Chapter 1203 One man and one woman are enough

Pei Xingyuan said, "Your humble servant knows his crime."

Upon hearing these four words, everyone in the hall widened their eyes in astonishment, especially Liang Youying, who grabbed his arm in disbelief, fearing that the man had lost his mind.

Yuwen Ye and Shang Ruyi, however, exchanged a glance and remained silent, only looking at Pei Xingyuan.

In the past, Shang Ruyi might have been startled by these words, worried that Pei Xingyuan would cause trouble and ruin things; but after spending so many years together, she, like Yuwen Ye, had long been used to this man's quirky and quick-witted nature. Even if these words were enough to condemn him to death, she believed that Pei Xingyuan would definitely be able to turn this deadly situation around.

However, some people were not as composed as them. After a moment of shock at not being able to believe their ears that they had heard those four words, Su Changjing immediately revealed a smug expression on his face. He stepped forward and said to Yuwen Yuan, "Your Majesty, since Pei Xingyuan has confessed his crimes and accepted punishment, please punish him severely!"

However, Yuwen Yuan did not respond immediately.

His bright, somewhat aged eyes, hidden behind the jade tassels, gleamed with a calm and wise light. Just as Su Changjing was about to say something more, he gently raised his hand to signal silence, and then asked, "What crime have you committed?"

Pei Xingyuan lowered his head, a gesture that prevented anyone from seeing the slight upturn of his lips at that moment.

He said, "As a subject, one should be devoted to the emperor and loyal to him. But I have a selfish motive, which is to serve myself."

"oh,"

Yuwen Yuan remained calm and asked, "What are your ulterior motives?"

At this moment, Pei Xingyuan raised his head and looked solemnly at Yuwen Yuan. At the same time, he reached out and pulled Liang Youying, who had been standing beside him and making a protective gesture, over: "For her."

"...!"

A low gasp rippled through the hall, and all eyes turned to Liang Youying.

Someone murmured softly, "This...traitor?"

Standing beside them, Jiang Yan immediately looked at those people warily. At this moment, Liang Youying had completely lost her composure. She stared blankly at Pei Xingyuan, her red lips parted slightly as if she wanted to say something, but she couldn't utter a single word. She could only hear her heart pounding like thunder in her chest, so violently that it felt like it was about to burst her chest apart.

Pei Xingyuan actually did this in the imperial court, in front of all the civil and military officials, and in front of the emperor...

He said, for himself...?

Did I hear that right?

She was somewhat dazed, and even subconsciously clenched her fists for a moment, digging her nails into her palms, trying to remind herself whether this was a dream or reality. Pei Xingyuan seemed to understand her bewildered expression and smiled faintly at her.

That smile seemed to say: I told you, I'm going to take you home.

Just as the two locked eyes, seemingly conveying a thousand unspoken words, a deep sigh echoed through the hall. The two were immediately brought back to their senses, especially Pei Xingyuan, who hadn't forgotten that he hadn't yet escaped death. So he took a deep breath and cautiously looked at the supreme ruler of the world on the throne.

Yuwen Yuan remained silent for a long time, quietly observing the reactions of everyone in the hall.

Then he asked, "Who is she?"

Pei Xingyuan said calmly, "Her name is Liang Youying. I'm sure His Majesty and your colleagues already know that she was once the fifth leader of Wanggang Village."

After saying that, he continued, "It could also be my future wife."

Just moments ago, when he pulled her to his side, Liang Youying was already shocked. Upon hearing the words "future wife," she was so surprised that she became calm, and even her heart, which had been pounding so violently that it ached, quieted down.

Her cheeks, however, flushed uncontrollably.

The officials in the main hall looked at each other, some frowning, some disdainful, and some still watching the show.

Shen Wuzheng could only shake his head helplessly.

Zhou Ying frowned and said, "Pei Xingyuan, this is the imperial court, not a place for you to spout nonsense."

Pei Xingyuan said, “The Emperor asked, and I answered, and I told the truth without a doubt. If Lord Zhou thinks my answer is nonsense, does that mean you think the Emperor shouldn’t have asked such a question?”

Zhou Ying was taken aback for a moment, then immediately said, "Your Majesty, this humble subject had no such intention."

This attempt to shift blame was too abrupt, and Yuwen Yuan didn't even bother with it, simply waving his hand dismissively. He looked at Pei Xingyuan again, about to ask another question, but then stopped, his gaze falling on two people in the civil official ranks.

The two people under his gaze were none other than Wang Zhen, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, and Yan Shaoxuan, the Minister of Justice. The two were slightly startled, and then subconsciously exchanged a glance, immediately understanding each other's intentions.

In such a situation, it is not appropriate to have the emperor personally handle the case.

Judging from Yuwen Yuan's attitude, he seemed unwilling to wait for a later date for trial and wanted to close the case right there in the court.

Yan Shaoxuan thought for a moment, then stepped out and said to Pei Xingyuan, "Pei Xingyuan, since you know that Liang Youying is the fifth leader of Wanggang Village, what was the purpose of your meeting in Feishuang Hall on the night the Emperor was assassinated in Tangquan Palace?"

Pei Xingyuan looked at him: "You know that it was her who met me that night?"

Yan Shaoxuan said, "That night, the guards of Tangquan Palace saw someone meeting with you in Feishuang Hall, but that person ran away immediately. Afterwards, someone reported that they had long discovered that you were getting along very well with Liang Youying and Jiang Yan, another leader of Wanggang Village, but after the incident at Tangquan Palace, the two of them disappeared."

"..."

"If it wasn't her, then who was it?"

Pei Xingyuan was quiet for a moment, then sighed deeply: "So, you've found out everything."

"..."

“That’s right, the person I met at Feishuang Palace that night was Liang Youying.”

His deliberate repetition and certainty made Shang Ruyi glance at him.

This time, Yuwen Yuan also spoke up. He said in a deep voice, "Pei Xingyuan, you must know that a traitor attempted to assassinate me at Tangquan Palace. This is a crime of treason. If it was Liang Youying who did it, then you two are accomplices. Don't even mention your future wife; I will not spare a single one of your relatives, your entire clan!"

Upon hearing this, everyone in the hall tensed up, especially Shen Wuzheng. He frowned slightly as he looked at Pei Xingyuan—although this man always seemed carefree and nonchalant, he understood that Pei Xingyuan was not a fool and would not gamble everything without being certain.

But at this moment...

Pei Xingyuan was not entirely unmoved when he heard the words "nine generations of relatives". After lowering his eyes and thinking for a moment, he took a deep breath and said, "This is my personal opinion."

"oh?"

Yuwen Yuan said, "Explain clearly."

Pei Xingyuan said, "Your Majesty, the person who attempted to assassinate you at Tangquan Palace was definitely not Liang Youying."

Yuwen Yuan narrowed his eyes slightly: "What evidence do you have?"

Pei Xingyuan said, "The people who captured me saw that I met someone in Feishuang Palace. It is true that the person was Liang Youying. From the time Your Majesty entered Furong Pond, to the time the guards discovered the assassin and sounded the alarm, and then to the time they searched for the assassin and bumped into me in Feishuang Palace, she was with me the whole time."

"..."

"How can a person be in two places at once?"

Upon hearing this, Shang Ruyi's heart skipped a beat.

Pei Xingyuan's words suggest that they have already agreed to conceal the fact that Yuwen Ye sent someone to Tangquan Palace to meet with him in secret.

However, this is to be expected. After all, Yuwen Ye sent someone to Tangquan Palace in private. If this matter were brought up, people would likely gossip that the prince was colluding with court officials, which would only create more trouble. Moreover, he sent someone there to tell Pei Xingyuan about Liang Youying's background. If he also revealed that Liang Youying was Liang Shide's daughter, it would probably cause another uproar.

Judging from the current situation, the identity of the fifth leader of Wanggangzhai is the best identity for her.

Some truths are best left buried forever.

Upon hearing this, Yuwen Yuan paused for a moment, and a cold laugh immediately rang out from the crowd: "Pei Xingyuan, this is just your side of the story."

The one who said this was none other than Yu Dingxing, who slowly emerged from behind Su Changjing.

He also sensed that Su Changjing's words and actions had been somewhat rash, so he raised his hand to stop his son-in-law and said coldly, "If the two of you were conspiring to harm the Emperor from the beginning, would this statement still hold true?"

Upon hearing him speak, everyone in the hall cautiously held their breath.

Everyone knows that ever since the Battle of Longmen Ferry, when the Duke of Wushan lost an eye, he has been at odds with the Qin King's camp. Now that he has caught Pei Xingyuan's crimes, which could potentially implicate his entire family and lead to their execution, he naturally cannot let the other party escape easily.

Moreover, what he said wasn't entirely unreasonable.

If the two people really conspired to assassinate the emperor, then this statement naturally cannot be used as testimony.

Pei Xingyuan did not immediately respond when faced with him.

Yu Dingxing slowly walked up to him, his one remaining eye filled with fierce ferocity, his gaze so sharp it seemed he wanted to peel a layer of skin off them.

He said, "Unless you have other witnesses."

Pei Xingyuan blinked, then suddenly smiled and said, "My lord, a secret meeting, one man and one woman, is enough."

"..."

"One more person would be outrageous."

"..."

"Do I look like such an absurd person?"

Shen Wuzheng immediately turned his head away.

Although Pei Xingyuan claimed he wasn't being absurd, his words were utterly absurd. The people in the hall immediately showed expressions of disbelief, and several old scholars even turned pale with anger, stamping their feet and muttering curses: "Outrageous! Utterly outrageous!"

Finally, Yuwen Yuan, who had been sitting firmly on the throne, slammed his hand on the dragon throne: "Pei Xingyuan!"

This resounding shout, like the roar of a dragon and the howl of a tiger, echoed throughout the main hall.

Everyone was shocked and lowered their heads in fear. Pei Xingyuan immediately knelt down and said, "Please forgive my presumptuous words, Your Majesty."

"..."

"However, everything I have said is true."

"..."

"When Lord Yan inquired just now, he said that it has been confirmed that the person who met with me in Feishuang Palace was Liang Youying. Although Feishuang Palace is not far from Furong Pond, it is not exactly close either. If it really was me who conspired with her to assassinate the Emperor, and the plot failed, why didn't we run away? Why did we have to go back to Feishuang Palace to wait to be arrested by the guards?"

"..."

Isn't this a contradiction?