The Return of the King: A Generation of Prodigies

Chapter 379: Li Rui's Punishment

When Shen Tianjiao saw Li Rui coming, she just slightly moved aside to make way for him, without any formal greeting or words.

Yan Yu, who was originally in a bad mood because of Li Rui's arrival, suddenly had a very strange guess in his mind after discovering this strange phenomenon.

The emperor in front of him looked strange no matter how he looked at him. Although he seemed to be fine on the outside, Yan Yu could clearly feel that he did not have the aura of an emperor.

Li Rui walked over to the dragon throne and sat down. He looked down at the courtiers below and waited for a long moment before speaking: "Everyone, please stand up."

After hearing Li Rui's words, the court officials stood up.

Faced with this emotionally unstable master, these court officials were actually a little scared.

When Li Rui was in power, he was fine when he was not angry, but once he lost his temper, he would become particularly terrible and cruel.

When he becomes terrifying and cruel, it means the beginning of a massacre.

Li Rui stared at the court officials below without saying a word for a long time, which made the court officials feel uneasy.

"I heard that the Marquis of Yunyang brought his men to the harem today to cause trouble for the Queen, claiming that her meddling in government had offended Heaven, and that this was the reason why a plague was raging through Shangjing City. Is this true?"

As soon as Li Rui said this, Zhang Ping and those who followed him to make trouble all felt weak and had the urge to faint immediately.

They knew very well that their emperor was a person who did not follow the rules and did not play by the rules.

Originally, the reason why Zhang Ping dared to bring people into the harem today was because he had received accurate information that Shen Tianjiao was not in the palace.

He could use the evidence of Shen Tianjiao leaving the palace without permission to threaten Shen Tianjiao, but who knew that the originally accurate news would go wrong, and Shen Tianjiao, who was not in the palace, suddenly appeared in front of him so brilliantly.

The result was that he didn't get any evidence against Shen Tianjiao, but was instead held hostage by Shen Tianjiao.

When he saw Li Rui suddenly appear in Zhenghe Hall, he knew that he had no chance of survival today.

He could not be afraid of Shen Tianjiao, the Queen Regent, because the person behind him was targeting Shen Tianjiao, but he could not help being afraid of Li Rui.

It’s not for any other reason but because Li Rui is the emperor. He is the real ruler of Yun Li and holds the power of life and death.

The golden medal of immunity from death in his hand was an obstacle that prevented others from killing him, but to Li Rui, it was nothing at all.

As the current emperor of Yunli, Li Rui could have completely bypassed Emperor Taizu and directly sentenced him to death.

Putting aside other things, just based on the fact that he broke into the harem today, he deserves to die and his crime is unforgivable.

"Your Majesty, this is indeed the case. Marquis Yunyang not only broke into the harem today, but also falsely accused the Empress, saying that the so-called plague spreading in Shangjing City was caused by the Empress's interference in government."

"But in fact, the plague was caused by Yunyang Hou Zhang Ping and Li Zhaohui colluding with the people of Nanchu to poison and deliberately frame the Empress."

The person who stood up to speak was Li Pei, the Prince of Yan. He was the late-born son of Emperor Gaozu and was about the same age as Li Rui.

But don't underestimate him because he is of a higher generation, so his words still carry a lot of weight whether among the royal family or in the court.

This man usually doesn't like to attend court, he just likes to travel around and wander around. It was a coincidence that he came to court today. He just returned to Beijing from other places yesterday.

"Oh, it's Li Zhaohui again. She's really still harboring evil intentions."

"A discarded child abandoned by her own father and brothers, what qualifications does she have to plot a rebellion and seize the throne?"

"I shouldn't have been soft-hearted and let her out of Anguo Temple that day."

"I should have listened to the late emperor and followed Emperor Gaozu's decree and let her die of old age in Anguo Temple."

"It's really impossible to be a good person in this world nowadays. Not only will you not be rewarded for doing good, but you will also be bitten back by an ungrateful person."

"But," Li Rui looked up and scanned the courtiers before continuing, "some people are blind to reality and insist on getting involved with that woman, risking their lives, their wealth, and the honor of their own clan to oppose me."

"Humph! Your brains really must have been chewed by dogs, a bunch of idiots who don't know their own limitations!"

"You don't really think that because I'm recovering from my illness, I don't know what's going on outside, or what you're doing, do you?"

"You should be more careful. This kingdom of Yunli is my kingdom. Even if I die, this kingdom will only belong to the prince. It will not fall into the hands of others."

"After I've dealt with Li Zhaohui, I'll naturally settle accounts with some of you."

The court was completely silent, and the officials below were all thinking about their own things.

Those court officials who were implicated were even more frightened at this moment. They had been officials for so many years and knew very well what kind of person Li Rui was.

He is a vengeful person. If he says he wants to settle something, he will do so and will never show mercy.

"Also, if anyone dares to slander the Queen again in the future, I will kill them all if I hear of them."

"It is my will that the Queen govern the country. She now represents me. If you do not obey her will, you are violating my will."

As soon as Li Rui said this, the ministers knelt and shouted, "We have absolutely no intention of disobeying you. We are willing to obey all the orders of the Empress."

"That's great. Remember what you said today. If you disobey me in the future, I will not forgive you."

After disciplining the court officials, Li Rui turned to Zhang Ping and said, "As for Marquis Yunyang, since you have harbored disloyalty and are planning rebellion, you are no longer a subject of Yunli."

"Since you are not my Yunli's people, then the golden medal of immunity from death bestowed by Emperor Taizu is of no use."

"I believe that whether it is the Emperor Taizu or your ancestors, seeing you behave so unpromisingly today, they must be deeply saddened. I hope you can get the punishment you deserve."

"Immediately, Zhang Ping's title of Marquis of Yunyang will be stripped, and he will be imprisoned in the Ministry of Punishment. After Li Zhaohui is executed, he will be tried and dealt with together."

"As for those who followed Zhang Ping to cause trouble, they will all be taken into custody by the Ministry of Punishment and dealt with accordingly."

Li Rui's words directly sentenced Zhang Ping and those people to death. Some people fainted on the spot, and some were scared to death, but no one dared to plead for their own injustice.

"Alright, I'm a little tired. I'll leave the rest to the Queen. Remember your promises. After all, I'm not as easy to talk to as the Queen."

After Li Rui finished speaking, he stood up and left. There was another commotion in the court as everyone respectfully saw him off.

With Li Rui's decision just now, things would go much more smoothly. After all, no one would be stupid enough to offend the emperor and the empress at the same time for a group of unrelated people.

They don't want their heads to fall to the ground with those people at this moment.

"You have all heard what the Emperor said just now, so I will not repeat it and will directly issue the decree."

Shen Tianjiao looked down at the crowd below and said, "Marquis Yunyang entered the harem without permission, showing disregard for the law and contempt for the emperor."

"Not only did he collude with Li Zhaohui to commit treason, but he also maliciously poisoned the people of Yunli."

"With all his actions, it's not enough to appease the people's anger if he isn't executed. The Emperor just said that he should be taken to the Ministry of Punishment first. Once Li Chaohui is apprehended, he can be tried and convicted."

"As for the golden medal of immunity from death bestowed by Emperor Taizu, it will be taken back immediately and enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple."

Since the Empress Regent Shen Tianjiao had already given the order, the eunuchs naturally did not dare to slack off. They immediately stepped forward and searched Zhang Ping's body for the golden medal of immunity from death.

At this time, Zhang Ping had fainted and was like a puddle of mud. Not to mention resisting, he couldn't even open his mouth to speak a word.

"As for those who followed Zhang Ping to cause trouble, it goes without saying that they are also his and Li Zhaohui's accomplices. As their accomplices, they should also receive the punishment they deserve."

"However, considering the loyalty you have shown to the country over the years, I will grant you a favor. See if there are any of your family members or clansmen here, and take them back to discipline them yourself."

Shen Tianjiao's decision seemed to be a grace, but in fact, it was a more severe and cruel punishment than sending these people to the Ministry of Punishment.

Regardless of whether the court officials knew today that their families or clansmen were involved in this incident, there was only one thing they wanted to do at this moment, and that was to distance themselves from these people and prevent themselves and their families from suffering losses.

Therefore, after these people were taken back, they would only receive a more severe punishment than being sent to the Ministry of Punishment.

However, by doing this, Shen Tianjiao maintained the face of the court officials whose family members were involved in this matter, and also showed her intention to let bygones be bygones.

For the court officials, nothing could make them more grateful than this.

This means that Shen Tianjiao did nothing. Not only did she not bear the label of a bad person, but she became the object of everyone's gratitude. It was simply killing two birds with one stone.

The scene in the court that followed took on a completely different tone. Those whose families were not involved were watching the show with gloating joy, while those whose families were involved went right up to them and beat and kicked them, trying their best to distance themselves from those people.

However, Shen Tianjiao was in no mood to stay and watch the show. She had not felt the pain of the injury on her foot because she was nervous just now. Now that the problem was solved, she felt the excruciating pain as soon as she relaxed.

The eunuch hurriedly sent Shen Tianjiao back to Yuxiu Palace, where a female doctor was already on standby with ointment ready.

After some emergency treatment, Shen Tianjiao finally recovered from the pain.

Just as she had recovered from the pain, Shen Tianjiao had to start working again.

"Where is the ancestor?" The harem was in such a mess, but Ruan Yuhu never showed up. This was totally unreasonable.

"In reply to the Empress, the old ancestor went to the Imperial Hospital last night, and the supervisor asked the hospital staff to prepare the antidote."

The female doctor who was serving beside her was familiar with this question, so she answered it first without waiting for the eunuchs beside her to answer.

This old ancestor is really the most reassuring person. He thinks ahead of time and acts ahead of time for everything. With these antidotes, Shen Tianjiao no longer has to worry about the poison spreading again and causing unnecessary panic.

Shen Tianjiao had just breathed a sigh of relief when she heard the female doctor say, "Aunt Qiongniang, who serves the Empress, is also in the Imperial Hospital."

"But she wasn't there to supervise the preparation of the antidote. She was injured by those who broke into the palace not long ago, so she went to the Imperial Hospital."

If the female doctor hadn't said it, Shen Tianjiao would have forgotten about Qiong Niang.

Hearing the female doctor say that Qiong Niang was injured, Shen Tianjiao frowned and asked, "How is her injury? Is it serious?"

"In reply to the Queen, Aunt Qiong was pushed to the ground and her arm was broken, but it's not a serious problem. She will recover after a few days of rest."

The female doctor's words made Shen Tianjiao frown even deeper. These people were really lawless and outrageous. It seemed that the harem was going to be settled again.

"Go back to Qiong Niang and take good care of her. If her condition is not serious, send her back to Yuxiu Palace so she can recover in peace."

"Yes, slaves obey."

After the female doctor retreated, Yan Yu appeared from the side.

Yan Yu looked at Shen Tianjiao's feet which were even more swollen than before, and finally swallowed back the words of blame. Shen Tianjiao's current identity was special. As the queen regent, she needed to consider the overall situation more often than herself.

Shen Tianjiao looked at Yan Yu and knew what he was thinking. "Don't worry, it's okay. From now on, I will be obedient. If I can lie down, I will never sit. If I can sit, I will never stand."

"Make sure my foot injury is completely healed. Until then, I promise to be obedient."

Yan Yu looked at Shen Tianjiao and smiled helplessly. He didn't believe what she said.

"Have you had something to ask me since just now?"

Although Shen Tianjiao did not look back at Yan Yu when she came out of Zhenghe Hall, she could still feel that Yan Yu seemed to be hesitant to speak.

"Yeah." Yan Yu lowered his head but did not speak for a long time, but Shen Tianjiao did not force him. She just looked at him quietly, waiting for him to speak.

"What's going on with that guy?" After holding it in for a long time, Yan Yu finally asked the question that was in his mind.

"That person?" Shen Tianjiao was stunned for a moment, but then she understood who Yan Yu was talking about.

"Oh, you mean him?" Shen Tianjiao smiled and said, "The original master is dead. The current one is just a substitute I found to stabilize the government."