This was one of His Highness's new hobbies lately, almost as if he was marking his territory.
Helian Wei Wei looked at him speechlessly.
Just then, Baili Jia Jue's eyes turned cold, "It's faded a lot."
Well, that was for sure. She had been using the strawberry juice in her Space every day to get rid of it. If it had no effect, then that would just be a disgrace to her miraculous strawberry juice that had a whitening effect.
Helian Wei Wei smiled, her face revealed a show of joy.
Baili Jia Jue looked at her as coldness acc.u.mulated on his lips as he did not like the joy that she was currently portraying. It was as if this little thing wanted to break away from him every minute of the day…
"Your Highness." Shadow who stood a meter away, afraid to come nearer as he reported from a distance, "Prime Minister Su couldn't contain himself from kicking up a fuss after seeing that Your Highness had his men all arrested and is now standing in front of the Retired Emperor's Palace doors. Su Yan Mo is with him."
Looking for trouble with His Highness at this current moment. The corners of Baili Jia Jue's mouth curved upwards, displaying unmasked violence, "Bring Li Meng's confession and let's head back to the Palace."
"Yes, Your Highness." Shadow bowed his head respectfully as he was thinking curiously why His Highness's tone of voice seemed colder than before.
Regardlessly, this time the Su family had truly fallen…
At dusk, outside the Palace of the Retired Emperor.
Prime Minister Su was kneeling along with Su Yan Mo. He had placed his official headwear on his left and with his knees on the ground, he was waiting for the Retired Emperor to give him an explanation.
Su Yan Mo knew of the reason, but she did not dare to tell her father the truth and had only informed him what she had told the Empress.
Prime Minister Su did not know how far this matter had progressed but after all, he had had more experience than Su Yan Mo and knew that the Ministry of Official Personnel Affairs could not possibly get much from their interrogations. Hence, he was here to strike first and be one step ahead of them.
His thoughts were similar to the Empress because even though the arrest process had mistakenly involved the Little Seventh Prince, the crime of privately producing weapons was a more serious crime in comparison.
As long as he knelt down at this place today, all of the officials would find out by tomorrow morning during the morning assembly that not only did the Third Prince want to rebel, but he was also abusing his imperial authority to simply arrest people.
Such was the scene that entered the sight of Helian Wei Wei and Baili Jia Jue when they stepped into the Palace.
Prime Minister Su managed to keep his composure as he knelt outside in the summer sun, unwilling to get up. Even upon seeing Helian Wei Wei and Baili Jia Jue, his face did not change one bit, a clear indication of his deep considerations.
However, Su Yan Mo's gaze fell onto Helian Wei Wei. Once upon a time, she had had the opportunity to kill this little bit*h, but she had let the opportunity go because firstly, the same blood ran through Helian Wei Wei and her own mother's veins and that itself could come in handy one day. Secondly, in comparison to killing her, she would much rather enjoy the sight of this little bit*h losing everything she had.
Once upon a time, whatever she did was nothing compared to that person from the Helian family. Where she existed, there was no place for her to shine.
That person had been the most adored person in the city ever since she was a little girl.
Unlike her, the other girls had to do things based on how others felt.
Her entire life had been subjected to the shadows because of that one person.
Yet thankfully, the god was fair enough to let her grab the opportunity to seize Helian Guang Yao.
That young lady from a family of high pedigree, spoiled by the love of men but unaware of the fact that men sometimes needed women to soften and cooperate with them.
Her domination would only breed the unfaithfulness of her man.
How could she ever bear to part with this feeling of triumph?
Watching that person's daughter living like an animal, being disregarded with disgust and indifference, brought her a hundred times more joy than killing this little bit*h.
However… she had never thought that letting go of the opportunity to kill her would bring her such calamity.
Su Yan Mo glared at Helian Wei Wei's figure from the back hatefully and regretfully as she walked ahead, clenching her fists slowly under her long sleeves. Yet, when she looked up again, her face had turned into a face of determination.
The Third Prince's actions had already angered her father.
The fact that her father was now kneeling outside like this would cause unrest within the entire court to the point that the Retired Emperor would not be able to resolve this issue quietly even if he wanted to.
He would be required to give the court of officials an explanation and it would definitely result in stripping that little bit*h of her Princess Consort title. This was because if the Retired Emperor wanted to shield his beloved grandson, the Third Prince, he would need to push someone out to shut the mouths of the people.
And this little bit*h was the best pawn.
Until then, once this little bit*h was stripped of her title, her Jiao Er would then have another chance…
Su Yan Mo's plans were all mapped out perfectly that even the corners of her mouth lifted.
At this moment, the Palace doors opened as the Retired Emperor looked at the father and daughter kneeling before his doors emotionlessly. In a plain voice, he asked, "My beloved Minister Su, it's so late but here you are kneeling instead of seeking my audience when you have come to my Palace. What do you mean by this?"
"It is because I had no other choice," said Prime Minister Su as he kowtowed and lifted his eyes to glance at Baili Jia Jue, "Since this afternoon, the Third Prince has been arresting many officials of the court without Your Majesty's knowledge and without advanced notice. Currently, the outside is in total chaos. Hence, I had no other choice than to seek the audience personally."
Baili Jia Jue listened indifferently without a change to the expression on his handsome yet cold face. If there was really a named expression on his face, it would only be the sense of ridicule and mocking he gave off.
"And as far as I am concerned, the Third Prince did all this because today, a Master Li from the Ministry of Official Personnel Affairs was investigating a siheyuan." Prime Minister Su's voice continued in a deep voice, "Not long before that, this Master Li had received news that someone outside the city had been purchasing steel and metal in large amounts and was acting very shadily. Therefore, in suspicion of this person privately producing mass amounts of weapons, he did not waste time and arrived outside the city immediately to successfully come across countless weapons. However, due to his recklessness, he had also mistakenly arrested the Little Seventh Prince because he did not recognize the Little Seventh Prince and did not think that the owner of the siheyuan was the property of the Third Princess Consort whom he could never afford to anger. As such, the tragedy began there as he was put into jail by the Third Prince and his associates were pulled into this mess as well. Your Majesty, I do not understand if the Third Prince did this purely to avenge the Little Seventh Prince, or if His Highness is trying to hide something?"
Chapter 371 - Wei Wei Tortured Madam Su
With a single question, Prime Minister Su had managed to create a silence outside the Palace doors.
The eunuchs and palace maids did not even dare to raise their heads. There had been too much happening within the Palace today.
For starters, the Empress had been secretly banished to the Cold Palace by the Retired Emperor after her arrival.
And now, Prime Minister Su was here to question the Third Prince.
The entire flavor of Prime Minister Su's words were undoubtedly directed to the idea that His Highness wanted t
o instigate a rebellion.
Baili Jia Jue glanced at him briefly in the same indifference that was somewhat c.o.c.ky in manner. "What do you think I, the Prince am hiding?"
Despite Prime Minister Su being experienced in the nuances of the court, he still could not tell what this Prince who had kept them on their toes for so long was trying to do. Was it not obvious what the issue was now that it was laid out before them? Why was he asking himself what he was hiding?
Instinctively, Prime Minister Su felt that this matter did not seem as simple as it looked and was already thinking about saying something.
Yet, just as he was about to do so, he heard Su Yan Mo speaking beside him in a somewhat pleasant tone, "The private manufacture of weapons is in itself a great crime of rebellion. I do not know why Your Highness is so intent on covering for the instigator that Your Highness has rushed to destroy the evidence and has spared no one by arresting even the court officials. However, I merely beg that the Retired Emperor can look upon this matter justly and fairly so that the innocents are released."
"Covering for the instigator?" Baili Jia Jue curled his lips ever so slightly as he laughed coldly.
However, she continued firmly, pinning the crime on Helian Wei Wei, "I know that Wei Wei is Your Highness' Third Princess Consort but this child was raised by me and I have treated her well enough on a daily basis so I too hesitated on whether to come forth to seek audience with the Retired Emperor when this matter occurred. After all, she is the only remnant I have left of my elder sister. Yet, even so, the crime she has committed this time is not something that can be settled with a simple apology. No matter who it was who made her produce this batch of weapons, she cannot escape from her punishment!"
Following Su Yan Mo's words, the look in Baili Jia Jue's eyes had already reached the freezing point.
Eunuch Sun fully believed that if the Retired Emperor was not here, His Highness would have killed Madam Su with his two b.a.r.e hands without even spilling a drop of blood.
Helian Wei Wei laughed out loud as she walked to stand before Su Yan Mo. "Let's leave the issue of whether I am really guilty aside because I have a question for both you and Prime Minister Su now. What are we going to do about the fact that your people captured Little Seven? Hmm?"
"All of this was a misunder…" Su Yan Mo still wanted to explain.
However, Helian Wei Wei put her long sword in front of her with a loud clang!
With a tremble, Su Yan Mo held back what she intended to say abruptly.
On the other hand, Helian Wei Wei was smiling at her with waves of unmasked violence rolling in her smile. "Madam Su, please don't tell me that it's all a misunderstanding. Little Seven is a Prince, do you think he's someone that you can simply arrest as you wish?"
Su Yan Mo was stunned by Helian Wei Wei's words and got the feeling that whatever she said would be a wrong answer.
Prime Minister Su reacted quickly, "I think the Princess Consort seems to have misunderstood. The person who arrested the Seventh Prince is Li Meng, not the Su family."
"Oh, is it?" Helian Wei Wei smiled and turned her head to meet Prime Minister Su's eyes. "So according to what you've said, does that mean that the fact that Li Meng went to the siheyuan had nothing to do with you all? Am I right? But then, Prime Minister Su, how would you intend to justify the fact that Li Meng has close connections with the Su family?"
This question had put Prime Minister Su in a tight spot, making him think to himself if he had really underestimated this b*tch. Clenching his fist, he replied calmly, "Li Meng is a distant relative of our Su family, but this doesn't prove anything."
"So Prime Minister Su, you mean to say that you were all unaware that Li Meng went to investigate my siheyuan?" Helian Wei Wei's voice was cold.
Su Yan Mo was struck guilty by her questioning, but at this point in time, how could she ever admit that she knew everything?
Still, Prime Minister Su was not foolish, he saw past the coincidences and knew for sure that Li Meng had investigated that siheyuan on the orders of his daughter.
"Now that the matter has progressed thus far, are the animosity-filled questions posed by the Third Princess Consort to us only because we are kneeling before the Retired Emperor, seeking for His Majesty to charge you for your guilt?" Prime Minister Su replied indifferently with his own question and without waiting for Helian Wei Wei to answer him, he turned confidently toward the Retired Emperor and asked in his deep voice, "There is no need to say anymore, the matter is entirely up to the discretion of His Majesty."
Hearing this, Helian Wei Wei laughed, "I've always admired Prime Minister Su's ability to bullshit since I was a little girl. Since the start, you've been saying that Li Meng didn't know that the siheyuan he entered into was mine, but what a shame that Li Meng has already confessed everything." Taking out the written confession, she continued, "On here, it's written in detail of how Li Meng found out about the siheyuan outside the city and how he entered the siheyuan despite knowing it belonged to me to arrest my people and seize the property!"
As soon as Su Yan Mo saw the written confession, her face paled and she almost fainted as she scolded Li Meng internally for not being able to hold out longer since it had only been around four to six hours.
At this point, the self-assured Prime Minister Su had also panicked. It seemed as though the matter had spiraled out of his control. Most interrogations undertaken by the Ministry of Official Personnel Affairs would have taken up to one or two days to come up with results.
"Eunuch Sun." The Retire Emperor who had been quiet all this while finally spoke, but his voice echoed with dangerous undertones of a coming storm, "Let Prime Minister Su see for himself what's written on the confession!"
"Yes, Your Majesty." Eunuch Sun responded obediently and brought the written confession before Prime Minister Su.
Prime Minister Su felt as though he had been slapped in public and without a single look at the written confession, he kowtowed against the floor with a loud bang, "Your Majesty, no matter what the Su family has done or seen, we did it all for the greater peace of the city! That siheyuan was right outside the city; if nobody had investigated it, the large amounts of weapons there would have one day been a threat to Your Majesty's safety! I, your humble official, ask nothing but this question. What is the purpose of the Third Princess Consort mass-producing weapons privately?"
Prime Minister was calculative and sly, he had left it to the end of his statement to pin the guilt onto Helian Wei Wei. After all, they were all outside the doors of the Palace, hence, she would not be able to just brush past this matter under the noses of the public.
However, it came as a surprise when the person who answered him was the Retired Emperor. With a voice that was devoid of all warmth, he said, "The weapons that Wei Wei developed this time were for the purpose of defending against foreign enemies. She did so under my command."
Hearing this, Prime Minister Su's legs had already failed him and were trembling violently. All his previous guesses and calculations were proved wrong with just this answer and nothing would help him now.
This was the first time since his many years as a court official that he learned the taste of regret where his body was so stiff that he could not even move his fingers.
On the other hand, the color drained from Su Yan Mo's face completely. Her first reaction was that she was doomed. Everything was over…
Chapter 372 - His Highness Struck, Killing Everyone In A Flash
"My beloved Prime Minister Su, are you happy with this answer?" The Retired Emperor raised his eyes to gaze at Prime Minister Su.
It was that single look that made Prime Minister Su lose all of his strength.
Yet, how could the fun stop here?
The Third Prince had not even spoken his piece.
"Now that the issue of rebellion has been settled, let's talk about the matter of this confession." Baili Jia Jue's voice was very soft, but was loud enough to make one's hair stand on end, "Su Yan Mo
, who gave you the courage to investigate my men? Hmm?"
Su Yan Mo's body trembled. She had been cooped up in a boudoir for too long that although she had heard of Baili Jia Jue's numerous involvements, she had never really encountered Baili Jia Jue face to face. Now, she could only feel the cold that was rolling off him in waves as if it was piercing her bones.
His look of contempt had distinctly made her feel as though she was beneath him; it was of an unreadable disgust.
Su Yan Mo did not even dare to answer this question as she looked to Prime Minister Su, thinking that her father would be able to save her.
Prime Minister Su gritted his teeth and with another thud, he kowtowed, knocking his head on the ground, "It is my fault, I thought it was a matter of rebellion that required an urgent audience with His Majesty. I was not aware that it was all a misunderstanding. This daughter of mine has always been quite confused and upon hearing even the slightest news, she took it upon her to order an investigation, thinking that it was a serious matter. I promise, she had no other intentions and I plead that Your Majesty could handle this matter justly and fairly!"
As Eunuch Sun heard this, he instinctively turned to glance at the Retired Emperor.
The Su family were in the wrong, but it had not warranted their deaths.
With only that small smudge of guilt on Su Yan Mo, it was indeed insufficient to do any harm to her.
Furthermore, the situation in the court now was unbalanced and unstable. Taking into account of the forces of the four influential families, His Majesty would have to look at the bigger picture when making a decision.
Prime Minister Su had also raised his voice because he had counted on this consideration.
The Retired Emperor sneered internally as his eyes darkened and said, "Now that the matter has come to this point, my beloved Prime Minister Su, you cannot possibly think that an apology can resolve this issue."
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