Lieutenant Li was in a panic, his fear and instinct for survival outweighing anything else in the face of punishment.
Princess Jinghe was furious when she heard his words.
"What are you saying! I, the princess, have always respected the laws of Northern Qi. Since you have committed a grave error, I will naturally deal with you according to the law! With so many eyes watching today, do you expect me to protect you?"
"What you should be doing now is not begging for mercy! It's confessing your crimes immediately!"
Gu Jiangli was completely relaxed, looking like he was watching a good show.
Princess Jinghe's words are not difficult to understand.
She was explaining to Deputy General Li that there were many people and opinions at the scene, and while she had to deal with him severely on the surface, she would find a way to forgive him privately.
As long as Deputy General Li takes all the blame, she will find a way to help him escape this predicament.
But Lieutenant General Li, consumed by fear, was oblivious to the implied meaning in those words.
He kept trying to prove his innocence.
"Princess, you can't turn your back on me! How can you expect me to take all the blame? It's all your fault..."
The princess's expression suddenly changed.
Just as Lieutenant General Li was about to reveal the truth, a majestic roar interrupted him.
"This is absolutely outrageous!"
The deputy general was so startled by the voice that he swallowed back what he was about to say.
He shuddered and looked in the direction from which the sound came.
A middle-aged man dressed in a bright yellow dragon robe entered from one of the Imperial Gardens, his face contorted with rage.
Everyone hurriedly stood up and bowed.
Only Gu Jiangli and Xie Shiyan seemed reluctant to bow.
The emperor's arrival was perfectly timed; he arrived just as Lieutenant General Li was about to point out the real culprit.
With him around, the princess was completely innocent.
Princess Jinghe looked at the emperor's sullen face, clearly indicating that he was genuinely angry.
She dared not act coquettishly in front of her father, who was in a bad mood, so she could only reluctantly give up the main seat and timidly say:
"Father, what brings you here?"
The emperor snorted coldly: "Hmph, if I hadn't come, how long would this farce have gone on?"
"Do you, a princess deep within the palace, have the ability to sort out this situation?"
The emperor's words were clearly a show of support for Princess Jinghe.
The princess was incapable of cleaning up the mess, but the emperor was.
They were clearly there to support the princess.
Although Princess Jinghe was spoiled, she was not stupid, and she understood the emperor's implied meaning.
As long as she immediately shows weakness and hides behind the emperor, all the flames of war will stay away from her.
"Yes, Father, it was my fault for being so ignorant as to make you come forward."
After speaking, he lowered his head and stood behind the emperor.
Gu Jiangli rolled her eyes.
Xie Shiyan saw this eye roll clearly.
He lowered his head and spoke in a voice only the two of them could hear:
"The princess has found her backer; today, it seems only Vice General Li will suffer."
Gu Jiangli replied in an equally soft voice:
"If the princess hadn't taken such a nasty fall, wouldn't she have enjoyed watching a great show today? At the very least, she would have been so ashamed that she would have shed a few tears?"
Xie Shiyan remained noncommittal.
But judging from his expression, he clearly already had a plan in mind.
The emperor did not ignore their whispers.
Although he couldn't hear what they were saying, his imperial intuition told him that he absolutely could not offend Xie Shiyan and Gu Jiangli today.
The emperor cleared his throat and said to Xie Shiyan with a hint of ingratiation:
"General Xie, I have heard about what happened today. Vice Minister Li is really audacious. He has wronged your wife. I will not let him off easily and will definitely avenge Miss Gu."
Upon hearing this, Lieutenant General Li nearly wet himself in fear.
"Your Majesty! The matter is not..."
"Shut up!" The emperor roared in fury, silencing Li, the deputy general. "I am heartbroken to hear of this! You are a deputy general, a high-ranking officer, yet you have done something so baseless and defamatory!"
"I have always despised those who stir up trouble with their words. For you, Lieutenant General Li, the punishment of cutting out your tongue is already the lightest punishment."
“It’s one thing to punish you alone, but if this gets out, won’t the whole world laugh at the Xie family army for its corrupt military discipline?”
"It's the Xie family army's greatest misfortune to have such a rotten apple like you in their ranks!"
"You still have the nerve to defend yourself here?"
Li, the deputy general, had no way to refute the emperor's words.
As he spoke, his gaze shifted from Vice General Li to Xie Shiyan.
Xie Shiyan did not meet the emperor's gaze, but Gu Jiangli met the emperor's probing look.
The emperor's intention in saying this was not merely to rebuke Vice General Li's character, but also to remind Xie Shiyan that he hoped he could resolve the matter peacefully and avoid further trouble.
After all, Lieutenant General Li was Xie Shiyan's subordinate.
If this gets out, Lieutenant General Li, that rotten apple, will surely spoil the whole pot of porridge for Xie's army.
This is detrimental to the reputation of Xie Jiajun.
Of course, his ultimate goal was to shut Lieutenant General Li up.
If he is punished lightly, he will not reveal the truth behind the matter out of fear, and naturally the princess will no longer be implicated.
Gu Jiangli could see through the emperor's intentions, and Xie Shiyan could naturally see through them as well.
However, the emperor's wishful thinking was destined to fail when it clashed with Xie Shiyan's plans.
For Xie Shiyan, the reputation of the Xie Family Army was not that important.
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