Chapter 9: Chapter 182: Why Run?

Chapter 182: Why Run?

"I wonder where Prince Jing is?" Looking at everything before him, Yao Zhenting finally believed that Ye Zixiao truly possessed sufficient strength to contend with Ye Hongyi. Perhaps he had made the right move with this chess piece.

"Do not be anxious, Prime Minister. Let us see how resilient this blade is." One of the men took the long saber and respectfully handed it to Yao Zhenting. Yao Zhenting naturally took the blade and instinctively gave it a few flicks; he could hear the wind whistling in his ears.

"One can tell it is a good blade just by the sound!" Yao Zhenting praised.

Just then, a burst of hurried footsteps suddenly echoed from within the secret passage.

"Prime Minister! Run, quickly!" The moment they heard the sound, the two men who had just been chatting and laughing underwent a drastic change in expression. They immediately pulled Yao Zhenting and ran toward the other end of the stone chamber.

"Why run?" Yao Zhenting felt utterly bewildered, yet his feet involuntarily followed the two men into another secret passage. However, not long after the three of them entered, they retreated back out.

"Prime Minister, do you still intend to flee?" A cold voice emanated from Qinglong's mouth. Looking at the sharp sword pressed against his neck, Yao Zhenting was filled with shock. Even now, he still did not understand what on earth was happening.

"Yao Zhenting, how dare you! To think you dared to forge weapons in private behind my back. What are you planning? Rebellion?" A sinister voice echoed through the frigid stone chamber. The moment he saw Ye Hongyi, Yao Zhenting's eyes widened in terror, and his body trembled uncontrollably from fear.

"Your Majesty..." Yao Zhenting looked at Ye Hongyi in disbelief. He had clearly come here because of a secret letter from Ye Zixiao, so why was Ye Hongyi the one appearing here? Just as Yao Zhenting sought answers from the men on either side, he saw them both drop to their knees before him with a heavy thud.

"Prime Minister! We shall prove our loyalty through death!" Having finished speaking, the two men suddenly bit down hard on their teeth.

"Not good!" By the time Qinglong rushed forward to stop them, the two men were already vomiting black blood, collapsing to the ground, and dying instantly.

"Prove your loyalty? Fine! Yao Zhenting, no wonder you increasingly hold me in contempt. It turns out you have long harbored the intention to replace me! Now that you have been caught red-handed with the evidence, what else do you have to say?" Ye Hongyi looked at Yao Zhenting with violence, a sinister chill radiating from his body.

"It is not... Your Majesty! This old official is wronged!" Looking at the two men who had already breathed their last on the ground, Yao Zhenting felt as if a sudden realization had struck him, and he snapped into clarity. This was a trap—a trap set for him by Ye Zixiao!

"Wronged? With so many weapons right before your eyes, you still dare to claim innocence?" Ye Hongyi sneered, questioning him coldly.

"It was Prince Jing! It was Prince Jing who asked this old official to meet him here! I still have Prince Jing's secret letter!" At this moment, Yao Zhenting spoke urgently, his hands trembling as he pulled Ye Zixiao's secret letter from his sleeve. To one side, Qinglong handed the so-called letter to Ye Hongyi.

Looking at the empty so-called letter in his hand, Ye Hongyi suddenly flung the sheet of Xuan paper into Yao Zhenting's face.

"The one you spoke of is this one!" Amidst his terror, Yao Zhenting grabbed the letter, only to see that there wasn't a single drop of ink on it; it was nothing but a blank sheet of paper.

"How can this be? Impossible... impossible! Your Majesty, Prince Jing wants to rebel. This old official received news and originally intended to investigate and find solid evidence before reporting to Your Majesty. Prince Jing must have seen through my intentions and designed this to frame me! Your Majesty, please discern the truth! This old official is fiercely loyal to Your Majesty and has absolutely no intention of rebellion!" Yao Zhenting crawled to Ye Hongyi's feet, kowtowing like a chicken pecking at grain.

"You say Prince Jing wants to rebel? Where is the evidence? Based solely on this blank paper?" Ye Hongyi questioned coldly, a trace of frost passing through his eyes. He had long wanted to uproot every tree in the Hunsha Garden that had grown more lush than himself!

"Your Majesty, this room full of weapons is the evidence! These were all forged by Prince Jing! If you do not believe me, Your Majesty can look at the characters on these weapons!" Yao Zhenting had a sudden realization. If Prince Jing were rebelling, the character 'Jing' would surely be engraved on the weapons during forging. But just as Yao Zhenting grabbed a saber to search carefully, he saw the character 'Yao' glaringly etched upon the weapon.

"Yao Zhenting, what do you have to say now?" To the side, An Bingshan casually picked up a weapon and held it up before Ye Hongyi; the character 'Yao' on it was incredibly clear.

"Your Majesty... this is Prince Jing's conspiracy... All three of my daughters have enjoyed the Emperor's favor, especially my third daughter Wan'er, who is Your Majesty's precious pearl. I have no reason to rebel!" Yao Zhenting fell to his knees, prostrating himself before Ye Hongyi, sobbing uncontrollably.

"Whether there is a reason or not is one thing; whether you did it or not is another! Now that the evidence is irrefutable, there is no room for your excuses. Someone, throw Yao Zhenting into the death cell and await sentencing!" Ye Hongyi spoke with malice, then ordered his men to seize all the weapons in the stone chamber.

In the shadows, Yao Mowan clearly saw Yao Zhenting being carried out of the secret passage, bound tightly. Looking at that face covered in old tears, Yao Mowan let out a long, slow breath.

"Mistress..." Yin Xue called out softly with concern.

"Do you think I am sad? You are wrong; he is not worth it. He never treated Mother as a wife, nor did he ever treat Mowan as a daughter. Naturally, Mowan would not be so lowly as to treat him as a father. I am merely wondering—should I just let him die like this?" Yao Mowan's cunning eyes narrowed slightly in thought.

Inside Huaqing Palace, when Mingyu informed Yao Sulan that Yao Zhenting had been thrown into the Imperial Prison, the teacup in Yao Sulan's hand crashed to the floor.

"Father has truly met with trouble... How could this happen..." Yao Sulan murmured to herself. In the next second, she abruptly stood up and rushed out of Huaqing Palace.

When Yao Sulan burst into Guanju Palace, Yao Mowan was leaning on a lounge chair, playing with Xuzi.

"Did you write this? Why? What exactly is going on?" Yao Sulan held up the note in her hand, her mind filled with a series of doubts that left her agitated and uneasy. Seeing Yao Sulan charge toward Yao Mowan, Tingyue immediately stepped forward to intercept, but she did not expect Yao Sulan to suddenly raise her hand.

Just as Yao Sulan's palm was about to land on Tingyue's face, that fair, jade-like wrist was gripped tightly by Tingyue.

"Tingyue! What are you doing?" In her shock, Yao Sulan roared in fury.

"This servant has done nothing. Even if she had, she does not require discipline from Consort Li. This is Guanju Palace, and Guanju Palace has its own rules. Without my Lady's permission, Consort Li is not permitted to barge in," Tingyue reprimanded sharply.

"You!" Yao Sulan had not expected that after so many days, even the servants of Guanju Palace had become so arrogant.

"Tingyue, if that slap had actually landed on your face, you would not be worthy of staying in Guanju Palace." Yao Mowan rose lazily, swaying as she walked toward Yao Sulan, her implication being a confirmation of Tingyue's actions.

"Yao Mowan, Father has been arrested, and you aren't worried at all?" Yao Sulan pulled her wrist back in indignation and glared at Yao Mowan.

"Tingyue, stand guard outside. Do not let anyone in." Yao Mowan waved Tingyue away, then walked to the table, poured a cup of clear tea, and pushed it toward Yao Sulan.

"Father? Second Sister speaks so beautifully. To this day, does this father even exist in Second Sister's heart?" Yao Mowan struck a nerve, mocking her coldly. Having her sore spot touched, Yao Sulan felt a surge of stifled anger. She strode to the table, grabbed the teacup, and drained it in one gulp, before throwing the note in her hand in front of Yao Mowan.

"'Don't go, unless you want to die.' You wrote the words on this?" Yao Sulan demanded sternly.

"Mowan saved your life, after all. Shouldn't you be grateful?" Yao Mowan raised an eyebrow at Yao Sulan and said perfunctorily.

"Bah! This is all your conspiracy! First, you forged Ye Zixiao's handwriting to lure me to the Purple Bamboo Forest, and then you produced this nonsense to warn me! Yao Mowan, what exactly are you trying to do?" Yao Sulan questioned, bordering on madness.