The wheels creaked over the ground, a sound that suggested the cart was on the verge of collapse under the weight of its 'cargo.' The imperial guards eyed the water缸 on the cart, watching the ripples within, as if hearing faint sobs. The mere thought of lifting the wooden plank atop the缸 and revealing what lay beneath sent shivers down their spines.
In the imperial court, the wait felt like an eternity. A profound silence filled the hall, the air so heavy it was as if it were riddled with oil barrels, their fuses burning at a snail's pace. Every second was fraught with extreme anxiety.
"The Commander of the Imperial Guard requests an audience!"
Upon hearing the eunuch's announcement, everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief. The imperial guards had finally returned.
"Announce him!"
The Commander of the Imperial Guard, along with his subordinates, entered the hall, bearing a large water缸 with heavy steps.
Upon seeing the缸 carried by the guards, a flush of crimson appeared in Nan Chaoyin's eyes. The court officials, not understanding why the imperial guards had brought a water缸, began to whisper amongst themselves.
The Commander of the Imperial Guard carefully placed the缸 on the ground before kneeling to report, "Your Majesty, I have brought the Prime Minister's wife."
Ji Hong knew his imperial sister-in-law was ruthless, but he never imagined she would be so utterly so. Yet, he merely showed a hint of surprise, not displeasure. Under everyone's gaze, the play had to be perfectly executed.
"What?"
Ji Hong suddenly stood up, his face contorted in shock, "Are you saying the Prime Minister's wife is inside this water缸?"
The Commander of the Imperial Guard nodded.
"Are you a bunch of imbeciles? To carry the Prime Minister's wife like this? Didn't you try to save her?" Ji Hong berated them angrily, his brows furrowed. The Commander of the Imperial Guard's voice was dry, as if something were lodging in his throat, making it difficult to speak. "Reporting to Your Majesty, the Prime Minister's wife, she... she..."
Gritting his teeth, he stood and removed the wooden plank sealing the缸. A rich aroma of wine mingled with a hint of blood, instantly filling the entire hall. Amidst the stench of blood and wine, there was also a faint, imperceptible foul odor.
The court officials couldn't help but peer into the缸. When they truly saw the person inside, their faces contorted, their stomachs churned, and they involuntarily gagged.
The liquor was clear, revealing Madam Liu's true state without any obstruction.
"Gag!"
The sounds of retching and gagging echoed incessantly. Some felt something rising from their stomachs, but fearing disgrace in front of the court, they covered their mouths with their hands, forcing the rising filth back down. Though he managed to swallow it, the person next to him, seeing this, finally succumbed to the nausea and vomited loudly.
Once one person vomited, the sour, pungent smell instantly assaulted everyone's nostrils. The ministers, unable to hold back any longer, felt as if they were about to disgorge their bile.
This was no longer the Golden Hall; it had transformed into a cesspool.
The military officials, however, were not as delicate as their civilian counterparts. They were merely struck with a sense of dread at Madam Liu's fate.
"I implore Your Majesty to deliver justice for my deceased wife!"
Just as everyone was on the verge of vomiting, Nan Chaoyin knelt heavily on the ground with a resounding thud and cried out in grief.
Mid-vomit, the officials, still bent over with hands covering their mouths, couldn't help but look towards Nan Chaoyin. Seeing his grief-stricken face and tear-filled eyes, they felt a pang of sympathy.
This was the wife of a Prime Minister, yet she had met such a fate. If Ji Jinmo were to turn his hand against his own relatives one day, what better end could they expect? Lin Yuan could not afford to have such a ruthless and absolute ruler. Therefore, the throne must not fall into Ji Jinmo's hands. If he were to win the struggle for power one day, it would spell disaster for both civil and military officials.
It would be an era where imperial power superseded all else, and the Three Departments and Six Ministries would be reduced to mere puppets under the emperor's authority.
"Imperial Uncle, you have gone too far!"
Ji Hong slowly sat back down, his grip tightening on the armrest of the dragon throne, his body leaning slightly forward. He resembled a volcano on the verge of eruption, instilling a sense of impending doom.
"Too far?"
Yet, as Ji Hong's imposing presence bore down on Ji Jinmo, it was as if it were entirely consumed. It was as if the erupting volcano were submerged at the bottom of the sea. The tremors preceding the eruption merely stirred waves, and the magma was extinguished by the boundless ocean before it could erupt.
Ji Jinmo adjusted his cloud-like sleeves and said coldly, "I am merely returning his own methods upon him!"
"Oh, no, I misspoke!"
"It is a daughter's debt paid by the mother!"
What did it mean to return his own methods upon him? And what did it mean for a daughter's debt to be paid by the mother? Could it be that the fourth daughter of the Nan residence had also committed such malicious acts?
A flicker in the corner of Nan Chaoyin's eye made him recall the wet nurse beside Nan Shiying.
No, he could not allow Ji Jinmo to continue speaking.
"Your Highness, you..."
"Prime Minister Nan, do you wish to say that I need to find excuses for my cruelty?"
"Or perhaps you wish to say, Your Highness, why would you smear the reputation of your esteemed wife and daughter?"
"Nan Chaoyin, do you truly not know what Nan Yuan'er has done? If you do not know, I do not mind making it known to you publicly."
"Your Highness, what need is there for an excuse to condemn someone, you..."
"It seems the Prime Minister is indeed unaware!"
Ji Jinmo did not give Nan Chaoyin another opportunity to speak. He was too lazy for their verbal jousting. "Do you know that your beloved daughter turned the wet nurse who had served the Consort for many years into a human pig? Do you know that your beloved daughter once forced the Consort to dance barefoot on a frozen lake in the dead of winter? Do you know that your beloved daughter forced the Consort to kneel and eat dirt, and then unleashed dogs to tear at her?"
"There are many more such incidents. Each one, Nan Yuan'er's cruelty and malevolence are beyond enumeration. Prime Minister Nan, for years, the Consort lived in the most dilapidated and rundown courtyard in the Nan residence, a place even the lowest servants would not inhabit. She ate spoiled food, and often, even that spoiled food was knocked over by the dog-like servants in your household. For twelve long years, if not for the wet nurse by her side who guarded her with her life, she would have long since turned to dust.
"Do you know nothing of all this?"
The sour, pungent smell lingered in the air. The urge to vomit, which had been suppressed, strangely subsided under Ji Jinmo's barrage of questions.
Everyone's mouths hung slightly ajar, completely taken aback by the fact that the gentle and talented Nan Yuan'er, renowned throughout the capital, was so vicious and sinister in private. If what the Prince said was true, then... Madam Liu's current predicament was self-inflicted.
No wonder, no wonder the Consort hated the Nan residence so deeply.
If they were in her shoes, they would be a thousand times more vengeful, and if they did not torment the entire Nan residence to death, they would not be able to quell their hatred!