"A strategist, you say? Let's see how far you can go with that pride of yours," the empress snarled. "Bring in the witnesses!" she ordered.
The giant doors creaked open. The room seemed to cease its breath as three servants marched in, their eyes lowered to the ground, their steps hesitant. It was a woman and two men.
"Greetings, Empress…" They bowed, and Empress Zhou Wangqing actually smiled at the servants. The sight of her stretched lips made Liang Chen's own curve, and his stomach churn.
"Speak," her commanding voice echoed, and the servants fell to their knees, tears streaming down their faces like cheap perfume.
"We… we mean no offense to the Consort. However, we saw the consort order the flogging of two council ministers and also push the betrothed of the Crown Prince!"
Liang Chen turned to Ji Mingyuan, but the stone-cold devil was barely paying attention. "What is he thinking?" he thought but kept quiet and observed the show.
"Such an atrocity cannot be tolerated," the Empress announced. "Two days, and you've done so much. Why should we keep you when we know you will bring nothing but trouble to the court and to the people?"
Prince Ji Fengye stood up and walked over to Yue Fei. He held her up as the young lady, who had stood fine and proud barely hours ago, now limped like a wounded animal.
"See? This is what this beast did to her. One minute we were gone, and the next she was screaming for help."
Yue Fei began to cry dramatically, her face turned toward Ji Fengye as she sobbed gently in his embrace. Liang Chen watched the performance with interest, and his quietness was soon taken for defeat. More "victims" came forward.
A servant he knew nothing of, nor had ever seen, claimed to have been maltreated. The two ministers who had suffered the flogging did not stand out before, but now it was their moment to shine. They lifted their robes, displaying their unhealed wounds.
"It wasn't bad enough that he's the same age as my son, but he flogged us without due cause!" One of the ministers lamented in absolute misery.
"See, son? This is the animal you married, the one who wants nothing but to ruin your impeccable reputation. A man who doesn't love you, because if he did, he would have brought the case of the ministers to me. He would have treated Yue'r with kindness.
She was open-minded toward you. She accepted you even when you were the replacement, and you dared hurt her!" love… that word felt strangely satisfying.
Liang Chen glanced at the hypocrites, his fingers drumming lazily on Ji Mingyuan's arm. His body trembled with rage, his eyes darkening. Ji Mingyuan watched him like a hawk.
He had known Liang Chen long enough to know that whatever was in his head could explode the court. Liang Chen had a bad temper; he hated liars and, most importantly, hypocrites. And before him stood a thousand, all lying and pointing accusing fingers at the wrong person.
"You, " Liang Chen swallowed his words as Ji Mingyuan held him back. The scene was unexpected; the empress smirked, watching her son calm down his consort, who was red with rage.
"See? This is the kind of person you want to bring into this noble family, Mingyuan. Your father would be turning in his grave!"
Ji Mingyuan made Liang Chen sit.
"My father?" Ji Mingyuan chuckled bitterly. "When did you ever care about him, that now you suddenly care so much for his comfort?"
"You!" The empress choked.
"Mingyuan, you can't talk to Mother in such a condescending tone!" Ji Fengye roared, but it sounded more like a toothless dog barking.
"Minister Wang Shu," Ji Mingyuan called softly but sternly, his eyes carrying no remorse, not even pity for the old man.
"You said my consort is not fit; you claim he's a taboo, something that shouldn't even exist. And what did you say about his hands?"
Ji Mingyuan's steps inched closer.
"Oh right, I remember." Every word dropped like an unfailing threat. "Cut off his hands."
The words rolled off his lips effortlessly.
"Since flogging doesn't correct your mistakes… Maybe cutting a finger, two, or wait, a hand, will remind you to keep in order next time."
"My prince!" Minister Wang Shu crumbled to his knees, hands trembling as he clutched his robe.
"I was wrong! It was not my idea; it was not my idea!" He cried like a baby. His hands stretched forward and he repeatedly bowed like he had offended the heavens.
But Ji Mingyuan was only beginning.
"And you." His gaze swept toward Minister Li Meng, and before the old man could utter a word, he was already sweating like a slaughtered animal.
"Wow," Ji Mingyuan chuckled.
"Ji Mingyuan, you can't do this! These are elders; they're old enough to be."
"To be my father?" Ji Mingyuan cut through, and Ji Fengye swallowed the rest of his words.
"Come on, why are we all acting like I did worse? I remember killing someone in this court," Ji Mingyuan bragged, and Ji Fengye's face lost all color.
"Mingyuan, you will not speak to your elder brother in such a condescending way!" their mother cautioned, but Ji Mingyuan was far too gone. He had not only crossed that bridge, he had burned it.
He turned to the crying ministers with tear-streaked faces. "I won't ask who put you up to this, but remember, my consort only flogged you. I do worse."
"Yes, my prince… thank you, my prince," they chorused.
"And you," Ji Mingyuan turned to Yue Fei, who instantly rushed behind Ji Fengye. The sight was not new.
"He couldn't save you back then… He can't save you now." Ji Mingyuan whispered, "a word of wisdom is sufficient for the wise."
Ji Mingyuan turned to his mother. "Even the heavens punish when we go astray after years of devotion."
It was a warning, a clear one.
Ji Mingyuan reached out a hand, and Liang Chen took it without hesitation. The couple marched out like perfection itself.
Liang Chen could feel eyes on them as they walked through the massive hallway, which seemed to stretch endlessly. Deep down, he was suffocating. Air seemed not to pass through his lungs, and his dress grew more suffocating by the minute.
"My prince," Shuming bowed and opened the door for them. Both princes stepped in, and as the door slammed behind them, Liang Chen rushed toward Ji Mingyuan, grabbing him by the collar.
"What was the meaning of that? Are you trying to have your mother kill me?" he hissed. But Ji Mingyuan only smiled; he didn't fight back. Rather, he admired the beauty of his man even in anger.
"Ji Mingyuan, I'm talking to you! Why would you lay me out in the open?" he roared.
A hard punch landed on Ji Mingyuan's cheek.
"Calm down," Ji Mingyuan hissed, rubbing his bleeding mouth.
"Don't you tell me how I should feel, Mingyuan!" Liang Chen's breath came in gasps, his heart rising and falling with alarming speed. "One minute you care, then the next, I become a sword you wield at your family. What do you want?"
Liang Chen's voice trembled. Ji Mingyuan opened his mouth, but no words came out. All he could do was watch the man before him as fat tears rolled down his cheeks.
Liang Chen didn't like how vulnerable he felt at this moment. His thoughts were jumbled, his mind unease, and his heart far too responsive.
"Why… why are you making it so hard, so hard for me to hate you?" he murmured as he collapsed on the bed.
Just then, the system chimed:
[Reputation +10%]
[Affection +8%]