Chapter 13 Chapter 13 "Does the one with the most people have the upper hand? ...
Zhu Yan's voice was just like his appearance, attracting everyone's attention as soon as he appeared.
"Your Majesty, I can attest that it was indeed my brother who first offended, committing disrespect. Therefore, Her Highness the Divine Princess punished him personally. Furthermore, the subsequent situation was not as described by those from the Northern Territory. My brother was the one who endured the whipping unilaterally. He did fight back, but Her Highness the Divine Princess's attendants blocked the blow with their own bodies, preventing Her Highness from being harmed."
Amidst the one-sided public opinion, an outlier suddenly emerged and said that Meng Chu deserved the beating from the beginning to the end.
This made the northern vassal standing on both sides, who shared the same hatred of the enemy, feel a little embarrassed.
After a few seconds of silence, someone muttered, "Why are Master Zhu Yan's statements so different from the others? Who's lying?"
Zhu Yan replied frankly, "I have never met Her Highness the Divine Princess before. Why would I protect Her Highness the Divine Princess?"
"You are alone, but there are three or four people who say that Shen Ji beat the prince for no reason. Judging by the number, it is clear that—"
"Does the one with the most people have the final say?"
Zhu Yan's words left the questioner speechless.
But soon another voice added: "Even if the prince really said something wrong, he shouldn't be asked to pay with his life, right?"
Everyone saw Meng Chu being beaten out of his original six-tailed form.
They couldn't put all the blame on Jiu Zhao, they had to accuse her of a vicious crime.
Zhu Yan did not retort immediately. While standing side by side with Jiu Zhao, he glanced in his direction.
Seeing that the other party showed no displeasure at his presumptuous behavior, he pondered for a moment, skipping over the part about Lan Qi mentioned by Meng Chu, and whispered meaningfully, "My brother's remarks also mentioned the Queen of Gods. Who in the world can remain indifferent to the reputation of their parents?"
Now, everyone was silent.
The Queen of Gods is Jiu Zhao's mother. The Emperor of Gods wants to use her to attack Jiu Zhao. The only thing he can use is the fact that Jiu Zhao was born on the same day as the Queen of Gods passed away. However, in order to prevent his daughter from feeling guilty when she grows up, he has long ago ordered Sanqingtian to forbid this from being mentioned again.
It would be fine if Zhu Yan’s testimony was false.
If it is true that Meng Chu's remarks behind the scenes involve the ban, then the crime he committed cannot be covered up by just a beating.
Thinking of this, the faces of the immortals in the northern border all turned ugly.
Zhu Yan only wanted to prove Jiu Zhao's innocence and had no intention of going deeper into this topic.
He bowed again, facing the Divine Emperor with great respect, and spoke, "Your Majesty, arguing in this hall with each side's story is ultimately futile. The method for determining who is lying is actually very simple. Separate Her Highness the Divine Princess and the others and interrogate them about the dispute. This is an urgent matter, and we assume the liar hasn't yet reconciled his statement. Just ask a few more questions, and we'll surely uncover any discrepancies."
"Your Majesty, in my opinion, no further questioning is necessary."
The Northern God King, who had been sitting at the bottom with his sleeves folded and had not said a word until now, finally came back to life.
Without waiting for the God Emperor to make a decision, he hurried to the stage. He disregarded the divine king's dignity, lifted his skirt, and knelt on the ground. "This matter, from beginning to end, is the fault of my unworthy son. I failed to discipline him properly. I know I have made a serious mistake. I beg the Emperor to punish me!"
The Northern God King bowed his head and kowtowed three times.
Such earnest words were not enough, he put two fingers together and moved them, and a ray of golden divine power shot rapidly towards the inner hall.
But in the blink of an eye, Meng Chu, who was originally lying on the bed receiving treatment, was caught off guard and fell down on his butt in the hall.
Meng Chu was still in the initial stage of waking up. He took off his tattered robe and changed into a neat undershirt, looking like a normal person again.
As soon as he saw the faces of his father and the God-Emperor, as well as the Northern vassals standing upright on either side, his grimace of pain suddenly disappeared, and a hint of confusion flashed across his wide pupils, making him look a little funny.
The Northern God King did not give Meng Chu a chance to react.
With a hook of his finger, the golden light split into two, binding Meng Chu's hands and feet and dragging him to his side.
"Father, Father, how is this—"
Meng Chu's confusion was broken by a hard slap.
Before the loud noise had died down, the Northern God King grabbed his clothes again and slapped him four times, left and right.
Two bloody canine fangs spewed out of Meng Chu's mouth. He cried out in pain, "Father, why?" and turned his head to avoid the attack. His slender body twisted back and forth under the merciless iron palm of the Northern God King, like a big caterpillar about to be ripped open.
"You dare to hide!"
The Northern God King simply grabbed Meng Chu's neck, and the feeling of suffocation made Meng Chu unable to dodge. The solid slap in the face, accompanied by a scolding, startled a row of birds perched on the eaves, "Who are you? Do you think you can talk about the Queen of Gods so casually?!
"Shen Ji is the monarch, and you are the minister. You have lived so long that you have become like a dog! How dare you commit treason!
"His Highness has shown some mercy to you. For such disobedience, it would not be too much to ask for your immortal bones to be removed and you to be thrown off the platform of immortality!"
For a moment, blood and tears flew across Meng Chu's face, casting dots of red plum blossoms on the bright jade bricks.
Chongli taught his son a lesson, clearly wanting to prove that Jiuzhao was not at fault at all.
The ministers in the northern border were trembling with fear and dared not breathe, while the immortals who supported Meng Chu and distorted the facts looked even more pale.
Jiu Zhao watched the father and son's show coldly, then turned away to look at the expression of Zhu Yan, another person who "sacrificed his own relatives for the sake of justice".
However, whether it has ended or is still going on, it is boring.
Jiu Zhao withdrew his gaze and stared at his own cold eyes reflected on the jade brick.
An unknown amount of time passed before Meng Chu, who had finally regained consciousness, was about to faint again when the indistinct Divine Emperor finally spoke to stop him: "Alright, Chongli, stop. You should be punished for your mistakes, but you must know when to stop."
Only then did the Northern God King stop.
Throwing the dying Meng Chu aside, he folded his hands in front of him and banged his head on the ground, extremely distressed. "Your Majesty, it is all my fault for being too busy and neglecting to discipline him. I dare not defend myself. Today, Your Majesty is going to remove Chu'er from the immortal list, and I have no words to say!"
The border between gods and demons lies in the North. Whenever a campaign is launched, the Northern Divine King dispatches troops to assist the Three Pure Heavens' immortal soldiers. Compared to the other three Divine Kings, who only need to manage the affairs of their own fiefdoms, the Northern Divine King can truly claim to be too busy.
His words seemed unintentional, but the listeners took them seriously.
"Since you have already severely punished him and Prince Mengchu has learned his lesson, there is no need for a more severe punishment."
The God Emperor raised his hand and signaled the immortal official beside him to take Meng Chu away.
The Northern Divine King naturally expressed his gratitude, then turned around and bowed deeply to Jiu Zhao, "I thank Your Highness for your generosity!"
Jiu Zhao's lips twitched, and he didn't want to continue. Suddenly, he heard the Northern Divine King add a sentence at the end: "But I have a question. Your Highness, could you please explain it to me? Your Highness, you are visiting the Divine King's residence. Why should you go directly through the main gate? Why do you hide your body and lie on the wall...?"
His mind went blank for a moment, and Jiu Zhao was about to answer when he remembered Zhu Ying had said that secretly gathering information about immortals was against the laws of the Three Pure Ones.
The distant chirping of birds fluttering in the distance outside the palace was clear and melodious. Jiu Zhao, quick-witted, calmly looked back and said, "Fuxu has returned from a crushing defeat at Fen Ye Hai, and his birthday is approaching. I wanted to personally make a gift for him, but I'm missing the ingredient for the Bird of Paradise."
The Bird of Paradise inhabits only bitterly cold lands, its vibrant colors abounding in its vibrant colors. Beyond the northern borders, it can only be found in the perpetually snow-covered residence of the Northern God King. This bird's small size and exceptional speed make it difficult to capture by conventional means; concealing its presence and approaching carefully is the most common method. Once captured, its bones, blood, and feathers are the ultimate dye, ensuring the colors remain vibrant and pristine for millennia.
Jiu Zhao's reasoning was so logical that the Northern Divine King didn't hold onto it. He nodded in understanding, "I see. Your Highness, just send someone to inform me of these trivial matters. I will send the Birds of Paradise to your Heaven of Separation. How many does Your Highness require?"
The farce has come to an end, it’s time to end it.
Jiu Zhao nodded politely and made up a random number: "One pair is fine. Thank you, King Chongli."
As the two of them came and went, the solemn atmosphere in the hall began to ease, but only the God Emperor could hear that there was something else behind the words of the Northern God King.
He glanced at Jiu Zhao calmly, and suddenly understood her true intentions in coming to the Divine King's residence. "Zhao'er, although Chong Li is determined to blame all the mistakes on Meng Chu, it is true that you acted too impulsively. You shouldn't resort to lynching without permission."
Jiu Zhao understood and bowed: "Please, Father God, punish me."
"Since that is the case, I will punish you by confining yourself indoors for three months. You are not allowed to leave without my order."
…
The interrogation ended, the God Emperor left first, and everyone went their separate ways.
When it was time to return to Lihentian, Jiu Zhao finally gave in and said to Zhu Ying, "You go back first. I'm about to be put into confinement. I want to take a walk around a bit."
Knowing that Jiu Zhao was in a bad mood, Zhu Ying did not force her. He just told her to be careful with her tracks and not let those people in the northern border catch her disobeying the order.
Jiu Zhao simply agreed and turned to fly towards the Chengxin Pool at the edge of Erqingtian.
Although Chengxin Pond is named "Pond", its appearance is more like a floating island.
The lake where the spirits of heaven and earth gather is surrounded by lush green fields, and there grows a sacred tree on the shore that has existed since ancient times.
Compared with other famous scenic spots in Sanqingtian, few people come here because of its location.
Jiu Zhao, however, likes its unique quietness.
Gradually, the Chengxin Pool became her private place to relieve her emotions.
Jiu Zhao randomly found a spot on the grass to sit down, kicked off his shoes and socks that were in the way, raised his knees, and let his feet get close to the lush grass.
The breeze blew her hair around her temples, and as she looked at the mirror-like lake not far away, she was finally able to put away the indifference on her face.
After Fuxu left without saying goodbye, Jiuzhao spent five hundred years in seclusion in Lihentian, which made him almost forget the fact that he had been unpopular since birth.
Queen of Gods, mother.
Jiu Zhao silently repeated these two names, feeling that they were so distant and unfamiliar.
Her birth was accompanied by the death of her mother.
Although the God Emperor had comforted her that the matter had nothing to do with her, it was because the God Queen had been fatally injured when she blocked a sword that pierced his heart on the battlefield between gods and demons. It was a miracle that she had been able to hold on for 1,500 years and welcome Jiu Zhao's arrival.
"Father God said I'm not a jinx...
"How could I be the jinx that killed the Mother Goddess..."
Jiu Zhao muttered several times in a low voice, brushing away the loose hair that was touching her face, but there were tears in her eyes.
If the death of the Mother Goddess was really related to her, she would have prayed to heaven and earth, wishing she had never been born.
"It's obvious that no one expects me, no one welcomes me, and I wish I had never existed in the Three Pure Heavens from the beginning to the end."
A rare moment of weakness was revealed. Jiu Zhao reached out and tightly grasped the Changle life plate on his chest, transforming into a child longing for support and talking to the phantom of his non-existent mother: "Can you tell me, is it right or wrong for me to come into this world..."
The whispering sound dissipated in the wind.
No one could give Jiu Zhao an answer.
The hot tears in her eyes did not overflow after all. They quickly dried up in the wind and were reshaped bit by bit into the proud armor of the goddess.
Then an unknown spiritual breath passed through her fingertips, and her eyes froze like ice the moment she sensed something unusual.
"who?
"You're hiding there like a thief, why don't you get out now!"
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