Before the palace gates, a large number of guards stood rigidly at attention.
The Second Prince, clad in a python robe, stood at the forefront.
Upon seeing the Ji family women slowly approaching, Xie Jingxi's fingers, gripping the military dispatch, tightened until they turned white.
The military dispatch was submitted, the imperial decree was issued; he thought everything should be settled, yet he never expected these discarded things from the Ji family to be so troublesome.
Since that is the case, he would let the Ji family perish with clear understanding!
Ji Zizhao glanced far towards the direction of the palace gates, her gaze finally settling on the Second Prince.
Though the Ji family were military officials, their grandfather, father, and uncles did not form factions in the imperial court, nor were they close with the princes. Thus, no one in the Ji family had ever met a prince.
Now, Ji Zizhao could definitively identify who the Second Prince was solely because of the python robe that proclaimed his royal status, and those eyes filled with raging anger.
With the men of the Ji family dead, the Second Prince of Yu Lin showed no trace of sorrow. Instead, his eyes blazed with fury when the Ji family women requested the reading of the military dispatch. Who would believe that such a twisted soul was innocent?
The only explanation was that the more hatred the Second Prince felt now, the more wrongly killed and miserably perished the men of the Ji family were!
Under the watch of the guards, Ji Zizhao stopped ten paces away from the Second Prince.
The eunuch who had just delivered the imperial decree now stood by the Second Prince, puffed up with borrowed authority, and shouted with a high-pitched voice, "The criminal Ji family has no right to approach the palace gates and defile the purity of the imperial palace. It is the Emperor's grace that remembers the Ji family's former loyalty, and the Second Prince's benevolence and virtuous conduct. Why do not the criminal Ji family members quickly prostrate themselves and thank the boundless grace of the dragon and the benevolent heart of the Second Prince?!"
The majestic imperial palace stood behind red walls and green tiles.
Waves of oppressive sandalwood fragrance slowly wafted from the several-meter-high palace walls.
At this moment, let alone the Ji family women whose legs involuntarily weakened, even the commoners standing far away were so overwhelmed by the palace's majesty that they couldn't lift their heads.
Only Ji Zizhao felt no awe, but rather a heart filled with icy coldness.
The Ji family, framed and destroyed, was now expected to kowtow and offer thanks to the perpetrator?
Truly absurd!
Seeing the Ji family women still standing in place, the eunuch angrily berated, "You whores of the Ji family, how dare you! I told you to kneel, did you not hear me!"
Ji Zizhao narrowed her eyes slightly and looked at the speaking eunuch. Though she said nothing, the light flashing in her dark eyes was so piercing that even sunlight could not penetrate it.
The imperial decree had judged all the female members of the Ji family to be prostitutes, but as the Ji family had not yet formally received the decree, no one could call them prostitutes!
The eunuch felt a chill in his heart and instinctively retreated behind the Second Prince.
He knew that here, before the palace gates, he should not be intimidated by a mere commoner, but the Ji family's eldest daughter's eyes were too cold, like a whistling winter wind, or like ice picks piercing the heart.
This eunuch had always been arrogant in the palace, relying on his service to the emperor, never imagining that one day he would be intimidated by a person's gaze.
To the extent that at this very moment, he could only hide behind the Second Prince, lacking the courage to speak again.
Xie Jingxi cursed inwardly. As expected of a bunch of discarded things, so ignorant of their place. However, on his face, he sighed with feigned benevolence, "Although the Ji family deserves its punishment, they have just experienced the pain of losing their men. If you are unwilling to kneel, you may stand."
Ji Zizhao would not accept this favor.
When power and public opinion are balanced, the masses often lean towards the weaker side.
Therefore, as soon as the Second Prince finished speaking, Ji Zizhao gathered her skirts and knelt on the hard ground.
The other Ji family women following behind could no longer stand steadily and, one after another, they also knelt.
Seeing this, a trace of mockery flickered in Xie Jingxi's eyes. He had thought that since the Ji family women requested the reading of the military dispatch, they would possess a spirit of facing death with courage, but in the end, they were just a group of cowards afraid of death.
However, Xie Jingxi never had any inclination to pity or cherish women. If Old General Ji had agreed to secretly support him back then, why would the Ji family have ended up in such a pathetic state today?
Frankly speaking, it was the Ji family's folly, and they deserved their men's tragic deaths and their women's reduction to prostitutes.
The military dispatch in his hand, which Xie Jingxi had already memorized, was opened.
In the sunlight, the military dispatch was emerald green and shone as if new.
Xie Jingxi raised his voice to the highest pitch, enunciating each word, detailing how the Ji family men had violated military law and committed grave offenses. Every sentence was clear, every word slow, as if he feared the commoners of Yu Lin would not hear.
"In the Battle of Luoyi, our army had the upper hand. However, Old General Ji, being arrogant and self-willed, and believing he had fought countless battles, refused the advice of Deputy General Ren Jun to retreat and defend. Insisting on a defensive posture, he obstinately stole the military seal through illegal means from the Second Prince, and under the cover of the Ji family's young generals, secretly led tens of thousands of soldiers to launch a fierce attack on the Turks, ultimately causing everyone to fall into a Turkic trap!"
Xie Jingxi continued, "Upon learning of Old General Ji's death, the Ji family's young generals refused to recognize the situation. They defied the Second Prince and, disregarding Deputy General Ren Jun's obstruction, rallied the Ji family troops to continue their reckless charge into the Turkic trap. Simply because they refused to believe the Ji family would lose to a mere Turk, nearly ten thousand more soldiers were lost, ultimately perishing under the massacre of the Turks!"
The contents of the military dispatch shook the hearts of the commoners, who stared with wide eyes, unable to recover for a long time.
They could not believe that the Ji family, who had protected Yu Lin for a hundred years, would act so recklessly. They were even less willing to believe that the Ji family men, whom they had always regarded as gods of war, were in fact fighting for military merit.
The female members of the Ji family were equally stunned and broke out in a cold sweat.
They knew better than anyone about the conduct of the Ji family men, which was why they refused to believe their own men would be as arrogant, conceited, and hypocritical as stated in the military dispatch!
But now...
Everything recorded in the military dispatch was presented so clearly before their eyes, and in their ears...
No matter how much they disbelieved, what could they do?
Ji Zixiu's body, half-numb from shock, felt a surge of anger rush to her chest.
Since childhood, her grandfather had told her to live with integrity. Her father had also told her that though military merit was an honor a soldier pursued his entire life, one must never lose sight of the six words: protect the people, defend the homeland. Otherwise, all military merit would be worthless!
But now...
What nonsensical things were recorded in that military dispatch?
"You..." Ji Zixiu opened her mouth to curse the Second Prince, but at the critical moment, she forcefully suppressed her impulse and looked at her eldest sister, who was kneeling at the front. Her eldest sister had promised to let her vent her anger to her heart's content, so until her eldest sister nodded, she had to endure it even if it made her vomit blood.
The Ji family's household rules were to keep promises and maintain integrity.
Ji Zizhao clenched her fists under her sleeves, her ten fingernails digging into her palms without feeling pain.
The Second Prince's voice had just echoed clearly, not an exaggeration to say it resounded throughout the entire city. Therefore, she firmly believed that the direction of the four major medical halls must also have heard it clearly.
With the military dispatch in front, only the testimony of the Luoyi commoners could vindicate the Ji family. Therefore, before that, she had to buy time, waiting for those Luoyi commoners to voluntarily step forward.
Xie Jingxi clearly did not wish to waste any more time and directly ordered the guards beside him, "The military dispatch has been read, and the Emperor's decree has been issued. What are you waiting for?"
At once, all the guards before the palace gates strode rapidly towards the Ji family women.