GBP Chapter 511 In the Golden Palace
Chapter 511 In the Golden Palace
"What are you thinking about?"
Choi Jiho's voice came from the side. His soft couch was only three feet away from her, and he could clearly see the dazed look in her eyes.
Shi Wanxia turned to look at him and saw that he was clutching a handkerchief with his uninjured hand, his knuckles turning white from the force, clearly indicating that the bumpy ride had aggravated his wound.
She said softly, "I was thinking about Chuzhou. You took a knife for me then, and your wound bled a lot. I thought..."
She didn't say what she was going to say, but Choi Ji-ho understood.
He smiled, but his eyes were filled with pain: "How could anything happen to me? I haven't even seen you safe and sound yet, how can I leave?"
Hearing this, Shi Wanxia felt a lump in her throat. She turned her head away and looked out the window, not daring to look into his eyes again—she was afraid that she would burst into tears and make him worry even more.
Physician Li followed beside the soft couch and, seeing that her eyes were red, said in a low voice, "Lord Shi, don't get angry. Your internal organs are not fully recovered yet, and strong emotional fluctuations can easily cause you to cough up blood."
Shi Wanxia nodded, took a deep breath, and suppressed her surging emotions.
Soon, the outline of the Golden Palace came into view. The vermilion palace gates were open, and one could see that it was filled with civil and military officials, creating a very oppressive atmosphere.
As soon as the soft couch arrived at the palace gate, a young eunuch stepped forward and carefully carried it inside.
Shi Wanxia looked up and saw Shen Yuxi sitting on the dragon throne, his face ashen, the jade tablet in his hand clenched so tightly it made a cracking sound.
The civil and military officials stood on both sides, some with their heads down, others secretly glancing at the three of them out of the corner of their eyes, especially the officials from the aristocratic families, whose eyes were filled with disdain and schadenfreude.
The soft couch was placed in the hall. Shi Wanxia tried to sit up straight, but the pain in her chest made her gasp as soon as she exerted herself. Cui Zhihao quickly reached out and gently pressed the back of her hand with his fingertips, indicating that she should not force herself.
"Your Majesty, Lords Shi Wanxia, Cui Zhihao, and Lin Yiyu have arrived."
Yu Heng stepped forward, bowed, and reported.
Shen Yuxi didn't speak, his gaze sweeping over the three of them—Shi Wanxia was leaning against the soft couch, her face as white as paper, her chest rising and falling slightly, clearly in great pain;
Choi Ji-ho's left arm was slung across his chest, and his right leg was slightly bent, making it difficult for him to even sit up.
Lin Yiyu's right arm was still in a sling, and his face looked sickly.
These three young men, who should have been full of vigor, are now in this state, all because of the catastrophe in Chuzhou, all because of his "loyal" ministers!
"I ask you,"
Shen Yuxi's voice suddenly rose, causing the candlelight in the hall to flicker.
"During yesterday's court meeting, someone said that Cui Zhi was arrogant because of his status as a member of the Qinghe Cui clan, but he is no longer a member of the Cui clan;"
"Some people say that Shi Wanxia, being a woman, shouldn't be involved in military and political affairs, and that her achievements in Chuzhou were just a fluke—all of you, raise your heads and look at these three!"
He suddenly pointed at Shi Wanxia and the other two, his voice filled with rage: "Shi Wanxia! Tell them, when you were struck by the poisonous palm of Rongyang King's secret guards outside Chuzhou City, was it just luck?"
"When you endured the pain to investigate and check the defenses, was it just a fluke?"
Shi Wanxia bit her lip, wanting to speak, but the pain in her chest made her voice tremble: "Your Majesty... it wasn't by chance... I just... didn't want the people of Chuzhou... to suffer..."
Before she could finish speaking, she couldn't help but cough, pressing one hand tightly to her chest, her shoulders shaking from the cough.
Cui Zhihao panicked and tried to reach out to help her, but forgot that he couldn't move his left arm. When he pulled, a sharp pain shot through his wound. He groaned, and cold sweat instantly soaked his collar.
"Cui Zhihao!"
Shen Yuxi looked at him again, her eyes full of pity, "Tell them, when you were imprisoned by the Prince of Rongyang, branded with a hot iron on your chest, and nails piercing your finger bones, was it because you were a remnant of the Cui family? When you were carrying evidence of your crimes and being tortured for three days and three nights without sleep, were you seeking personal gain?"
Cui Zhihao's lips moved, his voice terribly hoarse: "Your Majesty... I have never... sought personal gain for the Cui family... I simply... did not want the Cangling Empire... to fall into the hands of traitors..."
As he spoke, he subconsciously touched the scar on his chest, which still ached faintly and itched terribly every time it rained. It was a mark left by a branding iron, a testament to his loyalty to the emperor and his country.
But now, some people are using his identity to accuse him of having ulterior motives!
Seeing that both men were angry, Lin Yiyu quickly spoke up, "Your Majesty, I can testify! In the Chu Prefecture incident, Lord Shi nearly died under a hail of arrows while saving the people;"
"Lord Cui was tortured beyond recognition in order to deliver the evidence! If it weren't for them, Chuzhou would have been handed over to the Northern Barbarians by the Prince of Rongyang long ago, and the gates of Cangling would have been breached long ago!"
"well said!"
Shen Yuxi slammed his hand on the imperial desk, splashing tea all over the floor. “Listen to this! Yesterday at court, some said, ‘The Cui family has betrayed the party and deserves to be punished,’ while others said, ‘Women’s involvement in politics violates ancestral rules!’ I want to ask you people who speak without understanding the situation!”
His gaze swept over the officials from those powerful families, especially the Minister of Rites standing at the front—Cui Mingyuan, a collateral branch of the Qinghe Cui clan. His voice was as cold as ice: "Cui Mingyuan! You say Cui Zhihao is a remnant of the Cui clan, then tell me, what were you doing while your nephew was being tortured in prison? You were secretly colluding with the Prince of Rongyang's men, plotting how to transfer the Cui clan's private property out of the country!"
Cui Mingyuan's face changed drastically, and he knelt down with a thud: "Your Majesty! I am innocent! I did not!"
"Injustice?"
Shen Yuxi sneered and tossed out a secret letter.
"These are the letters between you and the Prince of Rongyang's men that my secret guards found in your residence. They even have your seal on them! You still dare to claim you're innocent?"
Cui Mingyuan stared at the secret letter on the ground, his face deathly pale, unable to utter a word.
The hall was silent; all the civil and military officials bowed their heads, and no one dared to speak.
Shi Wanxia leaned against the soft couch, her cough subsiding slightly. She looked at Cui Mingyuan kneeling on the ground, then at Cui Zhihao, whose face was pale beside her, and felt a sharp pain in her heart. Cui Zhihao had clearly left the Cui family long ago, yet he was still implicated by these people. He had clearly made great contributions, yet he was still being questioned for his ulterior motives.
Cui Zhihao clenched his fists tightly, his knuckles turning white. He looked at Cui Mingyuan, his voice filled with disappointment and anger: "Lord Cui... although we are not from the same branch, we are still of the same clan... how could you... collude with traitors and betray Cangling?"
Cui Mingyuan dared not look at him, and just kept kowtowing: "Your Majesty, I know I was wrong... Your Majesty, spare my life... Lord Cui, spare my life..."
Seeing this scene, Shen Yuxi was furious: "Spare our lives? When you colluded with the traitors, why didn't you think of sparing the lives of the people of Chuzhou? Why didn't you think of sparing the lives of these three meritorious officials?!"
He took a deep breath, looked at Shi Wanxia and the other two, and softened his tone: "Shi Wanxia, Cui Zhihao, Lin Yiyu, listen to my decree—"
The three of them hurriedly tried to bow, but Shen Yuxi stopped them, saying, "No need for formalities. You are not feeling well. Just sit and listen."