Chapter 1521: Her Highness the Princess (71)

“First, I accuse Lü Qing of abandoning his wife and children. Second, I accuse Lü Qing of ruthlessly attempting to murder his wife and children. Third, I accuse Lü Qing of deceiving the emperor.”

Lü Yufan’s three accusations stunned the entire court, including the Emperor.

From those few sentences alone, everyone pieced together several shocking truths.

Lü Qing had originally had a wife and children, yet for the sake of wealth and glory, he had gone so far as to try to kill them. If that was not deceiving the emperor, then what was?

The Emperor narrowed his eyes slightly and asked, “In what capacity are you bringing charges against Lü Qing, and what evidence do you have?”

“Lü Qing is Yufan’s biological father.”

As soon as the words fell, several officials nearly lost their footing. The revelation was simply too explosive.

“As for evidence, I have it all. There are both material evidence and witnesses,” Lü Yufan said. “Will Your Majesty grant Yufan this opportunity?”

“Then present your evidence. Can your witnesses and material evidence be brought forth immediately?” The Emperor was only mildly surprised before returning to his usual composure.

To many people, this was a major affair. To the Emperor, however, as long as there were no natural disasters, border troubles, or assassination attempts, such matters were trivial.

He had once regarded Lü Qing with some appreciation.

Now, if Lü Yufan had not brought him up, he would have almost forgotten that Lü Qing had once been the top scholar personally selected by him.

“Please summon Lord Lin, Her Highness the Grand Princess, and the Little Divine Doctor of the Imperial City.”

With those three names, Lü Yufan left the entire court reeling.

Lin Yuexiang had already stepped to Lü Yufan’s side. Kneeling with him, she said, “Your Majesty, this subject is Lü Qing’s former wife, the one who shared his hardships.”

The officials were dumbfounded. Was this some kind of joke? How could Lü Qing have been so out of his mind as to abandon such an excellent wife and such an outstanding son?

Lü Yuzhi had entered the palace earlier and had been waiting outside. Upon hearing her name called, she stepped into the Golden Throne Hall and knelt beside Lin Yuexiang.

“Yuzhi greets Your Majesty.”

“And what is your identity?” The Emperor asked with a smile. He had always liked the young girl.

Lü Yuzhi answered, “Yuzhi is Lü Qing’s daughter.”

Finally, Tang Guo entered with a cheerful smile.

The civil and military officials unconsciously straightened themselves. Tang Guo, however, did not kneel.

The Emperor had long exempted her from kneeling. She merely bowed and said, “Father Emperor, these three were all people your daughter rescued while traveling years ago.”

The Emperor chuckled. “So you already knew they had grievances when you saved them? Why didn’t you report it earlier?”

“Because compared to suing Lü Qing, their lives were more important. Father Emperor, looking at things now, don’t you agree?” Tang Guo said with a smile.

The Emperor inwardly thought that certainly wasn't the whole story. She had probably wanted to first turn the three of them into people of great importance, so that when the time came, Lü Qing would have nowhere to run.

And now, Lü Qing’s life had fallen into complete ruin.

Meanwhile, the mother and her two children whom he had abandoned had become more glorious and successful one after another. How miserable must Lü Qing feel?

The Emperor instantly guessed that such a wickedly clever scheme had to be the work of his little princess, Guo’er.

This girl really did come up with ideas on a whim.

Still, the three people below were indeed outstanding.

“Present all the evidence.”

At Tang Guo’s command, people brought forward all the letters Lü Qing had written in the past.

At the same time, a group of bound men was escorted into the hall.

These were the men who had once obeyed Lü Qing’s orders to monitor Lin Yuexiang and her children and had later been responsible for hunting them down.

They were no martial arts masters, merely men with some fighting skills. Otherwise, the mother and her two children would never have managed to remain on the run for so long.

After reviewing the evidence and hearing the men’s testimony, the Emperor said calmly, “Summon Lü Qing.”