40. Lin Bieji
These words made Murong Jing feel as if he were in an abyss, the blood in his veins turning to ice.
No… what was happening?
Yuan Qin was the head of the Lingxiao Pavilion, a position he had personally given him. Although he had seemed to get a bit too close to Murong Yun, she was possessed by a demon and already dead. Her life token, under the influence of the Twin Gu, was meaningless.
So, he should have returned to his control.
But why… why would he reveal these things now? It was of no benefit to him.
Unless… unless…!
Thinking of this, Murong Jing suddenly had a thought.
Unless Murong Yun wasn’t dead.
“What is going on?”
The officials, nobles, and merchants attending the banquet had initially thought this was all part of Murong Jing’s plan, a prelude to his next words.
But after Zhao Huaiji and Yuan Qin spoke, they realized something was wrong.
This wasn’t an act. These two were renowned figures in the court, and their accusations against Murong Jing were shocking.
If the Hundred Paths Mountain found out about his cooperation with the Mingjue Sect, the Youhan Dynasty would be in deep trouble. And as for Yuan Qin’s words…
The major chambers of commerce and noble families had many branches. They had never paid much attention to their side-branch children, but they had occasionally heard of some young girls dying tragically.
Most of these were attributed to accidents or illness. Since the number was small and it was an unlucky matter, they had never revealed it to the public.
And now, hearing this revelation, and putting all the pieces together, the leaders of the various chambers of commerce, who were usually at odds with each other, couldn’t help but start whispering.
The rumors they had heard, the ways those side-branch girls had died, and some other clues—the whole picture was revealed.
The situation was indeed as Yuan Qin had said.
This was like eating a melon that turned out to be about yourself. And this melon wasn’t sweet at all, but filled with resentment.
Although these girls weren’t highly valued in their respective families, they were still family. Even if they were to be used as tools for marriage alliances, it should be the elders who made the decision.
To trick a girl into becoming a tool for childbirth and a scapegoat, if they could swallow this, then they truly didn’t see themselves as human.
“There’s no such thing!” Murong Jing was now a bit flustered. “Yuan Qing must have been bewitched by them. How could he slander me for no reason?”
“Your Majesty, a man should take responsibility for his own actions. The Lingxiao Pavilion, which I lead, has dealt with the aftermath of those girls, disguising their suicides as accidents.”
“These things, I no longer intend to hide. Does Your Majesty still want to hide it?”
Yuan Qin’s relentless questioning left Murong Jing speechless.
The Lingxiao Pavilion was originally established by him to do his dirty work. It still held some of the decrypted files.
Once this was revealed, the entire plan would be completely exposed.
“Your Majesty Murong, it seems you have a story to tell?” Gong Muzhi, on the side, even praised the plan a little. “It’s not a big deal. For the prosperity of the dynasty, some things are acceptable.”
Of course, this was the first time she had heard of this, and she couldn’t help but roll her eyes.
As a woman, she could never accept the insult to women. And these girls didn’t have a good end. Anyone who heard these words would feel a bit disgusted.
The reason she said this was to provoke a reaction from the others.
“What a joke!”
Someone from the chambers of commerce clearly couldn’t sit still anymore and immediately stood up and scolded, “No wonder my little niece died so suddenly. Before she died, she had locked herself in her room for several months and didn’t want to come out.”
“Yes, that little girl from the side branch suddenly got pregnant a while ago. I thought she was unclean and beat her. A few days later, she fell into the river and drowned. So that’s what happened!?”
The discussion grew louder and louder, gradually turning into a roar in the main hall.
Although not many people were still concerned about the more explosive revelations about the Mingjue Sect, it was clear…
For someone who could do such a thing, it wasn’t surprising that this emperor was connected to the Mingjue Sect.
At this point, a shadow of gloom flashed across Murong Jing’s eyes.
“I have never done such a thing. Yuan Qin and Zhao Huaiji have been bewitched by villains and are spouting nonsense. Their crime is punishable by death. Anyone else who dares to have any objections will be treated as an accomplice.”
His stern words showed that he had no intention of explaining further. Murong Jing’s thoughts were simple: these people had to die here.
And the chambers of commerce were still under the control of the Youcang Court. As long as the army was still under his control, none of this would be a problem.
“Generals, commander of the imperial guards, listen to my command!”
“At your command!”
The response from the military made Murong Jing’s heart sink a little.
Heh—so that’s it.
No matter how eloquently you speak, the court is not just a single interest group.
Even if he admitted to these things now, the military would just pretend not to see it and wouldn’t say anything more.
Only he was the one who insisted on a foreign expedition. If anyone else were to take his place, this war would probably not happen, and their demands would naturally not be met.
As for these people—
“Senior Gong, you see now.” Murong Jing took a deep breath and said to Gong Muzhi, “Now it’s them who are colluding and plotting against me. Senior should understand my intentions, right?”
“Is that so?” Gong Muzhi raised an eyebrow, glanced at the others, and couldn’t help but sigh. “A perfectly good banquet had to be turned into a killing field. What a waste of all this food.”
“What you can get, senior, is not just a table of food.”
And just as Murong Jing finished speaking, another person interjected.
“I’m afraid what she wants is your head.”
The next moment, a wave of sword qi swept across, aiming straight for Gong Yiling.
This sword qi was swift and powerful, not something an ordinary person could withstand.
In a panic, Gong Yiling could only take out her heart sword to meet it. The force of the two clashing naturally blew the veil from her face, revealing her stunning beauty.
“Long time no see.” The person who had attacked put away his fan, as if he had just done something insignificant, then cupped his hands and smiled slightly. “Miss Gong.”
