deep - seated hatred, one should spare no effort."
"But..."
"Not even sparing the old, the weak, the women, and the children. How are you any different from the Shen family back then???"
Song Jinyu looked at him coldly. "Shen Shulan... She couldn't bear to abort the child."
The cold look on Ji Qinglin's face finally softened. Shulan... She didn't want to abort the child. Even though he had treated her so badly.
Now, there was no possibility between him and Shen Shulan. He should have given her a proper name. But... hatred had blinded his heart.
"Is she okay?"
"She won't be!"
How could she be okay? Being forced to a dead end by the person she loved whole - heartedly. When Shen Shulan left, she still hadn't made up her mind whether to keep the child or not.
... The imperial court was a complex and dangerous place. She had no choice but to leave the capital.
For several days, Song Jinyu was worried about Ji Qinglin's fate. He had killed so many people, and he would surely be executed. But... on the other hand, because of Ji Qinglin, the imperial court had avoided greater bloodshed.
He had exposed Yanqiu's conspiracy and saved the Zhongli royal family.
The emperor was also considering Ji Qinglin's merits and demerits. After Zhongli Mingye presented the results to the emperor, he became a hands - off manager.
He wanted to spend more time with his beloved wife. The affairs of the court were so boring.
Song Jinyu looked at him helplessly. "I've made some new beauty - preserving pills. Let's go to the palace." Zhongli Mingye lovingly tapped her cute nose. "You're always so considerate!"
"Will Ji Qinglin die?" For some reason, Song Jinyu felt a bit sad.
"He must die. The laws of the country cannot be ignored!"
After all, he had truly killed those people. If Ji Qinglin were to be pardoned because of his great achievements, it would also be a destruction of the imperial court's order.
So the emperor ordered Ji Qinglin's execution, and at the same time, he ordered a retrial of the Ji family's case!
Seeing that she was in a low mood, Zhongli Mingye hugged her and said, "Rong Shuang'er gave Shen Shulan a mansion and a shop in Yezhou."
Presumably, her life wouldn't be too difficult. "Rong Shuang'er is really a passionate and true - to - nature person." Song Jinyu praised her. Her character was indeed good.
Although her reputation among the nobles in the capital was not very good. But so what? There were many wolves in human skin in this world.
For a person with excellent character, it was very easy to reverse a bad reputation.
"Maybe, the Great Xia may go on an expedition against Yanqiu in a while."
Song Jinyu was pulled back from her thoughts by his words. "Will you go on the expedition?" He had the most battlefield experience among the princes of the Great Xia Dynasty.
She felt a sense of uneasiness for no reason and hugged him tightly. "I can't bear to part with you!"
"Don't worry. It hasn't been decided yet." How could he bear to part with her? The person in front of him had her heart full of Zhongli Mingye.
"To have you is my greatest fortune."
In the Liuyun Pavilion, the two lovers hugged each other tightly, oblivious to the passage of time.
Rong Shuang'er saw Shen Shulan off. "You still didn't listen. Do you really have to give birth to this child?" Rong Shuang'er felt sad. If the person she loved hurt her like this, she would surely seek revenge.
But Shen Shulan remained silent. Until she left the capital, she still hadn't made up her mind to abort the child.
Ming Ruyi stood on the city wall and watched Rong Shuang'er ride back on her horse. The shaking of his fan gradually slowed down. Suddenly, he fluttered down from the city wall, scaring the horse into a long neigh.
"It's you?"
"Your excessive kindness might backfire on you!" Ming Ruyi looked at her seriously.
Rong Shuang'er rolled her eyes. "Your Highness, you don't need to worry about this."
She wanted to continue riding forward, but unexpectedly, he blocked her way. "Miss Rong, you should stop meddling in these matters from now on."
"Your Highness, this is a matter between friends. How can I not care?" She was impatient, and a strange emotion flashed in her eyes. She didn't dare to look at Ming Ruyi.
These days, she had thought it over and over again. She decided to bury her feelings deep in her heart, but when she saw him this time, she couldn't suppress her feelings anymore.
So, she mounted her horse. "Zhongli Hong, I..."
"I'm in love with you!"
"I thought that your repeated teasing of me meant you had feelings for me too."
"How about... choosing a lucky day to propose marriage to the Duke's Mansion?" Although the young girl's face was as red as blood, every word was clear.
And Ming Ruyi stood there like a statue. What was she talking about?
Rong Shuang'er galloped away on her horse. Her heroic back view left a different feeling in Ming Ruyi's eyes.
"With the death of the King of the Southern Courtyard, Yanqiu is like a toothless tiger." The emperor smiled slightly. Suddenly, he remembered that a huge plot had been hatched right under his nose in the capital.
There must be someone in the court colluding with them.
Therefore, a bloody storm swept through the capital in autumn. The imperial court was purged again, and many families were ruined because of it.
Prince Cheng, Zhongli Shuoyi, looked at Yu Ze's secret letter, feeling a bit dazed.
After the previous failure, did he still have the courage to fight again? He was now like a frightened rabbit, no longer having the courage of the past.
Yu Ze led his troops northward and asked Prince Cheng to cooperate from within.
During this purge, many of his supporting officials had died for no apparent reason.
Zhongli Mingye listened to the report from his shadow guards leisurely. "It's time to call Wei Changyuan back!"
"Don't worry about the lives of those people."
"Right now, Father is indecisive. Take this opportunity to weaken the forces of Prince Cheng and the Crown Prince." He didn't want to wait for opportunities passively anymore.
Blindly giving in would only make the person on the throne press harder.
He had to fight. Sometimes, only by fighting could he gain a chance of survival.