Seeing that she remained silent, the Empress reminded her again: "What does the Crown Princess think should be done about this matter?"
Bi Linglong cleared her throat: "I think there is most likely a misunderstanding. I believe that Lord Zu is not the kind of person who acts impulsively. Why don't we hear what Lord Zu has to say first?"
When she learned that Zu'an had killed the Prince of Jin in the street, her mind went blank, and she couldn't understand why he would do such a thing.
Now all she can do is let Zuan explain the situation, and she'll see if there's any chance she can help.
The Empress nodded: "The Crown Princess is right. Does Lord Zu have anything to say about this matter?"
Bi Linglong was somewhat surprised, never expecting that the Empress would agree with her opinion.
Seeing everyone in the room looking at him, Zu An calmly replied, "What are you talking about?"
"Of course it's about you killing the Prince of Jin's brother. Stop pretending to be confused!" A young man in a python robe shouted.
Zuan glanced at the other person, whose face was somewhat round, and with the smooth bangs, the person had a youthful, baby-faced appearance.
This man was Prince Zhao Ping, the son of Consort Li, a concubine of Zhao Hao. His wife was the daughter of Meng Jing, who was beautiful and virtuous, and often offered him advice. In addition, their families were a powerful combination, making them an enviable couple in the capital.
This time, rumors are circulating that the Meng family supports him in his struggle for the throne against the Crown Prince.
"I didn't kill Prince Jin. Prince Jin just brought his men to my residence to cause trouble. His men offended me, so I just taught them a lesson," Zu An said calmly.
The empress, seated at the head of the table, nodded secretly. This kid wasn't stupid after all. She was afraid he would recklessly admit his boasting on the spot, which would have made things impossible to handle.
Bi Linglong frowned slightly; the matter of killing Prince Jin was not so easily dismissed.
As expected, as soon as Zu'an finished speaking, the whole place erupted in uproar. The Prince of Dai cursed, "That's utter nonsense! So many people in the room saw you kill the Prince of Jin's brother, and you still dare to argue here."
"Oh, who saw it?" Zuan asked calmly.
"You think killing Elder Shen, the protector of Prince Jin's brother, will solve everything?" Prince Dai sneered. "Fine, send someone to bring the witness to the palace, so you can give up."
Many people in the room exchanged glances. It seemed that the Prince of Dai had come prepared and had already arranged for witnesses to be waiting outside the palace.
Bi Linglong's brows were furrowed with worry. It seemed that the Prince of Dai intended to take this opportunity to completely eliminate Zu An, thereby removing the Crown Prince's right-hand man and thus increasing his prestige.
Despite knowing this, she was powerless to do anything about it. After all, the fact that Zu'an had killed the Prince of Jin was a huge deal, putting her in a completely passive position.
However, no matter what, we must save him.
She couldn't help but glance at Zu'an, only to see him leisurely find a place to sit down, as if he were the master of the place, calling for palace maids to bring tea and water, and leisurely sipping his tea, as if he were not a criminal waiting to be convicted, but rather a presiding judge.
Bi Linglong's heart stirred. She had been through countless life-and-death situations with Zu An and knew that he was not the kind of person who spoke without reason. If that was the case, he must have something to rely on.
With this thought, her initially anxious heart gradually calmed down.
At this moment, several soldiers were brought in, and those with sharp eyes immediately recognized them as people from the Prince of Jin's residence.
The Prince of Dai revealed a smug smile: "Tell me everything you saw that day, exactly as it happened."
The soldiers couldn't help but glance at Zu'an, and they all involuntarily shivered. Clearly, the scene of the other party being like a god of death had left a great psychological shadow on them.
Seeing the group hesitant and timid, the Prince of Dai was somewhat displeased: "What are you all standing there for? Speak up!"
At this moment, Meng Yi said in a deep voice, "The Empress, the Crown Princess, and many ministers are all here. They will all stand up for you. Don't be afraid."
Given his status and position, his tone carried a sense of inexplicable reassurance.
The guards were somewhat relieved. They looked around and thought that no matter how powerful Zu'an was, with so many big shots here, he couldn't possibly cause any trouble.
Then the group began to speak all at once: "That day, the Prince led us to the Marquis of Shen's residence to arrest a wanted criminal..."
"Later, unexpectedly, a conflict broke out... and Mr. Shen was killed by him..."
Although many people in the audience already knew what had happened, they were still quite surprised to hear this. Mr. Shen, the protector of the Jin King's land, was a well-known master in the capital. Even the heads of various families treated him with great respect. How could he have been killed so easily by Zu An? Just what kind of strength did this guy have?
The guards continued recounting what happened next: "...Unexpectedly, the prince and Marquis Shen got into a fight over a single word, and then the prince was grabbed from behind and strangled to death."
Upon hearing this, the crowd erupted in uproar, and Meng Yi shouted, "The methods are extremely cruel!"
The Prince of Dai also cursed, "How dare they torture and kill a prince like this! If this scoundrel is not executed, it will be unforgivable by the laws of heaven and the state. The dignity of our royal family will be completely destroyed. How will we face our ancestors in the future!"
Bi Linglong frowned slightly as she listened. This Prince Dai was usually a bit soft-hearted, but today he was so tough. She wondered if Meng Yi had taught him these words, or if the shrewd Princess Dai had taught him.
She didn't like the Princess Consort. Although she was beautiful, she had a strong personality and always protected the Prince Consort like a mother hen protecting her chicks, which always made her feel a sense of crisis.
This time, he made no attempt to hide his ambition, and even developed a desire to seize the throne.
With the Prince of Dai and Meng Yi taking the lead, the court was in an uproar. Officials from the Eastern Palace couldn't find a reason to speak up for Zu'an, and the situation quickly became extremely passive.
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