The emperor stood with his hands behind his back, a sharp glint in his eyes, before a cold expression flashed across his face.
"It seems that the Fifth Princess must have known something to be imprisoned by the other party."
The visitor dared not utter a sound.
"What did you learn?"
The Emperor stroked his brow in thought. After a moment, he looked up and said, “Could it be that person…” A variety of complex emotions flashed across the Emperor’s face as he looked at Eunuch Ni beside him. “Do you think it could be the person who secretly sabotaged the Holy Maiden’s search for the source of the Gu at the Prefect’s residence that day?”
Eunuch Ni dared not speak rashly and quickly bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, perhaps we should ask the Holy Maiden for advice?"
"Alright, summon the Holy Maiden."
The Holy Maiden arrived at the Imperial Study quickly, and the person impersonating the Fifth Princess had already left.
"Your Majesty, I have an idea."
"you say."
"The matter of Yan She's injury, the annihilation of the Thunder Guards and the Imperial Guards, and the natural disaster were all attributed to Xie Lingqin."
...
The next day.
At daybreak, the emperor summoned the archer to court.
Inside the council hall, the emperor sat at the head of the table, exuding imperial majesty, while the ministers stood on both sides. The emperor swept his sharp gaze across the hall, and the hall fell into complete silence.
"Yan She, tell me, what happened that day?" The Emperor spoke slowly, his voice solemn and dignified, leaving no room for doubt.
"Your Majesty."
Yan She dragged his badly injured body forward, coughed twice, and then began to recount his story in detail: "That day, when I and the Thunder Guards were traveling through a dense forest, we were ambushed. All the horses were attacked by poisoned thorns that we had bought beforehand. Then, just as we were about to react quickly, arrows came from all directions like hairs on a cow. In an instant, the situation became extremely urgent, and people were in a state of panic. However, when we looked closely, we found that we were killing each other. I don't remember much about what happened. When I woke up, I was hanging on the edge of a cliff until Your Majesty's men found me."
Yan She spoke with lingering fear, his face showing lingering apprehension. He spoke simply, yet his words were chilling to the ears.
Poisonous spikes had long been buried in the ground, and arrows were as short as a rain of cattle, yet everyone was killed with a single arrow, without any arrow wounds. Clearly...
This is an infection, and not just any ordinary infection.
It's either an illusion or a trap.
The atmosphere in the main hall was solemn. The Emperor looked at Yan She and asked, "Then, at that time, did you sense anything else amiss?"
Yan She thought for a moment, then nodded. "There is something very strange."
"Tell me."
“I heard a woman singing, saying something about more than ten years ago…” Minglan, disguised as Yan She, said word by word, following Xie Lingqin’s instructions.
Seeing the Emperor's slightly surprised expression, he took a few more steps forward, "And you also said..."
"say what?"
Just as Minglan was about to say something, everyone suddenly heard a loud "boom" that shook the entire hall.
When people come to their senses, their eyes are already unfocused.
Just now, just now... Yan She, who was standing there perfectly fine, is gone, and the place where he stood is now a bloody mess.
Arms, legs... all broken.
The main hall was in a mess.
The situation unfolded so quickly and suddenly that everyone was stunned for several seconds before they could react.
Some people couldn't take it and vomited or fainted immediately...
"At this moment, I will protect the Emperor."
"Guards! Guards!"
Chaos erupted in the main hall, and the Imperial Guards immediately rushed in from outside.
The Thunder Guards appeared and stood in front of the Emperor.
However, after everything calmed down, all that remained on the ground was a pile of rotting corpses and the stench of decay and blood; there was no trace of the assassin.
At this very moment, atop the council hall, Xie Lingqin peered through the gaps in the roof tiles, observing everything inside with a cold smile playing on her lips.
Your Majesty, although I cannot kill you in time to avenge Scholar Ning, I think this pot will be enough for you to drink for a long time.
This council hall, which has stood for over a century, is probably the only place in history to have witnessed such bloodshed since the founding of the nation.
Of course, Xie Lingqin still felt somewhat regretful that "Yan She" had died like this.
Originally, she had started cultivating this identity in order to gain the emperor's trust and be given important responsibilities, so that she could obtain information that would benefit her. However, given the current situation, there was no need to continue.
"What are you all standing there for? Hurry up and pack up."
The Emperor reacted and shouted, startling the entire council hall into trembling.
Not long after, Crown Prince Yuwen Yao entered the hall as if he had just received the news. He immediately dismissed everyone and forbade any further discussion of the matter.
Seeing this, Xie Lingqin glanced at Yuwen Yao secretly, and after their eyes met, she quietly left the palace.
In a dilapidated courtyard.
Xie Lingqin was blocked by Xu Yiran.
This book was first published by Xiaoxiang Academy; please do not reproduce it!
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