Chapter 541 - 523: Massacre
Yuwen Jing forced Xie Xun like this because he was certain that Xie Xun and Fengyu had never left the Capital City. It was they who instigated Feng Shu to leave the palace. Otherwise, Feng Shu would not have leapt from the city wall, nor lost her life. Yuwen Jing demanded blood for blood and wanted to have Xie Xun executed by slow dismemberment. He also knew that Xie Xun, as a descendant of a military family, would not remain indifferent. Today’s arrests targeted the old retainers of the Marquis Zhenbei Mansion; Xie Xun could not stand by. If he did not show himself, all those clans imprisoned in the Jinyi Guard prison would be slaughtered. If he did appear, Yuwen Jing would never let him go. Even with Grandmaster Zhang and others guarding the prison gates, they could do nothing against the Jinyi Guard.
The Capital City was the domain of the Jinyi Guard and the Forbidden Army. Wielding military authority, Yuwen Jing could mobilize the forces stationed near the capital and thus act unrestrained here.
"Xie Xun is a treasonous criminal who defected from the court! I am holding the old retainers of the Marquis Zhenbei Mansion. If he truly regards himself as a champion of justice, let’s see if he’s willing to sacrifice himself for others. As long as he enters the Imperial City and surrenders, I will release everyone in the Jinyi Guard prison. Otherwise, starting in one hour, I will execute one clan at a time. This is the blood debt owed by the Marquis Zhenbei Mansion; it has nothing to do with me!" Yuwen Jing stared at the kneeling Lin Yushu. "Empress, don’t think I don’t dare to touch the Lin Family. Your audacity to speak so recklessly here is misplaced. You should go persuade Lin Helin to stop opposing me. Every citizen under heaven belongs to me. When the ruler demands the minister’s death, the minister has no choice but to obey. Do you understand?"
Lin Yushu’s eyes reddened slightly. Looking at the disheveled yet ruthless Yuwen Jing, she said coldly, "You’ve truly gone mad."
She no longer even bothered with honorifics.
"Perhaps Feng Shu saw through your hypocrisy, cruelty, and selfishness long ago. That’s why, even after growing up with you as childhood sweethearts, she never fell for you."
Yuwen Jing, enraged, suddenly slapped Lin Yushu hard across the face. She fell to the floor, her ears ringing and a warm rush of blood surging up her throat. The side of her face burned with searing pain. Her words had struck a nerve, driving Yuwen Jing into a fury. He drew his blade, intent on killing Lin Yushu. To Yuwen Jing, the pain of having his heart exposed was no less excruciating than murder itself.
Chen Mo, seeing the situation spiral out of control, hurried to block Yuwen Jing’s path and said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, please restrain your anger!"
"Stand aside! Does she truly think I won’t kill her?" Yuwen Jing’s body trembled with rage. The thin shroud of his dignity had been ruthlessly torn away, leaving only a piercing agony that spread within him. He descended into a frantic, unhinged state, obsessed with bloodthirsty slaughter. Regardless of who stood in his way, all he wanted was to kill, to extinguish his raging fires of fury.
"Your Majesty, the Empress meant no offense—please reconsider!" Chen Mo could not bear to watch Yuwen Jing kill the Empress before him; such an act would be utterly irredeemable.
Lin Yushu felt as if her face were ablaze. Blood dripped from her nose as she wiped it away and straightened her posture. No matter how disheveled she looked after the slap, she knelt upright with composure and grace. "When the ruler demands the minister’s death, the minister has no choice but to obey. If my death will calm your anger and persuade you to spare the innocent, then I am willing to die without regret!"
"Take the Empress away!" Yuwen Jing, furiously throwing aside his longsword, commanded coldly. The icy blade clattered to the floor, its glint chilling. Palace attendants entered and, without daring to offend either Lin Yushu or Yuwen Jing, dragged her out by force.
"Release me! I can walk on my own!" Lin Yushu shook off the attendants and forced herself to stand. "Your Majesty, you are courting your own destruction!"
Though Lin Yushu and Yuwen Jing shared no unity of mind, they were tied together by mutual interests.
He was the monarch; she was his empress.
The Crown Prince was their legitimate eldest son. Whether she liked it or not, she and the Crown Prince were bound tightly to Yuwen Jing’s ship. If Yuwen Jing truly led them to ruin, her death wouldn’t matter.
But what about Abao?
All she wanted was for Abao to live a good life!
After leaving the Yangxin Palace, the senior palace maid saw Lin Yushu’s swollen, reddened face and approached with tearful eyes to support her. The Empress, once cherished beyond measure during her maiden days, had been pampered her entire life. Never had she suffered such humiliation. The senior maid’s heart ached deeply, though she could find no words to comfort her.
Lin Yushu’s heart had turned to ashes, her last shred of hope for Yuwen Jing burned to nothing.
The Yangxin Palace fell into utter silence.
"Chen Mo, take guard outside. Unless Xie Xun surrenders himself, do not disturb me or Shu’er."
Chen Mo hesitated briefly. "Yes, Your Majesty."
Everyone scrambled to save the relatives of those imprisoned by the Jinyi Guard. Even the clans, who had not seen eye to eye in recent years, united in urgency. The saying "when the cunning rabbit dies, the hunting dogs are cooked" aptly described the fear-induced resentment towards Yuwen Jing.
Even the once-mighty Marquis An Yuan’s family had been imprisoned without hesitation. Their marquisate, one of the most prestigious households in Yanyang, had thrived for a century. Though no longer holding real power, they remained a symbol of utmost nobility.
The Marquis An Yuan was kind and amicable, and many granted him due respect. With so many clans imprisoned, and given the widespread intermarriage among the Capital City’s families, stakes were high. Three years ago, when many clans faced imprisonment, the Marquis An Yuan had pleaded on their behalf. Now, countless people felt duty-bound to repay that debt. Yet, Yuwen Jing refused to see anyone. Several clan representatives led civil and military officials to kneel outside the Yangxin Palace, pleading for Yuwen Jing’s leniency. But he ignored them all.
One and a half hours had passed since Yuwen Jing issued his decree—that if Xie Xun did not reveal himself, one clan would be executed every hour. Few in the Capital City believed that Xie Xun would appear.
Xie Xun, now Prince Qin, commanded tens of thousands of troops in Ningzhou and harbored a hatred as deep as the ocean for Yuwen Jing. His appearance would spell certain death. It was unthinkable for Xie Xun to willingly surrender.
But the Capital City belonged to Yuwen Jing.
If Xie Xun did not show himself, those imprisoned in the Jinyi Guard prison would have to die.
As the fateful hour drew near, civil and military officials submitted urgent petitions. This wasn’t just one or two people doomed to die; it was an entire clan—hundreds of lives!