Transmigrated into a vicious female supporting role, reborn as a hostage to the paranoid male protag

Su Qinhuai's eyes were like knives, coldly sweeping over the ministers kneeling on the ground, anger surging in his heart.

He ascended the throne at a young age, and although he was still young, he had already seen through the intrigues in the court.

Today, these aristocratic families dared to openly plead for the chief judge of the Sansi Yamen, even accusing him of unfair punishment. Have they ever taken the imperial power seriously? Have they ever taken the eldest princess's grievances to heart?

"Your Majesty, I believe that the chief judge of the Sansi Yamen has committed dereliction of duty and slander against the Princess. His crimes are unforgivable." Zhuge Xuanyu's voice was clear and firm, breaking the silence in the hall. He bowed slightly and looked directly at Su Qinhuai, without any fear.

Su Qinhuai's eyes flashed with approval, and he felt a small sense of relief. Although Zhuge Xuanyu came from an aristocratic family, he never sided with the corrupt officials who colluded with him. He was a rare figure of integrity in the court, and one of the few officials Su Qinhuai could trust.

"Lord Zhuge, what you said is absolutely true." Su Qinhuai spoke slowly, his voice low but full of authority. "The eldest princess is my sister, intelligent and kind from childhood, but tragically lost her life in Hibiscus Tower. Now, before her body is even cold, someone dares to defame her, calling her a 'disaster star.' Such outrageous remarks, if I do not severely punish them, how can I comfort the eldest princess's spirit in heaven? How can I restore order and uphold the law?"

Before he finished speaking, Shangguan Hong, the head of the Shangguan family, who was kneeling on the ground, raised his head and said in a respectful yet pointed tone, "Your Majesty, we are not trying to excuse the Sansi Yamen. However, this matter has far-reaching implications. If we deal with it rashly, it may cause unrest in the court and the country. Please reconsider, Your Majesty."

"Think twice?" Su Qinhuai sneered, his eyes as cold as ice. "Shangguan Hong, you keep saying you're thinking about the court, but have you ever considered the injustice done to the eldest princess? Have you ever considered the pain I feel?"

"You aristocratic families often form cliques for personal gain and deceive your superiors and subordinates. I can turn a blind eye to it."

"But today, you dared to plead for mercy in front of me for those who slandered the eldest princess. Do you really think I am a soft persimmon?"

Shangguan Hong lowered his head under Su Qinhuai's gaze, cold sweat oozing from his forehead. Although he was the head of an aristocratic family with immense power, he also knew that the emperor's wrath could result in the death of millions.

At this moment, he didn't dare to speak easily, and could only look up silently at the head of the Xuanyuan family, the queen's biological father, to seek help.

Unlike Shangguan Hong, the head of the Xuanyuan family never spoke a word. Even though the Xuanyuan family, the Shangguan family and their friendly ministers were arguing with each other in the court and making a mess of it, the head of the Xuanyuan family always stood upright, remained silent and did not express his opinion.

The Qinghe Hall was completely silent, with only Su Qinhuai's voice echoing. The emperor's wrath was beyond the reach of the ministers.

"Your Majesty, I have something to report," Zhuge Xuanyu saw that His Majesty had made his attitude clear and the fire in the court had already been lit, so he could add some more fuel.

"My dear A'yu, you can just play whatever you want." Su Qinhuai felt a little tired, but at this moment, he still wanted to hear what Zhuge Xuanyu had to say.

Zhuge Xuanyu has always been a cautious child. He must have brought a memorial with him to make a report during the political meeting in Qinghe Hall because it must be an important matter.

"Your Majesty," Zhuge Xuanyu knelt and began to speak, "I report that the Jingzhao government abused its power for personal gain, falsely conveying the Empress's decree to raid the Nanhai Fairy's residence, arbitrarily arresting the patients there, extorting their money, and humiliating the people."

"Your Majesty, I submit my second report. The Jinwu Guards have received a complaint from Her Royal Highness the Princess alleging that some officials from the Shangguan and Xuanyuan families are corrupt, abuse their power, and plunder the people's money. This is evidenced by a bloodwritten witness."

Zhuge Xuanyu said hoarsely, "The evidence of the crime is clear before our eyes. I beg Your Majesty to summon the witness into the palace and personally present the blood letter to show that I am listening."

When Su Qinhuai heard the five words "Her Royal Highness the Princess", he was suddenly shocked by Zhuge Xuanyu's words and was speechless.

"Announce! Announce to me!" Su Qinhuai said in a hoarse voice.

The eunuch serving in front of the Qinghe Hall called out, and everyone turned around to see Su Yingxue in white mourning clothes, without any makeup, extremely sad, with a several-meter-long silk cloth written in blood on it, and her eyes were sad and full of red silk.

She took one step at a time, holding the blood letter firmly and resolutely. In front of everyone's surprised eyes, she knelt on the ground holding the several-meter-long blood letter in her hand. In a soft female voice, but with an aura that could not be underestimated, she accused word by word with tears in her eyes, and her voice was resounding.

"Brother Emperor, I, your sister Su Yingxue, have come here with the blood letter from the people to redress the grievances of the people and myself."

Su Yingxue knelt on the ground, holding a blood-lettered letter high. She was dressed in mourning clothes, but even on the ground, her spine remained straight. Her resounding accusation, her tears shed, moved everyone who heard it.

"Royal brother, my sister has reported that on the day Furong Tower caught fire, the imperial soldiers and the Jingzhao government were absent from their posts and neglected their duties. They allowed Furong Tower to burn down, and the people perished without a single rescue effort."

"My sister's second report: On the day the fire broke out, the Empress's close aide, Mr. Mo Li, led the Imperial Army, disguised as assassins, set fire to the building, and used the army's bows and arrows to kill the civilians who tried to escape from Furong Tower by climbing the ropes!"

"This is the confession of the civilians that the imperial sister saved that day. The civilian witnesses are all outside. The corpses of the civilians slaughtered by bows and arrows have been examined by the coroner. The confessions and witnesses are all here and can be subpoenaed."

"The emperor's younger sister has filed three accusations. The Jingzhao government, under the orders of the Shangguan family, colluded with Patriarch Bodhi to fabricate rumors and slander the imperial family on trumped-up charges. This is evidence of a three-party conspiracy."

"The Imperial Sister has made three accusations, alleging that more than half of the officials of the Shangguan and Xuanyuan families, during their time in power, embezzled the people's wealth and exploited the common people. Countless witnesses and testimony are available."

"The officials of the noble families protect each other, and the people have no place to appeal for their blood grievances. I beg my royal brother to redress the grievances of the people who have suffered injustice over the years. I beg my royal brother to use the sword of justice to give justice to the people and to my royal sister!"

"The imperial sister filed four accusations, but the three government offices ignored the truth of the case, disregarded the evidence, abused their power for personal gain, and falsely adjudicated the case, fabricating false charges and slandering the imperial family!"

Su Yingxue kowtowed after each paragraph. She was a frail woman, but at that moment, her frail frame, her unyielding words, her resolve to defend the people, and her resounding accusations moved everyone present, including the upright officials and scholars, and even Su Qinhuai.

"My dear sister, you've suffered so much." Su Qinhuai looked at Su Yingxue's pale face, her bloodshot eyes brimming with tears. Her already delicate figure had become even thinner.

Su Yingxue was wearing mourning clothes, but the clothes seemed too loose for her, making her look even more haggard and thin. The bright red blood letter, every word written with blood and tears, formed a sharp contrast with the white of her mourning clothes.

Seeing Su Yingxue like this, Su Qinhuai felt only pity. Su Yingxue had been raised in the palace since she was a child, living a life of luxury.

Although she had been a bit willful and arrogant in the past, with a princess-like temper, she was, after all, the youngest sister whom Su Qinhuai cherished in his heart. He didn't want her to suffer even the slightest injustice.

Now, every word Su Yingxue said stabbed him in the heart. However, Su Qinhuai only cared about whether she had suffered or been wronged.

Almost the moment Su Qinhuai opened his mouth, the officials who were named by Su Yingxue in the complaint turned pale as paper the moment they saw Su Qinhuai's words and attitude.

The emperor's favoritism was the trump card that had allowed Princess Su Yingxue, the eldest princess, to dominate the palace for years despite the infamy she faced. These officials instantly realized that this time, they had hit a wall and offended Su Qinhuai's bottom line.

With Su Qinhuai's great favor towards Su Yingxue, they will be punished sooner or later and have no chance of winning.