kingnovel Chapter 368 I have evidence to prove my innocence!
Chapter 368 I have evidence to prove my innocence!
As soon as the Fifth Prince finished speaking, the hall fell silent for a moment.
Xie Rong's face was gloomy. He stared at the frail Fifth Prince, who was kneeling on the ground and begging for mercy, with an extremely unpleasant expression. He said, "You threatened your life and even disregarded the rules to come here, just for the Zhenguo Mansion?"
"Is the Zhenguo Mansion so important to you? Do you have any regard for your health and your mother's situation when doing this?"
Xie Qian'an sensed the anger in Xie Rong's words, and with a slight curl of his lips, he said with an elder brother's demeanor, "Fifth brother, you are still young and don't know the inside story. It's easy for you to be influenced by what others say and be used by others. I understand this."
"My Royal Brother knows that you have a close relationship with Princess Pingning. It is natural for you to be anxious when something happens in the Zhenguo Mansion."
"But no matter how anxious you are, you can't use such extreme methods to threaten Father."
"During this period, the emperor has been extremely concerned about your condition. I don't know how much time he has spent. I heard that Concubine Shun has been crying all day long because of your health. Even for the sake of the emperor and Concubine Shun, you shouldn't act like this!"
Xie Qian'an frowned, looking disappointed in his friend.
On the surface, it sounded like words of comfort, but it seemed like adding fuel to the fire, openly and secretly accusing the Fifth Prince of being unfilial and not considering the Emperor and Concubine Shun at all.
This implies to the Emperor that in the Fifth Prince's heart, the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion is much more important than him and Concubine Shun combined.
Isn't this son raised by the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion?
Sure enough, after Xie Qian'an finished speaking, Xie Rong, who was sitting on the dragon throne, looked even more angry.
The pressure and anger unique to an emperor spread in the air, and Li Shunquan, who was closest to Xie Rong, shuddered.
He secretly glanced at Xie Rong, then looked at the stubborn Fifth Prince and the malicious Xie Qian'an below, and secretly groaned in his heart.
His face became increasingly expressionless, and his actions were extremely respectful.
When the Fifth Prince heard Xie Qian'an's words, he was stunned for a moment. He didn't expect Xie Qian'an to say that.
Every word of these words was intended to provoke the emperor's anger, and the fifth prince would naturally not admit it.
He immediately denied it, "Second brother, you're overthinking it. It's too much. Father and Mother gave birth to me and raised me. Naturally, Father and Mother are the most important to me."
"My actions this time are not intended to threaten my father, but to get those guards to release me."
"My father has great power in the palace. He told me to cultivate myself and not to be disturbed by others. If I don't use this method, they will definitely not let me out."
"The reason I dare to do this is because I know that my father has always been lenient towards my brothers and me and will not punish me severely."
"I threw the sword in front of my father, but how come my second brother used it as a threat to my father?"
Xie Qian'an was about to retort when the Fifth Prince continued, "Of course, I believe that Second Brother certainly didn't misinterpret my meaning intentionally. I believe that if I explain it clearly, Second Brother will understand and won't misunderstand me anymore."
"It's also because I'm still young and haven't considered things thoroughly. Second Brother shouldn't hold on to me, right?"
As the Fifth Prince spoke, he glanced at Xie Qian'an uneasily, as if he was afraid that he would be angry.
His behavior made Xie Qian'an swallow back the words that were about to come out of his mouth.
Seeing that Xie Qian'an had stopped talking, the Fifth Prince looked at Xie Rong who was sitting on the dragon throne. He clasped his hands together, bowed slightly and explained, "Father, please calm down. I was in a state of urgency and had no choice but to resort to this desperate measure."
"My body and hair are given by my parents. I, as a son, would never dare to threaten my parents with my own body."
"This son's action is just to speak up for the Zhenguogong Mansion and not to let the Zhenguogong Mansion suffer injustice."
At this point, the Fifth Prince's expression suddenly became excited. "Father, the Duke of Zhenguo has been away at war for many years, and Princess Pingning has been without her parents since she was young. If the Duke of Zhenguo was not so devoted to Dai Viet, how could he have the heart to leave his only child alone since childhood?"
"Furthermore, I have been poisoned and am already in critical condition. If the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion truly harbored treasonous intentions, why would Princess Pingning have summoned Divine Doctor Pei to treat me? Shouldn't she have simply stood by and watched?"
"If it weren't for Divine Doctor Pei, I would still be unaware that I wasn't seriously ill but was poisoned. Since I've accepted the favor from the Duke of Zhenguo Mansion, I naturally have to speak a fair word for them on this matter."
"Father, the Duke of Zhenguo has been helping you with your worries and stabilizing the border for many years. We cannot doubt the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion just because of a traitorous guard. Who knows what this man is thinking? What if he has been bribed?"
Xie Qianan snorted coldly upon hearing this and said, "Fifth brother, you are too emotional. Princess Pingning helped you, and you think she is a good person. Maybe she is relying on this method to win people's hearts."
"Furthermore, how could it be such a coincidence that even the Imperial Hospital hadn't noticed your poisoning? Princess Pingning just happened to know a traveling doctor who was also skilled in poison therapy. He saw that you were poisoned and also happened to have a way to cure your poison..."
"Perhaps this was the work of Princess Pingning, waiting for the day when it would be exposed so that you could speak for him."
In just a few words, he took advantage of the situation and put the accusation of poisoning on Luo Xiyao's head.
Even though Luo Xiyao already knew that Xie Qian'an was a shameless and unscrupulous villain, she was still very angry about these words.
The Fifth Prince naturally would not believe Xie Qian'an's words. He already knew the truth of the matter.
The poison that the third brother and he were infected with came from the same place, Chen State.
Therefore, the person who poisoned him was either a spy from Chen State, which had a long-standing grudge against Yue State, or someone who regarded his third brother and him as enemies.
In the entire Daiyue, the person who regards the third brother as a thorn in his side is undoubtedly Xie Qian'an.
However, the probability of a hidden spy successfully poisoning him and his third brother at the same time was too low, so the fifth prince was more inclined to believe that it was Xie Qian'an who did it.
Only he, relying on Concubine Zhou's more than ten years of management in the harem, was able to poison Xie Nanyuan and the fifth prince without anyone knowing.
The Fifth Prince's heart trembled, and he immediately bowed to Xie Rong, "Father..."
Before the Fifth Prince could finish his words, Xie Rong interrupted him with a wave of his hand.
Xie Rong had a gloomy face at this moment, and the look he gave Luo Xiyao was filled with suspicion. The words he said were indeed directed at the Fifth Prince.
"Okay, Fifth Prince, you haven't recovered yet. I heard what you wanted to say. You are still young and shouldn't interfere in this matter. Go back to your bedroom to recuperate." Xie Rong said in a deep voice.
"But Father..."
Xie Rong's eyes were sharp and contained a warning.
"Yes." The fifth prince agreed unwillingly.
Upon seeing this, Eunuch Fu hurried forward to support the fifth prince.
Shen Qionghua looked at this scene, knew that the time had come, and gave Luo Xiyao a wink.
Luo Xiyao understood and immediately became furious. She said to Xie Qi'an, "Your Highness Prince An is really going too far. He just spoke of benevolence and morality, claiming to be working for the country and the people, yet he insisted on searching my Zhenguo Mansion."
"Now, based on subjective conjecture, you're accusing me of poisoning the Fifth Prince. Does Your Highness Prince An have any evidence?"
"If not, your behavior has truly opened my eyes. You act and speak based on your own likes and dislikes. Fortunately, you are only a prince. If not... I'm afraid my dynasty would be in chaos!"
Such accusations were undoubtedly fatal to Xie Qian'an, a prince who wanted to aspire to the throne, so Xie Qian'an naturally had to defend himself.
"Princess Pingning, there is no need to be angry and make random accusations. I am just making reasonable guesses based on facts. Otherwise, how can you explain these many coincidences!" Xie Qian'an said lightly.
His calm attitude formed a sharp contrast with Luo Xiyao's, as if he really had a clear conscience as he said.
Xie Rong, who was sitting on the dragon throne, seemed to want to hear how Luo Xiyao explained it, and looked at Luo Xiyao with sharp eyes.
Luo Xiyao's face flushed red, as if she had been greatly humiliated. She said, "Your Majesty, the Fifth Prince's poisoning has absolutely nothing to do with this humble servant. I have evidence to prove my innocence!"
"Maybe we can follow the clues and find the person who poisoned me!"