When Wei Yi suddenly tore open the clothing on her right shoulder, he saw the wound on her neck that had been cut by the porcelain shard.

The wound was very long and thin!

Because of her desperate struggling earlier, the small wound had been pulled open and torn.

Blood seeped out.

Especially striking!

And in that moment, Wei Yi suddenly jolted awake, immediately stopping his “invasive” actions.

What was he… doing?

He slowly propped himself up, looking at Ji Yunshu whose eyes were full of tears yet vacant.

Filled with remorse!

He realized he had done something utterly absurd and extremely detestable.

“Shu’er…” His voice trembled, laden with apology.

Ji Yunshu didn’t move at all!

She continued staring at the bed curtains overhead, tears at the corners of her eyes.

Wei Yi immediately got up from her body, got off the bed, and turned his back to the disheveled bed and Ji Yunshu.

He clenched both hands into fists, trembling severely.

For a long while—

“I’m sorry!”

Full of remorse.

But he didn’t dare turn back to look at Ji Yunshu even once, because he had never felt himself to be so deeply sinful.

“Shu’er, I didn’t want to… I truly didn’t want to hurt you.”

Having said that—

He raised his hand and slapped himself.

“Slap!”

Very hard!

However, countless apologies couldn’t make up for the harm he had just inflicted on Ji Yunshu!

Ji Yunshu on the bed seemed to have lost her soul, showing no reaction for a long while.

At this moment, her clothes were in tatters, her hair disheveled, her neck and shoulders covered in wounds, and those eyes brimming with tears still stared at the gauze curtains overhead.

As the curtains swayed, her tears also slowly flowed continuously from the corners of her eyes.

Wetting her hair!

Wetting the bedding!

It turned out that when a person reaches the depths of pain, they have no reaction at all.

Because their heart has already gone numb!

Wei Yi stepped out from the hall step by step, guilt and shame flooding his face.

He gasped for breath, his forehead covered in sweat!

After walking a few steps, his body swayed as if about to collapse, but fortunately he supported himself by placing a hand against a bright red pillar.

Thinking of what he had just done, he truly wished Ji Yunshu would pierce him through with a sword.

“Thud!”

He punched the pillar.

His knuckles were injured and bleeding!

The blood flowed down the red pillar, mixing with the red lacquer on it.

The palace servants waiting outside exchanged glances, not knowing what had happened inside. Why was the Emperor like this?

A eunuch quickly came over to ask: “Your Majesty, what’s wrong with you?”

Wei Yi didn’t respond.

“Your Majesty?”

“Get lost!” he roared.

Ugh!

The eunuch’s entire body shuddered!

Frightened, he quickly knelt to the ground.

And the other palace servants outside all knelt down as well.

“May Your Majesty calm your anger!”

Terrified!

Wei Yi took a long time to gradually suppress the guilt in his heart, his gaze sweeping across those palace servants one by one.

Then he walked before a eunuch, looking down at him from above.

The eunuch prostrate on the ground dared not even breathe, sweat pouring from his forehead. He didn’t dare raise his head and could only see those dragon boots standing before him.

“I ask you, how did Miss Ji get the wound on her neck?”

Ugh!

The eunuch trembled: “In response to Your Majesty, it was… it was this slave’s carelessness. We didn’t watch Miss Ji properly, so… that’s how she got injured.”

“I want to hear the truth.”

Ugh!

“Miss Ji said… said she wasn’t a criminal, so we slaves couldn’t restrict her freedom, so… she smashed a cup and used… the shards to cut herself, wanting all of us slaves to withdraw, but…”

Before he finished speaking—

“Useless!” Wei Yi rebuked. “Listen well, all of you. If anything else happens to her, I’ll have all your heads.”

“Yes!” came the loud chorus.

Wei Yi’s anger hadn’t dissipated. He looked back at the hall with a heart full of concern, pointed at several palace maids, and ordered: “You few go in and attend to Miss Ji. What happened tonight, no one can speak of it.”

“Yes.”

Only after Wei Yi left did those palace maids enter trembling to serve.

But they saw Ji Yunshu lying flat on the bed, her clothes showing signs of having been pulled at, and her entire body covered in wounds.

“Miss?” A palace maid quickly walked to the bedside to check.

But Ji Yunshu was like a “corpse”!

Not even blinking.

The palace maid was terrified and called out softly again: “Miss, are… are you all right?”

No response!

After who knows how long, Ji Yunshu’s eyes finally moved slightly. An expression of immense pain surged across her calm face. Her body slowly turned to one side, curling up her legs, her arms tightly hugging her knees, her disheveled hair almost covering her entire face.

Only her choking sobs could be heard.

The two palace maids could only watch her trembling back.

Not daring to speak, nor daring to disturb her.

…

Because Jingrong had been imprisoned, the matter caused an uproar throughout the entire court. Jingrong’s faction in the court continuously submitted memorials requesting Wei Yi release him.

Even though Wei Yi had already stated Jingrong’s crimes.

Offending his superior!

Trespassing into the palace!

Defying the dragon’s authority!

Each one was sufficient to keep Jingrong imprisoned for life.

But those court officials still fearlessly submitted memorial after memorial.

Wei Yi knew that at this time, he should meet with Jingrong!

Because he wanted to know what exactly had happened on the night of the late Emperor’s death that year.

Jingrong was brought from the inner palace dungeon.

He had spent three days in prison, but his bearing remained undiminished—his clothes neat, his face clean, his expression spirited.

Where did he look like someone who had been in prison?

He seemed to have calculated that Wei Yi would summon him today, because there was no way Wei Yi didn’t know about Minister Shang’s visit to the dungeon.

Wei Yi was holding a cloth, wiping two swords beside him.

One bronze-colored long sword!

One ink-black long sword!

Polished to a bright shine.

Reflecting cold light!

After finishing the wiping, he dismissed all the extra people from the hall, leaving only the two of them.

Jingrong’s unfathomably deep eyes coldly regarded the inscrutable Wei Yi. If he had previously still harbored a trace of reluctance to harm Wei Yi, now there wasn’t a shred left.

Because the person before him—where was Wei Yi anymore!

He was clearly someone Jingrong didn’t recognize at all.

Jingrong tightened his sleeves, as if something was hidden inside.

Wei Yi took those two swords and walked before him, handing him the ink-black long sword.

“Today, you and I should settle this.”

Jingrong looked at the sword, understanding his meaning.

So he took the sword.

And at the moment he received it, Wei Yi retreated several steps backward, simultaneously drawing his sword.

Pointing it at Jingrong.

His eyes revealed ruthlessness.

Jingrong hesitated between drawing the sword and not drawing it, because he was very clear that Wei Yi was absolutely no match for him!

If he intended to kill.

Wei Yi would certainly die.

Wei Yi curved his lips: “Jingrong, draw your sword.”

“You’re no match for me.”

A reminder!

However— Wei Yi said knowingly: “I know, so… I’m giving you a chance to kill me.”