C17

Yan Xiaoxi's words woke the officials up. If Nangong Lin really wanted to kill Minister Lin, then why didn't he do so before he submitted his report and evidence? Since the matter had already been exposed, why bother doing so?

Anyone would know that with Nangong Lin's intelligence, he definitely wouldn't do such a stupid thing.

Nangong Lin was surprised, he never expected to be questioned by Yan Xiaoxi. However, he had seen a lot of things, so he quickly came up with a reasonable answer.

"There's only one reason why Prince Lin did this, it was to cover it up." A simple word could indeed explain Nangong Lin's actions.

"Deception? This Concubine has read very few books, so she only understands the meaning of 'cover up'. " As she spoke, Yan Xiaoxi was still scratching her head with a pure look in her eyes, as if she really didn't understand the meaning of the word "deceiving".

However, her words once again gave everyone a reminder, causing their original thoughts to waver unconsciously.

Seeing the ministers nod one by one, Nangong Zhen could guess that these people had long been divided into two factions. One agreed with Yan Xiaoxi's nonsense, while the other supported him.

Nangong Xiao had been staring at Yan Xiaoxi the whole time. Her words, eyes, and every movement was very similar to a person's. Nangong Xiao had once overlapped Yan Xiaoxi's face with the one in his memory.

However, when he thought about Yan Xiaoxi's identity, he felt that all of this was impossible.

"Reporting to Your Majesty, we have captured the assassin." At this moment, the leader of the guards walked in with an assassin in black clothes, breaking Nangong Xiao's reverie.

The guard in charge was half-kneeling on the ground. The assassin beside him had long tied up all sorts of hemp rope around him. At the same time, his entire body had been pierced with holes. There was nowhere for him to run to.

"Speak, who sent you?" Before Nangong Xiao could say anything, Nangong Zhen impatiently pressed him.

The black-clothed assassin's gaze was sharp as he tightly shut his lips, not saying a single word.

He looked unyielding, as if he would never utter a single word even if he was beaten to death.

"Royal Father, I think this assassin is really tough. Why don't we start the torture." Nangong Zhen was surprisingly positive and gave his suggestion again.

Nangong Xiao and Nangong Lin glanced at Nangong Zhen at the same time. The two of them seemed to have understood something.

"Kill me, I won't say anything." The assassin expressed his determination.

"You refuse a toast only to be punished by a forfeit. Men, begin your punishment!" Immediately, ten different types of torture were put on display.

This was the first time that many people had seen so many strange torture devices. There were all kinds of them, and they were all extremely cruel.

The guards first used a forceful method, using a wooden stick to catch the prisoner's fingers and then pulling the rope to the sides. The pain of having one's fingers connected to the heart was not something an ordinary person could endure.

"This prince will give you one last chance." The torture instruments had already been placed in the assassin's hand, and the form became one that could be released at any moment.

The assassin clenched his teeth. He would rather die than submit.

"Alright, I admire your courage." Saying that, Nangong Zhen gave a look to the guards on both sides.

When the guards received the order, they immediately made their move. At the same time, another scene sunk into a tense atmosphere.

After the punishment was completed, the assassin remained indifferent. Following that, under Nangong Zhen's command, basically all the torture that could be used was used. However, even though the tough faced assassin's face was pale and riddled with wounds, he did not scream out in pain or hear a single word from his mouth.

Everyone present couldn't help but admire his sincerity and his endurance.

"Men, let's see if he will say anything." Immediately, the guards removed the layer of black clothes on the outside of the assassin, but he was still wearing another set of clothes underneath, which did not belong to Nanshui Kingdom.

The moment they saw the robes of a foreign country, everyone became dumbfounded once more.

Someone immediately noticed the clues and pointed at the assassin, asking in surprise, "Isn't that East Mirror Kingdom's attire?"

When these words were spoken, Yan Xiaoxi and Nangong Lin immediately became the focus of everyone's attention.

After this incident, they could not help but think of Minister Lin's performance just now. It did not seem like he was making it up. Perhaps, it really was true.

However, the fact that Nangong Lin was the enemy selling out his country was terrifying.

What if it was real?

Was the Nanshui Kingdom really going to change?

"Princess, your subordinate has tried his best." The assassin looked in Yan Xiaoxi's direction and bit his tongue to commit suicide. Presumably, he had chosen to end his pain this way because he really couldn't stand the torture.

His actions further confirmed everyone's suspicions and confirmed his relationship with Yan Xiaoxi.

"Royal Younger Brother, what else do you have to say for yourself?" Nangong Zhen asked with a confident tone.

Nangong Lin raised his eyebrows and remained calm. He only softly said one sentence: "This King has nothing to say."

No one could have thought that Nangong Lin would have such a reaction. Without any explanation, it was as if he was disdainful of wasting his breath on this matter, but also as if he had indirectly admitted to it.

Therefore, he smiled and said, "Actually, even I do not believe that Royal Younger Brother would do such a thing. In order to prove your innocence, why not, when Royal Younger Brother handed over the military power, naturally, the rumors would not spread."

That's right, Nangong Lin still had a hundred thousand strong army of Commander's Seal.

It wasn't hard to see that this was the reason why Nangong Zhen had gone through so much trouble.

However, not to mention, Nangong Zhen's move was indeed powerful, and making this suggestion made it difficult for Nangong Lin to back down. If he did not hand over the Commander's Seal, it would prove his intent to rebel, and if he did hand over the Commander's Seal, it would be difficult for him to escape.

With such huge evidence on his body, the reason Nangong Lin was still standing here was because of the Commander's Seal in his hands.

Nangong Xiao had been sitting on the Dragon Throne with his eyes fixed on Nangong Lin, but he did not interfere with Nangong Zhen's actions. He was watching everything as if he had other plans.

Silence reigned within the hall. The atmosphere was extremely tense.

Everyone held their breath, afraid that they would be implicated.

At that moment, everyone heard a strange crunching sound.

Following the source of the voice, he saw Yan Xiaoxi eating the dried fruit with great relish.

Perhaps she had noticed the crowd's gaze, she reluctantly handed over the dried fruit and asked: "Do you want some?"

Everyone shook their heads in astonishment. They couldn't figure out whether Yan Xiaoxi was trying to fool them or was simply too naive.

In this situation, it was unbelievable that she could still eat.

Nangong Zhen glanced at Yan Xiaoxi and tried to persuade her, "Princess Mu, if he doesn't hand over the Commander's Seal, you won't have anything to eat in the future, right?"

"Really?" Yan Xiaoxi's eyes widened as she turned around to look at Nangong Lin.