Chapter 3717: The Guilty Party Always Accuses First
The commander and chancellor looked quite pathetic while crawling to the front of the carriage. Today was the toughest and most humiliating day in their life.
In the past, they weren’t afraid of the king at all and made maneuvers in secrecy while lying to him. After all, their clans had such deep roots in the dynasty.
If it wasn’t for Vajra’s foundation and power due to their trump cards, they might have taken over due to the king’s incompetency.
“Do you know your crimes?!” Attendant Hong spoke intimidatingly instead of the king.
In terms of power, these two were naturally not a match for the attendant. Normally, they relied on their clan and weren’t afraid of him. The situation wasn’t the same right now.
They had no advantage to speak of and needed to acquiesce.
“We are incompetent…” The two tried to keep silent about the major charges while admitting minor ones.
“Incompetent?” Attendant Hong’s eyes flashed with murderous intent: “Activating the defensive line and alarming three different powers. This act without authorization is nothing short of treachery and rebellious, a crime punishable by clan extermination!”
The attendant was serious; this wasn’t a superficial rebuke.
“That’s incorrect!” Both smashed their forehead against the ground and complained: “We were merely protecting the capital city. Our members are dead, their blood is still flowing! This is all because of Li Qiye, he committed unforgivable crimes and murdered the innocent! He conspired against the princess and attacked the capital. We tried our best to protect Her Highness and the safety of the capital but he was too powerful. We fought to the bitter end, losing thousands and thousands in the process. At that critical moment, we had no choice but to activate the defense…”
The two insisted that Li Qiye was a villain wanting to take down Vajra while they were loyal subjects dying for their country.
Heroic tears streamed down their cheeks. They certainly looked the part of loyal officials. Anyone not knowing the actual details would be fooled while admiring them for their courage.
Of course, they said nothing about wanting to avenge their son and trying to sacrifice a marquis and his daughter.
The crowd listened and exchanged glances. They saw it with their own eyes and knew what was going on.
The description was completely different. They stated that they were working for the dynasty instead of acting with a personal vendetta. They professed that their loyalty was seen by the heaven.
“Not bad at all, completely reversing the situation. Impressive.” One spectator said.
They felt that these two were truly shameless but still appreciated their eloquence.
“If Vajra takes the bait, Li Qiye will be facing the entire holy ground. It’ll be difficult for him then.” One big shot murmured.
Being enemies with Vajra meant facing far more pressure than just opposing the Li and Zhang.
“Father, this is absolutely true.” The second princess got on her knees: “This Li Qiye wanted to capture me and make me his maid, he repeatedly insulted and disrespected me. The Grand Chancellor and Grand Commander’s son died trying to protect me.”
She survived the battle earlier and immediately accused Li Qiye.
Her words carried more weight since she was ultimately a princess of Vajra. Her testimony made it so that Li Qiye would definitely become the dynasty’s enemy.
“Li Qiye is finished. The king has always pampered the second princess.” Everyone shared this belief.
The two big shots heaved a sigh of relief after listening to the princess. Activating the capital’s defense without permission was a serious crime. Now, they had a higher chance of not receiving the blame with the princess’ help.
All eyes were on Li Qiye now. He was in a tough position because going against Vajra wasn’t easy.
“Is this true?” Attendant Hong asked while staring at Li Qiye.
He became the center of attention right away. He simply smiled and said: “That doesn’t matter. Just know I will take their dog head today. No one can stop me.”
“What kind of answer is that?!” The crowd couldn’t believe this response.
Li Qiye didn’t try to defend himself at all, seemingly accepting all responsibilities. Furthermore, his attitude and choice of words showed disdain towards the king.
The king might be useless but one must still give him some face out of consideration for Vajra. One might not respect a monk but should still care about Buddha in some manner.
The two big shots were worried that Li Qiye might try to defend himself. This wasn’t the case at all. The guy chose to provoke the king and Vajra.
They became ecstatic and thought that heaven was on their side. Li Qiye was courting death and couldn’t blame them.
“Why can’t he just answer properly, this is only asking for more problems.” One expert smiled wryly.
The truth of the situation was well known but that no longer mattered. Li Qiye’s disrespect became the prime issue now.
“Your Majesty, this villain has transgressed Vajra’s authority and offended you. He deserves to be minced to a thousand pieces.” The chancellor took advantage of the opportunity.
“Father, he had looked down on the royal clan repeatedly, please uphold justice and slay him.” The second princess started sobbing, looking weak and defenseless.
Everyone thought that Li Qiye’s crime had been established. No words could change it now even though he was actually innocent. Nonetheless, he still looked calm despite the unfavorable development.
Attendant Hong continued observing Li Qiye, not showing any anger.
“Your Majesty, please decide.” He then bowed towards the king inside the carriage.
Everyone held their breath, awaiting the king’s decision. The two big shots and the princess were as anxious as can be. Victory or defeat was moments away.
Most people thought that since the king was an idiot, he might actually believe the commander and chancellor.
The king coughed several times, once again showing his deteriorating health. He spoke a bit later: “Gentlemen, do you know that saber hanging on Young Master Li’s belt?”
Everyone became confused, thinking that this has nothing to do with the situation. They then stared at the saber.
“That’s for wood chopping, right? I saw him doing it back in Myriad Beast Mountains.” One expert said.
The commander and the chancellor did the same, failing to realize anything.