Zi Cheng smiled without warmth, "I won't kill you. Killing you would be too easy. As I said earlier, I want you to stay in this dark, sunless prison for the rest of your life, suffering day and night. That's the only way to atone for what you've done."
As he spoke, he remembered something. "Oh, right. If you're hoping your poison people will save you, don't bother. I've already captured them all and will burn them shortly."
"Even your subordinates and those you bribed, I will deal with them one by one, leaving you no chance to escape."
Meng Ronghua never expected such an outcome and roared in disbelief, "Your Majesty, please kill me! I'll accept any torment you inflict until death, just kill me!"
Zi Cheng waved a finger, "No, no, no. I will let you live well, and you will watch us live our lives to the fullest."
Meng Ronghua regretted not committing suicide the moment he was captured. He didn't want to live a life without light.
"I have something I want to ask you," Xiao Feng said with a puzzled expression. "Since you wanted to kill everyone, why didn't you take advantage of the timing when the two armies were at war? That would have been a good opportunity."
Meng Ronghua glanced at him, "I am a person of the Eastern Jin. No matter how much I resent everyone in the Eastern Jin court, I will not give the dogs of the Southern Jin even the slightest chance to invade my Eastern Jin territory."
No matter how much he hated or was angry, he understood this.
Xiao Feng and Zi Cheng exchanged a look, both surprised. They truly hadn't expected Meng Ronghua to have such thoughts, assuming it was simply a lack of opportunity.
As it turned out, Meng Ronghua was unwilling to do it.
Was this person hateful or pitiable?
Zi Cheng gave a few instructions to the Minister of Justice, then led Xiao Feng by the hand to a secluded courtyard in the Ministry of Justice.
This was where all the medicinal people were held, including Tao Li and her family.
After a long time, Xiao Feng saw Tao Li and her family again. His heart was no longer stirred, and he looked at them as if they were strangers.
He remembered when their family lived in Shilipo Village, they had often been bullied and schemed against by the Tao family. Now, the Tao family had become puppets, and his family lived a happy and fulfilling life.
"Xiao Feng, do you want to say something to Tao Li? I heard from the imperial physician that Tao Li seems to still have some consciousness," Zi Cheng said.
Xiao Feng looked at Tao Li, who was standing there. He could no longer see the arrogance and condescension on her face from before. Now, she was like a dog begging for its life.
He slowly shook his head, "Perhaps my mother would want to say something to Tao Li, but I have nothing to say to her. When she tried her best to harm our family, I had nothing more to say to her."
If only Tao Li had been content with her lot back then, she wouldn't have ended up like this.
Tao Li's vacant eyes showed a plea. No, no, no, she didn't want to die!
After finally surviving until now, she absolutely could not die, no matter what. She had to live.
Living meant hope of reclaiming everything she had, and the chance to kill Sheng Lengshuang.
It was that bitch Sheng Lengshuang who caused her to fall to this point. How could she let that bitch go!
Zi Cheng, seeing the subtle change in Tao Li's eyes, guessed her thoughts. "Tao Li, even if you survive, what good would it do? The mastermind, Meng Ronghua, has been caught. Who will help you now?"
"Besides, with your malicious intent to harm my little aunt, I will not let you go. However, you are indeed from the Tao family, selfish, greedy, and malicious, always thinking only of yourself."
Tao Li wanted to shake her head, but her movements were as if slowed down several times. No, she was not wrong; others were wrong, she was never wrong.
Zi Cheng did not want to say more. He gestured for the eunuchs to burn these puppets, "Burn them all to ashes. Don't let any of them escape. Also, before they are burned to ashes, no one is allowed to approach this courtyard."
With that, he walked away, holding Xiao Feng's hand.
Xiao Feng looked back and saw several eunuchs pouring oil on the puppets, after which a eunuch threw a burning tinder at them.
"Boom."
With the oil, the fire quickly spread, turning all the puppets present into living people.
Except for Tao Li, who struggled slightly, all the other puppets stood there blankly, letting the flames consume them.
Xiao Feng withdrew his gaze without sympathy. Keeping these puppets would only cause harm, so it was better to burn them all.
...
Chengmen Pass.
When Sheng Lengshuang entered the military tent with a bowl of medicinal cuisine, she saw Mo Lingxi sitting in a chair, wearing an outer robe and reading military intelligence. She was somewhat displeased, "You should be resting and recuperating. These matters should be handled by others."
Mo Lingxi took the bowl and smiled, "I need to look at this military intelligence. My injuries have improved, so you don't need to worry."
Sheng Lengshuang couldn't help but worry. She urged him to drink the porridge quickly, "The Southern Jin army has been inactive these past few days, which makes me even more worried. Do you think the Southern Jin army is plotting something?"
Mo Lingxi stated that it was certain, "The Southern Jin army suffered heavy losses in the previous battle and even lost. This has greatly affected the morale of the Southern Jin army."
"If the Southern Jin army cannot win the next battle, the consequences will be very serious."
Sheng Lengshuang understood this and sighed with greater concern, "I truly hope this war can end quickly and there will be no more fighting. Even the winning side suffers considerable losses."
After Mo Lingxi finished the porridge, he handed her a letter. "This just arrived from the Eastern Capital. His Majesty says the mastermind has been caught, it's Meng Ronghua. The letter details the situation and the process."
"Furthermore, everyone who needed to be dealt with has been dealt with. Not a single puppet was left behind. His Majesty was worried about any complications, so he didn't keep Tao Li and the others waiting for us to return."
Sheng Lengshuang unfolded the letter and read it. "It's good that they weren't kept. No one knows if a second Meng Ronghua might appear."
After reading the letter, she understood what had happened. Frowning, she thought that Meng Ronghua was simply a paranoid psychopath, and this was related to his childhood experiences and upbringing.
But she would not pity this person.
Mo Lingxi hummed in agreement, "His Majesty is currently rectifying the court. After this incident, His Majesty's authority will be even more stable. When the war ends, I should be able to lay down my power and live a leisurely and carefree life with you and Xiao Feng."
Sheng Lengshuang paused her letter-folding, "...I don't think that's likely. Given His Majesty's disposition, he will definitely not let you relinquish power. He might even assign you more responsibilities."
"At the very least, there's still Xiao Feng."
The veins on Mo Lingxi's forehead twitched. "Given His Majesty's personality, it's entirely possible he would do something like that. I need to be on guard."
Sheng Lengshuang teased, "But he is the current Emperor. How can you guard against him?"