This informant works for the Fifth Young Master, so any problems naturally lie with him.
The fifth young master was still young, and seeing such a scene, he was too frightened to speak.
He was confident that he had done everything perfectly, but he didn't know which link had gone wrong, and he was caught red-handed by Qiao Lian'er and the Pei family. Judging from their posture, they were clearly prepared, and it could not have been a coincidence.
“Grandfather, I... I don’t know what happened either. It must have been Lin Ji who acted on his own. He should be questioned properly. It has nothing to do with me.”
The informant did not defend himself. From the day they entered the mansion and signed the death contract, their own lives and those of their families were in the hands of their master. At this time, they should bear the blame for their master.
If you refuse, not only will you not be able to protect yourself, but your family will also suffer.
However, he knew very well that once the Fifth Young Master had affixed his seal, even if he wanted to, he was powerless to reverse the situation.
Chen Tingxin was terrified, his body drenched in cold sweat. It would have been fine if there hadn't been that seal, but why did he have to put it on?
Seeing the Fifth Prince glance at him, the informant had no choice but to bite the bullet and spill the prepared lie: "It has nothing to do with the Fifth Prince. I was just momentarily bewitched and misled into thinking about passing on benefits to the enemy country for personal gain. I am just an insignificant nobody with no status or background. I took advantage of the Fifth Prince's trust in me to sneak into his room, steal his seal, and stamp the letter on it, just to make the Da Nu Kingdom believe me more."
As he spoke, he banged his head on the ground several times, and his forehead turned blue from the impact.
"Now that the matter has been exposed, I do not want to drag the innocent Fifth Young Master and the Marquis of Qucheng into this mess. Out of gratitude for their support, I have revealed the truth. Everything I have said is true. I deserve to be torn to pieces, but the Marquis of Qucheng is innocent. I hope Your Majesty will investigate thoroughly."
The emperor sneered at this sophistry. He had seen too many of these noble families resort to such desperate measures when disaster struck.
"You mean to say that you could easily steal something so important, and that the Fifth Young Master was completely unaware and let you cause trouble from beginning to end? How naive. The crime of treason is not something that you, a mere servant, can atone for, even if you and your master are of one mind."
Upon hearing these words, everyone in the Qu Chengbo Mansion kowtowed repeatedly, wailing incessantly, either trying to distance themselves from the situation and shouting that they were innocent, or begging for mercy.
Seeing the Fifth Prince's panicked state of fear that things would be exposed, and the shocked and bewildered state of the others in the Qu Cheng Earl's mansion, the Emperor already knew what was going on.
It was known long ago that the fifth young master of the Qucheng Marquis's mansion was too arrogant. Last time, because of the matter of offending the reign title, the Chen family was changed from a duke's mansion to a marquis's mansion. The fifth young master had more than once made veiled remarks at teahouses and banquets, saying that the punishment from above was unfair and that it was an undeserved disaster for the Chen family, which would make people feel disheartened.
Such things are not uncommon. The emperor is not so petty. He will find an opportunity to give them a warning. If they are still not convinced, all the punishments have already been implemented. What can the Chen family do but fly to the sky?
Who would have thought that this Fifth Prince would harbor such resentment that he would develop wicked intentions, become close to the enemy country, and even pass on such an important formation.
The emperor's eyes were icy cold. Such behavior could not be tolerated. He wanted to show those noble families who had been punished and were secretly resentful what would happen if they disobeyed the emperor's authority.
Important members of the Chen family were all taken away, while the other women and servants were guarded in the courtyard by the Imperial Guards, and the gate was sealed.
The Imperial Guards were adept at this kind of thing and acted swiftly and decisively. In just a short while, they had completely turned the situation around for the Chen family.
The women sobbed softly, while the men looked distressed and hopeless; the Chen family was plunged into a heavy atmosphere of oppression and despair.
Bearing such a crime, at the very least, meant exile; this family was completely finished.
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