Chapter 352: The Su Family’s Execution (Part 10)

Chapter 352: The Su Family's Execution (Part 10)

"Uncle Royal, as the emperor of a nation, your words should carry weight. Yet you hid your actions involving her from Prince Yun Ji. If this is the outcome you have chosen for him, then whether he chose or not, it makes no difference..."

After pulling Yun Ji out of the Ministry of Justice prison, Emperor Yu immediately led him onto his imperial carriage.

Only Prince Yun Ji had such an honor.

As soon as he stepped onto the carriage, Yun Ji pried open the hand with which Emperor Yu had been holding his wrist.

For once, the usually composed Prince Yun Ji showed anger before Emperor Yu, his breathing heavy.

His composure, which had always belonged to Prince Yun Ji, was now completely gone.

Emperor Yu’s expression darkened, and his mood became unreadable.

Seeing Yun Ji’s frail appearance, it was as if Yun Ji had lost the dignity of the royal he was raised to be.

"The prison carriage was hijacked, and a black-clad figure appeared at the execution ground. Wasn't this arranged by Yun Ji?"

This accusation made Emperor Yu’s brows furrow even deeper, as if dark clouds were gathering, and his thoughts became inscrutable.

"Yun Ji, I have said before, if you act recklessly, we’ll see whether you can save her in time, or I can execute her swiftly..."

Yun Ji suddenly coughed heavily again, blood appearing at the corner of his mouth, his face growing even paler.

"Yun Ji..."

Emperor Yu hurriedly called out.

His large hand patted Yun Ji’s back to help him regain his breath.

Seeing Yun Ji’s increasingly pale face, as if he might faint and vomit blood at any moment, the emperor’s stern expression softened for a brief moment.

"Old General Su is no more, and I will not pursue the matter of the hijacked prison carriage. As for that remnant of the former dynasty, as long as she behaves, for your sake, I will not pursue her extermination. Do not torment yourself like this, I will not kill her."

Yun Ji suppressed his coughing, but Emperor Yu’s promise of leniency toward Su Rao did little to ease his mind.

"Uncle Royal, you went to great lengths to set up this elaborate scheme, using Su Rao as bait, just to keep your pawn Yun Ji in line. For the rest of her life, Su Rao will hate me to the bone. Is this what you wanted, Uncle Royal?"

With these final words, Yun Ji fainted into Emperor Yu’s arms.

His frail nephew became increasingly fragile as winter approached.

Emperor Yu looked again, and finally, a sigh escaped him:

"Alas!"

He lifted his hand to wipe away the blood at the corner of Yun Ji’s mouth.

"Yun Ji, she is a remnant of the former dynasty, but you are of the Yun family. Her getting close to you must be to use you for her revenge. With your clever mind, how can you not understand this? Why do you continue to involve yourself with her?"

For a brief moment, the emperor set aside his schemes and became simply a caring uncle.

But just for that brief moment, his imperial eyes deepened once again.

Jing'er covets the throne from me. Since he insists on having it, I will cultivate him to be a worthy royal heir. In this life, he can only be the Seventh Prince. Therefore, Su Er must be eliminated. Su Er's death will mark the beginning for him.

As for you, you are Sister Jun's child. You must not allow trivial matters of love and affection to cloud your judgment, softening your heart and causing you to forget the grudge from the time of Sister Jun's passing. The military power of the Su family will be your foundation.

I want you to be known not by the name 'Yunlang, the Light of the Heavens,' but as the commander of the Yunlang army, to become a king that shakes the three kingdoms. I will not allow the remnants of the former dynasty to disturb you."

These words revealed the emperor's heart even more clearly.

A thick, indescribable intensity flickered in his imperial eyes. What was his true motive? A nation's hegemony? An emperor's ambition? Or was it that from the moment he ascended the throne, he had been plotting to pave the way for Yun Ji's revenge?

"Although I will not kill her, I will never let her take you away. With your subordinates around, the Crown Prince and the others won't be able to harm her; they will only drive her away.

I want you to see clearly, to understand it yourself. If you want her to live, you must let go of your obsession with her. If you can't let go, then bury it deep within your heart. Only then can she live longer."

Under the Yue Hua cloak, jade-like fingers moved slightly, but it was concealed by the cloak, unnoticed by Emperor Yu, who might not have realized that Yun Ji was not unconscious. Every word of his was heard by those jade-like ears.

The closed eyes under the silk band reflected a complex emotion, failing to notice that Emperor Yu's mouth also curved slightly, very lightly and subtly.

It disappeared in an instant.

After all, who was the prey, who was the hunter, or perhaps, who was the true mastermind behind all of this?

……

On a cloudy day, without the warm sun, relying only on the perception of the surrounding environment and the distance traveled to estimate the time and how much had passed.

After leaving Langjing, the carriage stopped in a forest after traveling tens of miles for a full hour. Mu Mingyue hurriedly opened the carriage door.

"Sister…"

At this call, the driver also took off the wind-blocking hat on his head, quickly entered the carriage, and took out the unconscious Su Wu, who was hidden under the seat box.

"Ah Jin, take Ah Yan away immediately and ensure he is well taken care of. No matter what, do not let Ah Yan return, and ensure his safety."

Wiping away her tears with a handkerchief, Mu Mingyue touched Su Wu's overly thin cheeks, the deep sunken eye sockets…

Seeing this, her heart was filled with guilt and remorse, regretting Yun Murui's betrayal towards the Su family, and blaming herself for not knowing earlier. Now, she could only save Ah Yan like this.

"Sister, be careful too. The Crown Prince, your husband…"

Mu Mingjin held the unconscious Su Wu, worried about Mu Mingyue as well.

He and his companion had rescued Su Wu like this; if the Crown Prince found out, would he implicate his sister and be angered by it?

"Sister is now carrying the heir of the Crown Prince. Even if he finds out, he will only be slightly angry and won't do anything to me. Don't worry about me, Ah Jin. Go quickly; hurry!"

Waving her hand, though with great reluctance, she still urged Mu Mingjin to leave quickly with Su Wu.

When it got dark, the road would be difficult to travel, and looking at the sky, dark clouds had already densely covered it. It was likely to rain at night.

Mu Mingjin didn't delay any longer and, with his servant, helped Su Wu onto another carriage prepared by Yun Muyue and drove away.

Mu Mingyue watched until the carriage disappeared from sight before reluctantly turning her gaze.

Wiping the tears from her eyes, her attendant helped her back into the carriage.

Another servant took the position of the driver.

"Let's go! To Wanglu Temple."

Since you said you would go to the temple to fulfill a vow for your unborn child, how could you not go?

At the fork in the road, the carriage turned back and took the path to Wanglu Temple.

The wind howled through the chilled forest, and a fine, dense autumn rain began to fall.

Of course, the autumn rain would not be like the torrential summer rains. The dense rain could not cleanse the blood that had already stained the forest.

As Mu Mingyue's carriage approached the intersection in the forest, the distant sound of clashing metal echoed through the trees.

The driver yanked the reins, but it wasn’t in time to avoid the danger.