Chapter 189: Fanning the Flames
Murong Yang was practically fuming. He immediately rose to his feet. "Your Majesty, my son is poorly disciplined. I have made a spectacle of myself. I will take him away at once to reflect on his behavior!"
With that, he moved to pull Murong Ye away.
Emperor Muwu, however, raised a hand. "Murong Aiqing, there is no need to be alarmed. I am familiar with his temperament. Since he dares to plead for Ye Heng today, I imagine he must have some evidence. Let us hear him out."
At these words, a jolt went through Murong Ye, and his mind instantly cleared.
’Evidence?’
’What evidence could I possibly have?’
He had spoken on impulse, all because his heart ached for Ye Shixian and he wanted to get Ye Heng released as quickly as possible!
But the realization came too late. Murong Ye was trapped, and beads of cold sweat broke out on his forehead.
The entire hall was so quiet you could hear a pin drop, and all eyes were fixed on Murong Ye.
Murong Ye racked his brain and finally spoke, his voice lacking its earlier confidence.
"Your Majesty, I... actually, I don’t..."
Suddenly, Prince Qi, who had been observing from the sidelines, spoke in a slow, deliberate voice.
"Aye, don’t be nervous. If you know the inside story, just tell it plainly. The Father Emperor is wise and will surely see that justice is done for Lord Ye."
Murong Ye froze, instinctively looking over at him.
Prince Qi gave him an impassive nod.
Murong Ye instantly felt a great deal more at ease.
’How could he have forgotten? Ye Heng is one of Prince Qi’s men!’
’Ye Heng’s smooth-sailing success over the past few years was largely thanks to Prince Qi’s backing.’
’Now that Ye Heng is in trouble, Prince Qi certainly won’t stand idly by!’
At this thought, Murong Ye’s last shred of hesitation and nervousness dissipated.
He cupped his fists and spoke, enunciating each word. "Your Majesty, I do not possess direct evidence to prove Lord Ye’s innocence. However, this entire affair has been exceedingly strange from the start, making it difficult not to be suspicious. Everything Lord Su has said thus far is merely speculation, is it not?"
Su Wei stared straight ahead, his expression impassive, seemingly unmoved.
Murong Ye continued.
"Lord Ye is, after all, the Junior Minister of the Ministry of Justice. For Lord Su to simply take him into custody in public is highly improper. If Lord Ye is later proven innocent and released, how will you explain this to the court? That would be—an utter farce!"
At this, Su Wei suddenly let out a cold laugh.
"I wonder where Mr. Murong’s confidence comes from. The matter is not yet concluded, yet you can already assert that Ye Heng is blameless?"
"Of course I—"
"Aye!"
Murong Yang bellowed, his face ashen with rage.
Murong Ye’s heart leaped, and he finally swallowed the rest of his words, turning to look back at his father in stunned confusion.
’He’d only said a few words on Ye Heng’s behalf. Why was his father so furious?’
Before he could make sense of it, a deep, pleasant voice suddenly drifted over from his front right.
"I never thought Mr. Murong possessed the ability to see the future. Ye Heng’s case is still under investigation, yet you’ve already determined he’s innocent and will surely be released."
Shen Yanchuan’s thin lips curved into a half-smile.
"In that case, Mr. Murong, perhaps you could also prophesize for me—who exactly was it that tried to take my life on Wulan Mountain a few days ago?"
The vast hall was plunged into absolute silence, every sound instantly vanishing.
Everyone was stunned. Murong Ye was dumbfounded—he had never imagined that Shen Yanchuan would suddenly speak up and interfere!
Cold sweat beaded on Murong Ye’s forehead.
"You must be joking, Princely Heir. How could I possibly know that..."