"No, no...you can't do this!" Liu was terrified.
Xie Shiyan approached her step by step, seemingly enjoying Liu's fear.
"You have no choice but to accept it. Don't be afraid, with General Xie by your side, you won't be alone on the road to the underworld."
Liu's pupils dilated violently, and she kept backing away from him on the ground, hoping to get as far away as possible.
But she found that her legs were extremely stiff and she could hardly move them.
“I am…your mother…your elder, you can’t!” Liu mustered her courage to say these words, and cast a pleading look at her husband. “Master, didn’t you hear what Shi Yan said? You should persuade him!”
General Xie, whether out of fear or for some other reason, kept looking at Xie Shiyan without saying a word.
Xie Shiyan ignored General Xie and squatted down, his gaze level with Liu's.
His eyes were filled with madness and ruthlessness. "Him? He'll die just like you. What can he say to me?"
“No…” Liu shook her head, trembling.
The next moment, Xie Shiyan delivered a swift chop to Liu's neck, causing her eyes to roll back and lose consciousness.
General Xie subconsciously squatted down to check on Liu's condition, but he only glanced at her briefly before quickly standing up again.
"Shi Yan, what exactly do you want? Are you really so cold-blooded that you can be so cruel to your own family, to me, your own father?!"
Xie Shiyan sneered:
"Don't worry, I'll be even harsher on you than I was on her."
General Xie took a step back in shock.
He never realized that, at some point, his son had come to hate him to this extent.
This familiar face suddenly reminded him of the woman who had been dead for a long time.
He struggled to stand firm and said through gritted teeth:
"I am your father. Throughout history, patricide has always been condemned!"
Xie Shiyan appeared indifferent, his ruthless expression remaining completely unchanged.
"What I, Xie Shiyan, fear least is infamy."
The two exchanged heated words, and Xie Shiyan appeared ready to fight at any moment.
Left with no other choice, the emperor had to speak up to stabilize the situation.
"My dear minister, I know you have some grievances with your family. I will no longer interfere in the Xie family's affairs; you may decide how to handle them yourself."
"However, you should refrain from taking any further action in this main hall."
The emperor's words were somewhat cryptic.
But everyone understood what he meant.
To injure someone in front of the emperor is indeed a crime of disrespect, especially since it happened in the grand hall that symbolizes imperial power.
Xie Shiyan directly knocked Liu unconscious, causing the emperor to lose face.
Everyone was waiting for Xie Shiyan to back down and admit his mistake.
However, Xie Shiyan had no intention of backing down or admitting defeat.
He was as arrogant as ever, "Your Majesty, the two sinners of the Xie family deserve to die. I will not show them any mercy."
"And what about the princess?"
“Princess Jinghe has repeatedly slandered and framed my wife. Today she even said with certainty that if things are not as she says, she will kill herself. Why hasn’t she done it yet?”
"If the princess is afraid to take action, I can help you."
Xie Shiyan's words caused everyone's expression to change.
It's obvious to everyone that Princess Jinghe started all of this today.
The evidence she presented with such conviction was utterly useless.
More importantly, the words she uttered in her rage now seem to be merely a perfunctory response.
The ministers looked at each other, not daring to say anything.
The emperor's face darkened, but he looked at his disgraced daughter.
"Jinghe! What do you suggest we do?"
Princess Jinghe turned pale and hurriedly ran forward, grabbing her father's sleeve and begging for mercy with tears streaming down her face.
"Father, I was just saying that in anger. How can you take it seriously? I am your daughter. How can you bear to see me die?"
The emperor frowned, feeling a pang of pity.
His daughter had indeed made a big mistake, which made him so angry that he lost his mind.
But in the end, they are still one's own flesh and blood.
He still hesitated.
Gu Jiangli burst out laughing as if he had seen the biggest joke in the world.
A soft laugh rang out, particularly noticeable in the quiet hall.
All eyes were drawn to her.
Gu Jiangli leaned back in his chair, a sarcastic smile on his face, and said:
"The princess is truly flexible and adaptable."
"His Majesty acts with composure and moderation, and always seeks evidence. He will not easily convict someone based on a few one-sided words."
"His Majesty's every action is for the sake of fairness and justice."
"But because of this, the princess mocked the emperor, saying that he was 'ridiculous' and that the emperor did not take him seriously at all, nor did he care about the emperor's concerns."
"Ha, the princess just looked down on the composed Emperor, but now she's begging for forgiveness like a spineless coward?"
Gu Jiangli's words reminded the emperor, who had already softened his heart, of the scene when Jinghe had argued with him before.
Jinghe's words were sharp and her expression arrogant, completely unlike her usual respectful manner. She was nowhere near as pitiful as she was now.
Thinking of this, the emperor's eyes indeed turned cold.
Jinghe hadn't even noticed the change in her father's gaze before she was too busy refuting Gu Jiangli.
The failure to convict Gu Jiangli and the utter failure of all her carefully planned schemes made it impossible for her to remain calm.
"Shut up! Who do you think you are! I am a princess of Northern Qi, and I have royal blood flowing through my veins!"
"My father would never let me die! Put away your wicked thoughts!"
She kept verbally insulting Gu Jiangli, but Gu Jiangli didn't take it to heart at all.
However, many people in the hall showed more disgust and impatience towards Jinghe on their faces.
The emperor's heart sank.
He gazed intently at his daughter, who was still throwing a tantrum and cursing.
Jinghe is completely different from before.
When Jinghe was a child, it was impossible for her to keep two faces in front of him.
How could she beg for mercy so pitifully while simultaneously hurling insults at someone else without any sense of propriety or manners?
"Jinghe," the emperor called out in a deep voice, and Jinghe stopped her insults towards Gu Jiangli.
As if she had just realized something, she turned around and continued to cry.
"Father, please spare your daughter. You are the Emperor. Even if you were to spare her, they wouldn't dare say anything."
"Moreover... my daughter was harmed by villains today. It was all Liu and General Xie who bewitched me."
"If they hadn't presented so much evidence and instigated me to complain to you, I would never have done such a thing."
"You know me best, don't you?"
A hint of hope lingered in Jinghe's eyes.
After all, this was his own father, the emperor.
It was his father, the emperor, who had loved him his whole life.
But the emperor turned his head away, refusing to look at her tear-streaked face.
“Jinghe, the palace cannot contain your noble blood. From now on, you are no longer a princess, but a commoner with ordinary blood.”
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
