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墨書 Inktalez
Su Peijiu knelt at the entrance under the scorching sun, wearing a white robe and carrying a bundle of thorns on her back. Bloodstains were faintly visible on her back. As time passed, more and more people gathered around her. The townsfolk, who had initially looked down on this Queen Lord, began to change their attitude and show her respect.
She had single-handedly uprooted the many corrupt officials, and now, in order to give His Majesty a way out, she knelt under the blazing sun with the thorns on her back for over two hours without moving even once, not even taking a sip of water!
While the men complained of hardship, this woman remained silent and knelt for so long.
"Prince Ping'an, please get up. It's alright to have a drink of water and take a break," many townsfolk began to urge Su Peijiu. However, she merely offered a weak smile and continued to bow her head in silence.
Sweat dripped from her beautiful chin onto the stone slab below, splattering into dark blossoms one after another.
The townsfolk increasingly felt fortunate to have a prince like Prince Ping'an; it was truly a blessing from their ancestors. Many young scholars lifted their robes and knelt down alongside her, shouting, "If a woman can endure this, how can a man fall short!"
Before long, many people had knelt down behind Su Peijiu, gritting their teeth as they stared at the tightly shut door, feeling angry and stifled.
"Oh! What play is this?" A man dressed in a deep purple robe approached from down the street, fanning himself vigorously with a fan.
It was Qi Che...
Following Qi Che was a man in a black robe. His face was plain and unremarkable, but his presence was hard to ignore; he was clearly not an ordinary person.
Su Peijiu remained kneeling without looking up, so the confused townsfolk recounted the events to Qi Che in detail.
Qi Che showed no reaction after listening; his eyes were filled with disdain. However, the Black-Clad Young Master who followed Qi Che did not take his eyes off the person kneeling in front of him after learning what had happened. A complex light flickered in his dark eyes.
Qi Che closed his fan and walked forward. As he passed by those kneeling townsfolk, his gaze swept over them, and the rhythm of his fan tapping against his palm slowed down. When he reached Su Peijiu's side, he crouched down to look at her drenched in sweat. Observing her pale face, he smirked and said, "What a wonderful performance; sister-in-law plays this well."
Su Peijiu's lowered eyes showed no change; even her eyelashes did not flutter. She stared blankly at the ground ahead without uttering a word.
Qi Che felt bored and stood up, his gaze falling on the Black-Clad Young Master behind him. Silently, he patted him a few times and whispered, “Jun Ye Su is about to arrive; it’s not convenient for us to be here.”
The Black-Clad Young Master said nothing but nodded. The two then disappeared from the most crowded part of the gathering. Just as they completely vanished, the tightly shut door finally creaked open with a heavy sound, causing the commoners to look up and whisper among themselves.
“...Is His Majesty coming?”
“His Majesty won’t punish Prince Ping'an, will he?”
“Given the current situation, it’s very likely…”
“Prince Ping'an thinks of the people; if His Majesty doesn’t know this, wouldn’t that be foolish—!”
“Shut up—! Are you trying to get yourself killed? Quickly kneel down and lower your head; His Majesty is about to appear…”
Su Peijiu listened to the voices behind her, maintaining a dazed state. She had planned this for a long time and had wanted to give Jun Ye Su a hard time, but she had never found the opportunity. If it weren't for that day when he summoned her to the palace at night, she wouldn't have thought of such a ruthless plan against him.
“Long live the Emperor—!” The sound echoed in her ears as she followed suit in clapping her hands. When she raised her head again, she saw the Bright Yellow hem embroidered with a dragon.
“What are you doing, Ping'an?” A gentle voice spoke, and then her shoulders were pulled up by a seemingly gentle but actually unyielding force. What came into view was Jun Ye Su’s face, which was gentle yet somewhat pale.
“This King knows he deserves death ten thousand times over, so I kneel at the gate waiting for Your Majesty's judgment!”
Looking at Su Peijiu’s almost lifeless face, Jun Ye Su’s lips trembled twice before he gritted his teeth and smiled, “Prince Ping'an is smiling; you have eliminated pests for the Crimson Kingdom, how could I punish you when I should reward you instead?” If he could, he would directly reward her with a crane top red! That would settle everything! If it weren't for those people needing Su Peijiu present when the Linglong Spine emerged, why would he have endured for so long?
“This King disregarded imperial authority by acting without permission; this is a grave sin. If Your Majesty does not punish me, I will be unable to sleep at night and will suffer from guilt all day long. So please issue an edict to punish me!” Su Peijiu declared with righteous indignation.
Many among the commoners began to tear up.
Jun Ye Su looked around at the common people with a pale face, listening to the voices around her, and forced a smile, "What kind of punishment does Prince Ping'an desire?"
"Strip me of my title and allow me to become a nun residing at Matang Mountain to pray for the Red Nation Royal Family." What becoming a nun and Matang Mountain meant was merely her excuse to escape the Jun Family's schemes. An even more important reason was that Matang Mountain was only half a day's journey from Changbai Mountain, allowing her to see Jin Sheng.
Since that edict from Jun Ye Su summoned her back to Chang'an, all the conspiracies had ignited like a fuse, one after another exploding forth, leaving her completely overwhelmed. All sorts of people who should have disappeared crowded into this narrow city of Chang'an, making her increasingly uneasy. There were also many lurking in the shadows, watching her with blood-red eyes, plotting against her! This heightened her sense of urgency; it was a life-and-death struggle that would surely be drenched in blood and humiliation. However, she did not want to be the one who fell into traps set by others, being made a fool at the forefront while her brothers suffered. Thus, she chose this moment and this form to retreat in a way known to all. Although it wasn't truly a retreat, it would disrupt some people's plans and force them to re-strategize.
Today, her goal was to get Jun Ye Su to allow her to leave Chang'an!
"Please, Your Majesty, make your decision!" She knelt on the ground, her thin figure trembling pitifully, looking utterly destitute. The discussions among the people grew louder.
Jun Ye Su lowered his head and looked at the figure before him, gradually losing his smile. "Prince Ping'an is forcing me!"
"This King dares not!"
Jun Ye Su narrowed his eyes, clenching his hands tightly. Su Peijiu could even hear the cracking sound of bones above her head. "Prince Ping'an has not committed any heinous crimes; stripping a woman of her hair to become a nun is indeed too cruel. Moreover..." Going to Matang Mountain would also be quite arduous for a woman; perhaps it would be better to let it go... Before Jun Ye Su could finish speaking, he heard a firm voice at his feet.
"This King can practice without cutting my hair!"
Jun Ye Su closed his eyes and gritted his teeth. As he bent down to pull Su Peijiu up, Lord Hong quietly spoke up: "Your Majesty should be cautious; Prince Ping'an has already gained considerable public support. In front of so many witnesses, it would not be wise for you to take overly drastic actions. Just grant her request."
Jun Ye Su glanced at Lord Hong but saw only Lord Hong's expressionless face. He clenched and then relaxed his hands several times before finally speaking: "Since you feel your guilt is too great and your conscience is troubled, if I do not grant your request, it would seem unreasonable on my part. You may stay at Matang Mountain for one month; after one month, Prince Ping'an will still be the good prince of the Crimson Kingdom who despises evil!"
Su Peijiu calculated that a month was quite a long time. Moreover, starting from now for the next month, she would no longer have to see Qi Mo and Qi Che, those two lunatics.
"Thank you for your great kindness—!"
"Get up." Jun Ye Su said lightly. As Su Peijiu propped herself up and was about to rise, darkness enveloped her vision. She swayed in mid-air for a few moments before tilting over as the world began to spin and drown...
When she woke up, Hua Qian and Flower Mother were sitting in front of her. She habitually bit her lip and opened her mouth, only to find that her throat felt like it was being torn apart: “This King fainted?”
“You fainted for an entire night; finally, you’re awake. I’ll go make something for Master of the Building to eat,” Hua Qian wiped the sweat from her face, put away the silver needles, and sighed as she left.
“I’ll go with you,” said Black Crow. Su Peijiu turned to see Black Crow sitting at the door, clearly having been guarding her for a long time.
Su Peijiu shifted her gaze back to Flower Mother, and just as she was about to speak, she heard her say: “That emperor just left; the edict will be issued tomorrow. After hearing that you fainted, a whole bunch of people came to see you. Su Xingyan and Qin Ran both came, and Qi Rong along with that Duke Qi also sent invitations. However, since Hua Qian wanted to keep a quiet environment for you, they were all sent away.”
Su Peijiu responded with a sound of acknowledgment.
Flower Mother looked at Su Peijiu’s expression, twisted the handkerchief a few times, then hesitantly asked: “Does the master know who carried you back?”
“Wasn’t it Black Crow?”
“Black Crow was still in the palace prison watching those corrupt officials at that time; how could he have had time to save you? The moment you fainted, we were all kneeling among the common people and had no time to catch you. That emperor clearly intended to watch you faint dead; when you fell, he didn’t even lift a finger. Also…”
Su Peijiu interrupted Flower Mother, cautiously asking: “So the one who carried me back is…?”
“A Black-Clad Young Master, looking extremely ordinary—one of those who would completely blend into a crowd without being recognized.” Flower Mother pinched the handkerchief, resting her chin on her hand as she leaned closer, smiling ambiguously: “When did Master of the Building get to know such a character? His lightness skill is remarkable; in a flash, you were carried back to the residence.”
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