Chapter 322
Chapter 322
Zhu Wenhua asked.
“Are you certain you saw clearly? Was it this woman?”
“I have never seen such a beautiful woman in my entire life, so I could never forget her after seeing her once. I remember clearly. The woman in the portrait is her.”
Zhu Wenhua continued to ask.
“Was there a statue of her in the sacred temple of the State of Qiang?”
“Yes.”
“Did Shen Lang associate closely with her? Was his great victory in the State of Qiang not thanks to her?”
“Yes. Master Shen was very close to her, and he even carried her in his arms in public. They even slept together for several days and nights, appearing utterly intimate.”
Hearing the warrior's words, everyone's gaze turned to Shen Lang. The King even shot him another cold glare. Most of the looks were filled with envy and jealousy. Who hadn't heard the name of the Divine Maiden Xue Yin? Her name had been incredibly famous twenty years ago.
“Then Xue Yin, that woman? Where is she now?”
“She followed Master Shen to the capital, so she must be staying at the Jin Clan's villa.”
*Shen Lang, you dare hide a beauty wanted by the Great Yan Empire in your home? Aren't you audacious?*
Zhu Wenhua said coldly.
“Shen Lang, do you have anything left to say? Xue Yin is the fifth most wanted criminal of the Great Yan Empire. She is someone who conspired to overthrow the Great Yan Dynasty. Anyone who sees her and fails to report it is also a criminal! Those who dare to collude with a wanted criminal will have their nine generations exterminated.”
Then, Zhu Wenhua knelt before the King and kowtowed.
“Your Majesty, I implore you to exterminate Shen Lang's nine generations, capture and interrogate Xue Yin, cripple her martial arts, and hand her over to the Great Yan Empire.”
At that moment, Shen Lang shouted loudly.
“Your Majesty, I've been wronged! I've been wronged!”
Though the many ministers of the court were watching, Zhu Wenhua's expression grew even more sinister.
*Shen Lang, weren't you just swaggering around, full of yourself a short while ago? To think a day like this would come for you. You broke the dam and destroyed my Zhu Clan's century-long enterprise with a flood. Although there's no proof, my father's death is surely related to you. Today, I, Zhu Wenhua, finally get my revenge. Father, are you watching from the heavens? Your son has avenged you.*
Zhu Wenhua kowtowed once more and said.
“Shen Lang has committed a heinous crime. I implore Your Majesty to exterminate his nine generations and immediately arrest the Great Yan Empire's wanted criminal, Xue Yin.”
Shen Lang seemed to completely explode as he charged furiously at Zhu Wenhua.
“Zhu Wenhua, you dare try to harm me, you dare try to harm my aunt...”
Letting out a furious cry, Shen Lang raised his fist and swung it at Zhu Wenhua.
*Thwack!*
His fist landed squarely on Zhu Wenhua's nose, and crimson blood spurted out instantly. Zhu Wenhua's martial arts weren't profound, but they were more than enough to handle Shen Lang. However, he deliberately didn't dodge, letting Shen Lang beat him. He didn't fight back and immediately fell to the ground. Collapsing like this would make him look more pathetic and garner sympathy. Shen Lang pinned him to the floor and began to madly pummel his head and face.
“You animal, you beast. Zhu Wenhua, you beast, we have no grudge between us, yet you dare to harm me? You dare to harm my aunt? I'll beat you to death, I'll kill you!”
*Thump, thump, thump, thump!*
Shen Lang struck both sides of his face, instantly swelling Zhu Wenhua's head up like a pig's, leaving him covered in blood. Everyone was horrified by the scene.
*Shen Lang, have you truly gone mad? How dare you start a brawl in the royal court? Besides, Shen Lang, do you even know any martial arts? A weakling like you, hitting someone in front of everyone? Do you dare strike a man before the King just because you rendered meritorious service as an envoy to the State of Qiang? Do you really want to die? Shen Lang, to think you could be so foolish as to not know right from wrong. You've brought this upon yourself.*
Zhu Wenhua let Shen Lang beat him, staring at him with eyes full of venom.
*Hit me, go on! They say heaven first makes mad those it wishes to destroy. Seeing this, Shen Lang, you're surely going to die this time, you're dead. Hahahaha!*
Not only did Zhu Wenhua barely feel the pain, but he also felt exhilarated and triumphant. If getting beaten up could leave a deep impression on the King, if taking a beating like this could lead to the miserable death of Shen Lang's entire family, why wouldn't he gladly accept it?
The King was stunned by the scene and didn't react for a long moment. After watching the beating for a few more seconds, he erupted in a thunderous rage.
“That man is insane. Seize him, seize him at once.”
At that moment, four warriors rushed forward and immediately subdued Shen Lang.
“Bind him, bind him!”
The King, trembling with anger, pointed at Shen Lang and said in a shaky voice.
“To openly beat a minister in the royal court. This is unheard of. Such insolence, such disloyalty, he must be a madman running wild. Drag him away and give him the rod!”
In an instant, Shen Lang was dragged away, forced onto a stool, and struck ten times with a resounding *smack, smack*. Eunuch Lü Zhun administered the punishment himself, and Shen Lang's buttocks were soon a bloody mess. Shen Lang screamed a few times before passing out. Zhu Wenhua and Shen Lang's other enemies in the court watched with glee. The crime of shouting in the court and beating a fellow official before the monarch was a grave one, and it wouldn't be wrong to execute him on the spot. Then again, it could also be a light offense. In ancient Chinese history, brawls in the royal court were countless, and it was common for fights to break out right in front of the emperor.
For example, during the Zhengtong era of the Ming Dynasty, Ma Shun, the commander of the Jinyiwei, was brutally beaten to death by ministers in the court. Moreover, he was bitten multiple times before being bludgeoned to death in front of the Jingtai Emperor. Wasn't that something? In this wide world, all sorts of things happen. For Shen Lang to receive a light punishment of ten strikes of the rod for beating an official in court could be considered normal.
***
Watching Shen Lang being caned, Zhu Wenhua was ecstatic inside.
*Shen Lang, this is just the beginning. You will experience true misery, and your entire family will die. I will personally see your nine generations exterminated!*
Zhu Wenhua's bloodied face looked fearless and righteous. He knelt and kowtowed.
“Your Majesty, the wanted criminal of the Great Yan Empire is at the Jin Clan's villa. If we bring her here, the whole truth will become clear.”
The King said in a furious voice.
“Lü Zhun, take three hundred warriors to the Jin Clan's villa and bring that woman here. If anyone resists, kill them on sight!”
“Yes!”
Eunuch Lü Zhun led three hundred palace experts and marched menacingly towards the Jin Clan's villa.
“Arrest the empire's wanted criminal. Anyone who stands in the way may be killed.”
Three hundred warriors surrounded the Jin Clan's villa. Then, Eunuch Lü Zhun entered. Inside, Xiao Bing and the Divine Maiden Xue Yin were facing each other in silence. For some reason, their conversation had stalled. Xiao Bing tried very hard, and Xue Yin was very warm, but somehow the conversation just wouldn't flow. Eunuch Lü Zhun entered and asked.
“Are you Xue Yin?”
The Divine Maiden Xue Yin said.
“I am.”
“Come with me to the palace. You must not resist.”
“I understand.”
After speaking, Xue Yin entered a sedan chair and was carried by eight warriors into the royal palace of Yue.
***
A short while later, Xue Yin, wearing yellow paper shackles, walked into the royal court of Yue. In that instant, her fragrance filled the court, captivating everyone's hearts. It was as if a warm spring had arrived, and flowers had bloomed throughout the hall. Her gentle and graceful demeanor was truly like that of a divine maiden. The eyes of every official present glazed over.
*Even the rumors of a peerless beauty failed to capture the truth of this woman.*
They looked at Shen Lang with even more jealousy and resentment.
*To think the Divine Maiden Xue Yin is so young. Her looks haven't faded at all; in fact, she seems even more beautiful. That such a beauty would have an affair with Shen Lang? The heavens are truly unfair.*
However, to the elite officials gathered in the court, beauty was merely a tool to accentuate power. After a short while, they immediately changed their line of thinking. This woman was Xue Yin, the sworn sister of Empress Jiang Li. As the fifth most wanted criminal of the Great Yan Empire, Shen Lang was finished this time, and his nine generations would truly be exterminated. Besides the State of Jin, other nations weren't proactive in arresting the Great Yan Empire's wanted criminals. But once a fugitive was publicly revealed, the vassal states of the world had no choice but to act, whether they wanted to or not. If they didn't, the Great Yan Empire might think they had ulterior motives.
The moment Zhu Wenhua saw her, he was unwittingly mesmerized.
*I'd heard rumors that this woman was beautiful, but I never expected her to be so... captivating. Shen Lang, that piece of human trash, is he even worthy of such a divine maiden? No. What does it matter if she's a divine maiden? I, Zhu Wenhua, seek only revenge and power. Therefore, no matter how peerless your beauty, you will become a tool for my vengeance. Today, I, Zhu Wenhua, will make a name for myself. Shen Lang, I will climb to the top by stepping on your head.*
Zhu Wenhua said.
“Your Majesty, esteemed ministers, the truth is now clear. This woman is Xue Yin, a wanted criminal of the Great Yan Empire and the sworn sister of Empress Jiang Li of the former Great Qian Kingdom. His Majesty, the Yan Emperor, has issued a decree that once a wanted criminal is caught, they are to be sent immediately to Yanqing, the capital of the Great Yan Empire, or killed on the spot. Shen Lang's collusion with a wanted criminal shows his intent to overthrow the Great Yan Dynasty, and according to the laws of the Great Yan Empire, his nine generations must be exterminated.”
As he spoke, Zhu Wenhua unfurled a wanted poster of the Great Yan Empire drawn over a decade ago. Everyone clearly confirmed that this woman was the wanted criminal in the portrait. King Ning Yuanxian furrowed his brow.
“Guards, go and summon all the officials from the Great Yan Empire's Bureau of Rites stationed in Yue to verify if she is the wanted criminal.”
“Yes!”
Eunuch Lü Zhun was truly a man with a lot of work to do. He once again led a group of warriors to the office of the Great Yan Empire's Bureau of Rites stationed in Yue.
Shen Lang, his lower back and buttocks a bloody mess, lay prone on a stretcher and said.
“Your Majesty, I have been wronged. This woman is my aunt, Xue Yin. Her name is written with the character for 'to guide,' not 'to hide.' Everyone, please look. My aunt is only twenty-nine years old this year. In contrast, the wanted criminal of the Great Yan Empire, Xue Yin, should be over forty by now. Look closely. Does my aunt look like she's in her forties?”
She certainly didn't look like she was in her forties. However, Grandmasters possessed techniques to preserve their youthful appearance, so everyone was convinced she was Xue Yin. Zhu Wenhua was inwardly displeased.
*Shen Lang, do you take everyone for a fool? Calling a deer a horse so openly? Have you come this far only to keep spouting nonsense and struggling? Dream on. You're a dead man!*