The Marriage of an Esteemed Supreme Healer, a Noble Ruler

Chapter 887: They forced me!

She looked down and tried to hide her emotions. When she looked up again, her eyes as clear as a black gem seemed to be washed in water.

She bent her knees and bowed as her lips moved. “Thank you… Your Majesty!”

Shangguan You’s heart tingled as he stared at the woman below. Actually, he had once heard her voice when he was pretending to be unconscious.

At that time, he felt that this girl was a smart, cunning, and decisive woman. Even though she didn’t have a high status, she could still use all sorts of conditions to force Shangguan Wan in reverse and turn the situation to her advantage.

Now that they met, he realized she looked so… For some reason, he felt like he had seen her before.

He quickly scanned through his memories, but after much thinking, he discovered that he really hadn’t seen her before.

In this close to two-year period, he was basically sick and stuck in bed at Qingfeng Palace day and night.

He rarely even saw the other people in the palace, let alone someone like Chu Liuyue from outside Heaven’s Canopy.

When he said the latter half of his sentence, Shangguan You’s tone turned completely cold. Even though he didn’t reprimand them in a harsh tone, the low and stern nature of his voice was filled with the suppression of a ruler as it suffocated the people.

Everyone collectively fell silent in Lang Kun Hall, and they were as quiet as they could be.

“Yuwen, bring that letter to me.”

Upon hearing this, Yuwen Wei immediately acknowledged the order as he respectfully presented the letter to his superior.

Shangguan You opened it and examined it closely.

Xiahou Rong stood with his hands down as cold sweat kept breaking out. His heart beat crazily, and all the blood in his body surged up as if it were about to break through his earlobes!

Not long later, his entire back was already drenched!

It had just been a short while, but he felt that a year had passed! It was very torturous!

In this almost suffocating atmosphere, Shangguan You finally spoke. “I have never written this letter before.”

Nobody answered, and the air seemed to freeze inch by inch.

Shangguan You looked at Xiahou Rong. “The letter is dated the third of July. That day, I was in the Imperial Study with Officer Xiahou discussing important matters. But for some reason, I felt very tired and asked Officer Xiahou to leave first while I went to the side room to rest. When I woke up again… It was already today.”

It was already understood without saying who did this.

Other than Xiahou Rong—who was in the perfect position back then—who else could it be?

“Officer Xiahou, it seems like you didn’t leave the Imperial Study that day and did a lot of tricks.” Shangguan You looked down at Xiahou Rong from above as he whipped his sleeves lightly and threw the letter to Xiahou Rong. “Look at this! Did you write it?”

Xiahou Rong finally couldn’t take it anymore.

He kneeled down! “Your Majesty, please check again! I was framed! I really didn’t do anything!”

As he regretted it in his heart, Xiahou Rong kept saying that he was wronged.

The reason he always kept the letter was to use it as evidence to control Jiang Yucheng. Even though they had done quite a few things together, they still didn’t trust each other very much. Hence, he left this item just in case. However, he never expected Chu Liuyue to find this item and even get His Majesty to identify it personally!

In front of such concrete evidence, Xiahou Rong’s cries of debate seemed weak and useless.

“I seem to have heard Officer Xiahou swear in the name of the entire Xiahou Residence just now. You seem to have said that if you really betrayed me, the entire Xiahou Residence will not have a peaceful death…”

Xiahou Rong was suddenly stunned as intense uneasiness overwhelmed his heart! “Y-Your Majesty—”

“Officer Xiahou, I didn’t expect you to be so heartless to your own family…” said Shangguan You lightly as he shook his head. “I trusted the wrong person in the end.”

“Your Majesty, I didn’t! I really didn’t do anything to betray you! It’s a trap—someone must’ve framed me! Your Majesty, please check properly!” Xiahou Rong panicked as he anxiously went forward while kneeling.

But before he could reach the nine flights of stairs, Shangguan You already spoke. “Officer Xiahou Rong, your first crime is insubordination and attempting to assassinate me! Your second crime is the fabrication of a secret edict and lying to everyone! The punishments for the two crimes will be carried out together. Xiahou Rong will be stripped of his position as Grand Preceptor, and he will then become a slave. Tomorrow, he will be executed in front of the crowd at noon! Furthermore, everyone within three relations of the Xiahou family will also be sent to the borders to become slaves, regardless of their genders! They are never to return to Xi Ling in their lives!”

Every single word and phrase reverberated very clearly throughout the hall!

Xiahou Rong suddenly paused in his actions as he collapsed onto the floor in defeat. The last hint of blood on his face instantly disappeared!

“Your Majesty! Your Majesty, please show mercy! I’m begging you—please take the Xiahou family being loyal for more than a hundred years into account and forgive my wife, children, and the old and young.”

Shangguan You looked at him with a deep gaze. “Xiahou Rong, you also know that the Xiahou family’s hundreds-of-years-long loyalty was destroyed in your hands!”

After so much talking, he deserved it!

Xiahou Rong collapsed onto the floor, and his heart became entirely cold.

“Bring him away!” Shangguan You waved his hands.

Just as the people beside were about to go forward, Xiahou Rong suddenly pointed at Jiang Yucheng harshly. He yelled with a contorted expression, “It’s him! He and the Third Princess were the ones who forced me to do this!”