Chapter 1537: Counterattack

At this moment, the court was in chaos, with a heated argument breaking out. It was clearly divided into two factions, arguing fiercely over the case of Sang Hong.

Prince Qi, standing at the front of the assembled officials, subtly glanced at Zhao Hao, who was seated at the head. It was difficult to discern any emotion on his face.

Prince Qi secretly sighed. His brother was truly unfathomable; there was no way to determine his true attitude.

He then scanned the civil and military officials in the court, noticing that many familiar faces were missing.

The brothers Qin Zheng, Commander of the Central Army, and Qin Se, Protector of the Central Army, had led their armies to war against the demon forces due to the recent massacre of a border city by the demon race. On the demon side was the Flying Leopard King, one of their four renowned generals. Both sides were evenly matched, and they wouldn't be able to return anytime soon.

Yu Nan, the Vice Minister of the Secretariat, had initially resigned because of his rivalry with Zu An at the brothel, combined with his marriage to a princess, which had caused the royal family to lose face.

His father, Yu Xuan Chong, the Senior Minister of the Left, was also implicated in the matter. Although he offered to resign, the Emperor did not agree at the time, but his prestige suffered greatly.

Soon after, the Yu family in Yunzhong Prefecture caused a huge scandal. Yu Xuan Chong no longer had the face to continue as Senior Minister of the Left, and this time, the Emperor approved his resignation.

These were the core members of his faction. Now, among the high-ranking officials, only Duke Linhai, Attendant Pei Zheng, and Prince Fufeng, General-in-Chief of the West Zhao Zang, remained on his side. Compared to the grand influence they had in previous years, they were now much more diminished.

However, his years of cultivation were not for nothing; many mid-level officials still supported him.

This time, he intended to use the Sang Hong case to launch a fierce counterattack and reverse the decline his faction had experienced over the past few months.

The recent statement, "Sang Hong conspired with the demon race and his entire family should be executed!", was uttered by one of his subordinate censors.

Humph, the Emperor has repeatedly dealt ruthless blows to my side. How can I not retaliate to appease the hatred in my heart?

At this moment, Bi Zi Ang from the opposing side gave a signal. An official from his faction stepped forward to retort, "That is incorrect. As an imperial envoy, Master Sang was attacked en route; he was a victim. How could he have conspired with the demon race?"

Sang Hong was part of the Emperor's faction, so whether he was in trouble or not didn't really matter. However, Zu An was also implicated this time. Zu An was a key general of the Eastern Palace and his sister's favored attendant; if he were to be convicted, it could easily implicate the siblings.

"By calculation, the imperial envoy's delegation should have returned to the capital long ago. Instead, he deliberately stalled and delayed along the way, only speeding up after the Emperor personally issued an edict to urge his return. As soon as they reached Cancheng, something happened. How could such a coincidence exist in the world?" a member of Prince Qi's faction stated.

"This doesn't prove anything. The delegation reported various unexpected situations along the way, and every incident is verifiable," said Liu Guang, General of Chariots and Cavalry, a protégé of the two brothers, General Liu Yao of the Guards. As the Queen's brothers, they were naturally on the Emperor's side as imperial relatives; otherwise, if Prince Qi ascended to the throne, there would be a new set of imperial relatives.

"During the great fire that night, why did everyone else in the delegation die, yet only Sang Hong went missing?" another official sneered.

"You yourself said he was 'missing.' Why insist that Master Sang conspired with the demon race to harm the delegation?" This was stated by an official under Meng Yi, the Supervising Secretary of the Central Secretariat. The Meng family was also a core force supporting the Emperor's faction.

"Because evidence was found at the scene: Sang Hong's personal token and correspondence with the demon race." At this, Attendant Pei Zheng gave a look, and an official stepped forward from the ranks below to report.

"Such a thing exists!" As soon as this was said, the entire court erupted in an uproar. Many people had not received any information about this previously.

At this moment, Crown Princess Bi Linglong, in the side hall, furrowed her delicate brows. The Crown Prince was too dull-witted to appear at such a grand occasion; if he were to make some imbecilic blunder, it would be like handing a weapon to Prince Qi's faction.

Therefore, as a compromise, Bi Linglong was allowed to listen in from the side hall, with a beaded curtain concealing her.

She instinctively looked towards the Emperor at this moment. According to the intelligence she had received, the Embroidered Uniform Guards had immediately gone to Cancheng, sealed all human and material evidence, and brought it to the capital. How did Prince Qi's faction know all this?

A flicker of anger crossed the Emperor's eyes. Clearly, he was also displeased by Prince Qi's pervasive influence.

Facing the bewildered gazes of his officials, the Emperor spoke calmly: "I have already dispatched the Embroidered Uniform Guards to investigate. The matter is still under review."

He neither admitted nor denied it. But everyone in the court was astute enough to immediately realize that such evidence indeed existed.

This instantly boosted the morale of Prince Qi's faction. At this point, Yi Chun, the Prefect of Jingzhao, spoke: "Your servant has already dispatched men to investigate the Sang family. I believe results will be available soon."

Hearing him say this, officials from all factions—be it the Liu, Bi, or Meng families—felt their hearts sink. They were all old foxes, knowing that if he sent people to search, they would likely find the so-called evidence.

At this point, another official from Prince Qi's faction pressed their advantage: "Your servant has received intelligence that Sang Hong's delay on this journey was actually to wait for Zu An to rejoin the delegation. These days, Zu An was not actually with the delegation; instead, he was cavorting with Queen Medusa in the demon realm."

This was another bombshell. The assembled officials immediately erupted in an uproar.

It seemed Prince Qi was not content with merely dealing with Sang Hong; he also wanted to target a key general of the Eastern Palace.

Prince Qi's expression showed neither joy nor sorrow, but his heart was icy cold. That fellow Zu An was too cunning. On the surface, he claimed to be cooperating with him against the Emperor, but each time he ruined his important plans.

Minor matters were fine; he could consider them the price for Zu An to gain the Emperor's trust.

But he absolutely could not tolerate the Yunzhong Prefecture incident this time. He had painstakingly laid out his plans there for decades, only for them to be ruined because of Zu An.

Anyway, Jiang Luofu had already obtained the "Phoenix Nirvana Scripture" from him. Now, that fellow had no more value; it was best to use this opportunity to get rid of him.

And conveniently eliminate the Eastern Palace's top general!

Bi Linglong's face was also covered in a frosty expression at this moment. Based on her understanding of Zu An, what the official had just said was likely true.

The thought of her worrying for him all these days, while he hadn't even written her a single letter, only to be cavorting with other women outside, ignited a blaze of anger in her heart.

However, anger aside, he still had to be saved.

Upon receiving her tacit instruction, officials from the Eastern Palace faction immediately began to refute: "This is slander! Master Zu has always been loyal and devoted. How could he possibly do such a thing?"

An official from Prince Qi's faction said: "Our spies in the demon realm have indeed sent back intelligence about Zu An's presence there. The Embroidered Uniform Guards can verify this point."

After speaking, he even produced some evidence, and had a eunuch nearby present it.

The morale of the Eastern Palace officials faltered. At this moment, Jiang Boyang, the Grand Minister of Justice, spoke: "I believe there might be some misunderstanding here. A thorough investigation is still needed."

Because of his daughter, Jiang Luofu, he held some goodwill towards Zu An.

Officials who had previously remained neutral and those who had connections with Zu An also began to chime in to help him, such as officials from the Court of Imperial Sacrifices. They all had some connection with people from the Imperial Academy.

And Zu An had a strong rapport with the teachers from the Imperial Academy's back mountain.

Seeing the situation somewhat reversed, Yi Chun, the Prefect of Jingzhao, spoke: "If, as you all claim, Zu An was with the delegation the entire time, then even if an accident occurred that night, with his cultivation and Sang Hong's combined efforts, they would surely not have allowed the criminals to succeed. Yet, everyone in the delegation who entered Cancheng was annihilated, and there wasn't a trace of either of them."

"Once is a coincidence, twice is a coincidence. Can so many instances still be coincidences?"

"The documents just presented to His Majesty record Zu An's appearances in various parts of the demon realm. The evidence is irrefutable."

"Your servant requests Your Majesty to convict Zu An of treason!"

He was always skilled at handling cases. His compelling arguments silenced the other side.

After all, all the current evidence was overwhelmingly unfavorable to Zu An.

At this point, Bi Linglong could no longer sit still. Her crimson lips parted slightly: "The crime of treason is no small matter. Since Master Zu is currently missing, we cannot rely solely on one side's testimony. It wouldn't be too late to question him thoroughly when he returns in the future."

All she could do now was employ a delaying tactic, dragging the case out to buy time.

No one had expected Prince Qi's faction to be so thoroughly prepared. They had clearly obtained intelligence about Zu An's presence in the demon realm before, but had kept it hidden. Now, they were using the delegation fire incident to completely destroy him.

"Crown Princess, your words are mistaken. Since Zu An has already colluded with the enemy and committed treason, why would he return to walk into a trap?" Yi Chun sneered.

Bi Linglong was filled with extreme anxiety. Her eyes pleaded towards her father and brother. However, given the unfavorable situation, both father and son chose to remain silent.

Just as she was in despair, a clear voice suddenly came from outside: "I heard someone was looking for me?"

Hearing this familiar voice, Bi Linglong's beautiful eyes instantly sparkled with extraordinary brilliance. However, fearing that the Emperor, who was not far away, might notice her reaction, she immediately lowered her gaze, striving to maintain her composure.