Gao Lang was anxious to immediately kill Qi Xiujie, but the imperial edicts stated that he should be executed the next day, if he killed him early, he'd be charged with non-compliance. But yesterday, he deliberately went to the prison and told the prison official that Qi Xiujie should be killed early tomorrow morning. The prison official knew the height of his position, so they didn't dare disobey.
The next morning, when the sun had yet to rise, the prison official made the two executioners bring Zhou Yun Sheng to the execution gate.
"The day has not yet brightened, the yang sheng [yang gas, the positive part of yin & yang] is less than the yin sheng [yin gas, the negative part of yin & yang]. If you two do the execution at this time, when I go to the spring [afterlife], I will come back to interfere with you two." Zhou Yun Sheng kneeled on the slab but wasn't panicked.
The reason the ancients beheaded at noon to three was because the yang sheng was strong, when the prisoners turned into devils at that time, their spirit would be scattered by the yang and they would not be able to retaliate against the executioners. Currently, the sun was down and the temperature was cold, the atmosphere was inexplicably gloomy.
The ancients believed in these spirits, they really feared that killing him at this time will attract a devil, so the two executioners glanced at each other and decided to wait till the sun rose.
Zhou Yun Sheng looked up to the sky, it was quickly brightening. Li Jin Tian had rough dreams, he should now be awake. Yes, those two dreams were an illusion implanted in Li Jin Tian's brain by him. Gao Min was a straight-laced, blunt person; rebellion, adultery, betrayal and other scandals were against his nature.
But what about it? Gao Lang had murdered hundreds of his family members, and Gao Min also secretly poisoned Qi Xiujie, destroying his body. Qi Xiujie had such deep hatred for Gao Jia that could only be satisfied by equal destruction. Zhou Yun Sheng has always said that if the protagonist didn't provoke him, he wouldn't take the initiative to provoke them, but if the protagonist attacked him, he could only pay them back a hundredfold.
Not only will he not die by Gao Jia's hands- Li Jin Tian, Gao Min, and their son, the future Emperor, Li Xu Yan, will all be ruined by his hands. Since he's occupying Qi Xiujie's body, he will achieve Qi Xiujie's wishes perfectly.
Zhou Yun Sheng was lazy, he enjoyed slacking, but he was very professional and dedicated when it came to perusing revenge.
The sun slowly rose and broke through the clouds, the two executioners saw the hour and opened the jar of liquor, then drenched the blade in it. They raised it up high….
"Wait! Wait! Hold the knife!" An anxious voice stopped the steel knife in the nick of time, the two executioners turned to look at the voice's owner and kneeled down, trembling.
"Slave see the Emperor, the Emperor, long live, long live!"
"Get away, it's not yet the time, who told you to execute?" Li Jin Tian was furious, he kicked at the two people on the ground.
"Please Emperor, this was Lord Gao Lang's order, we slaves had no say!" The executioner kowtowed.
Gao Lang? Li Jin's face sank for a moment, he was getting an ominous feeling. If they could even openly defy his orders, what else could Gao Jia do? Qi Jia was known as the most prestigious family in Da Yanguo before they were uprooted, yet Qi home was always cautious and respectful in front of him. Gao Lang was not nearly as humble as they were.
Not to mention the way Gao Min treated him. When he's happy, he'd maybe give him two nice sentences, when he's unhappy, he'd directly drive him away. He never gave him the respect the Emperor should have.
Too much favor is really not a good thing, now, Gao Jia basically had more power that the royal family. And Gao Min and Huang Di…. are they really having an affair? When did they start?
Li Jin Tian was really disturbed by that dream, but after three years of being together, his feelings for Gao Min had morphed from gratefulness into true, deep love, it was difficult for him to give up on him.
He decided to observe for a while, it was just a dream, his suspicions were unwarranted. As he comforted himself, he let the attendants free Qi Xiujie.
Zhou Yun Sheng kneeled on the stand and bowed his head, "Thank you, Emperor, for being lenient on this villain, when villain isn't worthy of this mercy. The Qi family was loyal to the Emperor and the country, my father was especially loyal, but the Emperor killed him. I do not know why we fell to this end…But since even my loyal father was killed, I knew that I would have to die. I didn't expect to obtain pardon. Villain now only has one wish, please Emperor, can you listen."
His eyes were sad, but he showed no resentment, even while wearing bloodstained prison clothes, his noble grace was not demised, his noble pride remained. Seeing Qi Xiujie like this reminded the Emperor of the dream, where Qi Xiujie had suffered in Xuan Wang's harem but never gave in. Li Jin Tian heated up in guilt, he looked away and numbly asked, "What wish do you have?"
That dream was too real, his nerves were too strained.
"Villain just wants to ask, what did villain's family do wrong to displease the Emperor? Also, please let villain die with his family." After he said this, Zhou Yun Sheng forcefully knocked his head on the ground, then straightened and looked directly at the Emperor's eyes, a taboo.
Li Jin Tian was asked this difficult question and didn't answer for a long time. Qi home had always been very cautious and respectful, the tribe was very strictly controlled. If he had not experienced the first world, Li Jin Tian would've never doubted their loyalty. When he was reborn, he was deeply angered and made Gao Lang and Li Wang lay hundreds of unwarranted charges on Qi home.
Now that Qi Xiujie asked him for a clear reason, he really couldn't say anything. That dream once again surfaced in his mind, causing his already guilty heart to severely shake.
If after he died the first time, Qi family had really stayed loyal to him and even protected his last descendant, then didn't he murder all his most loyal servants? Li Wang had brought him out of the palace to safety, but he was holding Gao Min's hand, and when they were killed, Li Wang's gaze never left Gao Min's face. Did they have an affair in the first world?
When he was reborn, he had a lot of trust in Gao Jia and gave Li Wang the highest power. Under Gao Min's suggestion, he also prematurely destroyed the Qi family and the other betraying families. Now, Gao Lang, Li Wang, and Gao Min were all highly respected, they could even subvert his imperial power, and he'd lost Qi family and the other families' support. If they rebelled, he had no power to fight back.
Thinking of this, Li Jin Tian broke out in cold sweat, his legs trembled and he almost staggered.
"Take Qi Gui Jun [Noble Monarch, the Ger version of Imperial Concubine] back to the Zi Chen Palace," He opened, his tone weak. When he saw that the attendants' picking up action was very rude, he quickly added, "Call the doctor and immediately send him to the Zi Chen Palace, tell him to wait diligently on him." Then he hid his face and left, afraid to look at Qi Xiujie's blood stained clothes.
——————-
Zhou Yun Sheng soaked in the bath, using the hot water to cover his stinging wounds. This body seemed broken, but the inside was strong, in a few days he will be able to fully recover.
Under Li Jin Tian's instructions, the doctor didn't neglect him. After taking his pulse, he gave him a clear prescription and sent people to prepare it. Zi Chen Palace had originally belonged to Qi Xiujie, the furnishings were very luxurious, but because of his family's collapse, it was abandoned. Qi Xiujie's confidant had also been executed and the rest of the servants had escaped, leaving only a few maids.
The breeze shifted the curtains, making the huge palace look lonelier. Zhou Yun Sheng warped and dried his wet hair, reclined on a soft couch near the window, and stared at the rising sun. He let out a cheerful chuckle.
Li Jin Tian had pardoned Qi Xiujie, Gao Lang and Gao Min will inevitably feel dissatisfied by this. If Li Jin Tian was his normal self, he would do anything to appease them, but now, his suspicions were rising. The more the two protested his decision, the more Li Jin Tian will resent them.
But this will not stop them, in the future, Gao Min will be more involved in politics, he'll want to crusade the battlefield and make decisions for the government. In the original story, Li Jin Tian easily gave in to all his requests, he even vigorously supported him, but now, each request will only increase Li Jin Tian's suspicions.
Once the seeds of doubt are planted, it's difficult to overcome them.
Zhou Yun Sheng planned to just sit on the sidelines and watch them destroy each other, there was no need to dirty his own hands. Of course, in order to complete this story, he'd need to cultivate the next Da Yanguo Emperor. He was very lazy, after completing Qi Xiujie's wish, he wanted to travel around the world, he had no interest in being trapped on the Emperor's throne. The Emperor needed to get up earlier than the roosters and sleep later than the dogs, he was also continuously monitored by the courtiers, he had no real freedom.
Also, he needed to find his lost love, so he wanted the freedom to search around. I wonder who he is this time?
Thinking of this, Zhou Yun Sheng stroked his chin and smiled gently.
————-
In the Imperial Court, Gao Lang continuously questioned Li Jin Tian's decision to let Qi Xiujie go in front of the other courtiers. He repeatedly stressed that Qi Xiujie was a tiger, and pressured him to change his mind. The other ministers were incited by him and backed up his demands, even Li Wang also pressured Li Jin Tian to change his mind.
For the first time, Li Jin Tian felt the strong influence Gao Lang and Li Wang had over his own palace. The seeds of doubt rooted even deeper and started growing into towering trees. He dismissed Gao Lang's execution demands and closed the court.
He went back to the Yang Xin Temple. Gao Min was waiting inside, he was reading the memorials [A memorial to the throne was an official communication to the Emperor of China. They were generally a formal affair directed by government officials], sometimes stopping to take notes with the imperial brush, he sat at the imperial desk, and a familiar smelling tea was brewing, it was the imperial tea.
This casual use of the imperial provisions made Li Jin Tian's pupil drastically contract, but then he remembered how Gao Min had used his own body to protect him from the arrows and how he'd embraced him in death. This person was willing to accompany him to the spring- that kind of loyal friendship couldn't be dismissed. It was just a dream, how could a dream predict the future? Gao Min and Li Wang never showed excessive interest in each other, how could they be having an affair?
After repeatedly reassuring himself, Li Jin Tian finally calmed down, he slowly walked over to embrace Gao Min.
But Gao Min pushed him away and coldly opened, "You pardoned Qi Xiujie?"
Li Jin Tian didn't respond.
Gao Min continued, "Did you forget how he betrayed you with Xuan Wang? After you've already killed his whole family? Why are you trying to keep a pet tiger?"
"How can he take revenge? He's the only one left in his family, and his body was poisoned by you, so he can't even have any children. Where can he get the means to seek revenge?" Li Jin Tian tiredly rubbed his eyes and sighed, "He can't do anything, let him go."
He stopped himself from thinking about how Qi Xiujie had stayed loyal to him through Xuan Wang's reign. If that dream was true, then he'd personally broken his sharpest sword. He'd also given himself a weakness that anyone could take advantage of. Even though he lived through two lifetimes, that was the stupidest decision he'd ever made.
Listening to Goa Min's constant rebukes, Li Jin Tian felt a great headache.
Gao Min saw his discomfort but didn't care in the slightest, he only sneered and angrily stomped away.
Looking at his retreating back, Li Jin Tian felt a cold chill in his heart.