Chapter 533: Chapter 533 They Want to Chop Off My Head to Take the Blame for Someone Else Chapter 533: Chapter 533 They Want to Chop Off My Head to Take the Blame for Someone Else The Empress Dowager could not have loathed Wang Yingluo more strongly today; going forward, she must reconsider whether the women entering the palace are all as viper-hearted as Wang Yingluo.

Seeing the Empress Dowager’s demeanor, she was truly enraged today, and it’s likely that she wouldn’t arrange for the selection of new concubines for him anytime soon.

And that would be enough.

One cannot become fat with only one bite, when the Empress Dowager starts thinking about it again in the future, she will think of other methods. In any case, due to the affair with Wang Yingluo, this selection of concubines is sure to end without incident.

Murong Jiu had also realized that sometimes there is no need to go head-to-head with the Empress Dowager; when it’s time for strategizing, strategies must be employed.

Different people require different approaches. The Empress Dowager is paranoid and obstinate, the more you oppose her, the deeper the contradiction becomes.

Murong Jiu has too many things she wants to do every day; she does not want to waste time fostering grievances with the Empress Dowager, nor does she want the Empress Dowager to disturb the peace of the harem.

Therefore, if the Empress Dowager causes trouble again in the future, she will deliberately bring a few women into the palace, specifically to disgust the Empress Dowager until she stops interfering.

After a night without dreams, they both woke up refreshed.

However, Jun Yuyan got up even earlier. He had resumed his early court sessions and had gone to the court early in the morning.

By the time he returned from the court, Murong Jiu had just finished washing up, and the couple had breakfast together.

“Bring Eunuch Li to me,” Jun Yuyan said to Hong Yi, putting down his bowl.

Hong Yi quickly brought Eunuch Li in.

Eunuch Li had been in a state of panic all night, not even shutting his eyes for a moment. In just one night, he seemed to have aged ten years, his back, already hardly straight, now bent even more.

Seeing the palace maids and eunuchs remove the breakfast neatly, seeing the Emperor’s bright yellow Dragon Robe and boots, he didn’t dare raise his head, his whole body trembling uncontrollably.

“Eunuch Li.”

It was indeed His Majesty’s voice.

Eunuch Li suddenly knocked his head hard on the ground: “This old servant knows his mistake, Your Majesty, this old servant deserves to die!”

The moment he saw the Emperor, how could he not understand that the Emperor had never truly favored Wang Yingluo? The person truly cherished by the Emperor has always been the Empress!

Yet he paraded around like a jumping clown following Wang Yingluo, even attempting to bring down the Empress, hoping she would never recover–all his fault, he deserved to die a thousand times!

Realizing that the Emperor and Empress had seen through their actions completely, Eunuch Li fully understood he was beyond redemption.

But he should not regret it, for he did it for Madam Lin and his children, for the continuation of the Li Family–even if it meant death, it was a worthy death, and he should have no complaints.

“Indeed, you deserve to die,” Jun Yuyan’s voice was cold.

“However, the Empress mentioned she wants you to die knowing the truth. The Empress is merciful, and I too shall show great mercy, allowing you to learn the truth before dying. I really want to see, after knowing the truth, whether you still have no regrets about your actions.”

Eunuch Li’s heart panicked.

“Your Majesty…”

But Jun Yuyan did not wait to hear what he had to say and coldly commanded, “Someone, escort Eunuch Li out of the palace.”

Eunuch Li was taken away, full of trepidation.

Only then did Jun Yuyan say to Murong Jiu, “The Empress is still too kind. I was of the opinion to behead him and Madam Lin together. He intended to poison you, although he was instigated by Wang Yingluo, he never hesitated. Such a person, even if executed by lingchi, would not be excessive.”

The charges against Madam Lin had been investigated clearly, with ten lives taken; she could not escape the death penalty and would soon be executed.

Murong Jiu laughed softly, “To behead him and Madam Lin together, and to let them travel the Yellow Spring Road together–perhaps Eunuch Li would even be happy about that. Although he had his reasons, harming others is still harming others, and I do not have so much kindness as to forgive and forget. Eunuch Li realizing the truth now is to regret it too late. He could have had an honorable retirement, but in the end, he ended up with nothing.”

Moreover, she did not discipline Eunuch Li yesterday, did not throw him into the Ministry of Punishment’s prison, only locked him in the eunuch’s room–wasn’t that a signal to Eunuch Li that she would not kill him?

Eunuch Li appeared to acknowledge his guilt, claiming he deserved death, but did he truly wish to die? Otherwise, would there have been any need to be so scared that he couldn’t sleep all night?

Having him leave the palace today to make him aware of the truth, Eunuch Li probably felt that neither the Emperor nor the Empress wanted to kill him.

Having hope only to have it dashed, that was the truly unbearable taste.

Murong Jiu was not so forgiving as to be kind-hearted towards someone who had once sought to kill her.

Jun Yuyan was relieved.

He just feared that his Empress was too kind-hearted.

Sometimes, being overly kind-hearted is not a good thing, especially since she is the Empress of a nation, and who knows what other dangerous events might occur in the future.

One has to be somewhat ruthless to establish authority.

Towards good people, being kind-hearted can never be too much.

But for people like Eunuch Li and Wang Yingluo, who would do anything to achieve their goals, the crueler, the better.

Eunuch Li was taken to the Ministry of Punishment’s prison.

If he were an ordinary citizen, naturally, he would not be able to enter the Ministry of Punishment’s prison.

But Madam Lin was not an ordinary citizen; she was the main wife of a Fifth Rank official.

She had ten lives on her hands, and the investigation had been crystal clear, with not only evidence of her past crimes but also her own confession.

People like Madam Lin always refuse to shed tears until they see the coffin.

But this case was personally assigned by the Emperor, and the Ministry of Punishment worked day and night, tirelessly alternating shifts. They even used the same severe methods on Madam Lin that they would use on spies and enemy agents.

Despite Madam Lin being tight-lipped, she was ultimately just a woman from the inner quarters; no matter how ruthless her thoughts, she couldn’t outlast the variety of torture devices of the Ministry of Punishment.

She confessed to everything after just one day and night.

As soon as Eunuch Li entered the prison, he became more and more anxious. Didn’t the Empress say she would let him know the truth? Why was he being put into prison?

If they had wanted to lock him up, they would have done it last night, not waited until today.

It was not until he saw Madam Lin that he still didn’t understand the Empress’s intention because he simply had not linked the Madam Lin he was witnessing with the one he had seen within the palace back then.

The current Madam Lin was filthy all over, with marks of flogging all over her body, one eye blinded, one ear cut off, and her clothes stained with blood and the filth from writhing in pain on the ground.

Her hair was also a mess, like that of a vile old hag,
while the Madam Lin of that day had been dressed in the attire befitting the main wife of a Fifth Rank official, living in luxury, and although she was older, she had an air of authority as the main wife, looking younger than her peers.

No matter what, Eunuch Li just couldn’t link the two together.

Seeing the guard bring him in front of Madam Lin, he was still full of confusion and couldn’t help asking:
“May I ask, sir, why have you brought this servant here?”

Madam Lin, who had been lying in the cell, heard his voice and suddenly sat up from the ground.

“Mr. Li! Is that you, Mr. Li?! They forced me into a false confession; they are coercing me to admit guilt! Now that you’re favored by the Emperor, quickly save me!”

Eunuch Li stared at her incredulously.

“You are… Madam Lin?”

“It’s me, Mr. Li! Hurry, save me! I am innocent; they want to chop off my head to pin the crime on someone else!”

Madam Lin seemed like a madwoman, as she frantically begged Eunuch Li for help, as if he were a lifeline.