"What did you say?"

Upon hearing Jing Yunzhou say that Jing Lingyu was guilty of treason, the emperor could not listen any further. His voice rose like a thunderclap in Jing Yunzhou’s ears, frightening him to the point he nearly lost his footing.

In contrast, Qiann Yan stood firmly in place; at this moment, neither father nor son had the attention to spare for her, so they naturally did not notice anything unusual.

Jing Yunzhou felt his scalp tingle under the emperor’s imposing gaze, the pressure of an emperor’s presence was incredibly uncomfortable.

However, he had already mentally prepared himself and steeled his nerves to continue speaking. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

"Third Brother not only committed treason but was also involved in framing General Lin back then. Father, General Lin was not guilty of treason; he was framed by Consort Qin. Third Brother is not innocent; he knew about this from the start."

"Over the years, he has had many contacts with spies from Chen Country."

"If you don’t believe me, Father, Third Sister-in-law possesses letters found in Third Brother’s hidden chamber. If I hadn’t seen these, I wouldn’t have dared to believe it, much less tell you, Father."

Jing Yunzhou spoke all these words in one breath, his back soaked through.

In the face of the high authority’s presence, his tolerance was nearly at its limit. If the emperor applied any more pressure, he might not withstand it.

Qiann Yan took out the letters from her sleeve pocket. Seeing this, the Grand Steward beside the emperor quickly stepped forward to collect them. His hands trembled as he inspected the letters, finding nothing strange before presenting them to the emperor.

The emperor coldly flipped through the letters. The letter was not long, but the aged paper was evident.

The contents were few, yet the events mentioned were numerous.

It mentioned that Lin Qiyan’s death was good, that Consort Qin’s final actions were commendable, and that in the future, they would level the entire Great Zhou, swallow it up, and avenge Consort Qin. At that time, Chen Country would reveal Consort Qin’s deeds, allowing her to be revered by the masses.

The emperor, incensed, slammed the Dragon Desk, causing it to thunder loudly. No one in the Imperial Study Room dared to speak or even breathe loudly.

"What a Consort Qin!"

"Consort Qin!"

"Such methods, plotting even in death."

Jing Yunzhou did not intervene, trying his best to shrink his head. The emperor’s voice resounded over him: "Third Brother’s kin, you say this letter was found in Third Brother’s hidden chamber? Can you guarantee there are more things that can be found there?"

Jing Yunzhou breathed a sigh of relief. As expected, Father did not ask how Yanyan happened to take letters from Third Brother’s hidden chamber.

On reflection, it was quite normal; in the eyes of outsiders, Yanyan was Third Brother’s Princess Consort, and the two were husband and wife; entering and leaving rooms was a very normal activity. Father probably speculated that Yanyan inadvertently discovered these.

Qiann Yan: "Yes, Father. Initially, when the Crown Prince spoke of this matter, your daughter-in-law found it equally outrageous. But the Crown Prince did not seem to be lying. This matter concerns the survival of Great Zhou, and although your daughter-in-law and the Prince were married formally, in the face of national righteousness, your daughter-in-law would choose Great Zhou. With this mindset, while the Prince slept, the chamber was discovered."

"There were countless letters and items inside. Your daughter-in-law took an inconspicuous letter from the corner without delay and quickly left the mansion to meet with the Crown Prince." Qiann Yan finished speaking, not forgetting to glance at Jing Yunzhou, who was now dazed and looked quite unwell, "We are fortunate that the Crown Prince’s information was timely; otherwise, if the Prince truly acted against Great Zhou, it would have been too late."

Jing Yunzhou felt as though he was about to split open, sensing his father’s scrutinizing gaze upon him.