Her Majesty Chose Violence, They Chose Her

Xiao Cheng swiftly departed the Imperial Palace with his men. They split up to find the people they sought, and in less than half an hour, they had gathered everyone. They then rushed them into the palace in a great flurry.

Fang Ran had no idea that Luo Zheng had actually brought this matter to Jinluan Palace. She was terrified when she was apprehended.

She was a nervous wreck the entire way, crying and begging Xiao Cheng to tell her what was going on.

But Xiao Cheng remained stern and impartial. He said nothing, simply escorting her into the Imperial Palace.

When Fang Ran stood at the entrance to Jinluan Palace and saw the magnificent, golden hall, a shiver ran through her.

Her knees buckled and she nearly collapsed. In the end, Xiao Cheng practically had to haul her inside.

In the center of the great hall, three rows of people knelt.

The first row consisted of Fang Ran and her two female attendants.

The second row was Li Wei’s two trusted aides, Liu Quan and Lin Yan.

The third row was several military generals returned from Changlu Pass.

After a nod from Xiao Yang, Xiao Lv began the interrogation. "Whoever I question will answer."

"In the presence of Your Majesty, you are not to speak nonsense, cause trouble, cast blame on others, or attempt to obscure the truth. Any who violate this will be charged with deceiving the Emperor and beheaded immediately."

Jinluan Palace was solemn and imposing, its very atmosphere oppressive.

And that was to say nothing of the crowd of officials in their court robes, all staring intently at them.

Xiao Lv first questioned the three military generals. "While at Changlu Pass, were you always with General Li?"

The three nodded. "Yes, we were always with the Great General, awaiting his orders."

Xiao Lv said, "Now, recount what Li Wei did after entering Bafang City."

One of the three led the account, with the other two adding details.

"When Li Wei went to Bafang City, he first encountered the remnant troops who had fled the city. Unexpectedly, he was wounded by a spy hiding among them. The spy was highly skilled in martial arts and attacked by surprise, nearly killing Li Wei."

"Li Wei killed the spy, rested for only half a day, and then led his troops to attack Bafang City."

"After taking Bafang City, Li Wei nearly collapsed. But the Xirong kept trying to counter-attack, so no one had time to rest. In a single day, we repelled seven of their assaults."

"Seeing the Xirong army growing more aggressive, Li Wei led us out of Bafang City. We fought a grueling battle for a day and a night before finally taking Changlu Pass."

"After we recaptured Changlu Pass, the common soldiers didn’t know, but we generals did: as soon as Li Wei entered his command tent, he collapsed. His wound had split open, and he’d lost too much blood."

"Changlu Pass has always been a major stronghold against the Xirong. Thanks to its natural advantages, we were able to hold it. Li Wei didn’t wake up until three days later."

"Afterward, the Xirong sent a National Letter, so we remained stationed at Changlu Pass until Your Majesty’s Fire Thunder arrived. The Xirong attacked again, and after we won a decisive victory, we returned to the capital."

Once the men finished their account, Xiao Lv brought up Fang Ran. "Then what is the connection between General Li and Miss Fang?"

On this topic, the generals had various things to say, and they seemed to perk up at the subject.

"General Li played the hero saving the damsel in distress, and Miss Fang secretly gave him her heart."

"Miss Fang went to see General Li at Changlu Pass several times."

"Miss Fang and General Li are preparing to get married."

Xiao Lv singled out the one who said they were preparing to get married. "Please elaborate."

This general, surnamed Niu, was suddenly put on the spot to gossip about the Great General, and he became extremely uncomfortable. Still, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and continue.

"It’s common knowledge."

"Every time Miss Fang came to Changlu Pass, she’d bring the Great General meals and snacks she’d made herself. The Great General had Liu Quan escort her and ensure she was well cared for. Everyone said they’d taken a liking to each other. Besides, every time she left the military camp, her face would be bright red with shyness. On the journey back, she was always with the Great General. When we asked if wedding bells were in the near future, she didn’t deny it. She just said the Great General didn’t want to make a big deal of it and told us all not to spread it around."

"And over the past few days, a number of the men saw Miss Fang out and about with gifts, saying she was on her way to visit the Li family. She said Lady Lin had invited her over. We all knew they must be discussing wedding arrangements."

Before these people had been brought in, Xiao Yang had issued a strict order: only Xiao Lv was to speak. Until the questioning was complete, no one was to interrupt. One word of interruption would earn ten strokes of the paddle, two words would earn fifty, and three words would earn a demotion in rank.

Right now, all the civil and military officials in the court were puffing out their cheeks, struggling to contain themselves. Yet their eyes were all shining with amusement, creating a rather comical sight.

Xiao Lv addressed Li Wei’s two attendants in the front row. "Your turn. What is the relationship between General Li and Miss Fang?"

Liu Quan had been holding it in for quite a while, and could finally speak.

"Your Majesty, it is true that General Li ordered me to accompany Miss Fang, but it was only because she is the last orphan of the Fang family. My orders were to ensure her safety. The talk of marriage, however, is pure nonsense."

"Miss Fang brought homemade meals to Changlu Pass on three separate occasions. She insisted it was to thank the Great General for saving her life. I tried to dissuade her, but she was adamant. Left with no choice, I sent a message to the General. The first time I took her there, the General was unconscious. The second time, he was not in his tent. The third time, she did meet him. Unable to refuse her earnest gesture, the General accepted the food and then immediately had me escort her away. After that, the war grew more intense, and the General strictly forbade any unauthorized personnel from traveling to Changlu Pass."

"Then, during the victorious return to the capital, I was again by Miss Fang’s side the entire journey. Every time the General ate, she would approach. The Great General would be eating with a group of his officers, and she would simply watch from the side. Nothing more. Since our return to the Capital City, the Great General has been constantly shuttling between the Imperial Palace, the military barracks, and the Black Dragon Camp. He’s only been home to rest once or twice. It was just the day before yesterday, when he returned to the estate a little early, that he discovered Miss Fang was visiting. She was having a very pleasant chat with the old madam. The old madam is quite fond of her and got into a huge argument with the Great General, even invoking the names of his father and grandfather to pressure him into marrying. The Great General then asked Miss Fang to leave the estate, and he has not seen her since."

Lin Yan, beside him, was not a man of many words. He spoke only three sentences, each one concise and to the point.

"I was the one who ate the meal the General kept."

"Miss Fang admires the General."

"What Liu Quan said is correct."

Xiao Yang had been growing a bit weary of the testimony when suddenly his eyelid twitched. ’Tsk, this one’s interesting.’

Ever since entering, Fang Ran’s heart had been pounding in panic. Listening to the questions and the testimony, the focus was all too clear. ’This has to be about me and Li Wei.’

She listened, frantically trying to figure out what to say. But before she could come up with anything, it was her turn.

"Miss Fang, what is your relationship with General Li?"

’What relationship?’

Fang Ran looked over at Li Wei, who was kneeling off to the side. He hadn’t glanced her way even once the entire time.

"I... did General Li and I do something wrong? Why are you interrogating us?"

Unable to answer, she deflected with a question of her own: "Why is the Great General kneeling?"

Xiao Lv gestured with the Emperor’s Sword in his hand. "I ask, you answer. Answer poorly, and Li Wei will be dragged out and beheaded today."

’Beheaded!?’

Fang Ran’s vision swam, and the world went dark. She heard Xiao Lv’s voice again. "What exactly is your relationship?"

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