The sound immediately traveled to a very far place.
When the people arrived, they never expected to see such a scene!
A coffin was placed on a flatbed cart pulled by a magnificent steed, followed by six envoys and a dozen or so henchmen, all dressed in mourning clothes, their faces dark and cold. The imperial guards of the Great Xia Zhou Dynasty surrounded the group but dared not stop them from proceeding.
Because the white flag that was raised was actually the flag of the Fusang Kingdom, with the three large characters "Feng Rulin" written on it—of course, in Fusang script! The spirit banner fluttered, exuding a sinister aura.
The meaning is quite obvious.
They came to seek justice and to tell Emperor Zhou that Prince Fusang Lin had died in the Great Xia Zhou Dynasty!
The reason we brought this coffin is to tell everyone that we, the envoys of Fusang, have come prepared to die!
Nan Xuzong's expression didn't change much, but Huangfu Xuan was surprised. Empress Yao's people hadn't killed the Fusang envoy?
The crown prince was stunned for a long time. What, what's going on?
Emperor Zhou rose from his dragon throne, staring in disbelief at the scene unfolding before him. The six envoys from Fusang had already stopped their carriages and stepped forward. Asta waved his hand, and immediately four envoys used ropes to lift Feng Rulin's coffin. Asta and the other five envoys then proceeded forward, followed by Feng Rulin's coffin. None of the ministers dared to obstruct them, and they automatically made way for them.
Asda saw Nan Xuzong and the others standing to one side, and immediately looked for Huangfuting, but did not see him.
"Ashida and the others pay their respects to His Majesty the Zhou Emperor!" Ashda withdrew his gaze and immediately knelt down. Except for the four people carrying the coffin who were still standing, all the other envoys bowed.
"Please, Your Excellency, do not stand on ceremony!" Emperor Zhou waved his hand. "But where is Prince Lin? Today is the day Prince Lin and your esteemed envoy return to their country. It is best not to delay them."
"The prince is inside the coffin!" Ashda exclaimed fiercely. "Reporting to His Majesty the Zhou Emperor, we all witnessed the Second Prince, Huangfu Ting, arrange to meet the prince in the woods outside the city late at night. Who knew that the Second Prince had set up an ambush beforehand? The prince was brutally murdered by the Second Prince! We arrived just in time to witness the prince's murder. The Second Prince, having been caught in the act, tried to kill us to silence us. We fought back fiercely, and in the chaos, we severed one of Huangfu Ting's arms!"
"What?" Emperor Zhou immediately clutched his chest, and a eunuch rushed forward to support him.
"Father!" Several princes immediately shouted and tried to step forward, but Emperor Zhou waved his hand to signal them to stop!
Ashida and the others stared at Emperor Zhou. Could it be that Emperor Zhou was terminally ill? The ministers also had their own thoughts. It seemed that the times were about to change!
"I just caught a slight cold last night, it's nothing serious!" Emperor Zhou regained his composure, his deep and cold eyes staring directly at everyone, his aura of supreme authority undiminished. "The envoy said that Prince Lin was killed by the Second Prince, but what evidence is there? Are there any other witnesses or physical evidence?" Emperor Zhou knew that if Feng Rulin was dead and Huangfu Ting was the murderer, he would probably have to pay with his life!
I've heard that Prince Lin is the apple of the eye of the Japanese Emperor and the crown prince. If he dies at the hands of Huangfu Ting, disaster will be inevitable!
“There are no eyewitnesses, but there are physical evidence! However, Ashida implores Emperor Zhou to allow the Second Prince to attend court! As for the matter, just ask him!” Ashida’s attitude was firm, and his voice was so powerful that it almost pierced Emperor Zhou’s eardrums.
"Insolence!" A minister stepped forward, glaring at Asta. "You, the envoy from Japan, what kind of attitude is this, daring to be so disrespectful to His Majesty!"
"Minister, step back!" Emperor Zhou's thick eyebrows bulged. "Summon Huangfu Ting!"
Let's see what's going on!
☆、280 Who will be the scapegoat? My heart is pounding!
Huangfu Ting hesitated, wondering whether he should go to court. If he did, losing an arm would surely arouse suspicion, and Emperor Zhou would inevitably ask him why. Whether his fabricated story could deceive everyone was another question. After all, the loss of an arm by the Second Prince was a matter of life and dignity for the royal family, and could not be considered anything less than a major event.
Huangfu Ting touched his severed arm, racking his brains but unable to figure out what to do. He had applied medicine, the bleeding had stopped, but his mind was blank. He hesitated, then was informed that the Zhou Emperor summoned him to court.
"What's going on up there?" Huangfu Ting asked immediately, a sense of unease creeping into his heart. Damn it, why did he have this feeling? Right, he went to the training ground yesterday, and all sorts of unexpected things happened! This thought flashed through his mind for a fleeting moment.
"Your Highness, this servant is unaware of the situation at court. I am merely here to deliver a message. Please proceed immediately," the young eunuch replied, kneeling.
Huangfu Ting nodded, "Please wait outside, young eunuch. I need to change into my official robes!"
"yes."
Huangfu Ting turned and walked into the inner room. With a wave of his hand, a dark figure appeared in the room.
Whispers were already rife in the court. What exactly was going on? If the Second Prince had really killed Prince Lin, and this reached the Emperor's ears, it would surely cause a disaster!
When Huangfu Ting appeared in everyone's sight, and when they saw that he was missing an arm, the ministers sighed in dismay. Was this truly as Asda had said? Or was it just a coincidence...?
A cold glint flashed in Nan Xuzong's eyes as he looked at Huangfu Xuan. Huangfu Xuan, in turn, narrowed his phoenix eyes and exchanged a glance with Nan Xuzong.
"Greetings, Your Majesty! Long live the Emperor!" Huangfu Ting stepped forward and knelt down, his expression calm and unhurried, seemingly oblivious to the surprised looks on everyone's faces.
"Rise." Although Emperor Zhou was extremely surprised that Huangfu Ting had indeed lost an arm, how could he show it in the grand hall? Even if Huangfu Ting had really killed Feng Rulin, they would still put on a show! This concerned the border security of the two countries!
Asta and the other envoys looked at Huangfu Ting, their anger rising.
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Huangfu Ting stood up.
"What happened to your severed arm?" Emperor Zhou asked at this moment. Huangfu Ting pretended not to see the coffins and messengers, which meant there was still hope!
"Your Majesty, it was while I was patrolling the desolate mountains near the training grounds that I was attacked by a large bear. I couldn't dodge in time, which is why I was attacked. Fortunately, General Li Yi and his men arrived in time, saving my life! However, I was worried that Your Majesty would think I was incompetent, so I dared not attend court. I asked my mother for her opinion, and she was concerned about my injuries and instructed me to rest and recuperate. I have followed her advice, and I beg Your Majesty's forgiveness!"
"Your Highness is lying!" Ashida immediately stepped forward and bowed. "Your Highness lost an arm because it was cut off during the fight with the six of us! Has Your Highness forgotten the battle in the suburbs last night? Your Highness killed our Japanese prince! This matter has been reported to His Majesty the Emperor! His Majesty will take action soon! Your Highness had better confess as soon as possible to avoid harming the innocent!"
"What crime do I plead guilty to?" Huangfu Ting turned to look at them. "You brought a coffin into the court of my Great Xia Zhou Dynasty. I have a serious question about this. Do you Japanese also bring coffins into the palace for the Emperor to see?"
These words almost made everyone burst out laughing, but because this was the imperial court, they all lowered their heads and held back. Nan Xuzong's lips curled up as he pondered what would happen if the situation changed, and this opportunity still needed to be provided to... Nan Xuzong looked at Huangfu Xuan, his lips twitching slightly.
Huangfu Xuan snorted softly.
Ashda sneered, "What crime? Of course, it's the heinous crime of murdering our prince! You people of the Great Xia Zhou Dynasty love to debate, but Ashda isn't. However, we value evidence! Ashda has evidence that you murdered our prince. Facts speak louder than words!"
"Evidence? I, Your Highness, also have evidence!" Huangfu Ting sneered.
“This is the evidence!” Ashda turned and waved his hand. At that moment, two messengers brought in a large box. Ashda stepped forward with a sneer, “Second Prince, do you know what’s inside?”
What is it?
Everyone around was wondering, what could this be?
Ashda sneered and said to Emperor Zhou, "If Your Majesty also wants evidence, then Ashda and the others will show Your Majesty the evidence!"
Emperor Zhou's eyes were deep and unfathomable. What exactly was going on?
"Open it!" Asda immediately ordered his men to open the box, and a foul stench immediately wafted out, causing everyone to cover their noses. However, Huangfu Ting was so surprised that his face turned pale!
Because inside the box was Huangfu Ting's severed arm!
Huangfu Ting immediately felt a murderous intent, but he forcefully suppressed it!
Emperor Zhou immediately took a step back, "What is this! How can it be brought into the main hall!"
"This is the Second Prince's severed arm! If the Great Bear Dog fought the Second Prince to the death and bit his arm, then why is his severed arm here? It's clear that the Second Prince is lying! Also, look at this wound on the severed arm. How could it be a bite mark? It's clearly a cut from our Japanese sword!" Ashda suddenly became very sharp-tongued, and as he spoke, he even drew his own Japanese sword.
"Insolence!" Huangfu Ting shouted, "How dare you draw your swords in the imperial court? Do you think the court of my Great Xia Zhou Dynasty is a marketplace?!" Weren't these envoys supposed to be dealt with? Were they all just deceiving me? Weren't Empress Yao's people top-tier experts? Were they lying to me again?
"Hehe, Asda is merely stating the facts. Your Highness, do you have anything to say now?"
"Perhaps the severed arm was simply dug out of the mouth of the giant bear. What is the meaning of your actions, that the envoy is biting me like this?" Cold sweat broke out on Huangfu Ting's back. He turned to look at Emperor Zhou, "Your Majesty, I also have witnesses!"
"Send word!" Emperor Zhou was also nervous at this moment. Damn it, this matter was probably very troublesome! What should he do? His gaze shifted to Nan Xuzong and the others, hoping to find some solutions!
At this moment, several generals who were training troops in the drill ground came up. After paying their respects, they insisted that Huangfu Ting had been bitten by a bear and had managed to escape by fighting back, while the bear had escaped.
Asta looked at their large numbers and felt resentful, but remembering the assassination attempt last night, he immediately said, "Asta has something else to say!"
"What is it?" Emperor Zhou asked. "I know that Prince Lin died in our Great Xia Zhou Dynasty because of my inadequate protection. I am willing to pay ten thousand taels of gold as compensation and send Prince Lin back to his country for a grand funeral!"
"Then I thank Emperor Zhou for his kindness! But Emperor Zhou, please take a look at this piece of evidence first!" Ashda took out a jade pendant from his bosom. "Yesterday, in the dark of night, after midnight, an assassin tried to take our lives! We fought our way out and escaped with our lives. Afterwards, we found this jade pendant on the ground. The pendant has the character 'Thunder' written on it. The pendant is exquisite and translucent. It must belong to someone in the royal family. Thinking about it, it should be His Highness the Second Prince, right?" Ashda immediately raised the round jade pendant in his hand.
Everyone around was astonished; this was a jade pendant, a symbol of status! How could it possibly escape?
Emperor Zhou's face turned deathly pale. He stepped down from his throne. "This is Ting'er's jade pendant. Ting'er, what explanation do you have for this?"
"Father!" Damn it, who delivered my lost jade pendant into their hands! Huangfu Ting immediately knelt on the ground. "Father, the villains must have stolen my jade pendant and then framed me! I never went out at night. I was in my own palace at night, and I also went to my mother's Ningfeng Palace to listen to her teachings. Everyone can testify to my innocence!"
The crowd listened and whispered amongst themselves, agreeing that it wasn't impossible for someone to frame Huangfu Ting...
Emperor Zhou then said, "This matter is of great importance, and it is too early to say who the murderer is. Since Prince Lin died in our Great Xia Zhou Dynasty, and the murderer is still alive, then please rest assured, I will definitely send people to investigate thoroughly and will give the envoy an explanation!"
Asta was furious, his eyes red with anger. "Hmph, he's clearly the murderer, yet he keeps denying it! We have already informed His Majesty the Emperor that if Emperor Zhou cannot hand over the murderer within a month, then our entire nation of Fusang will launch a nationwide attack!" Seeing that there was no resolution, Asta could only angrily utter these harsh words.
Emperor Zhou's lips twitched slightly. "Rest assured, envoy, the murderer will be found and you will be given an explanation!"
"Guards, escort the envoys away!" Emperor Zhou was also impatient. These envoys shouldn't have been lingering here in the first place. Who knew if Prince Lin had provoked an enemy from another country, or even if it was due to internal conflicts within their own kingdom, that they had been killed! In this way, perhaps the truth could be uncovered!
Ashda was seething with anger, while Huangfuting breathed a sigh of relief. A month? There were too many variables in a month. Who knew what would happen then!
I can use this to my advantage, and I can seize everything from it! What I need now is a change of direction!
Nan Xuzong and Huangfuxuan did not show much change in expression.
At this moment, the Crown Prince stepped forward, knelt down, and said, "Father, I beg you to entrust this matter to me so that I may test my abilities. I am certain that I will be able to find out the truth!"
"Good! My Crown Prince has volunteered! Very good! This matter will be entrusted to you, with Xuan'er and Zong'er assisting you!"
"Yes." Huangfu Xuan and Nan Xuzong stepped forward together and bowed in response.
The Crown Prince volunteered, wanting nothing more than to establish merit so that the throne would be passed on more securely in the future... Moreover, seeing Emperor Zhou attend court today, he suddenly felt a pang of fear, perhaps his days are numbered! Is the world about to change? Empress Yao's heart is truly ruthless!
Nan Xuzong's lips curled slightly as he watched Huangfu Xuan with an air of amusement. Huangfu Xuan's cold eyes widened slightly, seemingly unconcerned about Nan Xuzong's meaning.
After the court session, Crown Prince Huangfu Yun felt refreshed. Finding the murderer wasn't difficult; he just needed to report it to Empress Yao, who would surely reward him! Then, he only needed to do a tiny little thing to keep everyone in the dark, and he believed everything would be easily accomplished!
Unexpectedly, a eunuch walked up to him, bowed, and said, "Your Highness, Empress Yao requests your presence."
"Okay." Huangfu Yun nodded and immediately followed.
At this moment, Huangfu Ting was in Empress Yao's Ningfeng Palace, filled with rage. Empress Yao's expression was also not particularly pleasant, and several eunuchs were kneeling on the ground.
"You can't even handle the simplest tasks, what use are you to me!" Empress Yao sneered. "You came back and reported that everything was settled, but who knew it would turn out like this!"
"Your Majesty, please spare my life! I really saw them all dead. How could I have known that six more messengers would suddenly appear? It must be those Japanese trickery!" The eunuch was desperate to save his own life!
Huangfu Ting sneered, "Mother, I think there's no need for them to explain anymore. Guards, drag them out and tear them apart by five horses!"
"Spare us! Spare us!" At this moment, all the eunuchs kowtowed and begged for mercy.
At this moment, news came from outside that Crown Prince Huangfu Yun had arrived, and the eunuchs still dared not stop and all kowtowed.
"Get out of here, what are you yelling about!" Empress Yao snorted coldly. She was already in a bad mood, and now they had to bother her like this, with everyone nagging in her ear. Did they have a hard time living?
"Yes." Several eunuchs immediately knelt down to one side.
Huangfu Yun immediately stepped forward. After looking at Empress Yao and Huangfu Ting, he immediately bowed and said, "Greetings, Your Majesty! Long live Your Majesty!"
"Rise!" Empress Yao waved everyone away before stepping down from her throne. "Has the Crown Prince taken on the investigation into Prince Lin's death?"
"Your Majesty, I feel I should make a good impression on Father, which is why I dared to take on this task! Besides, it's a good thing for us!"
"Oh? Tell me!" Empress Yao walked up to him, her phoenix eyes looking at Huangfu Yun, and gently placed her hand on his shoulder. "Yun'er has grown up, and his wings have become strong!"
"Your subject dares not!" Huangfu Yun immediately knelt down, while Huangfu Ting stepped forward, "How could the Emperor dare not? Indeed, if the Crown Prince finds out the truth, he can certainly gain merit in front of the Emperor, and then ascending the throne will be a sure thing!"
"Mother, that's not what I meant!" Huangfu Yun knelt before Empress Yao. "What I was thinking was that if I didn't take on this matter, Father would probably hand it over to my third or fourth brother. If they found something detrimental to the Second Prince, things would become even more difficult!"
"What you say makes some sense," Empress Yao said. "Right now, the only one who can help is the Crown Prince! So, Crown Prince, what do you intend to say about the truth?"