He seemed to have changed his posture, gently supporting his forehead with one hand.
"I'm fine, but Cui took an arrow for me, and now my life is at stake. I'm very worried."
Cui family?
Xiao Nanhui suddenly realized the identity of the woman sitting next to the emperor at the ceremony. No wonder she felt that the figure looked so familiar when she looked at it from afar in Tingfeng Tower.
Cui Xingyao, the daughter of the late King Kang, was the beautiful woman who was placed with the hopes of the entire Cui family and was sent to the imperial city in a sedan chair made of brocade. She was Xu Shu's sweetheart, but now she was the emperor's concubine.
Including the previous time on the hill outside Quecheng, she had seen her from afar three times, but she never took her seriously.
But now, the name seemed to be engraved in her mind in an instant, so strong that it was frightening.
Someone in the hall choked up, the sound particularly harsh. Then, a round-faced, short-browed, and somewhat clumsy civil official stepped out to salute. It was Cui Xingyao's uncle, the current Imperial Clan Leader, Yu Youwei.
"I am sorry for the loss of composure. I am truly heartbroken upon hearing this sudden news. However, I am also deeply comforted by the thought that my niece is willing to sacrifice her life for Your Majesty's safety. I only hope that Your Majesty will be able to protect her through this difficult time."
Yu Youwei prostrated himself on the ground, his shoulders trembling, seemingly overcome with grief. The emperor beneath the statue gently waved his hand, motioning him to stand.
"Yu Zongzheng, please stand up. Cui's daughter is quiet, virtuous, and of sterling character. I have named her Shuyuan. She is destined to shoulder this responsibility and will surely turn misfortune into fortune."
Yu Youwei's plump waist swayed flexibly, another great gift.
"This old minister thanks Your Majesty for your grace."
After the ceremony, he finally got up from the ground and slowly retreated, and another voice sounded.
"Since Your Majesty is alright, I request that the culprit of this treasonous case be rigorously tried in court. I hope Your Majesty will grant my approval."
The man who was speaking was born with a pair of peach blossom eyes. There were many wrinkles at the corners of his eyes due to his age, but one could still vaguely see the charming temperament of his youth. Only his thin and sharp lips were pursed downwards, which ruined the beauty of his whole face and added a bit of sinisterness that made people dare not look directly at him.
This was the atmosphere that could only be felt after being immersed in the dungeon and interrogation department for many years, and the person who came was none other than Xu Shu's father, the current Chief Justice Xu Zhi.
"allow."
As the familiar voice sounded, Xiao Nanhui was almost immediately picked up from the ground.
She moved closer to the figure beneath the statue, close enough to see the silver lines winding along his clothes, but still could not see his face clearly.
He was still wearing the same moon-white clothes he wore at the festival, spotless, without a speck of dirt or blood.
Looking at the Wuwei casual clothes she was wearing, she hadn't worn them for two or three days and hadn't changed them. After the torture of that night, they were covered with dust, the collar was pulled out of shape, and the cloth below the knees was worn out.
She almost shrank on the spot, but found that she couldn't move at all.
She knelt on the cold stone bricks in the middle of the hall, accepting the torture and questioning of countless gazes.
The last time he was so close to her was in this hall.
Now, only a day or two later, he was as far away from her as when they first met.
"The traitor Xiao Nanhui conspired with the Bai clan's rebels to assassinate us. Now that we've caught him red-handed, how are you going to defend yourself?"
As soon as Xu Zhi opened his mouth, he was interrogating her instead of Bai Yun.
Xiao Nanhui finally understood where Xu Shu's foul mouth came from. She must have killed his entire family in her previous life, which is why she is so hostile to the Xu family in this life.
She tried hard not to look at the face of the cruelest official who was at the top of the list that day, and only stared at the moon-white color behind him.
"I reserved a table at Tingfeng Tower because I admired the delicious sea bass feast. My loyalty to Tiancheng is evident, I have no intention of rebellion, and I did not participate in the assassination. Your Majesty, please understand!"
Xu Zhi noticed her gaze and asked a question that hit her sore spot.
"Then please explain clearly, Right General, why was Bai Yun in the same room with you? And why did he use the natural black feather arrow to assassinate you?"
Xiao Nanhui was unable to defend himself against this question.
"I don't know. I went to the Black Feather Camp to borrow a bow and three black feather arrows just to practice archery. Lieutenant Lu can testify for me."
Xu Zhi snorted coldly, "Lu Songping neglected his duties, commanding the entire Black Feather Battalion but failing to keep a single serious criminal at bay. He's still not cleared of suspicion, so how can he testify for you?"
Anyway, everyone who could prove her innocence is involved in this matter, so even if she had mouths all over her body, she wouldn't be able to explain herself.
After a suffocating silence, the familiar voice finally sounded.
"Nan Hui bought two invitations to the sea bass banquet, intending to go with me, but I didn't show up for some reason. The other one is still in my room in the annex. If Lord Xu doesn't believe me, you can send someone to search. Let me ask you, the Xiao family is united. If they were plotting an assassination, why would they leave evidence in my room?"
Xiao Zhun still stood up and spoke for her.
But at this moment, Xiao Nanhui did not feel any happiness or joy in his heart.
The moment Xiao Zhun stood up, he was doomed to be unable to clear himself from this matter.
But some words coming out of her mouth have no weight, but it is completely different when it comes out of Xiao Jun's mouth.
This rebuttal caused a little stir among the ministers, and some seemed to nod in agreement. However, the crime of treason was enough to make anyone retreat, and no one dared to stand up and speak for the Xiao family at this time.
In the past, Xiao Zhun had made great military achievements, and who in the court would not want to be close to him? But now that he has fallen, there is not even a voice to complain about his injustice.
This is generally how cold-hearted human nature is.
"It's also possible that you left it here on purpose as a deception. What Qing Huaihou said probably doesn't prove anything."
Although what Xu Zhi said was a way to hurt his heart, every word of it made sense.
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