Zhang San, please behave yourself!
Chapter 371 - 352nd - : Be My Son! _2

Chapter 371: 352nd Chapter: Be My Son! _2

Zhang San sneered, then retorted, "If I wanted power, I would simply ask Kaihuang directly. Kaihuang is clearly a wise ruler; knowing I have the capability and strength, wouldn’t he grant it to me?"

"Besides, I have an alibi for last night."

"Half of yesterday, I had just been entertaining friends at my newly purchased residence when someone attacked. I suffered serious injuries and am still in pain now. This alone proves my innocence."

Upon hearing this, the Crown Prince sharply caught onto a detail and laughed twice, "Zhang San, you’ve finally slipped up. Since your arrival at the palace, has anyone mentioned last night’s fire? Yet, you just let it slip from your own mouth, and still claim it wasn’t you?"

Zhang San gave a wry smile and looked at the Crown Prince as if he were looking at a fool.

"What time is it now? How long has the sun been up? If not last night, could the fire have happened the night before? Why else would Cao Demeng be looking for me in such a hurry this morning? Crown Prince, you... never mind. That’s all the brains you have."

The Crown Prince, who thought he had caught Zhang San in a mistake, never expected to reveal his own lack of intelligence.

"But what about this so-called alibi? Since you were entertaining friends, naturally, they would cover for you."

Zhang San sneered, then bowed very respectfully and said to Kaihuang, "Your Majesty, last night, during the banquet with my friends, someone entered my residence, claiming that I carried the enmity of killing her son, and was irreconcilable. This person was none other than one of the four Hidden Principal Officers of the Town Martial Office, Vermilion Bird. What realm is she and what realm am I? Fortunately, her palm strike was only meant to injure me before capturing me; otherwise, I would have died from the first strike."

"Moreover, the Minister of Punishment is here, as well as the Chief of the Town Martial Office, and I still have injuries on my body that can be examined. We could even summon Vermilion Bird for confrontation. Just ask and see if this is true or not? I am merely an Acting Military Chief in the True Core Realm who has just achieved Qi Flow Transformation, how could I possibly withstand a strike from Vermilion Bird of the Purple Mansion Realm and then go out to murder and set fires at night!"

"Moreover, for some reason, Vermilion Bird Principal Officer always thinks I am the murderer of her son. Such a person surely wouldn’t cover for me."

Just then, a palace maid whispered something into Empress Dugu’s ear, and Empress Dugu left her seat and walked towards the back.

When she arrived at a side hall, Empress Dugu had just entered when she saw her eldest daughter, Yang Lihua, and her younger daughter, Princess Qionghua.

"Ah, my two children! You’ve finally returned! Let me look at you, were you hurt in last night’s fire?"

Yang Lihua shook her head at Empress Dugu and said softly, "I was wearing the amulet given to me by my sworn brother, who I recognized before, so I wasn’t injured."

Although Yang Lihua, because of the death of her own husband and child, did not recognize Kaihuang as her father, she still had contact with her mother.

"Silly child, why did you run off to... the home of an unrelated man? If this gets out, how damaging it would be to your reputation!"

Yang Lihua smiled and shook her head, "Mother, you don’t know, some time ago I met a Taoist who foresaw a disaster of fire for me. I told my recently recognized sworn brother about this, and he produced many woodcraft amulets for me. Then he... he also gave the same amulets to my sister after becoming sworn brothers with her."

"About last night’s fire, can it be considered normal that the Empress’s inner palace suddenly caught fire? I don’t know who is trying to harm me or harm my sister, so I could only take her and flee first."

The Empress immediately asked, "Then why didn’t you come to your mother’s bedchamber? You had me worried all night."

"Mother, no disrespect, but I am the last Empress Dowager of Northern Zhou. Given Yang Jian’s ruthlessness, he may not hesitate to kill me! How dare I go to your bedchamber, especially when I’m also with my sister? Strangely enough, at least I can be sure that no one in my sworn brother’s household could have guessed that I would go there to seek refuge from the disaster."

Empress Dugu looked at Princess Qionghua and saw her nodding continuously, which confirmed to her that all of this was true.

"So Zhang San, he is your sworn brother?"

"Mother! In the Yang Family, father doesn’t act like a father, brothers don’t act like brothers. Aside from Mother and Sister, do you think I feel any kinship toward any member of this family? On the contrary, this sworn brother I met before truly treats me as his sister. Who says kinship must come from blood relations? Having such a sworn brother is enough for me."

Empress Dugu could see the clarity in her daughter’s eyes at that moment, a clarity that wasn’t feigned.

She and Zhang San really had nothing to do with each other.

"Since that’s the case, I understand. You and Qionghua will stay in my bedchamber today."

"No, Zhang San is worried about my safety; it is mainly Zhang San’s sworn brother who is worried about Qionghua’s safety. They specifically sent someone to protect someone unknown. Even Zhang San sent over a senior from his side, who is also the only senior of the Purple Mansion Realm he has, to protect us sisters. So we will still be returning to the Yu Family residence tonight."

The Empress thought for a moment, nodded, and said, "Then stay and talk with me for a while longer before you leave; I will go ahead and handle Zhang San’s matter."

Empress Dugu, who returned from the side hall, certainly knew her eldest daughter had come back to intercede for Zhang San.

Although she hadn’t spoken a word of plea, it had effectively cleared Zhang San completely.

Meanwhile, in the palace hall in front, the Crown Prince and Zhang San were arguing incessantly.

"In a typical case, the one who benefits the most is the murderer! This case could not only get Father to pay more attention to the Floating Corpse Case, which would benefit you to gain a title and promotion, but also help you curry favor with other people. You, Zhang San, are the biggest beneficiary of the murder and arson case within the Imperial Palace!"