In that instant,
Minister Lu felt as if a heavy snow had begun to fall outside the imperial court.
He felt terribly wronged.
Never in his wildest dreams,
Did he imagine he would be stabbed with a sword in the middle of court.
No one came to his rescue.
And at this moment,
As the long sword swung, its blade flashing,
Right before the Emperor's eyes.
The Emperor's old heart began to race.
His blood pressure likely shot up to 190, though he knew nothing of hypertension.
After all, there was no way to measure it back then.
Humans often mistake symptoms of illness for signs of love.
Like palpitations, high blood pressure, hormonal imbalances, mental confusion...
It had been many years since the Emperor had seen someone draw a sword so close to him.
The performances he watched used only props.
If anyone dared use a real weapon and was discovered, their entire clan would be executed.
Even when watching executions, he was always far away, and the Emperor had no taste for such things anyway.
Having someone dragged out and dealt with was a matter for his subordinates; he only needed to be informed of the results.
Everyone in the world was playing a game, competing to guess the Emperor's thoughts.
At this moment, not a single person could guess what was on the Emperor's mind.
Seeing Princess Huiyun raise her sword and stab it directly into Minister Lu's body.
The sword's blade reflected the bright candlelight of the great hall as it swung.
It was as if a beam of light had been injected into the Emperor.
Just like the era dominated by Hui Yun.
Everything Princess Huiyun did was full of grace and set trends.
Watching her commit murder in court.
At this moment, the Emperor's thoughts were, surprisingly, also of killing.
He wanted to take up a sword, to act with his own hands.
The court officials all took a uniform step back, creating a large circle of space.
Princess Huiyun showed no regard for martial etiquette.
The civil and military officials would sometimes fight in court too.
But it was always bare-handed - pulling hair, slapping faces, kicking stomachs, tickling armpits. At most, the cunning ones might use a memorial to hit someone.
But they wouldn't dare use too much force. If the memorial was damaged, they'd be charged with the minor crime of destroying public property.
They mainly used hands and feet, their bodies.
When court sessions got heated, it wasn't uncommon to see two officials twisting together like pretzels, rolling around on the ground.
His hand pressed firmly on the bleeding wound.
Minister Lu's eyes bulged in anger as he lay there, looking up at Vice Minister Jiang from below his chin.
Some people look good even from this angle...
"It hurts, it hurts, it hurts..."
It hurt even more than when he was first stabbed. Someone was pressing on his wound, but he couldn't cry out because the same person who was pressing his wound also had a hand on his throat.
At this moment, Jiang Er was pressing hard on his wound and throat. He couldn't make a sound, just wheezing and convulsing.
"Father knows a bit of medicine. Mianmian, don't be afraid. It'll be alright," Jiang Changtian quietly explained to his daughter.
The court officials temporarily ignored Minister Lu.
Before them seemed to unfold an enormous melon patch, with more melons than they could possibly eat.
Everyone was too preoccupied to pay attention to Minister Lu.
Princess Huiyun's words contained too much information.
Don't talk about being a widow and orphan; the Imperial Son-in-law is still alive.
Heir Apparent Han is still around too. Just yesterday, Heir Apparent Han was seen listening to music at a brothel.
If Jiang Er is your son, then who is Heir Apparent Han? Who cuckolded whom?
With such a beautiful wife as the princess, could the Imperial Son-in-law possibly have fathered an heir with someone else?
If Jiang Er really is Princess Huiyun's son, thinking about his experiences, it's too tragic.
Because today's events were a plot targeting Jiang Er.
From childhood, he was said to be unfilial and disloyal, barred from the imperial examinations, accused of rebellion, then recruited, climbing step by step to the capital, each step fraught with danger, finally reaching the imperial court, only to be accused. Minister Lu had prepared seven charges to push down the newly emerged Jiang Er, to crush him completely. This was to be his fate.
Autumn grass meets frost, fish on dry land, unable to escape misfortune. The long night deepens, beneath the abyss lies only more abyss.
This was Jiang Changtian's original destiny.
A life full of obstacles, sorrow, and bitterness.
At this moment, Mianmian, behind Jiang Changtian, covered her eyes with both hands, peeking through her fingers to see that her father's way of pressing the wound was incorrect.
The way her father was pressing wasn't stopping the blood; it was making it flow more.
But surely father was just too nervous and pressing wrong.
Father truly was a kind-hearted person, not at all concerned about appearances.
"Father, do you want me to help press? I'm strong," Mianmian spoke up.
"No need. Although Minister Lu was determined to see me dead, fabricating so many charges against me, I can't stand by and watch him die. It's still a human life. If he dies, it would implicate the princess in wrongdoing. Mother acted impulsively for my sake. Mother has never harmed anyone in her life; I can't let her carry this guilt," Jiang 'Bearer of Crimes' 'Great Filial Son' Changtian said in a voice just loud enough for those nearby to hear.
As he spoke, he pressed harder on Minister Lu's wound. Minister Lu's eyes were about to roll back in his head. Originally, he probably wouldn't have died from this sword wound, given its location.
Now, he wasn't so sure...
He was filled with regret.
If he could do it over again,
He definitely wouldn't have fallen in this direction.
At the very least, he should have fallen farther away from Jiang Er, Minister Lu thought as his body convulsed.
No, if he could do it over, he would never get involved with Jiang Er again, staying as far away as possible.
If he could do it over,
Minister Lu couldn't cry out. He struggled to raise his hand, but no one noticed him. His hand finally fell limply...