"It is said that your recent argument with Brother Ayan was because of this 'family-oriented' attitude."
"Several times when General Xie and Lady Liu passed by your door, they could hear you and Brother Ayan arguing about the Gu family."
"I thought you knew about Gu Jia's problems."
Gu Jiangli feigned surprise, widening her eyes, "What problems could the Gu family have? Just because Gu Youwei is from Nanlin Kingdom, does that mean the entire Gu family is from Nanlin Kingdom?"
Beneath Gu Jiangli's surprised eyes lay a hidden joy.
However, Princess Jinghe, in her excited state, did not notice this.
Princess Jinghe, her face contorted with madness, retorted, echoing Gu Jiangli's words, "Isn't that so?"
The emperor roared from his dragon throne, "Jinghe! That's enough! Do you know what you're saying? The Gu family is a century-old clan that has existed since the founding of Northern Qi. And they're all from Southern Lin Kingdom! How can this be allowed?!"
Jinghe also lost her temper, but Gu Jiangli's almost self-destructive words gave her a lot of confidence.
"What's so strange about that?"
"Father, think about it carefully. Gu Jiangli just said himself that the Gu family does not allow intermarriage within the clan."
Has anyone ever heard of the Gu family marrying into any other prominent family?
"How could such a powerful family never intermarry with other aristocratic families in order to maintain its prestige and status?!"
There's only one reason!
"Because from the very beginning, the Gu family were spies planted in my Northern Qi by the Southern Kingdom!"
"In order to maintain the purity of the Nanlin bloodline, they do not marry outsiders. In order to prevent their identities from being exposed, even the lowest-ranking servants in the family can only be people from the Nanlin Kingdom!"
“Father, it is because Gu Jiangli has already learned his identity and Brother Ayan has also realized that the person beside him is not a good one that they quarrel every day!”
"All this affection they show us today is just an act for our benefit!"
"I've heard that Brother Ayan hit you, haven't I? You have a wound on your arm, right?"
Jinghe became more and more excited as she spoke.
His confident demeanor suggested he possessed the truth of the world.
But the emperor grew angrier the more he listened.
"Alright, Jinghe!" he shouted. "You've gone to so much trouble just to prove that the Gu family are all bad people, and that Gu Jiangli is a bad person too?"
"But have you ever thought about what it means if, as you say, the entire Gu family is from the Southern Lin Kingdom?"
"Nanlin has been defeated; they can no longer cause any trouble!"
The emperor listened in silence for a long time.
At first, Jinghe said she was going to report Gu Jiangli for having a questionable identity, which would be detrimental to Northern Qi.
He thought back then that today might turn out to be a farce.
But Jinghe confidently asserted that she had evidence and insisted that all the ministers witness it.
He had no choice but to gather all these people together.
But now that I hear it, it's completely meaningless.
He had considered the possibility that the Gu family's identity was problematic.
The war had been exceptionally severe for the past decade or so, and the Gu family, who had always been based in border cities, suddenly moved to the capital, which aroused his suspicion.
But after so long, the Gu family hadn't done anything, and now that things had finally settled down, he really didn't want to stir up trouble over such trivial matters.
But faced with his earnest advice, Jinghe became very agitated.
"Utterly ridiculous!"
"Jinghe! What did you say?"
The madness and rebellious look in Princess Jinghe's eyes ignited the emperor's fury.
"I say, Father, you are really ridiculous. You are so eager to maintain this peaceful and prosperous world, but have you ever thought that some people are not content with this?"
"Jing and you!"
"Father, I have evidence that Gu Jiangli conspired with the Gu family to provoke war between Nanlin and Beiqi! Xie Shiyan, knowing this, intentionally covered it up, and is therefore guilty as well!"
The whispers among the ministers vanished completely, and the entire hall was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
General Xie, who was in the corner, suddenly collapsed to the ground, his legs giving way. Liu didn't even try to support him.
The silence lasted for a long time.
After Gu Jiangli finished her performance, Xie Shiyan helped her back to her chair.
It was Gu Jiangli who ultimately broke the silence.
"Princess Jinghe has pinned such a huge burden on me today, so I'm not in a hurry to disagree with you."
"I only have one question: if your evidence cannot prove my guilt, what will you do?"
Princess Jinghe took out a letter from her bosom, held it high, and said confidently:
"If I cannot prove that you, Gu Jiangli, are a traitor, I will kill myself here today!"
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