The emperor suddenly decreed a marriage between Ling Yun and Princess Huanyu. At this time, Ling Yun was not mentally prepared at all. When he heard the decree, he was stunned. He was about to refuse, but was stopped by Lu Wenzheng's stern words.
The messenger in the palace left. Lu Wenzheng was very angry at Ling Yun's words and deeds just now, and said coldly: "Commander Ling, come with me to the study!" and walked away.
Ling Yun's heart sank, and he had no choice but to lower his head and follow him; leaving everyone gesticulating and talking behind him.
Ling Yun silently followed Lu Wenzheng to his study; he lowered his face in frustration, lowered his eyes and said nothing.
Although he lowered his head, he could directly feel Lu Wenzheng's stern eyes, glaring at him like a sharp blade.
For a long time, no one spoke in the study, and the air seemed to be stagnant...
After an unspeakable silence, Lu Wenzheng finally spoke first, "Tell me, what's going on?"
Ling Yun's heart trembled and he whispered: "What do you want Ling Yun to say?"
Lu Wenzheng sneered: "Don't you know what I want you to say?"
Ling Yun lowered his eyes, swept his long eyelashes slightly, but did not speak.
Lu Wenzheng looked him up and down and said teasingly: "Okay! Very good! It's only been a few days since I left last time, so I'm really good at it! You dare to disobey the emperor's decree! What are the consequences of disobeying the emperor's decree?" Don’t you know? Ling Yun, don’t you want to die? If I hadn’t discovered that something was wrong and stopped the situation in time, how would it have ended?”
Ling Yun lowered his starry eyes feebly, and there was only silence.
Lu Wenzheng slowly walked up to Ling Yun and said earnestly: "The emperor granted you a marriage and married the princess. What an honor it is! It is something that many people would never dare to dream about. Why do you refuse it when it comes to you? Ling Yun , tell me, what is it for?"
Ling Yun raised his distant and cold eyes and said indifferently: "Actually, I have already said that she and I are not suitable at all, and I do not love her; and..."
Lu Wenzheng said: "And what?"
Ling Yun pondered for a moment and said: "Besides, I am already engaged to another woman. I once made a promise to her that I will love her wholeheartedly for the rest of my life and never change my heart; therefore, I cannot marry another woman. "
Lu Wenzheng said: "Who is that woman?..."
Ling Yun said: "Please forgive me, sir. This is a secret between me and her. Ling Yun cannot tell anyone."
Lu Wenzheng's face suddenly became extremely ugly, and the look in his eyes became increasingly obscure. He didn't speak, just frowned and paced back and forth in the study.
There was deathly silence in the study, and the depressing atmosphere made people breathless. Finally, Lu Wenzheng stopped and said solemnly: "Ling Yun, please listen to what I say from the bottom of my heart: I don't care who that woman is, you must cut her off and have no more contact with her! Then go marry the princess and have a good life. Treat her the right way - this is the will of the Holy One, and it is also the order of this government to you, because other than this, you have no other choice!"
Ling Yun suddenly said "normal", bent down and knelt down in front of Lu Wenzheng, and said decisively: "If it were another matter, even if Ling Yun had to go through fire and water, he would not frown; but in this matter, please forgive me. , even if Ling Yun is dead, he will never dare to agree!"
"You!..." Lu Wenzheng raised his eyebrows in anger and was speechless for a moment; he calmed down and said speechlessly: "Okay... I know that you can't turn around this matter for a while. The government won’t force you; just think about it here first, and when will you figure it out, you will get up again!" He snorted angrily and walked away.
In the study, Ling Yun was the only one kneeling on the ground.
The sun was high in the sky, but the clouds did not move; the sun moved westward little by little, and slowly fell, but the clouds did not move; until dusk, the light in the room dimmed little by little, and the vision became a little blurry. Ling Yun still didn't move.
During this time, a wave of people who came to the study to persuade Ling Yun left, and then another wave came; including Xu Zhi, Yang Zhen, Jiang Chun, everyone in the Shangshu Mansion of the Ministry of Punishment...
In the end, even Ling Yun's mother, Mrs. Ruan, was alarmed. She was supported by her maid Qiu'er and came here step by step. She cried and tried to persuade her with sincerity, but it was still to no avail.
Everyone shook their heads and sighed, and talked about it:
"Alas! What's wrong with Commander Ling? He's usually a very smart person, but why is he so confused now?"
"Commander Ling is usually very easy-going and easy to talk to. Why is he so stubborn now that he can't even pull eight horses back?"
"The emperor granted marriage to the princess. What an honor it is! He dared to refuse something that many people would never dream of doing. I really can't understand..."
Everyone's words floated into Ling Yun's ears from time to time, but he ignored them and remained motionless, kneeling there stubbornly, as still as a statue...
When the lights were on, everyone had dinner. Lu Wenzheng was really worried about Ling Yun, so he asked Yang Zhen to go to the study to deliver food to Ling Yun.
Not long after Yang Zhen left, he ran back in a panic. As soon as he entered the door, he said: "Sir, it's bad, Commander Ling is missing!..."
Everyone couldn't help but turn pale in shock and looked at each other; thinking that it was already this hour, where would Ling Yun go?
Lu Wenzheng was a little angry and hurriedly ordered: "Take people with you immediately and look for them separately!"...
Ouchi Imperial Palace. In the Yangxin Hall, after dinner, Emperor Zhao Yuzheng and Prince Zhao Ting were playing chess in front of the table.
At this time, Feng Chaoying, the general manager of the palace, came in and reported: "Your Majesty, Commander Ling has something to do outside and wants to see your Majesty."
Before the emperor could answer, Prince Zhao Ting asked excitedly: "What, Commander Ling?...Is it Ling Yun, the commander of the bodyguards of Shangshu Mansion of the Ministry of Punishment?"
Feng Chaoying said: "Exactly."
Zhao Ting immediately said in high spirits: "I have long heard that Commander Ling not only handles cases well, but is also very powerful in martial arts. I was just about to meet him, but by chance he is here. Please invite me quickly!"
The emperor glared at the prince fiercely. Zhao Ting stuck out his tongue, twisted his body against the emperor like a candy, and said coquettishly: "Father..."
The emperor couldn't help but be amused by his naughty look. He nodded towards Feng Chaoying and said, "Let him come in."
Feng Chaoying said "I obey", turned around and went out.
After a moment, Ling Yun walked in, knelt down and said, "My minister, Ling Yun, bows to the Holy One and bows to His Highness the Crown Prince."
The emperor said: "Get flat."
Ling Yun stood up respectfully and stood with his hands down.
The emperor didn't even raise his head and said casually: "Ling Yun, it's so late, what's the matter with you coming here?"
Ling Yun said: "Exactly."
The emperor said: "Say it."
Ling Yun knelt down again and said in a deep voice: "Before I report this matter to the Holy One, please forgive me for my sin of disobedience."
The emperor was stunned for a moment, "Ling Yun, just tell me what's going on."
Ling Yun pondered for a moment and said: "This morning, I received the imperial edict from the Holy One to confer marriage. The Holy One is so gracious to me. I am grateful and feel so honored. However, please forgive me for having the courage to tell me that this sect is This humble minister will never dare to agree to the marriage, so please ask the Holy One to take back the order!"
The emperor couldn't help but raise his head, glanced at Ling Yun with a burning gaze, and said in surprise: "What? You don't agree to your marriage to my imperial sister, why?"
Ling Yun bit his lips and said: "Weichen is already engaged to another woman. Weichen once made a promise to her that she would love her wholeheartedly for the rest of her life and never change her heart; therefore - Weichen cannot marry anyone else." The woman..."
The emperor looked at him with some amusement and sneered: "Ling Yun, you said that you have an engagement with another woman. Then tell me who that woman is and when did you make this engagement?"
Ling Yun kowtowed and said, "Your Majesty, please forgive me. This is a private matter between Wei Chen and her. Please forgive me for not being able to tell anyone."
The emperor slapped Long An suddenly and said angrily: "In front of me, how dare you talk about privacy? How dare you hide anything from me? Ling Yun, aren't you afraid that I will punish you for deceiving the emperor? "
Ling Yun lowered his head and chose to remain silent.
The emperor continued: "Ling Yun, it must have been seven or eight years since you entered the Ministry of Punishment's Shangshu Mansion - so many years ago, why have I never heard of any engagement with any woman you have? Now? I have just given the marriage, and you come here to tell me what your engagement is, do you want to deliberately make things difficult for me?"
Ling Yun said with a trembling voice: "I don't dare."
The emperor snorted and said, "You still don't know how to dare? I thought you, Commander Ling, were fearless and fearless. You didn't even dare to listen to my words!"
Ling Yun could only lower his head and remain silent.
The emperor said again: "Ling Yun, I ask you, does Lu Wenzheng know that you are here?"
Ling Yun said: "This humble minister is here to make his own decisions, and Mr. Lu doesn't know about it."
After hearing this, the emperor's face softened a little, "Then I will not pursue Lu Wenzheng's crime of lax laws; as for you..."
He pondered for a moment, thinking about how to deal with it, "According to the law, no matter which one is guilty of deceiving the emperor or resisting the emperor's decree, Ling Yun, I can sentence you to death..."
Ling Yun felt a chill in his heart and stopped talking.
Feng Chaoying's heart suddenly twitched, and she looked at the emperor nervously; Zhao Ting stared at the side and couldn't help shouting, "Father..."
"However," the emperor paused, and said without salt or coolly: "Since you have made great contributions to the Shangshu Mansion of the Ministry of Justice over the years, and have made great achievements in annihilating the Tianxiao bandits in recent years, I will let you go this time. I will Quan Dang didn’t hear what you just said, you go back and think about it carefully, and then get ready to be your king’s horse!”
Feng Chaoying let out a sigh of relief; he rushed to Ling Yun in a few steps, smiled slightly and said: "The Holy One is generous and kind, and considerate of his ministers; Commander Ling, why don't you quickly thank the Holy One for not killing me!"
Ling Yun lowered his face, kowtowed and said: "Wei Chen thanks the Holy One for showing his compassion and care for Wei Chen; however, the Holy One wants Wei Chen to marry the princess, but Wei Chen still dares not agree!"
The emperor was stunned for a moment and became a little angry: "Ling Yun, what did you say? Do you really want me to punish you for deceiving the emperor and resisting the emperor's decree?"
Ling Yun's heart skipped a beat and he said in a deep voice: "If the Holy One wants Ling Yun to do something else, even if it means going through fire and water, Wei Chen will not hesitate to do it; it's just a matter of marrying the princess, even if the Holy One wants to punish Wei Chen for the death penalty, Wei Chen will not hesitate to do so. I will never dare to obey my orders!"
The emperor was so angry that he raised his eyebrows and stood up. He slapped Long An and said, "You!...Ling Yun, you are really what Lu Wenzheng taught you. You are so stubborn! You...you think I really can't do it!" Dare to kill you? Someone—"
After giving the order, several wolf-like warriors in golden armor walked in and stood beside Ling Yun menacingly, just waiting for the emperor's instructions.
