Chapter 79
The Emperor was unusually aggressive tonight, and the ministers were stunned.
If Shen Nian had spoken that way, no one would have batted an eye—they were used to it, and some even expected it. But hearing such cutting words come from the Emperor himself was deeply unsettling.
Some eyes furtively drifted toward Shen Nian, who sat at the same table as the Emperor. The consensus was clear: keep bad company and you'll become bad yourself—the Emperor must have been corrupted by Shen Nian, and that was why he had turned out like this.
With that thought, the subtle scrutiny on Shen Nian shifted into faint reproach, though with the Western Di envoy present, certain words were inconvenient to say aloud.
Shen Nian knew what the court officials were thinking, and Qi Junmu could see it too, but neither of them paid it any mind.
Qi Junmu's eyes remained fixed on Qi Junyan, hoping to get a definite answer from him. Shen Nian, appearing calm, was quietly observing everyone around him.
He sat beside Qi Junmu, at the highest seat, giving him a clear view of all the expressions that people had not yet managed to conceal.
Among those the Emperor valued most: Prince Rui was flustered, Prince Jin was indifferent, and Prince Ying—who usually kept out of worldly affairs—was frowning with obvious worry on his face, seemingly concerned for his family.
Left Chancellor Lin Xiao kept his eyes lowered, his expression unreadable, though his solemn face was plain to see. Yue shi beside him looked rather grim, even somewhat distracted. Several times she unconsciously poked her chopsticks into the dishes, then just as absently put them down. As for Lin En, he wore his mask, his lips pressed together lightly, his gaze calm.
After sweeping his eyes around, Shen Nian's gaze returned to the Emperor, who was staring coldly at Qi Junyan.
Qi Junyan stood there, trembling all over. Finally, he looked at the Emperor with an air of resignation, as if he had nothing left to lose: "Yes, what Arlie said is true. While I was at the West Frontier, I did indeed receive letters from the king of Western Di, and I also met with their envoy. But... but I had no other intentions. I just wanted to see what Western Di wanted with me in private."
A faint smile flickered across Arlie's face, then vanished just as quickly.
Qi Junmu's expression grew even colder. He said softly, "Since Prince Rui has admitted it, I wish to ask: what did the Western Di envoy want with you?"
Qi Junyan pressed his lips tightly together. From the Emperor's attitude alone, he could tell that the Emperor already knew about everything he had done and everyone he had dealt with in the West Frontier. Regardless of the reasons, it no longer mattered whether he spoke now—the Emperor had already secured his leverage over him. With just one word, the Emperor could pin the charge of colluding with foreign enemies on him, and then conveniently eliminate him, securing his throne firmly and irrevocably.
Qi Junyan felt utterly defeated. Besides, even if he tried to explain himself, some things would only sound laughable to outsiders. Yet even so, Qi Junyan still wanted to fight for himself. He looked at Qi Junmu and said: "At the time, the king of Western Di said he had something very important to discuss with me. When I met their envoy, they said that if I were willing, they could help me become the emperor of Da Qi. But I did not agree."
Having said that, Qi Junyan stood there in silence.
Arlie quickly interjected: "Our king did indeed wish to meet Prince Rui of Da Qi, but he had no intention of helping Prince Rui rebel. Perhaps Prince Rui misunderstood. If Your Majesty does not believe it, you may ask Prince Rui to produce the letters and see if such words are written anywhere in them. Our king merely wanted to inquire about Your Majesty's preferences through Prince Rui—nothing more."
Qi Junyan knew full well how feeble his explanation sounded. If he were Qi Junmu, he wouldn't believe it either.
As Emperor Jing's eldest legitimate son, he had once had a bright future ahead of him, yet his mother's clan had fallen from favor, and Emperor Jing had never taken a liking to him. After Qi Junmu ascended the throne, it was not as though he had never thought about how wonderful it would be if he himself sat in that position.
He did not deny having such thoughts. When he met with the Western Di envoy, he had also hesitated greatly.
At the time, he understood Western Di's intentions. Once he had confirmed that they truly meant it, his first reaction was to refuse outright. Call him obstinate, call him arrogant—but he had never considered conspiring with foreign enemies.
He also knew that his meeting with the Western Di envoy could not be hidden from the Emperor in the capital. Even if they had not met, the correspondence alone—if the Emperor so wished—could all become evidence of his collusion with foreign enemies.
Under Emperor Jing's suppression, he had neither power nor influence—he was just an ordinary man. He had never done anything outrageous in his entire life. Refusing Western Di's offer to his face was the first time.
The Western Di envoy had looked at him as if he were a fool, but Qi Junyan was still willing.
Now he had explained all that needed explaining, and said all that needed to be said. Qi Junyan knew his identity—this day was bound to come sooner or later, and there was no avoiding it. But he did not regret it. Even if time turned back, he would still refuse to cooperate with Western Di.
Even if he was not the Emperor of Da Qi, he was still a prince of Da Qi. He would never collude with foreign enemies like Chang Sheng had.
With that thought, Qi Junyan's expression steadied. He declared with a clear voice: "Your Majesty, I believe that history will clear my name." The implication was clear: even if you have me killed now, people a hundred years from now will still overturn my case and know that you did it deliberately.
Qi Junmu glanced at him and chuckled lightly: "Is it?"
Qi Junyan certainly did not want to die, but his identity was his death warrant. Now all he could do was maintain his composure as best he could, making people believe he was innocent.
After the Emperor lightly let fall those two words, some ministers could no longer stay seated. One said: "Prince Rui dares to claim he had no selfish motives? If he truly had none, why would he have met privately with the Western Di envoy? How could there be no treachery in that? Now that the matter has been exposed and he fears the Emperor's reprimand, he spouts such high-sounding words. Since Prince Rui claims he refused, does he have any proof?"
"Exactly," another chimed in.
The hall grew somewhat noisy. Lin Xiao kept his head lowered throughout, saying nothing.
Wen Zhuo, however, could not resist throwing a few sarcastic barbs at Qi Junyan. In Wen Zhuo's view, no matter what grievances the Emperor might have with his family, by speaking up now he was acting for the Emperor's sake—surely that could not go wrong.
As the chorus of condemnation grew louder, the Emperor said idly: "Enough."
The hall fell silent. Arlie still wanted to say something, but Qi Junmu's gaze had already shifted to Qi Junzhuo. He said: "Prince Jin, a female assassin appeared in the capital some days ago, and it is said she is acquainted with you. Can you tell me what exactly is going on?"
No one had expected the Emperor's topic to jump so abruptly. Everyone had been busy accusing Prince Rui, and now the subject had suddenly switched to Prince Jin.
Some quickly caught on: the Emperor was settling accounts all at once, intending to clear away both Prince Rui and Prince Jin, leaving only Prince Ping to put up a show of brotherly affection.
Just as Emperor Jing had once done with Prince Ying.
Prince Ping, who had been sitting steadily to the side, raised an eyebrow at this scene, his bearing unmatched and his demeanor refined.
When Qi Junzhuo heard Qi Junmu's question, he rose and stepped out of his seat, kneeling in the great hall. He said: "Your Majesty, this subject knows nothing of the female assassin matter."
With this denial, everyone felt his skin was even thicker than Qi Junyan's.
Qi Junyan had at least admitted to what he had done wrong. Qi Junzhuo, on the other hand, opened with a flat denial. Did he still think he was the same Prince Jin who had once enjoyed the Emperor's boundless favor?
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