webnovelvip Chapter 459 "This concubine... is a token of my sincerity prepared for Your Majesty."
Chapter 459 "This concubine... is a token of my sincerity prepared for Your Majesty."
Upon hearing this, the clan elders kneeling on the ground trembled as if struck by lightning.
Han Demao's knees buckled, and he collapsed to the ground, his forehead touching the stone slab, his whole body trembling violently.
Han Dechang was so frightened that tears streamed down his wrinkled face and dripped onto the bluestone slab.
Han Deren gritted his teeth, enduring the sound of them chattering.
Qin Mu smiled and waved his hand as he looked at their terrified expressions.
"Alright, get up, all of you. What kind of appearance is this, kneeling outside? Anyone who didn't know better would think I was bullying you."
The clan elders looked at each other, not daring to move.
Han Demao hesitated for a moment, then stood up shakily. His knees were a little weak, and he staggered, only managing to steady himself by holding onto the door frame beside him.
The other elders also stood up one after another, heads bowed, hands hanging limply, like a group of sinners.
Qin Mu's gaze swept across their faces, his voice indifferent.
"Come in, all of you. I have some questions for you."
The clan elders filed in and stood on both sides of the main hall with their hands at their sides, heads bowed, not daring to look at Qin Mu or Xu Fenghua.
Liu Ruolan stood at the door, head down, her fingers twisting the hem of her dress inside her sleeve.
Xu Fenghua stood beside Qin Mu. From the moment she arrived until now, she had been listening, watching, and piecing together the fragmented clues in her mind.
She finally understood.
Han Zhong indeed committed a serious crime and was severely punished by Qin Mu.
But a new doubt arose in her mind.
If it's just a failure to defeat the Moon Goddess Cult, surely it shouldn't warrant beheading?
The Qin Dynasty had existed for hundreds of years, and countless generals had suffered defeats, yet few were executed. What else did Han Zhong do?
Her brows furrowed slightly.
She wanted to ask, but she didn't dare.
She could only stand behind Qin Mu, watching all of this, silently making plans in her heart.
Xu Fenghua decided to observe further. She didn't speak, but stood quietly behind Qin Mu, her gaze sweeping over the trembling elders.
After the elders entered the main hall, the hall was crowded with people, but it was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
An elder mustered his courage, raised his head shakily, and spoke in a hoarse and cautious voice.
"I wonder... what does Your Majesty wish to ask?"
Qin Mu leaned back in his chair, tapping his fingers lightly on the armrest twice, his gaze falling on everyone's faces.
"Do you know who Han Zhong has been in contact with recently?"
The crowd exchanged glances, their eyes meeting briefly before quickly shifting away. They shook their heads, their voices varying in tone.
"have no idea."
"I do not know."
"I have never heard of it either."
Qin Mu smiled faintly, but it made everyone's hearts jump.
"Think carefully, think it over thoroughly. Answer only after you've thought it through."
Everyone's faces turned even paler, and fine beads of cold sweat appeared on their foreheads.
They racked their brains, racking their brains until they were completely empty, but they still couldn't figure it out.
Han Zhong has been staying at home these days, and even the clan elders can't see him. What could they possibly know?
Standing at the door, watching this scene, Liu Ruolan suddenly felt a sense of foreboding.
Why does Your Majesty seem to want to punish the Han family?
Wasn't the plan to punish only Han Zhong? Why does it feel like...they're going to implicate everyone?
Her fingers clenched tightly in her sleeve. She couldn't wait any longer; she had to take the initiative and couldn't let His Majesty continue asking questions.
Liu Ruolan took a deep breath, raised her head slightly, and spoke softly with a hint of shyness.
"Your Majesty, the sincere gift I have prepared for you is in my room. You may come with me to see it."
Qin Mu turned his head to look at her, the smile on his lips deepening. "Okay."
He stood up, straightened his robes, and turned to look at Xu Fenghua.
"You wait for me here."
Xu Fenghua was slightly taken aback, a complex feeling welling up inside her.
Of course she wanted to go with her; she always felt that this woman had ill intentions.
Why must we go to the room to get this sincerity? A man and a woman alone, in the middle of the night—this is clearly a case of ulterior motives.
She was almost certain that this woman was trying to seduce Qin Mu.
Since Qin Mu had said so, she could only nod, give a slight curtsy, and speak softly.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
She stood there, watching Qin Mu and Liu Ruolan walk out of the main hall one after the other and disappear at the end of the corridor.
The night breeze stirred her clothes, and she suddenly felt a tightness in her chest.
She didn't know why she was like this.
She was Xu Longxiang's older sister, and was forced into becoming Qin Mu's concubine. She should hate him and be hoping he would be taken away by another woman.
But why, the thought of that woman possibly having something happen with Qin Mu made her heart feel like it was being squeezed by someone, both sour and bitter, so painful that it made it difficult for her to even breathe.
She couldn't believe she was feeling this way.
She is Xu Fenghua, the proudest young lady in the Northern Territory, and an iron lady who fought her way out of the business wars in Jiangnan.
Why would she care if Qin Mu was seduced by another woman?
How could she have such ridiculous, cheap emotions that she herself despises?
Xu Fenghua's fingers slowly tightened inside her sleeve, her nails digging into her palm.
She bit her lip, suppressing the inexplicable bitterness, and lowered her eyes, refusing to look at the empty door again.
When the elders heard Liu Ruolan say those words, they exchanged a silent glance and breathed a sigh of relief in unison.
They knew what Liu Ruolan was going to do, and they knew what it meant.
Anything is worth it as long as it can save Han Zhong.
Han Demao lowered his eyes slightly, and the tense curve of his lips finally relaxed a little.
Han Dechang slowly loosened his fist, his palms covered in sweat.
Han Deren let out a long breath.
Qin Mu followed Liu Ruolan through the corridor and courtyard to her room.
Liu Ruolan pushed open the door, stepped aside, lowered her head, and placed her hands folded in front of her.
Qin Mu stepped inside. The room was small, but it was decorated very elegantly.
The rosewood bed was covered with brocade bedding, and a half-read book lay beside the pillow.
A bronze mirror and a dressing case were placed on the dressing table by the window, and the hair on the comb had not yet been cleaned.
Sandalwood incense burned in the incense burner in the corner, its smoke curling upwards, creating a serene atmosphere.
On the table sat a celadon vase, in which a few sprigs of wintersweet were inserted, their pink and white petals gleaming warmly in the candlelight.
Qin Mu looked around and nodded.
"It's nice, very cozy."
Liu Ruolan blushed slightly, appearing exceptionally beautiful in the candlelight.
She lowered her head, her voice soft and tinged with nervousness.
"Your Majesty flatters me; I am unworthy of such praise."
Qin Mu walked to the table, casually picked up a winter plum blossom, smelled it, and then put it down.
He turned around, looked at Liu Ruolan, and the smile on his lips was still there.
"Alright, now you can show your sincerity."
Liu Ruolan bit her pink lips with her pearly teeth, leaving them white and faint teeth marks.
Her heart was pounding in her chest, like a drum being struck, thump thump thump, and even her breathing became rapid.
A battle raged within her mind, with two voices clashing fiercely.
One person said, "You are Han Zhong's wife, how could you do such a thing?"
Another said, "If you don't do it, Han Zhong will die. Are you just going to watch him die like this?"
Liu Ruolan closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
The breath she inhaled, carrying the scents of sandalwood and winter plum blossoms, made her feel more awake.
She opened her eyes, and the hesitation and struggle in them were gradually fading away, replaced by a resolute determination.
She reached out and slowly took off her outer garment.
The moon-white outer garment slipped off her shoulders and fell to the ground with a very soft rustling sound.
She wore a snow-white undergarment, her collarbone glowing faintly with a jade-like hue in the candlelight, her shoulders rounded, and her waist slender.
Her knees bent, and with a thud, she slowly knelt before Qin Mu, her forehead touching the cold gold bricks, her long hair slipping from her shoulders and spreading out on the ground.
Her voice was very soft, as soft as a withered leaf falling from a branch, yet every word was so clear that it made one's heart tremble.
"This humble servant... is simply offering my sincere sentiments to Your Majesty."
Liu Ruolan knelt on the ground, her forehead touching the cold gold bricks, her heart pounding as if it would jump out of her chest.
She thought everything would fall into place naturally, that His Majesty would gladly accept her "sincerity," and that Han Zhong's life would be saved.
Qin Mu did not move.
He simply stood there, looking down at her, the smile still lingering on his lips, his gaze as calm as a stagnant pool.
"Madam, what does this mean? I don't quite understand."
Liu Ruolan's body stiffened abruptly.
She understood; she understood completely.
His Majesty did it on purpose.
He couldn't possibly not know that from the moment she took off her outer garment, knelt before him, and uttered those words, he knew what she was going to do.
He was just pretending, just watching her act like a clown, putting on this clumsy show in front of him.
Liu Ruolan's lips trembled violently, and a huge wave of humiliation and bitterness surged in her heart.
It felt like being stripped naked and thrown into the street; every gaze was like a knife, stabbing her heart away.
She bit her lip, raised her head, and met Qin Mu's gaze.
Those eyes were so deep, as deep as an ancient well with no bottom. She could see nothing and couldn't understand anything.
Her voice was hoarse, with a slight, suppressed tremor.
"Your Majesty, I am willing to share your burdens and solve your problems. I only ask that Your Majesty forgive my husband."
Qin Mu looked at her, and the smile on his lips deepened.
"Do you know what crime your husband committed?"
Liu Ruolan was stunned for a moment.
Her hands slowly tightened inside her sleeves, and the ominous premonition in her heart grew stronger.
She recalled the question His Majesty had asked the elders in the main hall earlier—"Who has Han Zhong been in contact with recently?"
She felt something was wrong then, and now that His Majesty was questioning Han Zhong about his crimes, that unease in her heart surged like a tide.
She shook her head. "This humble servant...does not know."
Qin Mu smiled faintly and said.
"Han Zhong has committed the crime of deceiving the emperor and rebelling. What do you think I should do to forgive him?"