Chapter 631: Spared the Death Penalty, Exiled to the Borderlands

The officials below remained kneeling, and the grand hall fell into silence.

Prime Minister Gao had wanted to stir up trouble, but his bravado diminished after learning the Emperor had decreed Ye Qianning could not be buried in Beili. Now, he was clearly leaning toward punishing Consort Yuan’s faction.

Although the Emperor had a mind to protect her, he was the sovereign; the infamy wouldn’t fall on him. If he persisted, however, the eternal shame would fall upon the Gao family.

If the Emperor were compassionate, bearing such a stain might be acceptable, but the Emperor was heartless. He could cast aside glorious military achievements in the blink of an eye, so how could he be expected to remember a trivial matter like the Gao family’s tarnished reputation?

The consequences were not worth the risk.

’There’s so much evidence of Consort Yuan’s treason. She can’t be saved. There’s simply no saving her.’

The Beili Emperor clutched the message strip in his hand, deep in thought. His Hidden Guards had suddenly intercepted intelligence from the "Chiyan," which meticulously recorded the reactions of the three other kingdoms after they learned of the incident.

Rumors and mockery began to spread from the other three kingdoms into Beili, causing both the common people and the imperial family to hang their heads in shame.

The Chiyan intelligence from the Hidden Clan should have been impossible to intercept. It was obviously leaked on purpose.

The situation in the Capital City, the state of affairs in the other three kingdoms, Sang Zhi’s stance, and the voices of the capital’s commoners—all of this left the Beili Emperor no room for further indecision.

"Scribe, prepare a decree." The Beili Emperor’s authoritative voice shattered the silence of the grand hall.

Upon hearing his words, the officials all looked up in astonishment.

"The evidence of Consort Yuan’s treason is conclusive. In consideration of her being the Crown Prince’s birth mother, she will be spared the death penalty and exiled to the frontier. Yuan Yintang intentionally shot and killed an innocent child, a heinous crime. I hereby order their alchemy sect to be disbanded and all direct family members to be exiled to the Northwestern Rock Mountains," the Beili Emperor proclaimed.

Prime Minister Gao felt a wave of relief. ’Thankfully, I chose the right side. Otherwise, if the Emperor’s decree had laid the blame on us, the Gao family’s name would have been tarnished for eternity.’

The sentence of Consort Yuan’s exile to the frontier also left the other officials deeply shocked.

With the direct line of the alchemy family exiled to the northwest, it seemed Consort Yuan’s faction was well and truly defeated. However...

The Emperor’s decree made no mention of the General’s daughter, instead using the word "child." This made it clear there was no chance of reversing the decision to forbid her burial in Beili.

"Your Majesty is wise! Long live the Emperor! Long live, long live His Majesty!"

The officials knelt and cried out in unison.

The morning court session dragged on until nearly afternoon before it was finally dismissed. Everyone understood implicitly that since the Emperor hadn’t mentioned Dean Chen’s case again, his mind was made up. To say more would just be asking for trouble.

From early morning, the Capital Prefecture Office had been packed solid with people demanding justice for the General’s daughter and the severe punishment of Consort Yuan.

Magistrate Song had been so anxious his hair had nearly turned white overnight. Finally, in the thick of the afternoon chaos, the imperial decree arrived.

"Magistrate Song, the Emperor has commanded that anyone else involved must be apprehended and punished severely in accordance with the law," Mr. Li said, closing the imperial edict and handing it over.

"Yes. This official understands." Taking the decree, Magistrate Song knew exactly what he had to do.

’Consort Yuan is finished,’ he thought. ’The people who helped her pass messages will never leave the imperial prison for the rest of their lives.’

"Excellent! The Emperor is wise! The Emperor is wise!"

"This is so satisfying! Traitors who betray the country deserve to be punished harshly."

Hearing this outcome, the commoners grew excited for a moment, completely forgetting about the tragic death of Ye Qianning from the General’s Estate.

"The matter concerning the General’s Estate has been resolved. You may all return home now," Magistrate Song announced, his heart finally settling.

The concubines had been standing at the estate’s gate all night. When they heard the news, they were overjoyed that the people who had hurt Pangtuan were being punished, but...

It seemed the Emperor had not mentioned their Pangtuan by name at all, using only the word "child" to refer to her.