The Command to Pamper the Husband - Chapter 119

The truth had long been laid out clearly before the Emperor. It was his own heart that had fallen into the trap set by the Duked the Duchess. They had obviously exploited his guilty conscience.

Despicable!

They knew he felt guilty. They had used it against him. Sixteen years had passed, yet he still felt guilty.

The Emperor couldn’t tell if he was more furious with the Duked his wife or with himself. The anger in his heart flared like oil poured on fire, raging fiercely.

“Pass my decree: The Duke has committed the crime of opening a private gold mine, equivalent to treason. Strip him of his title and confiscate his entire estate. All members of the Duke’s Estate are to be imprisoned in the Ministry of Justice’s jail, awaiting further judgment.”

These words were spoken through gritted teeth. The Emperor then turned to the Minister of Justice and said, “Take the decree and seal the Duke’s Estate. The Ministry of Revenue will accompany you to catalog everything.”

The Duke’s power had grown day by day before the Emperor’s eyes. He had a rough estimate of the mansion’s wealth. Confiscating the Duke’s estate could fill the treasury for three years.

The Emperor had always wanted to check the Duke’s power, to curb his rapid expansion, but had never intended to kill him. Now, the Emperor wished he could strangle him with his own hands.

The deception set up by the Duked his wife had made him realize that even after sixteen years, he still felt guilty. He was enraged with the Duked himself. Why should he feel guilty?

He had been the Emperor for sixteen years. No matter how skilled those two were, they couldn’t climb out of the underworld to find him! He was the true Son of Heaven. He was the sovereign. What was he afraid of?

Anger surged through the Emperor. After issuing his commands, he dismissed the Minister of Justice and the Fourth Prince with a wave of his hand, not saying a word to the Fourth Prince as if he didn’t exist.

Song Jin kept her head down the entire time. She feared that one look at the Emperor’s face would drive her to control the sword hanging on the study wall and stab him.

Damn it! This was the man who killed her parents! She wanted nothing more than to end him with a single strike. But this man was now the Emperor. She couldn’t simply kill him. She had to consider the lives of the people.

Instability in the royal power would harm the common folk the most. With the case no longer involving her, Song Jin left the palace and headed straight back home.

Too much had happened today; she needed time to process everything.

In the palace, at Consort Li’s residence, the news from the royal study quickly reached Consort Li’s ears. She was eating bird’s nest soup when she heard it, her face turning pale as she dropped the bowl.

“How could this happen!”

Muttering to herself, Consort Li stood up and rushed outside. Her maid hurriedly grabbed her.

“Your Highness, what are you doing?”

Consort Li, trembling and in tears, said, “I must plead with His Majesty.”

The maid held her firmly, dismissing the other servants in the room.

“Your Highness, if His Majesty truly cared, he wouldn’t have imprisoned the Duked the Duchess.”

Consort Li was in a panic, shaking uncontrollably. “But I can’t just sit here and do nothing. I can’t watch them go to prison and wait for death.”

The maid replied sternly, “Even if you kneel outside the royal study until you die, His Majesty might not show leniency. Haven’t there been enough examples in the palace?”

After a pause, she continued, “Right now, only the Great General can save them.”

Consort Li’s crying stopped abruptly. She looked at her maid, who said, “Before His Majesty restricts your movements, quickly write a letter and have it sent urgently to the general. He might be their only hope.”

The Great General was the Duchess’s father, currently leading troops in the northwest.

Only his influence could sway the Emperor’s decision.

“But it takes two months for a round trip from the capital to the northwest. By then…”

“Your Highness, the Duke has followers in the capital. If they mention the Great General to His Majesty, he will have to consider it. His Majesty might simply be too angry to think of the general.”

Hearing this, Consort Li calmed down and hurried to the desk. “You’re right. Only grandfather can save them. Quickly, I must write to him.”

As she hurriedly wrote, her maid suggested, “Once the letter is sent, Your Highness should still plead outside the royal study. If you don’t, His Majesty might grow suspicious.”

“I understand. Help me with the letter.”

Consort Li hastily wrote the plea for help while her maid assisted.

Meanwhile, in the royal study, the Chief Eunuch stood behind the Emperor, sighing softly.

The Emperor, with his eyes closed and head resting against the chair, asked, “What is it?”

The Chief Eunuch bent down slightly. “Nothing, Your Majesty. I just thought, if news reaches the northwest battlefield…”

The Emperor snorted coldly. “So what if it does? Opening a private gold mine is a capital offense. Is he going to stop fighting? Shen Ke isn’t that kind of man.”

Despite his words, the Emperor’s brows furrowed, thinking about the situation. The Duke’s imprisonment would certainly cause his allies to plead for him at court. News would reach the northwest.

He wasn’t sure how Shen Ke would react. Shen Ke commanded the largest military force. If the northwest army rebelled…

His own troops couldn’t withstand it. But if he didn’t punish the Duke, how could he quell his anger? Letting the Duke go would be a slap in his own face. The Duke had exploited his guilt to deceive him. The more he thought about it, the more suffocated he felt.

At that moment, a eunuch reported from outside, “Your Majesty, Master Deqing requests an audience.”

The Emperor was taken aback. Master Deqing, the Taoist from Deqing Temple, was highly skilled. Years ago, if not for Master Deqing’s control over the Heavenly Hound by the late Empress, things wouldn’t have gone so smoothly. They had had little contact over the years. Why was he here now?

The Emperor looked back at the Chief Eunuch, who was equally puzzled. After a moment, the Emperor said, “Invite him in.”

Respectfully, the Emperor rose to greet Master Deqing.

As soon as he entered the study, before the Emperor could exchange pleasantries, Master Deqing urgently said, “Your Majesty, I have sensed a resurgence of spiritual energy at Deqing Temple.”

The Emperor’s smile froze. Spiritual energy? That was unique to the late Empress’s lineage. After eliminating the late Empress, he had eradicated her entire family.

How could this be?