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墨書 Inktalez
"Your Majesty," Qing Luan was about to speak when Prime Minister Huang interrupted her, "Zhu Qingluan is audacious. She claims to come to resolve the issues caused by the Barbarians, yet she dares to file a complaint against someone of higher rank. This shows her ulterior motives and cunning nature. I urge Your Majesty to have her investigated, lest she becomes unruly!"
The sudden severity of Prime Minister Huang's words startled many and caused some to worry about Qing Luan's fate.
"Your Majesty, this woman has repeatedly spoken arrogantly, showing disdain for the ministers. How can a lowly Merchant's Daughter stand in court and make such bold claims? I implore Your Majesty to grant the Chancellor's request," Brent, who had never liked her, seized the opportunity to add fuel to the fire, his face twisted with malice.
Hearing Brent's words, the Emperor frowned slightly, a flicker of unintentional displeasure flashing in his black eyes, but he remained silent.
"Your Majesty, my grievances can only be reported to you for justice to be served. Otherwise, no one would dare take this matter on, not even the Chancellor would risk handling my case!" Qing Luan shot a meaningful glance at Prime Minister Huang before speaking brightly.
"Oh?" The Emperor responded with interest, curious as he asked, "Who do you intend to accuse?" A charge so serious that even the Chancellor wouldn't dare take it on—this was intriguing.
"It is none other than the future Consort's father, General Bu!" Qing Luan said gravely, finally voicing the words she had held back for so long. As soon as she spoke, an uproar erupted among those present in the court once more.
"You... you vile creature! How dare you tarnish my father's reputation? I'll see you dead for this!" Brent, used to being arrogant, lost his composure in that moment and forgot where he was, becoming even more reckless.
"Lord Bu, do you wish to commit murder in the Golden Throne Hall?" Bai Song coldly questioned him.
"Your Majesty, I would never!" Brent quickly regained his senses upon Bai Song's inquiry and knelt down to plead for forgiveness.
The Emperor did not look at him but turned his gaze toward Qing Luan and asked, "What do you intend to accuse General Bu of?" This girl was extraordinary; her eyes radiated deep resentment that tugged at one's heartstrings. Yet he was the Emperor and had to uphold fairness without favoring either side to avoid unrest.
"Your Majesty, please allow me to recount some past events. After hearing them, Your Majesty will understand what I am accusing General Bu of," Qing Luan spoke clearly and calmly. She was not flustered or terrified by the Emperor's question; instead, she exuded more courage and confidence than Brent.
"Speak," the Emperor said, his tone softer now. He was pleased with her performance; he did not like to see those who knelt before him trembling in fear. Instead, he felt a sense of admiration for the confident young woman before him, who showed no signs of cowardice.
Poor Brent, the future Consort, had spoken a few careless words out of indignation, and as a result, the Emperor saw through his underlying lewdness. Even without what Qing Luan had said, Brent would never become the Consort.
"Five years ago, I was Chen Xiaode's fourth daughter. Because of my mother’s status as a Merchant's Daughter, my father looked down on me, leading to my engagement being called off by Dealer. Aunt Huang said I brought shame to the family and sent me to a rural village... They called it a village, but it was just two thatched huts. I was willing to live there; at least I was away from all the disputes, and life was quite peaceful," Qing Luan spoke calmly, with little resentment in her voice. However, when she spoke of the village's destruction, her tone turned sharp and piercing, her eyes filled with tears and rage.
"But one day, when I took my maid to play in the mountains with a girl from the village, a fire suddenly broke out in the village. The entire place was engulfed in flames..." She choked as she recounted the past, looking at the Emperor with red eyes. "There were no pirates; just a group of bloodthirsty beasts rampaging and killing indiscriminately, not even sparing the village girls..." She recited Zhao Yun's words verbatim, and immediately, the atmosphere in the court shifted.
"You... you’re talking nonsense," Brent exclaimed, his face paling. Regardless of whether he had any connection to the village massacre or not, if there were no pirates involved, then everything would come crashing down for his father.
Without pirates, where did the victories come from? It would all be a lie. Not only would his father's position be at risk, but it seemed that the Bu Family would face utter disaster.
"Miss Zhu, you cannot speak recklessly without evidence," he said. He knew that General Bu had sent soldiers disguised as pirates to commit murder but was unaware that she was a survivor of that tragic event.
"Yes, bring forth your evidence," Brent shouted angrily, his eyes lighting up.
Seeing his frivolous and restless demeanor made the Emperor narrow his eyes once more and maintain his silence.
"I escaped with my maid and a little girl from the village back then; however, my maid died just days ago while trying to save me in Princess Mansion," she said loudly enough for everyone to hear. She believed the Emperor already knew about her commotion and did not wish to hide anything. "Those men in black thought everyone in the village had been killed but did not know that a child was hiding in the river, witnessing her own mother and sister being violated and murdered by those beasts..." The gruesome scenes unfolded one by one through Qing Luan's narration, overwhelming even the hardened men present.
"Who could be so cruel? How could they spare no women or children?" someone began to voice their outrage; such acts were intolerable by anyone's standards.
"Indeed! Such brutality—leaving none alive is simply madness!"
"Such a person should be exterminated along with their entire family!"
"A heartless beast deserves to be cut into a thousand pieces!"
The merciless comments left Brent pale, and he trembled as he explained, "Five years ago, my father wasn't there; it has nothing to do with him!"
"Yes, it has nothing to do with your father," she said, her eyes red and filled with malice as she glared at the pale-faced Brent. "But since there were no pirates, where did the news of your father's victory come from? Those pirates, those fallen soldiers—where did they go?" She was looking for an opportunity; if Prime Minister Huang couldn't be brought down, she would first eliminate his allies.
"You’re talking nonsense! Those soldiers died fighting the pirates..." Brent felt anxious, but knowing this involved the entire Bu Family, he forced himself to calm down and said darkly, "That incident happened five years ago. How do you know there won't be any pirates five years later?" Yes, that must be it. Five years later, the pirates appeared, and he won the battle. She was slandering his father; it had to be that way.
"Truly, you won't shed a tear until you see the coffin," Qing Luan scoffed, her eyes filled with disdain. She had never regarded Brent highly; a man who was impulsive and arrogant, unable to discern the situation—what could he achieve? "Your Majesty, General Xuanyuan Hui's death also had its reasons and is related to the village massacre!"
Originally, she intended to keep this secret like Xuanyuan Rui did, but now it seemed that while the secret might be preserved, Prime Minister Huang would still take her life. So she preferred to fight desperately; perhaps the Emperor would genuinely want to investigate the cause of those events for the sake of the princess. This could turn out to be a good thing for her.
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