Cui Cairen was filled with sorrow, and every word she uttered was filled with tears.
Those present couldn't help but feel that Yun Zhuo was extremely wicked and wished they could tear him to pieces.
The emperor's slightly wavering heart suddenly hardened again—there was no need to exhume the body for examination; the matter was already so clear.
Ye Qingxue was able to sense the subtle change in the atmosphere in the hall. Remaining calm and composed, she said:
"Father, your daughter-in-law advocates exhuming the body for an autopsy for the following reasons."
"First of all, Yun Zhuo has been on the battlefield and won battles; he has been the crown prince and has also been deposed. He has seen much death and countless bloodshed; he has been to the clouds and fallen into hell."
"All these experiences have long since tempered his temperament. He is not an impulsive person and would never impulsively draw his sword and kill the Ninth Prince just because of a few words from him."
"Secondly, he and his daughter-in-law truly love each other. After going through several life-and-death experiences, they finally became husband and wife. Like his daughter-in-law, they both cherish this hard-won happiness."
"No matter how much the Ninth Prince's words offended him, he would never actually draw his sword and kill someone for the sake of his daughter-in-law, nor would he personally shatter the happiness he had in his hands."
"third……"
Ye Qingxue paused, took a deep breath, and her expression became even more resolute: "I am willing to guarantee with my life that if the Ninth Prince's death is found to be normal after the coffin is opened and the body is examined, I am willing to die with Yun Zhuo!"
Her words were forceful and resounding, which startled both the emperor and Consort Cui, as if they had been struck by a powerful statement.
Qiu Shen, Zhuang Xin, and the others were also shocked, their hearts instantly turning cold. There was really no room for reversal in this matter. Ye Qingxue's actions were nothing more than risking her own life.
Consort Cui, however, began to waver, not because she suspected there was another reason for the Ninth Prince's death.
Instead, if she were to exhume and examine the bodies, she could send Ye Qingxue and Yun Zhuo to hell together.
Her son—the prince she had cherished since childhood, who was afraid of dropping him or melting him—had died just like that. She was truly unwilling to accept it and was in unbearable pain.
She couldn't quell her hatred by sending only Yun Zhuo to his death.
She would only feel satisfied if she could make Ye Qingxue die with her... Otherwise, even if Yun Zhuo died, she would still try to find a way to send Ye Qingxue to her death in the future.
Why not take advantage of this opportunity to exhume and examine the bodies to send Ye Qingxue and Yun Zhuo to the Yellow Springs together?
There is no doubt that her son was killed by Yun Zhuo, and her son died a terrible death, his abdomen was cut open. How much pain her son must have been in.
Thinking of this, Cui Cai felt as if her heart was bleeding.
Ye Qingxue gave her final reason: "Father, you are both the Ninth Prince's father and Yun Zhuo's father. If you don't even investigate the true cause of the Ninth Prince's death,..."
"In the eyes of the people, you not only don't care about the death of the Ninth Prince, but you are also denying your other son, Yun Zhuo, the chance to live. What will the people say about you?"
This can't really be considered a reason.
Rather, it was a threat, using ethics as a pretext and public opinion as a weapon to coerce the emperor into agreeing to exhume the body for examination.
The emperor naturally understood the implication, and his anger flared up immediately. He really wanted to order Ye Qingxue to be dragged away and executed.
This woman has defied him time and time again. He is the emperor, the Son of Heaven!
Consort Cui wiped away her tears and said, "Your Majesty, Xiao Jiu'er died tragically and should have been laid to rest as soon as possible. However, after thinking about it, I feel that Ye Qingxue's words make some sense, and I agree to open the coffin and examine the body."
"However, opening the coffin for an autopsy did disturb Xiao Jiu'er's rest, and since it was Ye Qingxue who proposed this, she is suspected of trying to exonerate Prince Jing."
"Therefore, Your Majesty, I humbly request that if, after the coffin is opened and the autopsy is performed, it is confirmed that there is nothing unusual about Xiao Jiu'er's death, Ye Qingxue and Prince Jing shall be executed together to comfort Xiao Jiu'er's spirit in heaven!"
Qiu Shen called out urgently, "Miss!"
Ye Qingxue didn't turn around to look at her, but firmly shook her head, indicating that she didn't need to say anything.
The Emperor frowned deeply, and after a moment, he said, "Princess Consort Jing, if it is confirmed that there is nothing amiss in Xiao Jiu'er's death, you will have to pay with your life. I'm asking you one last time, have you thought it through?"
Ye Qingxue solemnly cupped her hands in greeting: "Daughter-in-law Ye Qingxue has made up her mind. No matter what the outcome, she will never regret it!"
She and Choi Jae-in were then helped to their feet.
Choi Jae-in's face still showed the sorrow of losing her child, but her gaze toward Ye Qingxue was like a sharp blade.
She walked towards Ye Qingxue.
She curled her lips into a cold smile, almost whispering in Ye Qingxue's ear:
"I originally harbored resentment, thinking that if Yun Zhuo died, at least you, his princess, would be there to collect his body. Now, you two are going to die together. After you breathe your last, I will send people to throw you into a mass grave to be fed to wild dogs."
Although she has been demoted to the rank of "Cairen" (a low-ranking concubine), the emperor will surely take pity on her after seeing her grief-stricken state these past two days and restore her rank sooner or later.
As the birth mother of the Ninth Prince, she was the most heartbroken person. It's believed that if she wanted to throw Yun Zhuo and Ye Qingxue's bodies into a mass grave to be fed to wild dogs, the Emperor wouldn't stop her.
Ye Qingxue took half a step back, looking at her face with a cold gaze.
“Consort Cui should pray that we can find the real murderer so that the Ninth Prince can rest in peace.”
Cui Cairen's face twisted in anger: "Yun Zhuo is the real murderer, and you can't deny it! I will stay by the coffin and won't give you any chance to tamper with it!"
"Then I'll have to trouble Consort Cui. Make sure you don't give anyone else a chance to do anything, or the Ninth Prince will die with regrets."
After Ye Qingxue finished speaking, she stepped back.
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
