Entering the Palace to Plead Guilty (2)

"Chunzhi..."

In the bedchamber of Yaohua Hall, the unconscious figure on the bed suddenly stirred, murmuring softly in a hoarse voice.

Chunzhi, who had remained by the bedside, jolted awake. She first looked around. The imperial physicians were all waiting in the outer chamber, while only she and Qiuwen were in the inner chamber. No one had noticed that Di Qingyu had woken.

"Your Highness."

Chunzhi rose and quietly knelt by the bed.

Di Qingyu, who had lain in bed for a long time, asked softly, her gaze gradually clearing and sharpening.

"How are things now?"

Chunzhi spoke as quickly as she could. "Zhu Wuyang was stabbed in the back. Your injuries made you cough up blood, and His Majesty was furious. Du Chengji, the minister of punishments, has now brought his son Du Yutao into the palace to plead guilty. His Majesty has gone to see them."

Di Qingyu, who appeared to have spent the entire night unconscious and injured, remained calm. "The medicine that drives people into a rage should have worn off by now, shouldn't it?"

Even someone as brainless as Du Yutao would not have been provoked so easily by her. So when she first met him, she had concealed a medicinal powder specially made by Qiuwen on her person. When it came into contact with alcohol, it would send a person into an irrational rage.

Qiuwen, who was versed in medicine, spoke up. "Your Highness, the powder evaporates very easily and only takes effect when combined with the alcohol in Du Yutao's body. Now that he's sober, no matter how they investigate, they won't find it."

Di Qingyu nodded slightly. She had not expected Du Chengji to react so quickly and bring his son into the palace to plead guilty first. But it did not matter. She had been injured and coughed up blood, and Du Yutao's offense against a princess was already carved in wood.

She curled her lips in a soft chuckle and said meaningfully, "Is Du Yutao the only one with a father? Zhu Wuyang was injured too, and that stab wound was no small matter. Is there a kind soul who could notify General Zhu?"

General Zhu, with his fiery temper, was famous for protecting his own, and Father Emperor favored the general's residence. Her deliberate opening to let Zhu Wuyang take a stab for her, and her deliberate effort to drag the general's residence into this, had not been in vain.

At those words, Chunzhi froze for a moment before understanding the very next second.

"Yes. I'll send someone to inform General Zhu of Zhu Wuyang's injury at once."

"Be quick. Make sure Du Chengji and General Zhu run into each other," Di Qingyu instructed.

"Yes." Chunzhi withdrew.

Qiuwen took Di Qingyu's pulse, then took a pill from a small porcelain bottle at her waist and fed it to her. Frowning, she said worriedly, "Your Highness, the medicine that brought on your attack was still a little too potent. I'm afraid you'll have to rest and recuperate carefully for some time again."

To cough up blood and fall ill at just the right moment, Di Qingyu had of course obtained the medicine beforehand and calculated the timing, waiting for Zhu Wuyang to come play the hero and save the beauty. She had deliberately left an opening so he would be injured saving her, drawing the general's residence into the situation she had set up against Du Chengji.

Di Qingyu did not care. "It's fine. It's not as though I drink little medicine normally. This also clears me of suspicion."

Faking an attack and coughing up blood would only make her seem suspicious. Only the real thing was foolproof. Besides, the medicine had merely made her cough up blood. Her health had always been poor, and no matter how the imperial physicians examined her, that was what they would find.

"Where's Zhu Wuyang?" Suddenly, the scene just before she had pretended to lose consciousness flashed through Di Qingyu's mind: Zhu Wuyang taking a stab for her.

Qiuwen said, "Guard Zhu is seriously injured. The imperial physicians have removed the blade from his back and applied medicine. He has a slight fever and is lying in a side chamber."

Di Qingyu's gaze faltered. She pondered for a moment with a grave expression, then closed her eyes.

"Give him a bottle of the ointment you developed before."

The ointment could make wounds heal quickly, but its ingredients were scarce. Qiuwen had spent three months refining just two bottles.

Qiuwen was astonished. "Your Highness, I prepared that ointment for you. Wouldn't it be a waste to give it to Zhu Wuyang?"

Di Qingyu, however, was quite willing to part with it. "If I tell you to give it to him, do it. I owe him this."

She understood Zhu Wuyang's character and had calculated that he would faithfully perform his duty and obey his orders to protect her by saving her. That was how she had managed to get him injured and drag the general's residence into these muddy waters.

"...Yes."

Hearing that, Qiuwen dared not say anything more and could only lower her head in assent.

Outside Xuanzheng Hall.

A middle-aged man in a deep blue official robe knelt at the front with his eyes closed. His expression was solemn, with a hint of fierceness; he had somewhat rugged features and dark skin. This was Du Chengji, the former governor of Yu Prefecture and the newly appointed minister of punishments.

Kneeling diagonally behind him was Du Yutao, covering his eye as blood seeped through his fingers. He wore only a white underrobe, marked with bloody welts from a whipping, and was barely clinging to life.

He too was kneeling. Compared to his arrogant and overbearing conduct in his earlier rage, he was now sober, frightened half to death, and did not dare make a sound.

No one knew how long the two had knelt. As night deepened, a young eunuch finally came to announce a summons.

"Lord Du, His Majesty summons you and your son inside."

Only then did Du Chengji slowly open his eyes. His extremely cloudy eyes were cold as he rose without a word and glanced back at Du Yutao.

"Tell His Majesty everything honestly in a moment. No quibbling."

Du Yutao, who had been whipped half to death, nodded fearfully. "...Father, I understand."

The two entered Xuanzheng Hall. The hall was utterly silent, and in the distance they could see a bright yellow figure seated on the dragon throne. Their footsteps rang out distinctly.

When they reached the center of the hall, Du Chengji swept up the hem of his robe and knelt directly on the gleaming floor.

"Du Chengji, minister of punishments, pays his respects to Your Majesty. Long live Your Majesty, ten thousand years, ten thousand times ten thousand years."

"Your common subject Du Yutao pays his respects to Your Majesty. Long live Your Majesty, ten thousand years, ten thousand times ten thousand years."

The two knelt with their foreheads pressed to the floor, waiting for the emperor's response.

"..."

Yet as they knelt, no voice came from the emperor above them. The longer it went on, the colder and more oppressive the atmosphere in the hall became. Du Chengji frowned deeply with his head bowed, knowing that this time they had caused a great disaster.

Without the emperor's permission, neither dared rise, so they remained kneeling.

Finally, after about five minutes, a deep, resonant voice reached them from above.

"Both of you, rise." No emotion could be discerned in Di Yunqian's voice.

"Yes. Thank you, Your Majesty."

Du Chengji and Du Yutao stood, and Du Chengji stepped forward and spoke first.

"Your Majesty, I have brought my unworthy son here to plead guilty. There were many misunderstandings in what happened tonight, but my unworthy son did injure the princess by mistake. Wrong is wrong. He is willing to accept punishment, and I beg Your Majesty to sentence him. Otherwise, my conscience will not be at ease, and I will have failed Your Majesty's gracious favor."

"Your Majesty, I deserve death. I injured the Sixth Princess by mistake, and I am willing to atone with my life."

Du Yutao also immediately knelt, showing good sense. Trembling, he lowered his hand, revealing the scabbed-over eye that Di Qingyu had blinded.

Both men had chosen their words with great skill. Di Yunqian listened to them repeat "misunderstanding" and "injured by mistake," then looked at Du Yutao, whose eye had not been bandaged at all and whose body was covered in whip marks. He saw through Du Chengji's intentions at a glance.

Wasn't he just trying to make a pitiful display and let the emperor know that Du Yutao had been injured by Di Qingyu, so that he would spare Du Yutao the death penalty and give him a lighter punishment?

"Oh, a misunderstanding..." Di Yunqian's tone was inscrutable. "So Qingyu is now unconscious after coughing up blood, and Zhu Wuyang was stabbed in the back because someone held a blade to your fine son's neck and made him do it?"

There was clearly a trace of anger in those words.

Du Chengji hurriedly raised a hand and explained, "Please calm your anger, Your Majesty. For the harm my unworthy son inflicted on the Sixth Princess, even being torn apart by five horses would not absolve him of blame. But I truly do not wish this matter to damage Your Majesty's gracious favor toward my Du family, so I want to explain it clearly. However Your Majesty chooses to deal with my unworthy son, I shall have no complaints."

Di Yunqian sat silently on his elevated seat. Narrowing his eyes, he turned to look at Du Yutao kneeling below. One of his eyes had indeed been wounded by Qingyu, just as Zhu Wuyang had said.

And judging by the whip wounds on his body, Du Chengji had not held back.

"Very well. You tell me, then. Where did this misunderstanding come from? If you dare deceive me with a single word, I will have you dragged out and executed at once."

These words were clearly directed at Du Yutao.