"Commander Zhou, Madam Su has been woken with cold water, her hair redone, and the bloodstains on her clothes wiped clean. She is ready to face the Emperor."
"Bring her into the hall. Don't keep His Majesty waiting."
These two sentences struck Duan Zhenzhu and the other two like heavy hammers.
Duan Zhenzhu was the first to break, her fingertips digging into her palm until they turned pale.
That village woman was beaten with sixty board beatings. How could she possibly still be alive after being doused with cold water in the side hall?
Even if she didn't die immediately, she should be paralyzed and unable to speak by now.
She refused to believe it!
Duan Zhenzhu's lips trembled as she prepared to rush forward and question them, but as she took a step, she caught a glimpse of the cold light gleaming from the Imperial Guards' sabers at their waists, and she abruptly stopped.
Wei Mingze's complexion was equally grim. He had been holding onto hope.
As long as Su Xiuer died, with no victim, even if he left a bad impression on the Emperor, his official title and academic achievements could still be preserved.
But now Su Xiuer was awake and could face the Emperor.
Wei Mingze's Adam's apple bobbed several times before he turned his head to look at Duan Gehong, his voice trembling as he asked, "Lord Minister... Commander Zhou... he didn't follow your instructions..."
Before he could finish his question, he was glared at fiercely by Duan Gehong's gaze.
Duan Gehong's face was so dark it looked like it could drip water. He stared intently at Zhou Chang's back, his eyes filled with shock and anger.
Zhou Chang had clearly agreed to his terms. How could he have let Su Xiuer wake up alive?
It seemed Zhou Chang had betrayed him.
Perhaps someone had also interfered behind the scenes.
But who could that person be?
Duan Gehong's mind raced as he tried to find a solution, but after thinking it through, he had no counter-plan.
He had underestimated this village woman, completely failing to leave any backup, and had been careless.
Before they could recover, Su Xiuer was brought out by two young eunuchs.
Su Xiuer was half-lying on the stretcher, appearing disheveled, but her eyes were still clear, not looking like someone on the verge of death.
As she was carried past the trio of Duan Zhenzhu, Wei Mingze, and Duan Gehong, Su Xiuer even glanced at them again.
Their gazes met in mid-air, and sparks of hatred instantly flew – each wishing they could kill the other.
Duan Zhenzhu now knew she no longer had the advantage, but she couldn't stop the rage from churning within her.
A lowly village woman, no better than an ant, who had already been beaten with sixty board beatings, how dare she glare at her with hatred?
She was too crude to even be worthy of carrying her shoes; she really wanted to gouge her eyes out.
Zhou Chang walked over at this moment, his face unreadable, and said calmly, "Lord Duan, His Majesty is waiting to hear the case. The three of you will also come with me into the hall!"
His words sounded polite, but there was a distinct sense of alienation in his tone.
Duan Gehong subtly reached out and grabbed Zhou Chang's sleeve.
Zhou Chang calmly pulled his sleeve free from Duan Gehong's grasp. His indifferent attitude suggested that the agreement he had made earlier had never happened.
This made Duan Gehong feel as if he had been slapped in the face.
As they walked towards the hall, Duan Zhenzhu secretly raised her eyes and noticed that everyone around them was casting glances their way, as if waiting to watch a show.
Wei Mingze could barely walk steadily.
And her father's steps were also half a beat slower than usual.
Duan Zhenzhu suddenly realized that from the moment Su Xiuer was still alive, the situation had reversed.
They were no longer in control; they were the ones waiting to be judged, the ones who had broken the situation.
Their earlier smugness and certainty had become a joke.
But this only fueled her hatred further!
Upon reaching the inner entrance of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, Su Xiuer was helped off the stretcher by two eunuchs and then dragged into the hall.
After the two eunuchs let go, Su Xiuer pretended to lose her strength and collapsed onto the ground.
Su Xiuer secretly exhaled a breath of turbid air, feeling that she still had the strength to kill two pigs, but pretending to be injured like this all the time was too tiring.
After a moment, she slowly raised her head to look at the person on the Dragon Throne.
The pressure inside the hall was even greater than outside, but since she was already in the Imperial Palace, she naturally wanted to see what the Emperor looked like, so she would have something to brag about to her mother later.
After all, her mother bragged all day long about nothing, while her own bragging would have factual basis.
She first saw a pair of bright yellow boots embroidered with brocade dragons. Her gaze moved up, past the hem of the bright yellow dragon robe embroidered with intertwined cloud patterns, and then she saw a familiar face.
Su Xiuer was momentarily stunned and couldn't help but cry out.
"Mother!"
For a moment, the air in the grand hall seemed to slow down. Everyone inside held their breath in shock, carefully looking at the person on the Dragon Throne.
Had this peasant woman been stunned by the beatings, or was she so unworldly that she was scared silly, calling out to the Emperor as "Mother"?
The Emperor leaned forward slightly, his hand gripping the amethyst prayer beads tightening abruptly. A palpable pressure emanated from him, as if even looking at him for too long was a blasphemy.
Fu Delu shrieked in a high-pitched voice, "How dare you!"
As his cry fell, the familiar figure seemed to instantly dissipate.
Su Xiuer blinked hard, suddenly feeling like crying without tears.
At first glance, she thought the Emperor looked exactly like her mother.
Now, looking closer, the more she looked, the less alike they seemed.
The Emperor had sword-like brows, while her mother had willow-leaf brows. The Emperor's irises were dark brown, lighter than her mother's black pupils. Her mother's eyes always curved slightly at the corners with a lazy smile, as if unconcerned with worldly matters, while the Emperor's eyes, even without a smile, drooped slightly at the corners, as if he were on the verge of anger at any moment. Their lips also seemed different.
She must have missed her mother too much, and had been thinking about bragging to her mother just now, which caused her to see things incorrectly for a moment.
Su Xiuer quickly lowered her eyes and prostrated herself, her forehead touching the ground.
"This commoner deserves death. This commoner merely saw Your Majesty and was reminded of my mother. I respect Your Majesty as I respect my mother."
The Emperor's lips curved upwards almost imperceptibly.
He didn't know why, but from afar, he had taken a liking to this young lady.
Perhaps it was because this young lady reminded him of his eldest sister, or perhaps it was her unique scream that he found interesting.
Just like now, even her quibbling was so clumsy and unique.
Filial piety came first. Comparing him to her own mother was indeed the highest form of treatment.
However, he was more willing to believe that this young girl was simply too nervous and had spoken out of turn.
The Emperor's furrowed brow relaxed slightly, and he leaned back in his seat.
Involuntarily, he became exceptionally lenient towards Su Xiuer.
He looked at Su Xiuer below the steps and said calmly, "Tell me, what is your grievance?"
Su Xiuer breathed a sigh of relief, cursing her own slip of the tongue, and also feeling fortunate that she had managed to pass that hurdle.
Compared to Su Xiuer's relaxation, Wei Mingze, Duan Zhenzhu, and Duan Gehong were filled with unease.
Hearing this nonsensical village woman call out "Mother" and lose her decorum in front of the Emperor, they had expected him to expel her on the spot. Unexpectedly, after Su Xiuer offered a few clumsy explanations, the Emperor did not pursue the matter further.
She was truly lucky.
Su Xiuer slowly raised her head, meeting Duan Zhenzhu's resentful gaze.
She instantly felt more energized, as if she had been injected with adrenaline.
She had gone through so much to get here and meet the Emperor; she had to take this opportunity to voice her grievances and seek revenge.
Su Xiuer once again prostrated herself with feigned sorrow and cried out loudly.
"Your Majesty, this commoner is wronged to death. This commoner accuses the new Top Scholar Wei Mingze of marrying into the family and breaking off the engagement, forcing his wife to become a concubine. The daughter of the Minister of War, Duan Zhenzhu, committed arson to silence me and set dogs upon me."
"The night this commoner came to the capital to find her husband, Wei Mingze indulged his mother, Madam Zhao, and his brother, Wei Tian, in bribing the thug Yang Daji to ruin this commoner's reputation and force her to debase herself as a concubine."
"This commoner proposed a divorce and demanded that Wei Mingze return the expenses for three years of study. He feigned agreement, then colluded with Duan Zhenzhu to lure this commoner to a ruined temple outside the city with the help of bandits, and set fire to the temple to silence me."
"When the arson failed, Duan Zhenzhu then set vicious dogs upon this commoner's infant child, forcing this commoner to leave the capital."
"Each incident, one by one, this commoner speaks not a single false word. Your Majesty can investigate and know the truth. This commoner now has the marriage-in-law document as proof, and has multiple burn injuries. The key figures Yang Daji, Madam Zhao, and Wei Tian have all been listed in the complaint."
✦✦✦