The Prince Wants to Assassinate Me Every Day

In the great hall of the Imperial Palace.

Xiao Jinsen righteously refuted the Empress's viewpoint.

Yu Qingyuan, of course, was no pushover. There was no way she would be convinced by just a few words from Xiao Jinsen. She fiercely said, "In this world, how could such coincidences exist? The Crown Prince meets mishap, and your jade pendant just happens to fall by his side?! Why is it that nobody else's pendant fell, but instead, it happens to be yours?! Why not the King of Chen? Why not Zhen's, why not someone else's?! It just had to be yours!"

"Your son…"

"Your Majesty." Yu Qingyuan did not wish to argue with Xiao Jinsen, instead, she emphatically addressed Xiao Zhanping, "Whether it's Xiao Jinsen or not, Your Majesty knows better than your concubine. Your Majesty is the supreme ruler, the Chosen Son of Heaven, and you must not, for personal desires, lose justice and show favoritism! Such an act wouldn't just fail to satisfy your concubine, it would also fail to satisfy all the ministers and the people of the nation. Please, Your Majesty, make your judgment!"

Yu Qingyuan scaled up in her speech, forcing Xiao Zhanping to deal with the matter fairly and justly. It even indicated that Yu Qingyuan had firmly decided on her stance; she would ensure that Xiao Jinsen accompany her son in death!

Xiao Zhanping's face was livid.

In front of so many ministers, being pressured by the Empress like this was something the Emperor's dignity couldn't stand.

But at this moment, he couldn't just refute the Empress outright.

In the great hall, the Empress had considerable influence.

If he showed the slightest vulnerability, it could very well be exploited.

Of course.

Xiao Zhanping naturally wouldn't let Xiao Jinsen accompany someone in death. Not to mention whether Xiao Jinsen was really involved in the Crown Prince's death, Xiao Jinsen had always been his favorite over the years, and he had already planned to depose the Crown Prince and select another heir. Xiao Jinsen was his ideal choice. Even though Xiao Jinxing had recently won his favor, ultimately Xiao Jinxing's birth status wasn't high enough, in addition to the fact that Xiao Jinsen's mother had committed actions that humiliated him, he could not truly hand over the empire to Xiao Jinxing merely based on his recent admirable performance. For the time being, he could grant him some authority and continue to observe his behavior.

"Your Majesty!" Seeing that the Emperor hadn't spoken, Yu Qingyuan became increasingly aggressive. "Please stand up for your concubine, please stand up for our deceased son!"

Xiao Zhanping's gaze sharpened; he spoke gravely, his voice resonant with authority, "Naturally, I will not show favoritism towards anyone. If the death of the Crown Prince is indeed by Xiao Jinsen's hand, then I will certainly demand his life in return. However, Empress, it's difficult to conclude that Xiao Jinsen is the perpetrator based solely on a fallen jade pendant. I can understand the grief the Crown Prince's death has brought to the Empress, and I share in that pain. I am just as eager to find the true culprit and have them torn to pieces. But as you have said, I am the honored sovereign, the Chosen Son of Heaven, and I must not, based on my own emotions, wrong anyone, nor act rashly out of emotion and indiscriminately kill the innocent!"

Xiao Zhanping's lofty words were clearly unacceptable to Yu Qingyuan.

It sounded nice but was simply a biased defense of Xiao Jinsen.

She was also well aware that the Emperor would definitely not do anything to Xiao Jinsen. It's possible that this was a conspiracy between Xiao Jinsen and the Emperor, perhaps…

The more Yu Qingyuan pondered the possibility of the Emperor's involvement in the Crown Prince's death, the more uncontrollable her emotions became.

At the brink of outburst.

Xiao Zhanping continued, "The death of the Crown Prince must be thoroughly investigated. Now that the Empress has accused the King of Chu of suspicion in murdering the Crown Prince, I will not show biased favor. But without sufficient evidence, we can't rush to judgment. Guards!"

With the command of Xiao Zhanping.

The Imperial Guards stationed in the great hall quickly stepped forward and knelt, "Your Majesty."

"Imprison the King of Chu, Xiao Jinsen, in the Imperial Censorate for trial!" Xiao Zhanping ordered.

Xiao Jinsen knelt on the ground, resentful yet not daring to resist.

The Imperial Guards hurriedly stepped forward and escorted Xiao Jinsen away.

Xiao Jinsen was taken away.

Yu Qingyuan at that moment had nothing more to say.

The Emperor had been fair and just; any more words from Yu Qingyuan would be seen as making trouble without reason.

But she was not content.

It seemed like the Emperor's fairness was just a blatant case of favoring Xiao Jinsen. The so-called trial was nothing but a word from the Emperor; guilty if he says so, innocent if he says so. It was merely a way to shut her up and keep her from losing face in front of the court officials, fulfilling her wishes!

However.

Yu Qingyuan's eyes narrowed.

She would definitely not let Xiao Jinsen walk out of the Imperial Censorate easily; she was determined to make Xiao Jinsen accompany her son in death.