The other relatives in the hall were rattled.
It was the place to worship ancestors. It would be too late to burst into tears for them before it was burned up.
Lin Mengya returned to her seat, but by accident, she caught a glimpse of her brother and Qin Mo, who just snuck back. “Could it be—”
“No way!”
But luckily, everyone was in chaos, even the Empress and the Crown Prince seemed as if they didn’t catch the abnormal action of Lin Nansheng and Qin Mo. She was still unable to feel at ease.
The noise outside died down. Beside the Zhaohe Hall was an artificial pool. The fire was strong, but was soon controlled.
After a while, Long Tianyu went into the hall with his face ghastly pale. There was something in his hands.
“What’s the situation outside?” the Empress asked.
She knew clearly the importance of Zhaohe Hall to the royal family of Dajin. So she sounded a little anxious.
“It’s under control. But, I found something unusual in the burning of Zhaohe Hall.”
His words successfully drew everyone’s attention. He opened his hands and a piece of black iron could be seen there.
“What’s that?” The Empress and the Crown Prince were as anxious as Lin Mengya. But Long Tianyu turned to look at the Fifth Prince, and a cruel expression covered his pretty face.
“It’s an arrowhead, with a name! And it’s covered with an indication of fire fuel. Yingchu, what are you planning? You tried to shoot my wife first, and then, you used your arrow to burn Zhaohe Hall. You want to commit high treason?”
His words totally stunned the Fifth Prince.
Even the Empress and the Crown Prince had no idea about why Long Tianyu accused him of that.
“Long Tianyu, say it clearly! Why is it mine? Lots of people are here. How dare you frame me? How bold you are!”
The Fifth Prince glared at Long Tianyu, as if he would not leave the matter at that. But Long Tianyu sneered, raised the arrowhead, and spoke loudly.
“It’s not a common arrowhead. It’s the head of the arrow that we used to pray in the Heaven-worshiping ceremony. By convention, we’re supposed to take it off and carry it with us for a hundred days after specially handling it. So where’s your arrowhead?”
Immediately, Long Yingche’s face changed. He ought to do as Long Tianyu said, but he had shrugged it off and didn’t carry it with him.
“Right, if the Fifth Prince carries it on him, why not take it out and show it to prove yourself?”
At the time, the King of Chongshan proposed fairly. But the Fifth Prince’s face looked more embarrassed.
He crossed his hands tightly. He had no idea where that cloth bag had been thrown. How could he take it out?
“Perhaps brother is too careless to know where he threw it?”
The Crown Prince suddenly came to his rescue, which attracted many people’s attention.
“Right. I lost it, by accident. And it’s just some arrowhead. Since Dajin has a history of hundreds of years, how could it be damaged for this?”
Hearing that, the Empress’s eyes were brimming with invisible coldness. When the Crown Prince was about to stick up for him, she held him down.
She understood that it was a trap for Long Yingchu at the beginning. Whether the arrowhead was the main cause of the fire in Zhaohe Hall, Long Yingchu was unlikely to escape from accusation.
The Chen family was down and out. There was no need to keep it, and the same went for Long Yingchu.
And, the Crown Prince had better get himself out of the matter.
Lin Mengya calmly added, “It’s an event to pray for our country. Our honorable Empress and the Crown Prince thought it to be important. But the Fifth Prince was really not that kind of a punctilious prince. He was too careless to treat our ceremony seriously. It’s really admirable.”
Her words made the Fifth Prince become like a lamb to the slaughter.
Even if there was evidence to prove him innocent, he interrupted the ceremony and lost the arrowheads for blessing. Moreover, he talked big just now.
Those relatives wouldn’t spare him.
“Stop adding fuel! Hmph, you and Long Tianyu made the plan together. You want to put me in the wrong! Why I didn’t kill you at that time!”
The Fifth Prince was driven so mad that he exposed the shooting at Lin Mengya in public.
It was too late to regret before he came to his senses. Everyone was watching him like a stranger. Long Yingchu went into a panic when he noticed the silence of the Empress, the Crown Prince, and the Chen family.
Obviously, he had already become the observed of all the observers.
“Disrespect for your ancestors, and your elder brother. I’m not one of the royal family, but father proclaimed me to be Princess Yu. My death is not to be regretted. However, I won’t disobey our traditions set by our ancestors. Empress, Crown Prince, please make the decision for me.”
All of a sudden, Lin Mengya knelt down on the ground and spoke word by word.
The fire of Zhaohe Hall was just a blasting fuse. She had no idea who did this, but she could take advantage of it.
The Fifth Prince just admitted that he attempted to kill her. So as long as she stuck to it, the Crown Prince and the Chen family couldn’t let him escape.
“I…”
Long Yingchu was trying to defend himself, but was interrupted by the Empress.
“Hey, why so stubborn!”
“Bang!” The Empress violently threw a glass to the ground.
Her phoenix-like eyes were glaring at Long Yingchu fiercely.
“Mother, I…”
Long Yingchu was afraid. He acted so arrogantly because he had someone to back him. The Empress and the Chen family would protect him from any punishment.
That’s why Long Yingchu agreed when the Crown Prince proposed to make Lin Mengya embarrassed in public.
But when their plan was exposed, the Crown Prince clearly kept himself out of the affair, regardless of Long Yingchu.
“Shut up! What do you want to do? Commit treason? “Your father is still lying in bed, but you cause such big trouble. Consort Chen would also be irritated by you if she was still alive! For her sake, I cared about you very much before. But how dare you be so impenitent and do such a thing! I must punish you this time. Guard! Put the Fifth Prince into jail. He is not the prince anymore. I’ll punish him for disrespecting the ancestors!”
The Empress’s speech cooled everyone’s anger down for the moment.
But the Fifth Prince was totally startled. He came to understand what it meant to kick down the ladder.
“No! You can’t do this to me! The Crown Prince, he made me do this!”
The Fifth Prince fell into a panic and couldn’t think thoroughly. He determined and tried to get the Crown Prince to be punished along with him. But the Empress wouldn’t allow it.
“Shut up! The Crown Prince treats you well all the time. It’s so surprising that you’d really give up your brother’s love and just think of yourself. How heartless you are. I won’t indulge you anymore!”
The Fifth Prince was still exclaiming but nobody would believe him anymore.
Long Tianyu held Lin Mengya up. They looked at and understood each other.
This time, the Crown Prince lost the Fifth Prince and the latter’s accusation also aroused others’ suspicion.
They could have pushed more, but if they put too much pressure on the Empress, they might get more losses than gains.
“Come here, Princess Yu,” the Empress said.
As Lin Mengya’s nominal mother-in-law, she should say something to comfort her.
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Lin Mengya went over to the Empress in a lovely manner, as if she had really had a tough day.
“Sorry to embarrass you. It’s my fault for the terrible behavior of the Fifth Prince. You almost got hurt by him. I have a jade bracelet. It was given to me by the late Emperor when I married His Majesty. A Confucian classic is carved on it. I wish Buddha blesses you.”
Then, the Empress took off the jade bracelet.
“Thanks, but, Your Highness, I can’t take it.”
Lin Mengya was about to decline, but the Empress stood up and put on the jade bracelet for her.
“You did well today. I should grant you a reward. “It’s just one of those rewards.”
What everyone saw was the Empress’s gentle smile and great concern over Lin Mengya.
But only Lin Mengya herself understood her implication that she was ready to fight.
“Thank you, Your Highness. But I’m afraid that I might delay your business. Then, it would be bad of me.”
Lin Mengya put on a shy smile and answered back.
Both of them looked at each other for just a second, but it was long enough to show warnings.
“How sweet of you. Well, I’m make it up to you.”
The Empress saw herself in Lin Mengya’s eyes. When she was still young and had just married the Emperor, she also had a dream to live a harmonious life with the Emperor.
So she tried hard to do what she should do, and took great care of the Emperor, as a good wife and a good Empress. But unexpectedly, what she got was the cruel fact that the Emperor fell in love with another woman.
Lin Mengya had a similar family and intelligence as her. But Lin Mengya was much happier than her.
Dajin didn’t need two clever women. Lin Mengya had to disappear.
Lin Mengya respectfully returned. The jade bracelet was soft and cool. Its smooth surface made her feel disgusted.
Perhaps because it was awarded by the Empress.
