A few days later, the emperor's edict arrived. Ge Haipeng, Ge Yixiao, and everyone involved in the affair were sentenced to death by a thousand cuts.
All nine degrees of the Ge Family's kin were also sentenced to be beheaded and put on public display.
The emperor had long since issued an edict forbidding the use and sale of drugs, as well as their use to harm others. Yet the Ge Family had dared to commit these crimes in the teeth of the ban. Wasn't that blatant contempt for imperial authority?
How could the emperor possibly spare them?
This time, the emperor was killing the chicken to frighten the monkeys!
The affair was proclaimed throughout the realm, and the emperor once again ordered that selling drugs, taking them, or using them to harm others was forbidden. Anyone caught would have all nine degrees of their kin exterminated!
Only after the danger had passed did Zhao Nianxi learn that Ge Yixiao was Ge Haipeng's illegitimate son. That bastard had tried to control him with drugs, but his younger sister had discovered it in time.
That was why she had hurriedly sent people to knock him unconscious and bring him home, then forbidden him from going out again.
He had been wrong to blame his sister all this time!
Still, really, why hadn't she told him the truth?
Zhao Nianxi promptly cursed Ge Yixiao's ancestors a thousand times over!
Once the Ge Family affair had been completely resolved, Zhao Nianjun and Zhao Jingheng brought gifts to the Marquis's Residence.
When they saw Song Yaoyao, they thanked her over and over!
Song Yaoyao waved a hand and said,
"It was no more effort than lifting a hand. Don't take it to heart."
As they talked, Song Yaoyao grew increasingly impressed with Zhao