Chapter 2

　　Sophia suddenly smiled, and the tears from the corners of her eyes, mixed with the beads of blood from the corners of her mouth, dripped to the ground. 　　Her back was pierced by iron nails, it was already riddled with holes, and blood soaked through her snow-white dress. Every time she took a step, a long trail of blood was drawn behind her. 　　Outside Timothy's study hall, Sophia who looked like a walking corpse, knelt outside the door. 　　Sophia gritted her teeth and said word by word, "Your Majesty, the minister wants to see you!" 　　The eunuch guarding the door hesitantly glanced at the hall door, then bent over and said, "Sophia, your majesty is dealing with state affairs. You should go back and tend to your wounds first!" 　　But just as he was done speaking, a woman's giggle echoed from the hall, and the voice became softer and softer, and finally turned into a moan. 　　"State affairs?" Sophia looked at the eunuch coldly. 　　The eunuch wiped his sweat and said, "It is also a matter of state for His Majesty to produce heirs for the kingdom." 　　Sophia smiled, not waiting for the eunuch's response, rushed up and pushed the hall door open. 　　A woman was lying halfway on the table, her robe was pulled down from her shoulders, and the man she loved was buried in the woman's chest. 　　Sophia's pupils shrank, and the holes on her back seemed to have been filled with a gust of cold wind all of a sudden. 　　But at this moment, she was no longer in the mood to care about it. 　　Sophia spoke with a hoarse voice that trembled, "The master has been serving the court for many years and has no rebellious heart. Your Majesty is aware of it!" 　　Timothy raised his head, with cold eyes, and his hand pushed the inkstone porcelain on the table to the ground. 　　With a sharp sound, the porcelain shattered. 　　"Sophia, regardless of her wounds, came to beg me like this? Breaking into my palace and disturbing my Empress just to ask me to let the love of her life go?" 　　The love of her life? 　　Sophia was furious, "The minister and the master are innocent, and you know it!" 　　"I just know too much!" Timothy threw out two letters. "Sophia, is this your loyalty to me?" 　　Sophia picked up the letters on the ground and opened it. It was actually a "love letter" between her and the master which mentioned their plot to usurp the throne. 　　With similar handwriting, even she almost believed it. 　　"If I really wanted to usurp the throne with my master, then why did I serve as your adviser for so many years? Is our trust for so many years no better than two false letters?" 　　Timothy suddenly stepped forward and grabbed her chin, seemingly wanting to crush her to pieces immediately, "How could I believe anything you say?" 　　When the words fell, a jade whistle was thrown out, and Sophia was shocked when she saw it. 　　"This is the jade whistle that you brought with you when you were taken in by Prince Jared. You kept saying that it was a token of your life and would be given to your future prince! Then tell me why this jade pendant was found in the hands of Prince Jared? Say it!" 　　"This whistle was lost a few months ago, and I don't know why it was where the master was!" She grabbed Timothy's sleeves, her face was pleading. "Your Majesty, you have to believe me!" 　　"Do you want me to believe you? Or do you want me to release Prince Jared? Choose one of the two!" Timothy stared at her sharply. 　　Sophia was startled and hesitated. If she wanted him to believe her, would he really kill the master? 　　And it was her hesitation that made the last trace of pity in Timothy's heart disappear. 　　"I beg you, Your Majesty!" Sophia closed her eyes, bent her knees and knelt on the shattered pieces of the porcelain on the floor. "I beg Your Majesty, please, let Master Jared go, and the minister would be willing to pay any price!" 　　The fragments penetrated into her skin, but they were not worth one ten thousandth of the pain in her heart.