Yuan Shao looked down as a gentle smile bloomed on his face. The lady he favored was amazing. She could intimidate a court full of first-rank officials and the Emperor on her own. He admired her but also realized he was not yet worthy of such a woman. He needed to be…better.
"Empress Ming, about this…can the honorable be lenient to my Noble Consort? I will make sure she gets punished for her mistakes," The Emperor sighed. He might not care for Han Zi Yu but the Han family still had great influence in his kingdom. He had to go easy on them as he couldn't afford to disappoint them.
?
"Leniency?" Ming Yue Yin raised her eyebrows. A sneer touched her lips, "I was lenient when it happened the first time but this is the second time. Would you be lenient with her if you were in my shoes?"
This startled the Emperor. He was honest with himself to admit he would have ensured his enemy was dead if it happened to him. However, the situation was different now as he couldn't let Han Zi Yu die in his presence. He gave Ming Yue Yin a mournful look. He tried to plead while making Ming Yue Ying look unreasonable, "I have lost my daughter at such a young age. She has paid for her crimes with her life. Will you still not let her mother go?"
Ming Yue Yin looked at the Emperor with disdain. Qian Mu Ting and Han Zi Yu had tried to kill her but he made them look like victims. She flicked her wide robes and hissed coldly, "You think Qian Mu Ting died by our hands?"
Ming Yue Yin raised her hand to her aides. Su Feng left the room and returned with a medium-sized clay jar in her hands. Su Feng put the jar on the floor for the Emperor and officials to see.
"This? What is this?" The Emperor frowned in confusion.
"You don't know?" Ming Yue Yin smiled slyly and pointed at the jar. "This is what is left of Qian Mu Ting! I don't know what powerful man she stumbled upon but she was killed by poison before she could confess her sins to us. We aren't the ones who killed her!"
Ming Yue Yin's words shocked everyone. The emperor staggered back a few steps and the officials who were present had trouble breathing. The mastermind didn't have any qualms about killing a young princess after she had outlived her usefulness. This showed how ruthless the person was. They wondered what situation Qian Mu Ting placed herself in.
"No! You lie! This can't be my daughter!" Han Zi Yu screamed. Her bloodshot eyes were fixed on the clay jar. She didn't want to believe that it was all that remained of her beautiful daughter. Hatred, guilt, sadness, and depression warred within her. She was even surprised she felt the way she did as she never really cared for her daughter before.
"YOU! It could have been you. You killed my daughter!" Han Zi Yu pointed a trembling finger at Ming Yue Yin. She lost her mind as she blabbed without care. "My weak daughter didn't have the ability to kill you. It must be you who did the killing!"
"Noble Consort Yu!" the Emperor raised his voice to reprimand her.
"Then why did Qian Mu Ting work with someone else to visit the manor and request to meet Luo Ri Yi. Luo Ri Yi being the kind woman she is, had the heart to meet a woman who had tried to hurt her before and seduce her husband!" Ming Yue Yin Ming chuckled as she rebuked loudly. She hated Qian Mu Ting but despised Han Zi Yu even more. Han Zi Yu's support was what made Qian Mu Ting dare to do what she did.
"Qian Mu Ting even pretended to ask for forgiveness and gave Luo Ri Yi a present which turned out to be a bomb. It is a miracle Luo Ri Yi managed to stay alive although half of Yong Heng Manor burned to the ground. As if this was not enough, Qian Mu Ting brought with her five powerful cultivators to deal with me. If I really killed Qian Mu Ting, then she deserved it! Sadly, she didn't give me that pleasure!" Ming Yue Yin's anger lashed out. Lory was fine but she was still infuriated by the events. Lory would have been dead if Lord Girsha hadn't protected her.
The Emperor pinched the bridge between his brows. Han Zi Yu had not only infuriated Empress Ming, but she also ruined Qian Mu Ting's reputation more than it was before. He didn't trust the officials to keep their mouths shut. Some could be discreet but the same could not be said of the eunuchs and servants inside the court's main hall. Alas! The information would spread outside the imperial palace.
"My daughter, my sweet daughter…" Han Zi Yu ignored Ming Yue Ying's anger. She staggered to the clay jar and plopped in front of it. Her voice quivered as tears streamed down her cheeks. Her attention shifted to Yuan Shao. She glared at Yuan Shao with deep hatred. Han Zi Yu blamed everyone but herself for her daughter's demise. "My daughter wouldn't have been so desperate and muddled to kill Long Ming's fiancée if you had accepted the engagement."
There was no one who was more guilty than Han Zi Yu but her selfish and narcissistic heart refused to see otherwise. It was possible she was unable to bear the burden of causing her daughter's death. Ming Yue Yin couldn't understand why Han Zi Yu still blamed others when it was obvious the fault lay with Han Zi Yu and Qian Mu Ting for courting death.
Yuan Shao took a step forward, "It is my fault for refusing the engagement. At the time I thought it was the best thing to do as the Second Princess loved someone else. I also didn't have any interest in her. I didn't want the princess to waste her youth in a loveless marriage."
When 'loveless marriage' was mentioned, everyone present exchanged glances as the Emperor's expression turned dark. They knew Yuan Shao referred to the marriage between Qian Qin Wei and his father, Yuan Fei. The rumor about their estranged relationship was a public secret. Some people pitied them while others mocked them. The Emperor tried to talk to Yuan Fei about treating his daughter better but forcing the man to marry his daughter was easier than making him love her.
"I have let the Emperor and the kingdom down and for that, I have separated myself from the Yuan family and my name will be erased from the Yuan family genealogy. Future generations in the Yuan family will not know my name. I'm also relinquishing my position as General of the Liu Yan Kingdom," Yuan Shao kneeled on the floor, removed his General identification from his sleeve, and passed it to the eunuch next to him.
The eunuch anxiously accepted the identification. He kept looking at the Emperor for guidance but the Emperor remained silent. The eunuch had no choice but to accept the jade identification and take it back to the Emperor.
"Are you sure about this, General Yuan?" The Emperor's eyes were solemn.
"Yes!" Yuan Shao's reply was firm.
"Are you fine with being exiled from the country without your name and status?" The Emperor sternly reminded him.
"Yes!" Yuan Shao replied once again without hesitation.
"You think you are strong enough to live on your own? What about your father and young sister?" The Emperor thought it was pitiful to let go of a talented youngster. He had wanted to marry Yuan Xue An to one of his sons as a way of tying Yuan Shao to him, but Yuan Xue An disappeared under the excuse of recuperation. He then thought of making Yuan Shao marry his daughter but that did not work either. It instead gave Yan Shao a chance to get out of his claws.
"My father is old and has another family to care for him and my sister… I've left her in good hands. She still needs time to heal and she safe where she is. So, I don't need to worry about them," Yuan Shao said calmly.
Yuan Shao's words stung the Emperor's heart as it meant Yuan Shao had hidden Yuan Xue An. It also showed Yuan Shao had planned to leave the Kingdom for a long time. The Emperor gritted his teeth with anger. He never thought Yuan Shao would easily leave his name, wealth, and reputation. It seemed he had underestimated Yuan Shao's determination.
"You have made your decision. Will you accept the consequences?" There was a hidden threat in the Emperor's gaze. He would not let Yuan Shao leave the Kingdom alive. There was nothing more threatening than a tiger that was out of its cage.
"Yes, I will," Yuan Shao answered again without hesitation.
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