Chapter 285: Confession
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Empress Dowager Yuan’s face burned. Her face alternated between red and green, and she felt that she had lost the dignity of an aristocratic family.
She wished she could dig a hole and hide in it. She wanted to leave immediately, but He Lie didn’t move. He stood where he was like a pine tree.
Empress Dowager Yuan’s expression turned even uglier. She stood there stiffly, thrown into a dilemma, not knowing whether to leave or sit.
“Thud.”
The door of the small room that had been closed for a long time was finally opened from the inside.
Qin He strolled out with a smile on his inconspicuous face that had blended into the crowd. His smile was both happy and cold, and the two red moles on one cheek were bright and dazzling.
No, this was blood.
Several of the girls quickly realized this. Their faces turned pale and they quickly looked away.
Qin He clearly walked towards Chu Yi. Wherever he passed, everyone quickly avoided him. However, most of them avoided him like the plague. Many people deliberately looked away, but they couldn’t help but sneak glances at him from the corner of their eyes.
Someone accidentally met Qin He’s eyes and gasped in shock. Qin He’s slender eyes were as deep as an abyss and as cold as ice.
Before Qin He entered the small house, he was still a human. Now, he was like a demon from the 18th level of hell.
Humans and evil spirits weren’t creatures of the same world.
Under many intimidating and shocked gazes, Qin He walked unhurriedly to
Chu Yi and bowed respectfully. “Your Highness, the interrogation is over.’
Even if he deliberately softened his sharp voice, it was still filled with an uncomfortable gloom.
When Qin He bowed, many people noticed that his fingers were also stained with blood.
His face was ordinary, but his hands were very good-looking. They were slender like jade, like a masterpiece carved by a master sculptor. The dark red blood on his fingers was so dazzling.
‘He has already confessed.” A malicious smile appeared on Qin He’s face. Coupled with the blood on his cheek, it looked even stranger. “It’s Li Han,
Eunuch Li.”
Everyone turned to look at an old eunuch with white hair and a horsetail whisk beside Empress Dowager Yuan. It was the imperial eunuch, Li Han.
Li Han’s face was pale, and deep wrinkles squeezed out of his forehead and the corners of his eyes. The horsetail whisk in his hand trembled violently a few times.
Qin He continued, “Your Highness, Li Han specially chose this pleasure boat and asked the Internal Affairs Directorate to arrange carefully selected screens and seats by the dilapidated guardrail.”
Everyone followed his narrative and looked at the screen placed by the guardrail. They saw that nine lifelike golden dragons were embroidered on the five screens, shining in the sunlight.
Anyone could tell at a glance that the seat beside the screen was the throne. Other than the Emperor, no one dared to sit down.
Immediately after, Qin He’s cold gaze turned to the broken guardrail. His eyes were cold and vicious, like a poisonous snake with its fangs bared.
‘This pleasure boat is a tribute from the Yuan family,” Qin He said slowly. His sharp voice was as if it was poisoned.
This pleasure boat was a birthday gift presented by the Yuan family of Yangzhou last year at the Longevity Festival.
Chu Yi turned around slightly. His sleeves that flew up seemed to bring about a myriad of changes. He also looked at the broken guardrail and sighed. “In that case, capture Yuan The.”
His tone was slow, neutral, but authoritative.
The others were shocked.
That was Yuan The.
Although he was just a commoner and had no official status, he was the next head of the Yuan family and the pillar of the future royal court.
The Empress Dowager was from the Yuan family.
Kang Wang had the blood of the Yuan family.
With the support of the previous Emperor for the past 20 years, the Yuan family rose step by step. Now, they had vaguely become the head of the aristocratic families.
If Yuan Zhe was really arrested and punished, it would be equivalent to the Emperor provoking the Yuan family and other aristocratic families in public. It would definitely cause a huge commotion.
Chu You could still barely maintain his composure, but Empress Dowager Yuan was already on the verge of collapse. She staggered slightly and her pupils constricted.
The atmosphere froze in an instant.
The gorgeous pleasure boat suddenly seemed to have turned into a glacier that stretched for thousands of miles, extremely cold.
At Chu Yi’s order, the surrounding Embroidered Uniform Guards drew their sabers. The tips of their blades flickered with cold light, and they moved out brazenly like ferocious tigers aiming at their prey.
A salty smell floated in the air and lingered in everyone’s noses.
‘Stop...” Empress Dowager Yuan’s eyes were filled with panic and her face turned pale. She wanted to shout at the guards to stop.
Clap! Clap!
Two medium high-fives interrupted Empress Dowager Yuan and attracted everyone’s attention.
The person clapping was Feng Yang.
When Empress Dowager Yuan met Feng Yang’s gaze, she felt a tightness in her throat and pain. She couldn’t say the rest of her words no matter what. Her usual high and mighty spirit was almost defeated.
Empress Dowager Yuan seemed to be frozen and couldn’t move.
‘This scene isn’t bad,” Feng Yang said casually with a calm expression.
These four simple words were meaningful and brought everyone’s souls back.
The atmosphere changed again.
Feng Yang shot a fierce gaze at Yuan Zhe and said in a sharp voice, “The Yuan family is bold to dare to offer tribute with such defective goods.”
Yuan Zhe barely met Feng Yang’s gaze and used all his strength to not be completely crushed by the other party’s aura. His heart suddenly sank to the bottom.
He was a smart person and naturally realized the danger.
The Eldest Prince, Chu Yi, didn’t intend to kill Kang Wang and the Empress Dowager. From the beginning, his target had been Yuan The.
It was the Yuan family.
Their Yuan family was Kang Wang’s greatest backer and had long been a thorn in the Eldest Prince’s side. The Eldest Prince had long wanted to bring down the Yuan family. Today, he was just taking the opportunity to cause trouble.
Yuan Zhe quickly weighed the pros and cons in an extremely short period of time and made a decision.
As a member of the Yuan family, he naturally had to prioritize the interests of the family.
Yuan Zhe was flexible. He immediately stood up from the round chair, flicked his robe with his right hand, and knelt down firmly.
This kneel exuded a noble spirit and the aura of an aristocratic family.
‘Your Majesty, the Yuan family was careless to actually offer such low-quality goods. The Yuan family has misjudged. As the maternal family of the Empress Dowager, the Yuan family is extremely powerful and should be even more cautious.’
Without another word, Yuan Zhe admitted his mistake to the Yuan family. He raised his head and looked at the Emperor and Chu Yi in front of him.
There was an obvious meaning behind his words. Someone was probably framing the Yuan family.
He pointed his sword at the Emperor.
Even though he was kneeling on the deck, Yuan The’s backbone was still straight, exuding a neither servile nor overbearing aura.
This kneeling gave the aristocratic families feel like they now had a backbone.
Yuan The’s acknowledgement of his mistake was too fast for even Kang Wang and Chu You to react..