As the Emperor stormed away in a huff, the military officials sighed with a touch of regret.
The civil officials raised their sleeves to wipe the cold sweat from their brows, their hearts finally settling back into place.
The commander of the Imperial Guard found his hand, gripping the hilt of his saber, slipping, and he couldn't sheath his blade properly.
"What, you still intend to block this Prince?"
"This subject dares not!"
The Imperial Guard commander, holding his saber, forced a wry smile onto his face and stepped back, clearing the way.
Only after Ji Jinmo carried Minister Gu away did the previously silent great hall regain its voices. The military officials sneered at the civil officials and filed out of the hall.
The officials of the Censorate stood frozen, as if their parents had died, a sense of sorrow welling up within them. Minister Gu had merely impeached Ji Jinmo, and Ji Jinmo had directly taken him away. In Lin Yuan, was it still the Emperor's realm, or Ji Jinmo's?
If this continued, what were they upholding? They might as well defect to Ji Jinmo's side.
Their Censorate, tasked with supervising officials and offering forthright advice, had no reason to exist anymore!
"Esteemed officials, His Majesty requests your presence!"
Just as the officials of the Censorate were feeling dejected and indignant, the chief eunuch by Ji Hong's side returned, standing before them with a smile, conveying the Emperor's decree.
...
After all the court officials had left the great hall, the commander of the Imperial Guard finally removed his helmet. The cold sweat trapped by the helmet instantly trickled down, in streams, making it seem as if someone had poured a basin of water over his head.
"Truly terrifying!"
He muttered, and the Imperial Guards behind him nodded.
It was just one person, yet they felt as though they were facing an army of thousands. The pressure and intimidation from that moment of eye contact, even with their sabers in hand, prevented them from daring to take even a single step forward.
"Is this truly our Lin Yuan's God of War!"
Many of the Imperial Guards had not witnessed the massacre in the court years ago. In recent years, Ji Jinmo had become increasingly low-key, his aura no longer as ferocious. If not for today, they would have truly believed that the living Yama, praised by the world, was merely a prince with a cold demeanor and considerable authority!
...
The Imperial Study.
Ji Hong stood before the officials of the Censorate, bowing deeply.
"Your Majesty, no! What is Your Majesty doing?! This is an insult to us!"
The officials of the Censorate retreated in panic, not daring to accept Ji Hong's grand gesture, nor could they. While the Emperor treated them with respect and was willing to apologize, they, as court officials, still needed to maintain their composure!
"It is朕's fault.朕 could not stop Ji Jinmo. 朕 is ashamed before all my esteemed ministers. 朕, 朕..."
Ji Hong did not rise, his deeply bent waist as if held fast by an unseen force. The humiliation he endured today was something he had suffered for an entire decade. Yet even now, Ji Jinmo remained like a mountain pressing down on him, unmovable, unbreakable, bending his back, trampling his dignity, and every moment, every second, leaving him in a painful struggle interwoven with despair and hope!
He hated him, he resented him, he tried his best to overthrow this mountain, but today... reality had delivered a heavy blow, as if to tell him: no matter how hard you try, you cannot escape the crushing weight of this mountain.
"Your Majesty!"
The officials of the Censorate, no longer displaying their initial indignation, now knelt before him with tear-filled eyes, regretting their own inadequacy in being unable to share His Majesty's burdens!
"Minister Wang, Minister Liu, all my esteemed ministers, please rise quickly, please rise quickly!" Ji Hong looked up, helping those kneeling on the ground to their feet one by one. Seeing Ji Hong's slightly reddened eyes, the officials of the Censorate felt as if their hearts were being sliced by knives.
"Your Majesty, we will do our utmost to protect Your Majesty's imperial power and royal authority!"
The officials of the Censorate were as if injected with chicken blood. The more dejected they were before, the more passionate they were now.
Ji Hong patted the old minister's shoulder and assured them, "朕 will definitely rescue Minister Gu. 朕 will definitely preserve his life!!"
...
The Prince's Mansion prison.
Nan Shiying squatted before Minister Gu. Despite his current predicament, Minister Gu still maintained an air of unyielding dignity.
"Minister Gu, who told you about this matter!" Nan Shiying asked in a gentle voice.
Minister Gu disdainfully raised his head, his gaze passing through Nan Shiying to land on Ji Jinmo, and he cursed sternly, "Ji Jinmo, you unfilial and rebellious wretch, one day, you will face retribution!!!"
Nan Shiying's face instantly turned cold. She grabbed Minister Gu's chin and forcefully twisted it downward. With a crisp "crack," Minister Gu's curses turned entirely into choked whimpers of pain.
Nan Shiying let go of her hand, slowly stood up, and looked down at him, "Since Minister Gu is unwilling to speak, then Minister Gu must endure some hardship!"
"Jia Huan!"
Jia Huan walked into the cell upon hearing Nan Shiying's call, "My Princess!"
"The matter is in your hands!"
"Yes!"
After handing the man over to Jia Huan, Nan Shiying retreated from the cell. Ji Jinmo sat leisurely on a chair, his long fingers slowly twirling a string of prayer beads. The tassel of the beads fell onto his lap, swaying with the movement of his hands. If not for the dim, damp, and foul-smelling prison, Ji Jinmo might even have ordered a pot of tea to be brewed.
Sensing Nan Shiying's gaze, Ji Jinmo's movement of twirling the beads paused. After a moment's thought, he shifted his body to the side, managing to create a space.
Nan Shiying blinked, then blinked again. Was this what she thought it meant?
Seeing Nan Shiying hesitate, Ji Jinmo shifted to the side again.
It was his limit.
He looked up at her!
Nan Shiying lifted the hem of her skirt and sat down.
The chair was spacious, not cramped, but Nan Shiying's shoulders and arms were pressed tightly against Ji Jinmo's. The foul smell surrounding them seemed to be masked by the scent of each other.
In the prison cell, Minister Gu's screams could be heard.
Outside the prison cell, however, a warm and sweet atmosphere permeated the air.
Shi San stood behind them, his head slightly bowed, looking at the ground, already stained a deep brown by blood. Occasionally, he spotted a cockroach scurrying through the cracks in the withered grass.
To feel a warm atmosphere in such a place felt more absurd than seeing a specter drifting about on a sunny afternoon!
He had thought Minister Gu would be a tough nut to crack, but unexpectedly, he turned out to be all talk and no substance. Jia Huan didn't interrogate him for long before he confessed everything.
Kyoto Black Market, Gui Zi Liu!