Blood.
Dark red blood flowed out from the middle finger, ring finger, and little finger that had been cut off. It was extremely eye-catching.
As the emperor of a nation, Li Yunzheng had never wielded a real weapon in his life. Everything in the palace was controlled by someone else. For more than a decade, he was no different from a puppet. If Wang Shizhong was not present, he would not even have the chance to touch a weapon.
The palace was too peaceful.
He did not even have the chance to kill himself. How could he touch a weapon that could kill?
Li Yunzheng's body trembled.
A hint of panic could be seen in his eyes as he felt uneasy.
He had rehearsed this scene countless times in his mind. In fact, he had imagined it would be worse than this. He had even thought of chopping off Eunuch Gao's head and kicking it like a ball. How satisfying would that be? How exciting! However, now that he was faced with this, he panicked. All sorts of consequences rose in his mind.
'What should I do?!'
Li Yunzheng took a step back.
Gao Shiyuan merely cried out in pain when his fingers were severed. Then, he clenched his fists tightly. Hatred and killing intent could be seen in his eyes. He pursed his lips. He wanted nothing more than to smash Li Yunzheng's head with his palm. However, he knew he could not do that. Even if Li Yunzheng was only a puppet, there were many powerful people behind the scenes.
Wang Shizhong knew this very well.
Apart from a hint of shock, there was no change in his expression.
Gao Shiyuan was only a eunuch after all. He did not have much value in the palace. Even if he was killed, he could find a replacement.
Gao Shiyuan knew this.
If he could not make a move, he could only …
Endure it!
He had to endure it!
Eunuch Gao gritted his teeth as he wiped the sweat off his face. He fell to his knees and said, "I've made a mistake. Please calm down, Your Majesty!"
Li Yunzheng. "…"
He didn't expect Eunuch Gao to be able to endure it even after losing three fingers. This was beyond his expectations. However, to Wang Shizhong and the others, this was nothing out of the ordinary. Wang Shizhong turned to look at Lu Zhou from time to time. He noticed Lu Zhou's expression was calm and collected. He thought to himself, 'What gives this man the surname Lu the confidence to face the imperial court of Great Tang?
Li Yunzheng suddenly realized he was not as weak as he had imagined.
The saber, the three fingers, and the blood no longer made him nauseous. Instead, they resolved the pent-up frustration in his chest.
After a brief shock, the eunuchs and palace maids knelt down at the same time.
"Your Majesty, please calm down!"
For the first time in his life, he felt that he truly possessed the authority of an emperor.
Blood forged the truth.
Were the words of the saints in the book really like this?
At this moment, Li Yunzheng, who did not care about martial strength, was swiftly correcting his thoughts.
Lu Zhou nodded in satisfaction. "Did you do your best?"
Li Yunzheng snapped out of his thoughts and said, "I … I tried my best."
"No, you didn't try your best." Lu Zhou slowly rose to his feet and placed his hands on his back. He looked at Li Yunzheng and said, "Reconsider my question. There's no need to rush. Think about it slowly."
Every word was sonorous and forceful.
Li Yunzheng knew what Lu Zhou was trying to say.
However, when faced with this problem, he was a little nervous and even afraid.
He looked at Gao Shiyuan, who was kneeling on the ground … but there was no sympathy in his heart.
It was this eunuch who had made him suffer so much in the palace. Those palace maids and eunuchs were so pitiful, weak and helpless.
In the eyes of outsiders, these servants were very pitiful.
However, Li Yunzheng knew how hypocritical they were. He was certain that they would rise to their feet in the next second and continue mocking him.
While Li Yunzheng was lost in his thoughts, Wang Shizhong said calmly, "Your Majesty, the sun and moon can bear witness to Eunuch Gao's loyalty. You've severed three of his fingers. Even if he didn't contribute much, he's at least contributed a lot. In consideration of his years of service, please spare him. "
Li Yunzheng turned to look at Wang Shizhong and asked, "Who's going to spare me then?"
"Your Majesty, are you saying that Eunuch Gao is at fault?" Wang Shizhong asked, puzzled.
"I know very well."
"I think … we should give Eunuch Gao a chance to speak," Wang Shizhong said.
Gao Shiyuan hastily said, "I have nothing to say if you want to punish me, Your Majesty. However, you're the emperor of a nation. If you want to punish someone, you'll have to convince the people!"
It would not have mattered if Li Yunzheng did not defend Eunuch Gao. However, the anger in Li Yunzheng's heart overwhelmed his nervousness and fear.
Li Yunzheng took a deep breath. As the emperor of a nation, he should have the demeanor of a monarch.
His gaze turned cold as he said, "Gao Shiyuan, you're familiar with the laws of Tang Empire. Tell me, what's the punishment for deceiving the emperor?"
Gao Shiyuan. "…"
"Disrespect is one of the ten most heinous crimes. How should I punish you?"
"What's the punishment for taking bribes and killing palace maids and eunuchs? You were very dashing with your palm strike earlier. Does a nation need you to kill someone? "
"Answer me."
Li Yunzheng asked three questions in a row.
Gao Shiyuan frowned and blurted out, "You …"
"You?" Li Yunzheng mustered his courage and walked up to Gao Shiyuan. "You dare to kill the emperor?"
"…"
Wang Shizhong, Wang Shu, the soldiers, the Sky Martial Court disciples, the eunuchs, and the palace maids all had an incredulous expression on their faces.
The young emperor had lost his mind today!
No matter how bold Gao Shiyuan was, he would not dare to kill the emperor.
Li Yunzheng took a step forward and looked down at Gao Shiyuan. He forced Gao Shiyuan to retreat. His face turned ghastly pale.
For the first time, Li Yunzheng realized he was much more powerful than he had imagined.
This made him more confident.
He said in a deep voice, "I sentence you to death.
"I shall sentence you to death. Do you submit?"
"Enough!"
Gao Shiyuan's eyes widened. His shrill voice was filled with anger and defiance. "Your Majesty, you want to kill me?"
"Are you going to defy your superior?" Li Yunzheng did not back down.
"That's not what I meant. I'm not willing to submit!" Gao Shiyuan raised two fingers on his left hand. He tore a corner of his robe and wrapped it around his hand. Then, he slowly rose to his feet. "Your Majesty, I'm not afraid of death. However, if I die, the palace will fall into chaos.
Someone will die with me. "
Lu Zhou applauded.
The applause broke the standoff between the two of them.
Lu Zhou said, "Even a subject dares to threaten the emperor in Great Tang. My horizons have been broadened."
Gao Shiyuan retorted, "This is a matter of the palace. It has nothing to do with you."
"A subject is a subject, and you can't even do your duty. How dare you act so arrogantly?" Lu Zhou said.
"It's not up to an outsider to question me," Gao Shiyuan said.
Lu Zhou stepped forward and left his seat.
He walked up to Li Yunzheng and said calmly and sternly, "Since when is my grand-disciple an outsider?"
"Grand-disciple?"
Gao Shiyuan and the others were shocked.
Even Li Yunzheng was baffled.
Wang Shizhong frowned. He reacted quickly and slammed the table.
Smack!
"How dare you, Gao Shiyuan! You're defying your superior and overstepping your authority! His Majesty has sentenced you to death, and yet, you dare to argue? "Wang Shizhong asked loudly. The others were shocked.
"Lord Wang, what are you …" Gao Shiyuan was puzzled.
"A subject is a subject. You can't even do your duty, and yet, you dare to threaten His Majesty?" Wang Shizhong bowed. "I request that Gao Shiyuan be executed as a warning to others!"
"How dare you!" Gao Shiyuan's eyes widened as he took a step back and circulated his protective energy.
Li Yunzheng suddenly ordered expressionlessly, "Kill him."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Wang Shizhong's figure flickered. With his grand technique, he appeared in front of Gao Shiyuan. His palm struck Gao Shiyuan's chest like a bolt of lightning.
Bam!
Gao Shiyuan spat out a mouthful of blood as he reeled back.
Wang Shizhong pushed away from the ground and appeared above Gao Shiyuan at lightning speed. Energy appeared under his feet as he stomped on Gao Shiyuan's chest.
Boom!
Gao Shiyuan crashed onto the cloud platform.
The ground cracked and creaked.
He did not even have the chance to summon his avatar. He suppressed Gao Shiyuan with his speed.
Gao Shiyuan's eyes bulged, and his chest caved in. He was dead.
The matter of the grand disciple was quickly forgotten as everyone's attention was attracted by this sudden change.
Wang Shizhong walked down from Gao Shiyuan's corpse. He bowed again and said, "Your Majesty, these eunuchs and palace maids should be executed as well. Disobeying a superior is a grave crime that cannot be forgiven. "
"Execute them." Li Yunzheng turned around indifferently.
"Drag them to the chariot and execute them," Wang Shizhong ordered.
"Understood."
The soldiers grabbed the eunuchs and palace maids and flew back to the chariot.
"Spare us, Your Majesty!"
"Spare us, Your Majesty!"
Pity?
There were many weak people in this world, and some people did not deserve sympathy.
Wang Shizhong looked at Li Yunzheng and said, "Your Majesty, I've executed the culprits according to your orders."
"Alright."
Li Yunzheng felt much better now.
Wang Shizhong returned to his seat.
At this moment, a horse's neigh came from the distant mountain peak.
Whoosh —
Yu Shangrong looked in the direction of the voice. Then, he said to his master, "Perhaps, it's because of exhaustion. There's something off about Ji Liang today. I'll go check on it."
Before he could say anything, Wang Shu, who was sitting next to Wang Shizhong, said excitedly,
"Father, my horse … it's really my horse."
Hmm?
Yu Shangrong had already risen to his feet. When he heard this, he stopped in his tracks and looked at Wang Shu as he asked, "Your horse?"
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