“Yes!” Gao Yin shouted loudly.
Then, the palace gates opened. Commander of the Imperial Guard Hei Ningqi and Suo Lun’s personal bodyguard Zhuang Zhixuan entered.
Three great experts surrounded and pressed in on Count Fu’e.
Count Fu’e’s cultivation was roughly on par with Duke Turingtuo’s. Among the current nobles, he was considered the strongest, and should be about equal to Commander of the Imperial Guard Hei Ningqi.
Hearing that Suo Lun’s order was actually to break his four limbs and cripple his martial arts, Count Fu’e flew into a sudden rage. He had no weapon in hand, but clenched his fist and was about to erupt.
The enraged Fu’e, glaring with wide eyes, gazed at Suo Lun for a long time, but ultimately gave up resisting.
He could not possibly defeat the combined forces of three great experts, Gao Yin, Hei Ningqi, and Zhuang Zhixuan. If he truly fought, he would only bring even more humiliation upon himself. Moreover, Princess Zhiyan had not yet made a move.
Gao Yin and Hei Ningqi stepped forward, fiercely grabbing Fu’e’s arms and forcefully snapping them.
“Crack…”
Count Fu’e’s arm bones were broken alive.
“Kneel!” Gao Yin exerted force, fiercely pressing Fu’e back down onto his knees.
Suo Lun stepped forward and asked, “Tell me, what reason made you follow Zhili all the way to the dark?”
Count Fu’e let out a cold laugh and said nothing.
Gao Yin and Hei Ningqi aimed at Fu’e’s legs and fiercely stomped down.
“Crack…”
Fu’e’s leg bones were broken alive, and he let out a burst of miserable howls and roars.
“Cripple his meridians and throw him into the sky prison!” Suo Lun said.
“Yes!” Gao Yin took out a dagger, severed Fu’e’s hand and foot tendons, and not merely cut them, but pulled out the meridians, then cut off a half-foot-long section.
“Ahh… ahh… ahh…” Count Fu’e let out heaven-shaking miserable screams.
He had cultivated for several decades, and with great difficulty had achieved his current cultivation level.
With his four limbs’ bones broken, they could still heal. But once his meridians were severed, he was destined to become a cripple for the rest of his life.
At this moment, Count Fu’e’s heart was also filled with boundless regret.
The reason he had followed Zhili all the way to the dark indeed had a cause.
But his status was transcendent, and he truly did not need to take such a risk. He had originally thought that Suo Lun would not dare to do anything to him because of his status as maternal grandfather. He had not expected Suo Lun to be so ruthless.
“You still won’t talk?” Suo Lun nodded and said, “Lord Gao, is Fu’e’s grandson Fu Qi in the royal city?”
“He is!” Gao Yin said, “But he fled after hearing the news of Zhili’s arrest.”
“Go capture him and bring him back.” Suo Lun said, “In a while, throw this grandfather and grandson pair into the sky prison together. Cripple Fu Qi before Fu’e’s eyes. Let’s see if Count Fu’e has anything he wants to say to me?”
The moment these words were spoken, Fu’e’s face changed drastically in terror, and he hissed, “Suo Lun, you will not die a good death, not a good death… I will be watching you from the sky prison. You will definitely die before me!”
Suo Lun waved his hand, and Gao Yin took Fu’e out of the palace and threw him into the sky prison.
…
That very night!
Suo Lun brought Zhiying, carrying the baby, into the Purple Jade Mountain of the palace to pay respects to the king!
Princess Zhiying had remained silent throughout. Although she had not voiced any opposition, she showed a certain degree of resistance towards this meeting.
The baby had a short memory. In less than a day’s time, he had already forgotten the terrifying experiences of the past few days.
At this moment, entering the palace, he was curious about everything. His big dark eyes were completely insufficient, turning his head to look at this, then turning his head to look at that.
“Wu…”
“Yaya…”
He still couldn’t speak very well, only able to babble and simply call out Mama, Papa.
Being held in Suo Lun’s arms, he squirmed around, not staying still for a single minute.
Entering the Purple Jade Palace, the king was drinking milk.
Nowadays, he could only eat liquid food, basically consisting of goat’s milk, rice porridge, and vegetable paste.
When the king saw the baby, his cloudy, dim eyes suddenly brightened, and a hint of joy appeared on his withered face.
“Baby, call Grandpa…” Suo Lun taught him.
“Yeye…” The baby casually called out, then stared at the king with his big eyes, appearing very focused.
The king stretched out his withered hand.
The baby glanced somewhat timidly towards his mother, then also carefully stretched out his chubby little hand to hook the king’s hand.
One hand was as thin as firewood, extremely aged.
One hand was tender, white, and plump, extremely cute and youthful.
A smile appeared on the king’s face, as if his wrinkles had unfolded.
Suo Lun knew his thoughts. He might not be able to see Zhiyan’s son, unable to wait for that day.
So, he could only see Zhiying’s son.
Then the king tried hard to speak.
Gao Yin once again bent down, listened to the king’s words, then spoke on his behalf, asking, “Does the child have a name yet?”
Suo Lun looked towards Zhiying.
Princess Zhiying shook her head and said, “Not yet.”
The king thought for a while, then opened his mouth to speak again.
After Gao Yin listened, he spoke on the king’s behalf, “He shall be called Zhiyu!”
Zhiyu, this name was not particularly outstanding, but it expressed the elder generation’s love for the child, treating the child as a precious treasure.
The baby’s chubby little hand grasped King Zhibian’s finger, playing with great delight, making babbling sounds.
The king’s gaze was full of tenderness, staring at the baby’s beautiful and delicate face. His entire person seemed to have become somewhat younger.
After quite a while, he raised his head to look at Zhiying.
Princess Zhiying lowered her head, looking at the ground, not saying a word.
The king spoke once more.
Gao Yin relayed the king’s words, “Zhiying, I know that you and Zhili have always hated me in your hearts, but I want to tell you that your parents were not killed by me.”
Zhiying’s delicate body trembled. She raised her head to look at the king and said in a cold voice, “If not you, then who killed them?”
King Zhibian shook his head and once again tried hard to speak.
After Gao Yin listened, he relayed once more, “Who killed them, I cannot say. But it truly was not me. I killed one younger brother and one elder brother, but I did not kill your parents!”
After speaking, the king let out a long sigh, then waved his hand.
Gao Yin said, “His Majesty wishes to rest. Duke Suo Lun, you may leave.”
Suo Lun nodded, carried the baby, and waved his chubby little hand, saying, “Goodbye, Grandpa.”
The king grinned, also trying hard to wave goodbye.
…
After returning to the princess’s residence.
Suo Lun finally had the opportunity to speak with Zhiying.
“If I said I wanted to take the child to the Yan Empire, you would definitely not agree, right?” Zhiying asked.
“Right, I don’t agree.” Suo Lun said.
Zhiying raised her head and said, “I will not live with you. You can come to see the child, but I will not live with you.”
“Alright.” Suo Lun nodded and said, “Then you will still live in your previous princess’s residence. The old servants who originally attended to you will still remain with you.”
Zhiying nodded.
Then, the two fell silent once more.
After Zhiying was captured, that passionate burning in the dungeon seemed to have exhausted all the emotions between the two of them.
Ever since then, whenever the two were together, they became speechless.
After a long silence, Suo Lun stood up and said, “I’m going to see Fang Qingzhuo. I’ll take the baby with me too.”
Fang Qingzhuo and her two daughters were temporarily settled in a courtyard within the princess’s residence.
Suo Lun carried the baby and knocked on the door from outside.
“Who is it?” Fang Qingzhuo asked in a low voice.
“It’s me.” Suo Lun said.
After a while, Fang Qingzhuo came to open the door.
She was wearing a pink nightgown, making her figure appear especially voluptuous and graceful. Her gentle and beautiful face had already become calm, nearly devoid of joy or sorrow.
At this moment, the two little girls had already fallen asleep, their little faces rosy.
These were Zhili’s two daughters, extremely beautiful and cute.
“Yi, ya…” The moment the baby saw his two elder sisters, he immediately bared his claws and fangs, wanting to pounce over.
“Please sit.” Fang Qingzhuo said, “I did not expect that you would come so late, so I am dressed like this. How truly impolite.”
Suo Lun sat down carrying the baby and said, “I came mainly to ask about the lady’s future plans. Are you willing to return to live in the Young Lord’s residence?”
“That place, I do not wish to go to anymore.” Fang Qingzhuo said, “There are too many unpleasant memories there.”
Suo Lun said, “Zhiying is unwilling to live with me. She still wants to return to live in the princess’s residence. If the lady is willing, would you also live with Zhiying?”
A look of joy appeared on Fang Qingzhuo’s gentle and beautiful face, and she said, “Alright, it would of course be best if our family can live together.”
Suo Lun said, “In the future, my several children in Tianshui City will also enter the royal city. At that time, I will establish a small school and let all our children study in this school. I will definitely make them become good friends.”
“That would be wonderful.” Fang Qingzhuo said, “Originally, Zhiying could also teach them, but it’s not good for little girls to be confined at home every day.”
Suo Lun said, “In this small school, Zhiying can teach literature, Mentor Niya can teach art, I can teach mathematics, and with your high martial arts, you can teach swordsmanship.”
Fang Qingzhuo said, “Both Zhiying and I would become teachers inside?”
Suo Lun said, “Of course, otherwise staying at home every day would be far too boring, and there will be more and more children in the future.”
Fang Qingzhuo’s beautiful eyes were instantly filled with boundless longing, and she said, “That would truly be wonderful. I truly hope that day arrives immediately.”
Suo Lun nodded and said, “My daughter Qinqin is about the same age as the two little princesses. City Lord A Shi Liren’s son A Shi Yuanba is in his teens. Before entering the royal city academy, he can study with us for a few more years. I will find a few more children. Within two or three months at most, I will establish the school and let you and Zhiying go teach.”
Fang Qingzhuo exclaimed with delight, “Heavens, that kind of life would truly be blissful.”
Then, she gazed tenderly at Suo Lun and said, “Thank you, Suo Lun.”
Suo Lun shook his head and said, “It is I who should say these words. If not for you, I completely cannot imagine what would have happened to Zhiying and the baby. Your kindness, I can never repay in my entire life.”
Fang Qingzhuo said, “Alright, let’s not speak of this anymore in the future. Zhiying is my younger sister, and the baby is also my family. I was merely protecting my family.”
Suo Lun nodded and said nothing more.
Fang Qingzhuo suddenly said, “How are things between you and Zhiying?”
Suo Lun said, “She has already said she will not live with me. I anticipated this result long ago. She cannot possibly forgive me. When we are together, we have already fallen into a situation where we have nothing to say to each other.”
Fang Qingzhuo hesitated for quite a while, then said, “Zhiying is not unwilling to forgive you, but she feels that you do not have her in your heart. When she was at her most vulnerable, she cried several times before me. She said that in your heart, she almost has no weight at all.”
Suo Lun said, “What I did to her was dishonourable, so when facing her, it is as if there is a layer of separation.”
Fang Qingzhuo said, “Some words may be somewhat embarrassing to say, but how can there be overnight grudges between men and women? Between husband and wife, fights at the head of the bed are reconciled at the foot of the bed. Between you and Zhiying, just have a fight and it will be fine.”
After speaking, Fang Qingzhuo’s face turned red, blushing so much that blood almost seemed about to drip out.
The fight she spoke of was of course the intimate kind between men and women. For a woman to say such words, she would naturally feel shy and embarrassed.
But she also felt that she must say it. She regarded Zhiying as her own younger sister and naturally hoped to see her happy.
Suo Lun said, “There will be plenty of time ahead. There is no need to rush. When the time comes, things will naturally fall into place.”
…
Early the next morning, the news of Yan Wuji’s death spread throughout the entire royal city!
At around four o’clock this morning, Yan Wuji’s family discovered that he had committed suicide by poison.
In the six hours before his death, he wrote tirelessly, composing a ten-thousand-character memorial of fully twenty thousand words.
The Shadow Pavilion immediately delivered this ten-thousand-character memorial into Suo Lun’s hands.
Yan Wuji knew whether his family could be preserved, and how many of his disciples could survive, all depended on this final ten-thousand-character memorial.
So in this memorial.
Yan Wuji used his pen with utmost sincerity and utmost truth! With the most objective attitude, he described every person in the court of the Furious Wave Kingdom.
He used the most concise text for objective description, yet made no suggestions to Suo Lun, not telling Suo Lun who should be used and who should die.
He left everything for Suo Lun to judge and decide himself. Yan Wuji was only responsible for the most objective description.
At the same time, the Black Dragon Terrace of the Furious Wave Kingdom’s Ministry of Punishments tried Turingduo in the shortest possible time.
Murdering her husband, murdering her father-in-law, inciting rebellion, fully several dozen charges.
Among them, the charges warranting the death penalty exceeded nine, every single one supported by conclusive evidence, without the slightest injustice.
Finally, with multiple crimes punished together, Turingduo was sentenced to death by tearing apart with chariots!
…
At noon, all civil and military high officials and noble nobles of the royal city received an imperial edict to proceed to the palace square.
After receiving the edict, these people were filled with boundless terror and unease.
When leaving home, they embraced their families and wept bitterly, as if once they left this time, they would never return.
And some who felt their crimes were too great and could not escape, simply committed suicide by poison at home, to avoid suffering boundless terror and pain!
When all civil and military officials and noble nobles arrived at the palace square.
They discovered that several thousand imperial guards were stationed here, as if facing a great enemy.
Instantly, these officials and nobles became even more fearful and uneasy, their bodies trembling like sieves.
After quite a long while, a prison cart entered the square. Inside was a female prisoner, precisely Turingduo.
Then, five horse carriages drove into the square before the palace, every carriage stained with blood.
Instantly, everyone understood!
This was to publicly tear Turingduo apart with chariots, making all officials, nobles, and nobles witness the execution!