The Emperor stared at him with a gloomy look, his eyes as sharp as a drawn blade.
Cui Qingyuan, however, remained calm, straightening his back in a posture of unyielding determination even in the face of death.
Trying to hold back his anger, the Emperor said in a deep voice, "Minister Shen, do you have anything else to say?"
"Your Majesty, I have nothing to say," replied Shen Xiabai, slightly lowering his head and staring at the smooth floor. His voice was steady, showing no sign of disturbance.
"Very well, very well, very well," the Emperor sneered. "Since that's the case, I sentence you to thirty strokes of the cane. Do you accept?"
"Yes, I do," Shen Xiabai answered without hesitation, which made the Emperor even angrier, almost losing his mind.
The Emperor thought that Shen Xiabai was really bewitched by the "fox spirit." Even now, being under someone else's control, he still willingly endured the punishment.
Cui Yunchu glanced back at Shen Xiabai's somewhat staggering figure walking out and subconsciously grabbed Cui Qingyuan's sleeve.
He had just recovered from the poison. How could he withstand the cane punishment? Isn't this a death sentence?
"Father," Cui Yunchu said. "Please help him."
Cui Qingyuan glanced at Cui Yunchu but said nothing.
Then the Emperor continued, "Since this incident was caused by Cui Yunchu, you and your daughter can go outside and watch the execution. Don't say I'm not giving Prime Minister Cui a say in this."
His words were cold.
He wanted Shen Xiabai to remember the lesson of this day, to remember the faces of the Cui family father and daughter, and to remember the taste of being trampled under the feet of the enemies who killed his father and brother.
He wanted to see if he could come to his senses.
After saying that, the Emperor immediately left the side hall.
Cui Yunchu's face turned pale. She quickly followed him out and rushed to the outside of the hall.
Shen Xiabai's broad figure was lying on the bench. In the cold wind, his clothes looked so thin.
His face was pale with a sickly tinge, and his eyes were slightly closed. There was a deep sense of stillness in his coldness.
Cui Yunchu was so nervous that tears welled up in her eyes. "It's so cold. Why is he wearing such thin clothes?"
Cui Qingyuan came out right after.
The execution in the courtyard had begun. After just a few strokes, there were traces of blood on the white robe. But he gritted his teeth tightly and didn't make a single sound.
He was so weak that he seemed to be on the verge of death at any moment.
"Old man, no, Father," Cui Yunchu grabbed Cui Qingyuan's sleeve. "Please help him. He was poisoned to save me and hurt his body. He's wearing such thin clothes. At the very least, you can talk to the executioner and let him wear something thicker."
Cui Yunchu was so nervous that she spoke very fast, no longer holding back or hiding her feelings.
Cui Qingyuan said, "This is the palace, not our family's ancestral hall. Don't be so reckless."
Cui Yunchu's eyes were blurred with tears, and she continued to plead, "Please help him. I'll listen to you from now on, okay? I won't deliberately provoke you anymore. I won't cause any more trouble. I'll be the well - behaved young lady you want me to be."
"CUl Qingyuan!!"
The Prime Minister looked up at his eldest daughter, who was stamping her feet anxiously with a tear - stained face.
For the first time, she was so worried about someone. The concern in her eyes was very pure.
It was for a man.
The words of Old Madam Cui suddenly flashed into his mind.
That man was willing to risk his life for Yunchu. So, for Yunchu, he and the Cui family were the outsiders.
Cui Yunchu raised her voice, "Aren't you the Prime Minister? Or is your position as Prime Minister only useful when it comes to your niece and Yunfeng? I've never asked you for anything before. Can't you just help me?"
"Yunchu," Cui Qingyuan frowned and said in a solemn voice, "Thirty strokes of the cane won't kill him."
"But I feel sorry for him," Cui Yunchu said, staring at him with wide eyes without any concealment.
"He blocked a knife for me, took the blame for me, and put aside his hatred for me. He tried to make peace with you several times, but you refused him and restricted him. I just feel sorry for him."
After saying that, she stomped down the steps and rushed towards Shen Xiabai.
Cui Qingyuan stood under the eaves, hands behind his back, looking at Cui Yunchu's back. His eyes were dark and complex.
He frowned tightly, looking somewhat remorseful and desolate.
"It's so cold. Don't you know how to wear more clothes? Wearing such thin clothes, it must hurt even more when you're beaten," Cui Yunchu said. She tried to push the executioner away but was stopped by the chief eunuch. Trapped, she stood in front of Shen Xiabai and kept muttering.
"I always wear thick clothes. Even when I kneel in the ancestral hall, I won't feel very cold or in much pain. Why are you so stupid?"
"Shen Xiabai, why are you closing your eyes? Don't die. Look at me and say something to me."
"Shen Xiabai..."
Under her persistent nagging, Shen Xiabai slowly opened his eyes and looked at her. "The Emperor asked you to watch. Just watch. After the execution is over, go home with Prime Minister Cui."
His voice was cold, lacking the joy and softness he used to have when getting along with her, only with a faint sense of stillness.
"What do you mean?" Cui Yunchu asked. "Do you believe what that maid said?"
"It wasn't me. It wasn't me!" she shouted, jumping up and down. "Shen Xiabai, don't you believe me?"
Shen Xiabai didn't say a word and closed his eyes again.
Every time the cane fell, his brows would frown tightly, and his breath would become weaker.
Cui Yunchu stood there stunned, with tears streaming down her face and a look of indignation.
But at this moment, she couldn't even beat him to vent her anger.
After the execution was over, Shen Xiabai's white robe was already soaked in blood. He could barely sit up with the support of a little eunuch. His steps were unsteady, as if he had no strength.
"Yunchu, go back to the mansion," Cui Qingyuan said in a solemn voice.
Cui Yunchu just stood there without moving. She stared at Shen Xiabai with wide eyes and said, "Don't you believe me?"
"Go back first," Shen Xiabai lowered his head, as if avoiding her, not wanting to see Cui Yunchu.
A eunuch put a cloak on him. His tied - up hair was a bit loose, and it was difficult for him to stand steadily. He was in a state of unprecedented embarrassment.
Cui Yunchu bit her lower lip until it bled. "Shen Xiabai, if you don't believe me, if I leave today, I'll never talk to you again."
Finally, he slowly raised his eyes and looked at that beautiful face, which he had been longing for and was willing to risk his life for. His voice was calm and still. "A Chu, I only ask you one thing. Did you really mean those words?"
His gaze seemed to be extremely penetrating, as if he could see through Cui Yunchu's uneasiness at a glance.
But he didn't understand why.
Was it for the Cui family? Was it because of his initial bad attitude towards her? Or was it because he left her at the bottom of the cliff?
Why did she hate him?
Cui Yunchu said, "Yes, I did say those words. But it was when the Gu scion died. I admit that I used and deceived you in that matter. I knew your feelings for me, so I wanted to take revenge on you and get rid of him with your help."
"But this time, I really didn't do it."
Shen Xiabai's eyes were full of stillness. After a long silence, he gave her a faint smile. "I see. Go back first."
He walked around her and moved forward. His calm and gentle voice slowly came back. "A Chu, I'm not afraid of being used and deceived by you."
I'm afraid that you hate me and want me to die. I'm afraid that those words are true. I'm afraid that you don't love me.
And I don't even know the reason why you hate me. I'm like a fool. I don't know how to love you, and I don't even know where to start to make up for you.
