Accomplices!
So there were still accomplices! No, more precisely, the true mastermind.
Ziqing thought to herself—if Jun Beiyue were here, given his temperament, how would he handle this? He would surely let no one escape.
Lord Huang was caught off guard by the question, glancing toward Emperor Tianhui, not daring to speak for a long moment. The whole succession crisis had struck Emperor Tianhui too hard, too deeply—he remained shaken and uncertain even now, without any clear idea of what to do.
Jun Beiyao, Jun Beichen, and the other princes exchanged uneasy glances. Stepping forward now would be the least tactful move imaginable—the nail that sticks out gets hammered down first!
Everyone understood perfectly well that Han Ziqing intended to target Jun Beiyao next!
And yet, quite unexpectedly, someone failed to grasp this, speaking up with earnest sincerity instead. “Fourth Sister-in-law, who else is there! This whole affair was Han Xi’er framing you, and Prime Minister Han fabricating evidence to frame Seventh Brother! Who else could there be?”
The moment the Tenth Prince spoke, Lord Huang immediately chimed in agreement. “Indeed, princess consort. The Han father and daughter committed truly heinous crimes, and His Majesty and the other princes were all misled by them, nearly wronging you as a result. Now that the misunderstanding has been resolved, perhaps this humble official should proceed quickly with closing the case, so the princess consort can return to check on the prince’s injuries.”
Of course Ziqing wanted to go back—if it were up to her feelings alone, she wouldn’t even have been willing to let go of him earlier. But she had to stay.
The fact that she could now stand here so openly, so completely cleared of all suspicion, was entirely thanks to Jun Beiyue holding on through sheer determination to secure this for her.
How could she possibly just walk away so easily now!
Jun Beiyue hadn’t had time to say it, but she knew exactly what he wanted.
“Lord Huang, this princess consort stands here to speak on Prince Yao’s behalf. His Majesty and the various princes showed such distrust toward Prince Yao, were so quick to misjudge him, so hasty to condemn him for murder…”
Ziqing paused as she spoke, stating a simple fact, yet clearly mocking and denouncing the entire Jun imperial family in front of all the assembled ministers.
She continued, “Given such a grave misunderstanding, shouldn’t an apology be owed to my husband and myself?”
The moment these words left her mouth, it must be said that the crowd reacted with both anger and shock!
The anger stemmed from this woman’s sheer audacity, pushing her advantage further and further, showing no regard whatsoever for the Jun imperial family’s dignity.
The shock stemmed from the fact that this woman possessed such boldness to press her advantage this far—whether she represented Jun Beiyue or not, whether she commanded vast military power or not!
Did she not realize that alienating everyone would do her no good at all?
Within the imperial family, open conflict was terrifying enough—but hidden schemes were far more dangerous still!
Did she really have to be so uncompromising, making enemies of everyone for her own sake? What if everyone banded together against her later—wouldn’t she simply be inviting trouble upon herself?
A cold smile curved at Jun Beiyao’s lips, and he was the first to step forward, cupping his hands in a respectful bow. “Sister-in-law, our apologies!”
He would endure this, he would yield—the more arrogant and unyielding Han Ziqing became, refusing to give an inch, the more justification he would have to rally forces against her later.
Better to preserve one’s strength for the future, after all.
Sure enough, once Jun Beiyao stepped forward, Jun Beichen was the first to follow suit, and soon every prince present stepped forward as well, bowing together, apologizing before everyone. “Sister-in-law, our apologies, we misjudged you both!”
Ziqing sneered inwardly. She didn’t for a moment believe that showing restraint now would stop these wolf-hearted, ungrateful creatures from tormenting her later.
Jun Beiyue was their own flesh and blood, their own brother, and even he hadn’t been spared—how could they possibly spare her, a mere outsider?
She graciously accepted their apologies, but pursued accountability to the very end regardless. “Lord Huang, the Seventh Prince failed to properly discipline his subordinates, allowing them the opportunity to exploit the situation—two arrows forced this princess consort into a false confession. What punishment does that deserve? And furthermore, several years ago Father Emperor issued a strict edict that, without his explicit permission, no one in the palace besides the Imperial Guard may keep more than twenty personal guards. Yet the Seventh Prince’s private archery corps numbers at least a hundred—what punishment does that deserve!”
The moment these words left her mouth, everyone suddenly remembered this grave crime Jun Beiyao had also committed, and Jun Beiyao himself unconsciously stepped backward, only now realizing just how damning this evidence against him truly was, exposed before everyone’s eyes!
Lord Huang was thrown into complete panic. That particular palace edict from Emperor Tianhui’s early reign had been established specifically to guard against the princes ever colluding together to force a coup—this prohibition had even been written into special law!
Any violator, regardless of who they were, would be stripped of their princely title and reduced to commoner status; in severe cases, they would even be exiled to the frontier!
“Lord Huang, what punishment does the Seventh Prince deserve?” Ziqing asked coldly once more.
That liar, Jun Beiyao, that mastermind who had orchestrated everything—if being castrated over a misunderstanding could be called undeserved, then everything he had done since certainly deserved whatever came to him now.
Including his collusion with Eastern Qin, including his negligence on military affairs at the northern frontier, refusing to send reinforcements to the Tiger Army—if this debt wasn’t settled today, when would it ever be?
Jun Beiyue’s agonizing struggle to hold on had to be worth something. Her own grievances had to be avenged as well. Emperor Tianhui could not be allowed to keep someone so ambitious, so treacherous, so willing to collude with foreign enemies, at his side any longer!
Ziqing appeared furious, appeared enraged—but in truth, she was carefully considering the bigger picture. This, she thought, was surely exactly what Jun Beiyue truly wanted to see.
Jun Beiyao clenched both fists tightly, itching to strike Ziqing across the face—this shameless woman, truly pushing her advantage further and further!
He narrowed his eyes, staring coldly at Lord Huang. The stakes here were clear enough, and this lord surely understood them well—even Prime Minister Han hadn’t dared betray him. If Lord Huang dared do so, he would make absolutely certain the entire Huang household suffered for it.
After all, in this Court of Judicial Review case, he had prepared for the worst-case scenario, willing to bring everyone down with him. Just as the Han family had people in his grip, so too did the Huang family.
Finally, Lord Huang could no longer bear it. He spun around and dropped to his knees before Emperor Tianhui with a thud. “Your Majesty, Your Majesty must decide this!”
Even if the entire Han household were executed, Prime Minister Han hadn’t betrayed Jun Beiyao, so Jun Beiyao wouldn’t move to kill anyone from the Han family he already held in his grasp—the Han line wouldn’t be entirely extinguished.
But what about his own Huang household? Even if he argued passionately for the Seventh Prince right now, that wouldn’t change the fact that the prohibition had been violated!
“Your Majesty, Your Majesty, the palace prohibitions, the internal affairs of the imperial family—this humble official has no authority to interfere!” Lord Huang kowtowed repeatedly. “Your Majesty, in this humble official’s opinion, though the Seventh Prince did violate the prohibition and deserves demotion, he has only just returned from the battlefield, having rendered great service to Da Zhou. His merits might offset his faults—Your Majesty might consider a lighter punishment!”
Seizing the opportunity, Jun Beiyao immediately dropped to his knees as well. “Your Majesty, this son merely kept the archery guard for amusement, with absolutely no intention of rebellion. This son admits his fault and willingly accepts punishment. But this son fears he will no longer be able to serve Father Emperor, no longer able to share his burdens!”
Such carefully chosen words, clearly meant to convey to Emperor Tianhui: without me, you won’t be able to reclaim imperial power either; without me, which of your sons could possibly share your burdens? Without him, who would deal with Han Ziqing while Jun Beiyue lay gravely wounded?
At once, all the other princes dropped to their knees as well, even the politically naive Jun Beishen joining in. “Father Emperor, Sister-in-law, Seventh Brother is indeed at fault, but surely this crime doesn’t warrant demotion! Seventh Brother hasn’t actually done anything so terrible!”
But before Ziqing could even respond, Jun Beichen spoke up—the only one still standing among them, saying coldly, “Tenth Brother, that’s not something you can say so lightly. If Seventh Brother had actually managed to do something serious, it would already be too late!”
Truly, brothers born into an imperial family—just moments ago standing shoulder to shoulder, and now already kicking each other while down. Jun Beichen was nowhere near as capable as Jun Beiyao, but with Jun Beiyao gone, his own chances of gaining Emperor Tianhui’s favor would only increase.
Ziqing coldly watched Emperor Tianhui, waiting for his decision, sneering inwardly as she gently stroked the scorpion-shaped ring, watching Emperor Tianhui—who had only just managed to compose himself—now filled with conflicted emotion once more…