Everyone was looking at the Emperor, unsure of his decision. Then, Lu Yuzhi suddenly appeared and dropped such earth-shattering news.
The ministers looked around in fear. What was this young master Lu talking about? Prince Qing had ordered someone to hold the heir of the Regent King's estate hostage and then manipulate the heir to assassinate the Emperor?
Princess Ping, who was waiting for the Emperor to punish Su Muqing, was completely stunned. When she remembered something, her stunned expression turned to horror.
She recalled that her husband had seemed preoccupied this morning. However, by the afternoon, his mood had clearly improved. Before leaving the house, he had even said something unprecedented to her: "Success or failure hinges on today."
So, was this how it really was?
The Emperor ignored the surrounding discussions and nodded at Lu Yuzhi. "Bring the people up!"
Lu Yuzhi beckoned to the people behind him. Ke Bína led them, escorting more than ten people.
Before the more than ten people could even kneel, two generals from the Jingjiao Grand Camp saw two of them and immediately exclaimed, pointing at them, "Your Majesty, he was the one who delivered the message to the army... it was them..."
Seeing their identities exposed, the two culprits became flustered and buried their heads even lower.
These people had already been interrogated before they came. To avoid further suffering, they had recounted the events completely without much hesitation.
This included how they had traveled to Qingyang Prefecture overnight, how they had colluded with a traitor in the dark guards after lying in wait, how they had captured Ke Bína and poisoned him, affecting his mental state and causing him to act erratically and uncontrollably, thus providing an opportunity to assassinate the Emperor.
After escorting Ke Bína into the imperial palace, they had quickly mobilized various forces in Rongcheng, including the generals of the Jingjiao Grand Camp who had been tricked into the city beforehand. The purpose was to tie down the Regent King if he retaliated. And the mastermind behind all of this was Ke Biping.
After listening to their individual accounts of their different roles and contributions, everyone couldn't help but shake their heads. What had happened today was truly incredible. They had never imagined that Prince Ping harbored such treacherous ambitions.
Not only did he resort to using others to kill, but he also framed others, calculating every step with such precision. Yet, despite such precise calculations, both of his main objectives had failed.
After those people had clarified the situation, Lu Yuzhi stepped forward and bowed respectfully. "Your Majesty, this is a matter for your Tianzhao Kingdom. I originally had no intention of interfering, but Muqing is my fiancée and also the City Lord of Huaxia City. Therefore, after much consideration, I must speak my mind now."
"We have been in Tianzhao Kingdom for only about ten days. After being conferred the title of Princess, she has been dedicated to doing something useful for Tianzhao Kingdom. However, from the moment we set foot on this land, how many of you have looked down on her or mocked her?"
"And now, it has become even more absurd. A prince of a nation brazenly commits murder and frames others, while the person she saved with all her might is here to defend a murderer..."
"This incident makes me feel that her position as Princess is utterly undignified. However, we do not crave such a title. The matter has been clearly understood today. We will depart for Huaxia tomorrow. You can resolve the remaining issues yourselves!"
After Lu Yuzhi finished speaking, he blew his whistle, scooped Su Muqing into his arms, and then flew onto the back of an eagle. Wan Yan'er, seeing that Ke Bína had regained consciousness, finally felt relieved. Her injuries had not yet healed, so she followed Leng Ren back to the Regent King's estate.
Su Muqing and the others left under everyone's watchful eyes. The Emperor and Empress stood up and stretched out their hands, but they did not know what to say to persuade them to stay.
"Prince Ping... is truly admirable! Princess Ping is also a virtuous princess!" the Empress said indignantly, flicking her sleeves and leaving without looking back.
The Emperor supported his face with his hand and sat back on his chair in anger. The series of events had not only shattered everyone's worldview but also left Prince Qing and Princess Qing speechless with shame.
Prince Qing had never expected that he, who had always wanted to protect Prince Ping's reputation after his death and guard the entire family of Prince Ping's estate, would now... He closed his eyes powerlessly, and tears streamed down his aged face.
He could no longer protect them. Prince Ping's estate was likely to fall into decline...
On their way back to the Regent King's estate, Su Muqing leaned weakly in Lu Yuzhi's arms. She hadn't eaten dinner and had exerted herself fighting, so her stomach rumbled several times.
Now that it was just the two of them, Su Muqing generously took out various delicious snacks from her space. If she didn't replenish her energy soon, she would starve to death.
So much had happened that afternoon. After returning to the Regent King's estate, everyone did not exchange any more words or discuss the day's events. After Wan Yan'er and the other two returned, they all ate something together before retiring to their respective rooms.
It wasn't until the next morning that Ke Bína was waiting at the entrance of the guest courtyard early. Soon, Ke Bítez also arrived. The two of them ate breakfast with everyone in the guest courtyard and also brought them the subsequent developments of the situation in the plaza after they had left last night.
The case had escalated from murder to an attempted assassination of the Emperor with the intention of rebellion. No one at the scene dared to speak for Prince Ping's estate anymore. However, the implications were too vast, and Prince Ping's crimes were not definitively settled in the end.
Nevertheless, all the personnel of Prince Ping's estate were placed under house arrest. No one was allowed to leave, and despite the wailing of the women in the estate, there was nothing they could do. All food and supplies were delivered from the outside.
Su Muqing listened without offering any opinion. She took out a stack of prepared papers and handed them to the Regent King, which contained instructions for making hot pot base and blueprints for waterwheels, along with detailed operational procedures.
The Regent King looked at the stack of papers, somewhat puzzled, and asked Su Muqing, "Princess, what do you mean by this?"
"We are preparing to depart for Huaxia City. This contains all matters related to the hot pot base and waterwheels. Father Emperor will surely not have time to manage these trivial matters, so these tasks can only be entrusted to Ke Bína."
"Muqing, are you really leaving? No, can you please not go? If you leave, there are many things I won't know how to handle. You nasty woman, quickly help me persuade her!" Ke Bína said, becoming anxious when he heard they were truly leaving.
Wan Yan'er glared at Ke Bína. "Why should I persuade her? I won't! Those Tianzhao people are truly ungrateful. They treated Muqing like this, yet Muqing is leaving behind so many good things for you all. If it were me, I would leave without leaving anything behind at all. Muqing, why don't you come to Withers City with me? I guarantee that the people there will not be so ungrateful!"
Ke Bína, seeing that Wan Yan'er not only wasn't helping to persuade her but was actively trying to poach her, became displeased. "You nasty woman, what nonsense are you spouting! Why would Muqing go to Withers City? And you, do you intend to stay in Withers City forever?"
Wan Yan'er looked at him strangely. "My home is in Withers City, so of course I have to stay there!"
Ke Bína looked a little embarrassed to meet Wan Yan'er's eyes, but he still muttered, "That's not necessarily true. What if you get married in the future? What if you find a husband from outside the city, or even from another country? I don't believe you can stay in Withers City forever!"
Ke Bítez neatly arranged the stack of papers on the table. "Have you really decided to leave? If it's because of others, or what happened yesterday, I can assure you that such a situation will never happen again."
Su Muqing wiped her mouth. "Originally, we had agreed that after Brother Lu's body was detoxified, we would return. Later, after coming here and experiencing so many things, we were delayed until now. Huaxia City still has a large backlog of affairs waiting for us to handle."
Wan Yan'er grabbed Su Muqing's arm. "Muqing, didn't you say before that you would go to Withers City with me?"
Su Muqing patted her hand. "I'll go when I have time. We've been out for so long, it's time to go back. When you finish handling the affairs of Withers City, come to Huaxia City to find me. We'll go back and get the glass factory business started, and then we'll await your inspection."
Seeing that they were determined to leave, Ke Bína put down his chopsticks. "Then I'm going to Huaxia City with you too. I don't want to be left here alone."
Ke Bítez looked at his son throwing a childish tantrum. He slammed the table. "This is absurd! What kind of situation is this? How long will you continue to be so willful?"
"Don't say that, Uncle. Ke Bína really needs to go to Huaxia City sometime. Otherwise, what about the glass factory business? This is a joint venture of our three parties. Tianzhao Kingdom should send a representative to inspect it!"
"That's right, Father. Look, even Muqing says so. Besides, I was the one who brought them to Tianzhao Kingdom, and I was the one who initiated the glass factory business. Who else could be the representative for this inspection if not me?" Ke Bína said, looking at his father smugly.
Su Muqing patted Ke Bína's shoulder, then patted Wan Yan'er. After the three exchanged glances, they playfully blinked at each other. Seeing their interaction, Ke Bítez said nothing more.
After breakfast, the group headed to the imperial palace again to bid farewell to the Emperor and pick up Little Bun and Fat Black Bear.
On the plaza in front of the palace gate, the traces of the fight from last night had been cleaned up. Except for a few broken stone pedestals, everything else was as usual. The searchlights Su Muqing had brought out last night were also gone, likely confiscated by the Emperor after the incident.
When Su Muqing arrived at the imperial palace, the Emperor and the others had only just woken up. They had stayed up until the early hours of the morning resting last night, so the Emperor had specifically decreed a day off from court.
The Empress had been very angry last night, and consequently, the Emperor had not been able to rest in Fengyi Palace. In the end, the Emperor slept on a small couch behind the Qinzheng Hall. When he heard the palace maids report that Su Muqing and her companions had arrived, he quickly ordered them to be summoned.
"Greetings, Father Emperor."
"We pay our respects to Your Majesty."
The Emperor personally helped Su Muqing up. "You are excused, you are excused! Muqing, you have finally arrived. Father Emperor feels truly indebted to you for the grievances you suffered last night. Father Emperor has arranged a suitable princess's residence for you outside the palace. From now on, no one will dare to boss you around."
Su Muqing rested her head on the Emperor's shoulder. "Father Emperor, please don't say that. I haven't suffered any grievances. Furthermore, I have come today to bid farewell to you and Mother Empress. We have decided to return to Huaxia City as soon as possible."
When the Emperor heard Su Muqing mention leaving again, he became anxious. "You want to leave? Are you still angry with Father Emperor?"
"Truly not. Do you remember what I told you about Huaxia City still being under construction? Our original plan was to return after discussing the glass factory matters. However, I found you and Mother, so I stayed here a little longer."
"But I am the City Lord of Huaxia City. Building a city is such a major undertaking. They are still waiting for me to return and preside over the situation!" Su Muqing said this with pride on her face.
The Emperor sat on his chair for a long time without speaking. At this moment, the Empress hurried over, and Little Bun and Fat Black Bear also arrived with her.
Upon her arrival, the Empress pulled Su Muqing over to examine her closely. "Ning An~ how is your injury?"
"It's all better now! Mother Empress, look." Su Muqing spread her arms and turned around.
The Empress took Su Muqing's arm. "Alright, alright! It's good that you're alright. As a princess, you must always pay attention to your demeanor."
After paying her respects to the Empress, Su Muqing took Little Bun. Little Bun, having not seen his sister for several days, pouted a little, his big eyes filling with tears.
"What's wrong, Little Xuanxuan? Are you missing your sister because you haven't seen me in a long time?" Su Muqing hugged Su Muxuan and kissed him several times.
The Empress saw the Emperor sitting aside and noted that he hadn't said a word since she arrived. "Your Majesty, what's wrong? Why do you seem unwelcoming to your concubine?"
The Emperor glanced at the Empress, then at Su Muqing, and then slowly repeated what they had just said to the Empress.
The Empress heard the Emperor's words and turned to Su Muqing. "You're leaving? Wasn't that just you speaking in anger last night?"
Seeing the Empress's expression, Su Muqing sighed slightly and then proceeded to explain, breaking it down step by step, and meticulously elaborating on why they had to return.
After she finished explaining, the Empress also sat down next to the Emperor. The two of them lowered their heads and looked at the floor tiles, one hand resting on the armrest of the chair, neither speaking.
Su Muqing handed Little Bun to others and asked them to wait in the outer hall, as she had something to say to the Emperor and Empress alone. Lu Yuzhi nodded, took Little Bun, and led them out.
Only the three of them remained in the small hall. Su Muqing walked to their feet and squatted down. Only then did she notice that the Empress was silently shedding tears, and the Emperor's eyes were also a little red.
She held their hands, which were resting on her legs, and felt a pang of reluctance, but she knew she had to leave. "Dad and Mom, please don't be like this. If you miss me, you can come to Huaxia City to find me! Dad, if you no longer want to be the Emperor in the future, pass the throne to someone reliable, and then bring Mom to settle down in Huaxia City, and then we can all be together again."