The Emperor was stunned. Although she was tiny and short, she was not cowardly or weak. Her eyes were bright and firm as though she has noticed everything around her. The Emperor shivered as he looked at her and felt guilty. He coughed and said, "I’m surprised, too. I’ll get my people to investigate and find out the truth!"
Gu Xijiu smiled, and her eyes were wandering around all those people who just came in. She said, "Your Majesty, please forgive my random opinion but the custodians in the palace are not doing their work properly! Fortunately, those assassins were attacking me instead of Your Majesty. Otherwise, the result would have been worse. The royal army failed to conduct their work well, don’t they deserve some punishment? What do you think, Your Majesty?"
She had a point with sufficient reason, and there was no way the Emperor could refute. He then said, "You’re right! They deserve a punishment!"
"How are you going to punish them, Your Majesty?"
"Umm…"
"I've studied the national constitution and am aware that it is considered as a misconduct of the royal army when assassins are found in the palace. They should be punished with a wooden bar or caning depends on the level of seriousness. If they cause a severe consequence, they should be beheaded as a warning to the other custodians. Am I right?" Gu Xijiu was good at talking, and her words were lingering in the basilica.
The Emperor said, "This…"
The Chief General of the royal army was standing beside the Emperor. He could not stand still anymore. He stepped forward and knelt down on the floor and said, "Indeed, Your Majesty. We didn’t perform well, and we are willing to take the punishment."
Although he received orders from his master to execute the attack, he could not get the Emperor into trouble. He could only endure the pain for the consequences of his loyalty. The Emperor had no choice and issued a decree to punish him with 100 strokes of the cane and reward him with an annual salary.
It was not difficult for the Emperor to allocate the money to him as compensation, but 100 canes would be carved on his buttocks.
After the caning, he needed to drag himself back to the basilica to acknowledge the reward from His Majesty. As Gu Xijiu looked at his injuries, she even generously gave him a bottle of cream and said, "Chief Xiao, you have to be more careful next time. Otherwise, His Majesty would take away your brain if there are assassins in the palace again.
The Chief General was depressed and almost vomited blood. However, he still needed to thank her sincerely, "Thanks for the reminder, Miss Gu."
In fact, he was cursing her in his heart, "Who the heck said she is as gentle as a rabbit? She is as smart and cunning as a wolf!"
The Chief General then left the basilica for treatment.
There were a few more ministers besides the Emperor. Gu Xijiu gazed at them and which made them uncomfortable. They were worried that she might get them into trouble. All of them wanted to find an excuse to leave.
Fortunately, Gu Xijiu only took a glance at them and before she shifted her focus to other things. "Your Majesty, why do all the basilicas look so strange? What are these for?"
Now, she finally looked like a 13-year-old kid as she looked naive and curious.
The Emperor was stunned. Although she was tiny and short, she was not cowardly or weak. Her eyes were bright and firm as though she has noticed everything around her. The Emperor shivered as he looked at her and felt guilty. He coughed and said, "I’m surprised, too. I’ll get my people to investigate and find out the truth!"
Gu Xijiu smiled, and her eyes were wandering around all those people who just came in. She said, "Your Majesty, please forgive my random opinion but the custodians in the palace are not doing their work properly! Fortunately, those assassins were attacking me instead of Your Majesty. Otherwise, the result would have been worse. The royal army failed to conduct their work well, don’t they deserve some punishment? What do you think, Your Majesty?"
She had a point with sufficient reason, and there was no way the Emperor could refute. He then said, "You’re right! They deserve a punishment!"
"How are you going to punish them, Your Majesty?"
"Umm…"
"I've studied the national constitution and am aware that it is considered as a misconduct of the royal army when assassins are found in the palace. They should be punished with a wooden bar or caning depends on the level of seriousness. If they cause a severe consequence, they should be beheaded as a warning to the other custodians. Am I right?" Gu Xijiu was good at talking, and her words were lingering in the basilica.
The Emperor said, "This…"
The Chief General of the royal army was standing beside the Emperor. He could not stand still anymore. He stepped forward and knelt down on the floor and said, "Indeed, Your Majesty. We didn’t perform well, and we are willing to take the punishment."
Although he received orders from his master to execute the attack, he could not get the Emperor into trouble. He could only endure the pain for the consequences of his loyalty. The Emperor had no choice and issued a decree to punish him with 100 strokes of the cane and reward him with an annual salary.
It was not difficult for the Emperor to allocate the money to him as compensation, but 100 canes would be carved on his buttocks.
After the caning, he needed to drag himself back to the basilica to acknowledge the reward from His Majesty. As Gu Xijiu looked at his injuries, she even generously gave him a bottle of cream and said, "Chief Xiao, you have to be more careful next time. Otherwise, His Majesty would take away your brain if there are assassins in the palace again.
The Chief General was depressed and almost vomited blood. However, he still needed to thank her sincerely, "Thanks for the reminder, Miss Gu."
In fact, he was cursing her in his heart, "Who the heck said she is as gentle as a rabbit? She is as smart and cunning as a wolf!"
The Chief General then left the basilica for treatment.
There were a few more ministers besides the Emperor. Gu Xijiu gazed at them and which made them uncomfortable. They were worried that she might get them into trouble. All of them wanted to find an excuse to leave.
Fortunately, Gu Xijiu only took a glance at them and before she shifted her focus to other things. "Your Majesty, why do all the basilicas look so strange? What are these for?"
Now, she finally looked like a 13-year-old kid as she looked naive and curious.
