Lord Xue said in a deep voice, "Lord Shao, are you openly threatening us?"
"Threatening?" Shao Pingbo shook his head slightly, looking amused. "Lord Xue, if one is determined to condemn, no accusation is ever lacking. Don't say something even a three-year-old would find childish. How do I not remember saying anything threatening?"
The few of them understood what he meant. Threatening them? Who had heard it? The testimony of the seven of them was not credible.
Lord Gong said, "I never expected Lord Shao to be such a scoundrel."
Shao Pingbo did not take the bait and simply continued, "There was nothing wrong with offering a little incense oil money... Yet the Seventh Princess had suddenly displayed herself in court like an old minister steeped in the ways of the court for years. Anyone could see that someone must have been instigating her behind the scenes, but not a single one of you ministers had any doubts and instead danced to the tune. That is what makes this so strange. Could you gentlemen explain why you cooperated with the Song Kingdom spy Jia Wuqun in throwing the court into chaos?"
This was precisely the deadliest point, and the one the seven could not explain no matter how many mouths they had. They could not exactly say that they had intended to frame Shao Pingbo, could they? And was it merely Shao Pingbo they had framed? They had dragged the princess into it as well. Openly framing a high-ranking court official was already enough to merit the death penalty, let alone implicating the princess too.
Lord Gong said sternly, "Shao Pingbo, stop spouting nonsense!"
Ignoring him, Shao Pingbo continued, "Jia Wuqun planned and incited this, while you gentlemen coordinated with him seamlessly. So whether this incense oil money really was