Chapter 113: Banquet Turns Into Chaos Part 2
the depths of the pond when a chilling voice, as cold as ice, suddenly rang out from beside her. The murderous intent in that tone sent shivers down her spine!"Who's there!" Su Qingying's expression...Since Zhao Ruozhi embarrassed herself in public, she has been staying locked up in her palace, refusing to come out. She is afraid that people will talk about what happened that day.
As this was such a grand palace banquet, everyone from every country attended besides Jun Liye. She had to attend no matter what, otherwise it would be a lack of face for the Ximing Kingdom.
The palace maid beside Zhao Ru Zhi was embarrassed and said, "Your Highness, the Third Princess refused to come over no matter what she said. No matter how I persuaded her, she wouldn't listen."
“Impudent! How could you just refuse to come to such a grand palace banquet! Go, bring Princess Zhao over here.” Zhao Tianqi wished he could kill Zhao Ruozhi for her foolishness. Her absence would be an insult to Emperor Ximing’s face! She was completely incompetent and only good at making things worse. He should have never brought her in the first place, she was just embarrassing him!
"Yes, slave will go right away." The maidservant replied with a sound and hurried off to call Zhao Ruozhi.
In the garden, music and dancing filled the air. It was a scene of peace and prosperity. However, under the scorching sun, Su Qingying wilted in the heat, fanning herself incessantly to try and cool down.
She wore seven or eight layers of clothes, which shows just how hot she was. If she hadn't been worried about being seen, she would have stripped down and gone for a swim in the lake.
She really couldn't understand, why have a party on such a hot day Wouldn't it be better to just go home and sleep It's just asking for trouble!
Just as Su Qingying was about to die of thirst, a cry came from outside the Imperial Garden, getting closer and closer: "Ah! It's bad, it's bad!"
"What's all the commotion outside This is outrageous! Bring that palace maid up here." This was really out of place, Xuanyuan Luocheng's face was cold and gloomy. Su Qingying wished she could sit beside him for once, it must be quite refreshing!
"Yes." Soon, a guard brought a maidservant to the center. Zhao Tianqi recognized her at once as the maidservant he had just ordered to call Zhao Ruozhi. His brows twitched, and a bad premonition crept over him.
"Were you shouting just now" Xuen Yuan Luo Chen asked.
Under Xuan Yuan Luo Chen's cold gaze, the palace maid trembled uncontrollably. She replied, "Your Majesty, I am Xin Lan, a maidservant to Princess Nanjiang. The princess... she is dead!"
As soon as these words were spoken, they struck everyone like a bolt from the blue!
Zhao Tianqi sprang up with a whoosh, his face etched with shock. "What! What do you mean she's dead Spit it out! Tell me the truth. If you lie even a little, I swear your life is forfeit!"
"Your Highness, every word this servant has spoken is the truth. This servant would never dare to lie," trembled Heart Orchid, the palace maid, her voice shaking as sweat streamed down her face.
Su Qingying no longer slumped over the table, she sat up slightly and looked towards the field. Just then, she felt a sinister gaze filled with intense hatred looking at her.
She searched his gaze, but saw that Lan Feiyue had averted his eyes. Instead, Lan Xinyao gave her a gentle smile, causing her to raise an eyebrow in slight surprise.
"What exactly happened Speak clearly!" A princess from another country died in Xi Ming, and Xuan Yuan Luo Chen bore an inescapable responsibility. He had to get to the bottom of it, or how could he possibly explain himself to the Jin Ling Kingdom
"Reporting to the Western King, this servant recently received an order from His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to go to the Xuan Palace and invite the Third Princess to join the banquet. However, when this servant arrived, the Third Princess had already been brutally murdered. The Third Princess died horribly! Her face was disfigured beyond recognition, covered in blood." Xinlan trembled all over, her eyes filled with undisguised fear as she recalled Zhao Ruozhi's gruesome demise.
Upon hearing this, Su Qingying let out a soft laugh. Her smile was faint and shallow, yet so beautiful that it captivated one's gaze. "Humph," she murmured, "So you were waiting for me here all along."
After Su Qingying returned from changing her clothes, Rong Yue's gaze followed her intently. He didn't miss the faint smile on her lips, and his eyes flashed with a hint of astonishment. He had to admit that Su Qingying's beauty was indeed one of the rarest he had ever seen.
However, that smile made him feel vaguely familiar, as if he had seen it before.
When Xinlan spoke, Zhao Tianqi flew into a rage, pointing at Su Qingying with blazing eyes. "Su Qingying! Your Imperial Sister has never wronged you. Even if she offended you in the past, you shouldn't be so cruel and ruthless as to try and kill her in secret! You are simply wicked beyond measure!"
It's no surprise that Zhao Tianqi would pin this on Su Qingying. After all, she has a history of doing such things. Don't forget, just the other day, she used this very tactic to humiliate Lan Feiyu publicly.
Besides, she had previous grudges with Zhao Ruzhi, giving her a motive for murder. Everyone else also believed she was the culprit.
"Prince of the Southern Border, without proof, how can you be so certain it's Ying'er What reason does Ying'er have to kill her" Before that palace maid could even speak, Su Ziyue had a bad feeling. As smart as he was, he couldn't miss the hidden agenda here. It was clearly a plot against Su Qingying!
"Besides her, who else could it be Wasn't she the one who used this method to ruin Lan Feiyu's appearance before And just now, only she left alone. The evidence is clear, you shouldn't protect her!" Zhao Tianqi glared angrily at Su Qingying, who remained calm and composed. Even if Zhao Ruzhi was foolish, she was still his royal sister. Now that she was dead, how could he explain to their father Just thinking about how his mother concubine managed to get herself killed gave him a headache!
The atmosphere was deadlocked for a moment, the other countries adopting an attitude of nonchalant spectators, as if none of this concerned them. Smoke filled the air, creating an oppressive and heavy feeling in the room.
"Prince of the South Border, before things are clear, don't wrongly accuse Princess Dongyue Five. Let us wait for the truth to emerge before making any judgments." Amidst the stalemate, Xuan Yuan Luocheng spoke, his voice remaining calm and neutral.
“That’s right, the prince of Southern Border, Second Sister offended Princess Dongyue first, that's why she angered the Fifth Princess. Don't take things out of context and without concrete evidence, don't wrongly accuse the Fifth Princess.” Lan Xin Yao followed closely, her voice soft.
Everyone looked at her in astonishment, completely bewildered. No one had expected her to speak up for Su Qingying. They weren't on good terms, were they Forgive them for not understanding.
"Ms. Lan is such a kind person!"
"I heard that Su Qingying went to the Right Minister's residence alone, killing anyone she met. The number of people who died at her hands is countless."
"Isn't that right With Su Qingying's such cruel heart, how can she compare to Miss Lan's broad mind"
All around, people were buzzing with discussion, each praising Lan Xin Yao and belittling Su Qing Ying.
"In my opinion, it's unlikely to be the Eastern Mountain Fifth Princess. Under everyone's watchful eyes, she wouldn't have any reason to kill the Jinling Third Princess. Wouldn't that just lead her to a dead end The culprit must be someone else."
Hearing these unpleasant sounds, even someone as kind-hearted as Situ Wan'er couldn't help but feel a bit angry. However, Su Qingying still had an indifferent look on her face, truly making one wonder how she could remain so calm.
Rong Yue also faintly opened her mouth, "Yue Ye also thinks that the Fifth Princess of Dongyue is not the murderer who killed the Third Princess of Jinling."ed from the start, Lan Xin Yao suddenly felt flustered.“Alright, I agree! No one is allowed to speak from now on. Those who disobey will be killed without mercy! Please cooperate with the Fifth Prince...