Shen Jinghong frowned.
Liu Yan smiled faintly and said, "Only a talented horse buried in mediocrity would be grateful for the recognition of a good horse breeder. You became famous when you first entered Dingjing. You are a natural talent, and everyone knows it. How could you be grateful for your majesty's recognition? Your majesty is in it without knowing it. He thought he discovered your talent, but I know that you deliberately wanted to attract his attention. It's not you who likes him, but he who likes you."
Liu Chen was shocked when he heard this. He looked at Liu Yan in astonishment: "So, uncle, you already knew his intentions. No wonder you reminded me many times to be cautious with Shen Jinghong..."
Liu Yan shook his head gently: "No, at that time I only knew that he intended to rely on you, but he was not the only one who wanted to rely on the prince. I thought he was scheming and what he wanted was not what he wanted. What he wants is nothing more than wealth and glory, and a high position. As long as he doesn't hurt you and doesn't endanger the country, I won't make things difficult for him. Reforming the system of favoritism is beneficial to the country, and I am willing to help him. "
Shen Jinghong asked: "Then when did you find out my true identity?"
Liu Yan looked at Shen Jinghong: "You concealed it very well. I have been secretly watching you for a long time, and you have never revealed any flaws."
Shen Jinghong frowned suddenly and laughed at himself: "It was Yelu Zhen."
Liu Yan nodded and said: "The one I asked someone to follow was Yelu Zhen, and it was she who exposed your existence."
Shen Jinghong smiled sarcastically: "So that's it... You found out that she met with me, so you would naturally doubt whether everything I did had other motives."
"That's right." Liu Yan said, "Yelü Jing has a strong desire for revenge and is eyeing the State of Chen, but he is afraid of me. If I don't die, he won't dare to go south. You attacked the Sun family and the Zhou family, so I guessed that I would be the next one. And my biggest handle is probably the fire in the palace and the death of the previous emperor. At the beginning, His Majesty handed this matter over to you to investigate, but the fire burned up the evidence against me, but if there is any evidence left, it must be in your hands."
Shen Jinghong said: "So you took the initiative to tell His Majesty about that night The truth."
Liu Yan smiled faintly: "It is better for me to explain than for you to pretend."
Shen Jinghong looked at Liu Chen: "What did Prince Ding say? Do you believe what he said? Do you really believe that the death of Emperor Zhaoming has nothing to do with him?"
Liu Chen's face was cold, and he did not return Shen Jinghong's gaze: "He is my relative, I am naturally willing to believe him."
Shen Jinghong sneered three times: "You trust me easily, and you also trust him easily?"
Liu Yan's face sank slightly, and he said coldly: "At this moment, you still don't give up alienating me and Your Majesty."
"He also treated me sincerely, I just gave him a last word of advice." Shen Jinghong's lips curled up slightly, but the smile in his eyes seemed cold, "The emperor is destined to be alone, no one can be trusted, no one can be loved."
Hearing this, Liu Chen subconsciously clenched his fists, and his heart seemed to be tightly grasped by someone, and it was painful and numb.
"How does Your Majesty plan to deal with Shen Jinghong?" Liu Yan asked.
A trace of confusion and pain flashed in Liu Chen's eyes, and he gritted his teeth and said, "Shen Jinghong, if you... hand over the intelligence organization planted by Beiliang in Dingjing, I can spare your life."
Shen Jinghong lowered his eyes and laughed softly, "I never thought of leaving alive when I took this road. If you want to kill me, then kill me."
Liu Yan glanced at him coldly, "Shen Jinghong's crime should be executed by slow slicing according to the laws of Dachen." He looked at Liu Chen and said, "What do you think, Your Majesty?"
Liu Chen's heart skipped a beat and looked into Liu Yan's deep eyes. Although the uncle he knew was cruel to the enemy, he was not a cruel person. Why did he propose such a torture?
Liu Chen hesitated to answer, so Liu Yan cast his eyes on Princess Roujia, who had been silent for a long time, and asked with a smile, "What do you think, Princess?"
Princess Roujia held her hands in her sleeves, her demeanor was dignified and graceful, as if everything she had just heard had not cast the slightest ripple in her heart. After hearing Liu Yan's question, she nodded slightly and said, "The country has its own laws.
Only by dealing with it according to the law can we convince the public." Liu Chen was shocked. What Princess Roujia said was beyond his expectation. Everyone knows that Princess Roujia is kind and compassionate. How could she agree to the torture of lingchi?
Shen Jinghong listened calmly to the three people's trial of him. It seemed that the four words of lingchi had no deterrent power to him. Only when Princess Roujia spoke, her bottomless phoenix eyes had a trace of imperceptible fluctuations.
Liu Yan smiled: "Since the princess has also spoken, what is there for Your Majesty to hesitate?"
Liu Chen closed his eyes, and finally made up his mind. He said in a hoarse voice: "Then put Shen Jinghong in the death row and lingchi to death three days later."
Liu Yan looked at Liu Chen's tangled and reluctant eyebrows, and then looked at Princess Roujia's calm and gentle face, and couldn't help but sighed softly.
"Your Majesty is soft-hearted towards those who betrayed him, but the princess is so cruel to those who are loyal to her."
Liu Chen was slightly stunned when he heard this, and looked at Liu Yan in confusion: "What does your uncle mean by this?"
Liu Yan did not answer. He walked towards Princess Roujia step by step, stopped three steps in front of her, and re-recognized this world-renowned princess with a scrutinizing look.
"At this point, Shen Jinghong would rather admit the crime of being a Beiliang spy and be cut to death than betray you. Do you really have the heart to see him die tragically?" Liu Yan stared at Princess Roujia and said slowly, "The princess's scheming is unexpected, and the princess's cruelty is even more incredible."
Liu Chen widened his eyes, as if the air suddenly became thin, making it difficult for him to breathe, and his heart was broken.
"Royal sister..."
Princess Roujia looked back at Liu Yan with a smile and said softly, "I'm afraid your uncle has misunderstood. Roujia is not that kind of person."
"Yes, uncle, you have misunderstood." Liu Chen said hoarsely, "My royal sister is kind and benevolent, she would not do such a thing. Didn't Shen Jinghong explain it clearly just now..."
"Nine of what Shen Jinghong said were true, but one was a lie." Liu Yan interrupted Liu Chen's weak rebuttal, his voice cold and cruel, "The fire in the palace, the theft of the will, and the collusion with Yelu Zhen are all facts. Only one thing is false. He is not a spy from Beiliang. All along, he has only obeyed the orders of one person, and that is Princess Roujia."
"Shen Jinghong caused civil strife in Chen to give Beiliang an opportunity to take advantage of it. If he served the emperor's sister, what was the reason?" Liu Chen was confused and muttered to himself. Suddenly, his shoulders shook and a trace of surprise flashed in his eyes. "Imperial Seal..."
Liu Yan smiled: "To alienate your majesty from your subjects and cause civil strife in Chen, what was the purpose? Of course, it was for the supreme power, the throne of the emperor. Am I right, princess?"
Princess Roujia smiled but said nothing.
"No..." Liu Chen took two steps towards Princess Roujia and paused. He looked at his elder sister whom he had always respected the most, and suddenly felt that the smile on her face was familiar yet strange. He used to think that his elder sister was the most kind, gentle and sensible. No matter what happened, she could always face it calmly with a smile on her face. But at this moment, her smile was not as warm as he remembered. Instead, it revealed a chilling chill. "Royal sister... holding the jade seal is just a stopgap measure... Now that the situation is stable, she will return it to me."
Princess Roujia chuckled when she heard Liu Chen's pale and weak words. She took out a bright yellow silk bag from her wide sleeves. After opening it, she revealed the imperial seal that represented supreme power. Liu Chen's eyes lit up, thinking that Princess Roujia was going to return the jade seal to him, but he didn't expect a mocking smile to slowly emerge in Princess Roujia's gentle eyes: "My silly brother, to this day, you are still so naive. The emperor's uncle told you the truth, but you are still willing to believe me... A child like you is not suitable for the throne."
As if an invisible hand was strangling his throat, Liu Chen stared at Princess Roujia in a daze, his mouth slightly open, unable to utter a word.
Shen Jinghong's calm brows fluctuated at this time. He frowned slightly, sighed softly, and looked at Princess Roujia helplessly: "Since I have taken all the charges, why should the princess admit it? They don't have any evidence to incriminate the princess."
Princess Roujia stroked the cold jade seal in her hand, a sarcastic smile appeared at the corner of her lips, and said: "Evidence? Only those who have no power and influence talk about evidence. Those who have power and influence only talk about what they want. The so-called evidence can be fabricated. When I saw the emperor's uncle return triumphantly, I knew that all my previous plans had failed."
Liu Chen clenched his fists and asked in a hoarse voice: "So all you did was just to seize the throne... Is power so important to you, more important than the relationship between flesh and blood?"
Princess Roujia's eyes showed cold murderous intent: "Yes, if you don't have power, how can you... Preserve blood ties? Your mother is a noble lady of the Zhou family and the crown prince's wife. You were born with wealth and status, how could you understand that lowly human lives are worthless? Without power, my biological mother would have to die silently under Zhou Yi's poisoned wine. Without power, I would have to be arranged to marry someone else and become a pawn. Without power, even if I'm in a high position, I'm still an ant." Princess Roujia tightly grasped the jade seal. The veins on the back of her beautiful and slender hand emerged, and the throbbing of blood vessels was clearly visible. "Liu Chen, you were born with all this. You are the eldest son that my father values the most, and you have the support of the Zhou family and the emperor's uncle behind you, but I have nothing. Now you tell me that power is more important than blood ties? Ha ha ha..." Princess Roujia looked at Liu Chen with sarcasm and pity, "If you were in my position today, could you still say this!"
Liu Chen was speechless and his whole body was cold.
Fighting with the enemy on the battlefield, he felt his blood boiling, and the more he fought, the braver he became. However, the cold knife and hidden arrow from behind, conspiracy and betrayal made him feel at a loss and chilled to the bone.
"So... it was you who killed the Imperial Grandmother, avenged your mother, colluded with the enemy, led the invasion of Beiliang, and forced me into a desperate situation..." Liu Chen said hoarsely, "Then why did you stay in Dingjing and not abandon the city and go south with the noble families?"
"Because she knew that Beiliang could not enter Dingjing." It was Liu Yan who spoke, "Since she allowed Shen Jinghong to collude with Yelu Zhen, how could she be unprepared for Yelu Jing's invasion. There is a pass between Juliang Pass and Dingjing, and she had already had people bury countless explosives there. Even if the Beiliang army broke through Juliang Pass, more than half of the soldiers and horses would be lost. When they arrived at Princess Roujia's ambush without any preparation, the ten thousand tons of explosives would be detonated. At that time, she would be the savior who saved the Chen Kingdom from danger with her ingenious strategy. Am I right?"
Princess Roujia's face changed slightly: "You found out..."
"Otherwise, Princess, why do you think I asked His Majesty to seal the nine gates and restrict the flow of information in and out?" Liu Yan smiled faintly, "I have confiscated all this batch of explosives."
Princess Roujia was silent for a moment and sighed, "I originally hoped to ascend the throne in the most decent way, but if I have to, I can only stain the imperial city with blood."
Liu Chen was shocked when he heard this, and suddenly found that there was an unusual movement outside.
"What do you want to do!" Liu Chen drew out his long sword, pointed the tip of the sword directly at Princess Roujia, and questioned with a defensive face.
Liu Yan had been alert when he heard the unusual movement outside, and his sword energy was like a rainbow, approaching Princess Roujia. He wanted to capture the king first, but Shen Jinghong, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly stood up and blocked Princess Roujia. He was unarmed, his eyes were cold, and his murderous intent was condensed, as if it was real, which made people feel cold. Shen Jinghong was tortured for many days and was seriously injured, but he was not at all inferior to Liu Yan. He drew his sword sharply, and his swordsmanship was superb and ruthless. Liu Chen immediately realized that Shen Jinghong had always been showing himself as a scholar, but in fact he was hiding his kung fu. His martial arts were by no means inferior to Liu Chen and Liu Yan. Even if he was fighting one against two, it would be more than enough to protect Princess Roujia.
Liu Chen was not only surprised by Shen Jinghong's concealment of his swordsmanship, but also by Liu Yan's martial arts, which seemed to be much stronger than before. Before, because of the poison in his body and the stagnation of his meridians, his martial arts were only one tenth of what they were before. Now, he has recovered 40% to 50%. If he is given more time, he may be able to break through Shen Jinghong's sword net.
However, at this time, there were footsteps outside, and a large number of soldiers surrounded Fenghua Hall. There was a loud noise from the door, and someone pushed open the door of Fenghua Hall. There were torches outside the door, and weapons reflected the firelight.
Countless arrowheads were aimed at the hall. Liu Yan retreated in front of Liu Chen and raised his sword to take a defensive posture.
"You can actually drive the Palace Guards." Liu Chen glanced at the guards outside who were pointing swords at each other, sneered, and said to Princess Roujia, "It seems that you have already made complete preparations."
Princess Roujia said, "Thanks to your cooperation, Shen Jinghong was able to place our people in the best positions. After getting rid of Zhou Kui, the Palace Guards became mine. You hurried back to Beijing with only a few thousand people. The 200,000 defenders of Juliang Pass were pinned down by the Beiliang Army. In this city, you have no troops to compete with me. Why don't you surrender?"
"You are dreaming!" Liu Chen gritted his teeth.
Princess Roujia sighed and said, "Liu Chen, I am more suitable for this position than you, but I don't have a powerful maternal family like you, and I was born a girl. Father values your sincerity and kindness, but for an emperor, this is not an advantage, but a weakness. What's more, didn't you hear when I entered the city just now? I am the most suitable monarch in the eyes of the people. Liu Chen, if you voluntarily abdicate, I will give you the best fiefdom."
Princess Roujia's words seemed to have magic, which made Liu Chen's eyes waver and doubt. He looked at the guards outside the door who were raising their swords at him in a trance, and he seemed to see the enthusiasm and piety of the people worshiping Princess Roujia...
He has not been happy since he ascended the throne. The officials do not support him, the people do not understand him, and the people he trusted betrayed him. Is it just as the imperial sister said, this position is not suitable for him...
Liu Chen's thoughts were lost in the ocean of darkness, but at this moment he heard a low laugh in his ears, pulling his mind back from the sinking. Liu Chen turned his head to look at Liu Yan, who curled his lips slightly, looked at Princess Roujia with a smile, and said in a low and powerful voice: "The princess is really good at playing with people's hearts. No wonder she can control everything behind the scenes and make people work for you."
Princess Roujia saw that Liu Chen's wavering will was pulled back by Liu Yan's words. She frowned slightly and looked at Liu Yan vigilantly: "Uncle, I don't want to fight against my own family. Don't force me to really do it."
Liu Yan laughed and said: "Who is forcing whom? Is the princess so sure of victory?"
Princess Roujia looked at Liu Yan's calm expression, and suddenly a trace of uneasiness flashed through her heart-could Liu Yan have a backup plan? But his troops were all in Juliang Pass, and the defenders in the city were guarding the nine gates. The only troops that could be mobilized were the Palace Front Division. Where could there be extra troops?
Princess Roujia's scrutinizing eyes moved between Liu Yan and Liu Chen. Suddenly, she realized her only omission. Her pupils shrank and she asked, "Where is Mu Zhuohua? Why isn't she with you?"
That day in the hall, Mu Zhuohua personally asked to go with the army, and Liu Chen agreed. Why didn't she come back with Liu Chen today? She and Liu Yan were in love with each other, and it was impossible for Liu Yan not to bring her with him.
Liu Yan smiled slightly: "The princess was also looking up and ignoring the present. It's too late to find out the abnormality now."
After Liu Yan finished speaking, he raised his eyes and looked outside the hall.
A burst of shouting and killing came from afar, and a bloody smell suddenly wafted in the air. Princess Roujia's face changed, frowned and murmured: "Impossible... Even if it was her, she couldn't conjure up an army..."
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