The other clan members in the main hall were also panicking.
That was the place to worship the ancestors. What if it was burned down? As the princes and grandsons, it would be too late to cry.
When Lin Mengya returned to her seat, she inadvertently saw her brother and Qin Mo sneaking back to her room. Could it be …
No way!
Fortunately, the people around were in a mess. Even the Empress and the Crown Prince seemed to be completely unaware of the abnormality of her brother and Qin Mo. Lin Mengya could only feel her heart hanging in her chest.
The noisy crowd outside gradually calmed down. Fortunately, there was a man-made pool next to Zhaohe Hall. Although the fire was not small, it was quickly brought under control.
After a while, Long Tianhao came over with a livid face. But he seemed to be holding something in his hand.
"What's the situation outside?"
The Empress asked. Presumably, she also knew what everything in Zhaohe Hall meant to the royal family of Dajin, so her tone was slightly contaminated with a little anxiety.
"It's all under control, but — this time Zhaohe Hall caught on fire. I'm afraid it's a little strange."
Everyone's attention had been attracted by Long Tianhao. He opened his palm, and Lin Mengya saw a piece of black, charred iron in his palm.
"What's this?" The Empress and the Crown Prince were in the same mood as Lin Mengya. But Long Tianhao looked at the Fifth Prince, and his handsome face was already full of a sinister look.
"This is an arrowhead, an arrowhead with engraved words! And it is covered with traces of kerosene. Ying Chu, what's your intention? You tried to shoot my princess and burned Zhaohe Hall with this arrow. Don't tell me you have a rebellious heart! "
Long Tianhao's words made the Fifth Prince completely dumbfounded.
Even the Crown Prince and the Empress did not understand why Long Tianhao would make such an accusation.
"Long Tianhao, make it clear! How did this arrowhead become mine? How dare you slander me in public? Have you eaten the guts of a leopard? "
The Fifth Prince glared at Long Tianhao fiercely, as if he would not let the matter rest. But Long Tianhao sneered, raised the arrowhead in his hand, and said loudly,
"These arrowheads are no ordinary arrowheads. Instead, they are arrowheads that we used to pray for blessings during the Grand Ceremony of Worship to Heaven. As for the rest of us, according to the rules, we have to pluck them off and carry them with us for a hundred days after going through special treatment. Then, what about yours? "
Long Yingchu's expression changed instantly. According to the rules, it should be like this. It was just that he scoffed at it, so he didn't bring it with him.
"That's right. If the Fifth Prince also has it with him, why don't you take it out for everyone to see? Wouldn't that clear things up?"
Said the King of Chongshan impartially. However, the Fifth Prince's expression became more and more unsightly.
He clenched his fists tightly. He didn't even know where he had thrown the pouch. How could he take it out now?
"Perhaps Fifth Brother was careless and lost it somewhere?"
The Crown Prince's sudden words attracted the attention of many people.
"Yes, that's right. It's … It's because I lost it by accident. Besides, it's just a few arrowheads. How could the Dajin's century-old foundation be damaged because of this? "
Hearing Long Yingchu's words, the Empress's eyes turned gloomy. When the Crown Prince was about to defend Long Yingchu, the Empress held him down.
She knew that it was a trap for Long Yingchu from the very beginning. No matter whether the arrowheads were the key to the fire in Zhaohe Hall, Long Yingchu would not be able to protect himself.
The Chen family had become a thing of the past. There was no need for him to stay. Therefore, there was no need for Long Yingchu to stay.
At this moment, it was better not to let the Crown Prince arouse suspicion.
As expected, Lin Mengya continued in a low voice.
"Praying for blessings for the country is a big deal. Both the Empress and the Crown Prince should attach great importance to it. The Fifth Prince is really open-minded. You don't care about these superfluous rules at all. It's really admirable. "
Hearing these words, the Fifth Prince was like a fish on the chopping board.
Even if the Fifth Prince was proved innocent, he had disturbed the ceremony and lost the arrowheads. He even lost the arrowhead to pray for blessings. Now, he was boasting shamelessly.
He was afraid that his clan members would not let him off.
"You … don't add oil to the fire! Hmph, the two of you are in cahoots with each other. Naturally, you want to frame me! I should have shot you to death in the hall! "
The Fifth Prince was mad with anger, so he told the public that he had shot Lin Mengya to death.
When he realized it, it was too late for regret. Everyone looked at him as if he was a stranger. Long Yingchu panicked because his grandfather, the empress, and the crown prince all chose to remain silent without saying a word.
The situation was clear. He had become the target of public criticism.
"You disrespected your ancestors and your elder brother. Although Lin Mengya was an outsider, she was the princess appointed by my father. My death is not to be regretted, but I dare not violate the law of my ancestors. I beg the Empress, the Crown Prince, and my relatives to help me. "
Lin Mengya suddenly knelt on the ground and said word by word.
The fire in Zhaohe Hall was just a prelude. Although Lin Mengya didn't know who did it, she could make use of it.
The Fifth Prince admitted that he had shot her to death. So, as long as she kept holding on to this point, no one could protect Long Yingchu, including the Crown Prince and the Chen family.
"I …"
Long Yingchu wanted to argue, but was interrupted by the Empress's cold voice.
"Evil creature, admit your mistake!"
With a bang, the cup in the Empress's hand was thrown to the ground by her.
She stared at Long Yingchu with a pair of sharp eyes.
"Mother, I …"
Long Yingchu panicked. The reason why he had someone to rely on was that he thought no one could touch him as long as the Empress and the Chen family were there.
So, when the Crown Prince asked him to teach Lin Mengya a lesson, Long Yingchu agreed immediately.
He did not expect that the matter would really be exposed. The Crown Prince acted as if he had nothing to do with it and did not care about his life or death.
"Shut up! What do you want to do? Do you want to rebel? Your father is sick in bed, but you dare to act so rashly. If your mother knew, she would die of anger! In the past, I took care of you for the sake of your sister, Imperial Concubine Chen. But you didn't repent and did such a thing! I can't let you live anymore. Guards, throw the Fifth Prince into prison. I want to strip him of his identity as a prince and punish him for the crime of great disrespect! "
The Empress's severe punishment temporarily quelled the enslavement of all the relatives.
The Fifth Prince was stunned. Today, he finally saw what it meant to burn the bridge after crossing it.
"No! You can't do this to me. It's the Crown Prince. He asked me to do this! "
In panic, the Fifth Prince couldn't care about anything else. He made up his mind to drag the Crown Prince down with him. But the Empress wouldn't let him do that.
"How dare you! The Crown Prince has always treated you well. I didn't expect that you would disregard your brotherhood for your own sake. You're so heartless and unjust. How can I allow you to be so presumptuous! "
The Fifth Prince was still cursing, but no one would believe him anymore.
Long Tianhao helped Lin Mengya up. When they looked at each other, they could read each other's minds.
The Crown Prince had lost the Fifth Prince in the Winter Festival Sacrifice to Heaven. Moreover, the Fifth Prince's casual accusation just now had caused a lot of trouble.
Originally, they could have gone further. But now, if they pushed too hard, the loss would outweigh the gain.
"Princess Yu, come here."
The Empress finally thought of Lin Mengya. As Lin Mengya's nominal mother-in-law, the Empress naturally had to comfort her.
"Yes, Your Highness."
Lin Mengya obediently walked to the Empress's side, looking aggrieved.
"You've been wronged. You were almost injured because I didn't teach my son well. This is a jade bracelet given to me by the late Emperor when I entered the palace. There's a scripture carved on it. I hope Buddha can bless you. "
As the Empress spoke, she took off the jade bracelet from her wrist.
"No, it's … it's too expensive. I can't accept it."
Lin Mengya wanted to refuse, but the Empress stood up and put the jade bracelet on her wrist.
"Princess Yu, you're a meritorious person. I'll certainly reward you handsomely. This jade bracelet is just one of them. "
What everyone saw was the Empress smiling gently and caring for Lin Mengya.
But only she knew that the Empress's words had a double meaning. She was probably going to fight with her.
"Your Highness, I have to accept your kind intentions. I'm just afraid that I'll delay Your Highness's business. That won't be good. "
With a shy smile on her face, Lin Mengya retorted sarcastically.
Their gazes only met for a brief moment, but sparks flew.
"You're sensible. Go ahead. I'll make it up to you in the future."
From Lin Mengya's eyes, the Empress seemed to see herself in the past. When she first came to the palace, she also dreamed of being in harmony with her husband.
Therefore, she tried her best to do what she should do, to be a virtuous Empress and wife, and to do everything for the Empress. Unexpectedly, it was the emperor who had a mutual affinity with another woman.
Lin Mengya was no different from the Empress in terms of scheming and birth. But she was much happier than the Empress in the past.
Dajin didn't need two such smart women. Therefore, Lin Mengya had to disappear from this world.
She retreated respectfully, but the jade bracelet in Lin Mengya's hand was warm and cold. She felt disgusted by the slippery feeling.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
