Chapter 2

Chapter 2

A cold wind carried a chill into the room, making the candle flame on the table flicker uneasily.

The iron door slammed against the wall and rebounded, the commotion shaking loose dust from the ceiling.

The dim firelight flickered on Sheng Zhaoning’s face, the light and shadow making her gaze appear even more somber.

Sheng Zhaoning slowly turned her head, the killing intent still not faded from her eyes. Looking up, she saw the terrified expressions of the people at the door, as if they had seen a ghost, and the look in the eyes of the leading Vice Minister of Justice as if he were looking at a madman.

“Are you insane? Sheng Zhaoning! Put down the knife! By His Majesty’s order, the case of Xu Fu is to be tried by my Ministry of Justice!”

Liu Zhao met her asura-like, demonic gaze. His heart couldn’t help but panic a little more, yet he still steeled himself and spoke these words with a forceful tone, attempting to suppress her by his presence.

The blade paused slightly, just stopping above the throat.

Xu Fu thought these words had taken effect. He was as excited as if he had seen a savior.

“Vice Minister Liu, save me!” Xu Fu desperately leaned backward, dodging the lethal knife. Blood, sweat, tears, and snot mixed together on his face, his twisted expression extremely ugly.

Sheng Zhaoning’s knife did not stab deeper. Seeing her immobile, Liu Zhao thought she was intimidated. The fear in his heart couldn’t help but be suppressed by more than half, and his expression unconsciously carried a bit of arrogant smugness. “Hand him over immediately!”

The Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review had accumulated grievances for a long time. He had long been unable to stand Sheng Zhaoning’s manner. A mere woman, insisting on mingling in a court full of men-it was simply shameless!

When the Crown Prince was alive, she relied on his power to step on him at every turn. Now that the New Emperor had ascended, the court’s power structure had greatly changed. Though he didn’t know why His Majesty hadn’t dealt with her, anyone with eyes could see that the New Emperor extremely disliked and detested her.

Today, if Sheng Zhaoning refused to hand over the person, he would certainly embellish the story when reporting to His Majesty, and wouldn’t that make her suffer!

Thinking this, the previous fear in his heart instantly vanished like dust. Liu Zhao straightened his back, the angle of his chin lifting slightly.

Sheng Zhaoning restrained her gaze. “Since it’s His Majesty’s order, I, Sheng, will hand him over.”

Liu Zhao was stunned, seemingly not expecting her to release the person so easily.

Sheng Zhaoning turned back to look at Xu Fu. The dagger was still pressed against his throat, and a cold light inadvertently flashed from the blade.

Xu Fu met her eyes, and for some reason, a sudden chill ran down his spine.

“You… what are you going to do?”

Sheng Zhaoning’s blade wandered above Xu Fu’s throat, leaving a faint blood trail. The pain of skin being split open made Xu Fu’s whole body shiver.

He only heard Sheng Zhaoning lower her voice, speaking at a volume only the two of them could hear: “Lord Xu, remember to confess.”

The knife rose and fell. The fragile throat was effortlessly pierced by the blade.

Xu Fu died with his eyes wide open, still filled with terror.

Hot blood splattered across half her face. Sheng Zhaoning opened her eyes; the sticky sensation slid down her hair and eyelashes, dripping to the ground and mixing with the pool of blood on the floor.

The smell of blood filled the room.

Liu Zhao watched this scene, his eyes wide in disbelief, his lips pale as if he had seen a ghost. He stood there dumbfounded, then saw Sheng Zhaoning slowly turn around and casually toss the knife. With a clang, the blade tip landed right at his feet.

“I, Sheng, naturally dare not disobey His Majesty’s decree.”

The emperor wanted her to hand over the person, so she did. As for whether dead or alive, there was no specification.

Sheng Zhaoning said gently, “Vice Minister Liu, the person is handed over to you. Take him away.”

…

Liu Zhao was supported out of the Court of Judicial Review by others.

The next day, the news that Sheng Zhaoning, the Deputy Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, had resisted the decree and tortured and killed an important court official spread like wildfire throughout the court.

After the morning court session, Sheng Zhaoning was kept behind alone by the emperor.

The court officials all wondered how the Emperor would deal with this former official from the previous dynasty who had been on good terms with the former Crown Prince. But after waiting and waiting, no news came from the palace, so they temporarily gave up and dispersed.

Outside Changhua Hall, several young palace maids carried a basket of fine charcoal toward the woodshed. As they passed the main hall, they couldn’t help glancing at the person kneeling under the red plum tree and began whispering.

“She’s been kneeling here since morning court ended. At this point, it must have been four to six hours.”

“Oh, I wonder how she offended the Emperor. Kneeling so long in this freezing cold-she might suffer frostbite, or worse, her legs could be ruined.”

“True, but she’s no pushover. She’s ruthless and underhanded. The Emperor despises her. Some days ago, she was punished to kneel in front of Taihe Hall for some unknown reason, with people coming and going. She lost all face completely.”

“Ah? That happened…” The young palace maid was shocked. “After all, she’s a regular Court Minister. How could they humiliate her like that?”

“The Emperor’s will is unfathomable. I heard His Majesty is particularly angry today. When we meet the Emperor later, we must be extra careful…”

Chatting, the young palace maids carried the charcoal further and further away.

The sky was overcast again.

Sheng Zhaoning knelt in the snow, her limbs already stiff and swollen with pain. Especially her kneecaps, as if pierced by tens of thousands of steel needles, a sharp agony.

The north wind howled, slicing like a knife. She was cold from the inside out. She had left for morning court in a hurry today and hadn’t put on extra layers. The chill had long since penetrated her clothes, relentlessly seeping into her.

She had always been susceptible to cold, with a weak constitution. Whenever harsh winter came, she would fall ill for days. With a body like this, who knew how much longer she could live.

A treacherous villain, burdened with curses, would face divine retribution. Who knew how many people thought that.

Sheng Zhaoning’s gaze stretched out from the withered branches. Her slightly raised chin revealed a pale, vulnerable neck.

Not long ago, the palace had just witnessed a bloody conflict. Now, snow covered the flying eaves, red walls and glazed tiles, giving off a somewhat solemn and peaceful atmosphere.

She counted on her fingers. Xu Fu was dead. How many remained?

One… two… three…

The further she counted, the colder her gaze became.

So many left…

She didn’t fear death. What she feared was failing to get revenge. That in the underworld, no one would be there to make amends.

She had to live. At the very least, she had to outlive those people, so she could personally push them into an abyss of eternal damnation.

Snow had begun falling from the sky at some point. When the snowfall was at its heaviest, someone came out of the hall.

“Lord Sheng, you are summoned by His Majesty.”

A young eunuch walked over through the snow, stopped before her, and looked down at her as he spoke.

By now, the sky was completely dark. The heavy night let through not a hint of daylight. Only the flickering candlelight from within the hall cast some light onto the snow, creating a strangely gentle beauty.

The young eunuch breathed out a puff of cold air and watched coldly as Sheng Zhaoning struggled to rise from her kneeling position, making no move to help her.

It was common knowledge that the Emperor disliked this Deputy Minister of the Court of Judicial Review. No one knew exactly what discord lay between them, only that His Majesty treated her extremely harshly. The slightest mistake would provoke a stern rebuke, even severe punishment. Public scoldings gave no face; docking her salary and punishing her to kneel were common occurrences.

The court officials, accustomed to trimming their sails, saw this and many added insult to injury to curry favor with the Emperor. Even those few who had once been on good terms with Sheng Zhaoning now kept their distance, fearing they might be implicated.

He naturally didn’t want much contact with such a person.

“Lord Sheng, please hurry. His Majesty is waiting,” the young eunuch urged impatiently.