The Emperor fell silent for a long time, his gaze sweeping over everyone present. His face paled. "What did you just say? Say it again!"
You Rong straightened his back, repeating the words exactly as he had before.
"Your Majesty! This servant accuses the Second Prince, Lin Chenrui, of slandering my father, You Jiang, of colluding with foreign enemies and plotting rebellion. The evidence is now conclusive. I beg Your Majesty to clear my father's name!"
The Emperor's pupils contracted. "You Rong, do you speak the truth? To slander a prince is a capital offense. Do you know that?!"
You Rong did not flinch, meeting the Emperor's gaze. He took out the letters from Zhang Zhuhe's residence from his怀 and presented them with both hands.
"Your Majesty, every word this servant speaks is true, without a shred of falsehood! What I hold in my hands are the letters exchanged between the Second Prince Lin Chenrui and Zhang Zhuhe back then. They detail precisely how the Second Prince framed my father with Zhang Zhuhe!"
The Emperor's body trembled. He pushed away the eunuch supporting him and, with slightly unsteady steps, approached You Rong. He snatched the letters from You Rong's hands, opened one, and began to read carefully.
The Emperor's expression grew increasingly grim as he read.
After finishing one letter, the Emperor clenched his fists tightly, his face extremely displeased.
You Rong kowtowed heavily. "Your Majesty, the witnesses Zhang Zhuhe and Jing Ziyue have also identified the Second Prince's crimes. Both witness testimony and physical evidence are now complete. Please, Your Majesty, clear the name of my father and the You family!"
Behind him, Nangong Jie and the others shouted in unison, "Please, Your Majesty, clear the name of You Jiang and the You family!"
The Emperor looked at the kneeling figures before him, his face grim. After a long pause, he said sternly, "Guards! Go and summon Lin Chenrui to the Hall of Heavenly Purity!"
The little eunuch behind him changed color, hesitated for a moment, and then whispered, "Your Majesty, if the Second Prince refuses to come, then what should we..."
Before he could finish, the Emperor roared, "If he refuses to come, have the Imperial Guards bring him to me by force!"
The little eunuch's shoulders shrank from fright. He quickly agreed, "Yes, Your Majesty, this servant will go at once!"
After the little eunuch left, the Emperor personally helped You Rong up and looked at Nangong Jie and the others. He said solemnly, "You gentlemen, follow me into the hall to speak. If the facts are as you say, I will certainly clear the name of You Jiang and the You family!"
You Rong's heart was filled with inexpressible excitement. He cupped his hands and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty!"
You Rong, Nangong Jie, Zhang Zhuhe, and Jing Ziyue entered the Hall of Heavenly Purity together.
The Emperor narrowed his eyes, his gaze sharp as he fixed on Zhang Zhuhe and Jing Ziyue. He said coldly, "What did Lin Chenrui have you do? Speak truthfully to me!"
Zhang Zhuhe and Jing Ziyue understood that at this point, they had no way to deny it further and could only confess everything.
After the Emperor listened, and with the letters between Zhang Zhuhe and Lin Chenrui before him, his face was beyond grim. He slammed his palm heavily onto the table, roaring, "Rebellious son! Lin Chenrui, you rebellious son! How dare you be so audacious!"
Zhang Zhuhe and Jing Ziyue trembled, quickly begging for mercy.
"Your Majesty, this general admits his mistake. This general should not have listened to the Second Prince's slander and acted foolishly, framing the Great General. I beg Your Majesty's leniency, spare this general's life..."
"This minister knows his mistake. I beg Your Majesty to spare my life, I beg Your Majesty to spare my life..."
Seeing the two weeping profusely and begging for mercy, the Emperor remained unmoved.
"You two still dare to beg for mercy? Do you know who you slandered and framed? It was You Jiang! The Great General of the Eastern Li Kingdom, a hero who rendered great service to the nation. You..."
The Emperor could not continue speaking, his chest heaving with anger.
Just then, a little eunuch entered, cupping his hands. "Your Majesty, the Second Prince has been brought and is waiting outside. Shall this servant let him in?"
Upon hearing this, the Emperor, furious, exclaimed, "Tell that rebellious son to get in here!"
The little eunuch hurried, "Yes, Your Majesty!"
After the little eunuch left, he brought Lin Chenrui in. Lin Chenrui's complexion was not good, and he had clearly realized something. He came before the Emperor. Before the Emperor could speak, he fell to his knees with a sob. "Father! No matter what they have said, they must be framing your son. Please, you must believe your son! Your son's loyalty to you, as a son to his father and a subject to his ruler, is unwavering!"
The Emperor's expression grew even more grim. He picked up his teacup and smashed it onto Lin Chenrui's head.
Lin Chenrui cried out in pain, falling to the ground. A large bruise and swelling appeared on his forehead.
The Emperor rebuked, "Rebellious son! You still dare to deny it? Look... the witness testimony and physical evidence are all here. What more do you have to deny!"
The Emperor raised his hand and threw a stack of letters between Lin Chenrui and Zhang Zhuhe at Lin Chenrui's feet.
Lin Chenrui crawled up from the ground and picked up one of the letters. After reading it, his face turned pale.
He never expected that Zhang Zhuhe would have kept these things!
Before coming, he had been convinced that You Rong and the others would have no concrete evidence. Even with Zhang Zhuhe and Jing Ziyue, as long as he steadfastly denied it, even if the Emperor suspected him, he could not be convicted.
Now that the evidence was conclusive, Lin Chenrui became extremely frightened.
Lin Chenrui looked up at the Emperor's furious gaze, hastily crawled over, grabbed the Emperor's leg, and tearfully pleaded, "Father, your son does not know how these came to be. I beg you to believe your son. Your son truly did not do these things. It is they who framed me. Father... you must believe me!"
"Framed?" You Rong said, word by word, "Second Prince, the letters between you and Zhang Zhuhe are in black and white, conclusive evidence. How could it be a frame-up!"
"You..." Lin Chenrui turned, glaring at You Rong, and pointed at him, shouting, "It must be you, this lowly servant! Because your father was arrested for colluding with outsiders and plotting rebellion, you resent this prince and deliberately framed this prince!"
You Rong sneered disdainfully. "If this matter had nothing to do with the Second Prince, why would this servant, without reason, resent the Second Prince? And still less talk of deliberately framing the Second Prince. It is the Second Prince himself who has brought this upon himself and deserves his punishment! You are the one who framed this servant's father! And you are the one who wanted to use my father to seize power!"
Lin Chenrui was speechless, his face turning green and then white at You Rong's words.
Seeing this, he could only beg the Emperor, holding the Emperor's leg and continuing to cry, "Father, believe your son. Your son truly did not... it was all of them... they all framed your son together..."
The Emperor looked at Lin Chenrui with disappointment and rage and fiercely kicked him away.
"Father, believe your son. Your son is truly being wronged. Your son has not done what they said, Father..."
The Emperor could no longer tolerate it and roared, "Enough! You rebellious son, shut your mouth! To this day, what more do you have to argue? Your crimes are blatant, the evidence is conclusive, you..."
The Emperor's words suddenly stopped, his gaze complex as he looked at Lin Chenrui.