The Aloof Lord's Mysterious Wife
Chapter 37: Beating Chu Ye with Twenty Military Rods

Chapter 37: Beating Chu Ye with Twenty Military Rods

Nanli discerned Chu Ye’s thoughts and advised, "Elder brother, she is consumed by a mad obsession. Even if you were to sacrifice yourself for her, her resentment would not dissipate. Why subject yourself to injury and bloodshed for such a person?"

Emperor Muwu noticed that Li Miaorong intended to harm someone and hastily ordered the Imperial Guards to apprehend her.

Li Miaorong continued to spew curses, causing furrowed brows among those who heard her.

Conscious of the dire situation, Empress Li inwardly exclaimed, "She dares to utter such vulgar and profane words! Mammy Zhang, give her a slap!" Zhang Mama swiftly approached and delivered several resounding slaps to Li Miaorong’s face, rendering her unconscious.

Finally, tranquility settled within the hall.

Empress Li choked back tears as she pleaded, "Your Majesty, our daughter is young and foolish, she has made a grave mistake. Please, spare her this time."

Although Li Miaorong had openly cursed and insulted others, the evidence was irrefutable, leaving no room for Empress Li to deny the truth.

However, witnessing her beauty marred by tears, Emperor Muwu’s heart softened, and he declared, "Ah, let us punish Lord of Qingguo by withholding his salary for a year. This will serve as a lesson for him to properly educate his daughter in the future."

Nanli couldn’t help but curl her lips slightly.

With a year’s worth of salary withheld, Lady Xiao nearly lost her life. However, in this realm, the emperor held supreme power, and Nanli couldn’t question further, lest she bring calamity upon the Anyang Marquisate.

Empress Li continued, "But Your Majesty... the Sixth Miss of the Anyang Marquis has repeatedly shown disrespect towards you. Such lack of propriety demands that Your Majesty assert your authority." Chu Ye clenched his fists, seething with anger.

However, the emperor’s power surpassed all, and he could only kneel down and say, "It was I who provoked her on behalf of Your Majesty. I am willing to bear the punishment for my sister."

Emperor Muwu breathed a sigh of relief. His ninth brother had a considerable number of covert guards in the capital. If he were to truly reprimand Nanli, his ninth brother might even storm the imperial palace. Now that Chu Ye had stepped forward to take the blame, it was the best outcome for all.

"You, as the eldest brother, have shown great responsibility. Therefore, you shall bear twenty cane strikes," Emperor Muwu thought, satisfied with the resolution.

Nanli’s heart sank.

She had tried to avoid trouble with Empress Li, but now it seemed they had walked right into it. She firmly held Chu Ye back, preventing him from receiving any cane strikes.

Empress Li fumed, "How dare you! Are you and your brother defying the imperial decree? Do you know the consequences of such actions?!"

Her niece was infatuated with Chu Ye, which led her to resort to cursing.

Little did she expect that her own actions would bring such calamity upon her niece. How could she swallow this humiliation? Now that they were defying the imperial decree, it was the best outcome for her.

"In that case, what punishment should befall the Noble Imperial Concubine who abducted and manipulated young girls, using their blood to concoct the Youthful Beauty Elixir? How many innocent lives have been harmed? What punishment should she receive?" Nanli’s words were resolute, her gaze piercing.

Empress Li’s once radiant face turned deathly pale.

Mammy Zhang, who was nearby, attempted to strike Nanli upon hearing her words. "How dare you slander the Noble Imperial Concubine! You’ve truly grown tired of living!"

"Step aside!" Xiao Wanyi forcefully pushed Mammy Zhang away. Though she had lost some weight, her strength remained formidable, causing Mammy Zhang to fall to the ground, unable to rise.

Emperor Muwu had not anticipated that the Chu family members would be so fierce, leaving him momentarily stunned.

The Noble Imperial Concubine swiftly regained her composure, "Your Majesty, they not only slandered me, but also dared to lay hands on me in your presence. You mustn’t show any mercy."

"The Emperor indeed cannot afford to be lenient, especially towards the esteemed concubine," replied the Emperor.

However, at this moment, two figures entered the hall.

Qing Feng was pushing Ye Siheng inside.

Ye Siheng, with his ink-black hair and dark robe, exuded an air of elegance and charm.

With a single sentence, he left everyone in the hall bewildered.

Tears glistened in Noble Imperial Concubine’s eyes as they streamed down, "Ninth Prince, what do you mean by this?"

"Doesn’t the esteemed concubine already know?" Ye Siheng retorted.

She continued to feign ignorance, "Ninth Prince, are you referring to Rong’er? I had no knowledge of her actions, I swear."

The heart of Emperor Muwu clenched, and he hastily interjected, "Indeed, Ninth Brother, the esteemed concubine possesses a kind heart. How could she allow her niece to behave recklessly? She surely had no knowledge of this matter."

"Imperial Brother, I am not referring to this particular matter," Ye Siheng glanced sideways, "Bring them in."

Soon, the Black Armor Guards escorted two individuals inside.

One was an old Taoist priest in a gray robe, clearly having endured the hardships of escape and resistance.

Both his legs were broken, and his body was covered in wounds as he was dragged in.

He collapsed on the ground, propping himself up with his hands.

As soon as he saw Noble Imperial Concubine Li, he pleaded, "Empress Li, save me! Save me, I beg you!"

Nanli recognized him as Li Zhengming, the one who had competed against him at the inn that day.

It seemed that Ye Siheng had found evidence linking Noble Imperial Concubine to the case, and she would have no further involvement.

The other person was a middle-aged man in a brocade robe. Although his legs were intact, his hands were stained with blood, and all ten of his fingernails had been forcibly removed.

He seemed to have lost half his life.

Everyone present felt a chill run down their spines.

Ye Siheng’s reputation as the King of the Underworld was not unfounded.

"Elder Brother!"

Noble Imperial Concubine nearly fainted.

Emperor Muwu’s voice trembled, "Ninth Brother, this... this is..."

Ye Siheng calmly stated, "Lord of Qingguo sent people to abduct young girls and deliver them to Beifeng Temple. This Master Li would extract their blood to refine a youth-preserving elixir for the esteemed concubine, maintaining her eternal beauty. According to the confessions of Lord of Qingguo and the implicated Zhou Sheng, over a thousand young girls have lost their lives in the past decade. Please review the evidence, Your Majesty."

Just moments ago, the crowd had been in awe of Ye Siheng’s methods, but now they couldn’t help but applaud silently.

They had once envied Li’s everlasting youth, but little did they know it came at the cost of countless lives!

Now, looking at her, they felt nothing but disgust.

Emperor Muwu was shaken to his core as he glanced at Noble Imperial Concubine and quickly skimmed through the evidence.

The more he read, the angrier he became, slamming the documents on the table, "Did you truly commit such heinous acts?!"

Not only these young girls, but even the Ling Jian Sect, which had once rescued them, had suffered annihilation!

To think that the woman he had cherished for years was drenched in blood!

Noble Imperial Concubine Li hastily shook her head, "Your Majesty, I had no knowledge of this, I swear..."

Ye Chengbo also knelt down, "Father Emperor, Mother Empress has a kind heart. If she had known how the youth-preserving elixir was made, she would never have consumed it."

Lord of Qingguo knew he couldn’t escape his deserved punishment and could only abandon his allies.

"Your Majesty, everything was done by me. The esteemed concubine was kept in the dark," he trembled as he spoke.

"Ah!" Emperor Muwu sighed repeatedly in frustration, "Send the esteemed concubine back to the Bi Xia Palace. She shall not leave without my decree."

Nanli furrowed his brows.

Emperor Muwu might not fully believe their words, but the Second Prince was son, of Noble Imperial Concubine and he had to consider his son’s face.

However, Ye Siheng interjected, "Imperial Brother, please wait."

Emperor Muwu’s headache intensified, and he warned Ye Siheng with a glance.

Yet, Ye Siheng acted as if he hadn’t noticed and continued, "If the esteemed concubine is unaware, Mammy Zhang should be aware. Bring her in and interrogate her with severe methods."

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.