Chapter 75: Feed His Heart to the Dogs

Xiaoyue held a long sword in her hand.

She looked at the man before her with cold eyes and said, "This sword is for Lin'er. You dared to use forbidden drugs from the Western Regions on your own son. Shangguan Jinghong, I won't let you die so easily. I will have your heart cut out while you're still alive to see if it's black!"

The long sword sliced through, cutting open Shangguan Jinghong's shoulder and collarbone, revealing the white bones beneath.

"Ahhhh, Yue'er, Yue'er, don't! I am your husband; you can't treat me like this!" Shangguan Jinghong fell to the ground, convulsing and wailing.

"Husband? Shangguan Jinghong, you are worse than an animal! These years, I'll consider myself bitten by a dog, and of course, I'll be disgusted for many years!" Xiaoyue finished speaking and swung the sword again. "This sword is for Ruo Xi. When she was born, you and that old hag sent people to kill her. Hmph!"

"Xiaoyue, go ahead and kill me, if you dare! Ha ha ha, if you kill me, Great Wei will fall." Shangguan Jinghong raised his head, his mouth full of blood. Knowing that pleading for mercy was futile, he shouted, "Xiao Yin, you killed your brother and father. You do not deserve to be emperor. How could a ruthless person gain the support of the people? Great Wei will surely fall!"

"Shangguan Jinghong, did you forget that you are a citizen of Great Wei? Did the people of the Western Regions adopt you as their son?" Xiao Yin walked up and asked coldly.

"Just a small pawn, yet someone gave him the courage to defy the royal family. I didn't even see any real courage in him! It seems there are still many of his accomplices within the Great Wei dynasty!" Ruo Xi sighed softly, feeling worried for her uncle.

"The throne is difficult because human hearts are unpredictable!"

Xiao Yin's fingers, hidden behind his back, twitched. He felt a surge of emotion.

His niece not only had high spiritual power and knew how to use and counter poisons but also understood statecraft and governance.

If it weren't for the fear that Ruo Xi would stop thinking deeply if she knew he could read minds, Xiao Yin would have liked to talk to her and make her the Imperial Tutor...

Well, being the Imperial Tutor wouldn't work, but perhaps a female official, second only to the emperor, overseeing the government!

"Yue'er, enough. Take Ruo Xi and get into the carriage. We need to hurry to Huai County; we've already delayed too long here!" Xiao Yin quickly turned to Xiaoyue and said.

Xiaoyue handed the long sword to Eunuch Gao, then turned and carried her daughter without giving Shangguan Jinghong another glance, and left.

Outside, the townspeople surrounded the county office.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we will leave Su County this afternoon. Work hard, and next year will surely bring a bountiful harvest!" Xiaoyue said to the crowd.

"Princess Royal, you must be very sad. There is nothing we can say to comfort you. Such a beast who harms the country and its people should not cause you grief!"

"Yes, Princess Royal, now you have a lovely little fairy baby. You will surely meet a better man in the future!"

The townspeople knelt and bowed to Xiaoyue, thanking her and the little fairy baby in her arms.

"Yes, Mother has merit, which will protect her from misfortune!"

"Thank you all. Everyone must take care. My brother and I will stabilize Great Wei, hoping for a prosperous and peaceful future!" Xiaoyue bowed deeply to everyone.

"Long live the Princess Royal! Long live, long live!"

Ruo Xi received much merit and fell asleep contentedly.

Xiaoyue glanced back at the county office and then got into the carriage.

Inside the county office, Shangguan Jinghong sobbed uncontrollably. "Your Majesty, spare me, I was wrong, I was wrong!"

"Shangguan Jinghong, my dear sister married you, and you didn't cherish her. You even tried to use Yue'er to threaten me. Did you eat the heart of a bear and the gall of a leopard?" Xiao Yin asked coldly.

"Your Majesty, I was just momentarily possessed by evil spirits!" Shangguan Jinghong cried.

"Now, tell us who else in the court is your accomplice. Don't falsely accuse anyone!" Ci Xin stepped forward, squatted down, and asked.

"There is the Minister of Revenue, the Chancellor, and..." Shangguan Jinghong trembled as he spoke.

"Finished?" Ci Xin looked at him coldly.

"Finished, finished. You won't kill me, right?" Shangguan Jinghong asked.

"I..." Ci Xin raised an eyebrow. "I never said I wouldn't kill you. However, the Princess Royal said she wanted to see if your heart is red or black. Her wish is my command!"

With those words, Ci Xin reached out...

"Pfft!"

The sound of flesh being cut echoed.

Lady Jin and Eunuch Gao closed their eyes.

Master Jing En raised his hand and recited scriptures.

"Hmm, quite fresh!" Ci Xin held a heart in his hand and turned to look at Xiao Yin.

"Feed it to the dogs!" Xiao Yin glanced at the dogs being led into the courtyard and said calmly.

Shangguan Jinghong was not yet dead. Ci Xin acted swiftly, and he hadn't realized his heart was gone.

"Shangguan Jinghong, did you think not killing you in the Imperial City meant letting you off easy?" Xiao Yin watched the dogs devour Shangguan Jinghong's heart and said, "The poison from the Second Prince of Xiyue. You knew the Empress and I were concerned about Yue'er, so you used Lin'er to control her. Hmph, you heartless beasts!"

"Moth...er..." Shangguan Jinghong stared wide-eyed as his heart was devoured by the dogs, uttering a few words.

"Hu Shi...has been taken to the Office of Punishment. A first-class lady, yet so deranged and cruel. She will face the torture of hair washing!" Xiao Yin said coldly.

Shangguan Jinghong died with his eyes wide open.

From dawn until now, several hours had passed. Shangguan Jinghong endured the agony of being flayed and dismembered, but he still died with his eyes open.

"Take him to the mass grave. The Shangguan family in the Imperial City, arrest them all!" the emperor ordered.

Eunuch Gao took the imperial decree and hurried back to the Imperial City.

In the past two days, the collusion between Shangguan Jinghong and the Second Prince of Xiyue had been thoroughly investigated, and evidence was conclusive. With the Bright Mirror Department leading the investigation, the officials' secret activities were clear. As the emperor left the Imperial City, those people, unable to contain themselves due to Shangguan Jinghong's actions, revealed themselves.

Bright Mirror Department was established after Xiao Yin ascended the throne. It is solely managed by the Imperial Tutor and does not fall under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Punishments, allowing it to operate independently.

By the time the news from Su County reached Imperial City, everyone in the general's mansion had already been thrown into prison, not a single person left behind. The steward, Lai Fu, was particularly brutalized for his loose tongue, having all his teeth pulled out before being thrown into the cell.

The tyrant shows no mercy to those who attempt rebellion or seek to harm those he cares about.