Chapter 600: Sang Zhi Wakes Up
"Your Majesty, I have served in this palace for many years. I have never vied for favor, but I am not blind. I do not meddle in other affairs, but today, I must seek justice for the Zhan family’s eldest grandson." Noble Princess Consort Zhan was entirely unafraid, her beautiful eyes fixed on the Beili Emperor. "If the guilty go unpunished, how many loyal hearts will grow cold when the news spreads? Does Your Majesty truly not care in the slightest?"
The Beili Emperor suddenly recalled Zhan Chi’s words. He was moved and said thoughtfully, "You may withdraw. I will consider your words carefully."
"I beg Your Majesty to sentence Yuan Yintang to death and launch a full investigation into Consort Yuan." Noble Princess Consort Zhan knelt on the ground once more.
"I said I would consider it! Guards, escort the Noble Princess Consort out." The Beili Emperor’s patience had been completely exhausted.
Members of the Imperial Army came forward. Two of them flanked Noble Princess Consort Zhan and escorted her away.
Noble Princess Consort Zhan did not struggle. Her heart felt like dead ashes.
Watching this scene from a distance, Consort Yuan couldn’t help but feel a flicker of delight.
’The Zhan family is nothing compared to immense wealth.’ Though she hadn’t succeeded in eliminating her target, she was still quite pleased to see Noble Princess Consort Zhan brought so low.
"Your Majesty, Dean Chen and Zhan Yi request an audience," a guard reported.
The Beili Emperor was irritated. "I won’t see them."
"Your Majesty, Dean Chen said that if you refused to see them, I was to give this to you. He implores you to review its contents and deliver justice for the dead." The guard handed over the bundle he was holding.
The Beili Emperor’s face was grim. ’My teacher predicted I wouldn’t summon them. He really does know me well.’
He took the bundle, walked into the main hall, and placed it on a table. When he opened it, he found written testimonies and a few personal tokens. He skimmed through them. They detailed the incident at Four-direction Mountain from two days prior.
’The Princess East Shu was hiding at Four-direction Mountain for over a month. She was able to lure Sang Zhi out of the palace... which means there’s an accomplice here. Did Consort Yuan collude with the Princess East Shu?’
The documents also clearly recorded why the Eighth Prince had left the palace. ’My teacher certainly works fast.’
’Since my teacher understands me so well, how could he not have anticipated my reaction to this?’
’It seems my teacher is intentionally trying to force my hand!’
"Your Majesty," Yuan Yintang called out softly.
The Beili Emperor threw the booklet at him. "Tell me, were the attackers at Four-direction Mountain truly bandits?"
Yuan Yintang looked down. A line of text in the booklet caught his eye, and he immediately dropped to his knees in a panic. "Your Majesty, I have been wrongly accused!"
"Wrongly accused? Guards! Investigate the claims in this booklet thoroughly. I want to know the absolute truth of the matter within two hours."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Your Majesty, I confess my guilt! Please, Your Majesty, punish me severely," Yuan Yintang said in terror.
"You confess? Colluding with East Shu is high treason! Guards, summon Consort Yuan." The Beili Emperor could tolerate her making mistakes, but he would never tolerate collusion with a foreign enemy.
"Your Majesty, this must be slander! It’s impossible that Consort Yuan would help East Shu abduct the Eighth Prince," Yuan Yintang said frantically.
The Beili Emperor just snorted coldly, saying nothing.
"Your Majesty, Consort Yuan has arrived."
"Have her enter."
Dressed in her formal court attire, Consort Yuan walked in. Her gaze swept discreetly across the hall, taking in the entire scene. "Greetings, Your Majesty."
The Beili Emperor stared down at her.
Consort Yuan waited for what felt like an eternity, but the Emperor remained silent. She looked up in confusion, her eyes meeting his scrutinizing gaze. Her heart plummeted, but she managed to force a smile. "Your Majesty?"
"Why did the Eighth Prince leave the palace?" the Beili Emperor asked.
Consort Yuan’s smile stiffened. "Wasn’t it... an arrangement between Miss Xiang and the Eighth Prince?"
"Nonsense," the Beili Emperor suddenly snapped.
Consort Yuan flinched, startled by his outburst.
"It was a eunuch from your own palace who delivered a letter to the Eighth Prince! How dare you collude with East Shu to harm a Prince!" The thought of Sang Zhi nearly being abducted by the people of East Shu filled the Beili Emperor with a burning rage. He lifted his foot and kicked Consort Yuan squarely in the chest.
Caught completely off guard, Consort Yuan took the full force of the kick to her chest. She staggered backward and fell, a searing pain blooming over her heart as a spray of blood erupted from her mouth.
"Junior Sister!" Yuan Yintang cried out in horror.
Consort Yuan knew no martial arts, but she was a skilled physician. From the force of that kick, she knew exactly how furious the Beili Emperor was. A hint of disbelief flickered in her eyes. "Your Majesty... you actually struck me?"
"As a Noble Princess Consort, you plotted against an heir of the imperial family—a heinous crime in itself. And you colluded with the Princess East Shu? Do you have a death wish?"
"I never intended to harm the Eighth Prince!"
"The evidence is irrefutable, yet you still try to argue!" The Beili Emperor shot an angry look at Yuan Yintang. "Show her the booklet."
"It’s true, I had someone deliver a letter to the Eighth Prince to lure him out of the city! But I never intended to harm him! The Princess East Shu begged me! She said the Eighth Prince’s maternal grandmother wanted to see her kin but couldn’t enter the Capital City because of her status, so she asked me to help bring him out. How could I have known the Princess East Shu harbored such a venomous plot?" Consort Yuan screamed from where she lay sprawled on the floor, her eyes filled with indignation. She had even dropped the formal "I, your consort" for a simple "I."
The Beili Emperor was so enraged by her explanation that he could only point a trembling finger at her, speechless for a long moment.
"That day, I mentioned Ye Qianning’s name on purpose to mislead you. I just want Ye Qianning dead! How could a country girl from Nanyuan possibly be worthy of the Crown Prince? You sent people to Nanyuan to investigate her mother, didn’t you? A bastard born of a prostitute—how is *she* fit to be the Crown Princess Consort?" Consort Yuan made no attempt to hide her resentment toward Ye Qianning as she vented her fury.
After hearing her tirade, the anger on the Beili Emperor’s face gave way to a deep sense of helplessness. "So it was you who ordered the archers to kill Ye Qianning?"
"I gave the order. And I was the one who ordered the mountain to be set ablaze. But I swear, I never wanted to kill the Eighth Prince! There’s a cave on Four-direction Mountain that offers shelter; the fire couldn’t have reached inside it. I just never expected Ye Qianning to survive the wildfire and make it down alive... And it was I who begged my Senior Brother for help before he left the palace. That’s why he sent his men to corner them." Consort Yuan laid everything bare, concealing only her ambition to have the Eighth Prince killed.
Yuan Yintang hadn’t expected his Junior Sister to be so blunt. His heart hammered in his chest as he furtively watched the Beili Emperor’s expression.
The Beili Emperor gazed at Consort Yuan. The mix of defiance and ruthless determination on her beautiful face struck a chord. He remembered, years ago, when he was gravely wounded and cornered by enemies, she had shielded him, facing them down with this very same expression—a look he had never been able to forget.
To the Beili Emperor, Consort Yuan’s ruthlessness was a sign of her formidable spirit.
"I told you, didn’t I? The Crown Prince is still young, and there is plenty of time. Why couldn’t you just be patient?" His anger had subsided, replaced by a profound sense of helplessness.
Yuan Yintang’s heart, which had been lodged in his throat, finally settled. ’It seems the Beili Emperor truly has deep feelings for my Junior Sister.’ No wonder his father was such a staunch supporter of the Beili Emperor.
"The Crown Prince may be young, but the truth about Ye Qianning’s mother will come out sooner or later. It could be next year, or the year after, or it could be revealed in an instant! I cannot let the Crown Prince live with the risk of being mocked for the rest of his life. If he finds out the woman he is to marry was born of a prostitute, how could he ever hold his head high? I will never allow my son to endure that! The Zhan family, the Xiang family—I don’t care who they are! If they want justice, then fine! I’ll pay for it with my own life. A life for a life!" Consort Yuan declared, looking as though she’d thrown all caution to the wind as she staggered back to her feet.