Chapter 61: Shocked Yan Shu's face turned pale as she looked at Xiao Yu, her lips...

As soon as Yan Ruxue said this, everyone at the table was in an uproar.

After all, harming the young master of Xiao State is no trivial matter.

When Jiang Yin heard Yan Ruxue's words, he was shocked all over and immediately perked up a bit. He looked at Yan Ruxue who was standing at the table and asked anxiously.

"Princess Qionghua, why do you say that? When you say Concubine Yan murdered the young master of Xiao, are you referring to the young master Xun who went to Yan State six years ago?"

Yan Ruxue glanced at Yan Shu with disdain, then raised her voice, "Of course."

Everyone was shocked again when they heard this.

Didn't Gongzi Xun say he passed away six years ago due to illness? Could there be another hidden story behind this?

Jiang Yin's reaction was naturally the same as everyone else's, so he immediately asked the question that everyone wanted to ask.

"But Young Master Xun died of illness in Yan State six years ago. Could it be that he didn't die of illness, but was deliberately murdered?"

"Of course he didn't die of illness, but was cruelly pushed into the snake cave by this woman!" Yan Ruxue pointed at Yan Shu at the table and said in a firm tone.

Everyone at the table was shocked when they heard this.

Empress Dowager Zhao Jing immediately covered her face in shock, saying incredulously, "Princess Qionghua, please don't speak nonsense. How could such a horrifying thing happen?"

Then, seemingly defending Yan Shu, he said, "Besides, Lady Yan has always been gentle and docile. How could she be so cruel as to kill Young Master Xun?"

"Every word I said is true. Young Master Xun was murdered by Yan Shu!" Yan Ruxue left her seat and walked to the center of the hall. She looked at Xiao Yu and Empress Dowager Zhao Jing, who were seated above her, and continued, "Back then, Yan Shu tricked Young Master Xun into going out, then took advantage of his unpreparedness and pushed him into a snake den, where he was mauled to death. Then, to exonerate herself, she falsely claimed that Young Master Xun had died of illness. In reality, she was the murderer!"

Yan Ruxue looked at Yan Shu at the table, a determined smile in her eyes. "Yan Shu, what else do you have to say? Do you dare to say that what I said is not true?"

Yan Shu, who was still sitting at the table, turned slightly pale when she heard Yan Ruxue's revelations.

She didn't expect Yan Ruxue to be so shameless as to reveal what happened that year.

If Yan Ruxue had not threatened Xiao Yu with her mother, how could she have tricked Xiao Yu out and pushed him into the cave according to her instructions.

What's more, Yan Shu had no idea that it was a snake cave at that time. If she had known it was a snake cave, she would definitely not have pushed Xiao Yu in.

Unexpectedly, Yan Ruxue would completely deny the matter today and say that she was the only one who did it.

Seeing that Yan Ruxue dared to question her so confidently at this moment, Yan Shu was even more furious.

But the way Empress Dowager Zhao Jing and Yan Ruxue sang the same tune made Yan Shu understand why Yan Qingwan took the initiative to approach Yan Ruxue that day. It turned out that this was her plan.

Yan Shu looked at Xiao Yu, who was sitting at the upper table and looking at her intently. His narrow and long eyes were dark, and the emotions in them were unclear, but it made her feel a little panicked at the moment.

She knew that the snake cave incident was the biggest conflict between her and Xiao Yu.

Although on the day when Xiao Yu discovered her plan to escape from the palace, she tearfully explained to Xiao Yu that she was forced to do so.

But she pushed it, and this is an undeniable fact.

But at this moment, Yan Shu could not admit it at the banquet.

Even if she explained in front of everyone that she was coerced by Yan Ruxue, how many people would believe her without any evidence?

The court officials of the Xiao Kingdom who still don't know that Xiao Yu is Xiao Xun will only think that she is the vicious person who killed Master Xun. By then, let alone the position of queen, I'm afraid she won't even be able to keep her current position as beauty.

So at this moment, facing Yan Ruxue's questioning, Yan Shu sneered and retorted, "Princess Qionghua wants to convict me with just a few words. Isn't it too easy."

"Back then, Young Master Xun died of illness, but it was Prince Yan who announced it publicly. Princess Qionghua is now saying, without any reason, that I was the one who murdered him. Could it be that she's trying to accuse Prince Yan of deliberately covering up for me?"

Yan Shu chuckled again after saying this, "But how can I ask Prince Yan to risk the relationship between the two countries, Xiao and Yan, to cover up for me? After all, I am not as loved by Prince Yan and the Queen as you, my sister."

Yan Shu's tone was neither light nor heavy, but it made everyone suspicious of what Yan Ruxue had just said.

Yes, although Concubine Yan is also a princess of the State of Yan, her mother's family is not powerful, otherwise she would not have been sent by King Yan Wen to be a concubine to King Xiao Wei.

Would such a powerless and favored princess really dare to kill the prince of a country?

Just when everyone was in confusion, the envoy from the State of Yan stood up and looked at Yan Ruxue and spoke.

"Princess Qionghua, although you have always disliked Princess Chaohua, you cannot make such false accusations. Princess Chaohua would never have been the one to kill Young Master Xun." Xie Heng added in a cold voice, "If Princess Qionghua had resorted to such despicable means to secure the position of Queen of Kingdom Xiao, it would truly be a disgrace to Kingdom Yan."

Yan Ruxue's face changed immediately when she heard this.

She didn't expect that the envoy who escorted her here would actually speak up to defend Yan Shu, and she immediately became furious.

"Xie Heng, you actually helped her instead of me!"

And he even dared to say that her methods were despicable. He was really brave!

Xie Heng only responded coldly, "I am only stating the facts. This matter concerns the relationship between our two countries. I hope the princess will stop making trouble."

"How dare you accuse me of being unreasonable? Everything I say is true! Young Master Xun was killed by Yan Shu!" Yan Ruxue said, then looked at Empress Dowager Zhao Jing and said, "Your Majesty, Prince Xiao, if the Queen Mother doesn't believe me, I have evidence!"

After hearing this, Empress Dowager Zhao Jing's face became solemn: "Since Princess Qionghua is so sure, let's take a look at the evidence you mentioned."

As soon as Empress Dowager Zhao Jing finished speaking, the attendants beside Yan Ruxue brought the two of them to the main hall.

Both women were dressed as commoners from the State of Yan. As soon as they entered the hall, they knelt on the ground and saluted.

Empress Dowager Zhao Jing raised her eyebrows slightly, "Who are these two people?"

Yan Ruxue raised her voice, "These two were both old friends who served Yan Shu in the Yan Palace six years ago. They were also the ones who saw Yan Shu push Young Master Xun into the snake cave with their own eyes."

After Yan Ruxue finished speaking, one of the two women kneeling on the ground trembled and said, "Six years ago, I served Princess Chaohua for a period of time. I can confirm that Princess Chaohua and Master Xun did have a close relationship. Later, Princess Chaohua gradually disliked Master Xun. She took advantage of the autumn hunt in the Yan Palace, tricked him into a snake cave, and then pushed him into it..."

"We were all present at the time, and we all saw with our own eyes that it was Princess Chaohua who did it!" Another woman quickly echoed upon hearing this.

After the two of them talked, Yan Ruxue showed a smug smile on her face, and asked the maid beside her to present another item to Empress Dowager Zhao Jing.

Seeing this, Yan Qingwan immediately took it and then stepped forward to hand it to Empress Dowager Zhaojing.

"This is their registration book, which can prove that they did work in Yan Shu's palace six years ago." Yan Ruxue raised her voice.

The so-called palace maid register is managed by the inner court of the palace. It records the palace maid's name, origin, time of entry into the palace, and the palace to which she serves. It is stamped with the palace seal and naturally cannot be easily forged.

The two registration books presented to Empress Dowager Zhao Jing were quite old, and they indeed showed that the two had indeed served in Yan Shu's palace six years ago.

Empress Dowager Zhao Jing frowned, then looked at Yan Shu as if in a dilemma, "Lady Yan, these two were indeed serving in your palace six years ago. Do you have anything else to explain?"

Jiang Yin, who was sitting at the table, was immediately excited when she heard this. She immediately shouted with confidence: "Now that there is evidence, if Concubine Yan really killed the young master of Xiao State, how can such a heinous person be worthy of being the queen of Xiao State!"

Yan Shu's expression remained unchanged, she just felt it was ridiculous.

"It's a bit too hasty to use two palace maids as evidence."

"If Princess Qionghua is determined to frame me, she could bribe ten palace servants, not to mention these two. How can such flimsy evidence be trusted?" Yan Shu said calmly, looking at Yan Ruxue with a cold gaze. "Princess Qionghua is so certain that Master Xun didn't die of illness, but was pushed into the snake cave to die. Could it be that Princess Qionghua really witnessed it with her own eyes, and that's why she keeps accusing me like this?"

After that, the girl chuckled again and said meaningfully, "Speaking of which, if Young Master Xun's death was truly caused by Princess Qionghua, then Father and the Queen would have reason to protect him. After all, you are the apple of Father's eye."

Yan Shu's words were like a hammer hitting everyone's heart, causing them to immediately start thinking.

Yes, if Prince Xun was really murdered, and King Yanwen still defended him by saying that he died of illness, then the murderer must be someone King Yanwen valued and worthy of such protection.

Compared with Princess Qionghua, whose maternal family is powerful, Concubine Yan is more valued by King Yan Wen.

But if it was really done by Princess Qionghua, would she really be stupid enough to come out and expose herself?

As if she had sensed everyone's questioning gazes, Yan Ruxue suddenly felt a little flustered and immediately retorted to Yan Shu: "W-what do you mean? How could I be as vicious as you!"

Yan Shu just smiled and said nothing.

I just feel that Yan Ruxue's ability to turn the tables is as good as ever.

In fact, Yan Shu didn't know why Yan Ruxue had the courage to tell what happened in the past today, and she even cleared herself of all charges so confidently.

Yan Shu was so calm now because she knew that Xiao Yu did not really die in the snake cave, so she was indifferent to Yan Ruxue's frame-up.

If she really didn't know that Xiao Yu was the Xiao Xun of that year, Yan Shu would probably be thrown into disarray by now.

After all, she has always felt guilty towards Xiao Xun.

But Yan Ruxue showed no remorse for her actions and even wanted to use this incident to bring her down. She was truly hateful.

Seeing that the situation had reached a stalemate, Jiang Yin immediately spoke to Queen Dowager Zhao Jing and said, "Regardless of whether Concubine Yan was the one who murdered Young Master Xun, since there are such doubts now, it means that Concubine Yan is suspected of harming others! In this case, Concubine Yan must not be the Queen of Xiao Kingdom until the matter is fully investigated!"

Everyone nodded when they heard this.

Although Princess Qionghua's testimony alone cannot completely prove that Concubine Yan is indeed the murderer of Young Master Xun, now that she is a suspect, we must investigate the matter and clear her of the charges in order to silence the gossips.

Empress Dowager Zhao Jing also raised her eyebrows slightly, put on a serious expression, and said to Xiao Yu who was sitting at the top of the table:

"Now that Concubine Yan is embroiled in controversy, it is indeed difficult for her to be queen. If the king truly favors Concubine Yan, why not give her the position of consort? As for the choice of queen, I think it would be best to choose between the three princesses."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yin immediately agreed: "The Queen Mother is right. I believe that the Princess of Chu is outstanding in both talent and beauty, and is indeed the best candidate for the Queen of Xiao."

Upon hearing this, the Chu envoy who was still sitting at the table immediately stepped forward and tried his best to express his intention to form an alliance.

Seeing this, the envoy from Qi State naturally could not sit still anymore and immediately stood up to argue with him.

The envoys from both countries suggested that their princesses were the most suitable to be the queen, but Xie Heng remained indifferent. Yan Ruxue was immediately furious and signaled the palace maid beside her to remind Xie Heng.

But Xie Heng not only didn't say anything, he even looked in Yan Shu's direction with concern.

Yan Ruxue was furious when she saw this.

At this moment, he no longer cared about who would become the queen. He only wanted to trample Yan Shu into the mud.

So he immediately looked at the young king who was sitting at the upper seat, leaning on his forehead and closing his eyes to rest.

"Your Majesty, King Xiao, Yan Shu is suspected of plotting to murder the prince of the Xiao Kingdom. Such a bitch is not worthy of staying in the harem of the Xiao Kingdom!" Yan Ruxue's voice was sharp, like a thorn that pierced everyone's heart again.

Xie Heng became anxious when he heard this and was about to say something when he saw that the person at the top table suddenly opened his eyes.

His narrow eyes were slightly half-closed, and his dark pupils looked somewhat sinister at this moment.

Everyone was frightened.

Yan Ruxue's heart trembled when she saw this, and she stopped the slanderous words she was about to say.

But then he thought that King Xiao must be extremely angry about what Yan Shu had done, which was why he looked so gloomy, so he continued to add fuel to the fire.

"Yan Shu is vicious and evil. She was disliked in the Yan Palace in the past, but now she pretends to be docile in the Xiao Palace, deceiving His Majesty the King of Xiao and the Queen Mother. Her crime is simply unforgivable! She is not worthy of being the Queen of the Xiao Kingdom, nor is she worthy of being a wife. She is not even worthy of the position of Beauty she currently holds!"

Yan Ruxue's slightly sharp voice sounded in the hall, instantly quieting down the envoys who had been arguing with each other.

A hint of triumphant smile flashed across Empress Dowager Zhao Jing's eyes, and Yan Qingwan, who was standing beside her, also smiled without saying a word.

Such a clumsy yet handy knife is really effortless to use.

Xie Heng seemed incredulous upon hearing this: "Princess Qionghua, how could you confuse right and wrong like this!" He then immediately looked in the direction of Xiao Yu and Queen Dowager Zhao Jing and explained, "Your Majesty Prince Xiao, Queen Dowager, Princess Chaohua is absolutely not that kind of person!"

Jiang Yin had disliked Yan Shu from the beginning, and now seeing Princess Qionghua insisting on her position, he naturally agreed.

"Beauty Yan was originally the concubine of the previous king. She was already guilty of misconduct when she seduced the king. Now she is suspected of plotting to murder the prince of Xiao. She is naturally unworthy of being a concubine in the king's harem!"

When Jiang Yin said this, he naturally meant the same thing as Yan Ruxue.

Not only is Yan Shu unfit to be the Queen of the Xiao Kingdom, but even her current status as a beauty should be stripped away.

There was some uproar among the crowd, but there were also some people who agreed.

"This..." Empress Dowager Zhao Jing pretended to be embarrassed. She looked at the king sitting at the top and said slowly, "Princess Qionghua and Concubine Yan are sisters and grew up together in the Yan Palace. Compared to Your Majesty and I, you must know Concubine Yan better. What you said today is not without reason. What do you think, Your Majesty?"

When the Queen Mother said this, although she did not explicitly say whether it was right or wrong, her meaning was naturally that she agreed.

So everyone looked at Xiao Yu sitting at the high table, waiting for his decision on Concubine Yan.

Yan Shu also looked up. She didn't know what kind of waves Yan Ruxue's words today would stir up in Xiao Yu's heart, so when she looked at Xiao Yu's handsome face with a calm expression, she still felt a little uneasy.

Whether she did it intentionally or was forced, it was indeed she who pushed Xiao Yu into the snake cave with her own hands.

She had indeed taken advantage of his trust and deceived him.

The two of them had never had a heart-to-heart talk, so Yan Shu never knew what kind of feelings Xiao Yu had for her now.

Even if he really agreed to let her be the queen, could the friendship between them withstand such a test?

Even though she and Xiao Yu had so many intimate physical interactions, their hearts never seemed to be close.

Now Xiao Yu always seemed to be shrouded in a layer of fog in her heart, and she always wore a mask of flattery when getting along with him.

She didn't know what was in his heart, and he didn't know what was in her heart.

How can Yan Shu trust me like this?

Just like now, Yan Shu wanted to say something for herself, but she didn't know what to say.

She could only sit quietly at the table, waiting for Xiao Yu's final judgment.

Everyone held their breath and silently looked at the king sitting at the upper seat.

The king with dark eyes just lifted his thin eyelids, his eyes were cold and seemed to contain a trace of death.

"Pull out her tongue."

A few cold and low words came out from those thin lips. Everyone at the table was shocked when they heard it, and looked at the beautiful girl at the table with either sympathy or gloating.

Yan Shu's heart skipped a beat, as if she couldn't believe it, and her fair little face immediately lost its color.

Yan Ruxue looked at Yan Shu and immediately raised a smug smile, her eyes seemed to say, even if you are in Xiao Palace, you still can't beat me.

Yan Shu's face was pale as she looked at Xiao Yu. Her lips trembled slightly as she tried to argue: "Your Majesty..."

But the guards on both sides of Xiao Yu had already rushed over. The girl's eyelashes became wet, and before she could scream in panic, she saw those guards actually passing by her quickly and then ran towards the center of the hall?

"Ah—boldness!"

Yan Ruxue looked at the guards who had restrained her and was immediately terrified. She shouted, "What do you want to do? Yan Shu is over there! Why are you arresting me?"

Everyone was shocked when they saw this. Could it be that King Xiao was not going to pull out Concubine Yan's tongue but Princess Qionghua's?

Then everyone looked up and saw the gloomy king looking at Yan Ruxue who was standing in the hall, his narrow eyes filled with endless coldness.

Zhou Tong, who was standing by, naturally understood what his master meant and immediately raised his voice, "According to the palace rules of the Xiao Kingdom, anyone who speaks offensively should be punished by having their tongue pulled out!"

Everyone's heart trembled.

The Xiao Palace has this palace rule, but Princess Qionghua is still a citizen of Yan State. Her visit this time still represents Yan State's intention to show goodwill and form an alliance. If she is punished by having her tongue pulled out, wouldn't it provoke a war between the two countries?

Yan Ruxue naturally did not agree with this verbal offense, and she looked at Xiao Yu angrily.

"I am the Princess of Yan State. What right do you have to punish me? What's more, I have done nothing wrong! The guilty one is that bitch Yan Shu!"

Seeing his king's eyes darken even more at the sound of the word "bitch", Zhou Tong immediately raised his voice: "What are you all still standing there for? Hurry up and do it!"

Upon hearing this, the guard immediately drew the knife from his waist, while another person pinched Yan Ruxue's cheeks and forced her to open her mouth.

Yan Ruxue was completely frightened. She struggled desperately, and her face turned pale as paper.

"Master Taizhu, please save me! Master Taizhu, please save me!"

As an envoy from the Kingdom of Yan, Xie Heng certainly couldn't let the princess he was escorting be subjected to the punishment of having her tongue pulled out. He immediately stepped forward and said urgently, "Your Majesty, please, for the sake of King Yan, forgive Princess Qionghua this time. Although Princess Qionghua was wrong, she did not deserve this harsh punishment."

When the young king at the upper seat heard this, a hint of contempt flashed across his eyes, and his dark eyes looked at Xie Heng.

"If you don't want to die, shut up."

The low tone fell into everyone's ears.

There was a deadly look in Xiao Yu's eyes, as if if Xie Heng said another word, he would drag him to be punished together with Yan Ruxue.

Seeing this, Zhou Tong immediately raised his hand, obviously asking the guards to continue.

But before they could make another move, everyone heard an urgent cry.

"Your Majesty, you can't do that!" Yan Shu came to her senses and immediately stood up from the table and walked quickly to the main hall.

She looked at Xiao Yu, whose eyes were as cold as ice. Although she was panicking, she still said firmly, "Your Majesty, you must not use this punishment on Princess Qionghua!"

Yan Shu was naturally not soft-hearted towards Yan Ruxue. She just thought that if Yan Ruxue's tongue was really cut off, Xie Heng would naturally not be able to explain to King Yan and Queen Yan when he returned to Yan State. At that time, there was no doubt that Xie Heng would be severely punished by King Yan, and even execution would not be an exaggeration.

Xie Heng had done her a favor, so Yan Shu certainly didn't want to see him die.

So at this moment she had to plead for Yan Ruxue, at least not let Yan Ruxue be punished in front of everyone.

Everyone at the banquet seemed to have not expected that Lady Yan would speak up for Princess Qionghua, who had always been arguing with her. They all widened their eyes in surprise.

Xiao Yu lowered his eyes, as if he knew for whom Yan Shu was pleading for mercy. When he looked at Yan Shu, his eyes suddenly became dark, with endless complex undercurrents surging.

-----------------------

The author has something to say: In the next chapter, Shushu will coax someone [evil smile][yellow heart], and will also find the chiffon dress that she thought she had lost from someone [dog head]