Duke Zheng wore a triumphant smile on his face as he looked at him, but he wasn't looking at an old rival—it was more like the look one gave to a defeated subordinate.
After the morning court.
The news hadn't spread from the Imperial Palace yet; Emperor Xuanming did not respond clearly to how the two men would be dealt with.
But now, everyone in the Qi family felt endangered, and after leaving the morning court, Minister Qi knelt outside the Imperial Study. Despite the blazing sun causing his head to spin and his vision to blur, he remained kneeling.
The following day, Qi Jun committed suicide in prison.
Hearing the news, Imperial Concubine Qi Zhao Yi in the palace fainted from grief.
When these two pieces of news spread out of the palace, the court officials were shocked. Minister Qi was in the midst of entering the palace, kneeling in front of the Golden Throne Hall. Upon hearing the news, he began crying and pleading for mercy from the Emperor.
