Chapter 42
Hughes is aloof, naturally cold-hearted, and rarely speaks. When has he ever spoken so much as he has today?
Each elder present subconsciously exchanged glances, not daring to speak.
Not only Elder Zuo, but even they had never imagined Xia Qian's background.
She's actually a princess!
She is still a princess from the source of life!
Aside from the Empire, who in the entire galaxy is the most formidable enemy? Everyone knows that the Source of Life is just as formidable.
The elders looked at each other, clearly unsure of what to say.
Just then, Elder Gao, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up, "Zuo Ming, apologize to Princess Xia."
Elder Zuo was taken aback, and the other elders subconsciously looked at Elder Gao as well.
Elder Gao clearly stated, "Zuo Ming, what you said was indeed excessive."
"That would be disrespectful to any member of the royal family."
If Xia Qian is indeed a member of the royal family, then Elder Zuo is doomed.
Some even glanced at Peter, who was standing to the side. If Elder Zuo was going to die, Peter would not escape either, and would surely be skinned alive.
I really don't know whether Hans's plan resulted in a loss or a gain.
He clearly intended to incite everyone to condemn the attack, but ended up getting himself into trouble, and even losing Elder Zuo and Peter in the process.
Noticing the pitying looks directed at him, Peter had no time to regret his actions; he seemed to have already foreseen his fate.
At the same time, Elder Gao looked over, his usually gentle gaze now sharp. "Take Peter away for investigation."
Peter was stunned. Even though he had anticipated his fate, when the punishment actually came, he was so frightened that he instinctively stepped back, and his whole body felt weak.
Peter struggled, "Elder Gao! You can't do this! Even if you are the head of the elders, you should still give Prince Hans some face, right? I am, after all, one of Prince Hans's men!"
"And, and—"
Xia Qian did not provide any evidence.
She couldn't possibly have any evidence!
How could he be arrested!
But before he could say those words, his mouth was covered.
In the crowd, someone grabbed him and advised him, "You should say less. Wait until we get to the Imperial Court before telling everyone."
"Whether Elder Zuo is related to you or Hans, the court will find out with a simple investigation!"
Is there anyone in this world who can escape the eyes of the court?
The head of the court was still Elder Gao, who was the most impartial and incorruptible person in the empire.
Peter was led away by the guards and other elders, but Elder Zuo was still standing in the main hall, surrounded by the others. They really didn't know how to deal with this elder who was once almost as famous as Elder Gao.
Perhaps sensing Elder Zuo's intention to attack, the surrounding robots began to sound warnings, and some even went into a defensive stance. At the same time, Hughes looked at Elder Gao, and with just one glance, the other understood his intention.
Elder Gao sighed inwardly and said to Elder Zuo, who was being attacked by the crowd, "If I were you, I would wait for the Court of Judgment to investigate, instead of starting to resist now."
"Resisting will only increase your charges and suspicion! You'd better cooperate."
No one could have imagined that what was supposed to be a proper scene of persuading Hughes would turn out like this!
The Royal Army stationed there was alerted, and they took away two people: Peter, one of Hans's men, and Elder Zuo.
Everyone had some idea about the affair between Hans and Elder Zuo. After all, Hans was the second in line to the throne, and before Hughes was even born, he was indeed being groomed as a future crown prince.
Among them, Elder Zuo contributed the most, and everyone else contributed in some way. However, these things stopped after Hughes was born. Who would have thought that Elder Zuo and Hans would still keep in touch to this day?
Everyone felt a pang of sadness, but no one dared to say anything.
As for their previous prejudice against Xia Qian, it had long since vanished without a trace, and no one knew that she had such a powerful background.
Some of them looked at Elder Gao, while others looked at Xia Qian. They all shared the same wish and desire: that this little princess would spare them.
“See that?” Hughes said in a low voice, “They’re about to beg you for mercy.”
"They'll apologize to you in the next second, making you soften your heart and let them go."
Sure enough, the next second, Elder Gao's voice came from ahead, "Miss Xia,"
Elder Gao's eyes were filled with respect. He was always a gentle person, and his tone of voice was also very polite. "To be precise, it is Princess Xia."
The words Elder Gao uttered to her as "Your Highness" still made Xia Qian feel somewhat uncomfortable.
She subconsciously glanced at Hughes beside her, as if trying to find the answer in him.
When did she become a princess?
Hughes had never told her.
She had never thought about it in that way.
She had considered that her identity might be extraordinary, otherwise the people behind her would not have bothered to put her into slavery.
But she never imagined that she might be a princess.
Elder Gao continued respectfully, "On behalf of the Elder Council, I apologize to you. We have done many impolite things!"
"I'm sorry." His voice was incredibly clear as he looked at Xia Qian apologetically. "We are so ashamed."
He seemed genuinely apologetic, and as soon as he finished speaking, he continued, about to say something else.
But Xia Qian spoke first, interrupting him before he could finish speaking, "Elder, an apology is more sincere when it's done one-on-one."
Her voice was soft and gentle, yet carried an unwavering determination: "It's a mistake everyone made, and you're the only one apologizing. Isn't it a bit much to apologize to me while bearing the burden of everyone's mistakes—"
"That's far too perfunctory." The boy encircled the girl, his cold voice falling on the ears of everyone in the group. "They were all handpicked from among thousands, climbing their way up from lowly soldiers in the military to the position of elder. I thought that at least elders should be responsible."
"But now they don't even dare to stand up and apologize, pushing all the blame onto your head elder. This is what the Imperial Council of Elders is like."
"Your Highness—" Everyone trembled. Even Xia Qian didn't expect Hughes to say that. Before she could come to her senses, the boy's voice rang out.
This time it was just two short words.
"Apologize."
The other elders spoke up one after another, all looking at Xia Qian, their haughty demeanor completely gone.
The room was filled with the sounds of apologies, one after another. Their expressions of regret were a stark contrast to the arrogant demeanor of those who had barged in earlier.
However, Hughes frowned and pulled the girl behind him; he was still not satisfied.
But no one dared to contradict him.
"I said, one-on-one."
He held Xia Qian's hand, and his tall figure, standing just a short distance in front of her, completely obscured her petite frame.
He knew all too well how vulnerable she was.
But these people don't deserve sympathy.
They were the ones who disrespected the girl. Elder Zuo certainly went the furthest, but they weren't entirely innocent either; they were the ones who echoed him the most enthusiastically.
Now that Elder Zuo has been suppressed, is that all?
Just assume he won't settle accounts with them?
His eyes darkened. "If it's just a simple 'sorry,' I could have a dog say those three words to me."
"Xiaxia will be my future empress." He held the girl's soft little hand tightly. "I will not allow, nor will I allow anyone to look down on her."
His expression was cold, and only towards them. "Apologize properly."
Just as Hughes finished speaking, a series of footsteps sounded, and the robots, with warning lights on, seemed to have encountered some unexpected situation. One after another, they came out of the robots.
A guard rushed in, "Your Highness!"
"A starship has broken in!"
All the elders were in an uproar; clearly, none of them had expected this to happen.
Elder Gao frowned, as did Hughes. The guard, panting, continued, "It barged in without permission to dock here! Our starship has been deployed."
"The other side said they wanted the starship to malfunction and run out of power, so they wanted to land here."
At this point, the guard paused for a second, then cautiously looked at Hughes, "The starship comes from the Church of Light."
Xia Qian's heart skipped a beat. Before she could react, the other party continued, "The Saintess is sitting inside the starship. Shall we let them in?"
The Church of Light...Saintess...
That was the original female lead.
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