Chapter 56 Your Majesty, please make the decision!
Yu Jinghong completely ignored Liu Zhengfeng's flirtatious glances and was about to give the order to take action.
Sudden.
A series of synchronized footsteps, accompanied by the creaking sound of a bowstring being pulled taut, came from all directions.
Yu Jinghong was startled and turned around abruptly.
The road, which had been empty just moments before, was now deserted.
At some point, the curtains of all those seemingly ordinary merchant caravan carriages were lifted.
A group of archers dressed in civilian clothes but with sharp eyes had already emerged from the back of the carriage.
The dense array of arrows gleamed coldly in the sunlight.
They were all aimed at him and the men in black!
And behind those archers.
One carriage after another came to a stop.
The carriage curtains were lifted by hands, revealing one face after another that Yu Jinghong knew all too well.
Prime Minister Lin.
General Weiyuan.
Imperial Censor.
...
The entire court, including most of the important officials, stood here at this moment.
They looked at him with an extremely complex and incredulous expression.
That look seemed to say:
Your Highness, you're actually this kind of prince? What happened to your loyalty and benevolence?
Yu Jinghong's expression instantly cracked.
I thought, "How could that be?!"
What are these people doing here?!
Shouldn't they be holding court in the palace?!
Yu Jinghong's hands and feet instantly turned ice cold.
He suddenly turned his head to look at Liu Zhengfeng, his eyes bloodshot.
"It's you!"
"You dare to deceive me, the king!"
"I will kill you!"
Yu Jinghong knew his chances of winning were slim, but he was unwilling to accept it!
"Aaaaaah! Help!"
Liu Zhengfeng screamed and ran around frantically, clutching his head.
"I'm a civil servant! I'm not good at fighting!"
The dagger was about to pierce Liu Zhengfeng's back.
A figure in emerald green descended from the sky.
Cui'er, who had gone away, returned and grabbed Liu Zhengfeng by the back of his collar once again, as if she were picking up a chick.
Whoosh!
They carried him directly back to the Empress Dowager's carriage.
Liu Zhengfeng was still in shock, lying on the ground panting heavily, feeling as if he had just danced a dance on the verge of death.
Seeing that the situation was not good, the leader of the group of men in black shouted:
"It's too tough! Retreat!"
They all wanted to rush out.
"Release the arrows."
General Weiyuan coldly uttered two words.
The sound of the bowstring vibrating blended together.
Arrows rained down in an instant!
Before the men in black could even utter a few screams, they were all struck by arrows and fell to the ground, falling silent in the blink of an eye.
A faint smell of blood filled the air.
Yu Jinghong stared blankly at all of this.
All the people Consort Jing gave him are dead.
His plan has completely fallen through.
The dagger in his hand fell to the ground.
The next second.
The arrogant and domineering Prince Xiaoyao, who had just been shouting for war, suddenly knelt down on the ground with a thud.
He crawled a few steps on his knees and kowtowed desperately towards Yuan Hua's carriage, tears welling up in his eyes.
"Royal Grandmother!"
"Injustice! My grandson is innocent!"
"They lied to me! They forced me into this!"
"They framed me! My grandson was just resisting! He was terrified!"
That's some acting skill.
He was moved to tears, his emotions were genuine and heartfelt.
If someone didn't know the whole story, they might actually be fooled by his pitiful appearance.
The civil and military officials all wore complex expressions, looking at the prince as if he were a clown.
What time is it?
Are they still performing here?
Over here, Yu Zhaoning leaned against the car window, and somehow managed to pull out a handful of sunflower seeds from her little hand.
She ate sunflower seeds while inwardly scoffing.
[Tsk tsk tsk, his skin is thicker than a city wall!]
[Why didn't you say it was self-defense when you were about to stab your mother? Why didn't you say you were innocent when you were about to kill Liu Jiaojiao?]
[Still resisting? Still being deceived?]
Yu Zhaoning mimicked Yu Jinghong's earlier desperate shouting and mentally imitated a sarcastic remark.
[You're kidding me!]
[With this acting skill, it's a real shame she's not a professional opera singer! She's practically the number one drama queen of the Great Yu Dynasty!]
Pfft.
It's unclear which minister couldn't help but burst out laughing.
Immediately afterwards, a series of suppressed laughs rang out.
The originally somber atmosphere was instantly turned somewhat comical by these thoughts.
A group of ministers bowed their heads, their shoulders trembling, clearly enduring a great deal of hardship.
Hearing the laughter, Yu Jinghong, who was kneeling on the ground, suddenly raised his head, his face full of shame and indignation.
What are you laughing at?!
"I have suffered such a calamity, and you still have the audacity to laugh?!"
The ministers quickly shook their heads, their faces hardening as they looked up at the sky, the ground, and at the ants carrying food.
"I didn't laugh, I didn't laugh."
"Your Highness has misheard; it was just the sound of the wind."
"Yes, yes, the wind is too strong, it makes my throat itchy."
Pretend nothing happened.
at this time.
With Cui'er's help, Yuan Hua slowly stepped down from the carriage.
She was dressed casually, and although her hair was completely white, her imposing aura, a result of long-held authority, was so powerful that people dared not look directly at her.
He walked up to Yu Jinghong and looked down at his grandson.
There was no anger in his eyes, only deep disappointment.
"Scammed?"
Yuan Hua's voice was as cold as ice shards.
"You plotted against a high-ranking official, and even tried to kill Consort Duan, and your own mother!"
"The evidence is irrefutable and in full view of everyone!"
"Yu Jinghong, what else do you have to say in your defense?!"
Yu Jinghong trembled. He knew that his grandmother was serious.
He looked around in a panic, and finally his gaze fell on the gray-blue carriage not far away.
There, Consort Duan was slumped on the ground. Although she was not injured, she still couldn't quite believe it and stared at him blankly.
Yu Jinghong felt like he had grasped at the last straw.
He quickly changed direction and crawled on his knees toward Consort Duan.
She grabbed Consort Duan's leg and cried so pitifully that it was heartbreaking.
"Mother! Mother, save me!"
"Help me!"
"I am Hong'er! I am your most beloved Hong'er!"
"Quickly beg your grandmother for mercy! Tell her I was just joking! Tell her I didn't mean to kill you!"
"Mother, say something! You used to love me the most, you won't just watch me die, will you?!"
He clung tightly to Consort Duan's skirt, his face covered in tears and snot, which he smeared onto her worn-out dress.
Consort Duan lowered her head.
She looked at the son who had just called her lowly, useless, and even tried to stab her to death with a dagger.
At this moment, however, he transformed back into the child who would whine and beg for mercy in her arms.
Just this once.
The kindness that once filled her eyes was gone.
There was only a deathly despair.
The little empress's sarcastic thoughts rang out once more.
[Tsk tsk, this guy's really got potential.]
[When he stabbed her mother with a knife, he called her a slut; now that he's dying, he calls her "Mother Consort."]
[If Consort Duan can forgive him this time, then I won't even bother with this melon; I'll just peel it off!]
[This isn't raising a son, it's raising a debt collector! To be precise, even a debt collector wouldn't be this ruthless; this is truly deadly!]
Consort Duan slowly stood up.
Her movements were slow, each one sluggish and labored.
Yu Jinghong's hand was suddenly empty, and he looked up in astonishment.
"Mother?"
The Dowager Consort Duan did not look at him.
She straightened her wrinkled skirt, then knelt heavily in the direction of Yuan Hua's carriage.
His knee struck the stone slab with a dull thud.
"Empress Dowager, Your Majesty."
Consort Duan's voice was hoarse and resolute.
"Yu Jinghong murdered his own mother and intended to rebel; the evidence is conclusive."
"We beseech the Empress Dowager and His Majesty to take charge and rid the Great Yu of this scourge!"
Every word seemed to be forced out of his throat.
It smelled fishy.