Empress with no Virtue - Chapter 40

The emperor was attempted assassination, all ministers were silent initially. When they heard that the assassin was an imperial guard, then discussions were made.

Now a days, many people has remained distances with Ye Xiu Ming without any traces, because they don’t know how the emperor will treat him later on.

Ye Xiu Ming and Lu Li is not involved directly, so he did not hide themselves from people, and did what he was supposed to do. Although on his face he did not show any anything, but inside he is calculating what to do.

To be honest, Ye Xiu Ming actually suspect on whether or not Ji Wu Jiu arranged for this act himself. Now the assassin is being locked up in jail, and no one can enter without imperial edict; Lu Li was also grounded at home and watched by a few guards.

Also due to reasons, the women of the Ye Family are not allowed to enter the palace, and so they cannot get news from Ye Zhen Zhen.

Therefore the Ye Xiu Ming now is a bit thrown of balance.

Actually inside the palace, Ye Zhen Zhen is also equally thrown of balance. Although she is rather confident with her guess, but…. There is no evidence. Now cousin brother is being grounded, if the crime is made true… she really can’t think of what would happen.

No, she can’t stay here and just keep thinking about it, first she will meet with Su Jie Yu.

Ye Zhen Zhen brought along enough people, and went to Lu Hua Palace. Su Jie Yu, because of blocking for Ji Wu Jiu that time, has brought upon some attention from him to her, but Ye Zhen Zhen could not detect any happiness from her, but instead she was appearing a bit scared. This has helped justify Ye Zhen Zhen’s guess further. Since the guard did not die on time, Su Jie Yu was afraid the guard will sell her out.

Ordering everyone to leave the room, Ye Zhen Zhen said “I was very curious, what did you give to Kang Cheng Lu, that made him willing to die”

Su Jie Yu’s hands clenched on to her sleeves “Niang niang, I am not sure what you are talking about”

“Don’t act, you are not an actress, your acting skills are very bad”

“Niang Niang, did you misunderstood something? If I have been rude to you before, I first apologize to you, and if you are still angry, then feel free to punish me, but this type of accusation, I cannot accept”

“Su Jie Yu, aren’t you afraid of involving General Su?”

“I did nothing wrong, so I am not afraid”

Ye Zhen Zhen blinked and looked at her “It looks like I need to force it out of you”

Su Jie Yu shivered “niang niang,  you… what do you want to do?’

“What I want to do?” Ye Zhen Zhen lift her eyebrows, with a cold smile “few days ago I managed to obtained a very interesting book, called “Ancient Torture Log”, right in time for me to learn about it from Su Jie Yu”

Su Jie Yu pitiful looked behind Ye Zhen Zhen, with a tone of crying she called out “Your Majesty” and ran towards his arms.

Ye Zhen Zhen turned back, and saw Ji Wu Jiu patting Su Jie Yu’s shoulders, and looking at Ye Zhen Zhen asked “What did the empress want to learn from Su Jie Yu?”

Ye Zhen Zhen haven’t answer, Su Jie Yu spoke first “Your Majesty!, the empress want to torture me.. niang niang said, it was me that causes Lieutenant Lu to be framed, and wanted to make sure I will not beg to live or can’t beg to die. But I really don’t know what did I do wrong. Your Majesty, can you please ask the empress, to properly explain herself, so that even if I were to die, I will know the reason!” While saying these she was crying, with tears that comes on demand.

Ji Wu Jiu’s eyebrows twitched the moment he heard the word “Lieutenant Lu”, He pushed Su Jie Yu away “you leave first”

The two of them were left inside the room, Ji Wu Jiu walked to Ye Zhen Zhen, and looked at her face, with a heavy tone he said, “To torture the imperial concubines? Because of him, you can do anything”

Ye Zhen Zhen took a deep breath, looked up at him “Your majesty, I do not believe that you did not find the loopholes for this case. Su Jie Yu is a suspect, I want to interrogate her, there is nothing wrong”

Ji Wu Jiu did not say anything.

“Or to say, you actually wanted to use this opportunity to flood where you wish?” Ye Zhen Zhen scoffed.

“Is that how you see me? To be willing to turn white to black, using any type of method?” Ji Wu Jiu’s voice carries a upcoming anger burst.

Ye Zhen Zhen replied “Is it not?”

“If so, then I should not let the empress be disappointed”

“You..!” Ye Zhen Zhen gritted her teeth, her chest heaving up and down due to anger, “I will definitely investigate this case properly, and will not let any innocent people be bullied”

“I cannot wait”

Outside, Su Jie Yu was standing in the garden, wanted to eavesdrop but didn’t dare to, shen then tried stretching her neck to listen to what’s happening inside, but did not manage to hear their voices, she was a bit disappointed.

Suddenly, the door opened loudly from inside, Ye Zhen Zhen came out angrily and without even sparing a glance at Su Jie Yu, she left.

Ji Wu Jiu was standing at the door, looking at her back figure, his expression was very bad as well.

Su Jie Yu then got a little happy from other’s disaster. She walked to Ji Wu Jiu’s side and gently called “Your majesty”.

Ji Wu Jiu held on to her arms and with a very gentle voice he called her “Rou Zhi:

Su Jie Yu hearing him calling her her real name, she felt abit sweet in her heart “I am here”

“General Su spend his life in the warfare, for the country, I really do not wish at the end of the day all he gets was to be appointed the title of treason” Ji Wu Jiu said, and pushed her hands away.

This word was like a sky of lighting shooting down, Su Jie Yu’s face turned pale “Your.. your.. ma.. majesty….”

“Therefore, you decide what to do” After that, Ji Wu Jiu did not look at her, and left. His steps were slow, his back was straight, a long shadow was stretched on the floor due to the sunset, adding on the messy tree branches, it made him appear to be a bit down.

Su JIe Yu’s body loss its strength, slowly sliding down the floor along with the door sill, eyes lacking of vigor.

***

In front of Ji Wu Jiu there was a sword.

It was a normal sword, made by the arm forces department. The blade of the sword is silvery white, but under the light, if you were to flip it around, you will be able to catch a glimpse of greenish light.

Ji Wu Jiu’s fingers were gently knocking on the table top, gaze falling upon the sword, in deep thoughts.

How can he not see through Su Jie Yu’s plan. He knew, all the woman in the palace is scheming, in front of him doing all sorts of shows, in order to please him, in order to get him favor, in order to fool him, to control him…

Except… for her..

Except for Ye Zhen Zhen.

She has never schemed anything on him, because she has never bothered about him. In her eyes, in her heart, there is no place for him.

Every time he thinks about this, he gets angrier than getting schemed by the rest, a layer of fire is enveloping his body, and the layer is getting thicker, sooner or later, it would be uncontrollable and erupt.

Lu Li.

Ji Wu Jiu realized that this name is stucked in his throat like a thorn, cannot be swallowed or removed, and when touched, he will feel very bad and his temper will rise.

In his whole life, this was the first time Ji Wu Jiu wished that someone will vanish in this world, to thoroughly vanish.

That night, the emperor brought along a sword to Kun Ning Palace.

Feng You De’s heart was kept in caution, not daring to calm down at all. He called all the secret guards, and at night, a group of men was all huddling on top of the roof or under windows of the empress’s palace, really unsightly.

That is also because there is no other choices.

Feng You De’s worst case scenario that he thought would happen, did not happen, the emperor did not go to get the life of the empress. He only slammed the sword on the table, and said to Ye Zhen Zhen “This is the sword used by the assassin that day, there is poison on it”

Ye Zhen Zhen immediately sat up straight, with a serious face, upon hearing those words.

His reaction made Ji Wu Jiu feel a little better, he said “therefore, he really wanted to kill me”.

Ye Zhen Zhen closed her eyes “Your Majesty, I could not think of the reason of why the assassin wants to kill you, but I can think of the reason of why you would put poison on the sword”

“….”

She does not believe him, she does not believe him.

She has never been worried about his life or death. All her worries goes only to Lu Li, and only left suspicions towards Ji Wu Jiu.

Ji Wu Jiu suddenly felt his heart was super cold. Suppressing the anger that was coming up, he coldly said “Ye Zhen Zhen don’t tell me you have forgotten, who is your man”

Ye Zhen Zhen upon hearing those words also got angry “My man will not everyday think of ways to harm my whole family!”

“I have never thought of harming your family” Ji Wu Jiu looked at her, his eyes was like ice that was buried under thousand years of snow, so cold that it can cut through bones. He added “But if the empress keeps forcing me, I really don’t mind to try”

Seeing her expression change from his words, Ji Wu Jiu’s heart can’t help but feel sad again.

:If so, then your majesty will you let me meet the assassin?” Ye Zhen Zhen asked.

“Up to you”

***

The next day, Ye Zhen Zhen was carrying his edict to meet with the criminal.

Kang Cheng Lu is a big criminal, he was locked in a special steel cage, making it not possible to escape. He was tied to a steel post, on his gray clothes there were streaks of blood.

Although he was tortured earlier, he was still awake. When he saw Ye Zhen Zhen, he could still smile “greetings to the empress, please forgive me for not being able to kneel to pay my respects”

Ye Zhen Zhen asked “why did you want to kill the emperor?”

“This question, has been asked by many people, what your majesty thinks the reason is, then be it so”

“What Su Jie Yu gave you, I can give you 10 times, as long as you are willing to tell out the whole story”

“Your majesty, I think you should not waste your energy. The days I have left is very little, even if I have a back as big as the sky, I will not have the chance to enjoy them” To try to assassin the emperor, whether he fess up to the crime or not, he will still have to die.

“I do not know what reasons that you cannot say, but do you know this time, how many people will be involved into this case? And how many more people that will have to give up their lives?”

“Thanks for the reminder, I have remembered something” Kang Cheng Lu looked down, the days he spent in this steel cage has made him one round thinner, his skin is wrapped tightly on to his bones. Perhaps his body was in deep pain, when he speaks his voice was not stable “yesterday someone met me, promising to keep me alive, and ask me to frame Lieutenant Lu and Minister Ye. I know I committed grave mistake, but Lieutenant Lu has always treated me well, so no matter what i will not frame him even if it costs my life. Even so, it doesn’t mean that, that person would not try other ways to frame him, what I can do is up to here, I hope you will be strong niang niang. I have commited such a big mistake, and involved Lieutenant Lu, and will not be able to repay this life, I hope in my next life I will be able to pay back”

Ye Zhen Zhen was getting anxious and angry as she hears his words. This person really knew how to excuse himself, thinking that he can repay his mistakes in his next life. But he can still be considered someone that is good, since he did not blame others in order to save himself.

Then, who was the person that wanted to buy him up?

The answer was too obvious. That person that can bring an edict along to enter the jail and to be able to save guard his life, and whole heartedly only wanted to frame Lu Li and Ye Family… besides Ji Wu Jiu, who else could it be?

Ye Zhen Zhen returned to Kun Ning Palace in deep thoughts.

JI Wu Jiu really wants to start, she does not know what she should do. She realized, that actually if he really wanted to, she really can’t do anything to defend, and can only beg. Although now Kang Cheng Lu did not comply, but that person doesn’t seem to be trustable as well, if rounds and rounds of torture was placed upon him, who knows how long his bones will be hard.

Su Jie Yu, right there is still Su Jie Yu, must open her mouth!

Ye Zhen Zhen suddenly stood up “Lets go to Lu Hua Palace”

Lu Hua Palace was already in a mess.

When Ye Zhen Zhen rushed to Lu Hua Palace, she was nearly knocked over by a maid servant, Wang You Cai’s reaction was fast, and pushed the maid servant, making her fall to the floor.

The maid servant immediately kneeled and apologized to Ye Zhen Zhen

“What happened!”

“Replying to your majesty, Su Jie Yu was poisoned to death, I was on the way to Kun Ning Palace to report”

Ye Zhen Zhen rushed in, and saw Su Jie Yu’s body has already harden, and not sure what type of poison did she took, there was no signs of her being poison on the body, her face was still red, with a pretty appearance, almost like she was just in a deep sleep.

Even Su Jie Yu died, one more step, the whole Ye Family will be gone for.

Ye Zhen Zhen felt as though her soul has flied off, she said at the bed side of Su Jie Yu and stared at the body.

After a while, the imperial doctor arrived, and found out that the in Su Jie Yu’s tea there was poison. Ye Zhen Zhen also did not bother to ask on further.

After a while, Feng You De arrived, bringing along Ji Wu Jiu’s edict, and praised Su Jie Yu, and gave her back the title of concubine, and was to be buried according to the rank.

She was still someone that you favored upon, now that she is dead, you did not even bother to come and see her, not sure if your heart is cold or you are feeling guilty.

It seems that an emperor’s heart is indeed hard.

Ye Zhen Zhen was thinking and laughed coldly.

Note: Sigh, the trust between the both of the main characters are not yet built.. they still don’t believe one another, she thought he was trying his best to bring Ye Family down, he thought she loves Lu Li, when she was only thinking about the family as whole.. Sad chapter as well, a character has ended her part of the story… Next chapter… is full of angst.. so I am planning to get chapter 41 and 42 out together.. maybe today or maybe tomorrow.. gotta go get some work done first =D