Qin Mang stood before the palace gates, gazing at the towering palace walls. His hands, hanging at his sides, were clenched, his left hand gripping his right, and his right hand fisted over his left, his restless hands alternating back and forth.
The predatory imperial guards, raising their weapons, drew their longbows on the city walls, their arrows aimed directly at the Demon Hunter Army standing in front of the palace gates.
Just as the atmosphere became tense, the palace gates opened once more.
The doors, pushed open from within, let out a long, creaking groan!
Zhang Heng strode forward, beckoning to Qin Mang. Qin Mang knew it was his turn to appear!
He took a deep breath, straightened his body, and walked towards Zhang Heng.
...
The plaza in front of the main hall.
The assassin's bodies and the palace servants' bodies were carried away, and the wounded were sent to the Imperial Hospital. Were it not for the bloodstains, dried and firmly adhered to the bluestone bricks on the ground, everything would have seemed as if nothing had happened, like a goose flying by without leaving a trace.
However, Ji Jinmo still stood beside His Majesty. To make matters worse, on His Majesty's other side stood Feng Luan, a master of both medicine and poison. Even if the palace harbored skilled individuals, they couldn't guarantee rescuing His Majesty before these two made their move.
It was infuriating that the previous imperial guards and escorts had allowed Feng Luan to get so close to His Majesty. What a bunch of useless wretches!
Nan Shiying glanced around, then took two steps back to the altar. She grabbed the ceremonial canopy lying on the ground and casually wiped the steps, then plopped down, not forgetting to call out to Ji Hong and Ji Jinmo: "Your Majesty, Your Highness, standing must be tiring. Come, sit. This commoner has cleaned it. Feel free to sit!"
Everyone who heard this almost had their eyeballs pop out.
Let alone the civil officials, even the military commanders now felt this person was a bit off. Was she truly fearless and uninhibited, or simply large-hearted to the point of being dense?
In this situation, on this occasion, she was inviting friends to sit down?
Ji Hong almost couldn't hold back and broke character.
If his gaze could be accurately read, the meaning behind Ji Hong's look towards Ji Jinmo would undoubtedly be: Is the Princess Consort sick? Is she sick? And you're still smiling, are you sick too!
It was full of flaws.
Ji Jinmo turned his head, his thin lips parting slightly: "Your Majesty, please!"
Ji Hong: "..."
As expected, you're also sick!
Ever since Nan Shiying appeared, his Imperial Uncle had become somewhat strange.
Ji Hong's face turned from pale to purple, from purple to green, from green to black, his complexion changing repeatedly. He gritted his molars so hard that his cheeks bulged. Finally, a simple "good" escaped through his teeth.
After all, when one is under another's roof, one must bow their head.
The civil and military officials, eunuchs and palace maids all watched as His Majesty and the Prince walked towards the steps and sat down.
The three sat side by side, the scene surprisingly harmonious.
Nan Shiying sat on the far left, leaning against a pillar, her arm hanging loosely, as if she had no bones.
Ji Jinmo sat in the center with a commanding presence, his back straight, one hand on Ji Hong's leg, the other casually resting on his own, radiating a fierce aura.
Ji Hong sat on the far right, his brows furrowed, a fire of anger in his eyes, his back slightly hunched, in a defensive posture. However, the pressure he exuded was no less than that of Ji Jinmo, truly upholding the dignity of the Emperor of Lin Yuan.
Of course, this was only what it looked like.
In fact, looking through the history of Lin Yuan, there had never been an emperor who was coerced into having no choice but to obey.
Zhang Heng soon brought the person over.
"This commoner Qin Mang, pays his respects to His Majesty, and pays his respects to His Highness."
Qin Mang had never witnessed such a scene. Seeing the bloodstains that seemed to cover the plaza floor like a red carpet, and then seeing the civil and military officials, each of whom seemed intent on fixing their gaze upon him, his legs felt weak. Under the weight of their stares, a sinister gaze, like that of a venomous snake, stood out, making it impossible for him not to notice.
Qin Mang knew who the gaze was from without even looking up.
"Look up."
Ji Hong's voice, carrying a chill wind, entered Qin Mang's ears. Qin Mang hurriedly looked up, and as he met the gaze of the Emperor of Lin Yuan, he felt as if he were cemented, every drop of blood in his body, every bone, every piece of flesh, stiffened and solidified, ready to shatter into countless pieces with a single blow.
"I heard you are a witness? A witness in what case?" Ji Hong asked sternly.
He said this deliberately, merely to see what other disgrace the Marquis of Jinyang had besides these letters.
"Qin Mang! I treated you well, how can you betray me for glory and collude with outsiders to frame me?" Before Qin Mang could speak, the Marquis of Jinyang questioned him with a face full of anger. The moment Qin Mang appeared, the Marquis of Jinyang was almost in despair. Qin Mang was his servant, and one of his confidantes.
He never would have imagined that the witness he mentioned would be him!
"Treated me well?"
A sarcastic curve tugged at Qin Mang's lips. Yes, he had treated him well, but what of it? Compared to these small favors, the harm he had inflicted upon him and his mother was immeasurable, something he could never forgive.
He merely let out a cold laugh and ignored the Marquis of Jinyang. He then said to Ji Hong, "Your Majesty, this commoner is a servant attending the Marquis of Jinyang. I have read some books, so I was arranged to work in the study, specifically to prepare paper and grind ink for the Marquis of Jinyang..."
"Your Majesty, this minister knows, this minister knows! Someone must have bribed this sellout to imitate my handwriting and write these groundless letters to frame me. Your Majesty, I am wronged, I am wronged!" The Marquis of Jinyang's strong will to survive stimulated his reaction nerves. The moment Qin Mang mentioned that he worked in the study grinding ink for him, he found a direction for rebuttal.
What he said was not without reason.
Qin Mang, however, did not refute as everyone expected. Instead, he calmly admitted that the letters were indeed copied by him: "The Marquis of Jinyang is very cautious and never keeps letters. All the letters here were copied by this commoner after reading their contents."
"Your Majesty, he confessed! He confessed!" the Marquis of Jinyang shouted excitedly.
Qin Mang, however, shook his head with a look of pity: "Marquis of Jinyang, don't be happy too soon. Although these letters were copied by me, the things you did are all traceable."
"For example, the matter of harming the Minister of Justice, Zou Chengyi, and framing Feng Luan for it."
Upon hearing Qin Mang's words, a commotion erupted among the crowd.
The death of Minister of Justice Zou Chengyi was related to the Marquis of Jinyang?
The Marquis of Jinyang was stunned upon hearing this. The matter of the letters was true, but what did the death of Zou Chengyi have to do with him? This was no longer slander, this was naked framing!
The Marquis of Jinyang felt his hands and feet turn cold. He suddenly understood Ji Jinmo's intention.
He was planning to find a scapegoat for Feng Luan.