Mo Yunxuan saw that Ji Ruxue's expression remained unreadable, yet she still said nothing. He didn't want to keep waiting.
He stood up and dusted the hem of his robe with his sleeve, the fabric making a sharp "pop, pop" sound.
He said casually, "If Your Majesty has nothing else, I'll take my leave."
Ji Ruxue had now given up on trying to get closer to Mo Yunxuan.
Her brows knit together, her delicate face tense and stern as she looked at him.
"Wait! Duke of Wei, you should know that the Taihua Academy matter requires an explanation to the entire Dagan Dynasty."
Seeing that Ji Ruxue had finally gotten down to business, Mo Yunxuan dropped his casual air.
For once, he turned serious, his tone grave as he said:
"An explanation?"
"What sort of explanation does Your Majesty want?"
"At present, my Wei State Duke Mansion has three Body Integration Realm cultivators, thirty Void Refinement Realm cultivators, and nearly two hundred Spirit Transformation cultivators."
"Is that explanation enough?"
Then his eyes narrowed slightly, and the corners of his mouth curved into a scornful smile. The contempt in his gaze was utterly undisguised.
"If Your Majesty truly needs an explanation, I can offer you a suggestion."
"Lü Qingjian plotted rebellion and built up an extensive anti-government faction within the academy. Nearly half the teachers became his lackeys. None of his actions can be forgiven."
"Therefore, Lü Qingjian, Vice Dean of Taihua Academy, and his accomplices are sentenced to death, their nine clans exterminated, and the sentence is to be carried out immediately!"
"The Dean of Taihua Academy knew and failed to report it, deliberately allowing it to continue. He is equally guilty and sentenced to death, his nine clans exterminated, and the sentence is to be carried out immediately!"
Ji Ruxue stared, dumbfounded, at Mo Yunxuan, who was calmly fabricating charges right before her eyes.
Anger surged within her. These were all her people!
They had been killed just like that, without a proper explanation, and now he wanted her to brand them rebels. It was truly a knife to the heart!
But then something occurred to her, and she immediately cut in. "What about Qiu Ziqin?"
Since everyone else had been sentenced to death, Qiu Ziqin surely wouldn't fare much better.
She wanted to see what charge he would pin on Qiu Ziqin.
If the sentence was too lenient, she would have a perfectly good reason to reject what he had just said.
At the thought, a flicker of anticipation even rose in Ji Ruxue's heart.
Mo Yunxuan glanced at Ji Ruxue, whose expression had turned a little strange, and raised an eyebrow.
As if! He wasn't an idiot. Why would he dig a hole for himself?
"Qiu Ziqin, Vice Dean of Taihua Academy, deserves credit for reporting the crime. However, he neglected his post for many years, indirectly allowing Lü Qingjian and the others to plot their rebellion."
"Therefore, he has been demoted to a slave and has already been purchased by Wei State Duke Mo Yunxuan."
"You... I... This..."
Seeing Mo Yunxuan's shameless declaration, Ji Ruxue was left gaping, unable to process it for a moment.
"Your Majesty, what do you think of my judgment? Quite fair, isn't it?"
Mo Yunxuan lifted his chin, looking immensely pleased with himself.
That was the last straw for Ji Ruxue. She struggled to keep her composure and pointed toward the door.
"I have nothing else for you. Duke of Wei, you'd better hurry back to your mansion."
But Mo Yunxuan hadn't come today to chat with Ji Ruxue.
He had come to take his little pet back.
"Your Majesty, about Qing Li... what do you say?"
That was enough to finally make Ji Ruxue lose it. She snapped, "Get out!"
Mo Yunxuan cupped his hands in farewell. Before leaving, he went over to the corner, took Qing Li's little hand, and hurried out with her.
Qing Li glanced at the Empress with concern, but didn't pull away. She followed him out.
However, Ji Ruxue knew that Mo Yunxuan hadn't mentioned who would be sent to seize the guilty parties' property because he was giving her a choice.
She could choose to keep pressing the matter, in which case the Wei State Duke Mansion would immediately set out to seize their property.
Or she could turn a blind eye and let the matter pass.
By nature, she didn't want to just let it go.
With a treacherous minister like him, who wanted to spend the night on the Dragon Bed, she could hardly feel at ease as Empress!
But Mo Yunxuan's cultivation had inexplicably risen to the same realm as hers. She had no confidence that she could keep him there.
Only if several ancestors from deep within the Imperial Palace emerged and joined forces with her would they have a chance of crushing Mo Yunxuan completely.
But unless the Imperial Dynasty faced a grave crisis, those ancestors would never emerge.
The Lin Fan incident was no great matter in the ancestors' eyes.
Even if she summoned them, once they had seen what happened, they might even praise Mo Yunxuan's actions!
Then she would not only fail to suppress him, but would also be furious herself. It simply wasn't worth it!
So, to keep her losses from growing and to protect her health, she had no choice but to swallow her anger.
Still, watching the two of them leave, she couldn't quite contain her frustration and slammed her hand down on the desk.
The emotions within her took a long time to settle.
Just then, a man dressed as a eunuch stepped out and said respectfully:
"Why must Your Majesty be so angry? In another month or two, you'll be able to cultivate to the Body Integration Realm Mid Stage."
"By then, even if the Wei State Duke Mansion has three great cultivators at the Body Integration Realm Early Stage, what will it matter? You'll be able to handle them with ease."
A trace of irritation flashed in Ji Ruxue's eyes at his words.
If it weren't for this eunuch's clever scheme, perhaps her conversation with Mo Yunxuan today would have gone quite well.
It was all because of this damned eunuch that things had ended on such bad terms.
But this man seemed to have the Imperial Consort Dowager's backing, so she couldn't simply get rid of him.
Thus, she said flatly, "Wang Hai, you have nothing to do here. You may leave."
Seeing the Empress's cold expression, Wang Hai respectfully took his leave.
Once he turned around at the doorway, his expression stiffened, and he silently seethed.
"Bitch, putting on that icy act, are you? Just you wait!"
"Once I get you into bed, let's see if you can still keep up that cold act."
His Golden Core Realm cultivation was simply too low. He had no idea that the lust and malice he was making no effort to conceal could easily be sensed by Ji Ruxue, who was just a few steps away.
Ji Ruxue sent a voice transmission to Hong Yu, who had remained silent ever since entering the room.
"Hong Yu, send someone to keep an eye on Wang Hai. I want a detailed report on him."
"I want to see just what he's relying on to dare set his sights on me."
Meanwhile, Mo Yunxuan had just left the Imperial Study. After running a short distance, he stopped.
In the long corridor, Mo Yunxuan held Qing Li's hand as they strolled leisurely.
Qing Li kept her head lowered, not saying a word as she followed close beside him.
The two of them gradually settled into an oddly peaceful calm. For a moment, it felt as though the years had passed in quiet contentment.
Suddenly, a wave of malice came from behind. Mo Yunxuan swept his divine sense over his shoulder.
He spotted a eunuch glaring viciously at him and furrowed his brow.
He couldn't quite understand when he'd ever offended a eunuch.
Was it the fault of his predecessor?
Noticing that he wasn't toying with her hand, Qing Li looked up at Mo Yunxuan and saw his furrowed brow.
She hurried over in front of him and asked calmly, "What's wrong?"
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