Chapter 44: The Noble Consort Kneels in Defense, Shuangyun Suffers Execution by Beating

Consort Cui took a deep breath, struggling to suppress the sudden surge of anger within her, and nearly went berserk on the spot.
Concubine Jing: Mm, this is so Noble Lady Zhou.
The Noble Consort turned her gaze and cast a fierce, sidelong glare at Noble Lady Zhou.
In the imperial court, when the emperor is formidable, one can exercise the veto power of absolute loyalty. In short, draconian officials could soar straight to the heavens, unleashing volley after volley of soul-shattering blows upon the courtiers—much like the era when Wang Zhen held power.
Hearing Yang Shangjing's words, Zhang Cong cursed inwardly: In less than a year, you wiped out two local gentry families in your home county. If you weren't from a gentry lineage yourself, and the Jian'an Yang clan wasn't one of the most prominent families in the Great Ming Dynasty, that mob in the court would have spat you to death.
"I believe your old man was right," Baili Jianguo spoke up. "He has already missed the golden period for cultivation, and using these resources to help him is tantamount to waste. But you are different; you are still in a stage of rapid development. Furthermore, with my assistance, your future holds infinite possibilities!"
"Alright, once the arrangements here are settled, you, Yanyan, will head to the main hall of the Xuanying Heavenly Palace to undergo the core disciple's bone structure and natural talent test before the Revered Sect Master. All of us went through the exact same thing back then," said Feng Chenxue.
Today is the pivotal day that will determine whether the DJb team can break into the top two, and all successes and failures will be decided on this single day.
However, when all is said and forth, he was merely a third-rate counselor. At most, he could chime in with a couple of sentences when Li Xian was hesitant, swaying the latter's decisions to the absolute limit. In the current situation, where Li Xian had clearly made up his mind, even if he were to kneel on the ground and bash his skull until it bled, it would be utterly useless.
However, everyone held no expectations whatsoever for this batch of newly graduated rookies who had never partaken in any missions. Their consent to let them participate was entirely meant as an opportunity for them to see the world and gain some exposure.
This order revealed two things. First, Li Xian had now begun making plans to hedge his bets on both sides—a fact apparent to anyone with even a shred of intelligence.
"Suit yourself," Chi Ling said coldly. This was the first time she had ever invited a male classmate to visit her quarters, yet the latter showed not an ounce of appreciation, completely wasting her good intentions.
"We should throw Lady Olenna and Lord Mace into the black cells, bring them before the judgment of the Small Council, and sentence them to hanging," declared a radical noble.
Yet only Dong Mingya himself knew that this was not a mere impulse, but a decision already firmly made.
In the past, even if she wasn't coming, she would have given advance notice. Doing this now without so much as a prior heads-up made it seem as though the Fang family could come and go purely as they pleased, treating the place as their own courtyard.
Xu Yanyuan returned empty-handed. The neighborhood here was simply too vast, with a crisscrossing labyrinth of complex streets and alleys; once someone vanished from sight, it was exceedingly difficult to track them down again.
No, to be precise, it should be said that Aranruo had committed the murder, and because its six senses were shared with her, it could feel it as well.
Why was it a necktie again? Who takes a shower, leaves their clothes off, but keeps a tie on? It must have been the killer who put the ties on both of them, but what on earth could the purpose have been?
Walking along the path, one could hear the sounds of quarreling drifting from nearby shacks, whispered murmurs of illicit transactions, and even the sounds of gang turf wars.
Chen Suyun fished them out and placed them in cold water. After a moment, she took out two specifically and asked Zhuang Jingniu to deliver them to Zhang Cuiniang.
Presently, half of his soul had already been extracted by Cang Ye, leaving only the other half lingering on in a wretched state within his body.
The Grand Empress Dowager and Empress Dowager Zhang exchanged a glance, both of their expressions softening into faint smiles.
He rattled off these words in one continuous breath, for the very first time without a single stutter. Perhaps it was because he was too furious and flustered that he managed to speak so fluently.