Chapter 193 The Trouble with the Emperor
At the same time, Lin Qingyue and Dongfang Qi were meeting the emperor in the palace.
After coming out of the Honglu Temple, the two of them went to the palace - such a big event had to be reported to Emperor Zhao of Qi as soon as possible.
Before meeting the emperor, Lin Qingyue said to Dongfang Qi, "Regarding the Dongfang Banquet, I'm afraid you'll need to come up with a good explanation, otherwise it won't be easy for your father to handle. So, you should think about your explanation outside first. I'll go in first and report on the Flying Corpse Silkworm case, so we can get a solid foundation."
Dongfang Qi readily agreed and compiled the evidence he had obtained recently about Dongfang Yan's collusion with court officials and his followers to plot something illegal. This would be helpful if Emperor Zhao of Qi asked about it later.
After Lin Qingyue had been in there for more than half an hour, Emperor Qi Zhao summoned Dongfang Qi in.
Lin Qingyue had obviously finished reporting the situation and stood aside with her eyes looking up at the sky, looking nonchalant.
"How did Dongfang Yan die?"
In response to Emperor Zhao of Qi's question, Dongfang Qi replied calmly, "Prince Jin's concubine, Lin Ruzhen, colluded with the Guiyuan Cult's demon woman, Yan Qiu'er, and was inoculated with the Flying Corpse Silkworm. Lin Ruzhen fell under their spell and murdered the Prince of Jin."
"Are you serious?"
"Absolutely true!"
Emperor Zhao of Qi stared coldly at Dongfang Qi. After a moment of silence, he snorted coldly, "I didn't realize when my son became so audacious that he dared to deceive the emperor!"
"Father!"
"Don't try to quibble!" Emperor Zhao of Qi was furious. "Do you really think that my eyes are blurry and I don't know anything?"
"Prince Jin's fatal wound was in the front, a single blow to the head. Yan'er has practiced martial arts since childhood, and he has so many guards around him. How could a mere weak woman like Lin Ruzhen kill all of his guards in such a short time, and leave Prince Jin powerless to resist, being struck dead by a direct blow to his vitals?"
Lin Qingyue was about to speak when Dongfang Qi quickly gave her a look, telling her not to act rashly.
He knelt down and kowtowed, neither servile nor overbearing: "Your Majesty is wise, all of this was done by this son. I killed the Prince of Jin's guards, and Dongfang Yan also died by my sword."
"You!" Emperor Zhao of Qi was so angry that his whole body was shaking. "Didn't I tell you that Dongfang Yan is your uncle's only legitimate son? Even if he committed a crime, he could be dismissed from office or imprisoned. Why did you insist on taking his life?"
"Dismissal? Imprisonment? Father, how is this any different from killing him? It will also tarnish the title of 'Prince of Jin' left by the Emperor's uncle."
"Father, I don't want to kill him unless it's absolutely necessary. But Dongfang Yan is a ruthless man, repeatedly putting me to death! Even when I was unconscious, he took advantage of the opportunity to plant spies in the Eastern Palace."
"Later, after learning that I had left the Eastern Palace, he leaked the news to King Li. This led to the ambush and murder at Yixianxia. Since I was not killed, he hypocritically stepped forward to accuse King Li in the name of saving the emperor!"
"After I returned safely to the capital, Your Majesty ordered the princes to return to their respective fiefdoms within two months. The other princes have already left the capital, but Dongfang Yan, relying on your favor, has remained lingering."
"Over the past few months, he has been constantly moving between the major families. Previously, when he was with Duke Li, he even intended to take advantage of my misfortune and harm me, your son."
"This time, it's related to the Flying Corpse Silkworm. Although he's not the mastermind behind this, he has evil intentions. If we don't kill him, he'll become a disaster!"
"Everything mentioned above has actual evidence!"
After saying this, Dongfang Qi pulled out a stack of memorials from his sleeve and said, "Here are all the evidence my son has recently collected. In addition, there is also a spy that the Eastern Palace has uncovered, and he has personally admitted that he was assigned by Dongfang Yan."
Emperor Zhao of Qi looked through the evidence and felt mixed emotions.
He remembered the handwritten letter that the old King of Jin wrote before his death, asking him to take good care of Ayan.
I also recalled the time when the two brothers held their child and chatted about family matters.
But in just a few years, everything has changed.
In the end, he failed to live up to his brother's trust!
Dongfang Qi saw the emotion in Emperor Zhao's eyes, so he continued:
"Father, Dongfang Yan is a man who would certainly not be content with being a king. If I don't kill him today, there will be only two consequences. Either he kills me, or his rebellion fails and he's captured. If it's the latter, he'll be guilty of treason, bringing disaster upon the entire family, and even my uncle's spirit in heaven will lose its incense offerings."
"Although I killed Dongfang Yan, I have no regrets. If your Majesty blames me, I am willing to bear the responsibility. I am willing to pay for my life with my own death, and I will apologize to the Emperor in the afterlife!"
Emperor Zhao of Qi said, "Stop talking nonsense! You are the crown prince, the future ruler of a country, holding the utmost power. Your life is more precious than anyone else's! How can you say such words as paying for one's life with one's own?"
"Ayan..." Emperor Zhao of Qi sighed softly, "Even if I want to give your uncle an explanation, it should be a hundred years later when I personally go to your uncle to explain everything."
Then he glared at Dongfang Qi again and said, "You only dare to act like this because you rely on my support!"
But he really couldn't do anything about Dongfang.
First of all, Dongfang Yan's actions did violate the taboos of the royal family.
Secondly, the emperor has only one son, the crown prince. He can’t just abolish his position as heir to the throne because of this, right?
The prince is his biological son, he has no choice.
So he turned his gaze to Lin Qingyue: "Does Prince Chao Lan know about this matter?"
Dongfang Qi was afraid that Lin Qingyue would be angered, so he quickly said, "This incident was done by me alone. It has nothing to do with Prince Chaolan!"
"Shut up! I haven't even said anything yet, and you're rushing out to protect her? You useless thing!"
Lin Qingyue said calmly, "Your Majesty, I was present at the time."
With Emperor Zhao of Qi's cleverness, these things could not be concealed.
As expected, Emperor Zhao of Qi said, "You are honest! The Crown Prince has always been gentle, but since meeting you, his behavior has become somewhat extreme. First there was the incident at Duke Li's mansion, and then the murder of the Prince of Jin. Did you instigate any of this?"
Lin Qingyue smiled faintly: "If Your Majesty feels that I was behind this, then so be it."
Emperor Zhao of Qi was furious: "What's your attitude? Just because you have the Crown Prince's support, you think you don't even care about me?"
Dongfang Qi hurriedly said to Lin Qingyue, "My father is always soft-hearted and doesn't respond to harshness. Don't try to force him."
But today, Lin Qingyue didn't know what was wrong and was very angry.
"Your Majesty, you said the Crown Prince has always been gentle. But do you really think a gentle and soft-hearted Crown Prince is a good person? Now that you are still in power, many forces are wary of him, and he has been repeatedly plotted against. If you are gone in the future, and those old ministers bully him for being soft-hearted, what will you do in your grave?"
"If you simply want to raise an obedient and docile son, then don't make him the crown prince. Giving him such a high position would require him to transform into a ferocious beast, even if he was originally a sheep, to defend the empire!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
