Chapter 337: Chapter 334: Accomplices
Unfortunately, this sincere heart did not belong to her.
Stolen things, though they may look appealing, would lose their charm over ti, and she eventually lost interest in enjoying them.
Instead, she suffered from anxiety and unease.
“I understand what you an.”
She gave a perfunctory smile and took her leave with her entourage.
Qingning Palace
When He Ying failed to obtain Sang Ruoshui’s confession, he thought of her two confidantes—Xiang Ying and Xing Ce.
Since these two were confidantes, it was impossible for them not to notice Sang Ruoshui’s unusual behavior before the assassination.
Either they were covering for her, or they were accomplices.
With this thought, he ordered, “Go to the Prison Departnt and bring Xiang Ying and Xing Ce here.”
“Yes.”
Pei Muyang imdiately arranged for soone to fetch the individuals from the Prison Departnt.
However, the only person who ca was Wang Lishuo.
As soon as he entered the hall, he knelt down and cried, “Emperor, your humble servant is guilty.”
He Ying glanced behind him, didn’t see the two individuals ant to be questioned, and knew there was trouble, “What’s the matter? Where are they?”
“Forgive , Emperor! Forgive , Emperor!”
Wang Lishuo’s face was pale; he first knocked his head on the ground three tis, his face dripping with cold sweat and his voice trembling, “Em-Eemperor, as soon as those two entered the Prison Departnt, they vanished. Your humble servant has been searching these days, and even the young master of the Sang Family has been seeking them out.”
It was because Sang Jue agreed to help search and promised to plead for him at the crucial mont that he tried his best to save Sang Ruoshui’s life.
“Emperor, spare my life!”
He knocked his head on the ground repeatedly, crying pitifully.
He Ying, unyielding and unsympathetic, grabbed a white dicine bottle beside him and hurled it at him, “Useless! Useless!”
The dicine inside the white bottle, developed by Luo Shan, was effective for treating his peculiar disease.
Because the materials required for its production were very rare, only one bottle had been made so far, and she had repeatedly instructed him to use it sparingly.
Now, it was all being smashed on his head.
“Emperor, calm your anger. Emperor, calm your anger.”
Wang Lishuo was struck, blood flowing from his forehead. He couldn’t even wipe it away and continued to fervently knock his head on the floor, “Your Majesty’s body has not yet recovered, you should not be enraged. If this aggravates your condition, your humble servant deserves to die a thousand deaths!”
“You know very well that you deserve to die a thousand deaths!”
He Ying, frustrated at his incompetence, said, “Look at the foolish things you’ve done! And the confessions? I don’t even need to ask to know that you didn’t obtain them.”
Wang Lishuo indeed hadn’t obtained the confessions of the two individuals; as soon as they reached the Prison Departnt, they disappeared, not even giving him a chance to extract the confessions.
“Emperor, forgive !”
He used Sang Jue’s involvent to try to lessen the Emperor’s anger, “Your humble servant believes that Young Master Sang Jue will definitely be able to locate them.”
He Ying was sowhat surprised to hear about Sang Jue’s involvent.
That young man was usually uninvolved in affairs, always focused on his wife and daughter beside a warm stove; was he now shouldering a heavy responsibility?
His mood slightly improved.
But looking at Wang Lishuo, his anger still lingered.
“You better pray that he finds them!”
He Ying decided to spare his life for now, but while he could avoid a death sentence, he couldn’t escape punishnt.
“Bring him forth!”
With a cold expression, he ordered, “Drag him away for fifty lashes with a cane!”
Wang Lishuo shuddered upon hearing this but dared not plead further.
This was the best outco he could hope for.
“Thank you, Emperor, for your rcy.”
As soon as he spoke, two eunuchs dragged him out.
Soon, the sound of the canes striking resounded loudly.
However, these were re loud noises, only breaking the skin, not bones.
Once the punishnt was carried out, he was dragged back into the hall, bloody.
He Ying, looking at his miserable state, finally vented his anger and waved his hand, “Get out! Get out!”
Today had been full of disappointnts.
But beyond those disappointnts, so critical information had co to light.
For instance, Sang Ruoshui’s assassination attempt was not a spur of the mont action but a long-preditated deed.
And, given Xing Ce and Xiang Ying’s involvent, they definitely knew more of the details.
It was crucial to find them now.
However, aside from these two, all other palace attendants in Yuesang Palace must be thoroughly investigated.
Thinking of this, he looked towards Pei Muyang and instructed, “Go and call Xie Sui here.”
Xie Sui was a cautious and sharp person; this matter should have been handed over to him earlier.
“Yes.”
After Pei Muyang responded, he turned around to arrange for a palace attendant to transmit the decree.
During the wait, He Ying reviewed the entire situation again: that day, he had married Sang Yan. Sang Ruoshui hid in Qingning Palace and took advantage of his unpreparedness to successfully assassinate him. Afterwards, Sang Ruoshui and the palace attendants from Yuesang Palace were taken to the Prison Departnt for interrogation. At the ti, Sang Ruoshui was emotionally frantic and bit her tongue but failed to kill herself, damaging her throat, and later, an infection ruined her eyes.
Before this, Xing Ce and Xiang Ying had disappeared together.
Why had they disappeared together?
What was the relationship between the two?
Just as he was pondering this, he heard the eunuch’s thin voice from outside: “The Empress is arriving——”
At the sound, he looked up and saw “Sang Yan” stepping inside.
She wore a dark red palace dress covered by a white cloak, her graceful face frad by a circle of white fox fur, looking even more exquisite and delicate.
Still the sa figure.
Still the sa face.
But he could no longer find the feeling of his heart fluttering.
The heart cannot deceive.
The more he looked at the woman in front of him, the more he beca certain of one fact—his Ah Yan… had changed.
“Emperor——”
As Qing Wu walked into the palace, she slled the scent of blood.
She sniffed, looked around, and faintly saw the damp floor, clearly cleaned recently, and couldn’t help asking, “What have you just done?”
Had he done sothing else in the main hall while she was away from the side hall, even killing soone?
He Ying did not answer but instead asked, “What have you just done?”
Qing Wu’s heart skipped a beat, and she forced a smile, truthfully saying, “I just went to Yuesang Palace to see Sang Ruoshui. What does the Emperor plan to do with her?”
He Ying still did not answer but instead asked, “What do you think should be done to her?”
Qing Wu wanted to kill her.
But, based on Sang Yan’s saintly heart, she could only say, “The Emperor is not only the Emperor but also a victim. Whatever the Emperor wishes to do to her, I have no objections. As long as the Emperor feels at ease.”
This would be Sang Yan’s answer.
Not a bit incorrect.
But he looked closely at this face, feeling more and more that—everything was wrong!
If Xing Ce and Xiang Ying could disappear without trace, then so could others.
“I feel much better, and my heart is also at ease. After seeing her tragic state, my heart felt even more comfortable. So, there’s no need for her life. Sotis, letting a person live a life worse than death is the greatest punishnt. Ah Yan, don’t you think so?”
“I think what the Emperor said makes a lot of sense.”
Qing Wu followed his words.
He Ying smiled, “Ah Yan and I really do understand each other.”
He gestured for her to co sit.
Qing Wu didn’t refuse, walked over, and stopped three steps away, saying, “Emperor, be careful not to fall ill.”
He Ying nodded, not as paranoid as before, insisting on touching her.
He called soone to bring a chair over.
Qing Wu sat down opposite him.
Their gazes t.
Qing Wu’s heartbeat pounded like a drum, yet her face remained calm, “Why does the Emperor look at this way?”
“Because I like you, I can’t get enough of looking at you.”
He said tenderly, smiling, both to disarm her and to pave the way for a trap: “Ah Yan, didn’t you ask what I had just done?”
Qing Wu nodded, indeed imrsed in the pleasant atmosphere of his confession, feeling very relaxed, curiosity in her eyes, “Yes. What did you just do? I thought I slled blood.”
“Yes. There was a sll of blood.”
He Ying explained, “Well… this is what happened, I just thought of a question and asked many people, but they couldn’t answer, so I got very angry and beat them all up.”
Qing Wu listened, even more curious, “What question?”
“A very simple question.”
He Ying looked into her eyes, deliberately slowing his tone, “The question is, if a man punches himself and knocks himself out, tell , does this show that he is strong, or does it show that he is weak?”
This was a question Sang Yan once asked him.
If she is Sang Yan, she would give the right reaction, the right answer.
If she’s not…
God, he couldn’t bear the consequences if she wasn’t!
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