Three to go after this one!! Woop, woop!!!

Chapter 82

Emperor Huizhong
Bai Shen Hong
Yuwen Hong
The Grand palace

“Noble Consort Qi, this can end as fast as it started. Why don’t you confess?”

Noble Consort Qi writhed against the ties on her hands and feet. They bound her to the chair, leaving bruises where they made contact with her skin. Sweat also dribbled down her forehead and Yuwen Hong almost spared her because of pity, but that would be injustice to his Li Lian. He needed to know the truth about what happened on the night of the massacre and anyone suspicious deserved to go through the trial process.

“The only harem women who survived were those who were in the Rose Flower Palace, but you were not there. Where were you?”

She coughed and licked her dry lips. “I was not involved in the assassinations that took place in the palace, Your Majesty.”

“You have been saying that, yet you will not tell me where you were?” What was so hard about that?

“I desire not to lie to His Majesty, thus I won't confess.”

“Hah, then I will kill you," he scorned. "Forget the friendship we have, I will kill you.”

“Your Majesty,” she snuffled. “I swear with my life that I did not betray you concerning this case.”

Her innocent eyes pleaded with him but deep down, the ache for his beloved prosecuted her as guilty. He couldn't let it go.

“All right, let us say I believe you." He wouldn't until she confessed. "It still didn't explain why you hurriedly burned the body of Li Lian in cohorts with General Feng, but without my permission. What did you want to hide?”

“Your Majesty, the body of Imperial Concubine Wei was barely recognisable, it would be ominous not  to burn a disfigured corpse.”

Yuwen Hong narrowed his glare at her. She had been punished throughout the week, yet still held on to her statements. Maybe she was not in the bad and he was being overly suspicious, but Yuwen Hong had this wild idea that probably Li Lian was still alive and they had burnt her alive to eliminate her because she was a candidate for the empress seat.

He looked at the officials in charge of the investigations and instructed them to keep going with the interrogation. If she did not confess, let her die.

“Your Majesty,” one of them knelt. “If we keep at this, the Noble Consort will then be scarred by the beatings, therefore disqualifying her from the conferring process. This servant suggests for His Majesty to let us apply another method of punishment and spare her from the disqualification”.

“I don’t care. Since I started reigning, I have not had an empress, I can live for another thousand years without one.”

“Your Majesty!” Eunuch Nam called for his attention.

“What now?”

“The palace guards call for your audience in the courtroom because there is a visitor that they think would be of interest to you.”

Yuwen Hong glanced at Noble Consort Qi again. “You better confess, otherwise I will kill you.” The woman who he had considered a friend was hiding something from him. He should have known better.

As he exited the dark dungeon, he was met by the protestors at the entrance, most of them belonging to the West Wing who stood for their clanswoman.

“Your Majesty, please reconsider!” They shouted and continuously hailed. “Your Majesty, please let the Noble Consort Qi free!”

They were not the first to protest against him, what made them think they could  change his mind? They were stupid indeed.

“What is it?” Yuwen Hong entered his large courtroom and saw General Ling standing next to a man with foreign clothes on.

“Greetings, Your Majesty!” General Ling saluted and the palace guards followed suit, copying their leader.

General Ling was leading the palace guards temporarily, until Luo Meng emerged from the dead. That unworthy servant was going to pay when he came back from wherever he was.

He did not want to think about Luo Meng for now, but he would make him pay sorely when he came back because their friendship was at its knees at the moment.

Yuwen Hong rounded them to take a seat on his massive throne.

“Who is this?” The face looked familiar, but he was not sure from where.

“Crown Prince Hu-go greets His Majesty!” the foreigner kowtowed for him.

Yuwen Hong smiled. So General Feng had succeeded.

“What has led you to trespass into my land?”

“Your Majesty, I seek your help and alliance.”

“You are below our emperor and you speak informally?” General Ling went on to kick him in the stomach and had him sprawl on the floor in pain. “You are a servant worthy to eat with the dogs, speak properly!”

Yuwen Hong smirked, well done, well done. This was the best thing he had seen since who knows when.

“Why should I offer my alliance?” he smirked. He loved this, and just wait for when he started with his punishment. Oh, sweet sweet revenge.

“Your Majesty! Please help! We have a traitor on our land who has killed the king and is after this servant. This servant has already gone to the other nations for help, but they won’t help us with the fear that the dragon may be displeased since Nevoria has had its sight on our country for so long.”

“Yes, they are right to say that.”

“Your Majesty, this servant is the rightful next king to be, but the traitor has stolen the throne. Please help, Your Majesty. This servant promises to give allegiance to Nevoria and answer to His Majesty from henceforth, if your help is given to this servant.”

Yuwen Hong rested on his throne with his back, then hung his leg on the arm of it while twisting the jade ring on his thumb. “How can I help you when it is I who sent the ‘traitor’?”

His eyes enlarged and Yuwen Hong enjoyed watching the horror take over him. “Your Majesty… that… that”

Yuwen Hong laughed. “Surely, General Feng is cunning. He sent his own brother to come to me for help, knowing I will enjoy this gift and maybe forgive him.” Yuwen Hong laughed harder. “You are stupid, indeed. You do not realise that you have been used as a pawn so that I may not go after General Feng.” Oh, how he had wanted the heads of King Tobba and his son. It was payback served to him deliciously.

“Your Majesty… You knew?”

Yuwen Hong grinned. “Why wouldn’t I know who General Feng is? You think I would have the spawn of the devil in my empire for so long and not know it? I know everything, otherwise why would I send him there?” This way he had eliminated Huticah without lifting a finger so that  no one would bat an eye and accuse his empire for being a bully.

“General Ling?”

“Yes, your servant is here!”

“Lock him up somewhere in the dragon palace because I want my revenge to be the sweetest. Whenever I miss my father, I will be sure to ask for him just so I can cut off something on his body.” Slow deaths were always his favorite.

He was going to start with the ears, then next time he was sad, he would go for the toes, and so on, until he died.

“Yes, Your Majesty!” she bowed.

“Wait, wait.”

“Yes.”

“What did Li Jie and Li Jun say they have found after investigating Noble Consort Qi?”

“Nothing specific enough to convict her.”

“Hao, since I am in a good mood now, release her and make sure she gets treated by the Grand Physician.”

Yuwen Hong then sat back to watch Hu-go cry for mercy as he got dragged away. It was the best thing ever, and that image had him occasionally laugh to himself all day by just remembering it.

S.V