With the concurrence of all the court officials, the Empress Dowager noticed the Emperor's wavering. She frowned tightly and reminded him in a deep voice,
"Your Majesty, you must think twice before acting. If you really do this, it's tantamount to convicting Kokqin of their crimes."
The Emperor naturally understood the meaning behind the Empress Dowager's words.
In recent years, there had been frequent wars on the border of the Li State. As the south - western gateway of the Liu State, Kokqin played a very important role!
Originally, this time, he also intended to facilitate the marriage alliance between Kokqin and the royal family. However, looking at the poisoned noble sons in the competition and the officials pleading desperately below the stage, the Emperor was suddenly caught in a dilemma.
"Your Majesty, time waits for no one. Please give the order quickly!"
While the Emperor was hesitating, Grand Tutor Yu and others were already extremely anxious.
The Emperor tightened his grip on the jade ring on his finger. He knew that he couldn't afford to offend Kokqin, but he also had to give his officials an explanation!
Thinking of this, the Emperor slapped the table in front of him and shouted in a deep voice,
"Give the order. Immediately seal off the mansion where the Kokqin royal family is staying. A thorough search must be carried out. Don't miss any corner!"
Hearing this, the Third Prince Yuan Zhen's body suddenly trembled, and he shouted loudly,
"Your Majesty, you can't do this! We from Kokqin came here with sincere hearts for the marriage alliance with the royal family. How could we ruin our own future and harm others? What you're doing is an insult to both our friendship and Kokqin!"
In his desperation, Yuan Zhen lost his composure in his words. He didn't notice the Emperor's already gloomy face, with two flames burning in his dark eyes.
Qi Rong curled his cold lips, looking like he was enjoying the show.
The Empress Dowager's face was so gloomy that it seemed to drip water.
"Why can't I do this? All under heaven belongs to the king. As long as it's on the land of the Liu State, even in Kokqin, I can search at will!"
Then, the Emperor changed his tone and stared intently at the Third Prince Yuan Zhen,
"The Third Prince is so nervous. Could it be that you're really guilty and hiding something shameful in your residence?"
Meeting the Emperor's snake - like gaze, Yuan Zhen gritted his teeth in hatred but quickly shook his head,
"Of course not! Your Majesty, I'm innocent!"
The Emperor snorted coldly and immediately ordered the Brocade Guards sternly,
"When you search, you must dig three feet into the ground! Especially the Third Prince of Kokqin's room. Don't miss a single corner!"
"If nothing is found, that's fine. But if I really find out that Kokqin deliberately poisoned the Crown Prince and the outstanding talents in the capital, I will never show mercy!"
There was no turning back once the arrow was shot. Fortunately, he decided to go all the way.
At this moment, the Emperor had made up his mind. Since he had ordered the search, he must have a justifiable reason and find out the "truth"!
Hearing this, the Third Prince slumped to the ground dejectedly.
But then he thought, an upright man is not afraid of a crooked shadow. Since he had done nothing wrong, others couldn't wrong him! Moreover, in the mansion where he lived, the Empress Dowager's people were placed both inside and outside. The defense was very strict. If others wanted to frame him, it was impossible to easily escape his notice!
The Third Prince kept comforting himself like this. But when he accidentally met Qi Rong's deep and mysterious gaze, he couldn't help shivering. Suddenly, he felt a chill down his spine and a strange uneasiness in his heart.
His father and mother had warned him before he came to the capital not to provoke the King of Xian, lest he bring disaster upon himself!
However, he didn't listen. He thought that his father's understanding of Qi Rong was just hearsay and others had exaggerated it!
His mother's impression of Qi Rong only remained in the other's noble status in childhood, so she wanted his sister to marry the King of Xian.
He scoffed at this, believing that although the King of Xian seemed to be highly regarded by the Emperor, there was always a leash around his neck.
Just like the wild horses on the grassland, they would eventually be tamed by the warriors and ridden under their crotches!
Because of this belief in his heart, he was determined to facilitate the marriage between his sister and the Crown Prince Qi Yu, as it would be more beneficial to his great cause.
Even for this reason, he had accepted the instigation of the Empress Dowager and arranged for ten warriors from Kokqin to kill Qi Rong.
Who would have thought that Qi Rong would be unscathed while he would end up in such a situation?!
He thought that with the support of the Empress Dowager, he could act without any worries.
However, all ten warriors he brought were killed by Qi Rong, and he himself was suspected by the Emperor.
Although the Empress Dowager had spoken for him, she was helpless!
Just from the fact that the weapons of the ten warriors were poisoned, it was obvious that he had fallen into someone else's trap. How could the Empress Dowager not notice this at all?
It was really unbelievable!
The always - proud Yuan Zhen couldn't accept that he had been used as a pawn and manipulated at will.
And Qi Rong, standing high above, looked down on their actions, planned everything, and used him at will to achieve his own goals!
Just as Yuan Zhen was thinking whether he had underestimated Qi Rong's strength and feeling a bit regretful for his impulsiveness, the Brocade Guards who had been in charge of the search came back.
The leader of the Brocade Guards walked forward steadily, carrying a package in his hand. He knelt respectfully in front of the Emperor and said,
"Your Majesty, the Brocade Guards found a suspicious package in the Third Prince's room. Inside the package, there is a sheepskin scroll, as well as many medicine bottles and powders. We don't know if there is an antidote among them."
Seeing the package in the Brocade Guard's hand, Yuan Zhen's eyes flashed, and he quickly said,
"Your Majesty, these are just some medicines for treating bruises. There is no poison in them!"
The Emperor stared intently at the package in the Brocade Guard's hand, ignoring Yuan Zhen's explanation, and said in a deep voice,
"Open it!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
The leader of the Brocade Guards immediately untied the package in front of everyone as ordered.
Looking at the dazzling array of bottles and jars in the package, everyone looked puzzled. The Emperor frowned tightly and called Doctor Zhang and other imperial physicians to come forward for inspection.
After a long time, Doctor Zhang's face suddenly changed. He picked up a paper bag of powder as big as a palm and said to the Emperor,
"Your Majesty, this bag of powder contains the Mysterious Tracking Incense, the same poison smeared on the weapons of the ten warriors!"
Then, Doctor Zhang picked up another smoky - blue porcelain bottle, smelled it carefully at the tip of his nose. After discussing seriously with his colleagues, he continued with a happy look on his face,
"What's inside is exactly the antidote for the Mysterious Tracking Incense. I hope Your Majesty will allow me to administer it to the outstanding talents immediately!"
Hearing Doctor Zhang's words, there was an immediate uproar around. Some were overjoyed while others began to scold Kokqin. The Emperor's expression became even more gloomy, with a sneer on his lips,
"Now the evidence is conclusive. What do you have to say, Third Prince?"
The Emperor Qi Hong's eyes were full of viciousness, like a venomous snake hidden in the dark, ready to bite Yuan Zhen's neck at any time and kill him!