Surrounded by the indignant expressions of the court officials regarding this matter, Ji Hong felt a measure of solace. At least they possessed a sense of care for the populace, and were not a group of wicked individuals who spoke of benevolence and righteousness but treated the lives of the common people as mere weeds.
Ji Hong gazed at Nan Chaoyin. Before his true face was revealed, he had always considered Nan Chaoyin a dedicated and upright minister. However, as his true nature was gradually exposed, his cruelty, greed, shamelessness, and disloyal heart filled Ji Hong with disgust and hatred.
"Prime Minister, what do you have to say?" Ji Hong's voice was low, as if suppressing his immense fury.
Nan Chaoyin propped himself up with his hands on the ground and kowtowed to beg for forgiveness. "Your Majesty, I still refuse to believe that my wife could commit such acts that disregard laws and are so vicious and malicious. However, I do not wish to further delay court affairs because of my wife's actions. My wife has already met such an end; living is no cleaner than being dead. I implore Your Majesty, in consideration of this old minister's many years of diligent service, to bestow a cup of poisoned wine upon my wife, which would also preserve some of her dignity!"
Madam Liu had to die. It did not matter what Madam Liu had done; what was important was that His Majesty absolutely could not issue an decree to thoroughly investigate this matter. If any of his own affairs were to be uncovered due to Madam Liu, then all that he had meticulously planned for years might turn into bubbles in the mirror, vanishing like water in the moon.
Although Madam Liu's ears had been severed, and the blood that poured in filled her ear canals, she could still faintly hear some sounds. Nan Chaoyin's pleas were earnest and filled with unbearable sorrow, but these sounds, falling into Madam Liu's ears, only left a few lightly weighted words.
Cruel, disruptive, poisoned wine!
She whimpered, and the wine in the vat splashed out again from the inner walls.
Hearing the commotion, everyone turned their heads. Those who had just suppressed their nausea changed their expressions, and their stomachs churned again, waves of nausea rolling like Nezha's chaotic sea.
They all raised their hands and tightly covered their mouths.
Madam Liu's appearance was still unrecognizable from her usual self. Having lost her eyes, ears, mouth, nose, and tongue, she resembled a Rakshasa. Her hair, which had been loose and was now floating on the surface of the wine, looked like tangled and dirty spiderwebs. Nan Chaoyin's eyes were misted, but the depths of his gaze were as cold as an icy abyss in a frigid pool, showing no affection for her despite years of companionship and favor.
Only disgust was evident.
To him, Madam Liu was merely a plaything, no different from a beautiful cat or an amusing dog. When he was in a good mood, he would cherish and dote on her, even lifting her above his head, letting her act imperiously, allowing her to eliminate rivals, and letting her do things she could and even things she couldn't. But when a pet grew old and disabled, Nan Chaoyin would not feel any tenderness towards it due to his previous indulgence and affection.
Rather than saying Nan Chaoyin loved Madam Liu, it was more accurate to say he loved her face, which closely resembled that of a certain woman.
He closed his eyes, and a crystal-clear tear trickled from the corner of his eye. He kowtowed again. This time, he remained silent, merely striking his head against the ground with force, one, two times. The sound of "dong dong" was incessant.
Ji Hong sighed and waved at Nan Chaoyin. "Very well, I grant it!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Nan Chaoyin gratefully accepted the decree. When he looked up again, blood from his forehead trickled down his nose to his jaw, and then dripped onto the ground.
"Guards, administer the wine!"
The Imperial Hospital presented the poisoned wine. A eunuch entered the hall holding a tray. One person held Madam Liu's jaw, while another poured the wine into Madam Liu's mouth.
Afterward, the eunuch holding Madam Liu's jaw sealed her mouth.
Before long, blood trickled from the corners of Madam Liu's mouth, her eye sockets, and the roots of her ears. It was unclear whether it was the seven orifices bleeding due to the poisoned wine burning through her intestines, or if her previous wounds had been aggravated.
In a short while, Madam Liu completely breathed her last.
Nan Chaoyin was plunged into grief, his eyes bloodshot as if containing tears of blood.
Everyone sighed. Although Ji Jinmo's methods were somewhat harsh this time, Madam Liu herself was not a benevolent person, and her current fate was her own doing. If she had not lacked virtue, then the collective impeachment by the officials today, even if it couldn't harm the Prince, could at least have saved her.
Who would have expected this outcome!
It was likely that even if His Majesty intended to show leniency, he could only reluctantly accept this outcome.
"Imperial Uncle, even though Madam Liu committed heinous crimes, is it not too presumptuous of you to apprehend and inflict punishment on her secretly without going through the Ministry of Justice?!" Ji Hong seemed unwilling to let the matter rest and questioned.
Ji Jinmo slowly lifted his eyelids, his slanted phoenix eyes revealing a hint of mockery. "Your Majesty is so young, yet your memory is not very good. Has Your Majesty forgotten? I have already answered this question before!"
"Let me say it again. Although I have delegated power, returning the imperial seal, half of the tiger tally, and court affairs to Your Majesty, I am the Regent personally appointed by the late Emperor, and I possess the right to govern and interfere in political affairs!"
"And in my hand, I still hold the Wentian Sword, which symbolizes the imperial throne!!"
"Not only do I have the right to act first and report later, but I also have the authority to supervise and inspect all officials!"
"Does Your Majesty understand?"
"Since we are at it, Your Majesty, I have detected some unusual aspects in the crimes committed by Madam Liu. Therefore, I suspect Prime Minister Nan Chaoyin of treasonous dealings. I request Your Majesty to issue a decree, allowing me to lead troops to search the Nan residence!"
"Imperial Uncle, I still believe the Prime Minister!"
Ji Hong's voice was low and suppressed, like the sky before a storm. The air was filled with a suffocating pressure. The officials, seeing Ji Hong, who was clearly unable to control his anger yet maintained a faint smile on his face, felt a chill run through their bodies, a coldness that traveled from the soles of their feet all the way to the crown of their heads.
"So, Your Majesty means, you do not permit it?"
Ji Jinmo stated plainly, without any beating around the bush. Ignoring him was a refusal, and playing dumb was evasion. He only wanted one answer: yes or no.
Ji Jinmo pressured step by step, and Ji Hong retreated further and further.
The officials were long accustomed to this. However, it was not entirely the Emperor's fault. Ji Jinmo held military power and was granted the right to govern and interfere in political affairs by the late Emperor. If he had not grown up by the late Emperor's side, and if he did not cherish the feelings for the late Emperor, he might have already usurped the throne by killing his nephew.
While they hoped His Majesty could suppress Ji Jinmo, they would not allow the Prince and His Majesty, uncle and nephew, to quarrel under such circumstances. It was merely a search of the Prime Minister's mansion, after all.
Shen Lang stepped forward, strongly supporting Ji Jinmo. "Your Majesty, the Prince is merely receiving the emperor's emolument and shouldering the emperor's worries. If the Prime Minister's concubine, Madam Wang, committed such vicious acts, and the Prime Minister was completely unaware, I believe no one present would be convinced. Why not take this opportunity to investigate it? It would also clear the Prime Minister's name!"
"Yes, Your Majesty. If the actions of the Prime Minister's wife were to spread, would the common people believe that the Prime Minister knew nothing about it? No, they certainly wouldn't. Everyone knows how much the Prime Minister doted on his concubine, Madam Liu. If at that time it was rumored that the Prime Minister's reputation was ruined, that would be a minor matter. If the common people were to believe that officials in our Lin Yuan court are all such people who trample on human lives, that would be a great disaster!"
The military officials were the first to speak out, and many among the civil officials also voiced their agreement.