The entire village fell silent as everyone stared at Qin Yunyun, hoping to hear a reasonable explanation from her. Qin Yunyun, however, was at a loss, as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, unsure how to face Su Xiaoning's questioning.
She looked to Su Qinghe for help. Su Qinghe frowned. Although he had cursed her in his heart many times for being useless, he still stepped forward and pulled Qin Yunyun behind him.
“This is Yunyun’s first time investigating a case, so it’s normal for her to make some mistakes. She’s a woman after all; how could she possibly see a corpse? It’s possible that her subordinates made a mistake, and she believed it and blurted it out. Why hold onto this? Yunyun, please continue talking about something else; this isn’t important.”
"yes……"
Qin Yunyun glanced gratefully at Su Qinghe, and was about to change the subject when Su Xiaoning sneered and interrupted her.
"If this matter isn't important, then what isn't important? I didn't intend to point out the many suspicious points in your words just now, but the manner of death is so unsound. Is this what you call a serious investigation? So this is your perfunctory attitude towards the Emperor!"
"You...where is there any doubt about what I said? Don't slander me just because you can't find the problem yourself!"
Qin Yunyun's face turned bright red, but she still stubbornly refused to bow down in front of Su Xiaoning.
Su Xiaoning looked disdainful and pointed out the suspicious points in Qin Yunyun's words without any politeness.
With each word she spoke, Qin Yunyun's face paled a little more.
"You're talking nonsense!"
Qin Yunyun screamed loudly, covered her ears, and trembled, unable to listen to Su Xiaoning speak any longer.
Su Xiaoning merely glanced at her coldly, then directed Ding Yi and Bing Er to search the scene again, concluding that the crime scene had been tampered with.
The situation took a sharp turn for the worse. The emperor, still in shock and doubt, looked at Qin Yunyun with growing colder and colder gaze.
Su Qinghe was anxious and was about to exonerate Qin Yunyun when the beggar stepped forward and spoke first.
"Your Majesty, General Jiang brought us to this site to inspect it before, so I know exactly what it used to look like..."
In his words, the beggar described in detail the village's previous situation, embellishing the story and exaggerating the changes in the village. Although Qin Yunyun and Su Qinghe knew that not everything the beggar said was true, they had no way to explain themselves.
Finally, the beggar said meaningfully, "It seems someone cheated. How could such a thing happen in such a perfectly good competition..."
As he spoke, his eyes remained fixed on Qin Yunyun and Su Qinghe, the meaning of his words being self-evident.
Jiang Fang was an upright man who hated underhanded tricks the most. He immediately rebuked her, saying, "You woman, how dare you commit the crime of deceiving the emperor! It's just the title of 'Lucky Koi Saintess,' you can fight for it if you want, but how can you use such methods! What is your punishment!"
"I didn't!" Qin Yunyun's face changed, and she immediately knelt down, prostrating herself at the emperor's feet without daring to raise her head. "Your Majesty, I was just confused for a moment, and I didn't really mean to deceive you!"
The emperor's face was ashen, and he did not speak, but it was clear from his expression that he was extremely angry.
The surrounding ministers whispered among themselves, their words filled with nothing but disdain for Qin Yunyun, and some even criticizing Su Qinghe for his poor parenting.
Su Qinghe was furious, but he and Qin Yunyun were bound by common interests, so he could only stand up for Qin Yunyun: "Your Majesty, Yunyun didn't do it on purpose. Why don't we just let this matter go..."
"Colluding with each other in evil deeds."
Su Xiaoning suddenly blurted out four words.
Su Qinghe looked over angrily, about to question him, when Su Xiaoning suddenly said loudly, "Your Majesty, I have already investigated, and the real culprit in this case has been found!"
She pointed at Qin Yunyun and Su Qinghe: "It's them!"
"What nonsense are you spouting!" Su Qinghe's heart skipped a beat, and large beads of sweat seeped from his forehead.
Whether I am talking nonsense or not, that is for the Emperor to decide.
Su Xiaoning snorted coldly, turned to the emperor, and presented all the evidence she had gathered during this period. She then connected all the evidence, successfully pointing the finger at Qin Yunyun and Su Qinghe.
The beggar chimed in, his words dripping with sarcasm towards the two.
The truth has finally come to light.
The emperor was furious that his own brother would commit such a heinous act against the people of the capital. His face turned ashen with rage, and a raging fire rose within him.
"You scoundrel! You are a prince of the capital, a member of the imperial family. You should be protecting the people of this region. How could you do such a wrong thing!"
"Your Majesty, I...I didn't mean it..." Su Qinghe knelt down, trembling, for the first time in his life speaking humbly in front of others.
But the emperor was utterly disappointed and had no intention of letting him go.
"Even the emperor is subject to the same laws as commoners. You have committed such a grave error, murdering the entire village! If you do not die, how can the people's anger be appeased? Issue an order to strip the Seventh Prince of his title, imprison him, and execute him in a few days!"
"Your Majesty!" Su Qinghe was shocked. He never expected that the emperor would want to kill him because of this.
Despite Su Qinghe's desperate pleas, the emperor remained unmoved. He coldly turned his back, allowing the imperial guards to drag Su Qinghe away, his cries fading into the distance.
Unexpectedly, things had come to this. Having lost her support, Qin Yunyun's face was deathly pale. Knowing she probably didn't have long to live, she figured she might as well slip away quietly when no one was looking.
She quietly straightened up, thinking of slipping away, but Shen Jun grabbed her arm and snapped it with a "crack".
Qin Yunyun screamed, and when she turned her head, she met the emperor's cold gaze. He uttered the two most ruthless words.
"To be beaten to death."
"Your Majesty, no! Please spare my life! Ah..."
Ignoring Qin Yunyun's screams and cries, the Dragon Guards dragged her away like Su Qinghe, where they would face the same bleak fate.
Thus, the truth behind the village massacre was finally revealed, and the main culprits, Qin Yunyun and Su Qinghe, were both punished.
Qin Yunyun was beaten to death on the spot. After her death, the koi fish mark returned to Su Xiaoning. Su Xiaoning was revered by the people as the true Koi Fish Saintess, and her fame spread far and wide. The emperor was extremely pleased and soon bestowed a marriage upon her and Su Qingcai.
After learning about the promise Su Xiaoning made to the old crane, the beggar returned to Medicine King Valley without saying a word, and asked the old crane to cancel the promise. He then lived peacefully in Medicine King Valley with his senior brother, and no one ever saw him again.
Soon after, the emperor's illness worsened, and he eventually became bedridden. He had no children, and in his final moments, he summoned all his senior officials and left an imperial edict, announcing that Su Qingcai would succeed him.
In July of that year, the emperor passed away, and Su Qingcai became the new emperor, making Su Xiaoning his empress. The two created a prosperous era together, which became a legendary tale.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
