Chapter 1163 The Mystery of the Butterfly
"But Lord Prime Minister..." the deputy general reminded cautiously.
Jiang Xue paused, took a deep breath, and suppressed the grief in her heart, saying, "I will definitely avenge the Prime Minister!"
She carried the enemy leader and walked towards the palace step by step. Her figure looked particularly lonely and determined in the setting sun.
Outside the imperial palace, the guards were on high alert.
Jiang Xue stopped and glanced at the deputy general beside her: "Find the cold jade bracelet back."
The afterglow of the setting sun shone outside the golden palace. The guards who were protecting the emperor's safety stood solemnly on both sides, with murderous eyes.
Jiang Xue personally escorted the enemy leader, who was chained, outside the hall, waiting for the emperor's summons.
At this time, the chief eunuch who served the emperor personally came out and signaled her that she could go in.
"Let's go in." She whispered to the deputy general beside her.
Inside the hall, the emperor sat on the dragon throne. The ministers standing on both sides looked at Jiang Xue and the enemy leader walking slowly into the hall with different expressions.
Jiang Xue and Xiao Zhan walked into the hall, their footsteps echoing in the empty hall, sounding particularly heavy.
Everyone focused their eyes on them, and there was an oppressive atmosphere in the air.
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you."
Jiang Xue bowed slightly. Although her voice was not loud, every word pierced her heart like a sharp sword.
Xiao Zhan knelt beside her and said loudly: "Your Majesty, I, Xiao Zhan, pay my respects to you. I have something important to report."
The emperor nodded, his expression serious: "Get up, what's the matter with you two?"
"Your Majesty," Xiao Zhan stood up, staring at the emperor with a sharp gaze:
"The princess and I captured the enemy leader on the front line. He is the mastermind behind the enemy army. He colluded with some ministers of our dynasty to murder the royal family and disrupt the government."
Before he finished speaking, there was an uproar in the hall.
The faces of many ministers changed drastically, especially those who usually had a tense relationship with Xiao Zhan, who seemed extremely nervous.
"How dare you! Prime Minister, what you said is slanderous!"
A minister stood up, his face gloomy, his eyes flickering with cunning: "We are loyal and dedicated, how could we ever collude with the enemy?"
"Yes, Prime Minister, you are going too far. What evidence do you have?"
Another minister echoed, with obvious provocation in his tone.
Xiao Zhan smiled coldly and glanced at these ministers, already having a plan in mind.
He turned to Jiang Xue and signaled her to bring the enemy leader to the palace.
The sound of the iron chains dragging on the floor was extremely harsh. The enemy leader was taken to the center of the hall and finally revealed his true identity.
"Your Majesty, this man is the enemy's commander, his name is Xiao Feng."
Jiang Xue walked up to the enemy leader and said mercilessly: "Your Majesty, do you know the identity of this person?"
The emperor was slightly startled, then his face darkened: "Xiao Feng? He was once the leader of the rebels on the border, and later defected to the enemy and became an accomplice. How did you catch him?"
Xiao Zhan took over the conversation and described in detail their battle process on the front line and how they discovered the enemy's conspiracy.
However, faced with these ironclad facts, the ministers still refused to give up.
"Master Prime Minister, you say this lightly, but what evidence do you have to prove that these ministers are colluding with the enemy?"
One minister still refused to give in, with a hint of pride in his voice.
"That's right, is the Prime Minister trying to use this to frame Zhongliang?"
A minister also echoed the voice, obviously ready to join forces to deny it.
Jiang Xue was furious, but still said calmly:
"Your Majesty, I have a piece of evidence here. It is a map drawn by the enemy leader Xiao Feng himself. It details their contact points with certain ministers."
She presented the map to the emperor, who took it and examined it carefully, a hint of surprise showing on his face.
However, those ministers were still unwilling to admit defeat and raised questions.
"Map? Anyone can forge this thing, so how can it be trusted?" A minister sneered with a hint of provocation in his eyes.
"Yes, Prime Minister, your evidence is too weak." Another minister echoed.
Xiao Zhan sneered, already having a plan in mind.
He turned to Jiang Xue and nodded.
Jiang Xue understood what he meant, took out a jade ring from her sleeve and held it high.
"Your Majesty, I have another jade ring here. It is a personal token of the enemy leader Xiao Feng. This item is very similar to the tokens of some ministers, which is enough to prove their collusion."
The jade ring flickered with a cold light under the candlelight, and the emperor's eyes grew sharper.
However, those ministers still tried to quibble, and even colluded with each other to fabricate lies in an attempt to confuse the public.
"Master Prime Minister, this jade ring of yours may have been picked up from the battlefield. What evidence do you have to prove that these ministers are colluding with the enemy?"
One minister still refused to give in, with a hint of threat in his voice.
"That's right, Prime Minister, you are going too far by slandering Zhongliang without any evidence!"
Another minister echoed, obviously ready for a final fight.
Although Jiang Xue was angry, she remained calm.
She knew very well that these evidences alone were far from enough, and she had to find more solid evidence to catch these treacherous officials in one fell swoop.
She turned to the Emperor and bowed deeply.
"Your Majesty, I and the Prime Minister know that this evidence is not enough to prove the whole truth, but we will definitely get to the bottom of it and restore order to the court."
The emperor hesitated for a moment, and finally nodded: "Master Prime Minister, Princess, you have worked hard. This matter is of great importance. I will order a thorough investigation and make sure to find out the truth."
Before he finished speaking, a minister suddenly stood up with a gloomy face: "Your Majesty, I have something to report."
Jiang Xue and Xiao Zhan looked at each other, and an ominous premonition arose in their hearts.
They knew that the real battle had just begun.
Jiang Xue frowned slightly, her eyes like torches as she swept over the panicked ministers in the hall, her mind racing.
Suddenly, she remembered that when she captured the enemy leader Xiao Feng, she noticed a strange scar on his wrist, shaped like a butterfly spreading its wings about to fly.
This scar is so unique that it is definitely not caused by an ordinary sword or knife.
"Wait!" Jiang Xue's clear voice echoed in the hall, carrying with it an unquestionable power.
Everyone was stunned and their eyes turned to her.
She slowly walked up to Xiao Feng, pointed at his wrist, and said in a cold tone: "General Xiao, the scar on your wrist is different from others."
Xiao Feng's face suddenly changed, and he subconsciously wanted to cover his wrist, but it was too late.
Everyone in the hall also noticed the butterfly-shaped scar and started talking about it.
"This scar... seems to have appeared somewhere before?" An old minister stroked his beard and pondered.
Jiang Xue sneered and turned to the ministers who had just been making eloquent remarks:
"My Lords, do you still remember the butterfly jade pendants that the Emperor gave to you at the night banquet held in the palace a month ago?"
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