Chapter 819: Master and Servant
Dazzlingly red fresh blood spurted out from the bases of the severed middle finger, ring finger, and little finger.
The emperor, Li Yunzheng, had never wielded a real blade before. Everything in the palace was under someone’s control, after all. Throughout his life, for more than a decade, he was no different from a puppet. If it were not for w.a.n.g s.h.i.+zhong, he would not even have the opportunity to touch one. He did not even have the chance to kill himself, let alone having access to these killing tools. Moreover, it had always been peaceful in the palace.
At this moment, Li Yunzheng’s body was trembling. A hint of terror could be seen in his eyes as terror rose in his heart. He had thought about this countless times in his mind, often with much more tragic outcomes. He had fantasized about beheading Eunuch Gao and kicking his severed head like a ball. He could almost feel the satisfaction from it. However, now that he managed to hurt Eunuch Gao, he was fl.u.s.tered. At the same time, several consequences appeared in his head.
‘What should I do?!’ Li Yunzheng took a step back absentmindedly.
Gao s.h.i.+yuan merely cried out briefly when his fingers were severed before he quickly pressed down on his wounds. Hatred and killing intent flashed in his eyes as he pursed his lips. He really wanted to smash Li Yunzheng’s head with a palm strike. Alas, he knew that was impossible. Even if Li Yunzheng was just a puppet emperor, there were many powerful supporters behind this puppet.
w.a.n.g s.h.i.+zhong was aware of this fact as well. Apart from a slight hint of shock in the eyes, his expressions did not betray his emotions.
At the end of the day, Gao s.h.i.+yuan was only a eunuch. Apart from being able to control some people in the palace, he did not have much value. Moreover, even if he died, it would not be difficult to find a replacement.
Gao s.h.i.+yuan was aware that he was not irreplaceable as well. Since he could retaliate, he could only… endure! He had to endure. After a brief moment, he wiped away the sweat on his face before he fell to his knees and said through gritted teeth, “I have committed a mistake! Please stay your anger, Your Majesty!”
Li Yunzheng. “…”
Li Yunzheng did not expect Gao s.h.i.+yuan would be able to endure this even after losing three fingers.
On the other hand, w.a.n.g s.h.i.+zhong and the others were not surprised.
When w.a.n.g s.h.i.+zhong turned to look at Lu Zhou, he discovered Lu Zhou was calm. He could not help but wonder what was the source of the old man’s confidence. The old man was even bold enough to challenge the Great Tang’s royal court.
When Li Yunzheng finally snapped out of his stupor, he suddenly realized he was not as weak as he had imagined. The saber, the blood, the severed fingers… He no longer found them repulsive. Instead, he felt as though a weight had been removed from his chest.
Meanwhile, the eunuchs and palace girls fell to their knees when they regained their senses.
“Please stay your anger, Your Majesty!”
This was the first time Li Yunzheng felt as though he was being accorded the respect befitting an emperor.
‘Is this what the ancient teachers meant in the books?’ For Li Yunzheng, who never thought much about martial strength before, it was as though realization had just dawned on him.
Lu Zhou nodded, pleased. “Did you do your best?”
Li Yunzheng shoved his complicated thoughts aside for the moment and said, “I-I did…”
“No, you didn’t.” Lu Zhou slowly rose to his feet before he placed his hands on his back. Then, he looked at Li Yunzheng and said in a firm and forceful tone, “Think about my question again. There’s no need to rush. Take your time.”
Li Yunzheng felt slightly nervous and scared when he was asked the same question. He looked at kneeling Gao s.h.i.+yuan and discovered he had no sympathy for the eunuch. This was the very eunuch who made his life in the palace miserable, after all. Then, he s.h.i.+fted his gaze to the palace girls and other eunuchs who seemed meek and helpless at this moment. To outsiders, these servants truly seemed pitiful. However, he alone knew how fake and treacherous they were. If the circ.u.mstances allowed it, he had no doubt they would rise to their feet and continue to mock him.
While Li Yunzheng was lost in his thoughts, w.a.n.g s.h.i.+zhong said tonelessly, “Your Majesty, the sun and moon can stand witness to Eunuch Gao’s loyalty. Since he has lost three fingers, and considering his many years of service to you, won’t you pity him and forgive him? At the very least, he deserves credit for all his efforts…”
Li Yunzheng turned to look at w.a.n.g s.h.i.+zhong and asked, “Who will pity me then?”
“Your Majesty, are you saying there are other sins that Eunuch Gao has committed that we don’t know about?” w.a.n.g s.h.i.+zhong wondered.
“You know what I’m talking about.”
“I thought… that we should give Eunuch Gao a chance to defend himself,” w.a.n.g s.h.i.+zhong said.
Gao s.h.i.+yuan hastily said, “I have no complaint if His Majesty intends to punish me for my sins, but as a monarch, the punishment must fit the crime!”
When Li Yunzheng heard w.a.n.g s.h.i.+zhong’s words that seemed to side with Gao s.h.i.+yuan, flames of fury that burned away his fear and uncertainties rose in his heart. He inhaled deeply. As the ruler of an empire, he had to conduct himself in a suitable manner. Then, he asked with a cold gaze and a calm heart, “Gao s.h.i.+yuan, you’re well-versed in the laws of Great Tang. Tell me, what should your punishment be?”
Gao s.h.i.+yuan. “…”
“Disrespect is one of the Ten Abominations. How should you be punished? For l.u.s.ting over silver, abusing the law, and unlawful killing of palace girls and eunuchs… What do you think the punishment should be like? You seem to think you have the right to do what you did earlier… The empire has its laws, and you have no right to kill people of the palace as you please. Answer me,” Li Yunzheng asked three questions consecutively, clearly confident.
Gao s.h.i.+yuan frowned. He blurted, “You…”
“You?” Li Yunzheng mustered up his courage and moved to stand in front of Gao s.h.i.+yuan. “You dare to address your emperor in such a manner? Do you want to kill your emperor”
“…”
w.a.n.g s.h.i.+zhong, w.a.n.g Shu, the soldiers, the Sky Martial Court disciples, the eunuchs, and the palace girls seemed baffled by Li Yunzheng.
‘The young emperor has lost it today!’
Even if Gao s.h.i.+yuan was given all the courage in the world, he would not dare kill the emperor, at least not openly.
Li Yunzheng stepped forward and looked down at Gao s.h.i.+yuan, forcing Gao s.h.i.+yuan back.
Colors drained from Gao s.h.i.+yuan’s face as he fell to the ground.
At this moment, Li Yunzheng realized he was much more powerful than he had imagined. This bolstered his confidence more. He said in a low voice, “I shall sentence you to death. Will you accept this?”
“Enough!” Gao s.h.i.+yuan snapped suddenly in his sharp voice as he narrowed his voice. His voice was br.i.m.m.i.n.g with contempt and fury. “Are you going to kill me, Your Majesty?”
“Are you going to revolt?” Li Yunzheng did not back down.
“I have no such intentions, but I can’t accept this!” Gao s.h.i.+yuan raised his hand that only had two fingers left after he tore a strip of cloth off his s.h.i.+rt and bound his hand. Then, he slowly rose to his feet before he said, “Your Majesty, I’m not afraid of death. However, if I die, I’m afraid chaos will descend on the palace. At that time, I’m sure there will be casualties as well.”
Lu Zhou clapped his hands when Gao s.h.i.+yuan finished speaking. He interjected, “It seems like Great Tang, servants are bold enough to threaten their emperor. My horizons have widened today…”
Gao s.h.i.+yuan retorted, “This is a matter of the palace. It has nothing to do with you.”
“The master and the servant each have their own place. As the servant, you can’t even fulfill your own duty, and you even dare to behave audaciously?” Lu Zhou asked.
“Even so, I won’t allow myself to be questioned by outsiders,” Gao s.h.i.+yuan said.
Lu Zhou stepped forward and moved to Li Yunzheng’s side. He said in a calm and stern tone, “How am I an outsider when this matter concerns my grand disciple?”
“Grand disciple?”
Gao s.h.i.+yuan and the others were shocked.
Even Li Yunzheng seemed confused.
w.a.n.g s.h.i.+zhong scowled. He reacted quickly and slammed the table.
Smack!
“Gao s.h.i.+yuan, for your impudent acts of revolting, His Majesty has sentenced you to death, and yet, you dare quibble?” w.a.n.g s.h.i.+zhong said loudly, shocking the others.
“Lord w.a.n.g, what are you…” Gao s.h.i.+yuan was perplexed.
“The ruler and the subjects have their own places. How dare you threaten His Majesty when you can’t even fulfill your duties?” w.a.n.g s.h.i.+zhong bowed. “I request for Gao s.h.i.+yuan to be executed to serve as an example to the others.”
“How dare you?!” Gao s.h.i.+yuan widened his eyes as he staggered back. At the same time, he erected his protective energy around himself.
At this moment, Li Yunzheng said expressionlessly, “Cut him down.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
w.a.n.g s.h.i.+zhong moved swiftly with his grand technique and appeared before Gao s.h.i.+yuan. His palm struck Gao s.h.i.+yuan’s chest like a blast of lightning.
Bam!
Gao s.h.i.+yuan reeled back and grunted before he spat out a mouthful of blood.
w.a.n.g s.h.i.+zhong pushed away from the ground and appeared at lightning speed above Gao s.h.i.+yuan. Energy formed under his feet before he stomped on Gao s.h.i.+yuan’s chest.
Boom!
Gao s.h.i.+yuan crashed onto the cloud platform, causing the floor to crack. From the beginning until now, he did not even have a chance to manifest his avatar. He was utterly suppressed by w.a.n.g s.h.i.+zhong’s speed. Just like that, he stopped breathing. His eyes were still open in death, and his chest had caved in.
Everyone was shocked by the sudden turn of events that they temporarily forgot the matter about Li Yunzheng being Lu Zhou’s grand disciple.
After w.a.n.g s.h.i.+zhong moved away from Gao s.h.i.+yuan’s corpse, he bowed again and said, “Your Majesty, these eunuchs and palace girls should be executed as well. Revolting against the monarch is a grave crime. We can’t let them off so lightly.”
“Execute them,” Li Yunzheng coldly said before he turned away.
“Bring them up to the flying chariot and execute them,” w.a.n.g s.h.i.+zhong ordered.
“Understood.”
The soldiers carried the eunuchs and palace girls back to the flying chariot.
“Have mercy, Your Majesty!”
Mercy? Some people were not worthy of mercy, especially when they were weak but still dared to act audaciously.
w.a.n.g s.h.i.+zhong faced Li Yunzheng and said, “Your Majesty, I have carried out your orders and executed them.”
“Well done.” Li Yunzheng felt much better now.
w.a.n.g s.h.i.+zhong returned to his seat.
Neigh!
At this moment, a neigh rang from one of the distant mountains.
Yu Shangrong looked in the direction of the noise before he said to his master, “I think Ji Liang is exhausted. Moreover, it seems to be behaving abnormally today. I should go and check on it.”
Before Lu Zhou could respond to Yu Shangrong, w.a.n.g Shu, who was seated next to w.a.n.g s.h.i.+zhong, said, “Father, it’s my horse! It is my horse!”
‘Hm?’ Yu Shangrong who had already risen to his feet abruptly came to a stop when he heard these words. He turned to look at w.a.n.g Shu and said, “Your horse?”