The Reborn Princess Has Turned Evil

Now all the evidence points to Qi Zhi, and Qi Zhi's expression finally changed slightly. He cupped his hands in a salute and shouted, "Your Majesty, this is truly a miscarriage of justice!"

"Crown Prince Qi, now that the evidence is irrefutable, do you still want to deny it?" Yelü Yuanxiu certainly wouldn't let him off the hook.

Qi Zhi ignored him and continued, "The innocent are innocent; someone must have deliberately framed us."

"Oh? So you have nothing to say, and you can just argue that the innocent are innocent!" Yelü Yuanxiu said with a look of contempt.

Qi Zhizhen could no longer contain himself and said coldly, "Crown Prince Yelü, if this matter has nothing to do with you, please watch your words! Otherwise, people will think that you are deliberately retaliating against me and are busy shirking responsibility!"

Yelü Yuanxiu was immediately speechless, a surge of anger rising from his chest to his throat. Just as he was about to lash out, Xiao Heng grabbed him and, after glancing around at the surroundings, gave a cold snort and remained silent.

"Your Majesty, what Crown Prince Qi said is true. If he really harmed Consort Li, what good would it do him? Would he just give others a handle to use against him and have them question him?" The Empress Dowager spoke up again, determined to exonerate Qi Zhi.

Emperor Jing's expression turned grim. Instead of answering, he asked, "So, Mother Empress, you mean the evidence is just for show?"

The Empress Dowager was speechless, so she resorted to shamelessness and turned to pressure Jing Fengyao, "Fengyao, as the eldest son and the legitimate son, what do you think of this matter?"

Jing Anle suppressed her sarcasm. This old hag actually wanted to sow discord. Dream on!

Jing Fengyao stood aside and respectfully said, "Grandmother, the evidence is irrefutable, and your grandson cannot refute it. The law is strict, and even the emperor is subject to the same laws as commoners."

His voice was clear and cold, loud enough for everyone in the hall to hear clearly.

"Nonsense!" the Empress Dowager scolded.

If she dares not reprimand Emperor Jing, surely she can reprimand Jing Fengyao?

"Putting aside the fact that Crown Prince Qi was innocent, even if things have turned out this way, shouldn't we still care about the diplomatic relations between the two countries?"

"Qi has always been powerful, why should we fall out over such a trivial matter!"

"Your Majesty!" The Empress Dowager turned to Emperor Jing and said, "Now that our Jing Kingdom is at peace and the people are happy, why should we let such a trivial matter cause discord between our two countries and disregard the well-being of our people? Your Majesty must carefully consider what is more important!"

Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant! Even Jing Anle wanted to applaud the Empress Dowager. She actually brought up the diplomatic relations between the two countries. Tsk tsk, she really knows how to grasp the key points.

“Yes, Your Majesty, Yongping knows that Consort Li has been wronged, but Your Majesty cannot disregard the people!” Yongping chimed in.

Emperor Jing's gaze turned even colder as she looked at Yongping. "Is this a trivial matter? Yongping, do you really think so?"

Princess Yongping's face stiffened slightly under Emperor Jing's gaze. She was unusually at a loss and could only mumble, "The weight of the people's burden is heavier than Mount Tai! Your Majesty, you should think twice!"

The court fell silent once more. The Empress Dowager had instructed Emperor Jing not to pursue the matter, a sentiment that naturally reflected Prince Qing's opinion. The other princes from foreign lands were even less inclined to interfere. If this matter were handled improperly, it would be a loss of face and reputation. Punishing Qi Zhi would offend the Qi Kingdom, while letting it pass lightly would undermine the prestige of the Jing Kingdom.

"This matter is indeed difficult to handle."

As soon as Emperor Jing finished speaking, a figure suddenly appeared at the door from afar. The guards at the door were about to stop him when they discovered that the person was none other than Prime Minister Chu.

"You've come at the perfect time, my dear minister." Emperor Jing beckoned to Prime Minister Chu.

"I have something to ask you."

For a moment, everyone looked at Prime Minister Chu.

Everyone knows that Prime Minister Chu is Emperor Jing's confidant, and that in a few days his daughter Chu Mingyue will marry the eldest prince Jing Fengyao.

Jing Anle's eyes darted around, and he seemed to understand something.

"Prime Minister Chu, you are a veteran minister. Can't you tell what is more important? Are you going to let His Majesty squander the country built by the late Emperor?" When the Empress Dowager saw Prime Minister Chu arrive, she became somewhat agitated, her words were forceful, and her hands trembled slightly.

Jing Anle snorted coldly. What a huge compliment! To help Prince Qing, he dared to say anything.

"Greetings, Your Majesty and Empress Dowager!" Prime Minister Chu did not reply, but first respectfully bowed. Since he was here, he must have learned about the matter.

Emperor Jing looked at Prime Minister Chu and said, "My dear minister, the evidence now points to Crown Prince Qi, but the Empress Dowager is worried about the relations between the two countries. What is your opinion?"

Prime Minister Chu remained calm and composed. He first glanced around at everyone in the hall, then slowly spoke: "Your Majesty, Empress Dowager, although the evidence points to Crown Prince Qi, it is still unknown whether there are any hidden circumstances. If we rashly convict him, we fear it will chill the hearts of the Qi Kingdom. If we let him go easily, it will be difficult to convince the public and will damage the prestige of our Jing Kingdom."

Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager's expression softened slightly, and she felt that Prime Minister Chu's words were somewhat acceptable.

The Prime Minister of Chu then said, "In my opinion, it would be better to send Crown Prince Qi back to Qi and ask King Qi to make a decision!"

Using someone else's strength against them, Jing Anle silently praised him in his heart, "He truly deserves to be the prime minister of a nation."

"How can this be allowed?" The Empress Dowager immediately jumped up in anger. If Qi Zhi returned to Qi Kingdom as a guilty man, how would he return to Jing Kingdom in the future, and how would he continue his grand plan?

What the Empress Dowager could think of, Jing Anle naturally could too. She wouldn't let the Empress Dowager succeed, so she gave Jing Fengyao a wink. Jing Fengyao immediately understood and cupped his hands, saying, "Father, this method is excellent. It preserves the dignity of our Jing Kingdom and does not damage the relationship between the two countries. It is truly a win-win solution."

"I also think it's very good. I wonder what the Empress Dowager finds wrong?" The words were spoken softly, but were full of coldness.

The Empress Dowager's expression froze. She felt that although Emperor Jing in front of her had no expression, he was like a dangerous leopard, lurking in the shadows, ready to attack at any moment.

The Empress Dowager flicked her sleeve and said, "You only care about the court. Have you ever thought about Rou'er's marriage? Her wedding banquet with Crown Prince Qi is just around the corner. How do you expect Rou'er to face this?"

Jing Anle almost burst out laughing when she heard this. How could a dignified empress dowager not know what was important? She had practically delivered herself into this mess.

"Grandmother~" Jing Anle's face immediately changed to a wronged expression.

"Although Anle doesn't understand state affairs, she knows that the country comes first, then the family. Princess Rou is so sensible and understanding, she is sure to be able to understand. With such a profound sense of righteousness, which of the fine men of Jing Kingdom wouldn't admire her? They would all be vying to marry her in the future and take pride in it."

Her voice was soft yet clear, piercing the Empress Dowager's ears. The Empress Dowager almost wanted to strangle Jing Anle, thinking to herself that a child born of a lowly person would still be a little lowly person.

Seeing that the Empress Dowager remained silent, Jing Anle blinked her big eyes innocently and asked, "What does Grandmother think?" as if to say, "Empress Dowager, you have no vision."

"Please reconsider, Your Majesty!" Prime Minister Chu said at the opportune moment.

"Grandmother, please reconsider!" Jing Fengyao said.

The Empress Dowager was filled with uncontrollable anger, and the more she thought about it, the angrier she became. She stood up and shouted, "Do you think I have some ulterior motive? It's because Rou'er is pregnant!"

The sound almost pierced the hall, scorching the ears of everyone present.