Huang Yixuan then smiled and said, "Miss An, do you still recognize the character?"
The question, once uttered, startled everyone.
Even Yan Zhen narrowed her eyes slightly...
Chapter Sixty is too intense!
Since Huang Yixuan was so focused on Osmanthus Wine, An Youwei naturally couldn't disappoint the emperor. He immediately got up and urged Xu Ruolan to go to the wine cellar to get some. Everyone thought that Osmanthus Wine was really not a good wine, but they didn't know what was wrong with the Right Chancellor and the emperor, insisting on drinking this little-known Osmanthus Wine!
A moment of silence fell over everyone...
Huang Yixuan, however, seemed oblivious, his gaze fixed on An Xin as he repeated, "Does Miss An still recognize me?"
An Xin stared at him for a long time and then said, "I don't recognize him."
Everyone broke out in a cold sweat again. Girl, although deceiving the emperor is a capital offense, you could at least tell a white lie! The emperor clearly wants a definite answer, but you insist on telling the whole truth! This child is too honest!
Huang Yixuan made no attempt to hide his disappointment, saying, "Am I really so forgettable? Du An, didn't you say that I am wise and mighty, a god descended to earth, and full of celestial aura? How come Miss An has no recollection of me at all?"
This childish question immediately changed the expression of the alluring Eunuch Du, who hurriedly stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, what I said is the truth! It's all this girl's fault; she... she didn't recognize my greatness!"
Yan Zhen smiled enigmatically and said calmly, "Is Eunuch An implying that I have poor judgment?"
Du An's body trembled suddenly. The Right Chancellor had openly declared that An Xin was his person. He said that An Xin was blind to his greatness. Wasn't that going against the Right Chancellor?
Thinking about it more deeply, the Right Chancellor's sudden remark seems to be more than just a reprimand...
The Right Chancellor held absolute power in the court; who wouldn't fear him? Although he was the Emperor's man, even the Emperor had to listen to the Right Chancellor. How could he dare to offend him in the slightest?
These thoughts flashed through his mind for only a moment before Du An immediately put on a smiling face and said, "My lord, you misunderstand. This servant only meant that Miss An doesn't..."
"No what?" Yan Zhen glanced at Du An. His eyebrows and eyes were beautiful, and his eyes sparkled when he smiled. But when Yan Zhen looked at him with a smile, Du An felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over his head, and his whole body felt cold.
"No...no...what..." Du An's voice grew weaker and weaker, then he knelt down with a thud, kowtowing repeatedly, "This servant deserves to die! This servant deserves to die!"
Yan Zhen glanced at him coolly, a mysterious and chilling smile slowly curving her lips.
An Xin coldly looked at Du An. This old fox was indeed cunning. His sudden kneeling, seemingly begging for mercy from Yan Zhen, actually made Yan Zhen look bad.
It should be noted that the Emperor was present. Just because he said something negative about her, the Emperor had not yet spoken, yet Yan Zhen blamed the person around the Emperor. If the Emperor were naturally suspicious, this would undoubtedly have violated a major taboo of the Emperor!
An Xin glanced at Yan Zhen, guessing that this disabled but determined eunuch was probably the only one in Dayi who dared to openly play mind games with her!
Yan Zhen smiled casually and said, "Since he deserves to die, then let him die. Men, drag him out."
An Xin was suddenly shocked!
I knew Yan Zhen would be domineering, but I never expected him to be this domineering. The Emperor was even present, yet he actually decided Du An's life or death on his own!?
Huang Yixuan frowned, looked at Du An and scolded, "Useless thing, why don't you beg the Right Chancellor for forgiveness?"
Du An was terrified, his dark thoughts thwarted by the fact that the Right Chancellor hadn't even acknowledged his intentions! He hurriedly crawled to Yan Zhen, sobbing and wailing, "Right Chancellor, spare my life! It's all my fault! I have elderly parents and young children to support, and my eighty-year-old mother still needs my care! I'll endure any beatings or scoldings from you, please spare my life!"
Huang Yixuan also spoke up, saying, "Why should the Right Prime Minister lower himself to the level of a mere servant?" There was even a hint of pleading in his tone.
Everyone's expression changed slightly. Even though they knew that the Right Chancellor held absolute power and that even the Emperor had to listen to his orders, it was just a rumor. Now, it was truly a case of "seeing is believing"!
Yan Zhen kicked Du An away and said indifferently, "Your worthless life is only a menace if you keep it alive. I always cut the weeds without eliminating the roots, understand?"
The expressions on everyone's faces had just changed slightly, but now they had completely changed! The Emperor's pleas for mercy were being ignored by the Right Chancellor?! This was too, too, too audacious!
An Xin frowned slightly. Yan Zhen's actions were likely to have a negative impact. At the very least, his status as a "treacherous minister" was now a certainty! If the emperor could no longer tolerate it, he might unite with the left wing to deal with him. In that case, he would lose the hearts and minds of the people, and that would be terrible!
An Xin said calmly, "Isn't what Eunuch Du said the truth? When the Emperor was traveling incognito, I didn't recognize him. Wasn't that being blind to his greatness?"
Du Anwan was stunned to find that it was An Xin who pleaded for him.
An Xin said indifferently, "It's just a sentence, why kill people at the drop of a hat? Does the Right Prime Minister have to be so heartless?"
Everyone held their breath; those who didn't know the truth were all sweating for An Xin.
Yan Zhen shook his folding fan, then suddenly smiled and said, "I was just teasing him. Eunuch Du, you've been frightened. Please rise."
Everyone: "...!"
Du An almost lost his senses after Yan Zhen's 180-degree turn; life and death were separated by a single thought, truly a world of difference!
"Thank you, thank you, sir..." Du An tried to get up but found that his whole body was sore and weak, and he even had difficulty standing up!
Huang Yixuan laughed and said, "I knew the Right Chancellor was always magnanimous. How could he easily take someone's life? Otherwise, wouldn't Miss An's work be intensified?"
An Xin frowned slightly and then relaxed, saying calmly, "Your Majesty has come at the right time. I was just about to talk about the matter of Fengxian Village."
Everyone was taken aback by his words.
Huang Yixuan suddenly stood up and said, "Tell me quickly."
An Xin said calmly, "Everyone thinks the murderer is a strange person, but the strange person died a month ago."
"What!?" Huang Yixuan was shocked. The court was in chaos because of this case. When he sent people to investigate, everyone made excuses and gave him a headache.
An Xin sneered, "The Emperor ordered my father to investigate the case, but what case can my father, who is in charge of the granary, investigate? Even if he goes, he will only face certain death. The Emperor has summoned my father time and time again, just to send him to his death?"
Huang Yixuan looked slightly embarrassed.
Someone whispered, "Isn't Miss An being too rude...?" That's the emperor, after all! Naturally, that person didn't dare to say such a reprimanding thing, because the result would probably be similar to Du An's. But who knows if he will be as lucky as Du An!
An Youwei returned carrying a wine jar and witnessed this scene. Back in Yi'an County, he was already terrified because he had failed to recognize the Emperor. Now, Xin'er had actually spoken so bluntly to the Emperor. He broke out in a cold sweat and ran away while muttering a rebuke: "Xin'er, how dare you! You must not be disrespectful to the Emperor!"