Ke Biqing's words were the last straw for Princess Ping. The victim himself had now testified that Ke Biping was the first to kill his brother. Princess Ning'an had not killed anyone, but was framed and pursued by him.
In the end, the princess killed him in self-defense, which was also understandable. After all, life was only one, and not everyone had Ke Biqing's good luck to be resurrected after dying once!
Princess Ping covered her mouth and chest, and trembled as she sank to the ground. Ke Biyao quickly reached out to support her, but his legs were already shaking with fear, so he simply knelt down with her.
At this moment, a voice echoed in both their hearts, repeating one sentence. It's over! The Ping Prince's manor couldn't be saved!
The matter was clear. With Ke Biping dead, the contemptuous or mocking glances from those around them all fell upon the family members of the Ping Prince's manor.
"So it was really the Ping Prince who wanted to harm the Qing Prince, and then pretended to avenge his brother, using it as an opportunity to get rid of Princess Ning'an."
"He tried to steal a chicken but ended up losing the rice; he never imagined that he would be framed and instead... alas!"
"There are arrangements in the darkness, all is fate, not a bit of it is up to man..."
"Look at this! After tonight, the Ping Prince's manor in Rongcheng will probably be a thing of the past..."
"Hmph! Those who do much evil will destroy themselves! He brought this outcome upon himself, and can't blame others."
This huge turn of events was unbearable for Ke Bixiang. Ke Biqing's personal testimony had suddenly turned her family from the dependents of the victim to the dependents of the perpetrator, and the gazes of the people around them were filled with ill will.
It was all because that demoness saved him. He had already died with blood flowing from all seven orifices, but suddenly he was resurrected and now came to accuse her father! If things had gone as she wished, Su Muqing would have been definitively convicted of assassinating the two princes, but now the situation had completely reversed, and it was her father who had brought it upon himself and deserved to die...
Ke Bixiang looked at the Qing Prince, who still needed support, with eyes full of cold hatred! Why did he have to live? Why wasn't it him who had his head cut off?
If he had died, then Su Muqing would have killed him! Why hadn't things developed according to her expectations?
No! The Ping Prince's manor absolutely could not fall like this!
Ke Bixiang rushed towards the Qing Prince, but was stopped by the guards. She couldn't get any closer, so she could only stand in place, resting one hand on her chin and pointing at Ke Biqing with the other, roaring like a madwoman.
"You're talking nonsense! You have no evidence at all, my father died for you! To avenge you, he was beheaded by that demoness Su Muqing, he lost his head for you. Now that you're alive, you're slandering him in front of so many people... Do you want to kill our entire Ping Prince's manor and not let him rest in peace even in death!"
Ke Biqing, who had already felt that the atmosphere was somewhat off, widened his eyes! Ke Biping, his second brother, was already dead? How could that be? It was impossible...
"Your father...?" Before Ke Biqing could finish speaking, his body began to sway.
Princess Ping stopped crying and crawled to Ke Biqing's feet, pulling at his hem, her eyes full of pleading. "The Ping Prince is dead... He is your own brother, and he died for you. You can't harm our Ping Prince's manor anymore!"
With Ke Biping's death confirmed again, Ke Biqing could no longer stand. He staggered back a few steps. Why did it turn out like this? He only wanted to discipline him, he never intended for him to die!
They were brothers born of the same father and mother, only raised by two mothers, but he had always taken good care of this younger brother. Now, he was gone like this...
Princess Qing and the Regent stood on either side of him, supporting him. "Your Highness, you are old and seriously injured. Your body has not fully recovered. It would be best to sit aside and rest for a while!"
The Regent also persuaded him, "Yes, brother, go sit aside. Princess Ning'an finally pulled you back from the brink of death, don't get angry about some matter and ruin your health."
Ke Biqing raised his hand to stop Princess Qing and the Regent's persuasion. "It's alright, my body can still hold up! Xiang'er, Imperial Uncle is not lying, your father he..."
Looking at the dependents of the Ping Prince's manor, Ke Biqing couldn't say the rest of his words. He closed his eyes in pain, both for his brother's desire to kill him for power and for Ke Biping's death.
"What I said just now was indeed only a guess, and there was no solid evidence. Perhaps I misheard... Now that I'm mostly recovered, I don't intend to pursue this matter anymore..."
He glanced guiltily at Su Muqing. This girl had gone to great lengths to save his life, and now he... But his brother was already dead, leaving behind such a family. They couldn't lose their manor and be reduced to commoners.
Never mind! No matter what, Su Muqing was his savior, and he was certainly grateful. After this matter was over, he would privately send her more good things to compensate her!
"Your Highness?" Princess Qing tugged at his sleeve, disagreeing with his change of statement.
"Brother?" The Regent also looked at him, somewhat puzzled.
"I am tired, help me to rest..." Ke Biqing ignored their expressions, closed his eyes, and said to Princess Qing.
The man who was once unfazed by being sent flying by Su Muqing and walking through the gates of hell suddenly looked like he had aged a decade.
Princess Ping breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing Ke Biping's change of statement. "Thank you, Qing Prince, for vindicating our Prince! I said our Prince and you have always had deep brotherly affection, how could he have acted so cruelly towards you!"
Ke Biqing and Princess Qing ignored her, and they supported each other as they walked towards the chairs.
Su Muqing smiled upon hearing Ke Biqing's words. She was not surprised by Ke Biqing's choice. After all, they were his true flesh and blood. She was merely an adopted daughter whom the Emperor had taken in to win over talent for new weapons. If it were her, she would probably find it difficult to choose!
However, the Emperor was very disappointed by his words. Ke Biqing was trying to protect the Ping Prince's manor from implication by clearing the Ping Prince, but instead pushed Su Muqing into the spotlight.
One had to know that although Su Muqing had killed him, the nature of the situation was completely different between Ke Biping, who killed the Qing Prince, and Ke Biping, who was killed while avenging his brother.
The Empress and Wan Yan'er were so angry their lungs were about to explode. Just as they were about to say something, Su Muqing quickly stopped them, and the Emperor also grasped the Empress's hand.
After a period of anger, he slowly calmed down. "Have you thought it through, great brother?"
Prince Qing did not speak, but nodded with some guilt. Princess Ping turned to say something to the Empress, but the Empress ignored her. Knowing that the Prince was in the wrong, she sighed and turned away, saying nothing more.
The Emperor said indifferently, "Since that is the case, the Ping Prince attacked the princess without evidence, and Princess Ning'an killed the person who was trying to kill her when her life was threatened. I believe this matter can also be handled leniently."
The ministers nodded in unison, and most of them agreed with the Emperor's suggestion of leniency. These people were all intelligent individuals who had spent years in the palace, and they were best at deciphering the expressions of those in power.
Everyone present knew the truth of what had happened. However, too many things were involved, so everyone chose to play dumb, merely to maintain peace!
But it was precisely this outcome that Princess Ping wanted the most. In her heart, she even felt a little smug. Even if the Qing Prince was really harmed by the Ping Prince, so what? As the saying goes, good deeds go unnoticed, but bad deeds spread far and wide.
The fact that a brother killed his brother, versus a brother being killed while avenging his brother, which of these two events could quell the storm? She believed that intelligent people knew how to choose.
"Your Majesty, the Qing Prince has personally testified that our Prince did not harm him, thus restoring justice for our Prince. It is also true that our Prince was wrong to rashly attack the princess without confirmation due to his great affection for his siblings. I, your humble servant, apologize to the princess!" Princess Ping said, half-bowing and performing a proper courtesy.
Su Muqing closed her eyes and rested on the side, with only Wan Yan'er beside her. Lu Yuzhi and his two guards had left the square to investigate something from the beginning.
She had no intention of acknowledging Princess Ping. Even looking at her felt like a waste of time. This woman was too dramatic, and this matter could not be let go just like this!
Seeing that she was ignoring her, Princess Ping did not feel embarrassed. After completing the bow, she stood up on her own.
"But in the final analysis, our Prince did die at the hands of Princess Ning'an. I wonder how the Emperor intends to deal with this leniently?"
After Princess Ping finished speaking slowly, Su Muqing couldn't help but laugh. She knew it! This Princess Ping was as cunning as a hornet's nest, how could she not take the opportunity to gain more benefits?
Whether it was power or money, for them now, both were very valuable things. If they could have both, that would be the best...
Upon hearing this, the onlookers' perception of Princess Ping changed again.
From being sympathetic to her as a widow at the beginning, to her repeatedly causing trouble and obstructing the trial in the middle, making everyone extremely annoyed, to now everyone secretly thinking in their hearts that she was truly a foolish woman.
One had to know that the Qing Prince had changed his testimony, and the Emperor had given her a way down, yet she still didn't take it, and instead actively inquired about the punishment for Princess Ning'an. It was simply like getting a benefit and then acting like she was wronged.
The Emperor lowered his eyes and said leisurely, "How about we punish her with a month of confinement in the Princess's manor, and a hundred recitations of Buddhist scriptures?"
Princess Ping listened to the punishment meted out by the Emperor and felt like she was about to laugh out loud. Confinement? Reciting Buddhist scriptures? What kind of punishment was this?
And since when did she have a Princess's manor? When Su Muqing was enfeoffed as a princess, there was no mention of opening a Princess's manor!
What did the Emperor mean by this? His adopted daughter had killed his brother, and he couldn't even bother to go through the motions, but instead, he was going to assign a Princess's manor to the murderer?
Princess Ping was indeed angered by the Emperor's method of punishment. "Is this the punishment the Emperor mentioned? Aren't you afraid that the world will say you are unfair in your dealings?"
"Then how does Princess Ping think the Emperor should handle it?" The Empress, seeing the aggressive Princess Ping, couldn't bear it any longer and threw the question back.
Princess Ping ignored the Empress and arrogantly raised her chin. "Your humble servant implores Your Majesty to give Princess Ning'an fifty heavy beatings, strip her of her princess title, expel her from the Tianzhao Kingdom, and never allow her to return."
As soon as these words were spoken, the scene fell into an uproar again. Fifty heavy beatings for a young girl? And heavy beatings at that! Wouldn't that mean her death? After all, even an adult man might not be able to withstand thirty heavy beatings.
From the moment the Qing Prince changed his testimony, the Emperor's expression had always been calm. "Is that all? Or does Princess Ping have other requests?"
Although Princess Ping couldn't quite fathom the Emperor's thoughts, she thought that with so many people present, the Emperor could not possibly execute a prince's widow in front of all the ministers. Therefore, she felt much more confident when she spoke again.
She bowed gracefully to the Emperor and Empress. "Originally, Your Majesty punished the murderer, and I should not have made any other requests. However, the Prince is now gone, leaving us an old and young family. I implore Your Majesty to issue an decree for Yao'er to immediately inherit his father's royal title, be enfeoffed as a first-rank Prince, and bestow honor upon Xiang'er, in order to comfort the Prince's spirit in heaven..."
In the Tianzhao Kingdom, a first-rank Prince was generally only conferred upon the Emperor's own sons. Moreover, becoming a first-rank Prince was a necessary step before becoming the Crown Prince.
Not only that, but Princess Ping also requested that Ke Bixiang be bestowed with honor. She was already the County Princess Yunxiang, and anything higher would only be the title of Princess. The crowd couldn't help but gasp in their hearts. This Princess Ping was truly calculating!
The two of them, one killing and framing to eliminate rivals, the other feigning ignorance and desperately seeking benefits, now it seemed that these two were truly a match made in heaven, each more despicable than the other.
Princess Ping had been speaking for a long time, but the Emperor had not responded, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. The crowd looked up and found that, like Princess Ning'an, he was closing his eyes and resting.
At first glance, the two of them looked somewhat alike, and from certain angles, they looked like biological father and daughter. Some people even speculated in their hearts, could Su Muqing be the Emperor's illegitimate daughter born from an affair with a woman outside?
Just as Princess Ping was about to ask the Emperor for an answer, Lu Yuzhi and Leng Ren and Leng Feng jumped down from the eagle's back, carrying a black-clothed man in each hand.
The moment he bowed, the Emperor and Su Muqing suddenly opened their eyes. They eagerly asked, "How was the investigation? Did you get any results?"
"Reporting to Your Majesty, I have investigated and confirmed that the kidnapping of the 世子 Ke Binah in Qingyang Mountain and the manipulation of him to assassinate you were carried out under the instruction of Ke Biping..."