Chapter 116: No Opposition
"Empress Dowager." Rong An grabbed Rong Ruxiang as she passed by him and said, "Empress Dowager, I am wronged."
Rong Ruxiang was dressed very warmly, even more than in winter, but she still couldn't resist the chill that was rising from her heart.
But she really couldn't care less now. Rong An was her only relative in the world. She couldn't just watch Rong An die like this, and die on the charge of treason.
Collaboration with the enemy and selling out the country... This is a crime punishable by the death of nine generations of the family, and will end the livelihood of the entire Rong family.
Rong Ruxiang turned her head and looked at Rong An coldly.
Rong An was stunned, then let go of Rong Ruxiang's hand.
He lay on the ground like a quail, leaving the home court to Rong Ruxiang.
Rong Ruxiang walked to the high seat, and Xiao Heng gave up his seat. "Mother, you haven't been feeling well lately. Why did you come all the way here?"
Hearing the words "not feeling well", Ling Chan looked up at Rong Ruxiang.
Rong Ruxiang's face looked really bad, frighteningly pale, and she was still shivering.
It seems that she is very cold...
When Ling Chan looked at Rong Ruxiang, Rong Ruxiang also looked at Ling Chan.
Rong Ruxiang's eyes narrowed. She hadn't seen Ling Chan for three months, hadn't she? How could she have changed so much?
Ling Chan no longer looks like the skinny guy he was three months ago. His little face has become plump and his appearance has become more mature. He looks more and more like Gong Lele back then.
Rong Ruxiang thought of the first time she met Gong Lele through Ling Chan. That was the second time Ling Rui and Gong Lele entered the palace, and it was also the time when the late emperor canonized Gong Lele as Marquis of Zhenbei.
She still remembered the first time she met Gong Lele, she also liked her very much.
If it weren't for that incident...she wouldn't have had the intention to kill.
Now Ling Chan has become the owner of Qingyi Tower. The story of Qingyi Tower going to Beijing to assassinate the official's daughter was also spread that Qingyi Tower did it to protect the young master.
"Your Majesty, are you going to punish your uncle for a trumped-up crime?" Rong Ruxiang looked away in disgust.
Xiao Heng said in embarrassment, "Mother, but... those letters my uncle wrote to Gongzhou... are irrefutable evidence."
Rong Ruxiang snorted coldly, "A few letters are conclusive evidence?"
"What if it was forged by someone with ulterior motives?"
She looked at Ling Chan and Xiao Jin meaningfully. She didn't like Ling Chan or Xiao Jin.
"Mother, I recognize my uncle's handwriting. Those letters were definitely written by him. No one else could forge them."
Xiao Heng's words directly angered Rong Ruxiang, "Your Majesty!"
"You trust outsiders and not your own uncle?"
Ling Chan rolled her eyes, and when she noticed Xiao Jin was looking at her, she rolled her eyes a second time without hesitation.
"Mother, this son is the real proof..." Xiao Heng stood beside Rong Ruxiang.
Rong Ruxiang felt cold in her heart, but she was also furious. It was a time of extreme rage, and when Xiao Heng refused to comply with her, she slammed the table and said, "How can a few letters be used as evidence?"
"Who saw your uncle write those letters?"
"Are there any witnesses?"
"The letter can be forged. Your uncle accompanied you every day to review memorials. His handwriting... so many people have seen it, it would be easy to imitate it."
Rong Ruxiang continued, "He is your uncle, and you just condemn him like this?"
She looked at Ling Chan, "As for the Gong family, this Gong Zhou is from Da He, and he has always had connections with Da He... So, if you count it this way, it's the Gong family who are collaborating with the enemy and betraying the country. I think the emperor should punish them more."
Ling Chan was not poisoned, so Rong Ruxiang was basically certain that her poisoning was related to Ling Chan.
"The Queen Mother doesn't know..." When the Gong family was mentioned, Ling Chan couldn't continue to listen. "Did Lord Rong just admit that he has always been in contact with Gongzhou?"
Even if Rong An had not revealed anything to Gong Zhou, based on their long-term contact, Rong An would definitely be charged with treason.
Rong Ruxiang looked at Rong An with a frown, what an idiot!
"Your Majesty, there is nothing confidential in the letters I wrote. Those other letters were not written by me. I never sign my name."
Ling Chan stood up and walked over to Rong An. "Why don't you sign your name? Letters must be signed. Lord Rong, you didn't sign your name. Could it be that you're afraid of the day when your secret will be exposed?"
Rong An straightened his neck and said, "I, I just don't like to sign my name."
Before Ling Chan could say anything, Xiao Heng snorted coldly.
If others didn't know, how could he not know? When Rong An was helping him review memorials, he loved to sign them, as if he was afraid that the officials would not know that he was favored by him.
"As for people, there are always mistakes. Maybe you forgot once or twice and signed your name?"
"You can't use this as an excuse to say you didn't write those letters, right?"
Ling Chan came to Zhu Xu again, "General Zhu, this princess has a question for you."
"How did you find those letters?"
Zhu Xu answered truthfully that he was taken to Gongzhou's yard by Jiuzhen, and then they searched Gongzhou's yard together. Later, a guard accidentally bumped into a tiger head ornament on the desk, and the bookshelf moved away.
He only brought Jiuzhen and four guards into the secret passage below.
After discovering the letters, he didn't show them to anyone but just stuffed them into his arms, where he has kept them until now.
He had the guards around him and the martial artists outside the palace to testify.
"That is to say, there is no chance for anyone to exchange these letters," Ling Chan said.
Zhu Xu nodded, "Yes."
"Also, when I found these letters, I opened them and read them, so there's no way they were swapped."
"Couldn't it have been forged and put in beforehand?" Rong Ruxiang continued to argue.
Zhu Xu was very dissatisfied with the Queen Mother's words, always feeling that she was questioning him, "Queen Mother, no one knew about Gongzhou's plan that day. Before that, no one knew that he was a Dahe. How could someone forge those letters in advance?"
No one knew Gongzhou's identity, so forging those letters was pointless. It didn't constitute treason at all. At most, it was collusion with gangsters...
"Since no one knows that he is a Dahe person, how could Rong An know?" Rong Ruxiang said anxiously.
"Enough." Xiao Heng suddenly spoke up and stopped Rong Ruxiang.
He turned to Rong Ruxiang and said, "Mother, I have ordered the three ministries to jointly investigate whether my uncle has colluded with the enemy and betrayed the country. I believe they will be able to find out soon."
Rong Ruxiang's heart was in turmoil. The three ministries were the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of War, and the Ministry of Personnel. If they were to conduct a joint trial, they would definitely put their utmost efforts into it. Rong An had offended many people, including the ministers of these three ministries. If she handed Rong An over to them, wouldn't that be a dead end?!
"Your Majesty, he is your uncle. How can we have a joint trial by three departments? Isn't this forcing your uncle to confess his guilt?"
"Could it be that the Queen Mother wants her son to send her uncle to the Overwatch Council?" Xiao Heng said unhappily.
Rong Ruxiang was stunned. The Supervisory Council would jointly try the case with the Ministry of Justice and the Supreme Court. This was called the Three Courts Trial, which was more stringent than the Three Ministries Trial. If the Three Courts Trial determined a guilt, even Xiao Heng would find it difficult to change the result.
"Your Majesty Mother is not feeling well. You should go back to the palace and have some rest." Xiao Heng's voice softened.
Rong Ruxiang slumped in the chair in frustration, not knowing what to do for a moment.
Her eyes glanced at Ling Chan, "Wanyue, you've been away from Beijing for so long, I miss you terribly. Come with me to Ningshou Palace to talk."
Several sect leaders were still waiting outside the palace, so Ling Chan couldn't go with them at this time. "Wan Yue still has some matters to discuss with the Emperor. We'll go to Ningshou Palace later."
"Okay, I'll be waiting for you."
Rong Ruxiang stood up and slowly walked to Rong An, "Rong An, you must cooperate well with the three-department trial and don't let the emperor down."
She looked at Rong An deeply before leaving.
Xiao Heng summoned the people outside the hall to come in. Several sect leaders came in confidently and performed the etiquette of the martial arts world in front of Xiao Heng.
"I, the common people, greet the emperor."
Xiao Heng looked at the people below. This was the first time he saw people from the martial arts world, and they were all leaders.
At first glance, these characters look just like ordinary people in the capital, but in fact, each of them has powerful kung fu skills.
"No thanks." Xiao Heng said politely as he looked them over. "This time... we are thankful for you seniors. Otherwise, if the Dahe people's plan succeeded... the imperial court would also suffer."
After Xiao Heng ascended the throne, the martial arts world and the imperial court had already signed a ban, so he had never dealt with these issues.
But he still remembered how much energy, manpower and financial resources the late emperor had spent to deal with these matters.
Especially when internal and external troubles occurred simultaneously, the late emperor spent day and night in the imperial study, exhausting his energy...
Xiao Heng was terrified at the thought. If Da He's plan succeeded, the people in the martial arts world would definitely hold this grudge against the imperial court. Da He was waiting for this opportunity. By then, the internal and external troubles would...
He didn't even dare to imagine...what Daqi would look like in Luancheng.
"Your Majesty, you are too kind." As a senior in the martial arts world, Luo Nanfeng naturally had to stand up. "We are people of the martial arts world, and even more so, the people of Daqi."
"When encountering something like this, it's natural to contribute."
Xiao Heng nodded with satisfaction.
"Your Majesty, just as Sect Leader Luo said, they are people from the martial arts world, and even more so the people of Daqi." Ling Chan put himself in the shoes of the leader of the martial arts world and spoke with a fist salute.
"Daqi and Dahe have been fighting for so many years, and they have also made a lot of efforts."
"And they...are just trying to make a living."
"The imperial court and the martial arts world shouldn't be in conflict. Fighting each other will only allow outsiders to take advantage of the situation. It's better to support and help each other."
Ling Chan looked at Xiao Heng. Xiao Heng lowered his head and seemed to be thinking. She felt that Xiao Heng had taken her words to heart.
"I'll think about it carefully." Xiao Heng raised his eyes. "Seniors, you have come from Qingzhou. It's a long journey. You must have worked hard. Do you have a place to stay?"
They just arrived in the city, where can they find a place to live?
Luo Nanfeng shook his head, "Your Majesty, not yet."
"Let's live in the Ling Mansion." Ling Chan suggested, "We still have a few empty courtyards in our mansion."
"Okay, then let's do as Wanyue says." Xiao Heng agreed.
Walking out of the hall, Gong Taining sighed, "Chan'er, it seems that the emperor treats you well."
Ling Chan felt the same way as him, "Yeah."
"Are you going to the Queen Mother's palace?"
"Yes." Ling Chan looked up at the sky. It was already noon.
"General Zhu, these seniors are not familiar with the capital. Could you please take them to a restaurant for lunch first, and then take them to the Ling Mansion?"
How could Zhu Xu refuse? "No problem, don't worry, Princess."
Ling Chan gave Zhu Xu a handful of golden beans and said, "Entertain the seniors well."
After watching them leave, Ling Chan went to Ningshou Palace.
After Gong Dian left, the number of guards in Ningshou Palace increased. Rong Ruxiang was really afraid of death.
Nanny Qu saw Ling Chan coming from afar and went back to inform Rong Ruxiang first.
The table in Rong Ruxiang's house was covered with dishes...
"Princess, the Queen Mother has been waiting for a long time." Nanny Qu came back and led Ling Chan in.
After Ling Chan greeted her, Rong Ruxiang pointed to the table and said, "Wanyue, it's getting late. Let's eat here."
"Thank you, Queen Mother, but..." Ling Chan stood beside the table, "Are these dishes also poisoned?"
Rong Ruxiang sat on the chair, her hands tightly gripping the handle, "So... you knew I poisoned you?"
Ling Chan sat on a chair, with her back to the dining table, facing Rong Ruxiang, "The Queen Mother is wrong."
"You wanted to poison me, but I killed you instead."
She gave an evil smile, "Ice Heart Poison tastes...not bad, right?"
"The Empress Dowager... has been in the harem for thirty years. During these thirty years, she has poisoned many people with Bingxin, right?"
"I don't know... How do you feel about being poisoned by this ice heart?"
All these things were learned from surveillance.
"Ling Chan!" Rong Ruxiang was shocked. Those things were confidential. How could she know?
Rong Ruxiang clapped her hands fiercely, "You murdered the Empress Dowager, you..."
"The Queen Mother can just send someone to kill me again." Ling Chan raised an eyebrow, "I am the owner of Qingyi Tower."
Rong Ruxiang was still confused when she heard this and just thought that she was now the owner of Qingyi Tower.
But when Rong Ruxiang saw Ling Chan raise her eyebrows, she suddenly understood...
"You are the owner of Qingyi Tower...A few months ago, it was you who extorted over ten thousand taels of silver from Prince Huai, and it was you who broke into the palace?"
"It's all you?"
Before Ling Chan nodded, Rong Ruxiang still hoped that she was wrong.
"It's you! Your kung fu... is so powerful?" Rong Ruxiang still remembered that Gong Dian once said that even with his kung fu, he might not be able to defeat the owner of Qingyi Tower.
"Haven't you been in the backyard of the Ling Mansion... being bullied by Ruan Yiyu and Ling Xueyao..."
Ling Chan smiled and did not answer her.
Rong Ruxiang was discouraged. "I didn't expect that I would still be defeated by Gong Lele."
"Why?" Ling Chan still couldn't understand. "My mother and Ling Rui were stationed at the border, fighting for Daqi and the Emperor. Why did you kill her?"
At this point, Rong Ruxiang no longer hid the truth from her, "Because your mother..."
"She actually said in front of the late emperor... Heng'er is not suitable to be the crown prince."
"I am the Empress, and Heng'er is the late Emperor's legitimate son. He should be the crown prince of Daqi."
"She relied on the late emperor's respect and trust in her to interfere in the affairs of the crown prince..."
"So she deserves to die."
Ling Chan frowned, not expecting such a thing to happen.
She knew from many people that the late emperor valued Gong Lele, so it must be correct.
But Ling Chan didn't believe that Gong Lele was relying on the late emperor's favor to interfere in the royal selection of the crown prince.
"Then why... didn't you kill me earlier?"
If the original owner had been killed earlier, she wouldn't have had to travel through time and space.
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