Kapitel 17: Chapter 6 Is This Case Okay? (3/3)
Ren endured for three long months, each day sharpening his resolve. He fought for seven days straight in prison, was thrown into a small black room twice, sent to the infirmary three times, and once even had to visit the hospital. Then, after being transferred to another prison, a chilling silence enveloped him. From that moment, no one in the detention center dared to lay a finger on him.
When someone demands too much from you, make them pay the price!
They cannot simply plunder and oppress you. Every move they make must come with a cost.
"Brush!"
In an instant, Ren Ye rose, his presence commanding the room.
"Your Highness, if Liu Jishan is returned to Kyoto for trial, we can also renegotiate the case of Wang Jingzhong…" One of the officials, seeing Ren's sudden movement, thought he had softened and began to speak.
"Stomp!"
Ren's gaze never wavered as he strode forward. His steps rang out—four quick strides, down the nine steps, and toward the hall's gate. He reached a guard and swiftly yanked a steel knife from the man's waist. The blade gleamed coldly in the light.
The princess remained unmoved, her head still lowered. But the moment the sword was drawn, a glint flickered in her eyes.
The palace officials froze, stunned by Ren Ye's audacity.
"Stomp!"
The sound of hurried footsteps filled the air. Ren Ye reached Liu Jishan, the man who lay broken at his feet. Trembling, Liu Jishan slowly lifted his gaze. "P-Palace… Your Highness…"
Ren's eyes were icy as he looked down at him. "Did you hear Xue'er's accusations? In the first year of Emperor Jing, you fornic—" His voice cut through the air like a blade, "—with the southern Xinjiang. If we dig into this, you'll be buried under a mountain of crimes."
Liu Jishan's body went rigid, terror flashing across his face.
Ren's blade hovered just above him, a threat in every movement. "Listen well, if you move, I'll hold you accountable. Don't test me."
"Your Highness!" Li Yan finally couldn't contain himself, shouting in desperation.
"Poof!"
The sound of steel cutting through flesh echoed as Ren swung the guard's knife, slashing across Liu Jishan's cheek.
"AHHH!" Liu Jishan screamed, his voice raw with agony, his hands flying to his face as blood poured from the wound.
"Poof!"
Another slash, cruel and swift. Liu Jishan's hands, now covered in blood, flew off, the fingertips severed, leaving behind a gruesome scene.
"Did you hear me, Liu Jishan?" Ren's roar was a thunderclap, his fury unleashed. "You can't move! You WILL die if you don't listen!"
Liu Jishan rolled helplessly on the ground, his body convulsing with pain, his thoughts frozen in terror. His brain screamed to move, to escape, but his limbs betrayed him. The thought of running was paralyzed by the belief that the princess would turn on him.
"Poof!"
Another brutal strike—Ren's blade sank deep into Liu Jishan's back, the steel slicing through flesh and bone. Blood spurted in a fountain, staining the ground beneath him.
Liu Jishan's survival instincts kicked in, but his body remained rigid with fear. "Your Highness, spare me… Please, spare me…"
"Poof!"
Ren's voice was like ice, "You sit there like a fool, and you think you were unprepared?!" His words cut deeper than the blade, each syllable dripping with contempt.
The officials, once murmuring with nervousness and fury, froze in place. All eyes turned to the princess, as though they were waiting for her signal. The tension in the air was suffocating.
What did Ren Ye's words mean? What was the princess's involvement in this twisted game? Did this entire situation unfold as part of her plot?
A chilling unease settled over the room. The officials, sweat dripping from their foreheads, felt their hearts pounding in their chests. The memories of the princess's ominous words—more than twenty charges against Xue'er—rang in their minds.
Could it be true?
The princess, however, was an enigma. She said nothing, nor did she deny Ren Ye's words. She simply sipped her tea, her demeanor distant, as though she were an outsider watching the carnage unfold before her.
On the cold, stone floor, Liu Jishan's blood mixed with that of Wang Jingzhong, a vile red river flowing through the hall. Severed fingers, hands, and limbs lay scattered across the ground, still warm to the touch.
Ren Ye had slashed at him more than a dozen times. The details blurred in his mind, lost in the haze of his fury. Only when exhaustion weighed heavily on him did he pause, wiping sweat from his brow with the cuff of his sleeve.
"Brush!"
He took in a deep breath, his chest heaving as his gaze swept over the officials. With slow, deliberate steps, he approached the Qingliang Prefect and asked in a voice stripped of emotion: "Are you satisfied with this king's judgment of the case?"
The Qingliang Prefect gritted his teeth, fists clenched at his sides. He glanced at the crumpled form of Liu Jishan, gasping for breath in a pool of his own blood. "Your Highness… You have judged this case like a god."
"Do you have another case to decide?" Ren's voice cut through the air again, demanding an answer.
The prefect, his body trembling, lowered his eyes. "The lower official is weary… I wish to return to rest."
Ren Ye's gaze moved on, the cold blade of authority in his eyes. He turned to the next official, a mere step away, and prodded him with the tip of his knife. "And you? Do you still have a case to decide?"
The official flinched as the blade pierced his skin, blood oozing from his shoulder. His voice quivered as he replied, "I… I have no case to decide, Your Highness."
Ren Ye withdrew his knife with a swift motion, turning to leave the room. "Then let us disperse."
The sound of the knife clattering to the ground echoed through the hall, followed by the sound of Ren Ye's retreating footsteps.
"Brush!"
Princess Xu Qingzhao rose from her seat, a cold, unyielding expression settling on her delicate face. Her sharp gaze swept across the room, lingering on each official. "The Huai Wangfu is here. All of you have your roles to play. But without him, when you return to Kyoto, where will you find a vassal king to monitor your actions? How will you continue to please the emperor, bending the law for your bribes?"
Her words cut through the tension like a blade, and a suffocating silence descended on the room.
"I do not speak often," the princess continued, her voice as cold as ice, "but do not mistake my silence for weakness. Do not deceive yourselves. He is my husband, after all."
With that, she turned and walked toward the side door, her maidservant trailing behind her.
As the princess left the hall, Ren Ye reached for the handkerchief the maidservant offered him. He wiped the blood from his hands, his expression unreadable. "Start by investigating Liu Jishan's entire family. A traitor to the country and the enemy—this is no small matter. He must have accomplices."
His gaze flicked toward the eunuch by his side, signaling him. Without another word, Ren Ye followed after Xu Qingzhao.
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
-- Power-
Rangliste 
-- Power-
Stein