Chapter 253 : You Rock, Highgod! 3 (1/2)

Cang Lan received an urgent summons to enter the palace that very night.

Shi Sheng was seated on a chair the Emperor had bestowed her; her face slightly pale. Bi Xi was standing behind her and glaring angrily at the girl kneeling in the middle of the throne room.

The girl’s wounds had already been treated, though she still trembled slightly. She had to bite her lip hard to keep herself from whimpering.

A man garbed in the robes of the Prime Minister knelt beside her. He was Yue Yao’s father.

This was the scene that greeted Cang Lan the moment he entered.

This was the first time he had seen Qing Guan. She was wrapped in a snowy-white fox-fur coat. Her face was the size of a palm and had exquisite features that appeared to have been meticulously sculpted. Her eyelashes were lowered and trembling slightly, and her face was pale; she appeared to have received quite a fright.

Cang Lan merely cast her a passing glance before turning to look at the kneeling Yue Yao.

She looked even more pitiful. In this chilly weather, she was only wearing a single layer of clothing and was even kneeling on the cold ground.

‘She must be freezing!’

Cang Lan felt the stirrings of an inexplicable worry in his heart. But in front of the Emperor, he couldn’t display his emotions too much. He could only suppress this concern that he couldn’t quite understand.

He took steady steps forward and saluted. “Your Majesty.”

There was still fury on the Chen Emperor’s face as he spoke, “Beloved official, this matter arose because of you. How do you think it should be resolved?”

Cang Lan’s expression didn’t change as he spoke in a calm voice, “I(wc) entered as soon as I(wc) received the summons. I(wc) have not yet had the opportunity to understand the current situation.”

Hearing Cang Lan’s words, Yue Yao immediately spoke out, “I didn’t try to assassinate Princess Qing Guan! She’s framed me!”

“Insolence!” The Chen Emperor snapped, his expression becoming even more furious.

The Prime Minister, who was kneeling beside his daughter, hurriedly indicated to Yue Yao to stop speaking with a sharp look before kowtowing as he cried out, “Please forgive me(wc), Your Majesty! I(wc) was too lenient in her upbringing!”

The Chen Emperor flung a teacup that was resting on the desk before him at the Prime Minister. “You call this a lenient upbringing?! If anything had happened to Princess Qing Guan, the lives of the entire An Clan wouldn’t be enough to compensate!”

The teacup—which had been filled—spilled its boiling hot contents on the Prime Minister’s back. Fortunately the weather was cool, so the liquid’s heat soon faded.

“Yes, yes! I(wc) know my wrongs! Please be appeased, Your Majesty!” The Prime Minister continued kowtowing loudly.

Shi Sheng lowered her head, turning a blind eye to the act that the Chen Emperor and Prime Minister were putting on.

Cang Lan was briefed on what happened during this exchange.

“Your Majesty, might I(wc) be permitted to ask Princess Qing Guan a few questions?”

The Chen Emperor looked towards Shi Sheng, who raised her head slightly to meet Cang Lan’s gaze.

Her eyes were different from what Cang Lan expected—he saw no panic, only a calm akin to the surface of a lake on a windless winter day: without ripples, yet exceptionally cold.

He heard her reply in a calm voice, “And what do you want to ask me(bg), General Cang Lan?”

Her melodious voice did not detract from the majesty one could hear in her tone.

“Princess Qing Guan, you said that Miss An entered the embassy to assassinate you. However, from what I know, Miss An’s health has been poor from a young age and she should not have the strength to even lift a weapon. The embassy is also heavily guarded. Hence the question I have is: how did she enter the embassy?”

Shi Sheng raised her brow. “You mean to say that I’ve wrongly accused her?”

“That was not my intention. I merely wished to clarify the situation.”

Shi Sheng’s gaze swept across the people gathered in the room. The Emperor and Prime Minister were merely acting; though the Emperor appeared furious, it was nothing more than a show that they were putting on for her.

‘Cang Lan’s planning on acting with the FL?’

“You’re trying to say that I(bg) invited her to the embassy to frame her, right?”

Cang Lan frowned. It was clear he hadn’t expected Shi Sheng to be so frank.

She harrumphed coldly. “I(bg) have no enmity with her; why would I(bg) frame her? It is a simple matter for me(bg) to kill someone, so why would I(bg) use such a troublesome method?”