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Chapter 562: The Mask Falls Off
Chapter 562: The Mask Falls Off
Gongsun Yanming didn’t move.
Lu Yuan said, "Pavilion Master Gongsun, if you’re still uneasy, there are plenty of men in this room who can be tested one by one. Who should go next?"
Duke Jiang rolled up his sleeve. "Come on, come on, use me, use me!"
Prince Ming nudged Prince Fu. "If that’s not enough, there’s always my fifth brother."
Prince Fu: ...You really are a sly one.
Emperor Liang’s gaze was as sharp as a drawn sword, piercing through Gongsun Yanming’s forehead.
Gongsun Yanming asked calmly, "If the Heart Devouring Parasite doesn’t react to my blood, does that prove my innocence?"
Meng Qianqian replied, "Yes."
Gongsun Yanming extended his hand.
Meng Qianqian took out the silver needle. "I apologize, Pavilion Master."
"I’ll do it myself."
"Alright."
Meng Qianqian retracted the silver needle.
Gongsun Yanming made a small cut on his fingertip, and a string of blood droplets fell onto the Heart Devouring Parasite.
Everyone stared at him, but there was no hint of panic in his eyes.
Prince Ming frowned and tugged on Lu Zhaoyan’s sleeve, whispering, "Second Brother, something’s off. He’s just going along with it? Not even a struggle? Or is the evidence so clear that he’s resigned to his fate?"
Lu Zhaoyan said, "If he were resigned, he wouldn’t be Gongsun Yanming."
"Then what about you, Fifth Brother?"
Prince Ming tugged on Prince Fu’s sleeve.
If he weren’t the youngest, his tendency to meddle would have long been a nuisance.
Prince Fu thought for a moment and said, "I’ve heard of a drug that can temporarily suppress the attraction of blood to the parasite. I don’t know if it’s true."
Prince Ming was stunned. "There’s such a drug? Then doesn’t that mean... this old fox will slip away again?"
Duke Jiang glared at the Heart Devouring Parasite in the silk box. "What’s going on... why isn’t it reacting... did we drop too little blood?"
Gongsun Yanming raised his eyes, meeting Emperor Liang’s piercing gaze with a candid expression. "Your Majesty, this should be proof of my innocence, right?"
"It moved!"
Duke Jiang shouted excitedly.
Prince Ming stretched his neck, and the Heart Devouring Parasite, though weak, moved slightly. It greedily absorbed the scent of the blood droplets.
Gongsun Yanming’s usual impassive expression flickered.
Meng Qianqian subtly wiped away the blood droplet from her fingertip.
It didn’t matter if Gongsun Yanming had tampered with the test; her blood was still a great nourishment for the Heart Devouring Parasite.
However, deceiving Emperor Liang was no easy feat.
It was when Lu Yuan took the silver needle from her hand that he drew Emperor Liang’s attention, allowing her to secretly tamper with the test.
Duke Jiang was beside himself with excitement, jumping up and pointing at Gongsun Yanming. "Ha! Old fox Gongsun! No more excuses now! This is your Heart Devouring Parasite! You tried to control Your Majesty, a crime that cannot be forgiven!"
Emperor Liang’s killing intent descended. "Gongsun Yanming!"
Gongsun Yanming replied seriously, "Your Majesty, I have something to report."
Emperor Liang said coldly, "I’d like to see how you explain yourself."
Gongsun Yanming said calmly, "Your Majesty, I have never been to the Miao Borderlands and do not know the art of using parasites. However, I suddenly remembered something. On the day of the wedding between the Prince and my daughter, I encountered a skilled expert from the Miao Borderlands. He injured me badly, and I lost a lot of blood. While my martial arts are not on par with Your Majesty’s, the Miao Borderlands expert who could injure me so severely is likely none other than King Bai Qi."
Emperor Liang looked at him with suspicion. "King Bai Qi?"
Everyone’s hearts sank.
Prince Ming tightly gripped Prince Fu’s sleeve. Not this, surely it’s not exposed?
No, this old fox knew Lord Liu’s identity all along, but he chose to reveal it now—
Prince Ming quickly grasped the crux of the matter.
At a life-or-death moment, there was no choice but to come clean.
Either way, it was a death sentence. Might as well take a chance.
"Second Brother! What do we do? Will Father Emperor believe him?"
Prince Ming whispered.
Lu Zhaoyan remained silent.
His eyes darted between Emperor Liang and Gongsun Yanming, not missing a single expression.
Gongsun Yanming continued, "Initially, I was not entirely certain. However, with today's incident of the Heart Devouring Parasite, I boldly deduced that when the King of the Miao Borderlands took my blood, he raised the parasite and then used it to infect Your Majesty, framing me in the process."
Emperor Liang stared intently into Gongsun Yanming's eyes, "How did the King of the Miao Borderlands manage to infect me?"
Gongsun Yanming glanced at the King of the Miao Borderlands and the crowd from the Crown Prince's Manor, "Your Majesty, your surroundings have long been infiltrated by the King of the Miao Borderlands. Your Majesty's favorite, Huang Changsun, is the King's grandson. And this man who calls himself Lord Liu, using his status as the Crown Prince's father-in-law, has free access to the palace and Prince Jin's Manor. Your Majesty, may I boldly ask, have you ever engaged in combat with Lord Liu?"
"Or has Lord Liu ever been close to Your Majesty?"
The imperial study fell into a deathly silence.
Not only had Emperor Liang never been close to Lord Liu, the first person he saw when he opened his eyes was Lord Liu. Feeling weak, he had been dressed in his imperial robes by Lord Liu.
Duke Jiang said to Gongsun Yanming, "Don't make things up! How could Lord Liu be the King of the Miao Borderlands?"
Gongsun Yanming replied solemnly, "I have evidence."
The King of the Miao Borderlands' leg-tapping paused.
Duke Jiang wasn't stupid. Lord Liu was his sworn brother, and he had seen every word and action.
He leaned in close to the King of the Miao Borderlands and whispered, "You, you... you can't really be the King of the Miao Borderlands, can you?"
Gongsun Yanming loudly declared, "Please allow me to present a witness, Your Majesty."
Meng Qianqian muttered, "Old fox, so this was your backup plan."
The relationship between the Miao Borderlands and the two countries was like oil and water, and Emperor Liang had unresolved personal grievances with the King of the Miao Borderlands.
Initially, the false identity was a matter of necessity, with the intention to confess to Your Majesty once everything was settled. However, Gongsun Yanming had exposed it.
Was it possible that the witness General Hu found from the Chancellor's residence was just a ruse, a deliberate trap to make them think the crisis was over, thus lowering their guard?
The true witness had likely been secretly brought into the capital by Gongsun Yanming.
That must be the case.
Meng Qianqian looked at Gongsun Yanming.
Gongsun Yanming felt her gaze and met her eyes.
In that moment, Meng Qianqian understood everything.
She knew without a doubt that the person Gongsun Yanming had brought into the capital was someone who could definitively prove the King of the Miao Borderlands' identity, not just a minor official.
She had come so far.
She was about to expose Gongsun Yanming's facade and bring him down from the pedestal he had built on the bones of the Shang family.
And yet, it was all for naught.
Gongsun Yanming bowed, "Your Majesty, the King of the Miao Borderlands has ulterior motives. His infiltration of the capital is surely to cause chaos. I implore Your Majesty to see through his schemes and not fall for the Miao Borderlands' tricks."
Emperor Liang responded, "Why would I fall for the Miao Borderlands' tricks?"
Gongsun Yanming was taken aback.
Emperor Liang glanced at the King of the Miao Borderlands and said to Gongsun Yanming, "Our country will form an alliance with the Miao Borderlands. He is my relative, so of course he is in the capital."
The amnesiac Emperor Liang: What old grievances? What grievances?
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(End of Chapter)
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