Chapter 463 Dragon Robe
After all the officials finished speaking, they all bowed their heads and waited for the emperor to give the order.
The emperor, sitting on the dragon throne, remained completely still.
The bolder officials peeked up slightly and saw that Wen Zhiming's eyes were fixed on Wen Kehao, his gaze filled with pity and sorrow, which made them feel inexplicably uneasy.
Wen Zhiming stared for a moment before stepping down from the dragon throne and walking to Wen Kehao. Amidst the shocked and puzzled gazes of the officials, he personally helped Wen Kehao to his feet.
He gently untied the thorns from Wen Kehao's back, then took off his dragon robe and draped it over Wen Kehao's shoulders.
The officials stared wide-eyed, almost suspecting that Wen Zhiming had gone mad with anger.
They beat their chests and stamped their feet, shouting excitedly.
"Your Majesty, you mustn't..."
"Prince Zhong, that's a dragon robe! How dare you? You traitor, take it off right now..."
Wen Zhiming waved his hand, signaling the officials to be quiet.
He was dressed in loose-fitting casual clothes, yet his imposing presence remained undiminished. Turning to face his officials, he said with a grave expression, "Rest assured, I am perfectly sober."
With a pained look at Wen Kehao, Wen Zhiming slowly paced in the empty space among the officials.
"You only know that Prince Zhong has overstepped his bounds and committed treason, but I know that he is poisoned by a Gu poison. Every day from Hai hour to Zi hour, the remaining poison rages in his body, and he must have sex with women to save his life."
"You only know that Prince Zhong broke the law, but I know that he was in this predicament because he tried to save me. He died for me once, so how could he have any disloyal intentions towards me?"
"You only know that Prince Zhong's mansion secretly keeps more than a hundred women, whose standards and expenses far exceed what the prince needs. But I know that all these expenses are saved from Princess Zhong's personal expenses. She even sold all her jewelry to make up for it."
Wen Zhiming raised his eyes, his gaze sweeping over the faces of the officials one by one, finally landing on Wen Kehao's face.
"If you ask who in this world is most loyal to me and who is least likely to rebel, the first person I think of is Prince Zhong."
Seeing the officials' puzzled expressions, Wen Zhiming simply recounted how Wen Kehao had saved him back then, how he had come back from the dead, how he had suffered terribly when the poison took effect, and how the Prince Zhong and his wife had struggled to survive in the past few years.
He spoke with great emotion, and when he recounted Wen Kehao's death from the poison of Yueyinshuang, both brothers' eyes welled up with tears.
Then, when Su Leyan went to the desperate land to find the antidote for Wen Kehao and dug up a grave in the middle of the night to save him, the officials were all somewhat moved.
The senior officials in the court all knew about Wen Kehao's death and burial years ago. When Wen Zhiming ascended the throne, Wen Kehao ran back. They guessed that the two brothers may have used a scheme to fake their deaths and escape. Only now did they realize that such a bizarre thing had happened.
Prince Zhong had saved the Emperor's life, and the poison he was afflicted with was also due to saving the Emperor. No wonder the Emperor trusted him so much, and even forgave Prince Zhong for keeping an astonishing number of women in secret.
Those officials who had been the most vocal and vehement in criticizing Wen Kehao were now secretly regretting their loud voices, while simultaneously blaming the Emperor and Prince Zhong for not offering an explanation sooner.
Wen Zhiming patted Wen Kehao's shoulder affectionately, "If I hadn't sent Prince Zhong to guard the northern frontier this time, and Princess Zhong was caught in a dilemma, informing me of this matter in advance, I wouldn't have known that Prince Zhong had been suffering from Gu poison all these years. If Prince Zhong hadn't protected me with his life back then, how could I have the throne today, and how could the Jin Yue Kingdom be so prosperous now?"
His bright eyes swept over the officials, then he took Wen Kehao's hand and faced the assembled officials.
"Tell me, how could this Prince Zhong, who swallowed poison without hesitation to save me back then, who survived countless near-death experiences and was poisoned to the point of death, yet never did a single bad thing or harmed an innocent person? How could such a person possibly have any thoughts of usurpation or rebellion?"
"Yes, he did imprison many young girls in his mansion, but these girls were all desperate and sold themselves. Before they entered the mansion, the Princess Consort of Zhongqin also told them about her intention to buy them. If the Princess Consort had not intervened, these girls might have already ended up in brothels, in a much worse situation than they are now."
The officials looked at each other, none of them refutating the others. Their gazes toward Wen Kehao slowly shifted from anger to guilt and acknowledgment.
Wen Zhiming continued, "Prince Zhong first saved my life, and then before I ascended the throne, he led people to help me in time. After being saved by Princess Zhong, even though he became a bandit, he still killed more than a dozen corrupt officials. To this day, in the area around Guandu Prefecture, the mere mention of Blood Wolf can still make corrupt officials tremble with fear. He has lived up to my expectations and has not failed his subjects."
"He only wants to live now, to continue being with his wife and children, which is why he had no choice but to use this method to expel the poison. What crime has he committed? He has neither forcibly taken any women, nor committed any heinous acts, and he certainly did not intend to rebel. Tell me, what crime has he committed?"
After hearing Wen Zhiming's words, the officials looked extremely uncomfortable.
They looked up and, mustering their courage, asked.
"Your Majesty, has the imperial physician diagnosed the poison in Prince Zhong's body? We cannot simply believe the Princess Zhong's one-sided account!"
Wen Zhiming said, "This is a poisonous creature raised by the Grand Preceptor of Lanyu Kingdom. Princess Zhongqin was the only disciple of the previous Grand Preceptor of Lanyu Kingdom. Who else knows more about Gu poison than her? Of course, if any of you know such a capable doctor, please recommend him. I and Prince Zhongqin will be extremely grateful."
Another official said, "We also need to verify whether those hundred-plus women were bought or whether they were forcibly taken from the people."
Jiang Lin said, "I have already verified this matter. If any official does not believe me, they can verify it themselves."
The officials were speechless for a moment after hearing this. Grand Secretary Zhang, who valued rules the most, stepped forward and said.
"Even if the truth is as it is, Prince Zhong cannot be allowed to act like this. With a harem of beauties, he is seriously overstepping his bounds and creating a situation where neither the emperor nor the subject is in accordance with the law. What kind of order is this?"
"Besides, even if Prince Zhong is innocent, he cannot wear the imperial robe. Prince Zhong, why don't you take it off? Are you taking advantage of the Emperor's favor to become arrogant?"
Upon hearing this, Wen Kehao's cold expression remained unchanged, and his stubbornness became even more pronounced in his eyes.
"Since the dragon robe was draped over my shoulders by my elder brother, only my elder brother can make me take it off. No one can take it away without his permission."
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