Everyone was stunned, not understanding why the King of Chu had done such a thing.
"King Chen, don't you agree?" But Chu Feiyang did not give Emperor Yugan time to consider, nor did he give King Chen a chance to refuse. He was already looking at King Chen with a faint smile on his face.
"Chu Feiyang, you..." King Chen was annoyed. He didn't expect that at this time, Chu Feiyang still wanted to drag him into the water. It was obvious that Chu Feiyang had something to hide, but he didn't expect that not only did he deny it, but he also dragged down an unimportant person. What was his intention?
"Your Majesty, I think Commander Zhang should also be checked, otherwise I will never agree to a body search. Please be fair to all the civil and military officials in the court and let them see your principle of treating people equally." But Chu Feiyang no longer paid attention to Prince Chen at this time, and turned to Emperor Yugan again, demanding that all those who appeared in the woods outside the capital tonight be searched.
The hall was filled with silence, the atmosphere was oppressive and gloomy, and a frosty air lingered around King Chen, which silenced all the ministers and made them dare not speak at this time.
Emperor Yugan's face was tense, his thin lips were tightly pursed, and his eyes were fixed on Chu Feiyang, but he saw that the other party seemed to feel no oppression from him at all. He stood in the hall as if it had nothing to do with him, with an upright posture and a relaxed expression, and a leisurely smile on the corner of his mouth.
Anger suddenly surged in his heart. Emperor Yugan couldn't help but clench his hands on the dragon table. His eyes, filled with sinister light, met Chu Feiyang's fearless black eyes. He read Chu Feiyang's fearlessness and persistence in those eyes, which made Emperor Yugan frown slightly. After a while, he spoke in a cold voice, "Since King Chu asked for fairness, I will agree to your request. Xiao Yuzi, you will personally lead people to inspect the two princes."
Hearing this, Jiang Muchen's brows suddenly frowned, and he glared at Chu Feiyang with anger without any concealment, but Chu Feiyang only shrugged in response.
"I don't..." Chu Qingyang originally thought that Chu Feiyang would refuse the body search, but he didn't expect that Chu Feiyang nodded and agreed to this request without hesitation. Looking at the eunuchs who walked forward to take him away, Chu Qingyang subconsciously wanted to refuse, and his hands were tightly protected on his chest. He even sat on his legs instead of kneeling upright, unwilling to stand up and be searched.
The ministers were all cunning and shrewd people, so how could they miss the action of Chu Qingyang covering his chest? Seeing the nervousness and concern that Chu Qingyang inadvertently revealed, everyone immediately believed the words of King Chen and Zhang Lan. All eyes turned to the calm Chu Feiyang, as if they wanted to find some clues from him.
"The emperor has issued an edict, why is your second brother still kneeling? I know that your second brother is sad about the death of Er Niang and is weak, but you cannot disobey the imperial edict. Could it be that your second brother also wants to disobey the edict like Prince Chen?" Chu Feiyang stepped forward, bent down slightly, stretched out his hand to grab Chu Qingyang's arm, and with a little force on his hand, he pulled Chu Qingyang up from the ground with one hand. His tone of voice was serious, and he looked at Chu Qingyang with cold eyes, which actually contained a warning and indifference.
"You..." Chu Qingyang never expected that Chu Feiyang would do it himself, and he struggled and refused to get up.
But Chu Feiyang's hands were extremely powerful, as if he didn't feel his resistance at all, and he easily lifted his body from the ground in the blink of an eye.
Chu Qingyang was furious. He knew that Chu Feiyang must have set his eyes on the gold medal in his arms and wanted to take this opportunity to snatch it away, so he let Yu Gandi and others search him.
Chu Qingyang shot his eyes wide open with hatred at Chu Feiyang. Chu Qingyang gritted his teeth and whispered to Chu Feiyang angrily, "Do you think your trick will succeed? Chu Feiyang, even if I die, I will not hand the things over to you."
Chu Feiyang, however, seemed not to have heard Chu Qingyang's provocation. He exerted a little force on his hands and pushed Chu Qingyang to the two young eunuchs not far away. Then he smiled at Eunuch Yu and said, "Thank you, Eunuch Yu. Check it carefully to avoid this happening again."
Chu Feiyang has spoken, just this once!
If anyone wants to take this opportunity to search me again, I'm afraid Chu Feiyang will definitely not agree.
Eunuch Yu looked at Chu Feiyang with a shy smile on his face, but what he saw was a handsome face with a very faint smile. This made Eunuch Yu subconsciously feel the hidden anger of the King of Chu from Chu Feiyang's eyes. But compared to the icy King Chen, the King of Chu was even better at hiding his true emotions, making it difficult to guess.
Emperor Yugan naturally heard Chu Feiyang's words of warning, and was very angry at Chu Feiyang's disrespect in front of him today. So he immediately said to Yu Gonggong in a cold voice, "Little Yuzi, search carefully and don't miss any details."
Hearing the request of the King of Chu and the order of Emperor Yugan, Eunuch Yu felt that he was under two pressures at the same time. The smile on his face disappeared instantly. He bent down and replied respectfully: "Your servant obeys your order."
After he finished speaking, Eunuch Yu led everyone out of the main hall and headed towards the side hall.
With the departure of several controversial figures, the hall returned to its solemn and dignified tranquility. The ministers stood in place, patiently waiting for the final result.
Emperor Yugan's bony fingers tapped lightly on the table. His face was calm and his eyes were indifferent, making it impossible to guess what he was thinking.
Half an incense stick of time passed, and at this moment, a commotion came from the side hall...
Emperor Yu Gan immediately retracted his fingers and clenched them into fists. His eyes, which were originally looking straight ahead, couldn't help but glance in the direction of the side hall. A hint of pride crept into the corner of his eyes, but was quickly covered by the seriousness in his eyes. It happened so quickly that no one noticed the change in his expression.
Such a loud commotion was naturally heard by the ministers standing in the hall. They all lowered their heads and looked towards the side hall, but found that the door of the side hall was closed, and apart from the noise just now, there was no other sound.
Everyone was suddenly shocked, and an answer gradually emerged in everyone's mind. I'm afraid...
Yun Xuanzhi, Qu Lingao, and the others subconsciously frowned, worry evident in their eyes. If Eunuch Yu truly uncovered anything, the Chu family would be charged not only with collusion with foreign nations but also with deceiving the emperor.
At that time, Emperor Yugan will definitely take advantage of the situation to eliminate the Chu family.
There was deep worry in the eyes of both of them, but what Qu Lingao was thinking about was how to deal with what was about to happen and how to clear the Chu family of the charges.
The worry in Yun Xuanzhi's eyes gradually turned into anxiety. If Chu Feiyang fell, his father-in-law, the King of Chu, would naturally be implicated, and he was afraid that his career would be over. With this thought, Yun Xuanzhi immediately lowered his eyes, and in his mind, he quickly searched for a way to clear himself of any connection with the Chu family.
"Boom..." Just as everyone was thinking of various answers, the door of the side hall was opened by a young eunuch.
Eunuch Yu was the first to step out of the side hall, holding a tray in his hands, on which was placed a lustrous and warm jade plate. Next to the jade plate was a yellow tassel, which seemed to have been tied underneath the jade plate, but had been torn off by someone for some reason.
Although Eunuch Yu's expression was calm, there was a hint of disbelief in his eyes, and a hint of anxiety was faintly visible between his brows. He walked out of the side hall and quickly came to the main hall.
Chu Feiyang and Jiang Muchen simultaneously stepped out of the side hall. Everyone looked up at the sound of footsteps, only to see Chu Feiyang's face calm, a faint smile still lingering on his lips. Jiang Muchen, on the other hand, grew increasingly cold, his icy eyes making it difficult to gaze directly at him. Compared to his expression when he left just now, King Chen now seemed to be showing signs of anger, making it even more difficult for anyone to approach him.
Following behind King Chen of Chu was Zhang Lan, the deputy commander of the Imperial Guard. At this time, Zhang Lan had his head hung down, but everyone noticed that compared to his high spirits just now, although Zhang Lan had his head down, his mood was extremely low. The corners of his mouth were tightly pursed and trembling slightly, and his hands hanging at his sides were clenched into fists, as if he was trying his best to suppress the feelings in his heart.
The last to come out were Chu Pei and his son, Chu Qingyang. Chu Pei's face was calm, while Chu Qingyang's was filled with anger. His eyes, filled with rage, stared straight at Chu Feiyang in front of him, wishing to tear him apart. However, Chu Pei was following him closely, so if he made any move, Chu Pei would grab him.
Thinking of this, Chu Qingyang's jealousy towards Chu Feiyang became more and more obvious. If there was no Chu Feiyang, everything in the world would belong to him, Chu Qingyang. When would it be Chu Feiyang's turn to possess it?
The hatred in his heart was like a seed that took root and sprouted in his heart and could never be removed. Only Chu Feiyang's death could remove this thorn in Chu Qingyang's heart.
Eunuch Yu, holding a tray in both hands, ascended the jade steps on the left and came before the Emperor Yugan. He then raised the tray above his head and knelt, saying, "Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you. This is the jade token I just found. I have examined it and it is the token given to the old Prince of Chu by our ancestor emperor to allow him to enter and leave the palace. Please examine it, Your Majesty."
Hearing this, Emperor Yu Gan reached out and picked up the jade token from the tray, holding it in his hand to examine it carefully, even lifting it up to look at the inner texture of the jade token through the candlelight filling the hall, and then weighed the jade token in his hand. After repeating this several times, Emperor Yu Gan placed the jade token on the dragon table. A hint of disappointment flashed across the depths of his seemingly calm eyes.
Afterwards, Emperor Yugan picked up the tassel from the tray and looked at the totem woven on it and the material of the tassel. Then, with a cold face, he slowly spoke, "This jade plaque is indeed from the imperial palace. It is also a cloud dragon totem that the palace jade craftsmen excelled in carving during the reign of the ancestor emperor. This tassel is indeed a common weaving method in the imperial palace at that time. But why is the tassel broken? Judging from the broken part, it seems that someone pulled it hard. Could it be that Chu Qingyang fought with the King of Chu for this jade plaque and destroyed the imperial gift? Hmm?"
The voice was not loud, but it carried a great sense of danger. Everyone in the hall immediately lowered their heads, not daring to look at Emperor Yugan's expression at the moment.
Destroying the things bestowed by the emperor is like disrespecting the royal family. This crime is extremely serious. Even the King of Chu would not be able to escape the emperor's punishment.
Seeing Emperor Yugan ask this question, Eunuch Yu's heart sank slightly, but he could only bite the bullet and answer, "In reply to the emperor, the jade token was found on Prince Chen. And the ear was found on Commander Zhang."
The use of the word "but" in Eunuch Yu's words suggests that he was also extremely surprised and shocked by this incident. Zhang Lan had clearly gone out to arrest a wanted criminal, so how could he have become a thief? What had happened? Why was the item on Zhang Lan's person?
The pride that was originally hidden in Emperor Yugan's eyes disappeared instantly after he heard Eunuch Yu's reply. His eyes suddenly turned gloomy, and his face was tense as if he was about to get angry, but he couldn't find a way to get angry for a while.
When the ministers heard Eunuch Yu announce the truth of the matter, they were all surprised. How could the situation take such a sudden turn for the worse, with the King of Chu becoming the victim and the King of Chen and Zhang Lan being pushed to the brink of disaster?
"Chu Feiyang, you plotted against me!" Prince Chen's cold and icy voice rang out in the silence. His tone was so certain that it was as if he had witnessed Chu Feiyang plotting against him with his own eyes. However, with Eunuch Yu's testimony just now, no one would believe Prince Chen's resolute tone, no matter how firm it was.
Chu Feiyang raised the corner of his mouth, a faint smile on his face, and Qingqian replied: "Why is your Highness so anxious? The Emperor hasn't spoken yet! I trust the Emperor the most. Even if the Emperor says that this jade token was not found on Prince Chen and Commander Zhang, I will definitely not complain!"
These words instantly thrust Emperor Yu Gan into the spotlight, forcing him to declare his position. By retreating to advance, he had disrupted the enemy's position. If Emperor Yu Gan didn't want to be criticized, he had to handle the matter impartially.
Hearing the King of Chu's words, Zhang Lan, who had originally intended to protest his injustice, immediately shut up. Looking closely at the hidden anger of Emperor Yugan, a layer of cold sweat gradually broke out on Zhang Lan's forehead. He simply couldn't recall when the tassel of grain had been hidden in his sleeve. He was a martial artist, his acumen was always more sensitive than that of ordinary people, but this time, someone had easily placed something on his body. This person's martial arts skills must be superior to his own, and his techniques were even more elusive.
Thinking of this, Zhang Lan immediately raised his head and stared at Chu Feiyang's tall and straight back in front of him with disbelief, and a trace of fear gradually emerged in his heart.
Emperor Yugan's eyes swept over the people His Highness was standing with. His gloomy eyes paused slightly at Chu Feiyang's smiling face, and then he asked Eunuch Yu in a cold voice, "Did you find anything on the others?"
Eunuch Yu knew that Emperor Yugan was using this as an excuse to distract Prince Chu from his earlier aggressiveness, so he could only lower his head and reply, "Your Majesty, I only found a jade hairpin on Chu Qingyang. I wanted to present it to you, but..."
Having said that, Eunuch Yu paused slightly, his lowered eyes filled with disbelief.
"Just what? When did you learn the habit of hesitating? How can I have so much time to ask you one question after another? Since you have found other things, why don't you present them to me? Don't you understand this little bit of etiquette? Aren't you tired of being the chief steward?" Little did he know that Eunuch Yu's hesitation made Emperor Yugan furious.
"Your Majesty, please calm down. This servant deserves death!" Eunuch Yu felt his back soaked with sweat. He then spoke, "It's just that Chu Qingyang said the jade hairpin was a relic of his late mother, Xie. And Xie was killed for crying out for justice. He was afraid that the resentment contained in the hairpin would offend Your Majesty, so he didn't present it to you."
After hearing what Eunuch Yu said, Emperor Yugan's sharp eyes instantly swept towards Chu Qingyang who was kneeling in the hall. The slightly frowned brows showed that Emperor Yugan was suspicious of Chu Qingyang's jade hairpin, and then he nodded to Eunuch Yu.
Eunuch Yu immediately walked down the jade steps, snatched the ordinary jade hairpin from Chu Qingyang's hand, and handed it back to Emperor Yugan.
Emperor Yugan took the jade hairpin and examined it carefully. Seeing nothing special about it, he saw that it was just a hairpin worn by ordinary women in the market. Disappointment deepened in his eyes. He threw the hairpin back to Eunuch Yu and sneered, "You are quite filial. You carried this jade hairpin with you right after your mother died, as a token of your longing for her."
"Your Majesty, my mother suddenly met with this disaster, and Qingyang was extremely sad. That's why I wore my deceased mother's hairpin." Chu Qingyang clenched his fists and hid them in his sleeves, but answered Emperor Yugan's question with a miserable expression.
However, after hearing Chu Qingyang's reply, Chu Pei's half-closed eyes showed a trace of disappointment and heartache. His pale lips moved slightly, but he just smiled helplessly and self-deprecatingly. The ambition that originally occupied his heart had gradually faded away since he didn't know when, and he only felt powerless.
Emperor Yugan listened to Chu Qingyang's answer, but he could not find any suspicious points in it. Moreover, Xie's body was still placed in the palace at this time, so Chu Qingyang's behavior and answer were indeed reasonable.
However, thinking of Chu Feiyang's words, Emperor Yugan looked at the jade token in front of him for a long time, then suddenly raised his head and shot towards King Chen, asking in a cold voice: "Seventh brother, why do you want to snatch the jade token from King Chu? Do you know that this is not only a gift from the emperor? It was also given to Chu Nanshan by the ancestor emperor. How can you fight for it casually?"
How could Jiang Muchen not see that Emperor Yugan was planning to make him a scapegoat? He sneered and then retorted, "Your Majesty, isn't it curious how this tassel and jade token were found on me and Zhang Lan, respectively? Zhang Lan went to the woods outside the capital on Your Majesty's orders. Could it be that Your Majesty instructed Zhang Lan to steal the Chu family's jade token?"
"How dare you!" With a loud roar, Emperor Yugan's face suddenly changed. He would never allow his imperial power to be challenged in this golden hall of the imperial palace!
"Your humble servant is terrified!" All the ministers knelt down immediately, not daring to offend the emperor again at this time.
Jiang Muchen knelt down with everyone else, but his expression remained unchanged, showing no intention of giving in at all. This made him look even more unforgivable in the eyes of Emperor Yu Gan!
"Zhang Lan, tell me, what's going on?" Emperor Yugan pointed at Zhang Lan in anger. However, his eyes, filled with anger, were fixed on His Highness Prince Chen, without any sign of relaxation.
Zhang Lan's heart leaped when Emperor Yugan called out his name. Beads of sweat dripped down his forehead onto the red carpet before him. He spoke tremblingly, "Your Majesty, I don't know why the tassel of corn was hidden in my sleeve!"
"Your Majesty, I'm afraid we have to ask King Chu about this matter!" Jiang Muchen spoke again at this time, turning the topic back to Chu Feiyang.
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