Chapter 240 Imprisonment
Emperor Jingping's expression was unreadable, but Xue Han discerned the emperor's thoughts from this first question.
If they cared about his and Aheng's lives, they wouldn't have immediately questioned why it took them so long to return to the capital.
"Your Majesty, in order to escape the pursuers from Xijiang, I and Princess Suiyun jumped off a cliff together. We were lucky to survive, but we were seriously injured. As soon as we recovered, we rushed back without delay..."
"Do you know how much trouble you've caused?" Emperor Jingping's tone grew even colder.
"I do not know."
"You don't know?" Emperor Jingping raised his voice, "You killed Princess Xijiang, and you also killed a prince, which led to Prince Chiyan's father leading troops to invade Great Xia, provoking war between the two countries, making Great Xia beset by internal and external troubles, adding insult to injury..."
Xue Han's eyes turned cold, and he lowered his gaze: "Your Majesty, Prince Chi Yan was killed by Princess Duo Ya. It seems that Princess Duo Ya's side shifted the blame onto us in order to avoid offending Prince Chi Yan's tribe."
Emperor Jingping's expression remained almost unchanged upon hearing this: "Prince Chiyan died while chasing you. Even if you didn't kill him, you've made it seem like you did. Do you think they'll believe the Great Xia's explanation?"
Faced with Emperor Jingping's questioning, Xue Han wanted to say, "What if I don't believe you?"
But he and Aheng were not immortals who could fly or disappear into the earth, so he naturally couldn't say such things. A faint sadness welled up in his heart, leaving him only in silence.
Emperor Jingping looked at Qiu Heng and, instead of calling her Princess Suiyun, addressed her by her name: "Qiu Heng".
"Your subject is here."
"I always thought you were just more agile and strong than ordinary women, but I never expected you to have such great abilities."
Qiu Heng calmly said, "People are forced into desperate situations."
The information Emperor Jingping received about what she and Xue Han did came from Xi Jiang, so he was already skeptical of its authenticity. She certainly wouldn't rush to admit that she was more capable of fighting and killing than Emperor Jingping thought.
"Then what about killing the King of Xijiang?" Emperor Jingping raised an eyebrow, staring intently at Qiu Heng. "Did you instigate Rong Ning to do that?"
Qiu Heng pursed her lips.
The malice in those words was too obvious; they were meant to frame her as the mastermind behind the murder of King Xijiang.
But was killing King Xijiang such an unforgivable crime?
Qiu Heng found it all laughable.
Sir, you see, you are wrong. If such a foolish ruler were to live a few more years or decades, he probably wouldn't be able to smoothly pass the throne to the new ruler you've supported, as you've hoped; instead, he would cause the Great Xia Dynasty to perish even faster.
If such a foolish ruler had continued to squander the country for a few more years, it might not have even had the chance to escape south and hold out for several more decades.
We should keep Xue Quan safe and use him to feed the tyrant medicine.
Thinking this, Qiu Heng glanced at Xue Quan.
At this moment, everyone's attention in the hall was on Qiu Heng and Xue Han. Xue Quan was no exception. He was stunned when Qiu Heng suddenly glanced at him.
What, do you need him to plead for me?
Fantasy! Delusion! Daydreaming!
Without this wretched girl, Xue Han wouldn't have gone to Xijiang, and there wouldn't have been so many troubles later. He wished he could kill this troublemaker.
Xue Quan shut his mouth and glared at Qiu Heng.
Qiu Heng gathered her thoughts and answered Emperor Jingping's question: "Killing the King of Xijiang was Princess Rongning's wish, and it was also my wish."
Emperor Jingping shook his head slightly.
This girl is really quick-witted and eloquent, leaving no room for error.
Unfortunately, this matter cannot be resolved by mere words, unless the Western Jiang's invasion of the Great Xia stops.
"Guards, temporarily take Xue Han and Qiu Heng to the Dali Temple prison, and make a final decision after the discussion."
Xue Han and Qiu Heng exchanged a glance and said in unison, "We thank Your Majesty for your grace."
The two were quickly taken to the Dali Temple, and Emperor Jingping urgently summoned his ministers to the council hall to discuss the matter.
The ministers who received the imperial edict were all greatly surprised.
Xue Han and Qiu Heng actually came back alive!
Once all the officials had gathered in the hall, Emperor Jingping said, "Speak up, everyone."
Soon someone suggested, "Your Majesty, the invasion of Xijiang was caused by Xue Han and Qiu Heng. Perhaps we can use these two to appease Xijiang and quell the war."
These days, the discussions about Xijiang have never stopped. Some ministers have already tentatively suggested sending Princess Rongning to Xijiang to apologize, but Emperor Jingping rejected the idea.
It's good that Xue Han and Qiu Heng are alive; they're only useful when they're alive.
Xue Quan listened silently, a chill running through him.
He said that the incense might be cut off at any time.
Should I stand up and plead for him? At least not in this situation.
Emperor Jingping gave the minister who made the suggestion a deep look and nodded secretly.
To quell the war, there's either fighting or negotiating. With the Southeast and Northern Qi still at war, the Western Jiang are naturally inclined to negotiate.
If they were to talk, Great Xia would have to make some kind of gesture. He didn't want to send Rong Ning to apologize unless absolutely necessary; perhaps sending Xue Han and Qiu Heng would suffice.
“Your Majesty, I believe this is unacceptable,” Imperial Censor Yan stepped forward.
Emperor Jingping gestured for him to continue.
"Now the people are talking about Xijiang. They are indignant about Xijiang breaking the agreement and applaud Xue Han and others for killing the King and Prince of Xijiang. If we send Xue Han and Qiu Heng to Xijiang in exchange for Xijiang's truce, I'm afraid it will not appease the people's will."
Upon hearing this, Emperor Jingping hesitated.
Seeing Emperor Jingping hesitate, those who agreed and those who disagreed expressed their opinions, and the debate raged on.
Xue Han and Qiu Heng arrived at Dali Temple, but because men and women are different, they were taken to different cells.
Xue Han paused as he walked.
Yongqingbo, who was inside the iron fence, also saw Xue Han. He rushed over, grabbed the iron fence, and asked in shock, "Xue Han, you're still alive!"
When Xue Han saw Xue Quan in the palace, he thought that Emperor Jingping had ignored their relatives and friends, and he was also surprised to find that the Earl of Yongqing was in prison.
"Where is Qiuheng? Is she alive?"
"Aheng is alright."
Upon hearing this news, the Earl of Yongqing felt no joy at all; instead, he felt as if the sky had fallen.
After spending these days in prison, he'd come to some sense that if Sixth Sister died, the Emperor could just lock him up and strip him of his title. But if Sixth Sister was alive, things were hard to say.
Surrounded by Xi Jiang's massive army, he was wounded and jumped off a cliff. How is he still alive?
Where is she?
"They went to the other cell." Although Xue Han looked down on the Earl of Yongqing, he could only ask him now, "Is the Earl here because of us? Are there any other people?"
The Earl of Yongqing burst into tears: "Only me!"
"They're leaving, they're leaving," the jailer urged.
Xue Han walked forward, leaving Yongqingbo alone in his cell, heartbroken.
Qiu Heng and Xue Han had their audience with the emperor in the morning, and by the afternoon, the news that they had returned alive and been imprisoned in the Dali Temple had spread far and wide.
When the old lady received the news, she clapped her hands and laughed, "I knew Sixth Girl would be alright!"
The old lady's worries of the past few days vanished, and her laughter was so loud that it scared away the sparrows perched outside the window.
Master Qiu was so happy that he cried and kept wiping his tears with his sleeve: "Mother is so wise!"
"I told you not to run around like a headless fly."
"Yes, yes, Mother is right."
The old lady immediately said, "Third son, before it gets dark, take more things to the Dali Temple and see if you can see Heng'er."
(End of this chapter)
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