Chapter 1897: I Have to Investigate Myself?
When the empress saw that Bi Linglong didn’t say anything even after some time passed, she spoke up again. “What does the crown princess think we should do about this matter?”
Bi Linglong cleared her throat and said, “I believe that there is most likely some kind of misunderstanding at play here. I believe that Sir Zu is not the type who would be so impetuous. How about we listen to what Sir Zu has to say first?”
When she first heard that Zu An had killed King Jin, her entire head began ringing. She really couldn't understand why he would do such a thing. She could only let him talk about the situation first to see if there was any way to salvage things.
The empress nodded and said, “What the crown princess says makes sense. Does Sir Zu have anything to say about this matter?”
Bi Linglong was a bit surprised. She had never expected the empress to approve of her opinion.
All those present were now looking at Zu An. However, he calmly replied, “What matter are you all talking about?”
“It is about your murder of King Jin, of course! What are you acting all dumb for?” a youngster dressed in official robes shouted.
Zu An gave him a look. This person’s face was a bit round, and coupled with his soft bangs, he looked a bit like a doll.
This person was King Dai, Zhao Ping. He was the son of Zhao Han’s concubine Madam Li, and his wife was Meng Ji’s daughter. She was beautiful, as well as wise and capable, often giving him advice. Together with the two families' strong alliance, the two of them were often thought of as a perfect couple. It was rumored that the one the Meng clan was supporting to take the imperial throne was none other than him.
“When did I kill King Jin? It’s just that King Jin took his men all the way to my manor and his subordinates offended me. I merely disciplined his subordinates,” Zu An said with a calm expression.
At the seat of honor, the empress nodded inwardly.
The brat isn’t stupid. I was scared that he would ignore everything here and just directly admit to it boldly. Then, there really wouldn’t be any way to clean up the situation.
Bi Linglong frowned. How could the murder of King Jin be something so easily covered up?
Sure enough, as soon as Zu An said that, the entire place erupted into a commotion. King Dai rebuked him, saying, “A bunch of nonsense! So many people saw you kill my brother King Jin, and yet you still dare to quibble here?”
“Oh? Do tell me who saw it,” Zu An said, remaining calm.
“Did you really think that all your problems would be solved just because you killed my brother’s protector, Elder Chen?” King Dai replied with a sneer. “It doesn’t matter. Men, bring the witnesses into the palace! That way, you'll finally be forced to confess your crimes.”
Many people exchanged looks. It seemed that King Dai had come prepared to completely eliminate Zu An, thus stripping the Eastern Palace of its right arm. That way, his own prestige would rise with the momentum.
Even though Bi Linglong knew that was what he was thinking, there was nothing she could do. After all, the fact that Zu An had killed King Jin was just too big of a deal. It put her in a state of absolute passivity. However, she still had to defend him no matter what. She couldn't help but look at Zu An; however, she saw him calmly finding a seat to sit down in. Then, he called out to the servants to bring him something to drink as if he owned the place. As he casually sipped on some tea, it was almost as if he wasn’t a criminal about to be convicted, and was instead the judge of the trial.
Bi Linglong was surprised. She had already experienced many life and death moments together with Zu An and knew that he was definitely not the sort to act blindly without thinking. Since he was doing such a thing, that meant that he most likely had something he was relying on. After she thought about it, her anxious heart gradually calmed down.
Several soldiers were brought in. Those with good eyes immediately recognized that they were from King Jin Manor.
King Dai had a proud smile as he said, “Now, tell me everything that you saw and heard that day without missing any details.”
The soldiers couldn't help but give Zu An a look. They broke out into a cold shiver. This deity of slaughter had left them with great trauma.
When he saw them cowering, King Dai was a bit dissatisfied. He barked, “What are you all standing around doing nothing for? Hurry up and talk!”
Meng Yi said seriously, “Her highness the empress, the crown princess, and many important ministers are here. Everyone here will assume responsibility for you. There is no need to be scared.”
He had his status to rely on, and his tone had a mysterious soothing effect. Thus, the guards calmed down a bit. After looking around, they felt that no matter how strong Zu An was, there were so many big shots here. What could he even do? As such, they then all spoke up at once. “Our king brought us to the marquis manor to arrest a criminal…
“Later, though, we didn’t expect there to be a conflict… He killed Elder Chen…”
Even though many people here already knew what happened, there were still quite a few who were shocked by those words. King Jin’s protector, Elder Chen, was a famous master rank expert in the capital. Even they had to treat him with respect when they met him, and yet he had been killed so easily by Zu An. Just how strong was Zu An?
The guards continued to speak about what happened later. “...But we never expected the king and marquis to suddenly get into a conflict. Then, the king was gripped by the neck, and he was instantly strangled to death.”
The entire place rose up into a commotion when those present heard what was said. Meng Yi cried loudly, “He is cruel and ruthless!”
King Dai also cursed, “He actually dared to kill the prince in such a sadistic manner! If we do not punish this vile man, we cannot bring justice to this empire. Our royal family’s dignity will be completely destroyed. How will we face our ancestors in the future?!”
Bi Linglong frowned when she heard that. This King Dai had always been a bit soft in nature, and yet he was actually acting so tough. These were clearly things that either Meng Yi or the sharp Madam Dai had told him. She didn’t like that Madam Dai. Even though she was pretty, her personality was too strong. She had always kept King Dai under her wing like a mother hen with her chicks, giving off a threatening air. Sure enough, this time, Madam Dai no longer held back her ambition and had developed a desire for the throne.
With King Dai and Meng Yi taking the lead, the entire court was now worked up. The Eastern Palace’s side couldn't even find any words to help Zu An, and they were quickly left in an absolutely passive position.
Bi Linglong coughed lightly and turned to look at Zu An with a cold expression, saying, “How audacious! Do you have anything else to say for yourself?!” She thought to herself that he definitely had a reason for doing all of this, so she played along to give him a chance to speak.
Sure enough, once the others turned to look at Zu An, he then replied nonchalantly, “Who says I sadistically killed the prince? Did you all see me do it with your own eyes? When did my hand ever touch his body?”
Beneath Zu An's stare, the guards looked at each other in dismay. They said, “Even though you weren’t next to King Jin, you raised him up from afar, then used a skill to crush the bones in his throat.”
King Dai spoke up. “Could it be that you are still going to try to deny it? So many people saw that scene. If you still refuse to admit to it, I can bring even more witnesses.”
Zu An smiled as he replied, “There's no need to go that far. I did raise King Jin into the air, but I didn’t kill him. Rather, his body was too weak, and he was too cowardly. He got too worked up and scared himself to death.”
“Scared himself to death?”
Those present were all stunned. They had never expected him to deflect the accusation in such an efficient manner.
King Jin had always been sickly, and everyone knew he hadn't had many years left to live. Indeed, he could have died at any time. However, so many people had seen that it was Zu An who killed him!
Even Bi Linglong couldn't help but give Zu An another look.
This guy really is shameless. He's lying through his teeth, and yet his face isn’t even the slightest bit red.
Even so, with that pretext, she had an angle to assist him again.
Thus, King Dai and Meng Yi’s side loudly criticized Zu An for being shameless, while the Eastern Palace’s side spoke up for him under Bi Linglong’s incitement. The two sides got awfully worked up from arguing.
Along the way, Bi Linglong pretended to have suddenly realized something, saying, “Right, Sir Zu, when my subordinates were looking for you, I heard that the academy’s people seem to have called you the libationer.”
The noisy room instantly fell silent. The officials looked at Zu An with incredible shock. They naturally knew the late libationer, but why had this brat become the academy’s libationer?
Zu An raised the ring in his hand and said, “The libationer insisted on giving this position to me, and I just couldn't break away from the responsibility. I couldn't just let the libationer die with remaining grievances, so I could only reluctantly agree.”
When they heard what he said, the officials all cursed him inwardly.
This guy really is taking a mile after being given an inch! What kind of a position did the libationer have? Countless people want to have that position, and yet can't; but this guy is acting all troubled!
When he saw the endless Rage points that came in the backend, Zu An felt quite helpless. He was clearly speaking the truth, so why didn’t people believe him?
After the interruption, the sounds of arguing in the room clearly became less fierce. After all, Zu An was the Fiend Races’ regent, and he was also the libationer. His status was too special.
King Dai saw that the situation was gradually becoming unfavorable for him and couldn't help but bow to the empress. He said, “Your highness, please share your opinion with us. You must uphold justice for King Jin! We cannot allow this murderer to run free just because his identity is special.”
Liu Ning nodded when she heard that. She said, “Indeed, we cannot let murderers run free, but we cannot unjustly blame court minisers. How about this? We can leave the Embroidered Envoy to investigate this case, and have Golden Token Eleven look into the cause of King Jin’s death. That way, everyone will have a satisfactory explanation.”
King Dai was overjoyed, exclaiming, “Your highness is wise and brilliant!”
The Embroidered Envoy were known for their viciousness. They never needed to show anyone respect during their investigations. Zu An would be dead for sure.
Bi Linglong had a weird expression. Others didn’t know about Golden Token Eleven’s identity, but how could she not know?
He has to investigate himself?
The empress seems to be helping Zu An! Their relationship seems to be even closer than I imagined…
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