Many people in the hall looked at the Empress, wondering how she would handle the matter.
Hai Ling suddenly shouted towards the door: "Someone, drag this crazy woman who dares to disrupt General Ji's wedding out!"
Outside the hall, the palace guards rushed in as soon as they heard the Empress's words, lunging straight at Ye Liushuang. Ye Liushuang stepped back, dodging the guards who rushed in, and then pressed the gold hairpin closer to her neck. The pain made Ye Liushuang's hand tremble slightly, but she still calmly looked at Ji Hailing.
If Ji Hailing pressed her any further, she would surely die.
Hai Ling couldn't help but laugh. Anyone who tries to force someone to submit by threatening to kill themselves is absolutely stupid. Your death is your death, what impact will it have on others? Suddenly, she raised her hand to stop the guards from coming over, and then spoke with a calm expression.
"Ye Liushuang, don't you want to die? Fine, kill yourself now, hurry up, we still need to continue the wedding after you die."
After Hai Ling finished speaking, the ministers in the hall were all speechless. The Empress was amazing, truly amazing. She actually made someone commit suicide and then proceed with the wedding.
Ye Liushuang was taken aback when Ji Hailing actually ordered her to commit suicide in court. She hesitated. She had never intended to die; she only wanted to force Ji Shaocheng to marry her by dying. Even if she couldn't be his wife, being a concubine would be fine. But she never expected the Empress to order her to commit suicide in court. Ye Liushuang was filled with resentment. She pushed the hairpin in even further, and cried out in pain.
"Don't force me. I will really kill myself. Today is still the wedding day of General Ji and Princess of Nanling. If I kill myself, they can forget about being happy."
Hailin couldn't help but laugh, and then spoke with a playful tone.
"What does your suicide have to do with others? Their happiness is their business. Besides, even if your blood stains the wedding hall, it is still red and auspicious. How many people in the world can receive such a gift? To receive such a gift from someone is truly wonderful."
Hailin finished speaking with a smile, then suddenly her face darkened, and she shouted sharply, "Hurry up, everyone's waiting, if you're going to die, you'd better hurry up."
Hai Ling roared, and Ye Liushuang's face turned even paler. Her hand went limp, and the gold hairpin in her hand fell to the ground with a clatter. Everyone in the wedding hall breathed a sigh of relief. Although the Empress's words made sense, it was still a wedding, and it was best if no one died.
The golden hairpin in Ye Liushuang's hand fell to the ground, and she knelt down along with it, crying as she spoke.
"Cousin, cousin."
Hai Ling's face darkened, and she spoke in a sinister tone: "Damn it! Guards, Ye Liushuang is audacious enough to disrupt the wedding of General Ji and Princess Nanling. Take her away and give her thirty lashes."
The guards immediately rushed forward, grabbed Ye Liushuang, and carried her away. Ye Liushuang continued to scream incessantly and was quickly taken away.
In the wedding hall, Hai Ling's face was still unpleasant. Her eyes blazed as she stared at the Ye family members, and then she suddenly let out a cold snort.
"Lord Ye, remember this: if Ye Liushuang comes to the Ji residence to cause trouble again, your Ye family will be buried with her."
The moment the words were spoken, the entire hall was shocked. The Ye family members turned deathly pale. The Empress's words were very clear: if anything happened to Ye Liushuang again, not a single member of the Ye family would survive. Lord Ye swayed twice and then spoke in fear.
"This humble official will keep Her Majesty the Empress's words in mind."
“That’s good,” Hailing turned and walked to the head of the table, then sat down and instructed the master of ceremonies on the next part of the wedding ceremony.
The atmosphere in the wedding hall was somewhat oppressive after Ye Liushuang's outburst. Although everyone tried their best to appear happy, it was still somber. The master of ceremonies quickly officiated the wedding for Ji Shaocheng and Nalan Mingzhu and then escorted them to their bridal chamber. It was already late, so Ji Cong and the others invited everyone to dine in the central courtyard of the Ji family.
As they talked, they made their way outside, and the atmosphere improved somewhat. Ji Cong then invited Hai Ling to rest in the inner courtyard.
As the group headed towards the door, Shi Mei, her face pale, squeezed in from outside and walked right up to Hai Ling, muttering something under her breath. Hai Ling's expression immediately turned grim as well. Ji Cong, who had been standing beside her, couldn't help but feel concerned and asked Hai Ling softly, "Ling'er, what happened?"
"Something happened at Baojitang?" Just now, someone from Baojitang came to report to Shimei that someone was causing trouble at Baojitang, saying that someone had died at Baojitang, and that a lot of people had gathered there.
Although Hai Ling and Ji Cong spoke in hushed tones, several people around them still heard them. They exchanged glances and began to whisper among themselves. Soon, many officials in the court knew that someone had died at the Baoji Hall, which was run by the Empress, and they all stopped what they were doing.
Hai Ling looked up and summoned Wu Shang, the Minister of Justice, over: "Minister Wu, something has happened at Baoji Hall. You must immediately take your men and go to Baoji Hall with me. I need to find out exactly what happened."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The Minister of Justice received the order, and thus everyone in the Ji family's hall knew that something had happened at Baoji Hall. Everyone looked at the Empress and the Minister of Justice.
After watching them leave, some of the high-ranking officials of the court followed them out and went with the Empress to Baoji Hall. Ji Cong instructed Ye Shi to take good care of everything in the mansion, and he himself would protect his daughter on her way to Baoji Hall.
In the Ji family's living room, about half of the officials had left, and the rest began to dine.
The remaining people were all officials in the court who did not want to cause trouble; they were all important ministers and loyal to the Empress.
The group rushed to Baojitang.
It was already dark when lanterns were lit in front of Baoji Hall. A large crowd had gathered in front of the hall. As soon as Hailing and her party arrived, the onlookers made way for them. As soon as Hailing got off the carriage, someone shouted, "The Empress is here! The Empress is here!"
Hailin walked over, and before she even entered Baojitang, she heard a mournful cry coming from inside the door.
"My son, you died so unjustly! The lives of us poor people are worthless, but your mother was counting on you. Say something! How can your mother live with you now that you're gone?"
The crying didn't sound fake; it was genuine grief from a parent outliving their child, a heart-wrenching lament.
The doctors at Baojitang were sent by Hailing through the process of hiring Shi Mei and Gao Zhancheng. Not only that, but Hailing also examined their character before hiring them. There were three doctors, two pharmacists, and two waiters. At this moment, these people stood on one side of Baojitang with a look of panic. As soon as they saw Hailing and the others enter, they quickly knelt down.
"We, your humble servants, greet Your Majesty the Empress."
Hai Ling ignored these people and made them kneel. She walked to the center of the main hall of Baojitang. There was a haggard old woman with gray hair, dim eyes, and deep calluses on her hands. She looked like she was from a poor family. Otherwise, she would not have come to Baojitang for treatment.
Unexpectedly, upon entering Baojitang, her son died. The old woman asked her neighbors to bring her son's body to Baojitang. Although she knew that Baojitang was run by the Empress, she couldn't let her son die in vain. When the old woman heard the shouts of the crowd, she knew that the Empress had arrived. She looked up tremblingly. Because her eyesight was already poor, and now, after crying all day, her vision was even more blurred. She saw a noble woman standing in front of her. This must be the Empress. The old woman cried sadly and desperately.
“Your Majesty, I know you mean well. You opened Baojitang for the sake of us poor people. But my son didn’t have an incurable disease. He just caught a cold and had a fever. He came to Baojitang yesterday to get two doses of medicine, but after taking only one dose, he suddenly passed away. He was my only son.”
As the old woman spoke, she began to cry sadly again. In front of Baoji Hall, a large number of people had gathered. They were all from the lower-class communities of Beilu. When they heard the old woman's words, they remembered their own hardships and struggles, so they all started to cry.
Hai Ling squatted down, frowned as she examined the deceased, and then slowly began to speak.
"Please rest assured, Madam. I will investigate whether the deceased accidentally ingested Baojitang's medicine. If it is true that the deceased ingested Baojitang's medicine by mistake, then I will certainly give you an explanation."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
After thanking her, the old woman started crying again.
Hai Ling stood up, walked to the doctors at Baojitang, and said in a deep voice, "Bring out the medical records of yesterday's patients."
Every day, patients would come to the clinic, and Baojitang would keep a medical record, including the prescriptions.