Chapter 171: Let Qi Yanzhou Become a Sinful Minister for All Time

At the direction of the maid, everyone’s gaze fell upon Ye Chutang.

She wore a bright red wedding dress, a beauty that seemed otherworldly.

The Emperor’s eyes were glued to Ye Chutang, his breath growing heavy.

He could clearly feel his desire, but his body remained unresponsive!

What divine doctor, this person is just a quack!

Eunuch De, seeing the Emperor’s soul shaken, coughed lightly.

The Emperor immediately regained his composure and coldly questioned Ye Chutang.

“Princess Consort Chen, your maid claims she saw a letter of treason from Prince Chen. Is there any truth to this?”

He slightly curled his lips, waiting for Ye Chutang to make a final statement regarding Qi Yanzhou’s supposed rebellion.

However, Ye Chutang shook her head.

“I have never seen such a letter, and as for whether the maid saw it, I do not know.”

These words greatly angered the Emperor. “Do you know that deceiving the Emperor is a capital offense?”

He emphasized the word “death” with a chilling tone, intending to remind Ye Chutang that her life was in his hands and she should not seek death.

“I understand, Your Majesty, and would never deceive the Emperor.”

The Emperor, nearly driven mad by Ye Chutang’s disobedience, directed his rage at the two maids.

“Speak! Why did you deceive the Emperor?”

The two maids were so terrified by the Emperor’s anger that their souls nearly left their bodies.

They didn’t understand why Ye Chutang was not cooperating and could only stubbornly accuse Qi Yanzhou of treason.

“We are not deceiving the Emperor! Prince Chen’s residence really has letters of treason!”

“Your Majesty, the Princess Consort is definitely lying because she fears being implicated!”

Ye Chutang rebuked, “Nonsense!”

“When the Princess Consort entered Prince Chen’s residence and into the bridal chamber, she was covered by a bridal veil. How could she have seen anything besides the tips of her toes? If you’re going to lie, at least make up a believable story.”

Her words were convincing, and someone spoke up in support of Qi Yanzhou.

“Your Majesty, these two maids are certainly lying. Prince Chen barely escaped with his life to reclaim the Southern Frontier; how could he possibly commit treason?”

Someone else chimed in to support.

“Yes, Your Majesty, you can’t let the words of two maids make you doubt Prince Chen, who has fought to the death for the Northern Chen Kingdom.”

“Your Majesty, the Qi family are founding ministers of the state, dedicated to defending the kingdom; they would never commit treason!”

“These two maids must have been instigated by others to slander the loyal and patriotic Prince Chen. Their hearts are full of evil!”

The Emperor took note of the officials who spoke in defense of Prince Chen.

His temples throbbed with anger as he glared at Ye Chutang.

“Princess Consort Chen, are you absolutely sure you haven’t seen anything?”

If this wretched woman dares to defy him, then she can forget about getting the antidote!

Ye Chutang nodded confidently, “I have remained in the bridal chamber the entire time and truly did not see any letter of treason.”

The maids glared at Ye Chutang in fury and shouted loudly:

“Princess, you did see it! Why are you lying to deceive the Emperor? Right in the Tangzhou courtyard, someone from Prince Chen’s residence accidentally dropped a letter, which was later taken to the storeroom.”

After speaking, the maid kowtowed heavily to the Emperor.

“Your Majesty, whether there is a letter of treason can be confirmed by searching the storeroom.”

Eunuch De echoed, “This concerns the life and death of the Northern Chen Kingdom. Please, Your Majesty, investigate the matter of the treasonous letter thoroughly!”

No official residence can withstand a search; if it’s investigated, there will definitely be findings!

The Emperor thought the same.

He looked toward the upright Qi Yanzhou and asked, “Prince Chen, are you truly innocent?”

“I am without guilt!”

“Then, do you dare let me search the storeroom in the Tangzhou courtyard?”

“Of course, I request Your Majesty to investigate thoroughly and clear my name!”

The Emperor stood up and instructed Eunuch De, “Watch over everyone. I will personally go investigate.”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

The Emperor turned to Ye Chutang, “Princess Consort Chen, lead the way!”

“Yes, Your Majesty.” With that, Ye Chutang exited the main hall and headed toward the Tangzhou courtyard.

The Emperor followed closely behind, flanked by two hundred Imperial Guards in a grand procession.

Once they were far enough from the front courtyard, the Emperor reprimanded Ye Chutang.

“Stop!”

Ye Chutang obediently halted and turned to face the Emperor, who was furious.

“Your Majesty, I have carried out the instructions you gave me.”

Upon hearing this, the Emperor’s rage diminished somewhat.

He asked suspiciously, “Is that so?”

Ye Chutang looked sincere.

“Of course, my life is in Your Majesty’s hands, so I would never defy your orders.”

The Emperor snorted coldly. “Then why did you act like that earlier?”

“Please forgive me, Your Majesty. I didn’t dare let Qi Yanzhou know that I betrayed him, or else his people would surely kill me.”

At these words, the Emperor’s fury completely vanished, and he looked at Ye Chutang with admiration.

“You’ve thought it through well. Where are those things?”

“Your Majesty, the weapons are in the storeroom, the letters are in the beam of the bridal chamber, and the witchcraft dolls are in the bridal chamber’s closet.”

“You’ve chosen good hiding spots. Lead the way!”

The Emperor looked at Ye Chutang with increasing satisfaction.

She was beautiful, intelligent, skilled in medicine, and knew how to read the room.

Taking such a woman into the palace would benefit him greatly.

Ye Chutang remained still.

She reminded him, “Your Majesty, it would be best to bring a few high-ranking officials along to search the Tangzhou courtyard. Otherwise, even if the Imperial Guards find evidence, Prince Chen will accuse you of framing him.”

The Emperor nodded in agreement.

“You’re absolutely right. If I go alone to the Tangzhou courtyard, even if we find evidence of Qi Yanzhou’s rebellion, it won’t convince the officials or the people.”

He looked toward the Commander of the Imperial Guards.

“Go and summon the Prime Minister, the Minister of Rites, the various secretaries, and the Censor to join us. Also, bring Qi Yanzhou along.”

In front of the officials, he would make Qi Yanzhou a criminal for the ages!

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

The Commander of the Imperial Guards quickly left and returned with the officials the Emperor had requested.

The group headed toward the Tangzhou courtyard.

The officials were not fools. When the Emperor decided to investigate Prince Chen’s storeroom based on the words of two maids, they knew the Emperor was planning to take action against the Qi family.

However, now they were left confused, unable to discern the direction of the situation.

From the Emperor’s attitude, it seemed he was confident in his victory over the Qi family.

But looking at Prince Chen’s expression, he seemed completely unconcerned about the outcome.

They soon arrived at the Tangzhou courtyard.

Ye Chutang said, “Your Majesty, I only just entered Prince Chen’s residence and still don’t know where the storeroom is.”

Qi Yanzhou took over her words, raising his hand and pointing.

“This is the storeroom.”

The storeroom was locked, and the Imperial Guards swiftly removed the door.

The Emperor feigned kindness and reminded, “Fifty men will be enough to search. Be careful not to damage anything from Prince Chen’s belongings while searching for the letters.”

Since Qi Yanzhou had not yet been convicted, they couldn’t act too harshly.

The Imperial Guards responded in unison, “Understood, Your Majesty!”

Then, fifty Imperial Guards entered the storeroom, filing in one by one.

The remaining one hundred and fifty Imperial Guards stayed outside the courtyard to protect the Emperor.

The Emperor glanced at the festive wedding chamber, a cold killing intent flashing in his eyes.

The weapons hidden in the storeroom were not carefully concealed and were quickly found by the Imperial Guards.

“Your Majesty, there are a lot of weapons in the storeroom!”

Upon hearing this, Qi Yanzhou immediately displayed great shock.

“No way! The storeroom only contains the gold, silver, jade, and antiques that the King collected, as well as the dowry brought by the Princess Consort.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the Imperial Guards emerged, holding swords, guns, bows, and arrows.