Although Zhou Wang disliked Empress Jiang,
he was exceptionally fond of his two children, Yin Jiao and Yin Hong, and did not take his resentment toward their mother out on them.
Zhou Wang waved a hand, comforting his two sons.
"Father is fine. Do not worry."
Then he viciously interrogated Jiang Huan.
"Speak! Who exactly ordered you to come assassinate me?!"
Hearing Zhou Wang's stern questioning, Empress Jiang's heart leaped into her throat.
Jiang Huan stiffened his neck and shouted defiantly at Zhou Wang.
"I will not tell you. What can you do about it?"
Furious, Zhou Wang strode forward and tried to use his strength, enough to drag nine bulls backward, to shove Jiang Huan to the ground.
Yet Jiang Huan did not budge in the slightest, while Zhou Wang staggered back four or five steps before barely steadying himself.
That day, facing Jiang Huan, Zhou Wang once again recalled the terror of being dominated by his two beloved consorts.
Zhou Wang was filled with uncertainty. This bastard is incredibly strong.
"Do not waste your effort. I will not speak."
Zhou Wang flew into a rage and called for the instruments of torture.
Jiang Huan's expression immediately collapsed. He hurriedly said, "I confess, I confess..."
Zhou Wang was overjoyed. It seemed this tactic worked.
Yet aside from Xiang Wuchen, no one noticed the flicker of delight in Jiang Huan's eyes.
Empress Jiang stumbled and nearly fell. Fortunately, Da Ji reacted quickly and hurriedly supported her.
Seeing her pale face, Da Ji asked with concern, "Sister Jiang, what is wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
"I am fine." Empress Jiang forced a smile, praying desperately that Jiang Huan would not expose her.
Unfortunately, Heaven did not grant her wish. Jiang Huan's voice rang clearly in everyone's ears like a thunderclap.
"It was Her Majesty the Empress. Her Majesty ordered me to do this."
Empress Jiang threw herself into Zhou Wang's arms, tears streaming down her face. "Great King, he is slandering me."
Zhou Wang supported Empress Jiang. Seeing her aggrieved expression, although he did not like her, she was still his first wife. He could only comfort her gently. "Do not cry, Empress. This criminal must be making wild accusations. Once I interrogate him properly, I will clear your name."
Empress Jiang lay against Zhou Wang's chest and cried out, "No!"
Zhou Wang looked at her in confusion. "Does the Empress not wish to clear herself of these false charges?"
Knowing she had misspoken, Empress Jiang lowered her head against Zhou Wang's chest and became a silent beauty, while her mind began racing.
After Jiang Huan exposed her, she had to deny it to the death and think carefully about how to dispel Zhou Wang's suspicions.
Holding Empress Jiang, Zhou Wang too was filled with doubt.
This assassin did not seem to be lying. Could Empress Jiang really have sent him into the palace to assassinate him?
At that thought, Zhou Wang subtly pushed Empress Jiang, who was pressed tightly against him, away a little.
Empress Jiang noticed Zhou Wang's movement and knew he had begun to suspect her. Her thoughts raced as she searched for words to clear herself.
"I ask you: you say Empress Jiang sent you here. Then tell me, what did the Empress send you here to do?"
Jiang Huan gritted his teeth. "Of course, I came into the palace to assassinate you, you foolish tyrant. But I killed the wrong person. Consider yourself lucky to have escaped disaster."
???
Had they not agreed to assassinate Da Ji? How had it become an assassination attempt on the Great King?
Empress Jiang was full of doubt. Had her father failed to explain things clearly to Jiang Huan?
Da Ji opened her mouth as if to say something, but Xiang Wuchen grabbed her.
Da Ji looked at Xiang Wuchen in confusion. Xiang Wuchen shook her head. Da Ji understood that Sister Xiang had her own plan, so she said nothing more.
Zhou Wang burst into laughter as though he had heard a joke. "You say the Empress sent you to assassinate me?"
Jiang Huan looked at Zhou Wang in confusion, not knowing why he had suddenly become so happy. He stiffened his neck and said, "Yes. That is right. That is exactly what happened."
Zhou Wang snorted coldly. Did he really take him for a fool?
Did he truly think he was stupid?
"Empress Jiang and I are husband and wife, sharing glory and disgrace. Of everyone in this world, the one least likely to send someone to assassinate me is Empress Jiang."
Still confused, Empress Jiang came to her senses upon hearing Zhou Wang's words. Her eyes shifted, and she immediately understood his reasoning. She hurriedly spoke.
"Hong Er and Jiao Er are still young. If the Great King were to pass away, and either Hong Er or Jiao Er were hurriedly enthroned, with a young ruler the state would be unstable. They would certainly be unable to suppress those ministers below, much less the powerful and ill-intentioned lords of the four regions. Once Your Majesty died, the lords across the realm, great and small, would surely devour Yin Shang until not even scraps remained. Then would we, a widow and her orphaned sons, not be at the mercy of others?"
Zhou Wang thought that the Empress was indeed right. If not for him keeping them in check, with the lords of the four regions coveting the realm of Yin Shang, they would likely have charged into Chaoge long ago and changed the dynasty.
If Yin Shang perished, Empress Jiang's wealth and status would naturally vanish as well. Even if her father, Jiang Hengchu, eventually ascended to the throne of the Human Emperor, Empress Jiang would go from Empress to Princess, dropping a generation in rank.
Did he really think he could not understand such logic? This criminal had plotted to frame Empress Jiang. He truly deserved death.
Zhou Wang glared at Jiang Huan with an ugly expression, making Jiang Huan's scalp tingle.
Zhou Wang rubbed his chin and sank into thought. "What punishment should I use on this assassin to make him behave?"
"Your Majesty, you must believe me. I could never harm you. This criminal is framing me. You must uphold justice for me."
Empress Jiang wept pitifully in Zhou Wang's arms, and Zhou Wang held her tighter with tender affection.
"Hmph. It seems you will not speak unless I make you suffer a little."
Xiang Wuchen offered Zhou Wang an idea. "Great King, I know of a punishment called the Branding Iron Punishment. It will certainly make him speak and reveal the true culprit."
"Beloved Consort, what is the Branding Iron Punishment?"
"Build a fire, heat a bronze pillar until it glows red, and make the criminal crawl across it. Unable to endure the scorching pillar, the criminal will fall into the flames. That is the Branding Iron Punishment."
After hearing Xiang Wuchen's words, Zhou Wang's eyes lit up. His beloved consort truly had a way.
He immediately ordered people to bring charcoal and a bronze pillar.
Jiang Huan's face turned deathly pale. Trembling uncontrollably, he judged that the timing was about right and hurriedly threw himself to the ground.
"Great King, I confess, I confess... It was Marquis of Xibo Ji Chang who ordered me to enter the palace and assassinate the Great King. Ji Chang harbors the ambitions of a wolf. He has long plotted rebellion in secret, which is why he sent me into the palace to assassinate the Great King."
So that was it. He knew it had to be the lords of the four regions!
Zhou Wang sprang to his feet in fury, his expression dark and his voice icy.
"Summon Marquis of Xibo Ji Chang to court for an audience!"
At that moment, a stream of light invisible to mortals leaped from Jiang Huan's body and flew back into Zhu Wushuang.
Zhu Wushuang and Xiang Wuchen exchanged a glance, each seeing excitement in the other's eyes.
It worked! The task Senior assigned had been successfully completed.
Zhou Wang, meanwhile, paced furiously around the palace. Ji Chang, with his wolfish ambitions, wanted to seize his realm? He would chop him to pieces.
Thinking this, Zhou Wang swung his sword and slashed Jiang Huan, venting his rage viciously.
Jiang Huan, who had just regained consciousness, had no idea what was happening before he collapsed into a pool of blood.