"Do you think I am incapable of sentencing you to death for speaking rudely to the emperor?" the emperor snarled in a soft voice but with an icy look in his eyes, as their eyes still remained locked, he shifted his gaze from one of her eyes to the other but she still didn't show fear, her lips curled up into a fearless but controlled smile while she raised her chin up.

"Does your majesty think you can sentence me to death?....." she questioned then she shifted her eyes from one of his eyes to the other, the emperor squinted his eyes at her guts, while he twisted the large gold ring on his finger and scoffed silently. Huo Ying who was standing beside the both of them swallowed her saliva tensely, she could feel the threatening and tense mood in the hall, she was proud of her mother but she wondered if her mother was taking it too far, after all, their fate kind of rests in the emperor's hand.

​​

"Your majesty, my...."

"Your majesty surely wouldn't because you know I am speaking the truth, in the sight of your majesty, I am indeed inferior but I trust that your majesty will not ignore the truth," her mother interjected with her eyes still locked with the emperor's, after three seconds of no reaction, his lips curved up into a smile but Huo Ying couldn't read the meaning of his smile.

{Is he angry or what?}

Huo Ying asked inwardly!

She couldn't wait for the emperor to at least say something so she can know how much damage her mother has done and how much hope they still have, even the ministers were anxious to know what the emperor would do next.

{You are using this same tactic to corner me, whether now or then, you are still a threat to me, it seems like I was too lenient back then}

The emperor said inwardly!

"You are right, the only reason why you are standing before me is that there is no concrete evidence to incriminate the flame sect...." he turned back and climbed the stairs leading to the throne, standing in front of his throne, he turned back...

"You had better hope I don't find any," he concluded then he sat on his throne while Huo Ying heaved a sigh of relief, she had initially thought that the emperor was going to order the soldiers to throw them into prison but it seemed like whatever her mother was thinking worked.

"In that case, what decision will your majesty make?" sect madam Huo questioned, not minding that the whole hall literally just froze because of her, the ministers shook their head at her outrageousness as they recovered the memory of her daring self again.

"What do you suggest?" the emperor asked with a serious expression on his face, the ministers were literally just standing on one spot without getting involved in their conversation, it almost seemed as if they were there as decorations for the hall but they wondered why he was asking her that when he is supposed to be hostile towards her.

They just couldn't read the emperor's thought!

"Since your majesty has asked for my suggestion then I will give you my suggestion If the court can find any evidence that incriminates my sect within a day, you can punish us however you want but If you can't then you should compensate my sect," Sect madam Huo answered with a frank expression on her expression, the hall immediately became rowdy as the ministers discussed her suggestion.

"She is really going too far"

"How dare she try to negotiate with the court?"

"She really doesn't know her place"

She turned her head back slightly, making them shut their mouths.

"Are you trying to negotiate with me?" the emperor asked with an amused look on his face, he had expected her to beseech the emperor to let her sect off since there is no evidence but she even dared to give them a limited time to find evidence.

"How can I dare to negotiate with your majesty, but since there is no evidence that points at my sect as the perpetrators, there is no reason for us to be held responsible, I am only giving the court a chance to prove that we are guilty and show that it is competent but if you can't then you will have to compensate my sect for accusing us wrongly.

"Sect madam Huo, you are really too amusing, what punishment do you think you deserve if the court finds evidence to convict the flame sect?" the prime minister asked, he wasn't among those who are fascinated by her beauty but he just liked that she is bold and outrageous, everything about her since she entered the hall amused him.

"What does prime minster suggest?" she asked, turning her back to face him with a confident smile on her lips.

"Everyone in the flame sect should be executed!" the prime minister answered, although he wasn't serious about punishing her, he still wanted to hear what her reply would be, if she is really confident then he doesn't have to worry about making her an ally in the future.

"Is prime minister suggesting that every living being in the flame sect should be executed? hmmph....but have you considered that there are hundreds of lives in the flame sects, you plan to execute the innocent disciples that might not have been aware of the incident, seems like the court doesn't think of the lives at the flame sect as citizens of Tang?" she said with her voice slightly raised and the look in her eyes accusing the prime minister.

"Prime minister...." the emperor brawled at his stupid answer, giving sect madam Huo a reason to condemn the court.

"I am afraid you have misunderstood the meaning behind my suggestion, I only meant that the leaders of the sect should be executed," the prime minister quickly added, he frowned his face as her crude condemnation but he quenched his anger knowing that she wasn't going against him directly.

"In that case, then I agree with the prime minister, if my sect is found guilty then the leaders of the sect will be executed but if not, I hope your majesty will give my sect the due compensation we deserve for having our name dragged in soil," Sect madam Huo concluded in a firm and resolute voice.

"I wonder what compensation sect madam Huo is referring to?" the emperor asked with one of his eyebrows raised in anticipation of another outrageous answer.

"Let my second daughter return to the flame sect!" she stated and brought her knees to the ground in an instant with her hands cupped and raised forward, in a moment, the mood in the hall changed.

The ministers once again started discussing amongst themselves, they couldn't believe that she actually asked for that as their compensation, she is really overestimating herself!

Huo Ying followed after her mother almost immediately, she even bowed her head to the ground and raised her head again with her cupped hands raised in front of her and an expectant look on her face as she fixed her eyes on the emperor in anticipation of his answer, she had originally thought that her mother had forgotten the plan to get her sister back since she was being bold in front of the emperor but it turns out that her mother still had the plan in mind.

{Please...]

She pleaded in her mind!

The emperor felt on top of the world once again seeing her on her knees, he had almost forgotten the second reason why he has the upper hand over her, he smiled inwardly but maintained a serious expression on his face.

"I cannot grant your request even if the court is unable to find any evidence against you," the emperor replied firmly.

"Why not, my sister has been in the wind sect for eleven years!" Huo Ying snapped loudly as soon as she heard his answer.

"How dare you?! mind your manners before the emperor," the prime minister rebuked almost immediately.

"Forgive me, your majesty, I beseech you to please let my sister return back to the flame sect," Huo Ying pleaded then she bowed her head again while her mother frowned her face at her submissiveness but remained still.

"I commanded your sister to be taken to the wind sect not as a war prisoner but for her powers to be controlled, the wind sect is the only place where your sister's powers can be curbed and sect leader Lin has assured me of this, your sister still remains a threat to the world as long as she can't control her powers, as I have previously decreed, on her eighteenth birthday, she will be tested," the emperor answered, although he doesn't like her mother, he liked how humble Huo Ying seems in front of him, she might not be like her mother after all...

He thought to himself!

"Your majesty, I would like to request that you allow my sister to be tested in the martial heroes tournaments in six months," Huo Ying beseeched aloud, her mother immediately turned to her with her eyed widened.

"Huo Ying!" her mother cautioned but she couldn't care less, she knew in her heart that if her sister can't control her powers in the next six months then she can't do it in the next two years, she doesn't even care about her mother's anger the moment they leave the court but she believed in her sister.

"Are you sure about that?" the emperor asked

"Yes and let us see her immediately we are found not guilty," Huo Ying affirmed and added, her mother looked at the emperor and glanced at her again then she realized that the emperor's basically ignoring her and he will only listen to what Huo Ying says so she just kept quiet and allowed her to ride on.

"Alright, If the flame sect is found not guilty, I will grant your request if no evidence can be found by noon tomorrow, for now, you will remain in the palace until tomorrow noon," the emperor concluded.

"Thank you, your majesty," the both of them bowed then they stood up on their feet while Huo Ying seemed satisfied with the outcome, her mother still had a bitter look on her face so she didn't dare look at her mother in the eye.

"With that being said, minister of justice, I will give you a day to find any evidence against the flame sect, if you don't find any then you will have to find the culprits behind captain Wang Shang death in a week," the emperor stated in resolution then he stood up from his throne and walked down the stairs with the head eunuch following behind him while everyone else bowed their heads as he walked past them.

"How am I supposed to find evidence in a day?" the minister of justice lamented while everyone else left the hall, ignoring him.

After Huo Ying and her mother were taken to one of the empty palaces to stay, the maid exited the room, leaving only the two of them in the room.

"Huo Ying!" her mother bellowed in anger

"Mother, please let me explain," Huo Ying quickly pleaded before her mother pounce on her.

"What explanation do you have, do you know what you have done, despite everything I said to you, you still didn't heed my advice," her mother raged, then she conjured flames in her hand, Huo Ying quickly moved back, she stretched out both of her hands in front of, gesturing her mother to calm down.

The first ball of fire her mother threw at her landed on the flower vase, instantly burning it.

"Mother calm down!!!" Huo Ying yelled, bringing her mother back to her sanity.

"go ahead, explain," her mother said after taking in a deep breath to calm herself down.

"I did what I did for her sake, if she can't control her powers in six months then what difference does it make, she will never be able to come out of her shell unless we force her to, the reason why I made the emperor give us the chance to see her is that I wanted her to know about it, whether or not the emperor makes the decree, she will never be aware of it unless we tell her, this is all for her sake and our sake," Huo Ying explained, then she brought her hands down seeing that her mother has already composed herself.

"You should have told me that before taking actions, do you know what mistake you could have made in the court," her mother questioned with a rebuking look in her eyes but Huo Ying still felt that she did the right thing by not telling her mother otherwise she might not agree with it, after all, the fight between her and Meng Hui ruined her plans of sneaking into wherever her sisters being kept in the wind sect to at least see her once.

"I was only following after your steps," Huo Ying mumbled naughtily but her mother still heard what she said.

"After my steps....hmmph!"