Zhang San, please behave yourself!
Chapter 349 - 332: Where’s the Evidence? I’m Asking You for the Evidence!

Chapter 349: Chapter 332: Where’s the Evidence? I’m Asking You for the Evidence!

Just then, a slight sound of footsteps came from the entrance of the garden, along with a delicate female voice.

"Greetings to Father Emperor, greetings to Mother Empress."

Kaihuang looked up and saw it was his youngest daughter, Princess Qionghua.

The Empress asked curiously, "What brings you here? Come to Mother’s side, your Father Emperor is handling important matters."

As she spoke, the Empress glanced at Zheng Poyue, who was still kneeling on the ground, wondering if Qionghua had come to see this young Zheng lad.

Princess Qionghua stepped forward, but instead of standing beside her mother, she positioned herself behind the Crown Prince and the others.

"Daughter heard that Zheng Poyue, one of the Four Young Masters of the Capital who just returned from the northern front lines, mentioned by Father Emperor a short while ago, has arrived, and I became curious."

The Empress smiled, sure enough, a grown daughter can’t be kept at home, this girl was here to see her future husband.

"Daughter also heard that Zheng Poyue was severely injured today and still came to the Imperial Palace to lodge a complaint, which piqued my curiosity."

At that moment, the Zheng Family Head, also kneeling on the ground, whispered to Zheng Poyue beside him: "Earlier, Kaihuang mentioned considering you as a prospective Imperial Son-in-law for Princess Qionghua. It seems that Princess Qionghua is pleased with you."

Zheng Poyue had never met Princess Qionghua, but the thought of becoming an Imperial Son-in-law and an Imperial Relative filled him with jubilation.

The twenty-some wounds on his body shot through by Zhang San didn’t hurt anymore.

Then, Zheng Poyue mustered his courage, raised his head, and turned to look.

But he discovered that Princess Qionghua was none other than the maid from the Yu family who sat with Zhang San and the others during Pei Shouqi’s birthday banquet!

At this moment, Zheng Poyue was so scared that the two huge slashes on his body ceased to hurt.

Princess Qionghua continued, "Daughter also went to Phoenix Mountain to watch them hunt today. Unexpectedly, the Baili Family intended to kill Zhang San, but the Baili Family Head was so candid. As a Minister, possessing a loyal heart and an honest word is indeed rare. Daughter thinks, the Baili Family, should be rewarded."

After speaking, Princess Qionghua turned her head to glance at Zheng Poyue, who was shocked and frightened.

"Zheng Poyue, is it? You say Zhang San killed your people, but why would Zhang San want to kill you? To kill someone, there must be a reason. What is Zhang San’s reason to want to kill you?"

At this moment, Zheng Poyue was dumbfounded.

But after all, the Crown Prince was behind him, and although he could not become the Imperial Son-in-law, didn’t the Zheng Family grow relying on the Crown Prince?

As long as he spoke according to the Crown Prince’s wishes, there wouldn’t be any problem.

So, Zheng Poyue spoke, "That Zhang San is a bloodthirsty person, having just arrived in the Capital, he killed thirteen from the Ministry of Punishment! Such a wild and rebellious man, what can’t he do!"

Hearing this, Princess Qionghua laughed.

"If Zhang San is such a wild and rebellious man, then why didn’t Father Emperor punish him earlier? You don’t think Father Emperor is unjust, do you?"

Zheng Poyue was so frightened that he immediately kowtowed to Kaihuang, "This minister did not mean that."

This sudden act of kneeling and kowtowing directly aggravated his wounds, causing Zheng Poyue almost to cry out in pain.

"If not, then it’s even stranger. Why would Zhang San want to kill you? And furthermore..."

At this point, Princess Qionghua raised her voice and her tone became extremely serious.

"Why would Zhang San, by himself, kill your Zheng Family, the Baili Family members, and even some hired assassins of unknown identity, as well as people from the Wen Family on the scene!"

"How does it sound, as if the people with a grudge against Zhang San all gathered together?"

"Could it be that today’s hunt was arranged by Zhang San, who then surrounded all of you by himself and systematically took you down?"

"If Zhang San truly managed to lure all of your mutual enemies together by himself and then laid them all low in one fell swoop, then this Zhang San is indeed quite the strategist!"

At this moment, Zheng Poyue knelt on the ground, too scared to even lift his head.

The Crown Prince had originally planned to bring the Zheng Family to charge Zhang San with a crime, expecting Kaihuang to execute Zhang San.

But now, Zheng Poyue felt he could be snapped by Kaihuang at any moment.

Princess Qionghua pursued her attack, "In front of our father, I advise you to be like the Baili Family Head and tell the truth. I can see through this matter, do you really think father can’t?"

At this point, the Crown Prince could not hold back any longer.

"Sister, what do you mean by these words? Do you have evidence of Zhang San’s innocence?"

Princess Qionghua snorted coldly and retorted angrily, "Crown Prince brother, you’re pressing this matter, so surely you must have evidence of Zhang San committing murder, right? Then where is your evidence?"

The Crown Prince naturally had no evidence, so he pointed at Zheng Poyue and said, "He is the witness, isn’t that enough?"

Princess Qionghua sneered, "He is a witness? Wen Rulie of the Wen Family was killed by the Meteor Arrow Technique of the Zheng Family, struck by several arrows, the fletching broken off, and among those, a piece of broken arrow shaft was firmly clutched in Wen Rulie’s hand, with the words ’Poyue’ written right on it! He himself is a murder suspect, how can he be a witness?"

"Crown Prince brother, you say Zhang San committed murder, can you present evidence of Zhang San killing? I ask you, where is the evidence?"

"Your stupidity does not mean everyone else is stupid! The Zheng Family belongs to you, you once deceived Han Yanxia of the Han Family to face death together, and the Han Family neither blamed Zhang San nor took revenge on you, which should be enough. How many more lives do you intend to sacrifice now?"

"Do you realize, if these young people were to go to the northern front lines to serve in the army, how many soldiers’ lives could our Great Sui spare? How many incursions from the Tujue could we withstand? How many innocent and good citizens of our Great Sui could be saved?"

"Crown Prince brother, do not forget, you are the Crown Prince!"

"Don’t let me, a princess, feel that you are unworthy!"

Hearing his youngest sister lash out at him in front of their Imperial Father and Mother, the Crown Prince was filled with immense anger.

But regrettably, he could not refute a single word Princess Qionghua had said.

"You... you... you mere woman, what do you understand? All you know is to eat, growing so fat! State affairs are not as simple as a woman like you imagines!"

The Crown Prince, overwhelmed with rage yet unable to rebuke Princess Qionghua, resorted to personal attacks.

Princess Qionghua sighed helplessly.

She couldn’t understand why the Crown Prince was so foolish, and then she glanced at her mother, the Empress, who was even angrier than herself.

At that moment, Empress Dugu looked at her foolish son, her eyes filled with icy disdain.

The Crown Prince instantly realized he had misspoken and immediately knelt down in fear.

Kaihuang sighed and waved his hand to the crowd.

"All of you may leave. The Baili Family need only send a number of their talented youth and some elite to join the Town Martial Office, their roles in the Town Demon Office shall remain unchanged. In addition, as soon as the Baili Family has a suitable candidate, I will grant your family a Principal Officer position within the Town Martial Office!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Everyone withdrew as Kaihuang called the Crown Prince to stay.

When only Kaihuang, the Empress, and the Crown Prince were left in the garden, Kaihuang looked down at the Crown Prince, kneeling on the ground, with utter disappointment.

"You set people to ambush Zhang San, that’s fine; surrounding him to kill, also acceptable; even if you schemed to frame Zhang San to have him thrown into death row would have been alright!"

Hearing Kaihuang’s words, the Crown Prince was startled.

Wasn’t his Imperial Father going to scold him? Why was there no issue now?

Thus, the Crown Prince raised his head, looking towards his Imperial Father.

And then he saw an increasingly large shoe sole coming down smack on his face.

"But you have to succeed!"

"From ancient times, only the victor is king!"

"You, as the Crown Prince, couldn’t even win against the Acting Military Chief of the Town Martial Office! How can I entrust this world to you?"

"The Town Martial Office suppresses the martial path of the world, yet now, you can’t even suppress the Town Martial Office? If I give you this world, can you sit on the throne securely?"