TFWYH – Chapter 615 Too Cruel

“Then of course I have Minister Wang to thank for that!” Ling Yu replied calmly, a faint smile on his lips. “If Minister Wang hadn’t assigned this lowly official the task of collecting debts while refusing to provide any manpower, how would I have ended up pleading before His Majesty? And if I hadn’t gone before His Majesty, I would never have received the Imperial Sword as a gracious reward.”

Minister Wang’s face alternated between green and pale. His lips trembled, but he could not utter a single word.

At that moment, one of the Imperial Guards suddenly shouted that they had found it, then hurried over to Ji Wushuang carrying an account book.

Minister Wang was startled. Only then did he fully come back to his senses, all the blood draining from his face in an instant.

Faced with Ling Yu holding the Imperial Sword, his legs went weak, and with a thud he collapsed to his knees.

Ji Wushuang glanced at him indifferently, casually flipped through the account book for a moment, then handed it to Ling Yu before saying to Minister Wang, “Alright then, Minister Wang. Please come with me.”

Minister Wang closed his eyes in despair, his face ashen…

…

A short while later, the entire Wang household—young and old alike—had been placed under control by the Imperial Guards.

Ji Wushuang also uncovered a large quantity of valuables from Minister Wang’s private treasury.

He ordered the Imperial Guards to surround the residence and sent people to summon reinforcements to transport all the stolen goods into the palace.

Meanwhile, Ling Yu rode at full speed back to the palace with the account book to report the matter to the Emperor in advance.

After learning of the matter, the Emperor could hardly believe the items listed in the ledger.

But half an hour later, when Ji Wushuang arrived with a group of Imperial Guards carrying over a dozen chests of gold and silver, along with seven or eight tribute items, the Emperor was utterly enraged.

He immediately ordered that Minister Wang’s entire family be thrown into the imperial prison.

And it wasn’t only Minister Wang’s family.

Everyone whose name appeared in the ledger as having accepted bribes—every last one of them—was arrested as well.

Finally, the Emperor turned his gaze toward the direction of the Prime Minister’s residence, his face dark and stormy. “Wushuang, immediately surround the Prime Minister’s residence. This time, I want to see how the Prime Minister intends to argue his way out of this.”

“Yes, Your Majesty!” Ji Wushuang accepted the order. After glancing at Ling Yu beside him, he respectfully took his leave.

Only after he departed did the Emperor let out a sigh and look toward Ling Yu, his expression incredibly complicated.

He did not believe Ling Yu was unaware of his own origins.

Ling Yu knew—and yet he had deliberately orchestrated all of this.

His goal was clearly to deal with the Prime Minister, wasn’t it?

This child… his heart was a little too ruthless.

No matter what, Prime Minister Gu was still his biological grandfather.

Sensing the Emperor’s scrutiny, Ling Yu not only failed to avoid it, but actually raised his head and met the Emperor’s eyes directly.

If it were anyone else, this alone would have been enough for a charge of disrespect toward the throne.

But this was Ling Yu.

He knew who he was, and the Emperor knew who he was as well…

The Emperor sighed again before finally asking, “Vice Minister Ling, if one day I were to wrong you, would you also put me to death?”

Ling Yu pondered silently for a moment. After a long while, he answered with a question of his own. “Your Majesty, would you be willing to hear this official tell a story?”

“At a time like this, you still want to tell a story?” The Emperor was so exasperated he laughed. He nodded. “Fine, tell it. I’d like to hear what sort of story you intend to tell.”

“Yes…”

Ling Yu cupped his hands respectfully before speaking in a calm tone.

“Once, there was a noble young lady who, through a twist of fate, lost her chastity. After learning of it, her family not only refused to forgive her, but believed she had brought shame upon the family name. When her elder sister found out, she resented the young lady for stealing the man she loved and did everything possible to torment her.”

“The young lady was imprisoned by her own sister for ten months, surviving each day on barely enough food to stay alive. She firmly believed her sister would never truly harm her, and she firmly believed that once her sister’s anger passed, she would let her go.”

“But in the end…”

Ling Yu paused slightly before continuing softly,

“Your Majesty, do you know what became of that young lady?”