In the torture hall of Dali Temple, Princess Changqing fought tit-for-tat with Ding Jinzhi and Li Zhishan in order to save her son Ling Yun, and the situation fell into a stalemate for a time.
At this time, the flag official in the hall shouted: "The emperor has arrived!"
Emperor Zhao Yu arrived in time, which undoubtedly became the best opportunity to break the current stalemate.
Princess Chang Qing, Ding Jinzhi, Li Zhishan and the others all exhaled softly from the bottom of their hearts subconsciously; but then the strings in everyone's hearts that had relaxed slightly became tense again.
What exactly does the emperor's arrival mean, whether it is good or bad for them, and what the final outcome will be. Everyone is not sure, and they can only feel their anxious hearts beating helplessly in their chests. With.
And how did the emperor come?
At that time, the emperor was in court. Suddenly, Feng Chaoying, the chief chamberlain, came over quietly and whispered in his ear: "Your Majesty, the prince of Jinling has something urgent to see you outside. It seems that something happened over there in Lingyun." A bit unexpected..."
The emperor couldn't sit still after hearing this. He ended the morning court hastily and hurried to the back hall.
After hearing the report from Prince Jinling, he couldn't help but be furious; without saying a word, he took the dragon chariot and rushed to the torture hall of Dali Temple.
When everyone saw the emperor arriving, they hurriedly knelt down to pick him up and shouted long live the emperor.
The emperor walked up to the hall with a sullen expression on his face, surrounded by the Prince of Jinling Zhao Fu and the chief chamberlain Feng Chaoying.
He stopped, turned his face, glanced at the frightened ministers who were kneeling on the ground in darkness, snorted carelessly, and ordered everyone to get down.
The attendant next to him quickly and respectfully moved to Jindun.
The emperor sat upright, looking at the two bold and reckless ministers in front of him with careful eyes, and said coldly: "Ding Jinzhi, Li Zhishan, do you know your guilt?"
The two of them had earth-colored faces, hurriedly knelt down on the ground, and kowtowed repeatedly: "I am stupid, I don't know what I did wrong, please ask the Holy Spirit to make it clear."
The emperor's slightly frowned eyebrows revealed a fierceness, "I have made a decree that as soon as there is news about Ling Yun, it must be reported to me as soon as possible. How did you do it? Do you sincerely want to keep me in the dark? ?"
Ding Jinzhi trembled all over and said in a trembling voice: "I know that I am guilty, but..."
The emperor said impatiently: "Okay, I don't have time to listen to your long-winded explanations. From now on, you don't need to worry about the interrogation of Ling Yun! You can leave first."
What, they don’t need to worry about Ling Yun’s interrogation? Then wouldn't all their hard work and thought today be in vain?
So it turned out that in the end, they were all making wedding clothes for the emperor? Alas, it seems that the emperor is indeed an emperor, he is good at seizing the opportunity and acting according to the circumstances!
With just a few words, they took the "fruits of labor" that they had worked so hard to obtain into their own pockets, without showing any signs of it and without leaving a trace. It was really a big deal!
The more Ding Jinzhi and Li Zhishan thought about it, the more frustrated they became, and the more frustrated they became, the angrier they became. Although I was very unwilling in my heart, I didn't dare to show any resentment on my face.
The two of them could only kowtow to the emperor with gloomy expressions, then stood up and walked down the hall dejectedly.
After sending away these two courtiers with impure motives and ulterior motives, the emperor focused all his energy on the bold and audacious person in front of him who had once made him hate him to the point of his teeth but was helpless, angry and hated.
"Ling Yun, you made it so difficult for me to find you!"
The emperor's face instantly turned cold, his brows and eyes were filled with gloom, and the hostility in his body instantly increased several times, making people tremble with fear.
He stared at Ling Yun coldly, and his voice dropped with sadness, "In the past few days, you have gone to heaven and earth, turned the rivers upside down, made the capital upside down, and disturbed the people of the imperial court. I am heartbroken and heartbroken because of you. Brain, you are really capable!"
Ling Yun couldn't help but stiffen, and he knelt down and said, "Ling Yun admits his guilt."
"You deserve to be convicted. Based on your crimes, it would not be an exaggeration for me to sentence you to death ten times!"
The emperor's black pupils were like a deep, quiet pool, condescending and oppressive, which made Ling Yun panic. He could only lower his head and remain silent.
The emperor looked fierce and said: "Ling Yun, why don't you speak?"
Ling Yun's Adam's apple rolled twice, and the hands on his sides slowly tightened, "Ling Yun knows that he cannot escape the death penalty, so he has nothing to say. But Your Majesty, before you sentence Ling Yun to death, can you allow Ling Yun to spend a few days here?" The evidence related to the Prince's case and Mr. Lu's grievance investigated by the capital and Ouchi will be reported one by one, so Ling Yun will die without regrets."
The emperor pondered for a moment, "How is Lu Wenzheng doing now?"
Ling Yun's eyelashes trembled slightly, and he said in a thick voice: "Master Lu is... dead!..."
The emperor's heart sank, "What?"
Ling Yun looked sad, lowered his head and said nothing.
The emperor stayed for a long time and said silently: "Tell me, how did he die?"
Ling Yun took a deep breath, trying to calm down the pain and struggle in his heart, and said silently: "This matter involves a lot. Can Ling Yun be allowed to report this matter to the Holy One alone?"
The emperor thought for a moment and said, "Okay."
Ling Yun breathed a sigh of relief, a look of relief appeared on his gloomy face, and kowtowed: "Thank you, Your Majesty."
The emperor sneered and said: "But Ling Yun, don't be too happy too soon. The crimes you have committed in these days will be your fault even if you die. Although I promised not to kill you for the time being, now the death penalty is suspended and the living penalty is suspended." It’s impossible to escape! Otherwise, how can we convince the public and make the people angry? Ling Yun, what do you think?"
Ling Yun felt a chill in his heart, lowered his eyes sadly, and said dumbly: "Ling Yun will just let the Holy One handle it."
The emperor's eyes flashed with cold light, revealing endless coldness and coldness, and he said sternly: "Okay! Then I will give you a light punishment first, as a warning to others - come, take Ling Yun down, and give you a hundred punishments with the rod." !”
What, a hundred rods? Everyone present was instantly shocked by this number. How much resentment does the emperor have towards Ling Yun to say such a shocking figure with angrily teeth - this is clearly a rhythm that puts people to death!
When Princess Chang Qing heard the emperor's frightened words squeezed out from her teeth, her face instantly turned pale, and her body began to tremble involuntarily.
Before she could react, the execution guards on both sides rushed up and ruthlessly took her son hostage without any explanation.
What puzzled her was that the man in front of her who was about to be brutally abused was unusually calm at this moment.
He seemed to feel no pain and smiled helplessly with a bit of self-deprecation; then he slowly stood up from the ground and followed the guards down the hall without saying a word.
Seeing her son being pushed and taken out in front of her, Princess Chang Qing felt her heart bursting with fear.
She stumbled a few steps to get in front of the emperor, fell to her knees with a plop, and cried: "My wife is crying and bowing with blood. I beg the Holy Lord to spare Ling Yun's punishment this time. I am willing to accept Ling Yun's punishment on my behalf!"
The emperor was startled and said: "What does your Majesty mean by this? Ling Yun deserves death for his crime. Now I am only giving him a light punishment. Why does your Majesty stop him?"
Princess Chang Qing sobbed: "On the one hand, Ling Yun's injuries have not healed and he can no longer bear the torture of any punishment; on the other hand, although Ling Yun is guilty, he is dedicated to finding out the prince's case, and his loyalty can be learned from the heavens." ;
"Thirdly, Ling Yun is the son of my wife. Is there any mother in the world who can watch her son endure hardships without being indifferent? I just ask the Holy Spirit to look at my wife and let Ling Yun go this time!..."
The more she talked, the sadder she became, and by the end she was crying.
——Oh, son, son, he is your son... He is doing this again, playing the emotional card with me again - I am really speechless! He has committed such a big crime. Just because he is your son, can I bend the law for personal gain and easily spare him?
The emperor rolled his eyes at Princess Changqing helplessly, complaining in his heart.
He hesitated for a moment and said: "The prince is guilty of the same crime as the common people. So what if Ling Yun is the son of the emperor's aunt? If I let him go this time, how can I punish others next time? I'm sorry that I can't agree to you, aunt."
——The emperor is so heartless! No wonder people say: The emperor's family is the most ruthless. Alas, it seems that I am still too naive! …
The emperor's few words were like a heavy hammer, hitting Princess Changqing's heart mercilessly.
She felt miserable. At that moment, she could barely support her swaying body. If it weren't for the support of the maids on both sides, she might have fallen to the ground.
She stayed for a long time, then suddenly struggled to get up and walked down the hall without looking back.
On the execution ground outside, Ling Yun had been stripped of his clothes, exposing his bare back; two guards roughly held his arms, and the other two fierce guards were viciously executing him.
The cane struck the body, and the cane saw blood; in the blink of an eye, Ling Yun's smooth back was already torn and bloody.
Ling Yun felt that his whole body was in too much pain to move, and there was a stinging coldness in his eyes and at the bottom of his tongue; his teeth bit down uncontrollably, and blood overflowed, slowly flowing down his pale face, dripping on the The snow-white clothes on the chest are mottled with red and white, which makes people feel cold and desolate.
"Thirty-five... forty... forty-five, forty-six, forty-seven..."
The painful torture was still going on crazily, maybe because of some special evil interest, that is, he liked to watch the handsome guy being tortured. The execution guard counted the numbers loudly, and his eyes showed undisguised excitement and evil.
The dazzling sunlight at noon reflected eerily on his face through the sparse flowers and trees nearby, and his body was mottled with light and shadow, as pale as frost.
The bone-piercing pain was intensifying. Ling Yun was dripping with cold sweat on his forehead. All the strength in his body seemed to be drained away little by little, and his consciousness gradually began to blur...
Staring at the bloody and tragic situation in front of her, Princess Changqing felt as if her heart had been ruthlessly ripped out and thrown into the ice and snow. Her whole body was freezing, and her teeth were trembling uncontrollably.
She stared blankly at the spine stick that fell each time - each bloody blow on Ling Yun's body seemed to hit her heart hard.
She rushed forward like a madman, desperately fell on Ling Yun's back, used her delicate body to tightly protect her son who was covered in blood, and shouted heartbreakingly: "Stop! ... If you want to hit me, hit me!" Hit me first!”…
