Su Muqing spent some time coaxing the Empress, while Kebi Te also explained the general situation to the Emperor.
Upon hearing that both his elder brothers had perished, he glanced at the young girl speaking with the Empress. The Emperor didn't say much, only cast a look before withdrawing his gaze and walking towards the two corpses.
Seeing the Emperor approach slowly, the guards immediately began to wail. "Your Majesty, you must seek justice for our princes!"
The Emperor ignored the guards' cries and stared at the two bodies for a long time. These were his own brothers, with whom he had grown up. Now, one decapitated and the other in a gruesome state, he felt a deep sense of melancholy at their end.
"Alas!" the Emperor sighed heavily, tears welling in his eyes. He closed his eyes, looking up at the dark night sky. After a moment, he wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes under his sleeve and then turned to face the kneeling garrison commanders.
"Weren't you two supposed to be stationed at the imperial suburb camp? Why are you now surrounding the palace with heavily armed troops? What are your intentions?" His gaze was stern as he looked at the commanders of the two kneeling garrisons.
Hearing the Emperor's words and observing his expression, the garrison commanders quickly pleaded their innocence. "This minister dares not! We received an imperial decree sent by Her Majesty the Empress, which is why we rushed here to protect Your Majesty."
The Emperor still had wounds on his body. The Regent King beckoned to a palace attendant, who immediately bowed and stepped forward, kneeling on the ground to serve as a stool. The Emperor lifted his robe and slowly sat down. He felt somewhat weary and did not place his full weight on the attendant.
"You claim the Empress sent someone to deliver an order? Ridiculous! I have been with the Empress all day, and she has never sent anyone with an order. But if you say so, where is this order? Produce it for me to see!"
"This, this, there is no written decree; the messenger conveyed an oral order, saying there were assassins attempting to assassinate His Majesty and that you were being controlled, and the entire palace was surrounded, which is why we dared not delay and immediately entered the city. Your Majesty, we are truly innocent!" The two generals repeatedly kowtowed, pleading their innocence, their foreheads bleeding from the impact.
After letting them kowtow for a while, the Emperor continued, "There is no need for such displays, gentlemen. I will handle this matter impartially. Guards! Immediately summon individuals from the Ministry of Justice, the Rongcheng Garrison Command, and the Prison Investigation Department to jointly investigate this case. Also, dispatch a troop to summon all officials of third rank and above in the city to supervise the trial, and do not forget to invite the best coroner. I wish to thoroughly investigate this matter tonight!"
The Emperor ordered for tables and chairs to be brought, intending to conduct an overnight trial at the palace gates. Su Muqing instructed Leng Ren and the other to gallop back to the Regent King's mansion and retrieve several large solar searchlights.
Leng Ren and the other quickly returned with the searchlights. There were many carved dragon stone pillars in the plaza. Lu Yuzhi found suitable positions, leaped up, and hung the searchlights, instantly illuminating the plaza. Although not as bright as daylight, it did not hinder visibility.
After so many events today, the Emperor, who had been quite angry, saw the strange lighting tools and his temper subsided by more than half. How could there be such strange candles that emitted light without fire?
He stared intently at the lights, filled with curiosity. However, after watching for a while, his vision began to blur, and his head started to feel dizzy.
Never mind! There was no need to rush this. There were important matters to attend to later. After dealing with these matters, he would ask Muqing about these peculiar treasures!
The officials were aware of the commotion in the imperial city tonight. Most of them were civil officials. When the city gates were locked, they were confined to their residences by various factions. Therefore, after only about the time it takes an incense stick to burn, the civil and military officials summoned to assist in the trial began to arrive one after another.
Upon seeing the situation on the ground, they were too terrified to even consider why the area was so brightly lit. They all fell silent, their fear evident. Even officials who noticed the difference had no inclination to inquire about the cause. Especially after seeing the two corpses, their legs felt as if they were no longer under their control.
When some officials heard that the deceased were Prince Ping and Prince Qing, they fainted on the spot. They had been close to Prince Ping and Prince Qing, and now that the princes were suddenly dead, their hopes for the throne had vanished. It seemed it was time to consider other paths.
But they wondered if it was still too late to show favor to the Regent King or other princes. Just as everyone was lost in their thoughts, the families of Prince Ping and Prince Qing also arrived.
Not only the two official consorts and the princes' children, but even the side consorts and concubines from the households came. A large group, arriving in over a dozen carriages, blocked several roads in front of the plaza.
As soon as the two consorts alighted from their carriages, earth-shattering cries erupted. Following them, the other family members of the princely households also began to weep mournfully. When they reached the bodies covered with white cloth, their cries became deafening.
The Consort of Prince Ping and the Consort of Prince Qing cried and shook the bodies while embracing them. However, the people did not wake up, but the white cloths were slowly shaken to the ground.
The moment the faces of the corpses were revealed, the two most vocal cries abruptly ceased. They saw one head detached from the body at a grotesque angle, and the other with wide-open eyes and blood flowing from all seven orifices, a look of dying with grievances.
The two corpses, with their tragically gruesome appearances, lay side-by-side, sending an inexplicable chill down one's spine.
The two frightened consorts sprang up with a "whoosh" and retreated as if they had seen a ghost. The crying crowd behind them also abruptly stopped upon seeing the state of the corpses.
However, this silence did not last long. Soon, a cacophony of shrill screams erupted from the crowd of women.
"Ah~!"
"Ah~!"
... It proved that fear was contagious. The concubines at the back, who had not seen the corpses, were also startled into screaming. The overlapping sounds continued to rise, making the area outside the palace gates noisier than a bustling marketplace during the day.
The Emperor frowned in displeasure as he watched the chaotic scene. Wang Defu, sensing his anger, hurried over, flicked his horsetail whisk, and shouted loudly, "How dare you! His Majesty is present, why do you not cease your clamor!"
As Wang Defu's words fell, the two consorts and all the women were so frightened that they "plop, plop~" knelt on the ground.
The Consort of Prince Ping, her anger growing with each passing thought, crawled to the Emperor's feet and kowtowed several times, then tearfully pleaded, "Your Majesty, His Highness was your own brother! He has now died unjustly, with his head severed. I implore you to issue a decree to capture the villain, dismember him by five horses, slice him into ten thousand pieces, and then exterminate his entire clan, to comfort His Highness's spirit and avenge him, and to do justice for your subjects!"
The Consort of Prince Qing also crawled forward and touched the ground with her forehead. "I beg Your Majesty for justice! Prince Qing was your eldest brother. Although his temper was a bit fiery, he was always the most respectful towards you. Now that he has been harmed to death by a villain, and died so gruesomely, it truly causes me unbearable pain, Your Majesty!"
The Emperor sighed and instructed the palace attendants behind him, "First, help the two consorts up! Guards, grant seats to the consorts. Since I have summoned you here, it is naturally to clarify this matter, so as not to wrongly accuse anyone, and certainly not to let my brothers die in vain."
After being helped up, the Consort of Prince Ping and the Consort of Prince Qing exchanged glances. What did "wrongly accuse anyone" mean? Whom was His Majesty afraid of wrongly accusing? Could it be that the culprit had already been caught?
The Emperor nodded towards the Regent King, who then cupped his hands in greeting to the three officials beside him. "Lord Zhang, Lord Zhao, Lord Zhu, this matter is of great importance. From now on, the three of you will preside over the trial, and the other lords will listen in."
Lord Zhang said with some difficulty, "Your Highness, this, this concerns the deaths of two princes, and with Your Majesty personally present, how can we, your subordinates, preside?"
The Regent King looked at the other two officials, seeing they also nodded with troubled expressions.
"My lords need not overthink. His Majesty has asked the three of you to preside because this case involves another person. For the sake of fairness, he has decided to recuse himself to avoid any appearance of favoritism or leniency in the future, lest the common people feel His Majesty is bending the law for personal reasons."
Hearing this, the three officials' hearts sank further. Even His Majesty had proposed to voluntarily recuse himself; who was the culprit? How did it feel like the situation was becoming more serious?
However, since His Majesty had not spoken, it seemed unavoidable today. Very well! Since His Majesty had said he would handle it impartially, they would proceed according to regulations.
The three respectfully sat in a row below the Emperor. Lord Zhang of the Ministry of Justice spoke first, ordering that all individuals involved in the case be brought forward.
Su Muqing supported Wan Yan'er. The close guards of the princely households were brought forward, and Kebi Ming also voluntarily stood among the related personnel, positioned right next to the two.
He glanced deeply at Su Muqing and, before the three could speak, the brought-forward guards of the princely households suddenly knelt on the ground and began kowtowing in a self-abusive manner.
The personal guard of Prince Ping, while weeping profusely, logically accused Su Muqing. "My lords! We wish to accuse Princess Ning'an. She first struck and killed Prince Qing with a palm. Prince Ping, in order to avenge his brother, sought an explanation from this enchantress, but was then decapitated by her demonic arts! Both princes died tragically at her hands. We implore the lords to administer justice!"
A gasp.
Upon hearing this, the scene erupted in an uproar! How could the newly appointed Grand Princess have killed two princes? All the presiding and accompanying officials looked incredulously at Su Muqing, who stood there motionlessly, without expression, and then turned to look at the Emperor, who also had a stern and expressionless face.
The Consort of Prince Ping and the Consort of Prince Qing suddenly stood up from their chairs, looking at the woman standing below with hatred in their eyes. Kebi Xiang's mouth slightly parted. She had never imagined that her father, who had said he would avenge her that morning, would be killed by the person she hated the most that evening!
"Su Muqing! You bitch! How dare you... how dare you... you killed my father! I will flay your skin and bones, break your limbs, and let the most disgusting and vile men have you..." Before Kebi Xiang could finish speaking, the Consort of Prince Ping fiercely covered her mouth, while also pinching her arm tightly.
The Emperor and Empress, hearing someone curse their lost and now found daughter with such venomous words, felt their anger about to erupt.
Seeing the Emperor and Empress's displeased expressions, the Consort of Prince Ping quickly apologized, "Your Majesty, Empress, Xiang'er is simply driven mad by her father's death. She is not like this usually."
Considering she had just lost her father, and her own daughter was the culprit, the Emperor and Empress merely glanced at Kebi Xiang, who appeared somewhat frenzied, before withdrawing their gaze.
Kebi Xiang, with her mouth covered, struggled stubbornly, unwilling to yield. The Consort of Prince Ping gritted her teeth and whispered in her ear, "If you want to accompany your father to the afterlife, then continue to make a scene like this. But if you are looking for death yourself, don't drag the others in the princely household down with you!"
Hearing the words "accompany to the afterlife" and "death" from her mother, Kebi Xiang finally calmed down a little. She was only 19 years old, and her life was still long; she did not want to perish like this.
However, Kebi Xiang was truly heartbroken. Now that her father was gone, it would be difficult for her brother to ascend to that position. Then she would only be a county princess for her entire life!
No! She refused to be a county princess for her entire life! Since the Emperor's adopted daughter killed her father, the Emperor should compensate her.
At the very least, Su Muqing should be stripped of her princess title, she herself should be conferred the title of princess, and ideally, her marriage should also be given to her, so that she would truly be humiliated.
After a period of commotion, everyone present began pointing fingers at Su Muqing. The night wind was strong, blowing her hair and skirt in all directions. She looked so frail and thin; how could she possess such a wicked heart?
"Ahem! Ahem! Silence, silence..." Lord Zhang of the Ministry of Justice, hearing the surrounding discussions growing louder, quickly interrupted.
Their backs grew colder, and sweat soaked them, then dried, then soaked again. At this moment, he could imagine how unpleasant the expressions of the Emperor and Empress were without even looking back.
The case still had to be tried. As the discussions subsided, he continued to ask, "Did you all see Princess Ning'an personally kill... kill the two princes?"
All the kneeling guards from the two households nodded. "Yes! Not only can we subordinates testify, but everyone present at the time personally witnessed it, and they can all bear witness."
Seeing them all speak with such conviction, Lord Zhang turned to Su Muqing, who was standing nearby, and asked, "Princess Ning'an, they claim you killed the two princes. Do you have any defense?"
Su Muqing replied with a calm expression, "I admit to killing Kebi Ping. That was because he intended to kill me, and I acted in self-defense."
Hearing Su Muqing's words, Lord Zhang turned back to the kneeling guards and asked, "Is what the Princess said the truth?"
The guards looked at each other, glancing left and right, but no one answered.
Seeing the guards evasively looking away, Lord Zhang slapped his thigh with a "bang." "I am asking you, are the Princess Ning'an's words true? Just answer, why are you looking at others! Just now you claimed to have seen clearly, what now? Have you forgotten?"