bookrandom 233 Very good
233 Very good
"Do not--!"
Ryan refused to believe that the Empress would show no mercy to the Eighth Princess. He urgently reached out and placed his hands on the Empress's phoenix-patterned gold-threaded shoes, his head quickly drooping down to the back of his hands. He pleaded again, "Your Majesty, it's all Ryan's fault. Ryan knew about this scheme to switch the bride and phoenix but didn't stop Xile in time. Instead, he covered it up for her. Ryan deserves to die!"
"You...you are absolutely wrong!" The Empress stared at Ryan in disbelief and angrily rebuked him, "As her father's servant, you not only condoned her outrageous behavior, but you even became her accomplice?!"
"It is all Rui'an's fault! We beg Your Majesty to punish him! Please forgive Princess Xile!"
Ryan wanted to take all the blame upon himself, but the Eighth Princess had committed far more than just one or two crimes. How could he possibly bear the responsibility on his own?
Chu Qingluo silently watched the scene unfold before her. What was supposed to be a public denunciation meeting had turned into a melodramatic family drama. She subconsciously glanced at the Sixth Princess beside her, wondering what the Sixth Princess was thinking at that moment.
The fourth princess was exiled, and the eighth princess now has absolutely no chance of turning things around. It can be said that the sixth princess has become the ultimate winner in this battle.
The Sixth Princess also noticed Chu Qingluo's gaze. She didn't look back at Chu Qingluo, but instead recalled the blood divination that High Priest Wuyue had performed for her in the Yuezhi Kingdom...
At the time, Wu Yue did not reveal the meaning of the divination, but only said, "Only by turning the tide can we see the dawn." Although the words were not explicitly stated, the Sixth Princess herself could see a clue from Wu Yue's expression and the changes in the water vat.
When her own blood and Ji Qiran's blood dripped into the water vat, Wu Yue's face remained calm. However, as soon as Chu Qingluo's blood was added, the small snake in the vat began to thrash about haphazardly, and Wu Yue's expression subtly changed... It wasn't until her blood dripped into the vat again that the divination returned to calm.
Just as Wu Yue said, the reverse current and the chaos were the various tribulations she experienced after returning to Ji Kingdom. As for Chu Qingluo... the Sixth Princess guessed that Chu Qingluo was the key to turning the tide that Wu Yue was referring to. Only by taking her under her wing could the overall situation be stabilized.
Therefore, when Chu Qingluo was in trouble, the Sixth Princess did her best to save her. Apart from the relationship with Ji Qiran, the biggest reason was because of the Blood Divination.
Judging from the current situation, the Sixth Princess believes that her judgment is clearly correct.
"Your Majesty," the Sixth Princess said, pulling herself out of her reverie and taking a step forward, "Anyang believes that Eighth Sister is still young and not mature enough, and Long Kui is quite adept at manipulating people's hearts, which is why Eighth Sister was bewitched and lost her mind..."
The Sixth Princess's words surprised Jiang Sha considerably. Jiang Sha believed that this was precisely the moment when the Empress was most disappointed in the Eighth Princess, and they should seize the opportunity to eliminate any potential threats!
Compared to the anxious Jiang Sha, Chu Qingluo was relatively calmer. She unconsciously raised an eyebrow, thinking that the Sixth Princess was about to put on a good show of being kind-hearted and repaying evil with good...
Even the Eighth Princess herself hadn't expected that, even at this point, the Sixth Princess would actually stand up and plead for her? It was simply against all reason! "Sixth Sister, why bother with this hypocrisy and pretense?!"
"Xile, shut up." Ryan immediately stopped the Eighth Princess from saying anything more. No matter what the Sixth Princess's intentions were at this moment, whether they were sincere or not, as long as the Eighth Princess could live, nothing else mattered.
The Empress looked at the Sixth Princess, her expression complex. "Anyang, I ask you, did you already know about Xile's actions?"
The Sixth Princess said, "An Yang dares not deceive His Majesty. An Yang indeed knew the truth after Lady Jiang Sha investigated it." The Sixth Princess did not intend to tell the Empress that this bloody battle, in which the opponent was known, had actually already begun.
"Since you know that Xile and Longkui tried to kill you, are you still willing to forgive her?"
"Yes, Your Majesty." The Sixth Princess bowed slightly and said firmly, "After all, we are sisters. An Yang really couldn't bear to see Eighth Sister die a tragic death. That's why An Yang asked Lady Jiang Sha to tell the truth in the Phoenix Palace and deliberately avoid the Qingming Palace, hoping to leave some room for Eighth Sister."
"..." After hearing this, the Empress looked at the Sixth Princess deeply for a long time before saying, "Anyang... is very good."
Having said all that, Chu Qingluo couldn't help but admire the Sixth Princess. Because the Sixth Princess hadn't deliberately pandered to the Empress after she found herself in a difficult situation, trying to give her a way out; she had already made her decision before even arriving…
His image of being benevolent, righteous, resolute, and decisive will surely make the Empress look at him in a new light.
Undoubtedly, in this battle for the throne, the Sixth Princess won decisively.
Faced with the Empress's praise, the Sixth Princess once again humbly bowed her head and said, "However, An Yang believes that a culprit like Long Kui must be completely eradicated and must not be tolerated!"
"That sinner deserves to have his entire family executed!" the Empress roared. "Guards! Bring that sinner, Long Kui, to me!"
Regardless of the circumstances, given their many years of relationship as ruler and subject, the Empress decided to personally see Long Kui off on her final journey.
No matter how good Ren Longkui is at sophistry, she cannot prevail over the undeniable facts.
Especially since the Eighth Princess had completely surrendered, and all kinds of evidence were irrefutable... Long Kui never expected that she, who had been invincible all her life, would have Long Xiaohan become her weakness, allowing the Sixth Princess and her group to put in all their effort to strike her deeply!
Long Kui had only been in the prison for a few days when the world outside changed drastically. She didn't even have a chance to struggle and could only accept her predetermined fate.
This time, the Empress did not delay at all, and issued the imperial edict on the spot.
Long Kui, a first-rank female official who had dominated the palace for many years, was stripped of her official position in the palace. Her crimes were numerous, and her entire family was executed.
All the female officials connected to Long Kui, including He Yujie, were thoroughly investigated. The Empress wanted to eradicate them completely, and Jiang Sha showed no mercy, implicating many people. Some died, and others were demoted.
Although Li Yan was a member of Long Kui's faction, she was able to testify and was spared the death penalty, but was instead exiled to Bingshan.
As for the Eighth Princess, the Empress ultimately spared her life, saying that she wanted the Eighth Princess to open her eyes wide and see how her mistake had led to the Sixth Princess ascending to the throne she so desperately desired.
The Empress imprisoned the Eighth Princess in the Flying Immortal Palace, forbidding her from stepping outside and forbidding anyone from visiting her. Even the Eighth Princess's biological father, Rui'an, was reduced overnight from the highest-ranking male attendant to a destitute man in the cold palace.
What devastated the Eighth Princess even more was that the Empress entrusted her own son to the Sixth Princess to raise, a double blow to her mental well-being. Not only did she lose her right to the throne, but she also lost her own child…
This might be even more agonizing than death.