HCB Chapter 134 Who is the traitor?
Chapter 134 Who is the traitor?
"You all are unaware of what has happened!" Li Guangqi suddenly changed his usual gentle and soothing demeanor. He raised his voice and addressed the princess by her given name: "Li Cen has long since taken control of the secret sentries. Now, it seems as if you, Li Cen, orchestrated all of this yourself. The annihilation of the Thousand Machine Guards and the massacre of the Imperial City Guards are things that the secret sentries are capable of doing!"
Upon hearing this, the hall fell so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Li Cen remained expressionless. Seeing that Li Guangqi finally showed signs of urgency after so many years, he couldn't help but sigh. This was the kind of emotional change a living person should have.
She spoke slowly and deliberately: "Your Highness, please be careful with your words. Your words sound as if you are accusing the secret agents of treason. The secret agents are directly under the Emperor and only obey the Emperor's orders. This is a fact known to all the officials. How can you make such a fuss about it?" After saying that, her contempt and disgust were evident in her words: "I think Your Highness is too impatient and has lost your mind."
The surrounding ministers were also whispering among themselves.
“The eldest princess is right.”
"His Highness the Crown Prince was indeed quite out of control just now."
"Could it be that their plot to rebel has been exposed and they're just making baseless accusations?"
"But what His Highness the Crown Prince said is not impossible."
"We can't contact the sentries, so how can it be impossible?"
Discussions continued.
“Your Highness,” Grand Tutor Gao pressed, “how is this considered slander? Why can’t a sentry be touched? Everyone knows that Lord Bai of the Imperial City Guard is someone you planted. You even want to take down the Imperial City Guard, and you dare say you have no ambition? What’s so strange about touching a sentry?” Grand Tutor Gao was like a weathervane in the court at this moment, and his words made many opportunistic ministers nod in agreement.
Seeing this, the Prime Minister hurriedly chimed in, "Lord Gao is right! Now that Lord Bai and His Majesty have both disappeared, how can it not be that Lord Bai kidnapped His Majesty! Moreover, only the Imperial City Guard went in to protect His Majesty that day, and it would be unfair to rely solely on the reports from the undercover agents!"
Now that they knew they were united against a common enemy, Li Cen sneered. Sure enough, both princes were suffering, so these two factions naturally joined forces to attack her.
"Isn't what Lord Chao said funny? Why didn't the Imperial Guards go to the hunting grounds to rescue the Emperor? Don't you know? Your son has just been flogged and is lying in prison right now!" Lu He also spoke up. She used An Linqing's identity to show weakness to Chao Huaiyuan, and Chao Huaiyuan indeed admitted his dereliction of duty and the crime of drinking with Yao Bing.
He'd only get a beating from the military at best; with his father's protection, he'd be fine. But if A-Qing admitted to giving them drinks, she might die.
Lu He knew that in the comics, the male lead would always protect the female lead no matter what, and Chao Huaiyuan would always protect An Linqing no matter what, so she included him in her scheme.
"You!" As expected, the Prime Minister was speechless and could only attack from another angle: "You have no official rank, how dare you speak in the court!"
“I will allow her to speak,” Li Cen said calmly from the side, “Lord Chao, do not beat around the bush. Was the dereliction of duty by the Imperial Guards intentional? Or did your son know in advance what would happen in the hunting grounds? Or did you arrange something, Lord Chao, and pave the way for someone?” Li Cen’s words were impeccable: “The Third Emperor’s birth mother, Consort Chao, is your sister, Chao Ying! Today you claim without any evidence that the sentries are my men, so why can’t they be the Third Prince’s men? Are you trying to trick me into arresting the Crown Prince for treason, so you can reap the benefits?”
"You! You mustn't spout nonsense!" What a huge scapegoat! They actually tried to drag his entire Chao family into this treasonous mess, pinning the plot of treason and framing the Crown Prince on the Third Prince and the Chao family with just a few words. Chao Ying was so angry that he almost vomited blood on the spot.
"Elder sister, you can't talk nonsense! You know me best. I would never do something like patricide or regicide!" Li Yun, who was standing to the side, was also so anxious that his face turned pale. The situation in the court had exceeded his thinking. He couldn't process what was happening. He had been watching Li Guangqi's drama unfold, but now the charge of treason had fallen on his own shoulders.
"Doesn't Your Highness need to explain the matter of Lord Bai, the Imperial Envoy?" Seeing that the situation was not going well, Grand Tutor Gao quickly steered the conversation back on track: "Let's put aside the matter of the hidden sentries for now. Based on the evidence before us, the two princes are only suspects, not guilty of treason. Moreover, Lord Bai is now missing, and it's hard to say that it's unrelated to His Majesty's disappearance. Besides, this person was recommended to the Inner Guard by someone close to you..." He pointed at Lu He as he spoke: "Hundreds of eyes were watching when you recommended Bai Yu in the Eastern Palace."