"It was all my fault. I was the one who harmed you all..."
He had long suspected that something had been amiss with what happened between Ling'er and Li Ruo that day, and that Huang Qiao might have been behind it. Now, he was one hundred percent certain.
She had been the one who had forcibly brought the two of them together that day.
She had been taking revenge on him—over his attempt to marry her younger brother, Huang Lan, into the Li family, and over his concealing the truth about his niece Li Ruo's character.
Li Sang regretted it deeply now. He regretted trying to use such methods to control her, and even more, regretted being so conceited as to believe that she truly had feelings for him.
"All right, shut up. You're giving me a headache."
Su Qiao was annoyed by their incessant noise and waved her hand. "Take them away first."
Mu Jin hurriedly led people forward and dragged the father and daughter away.
"Your Highness, please, let Ying'er go. Please let her go. She's your own niece..."
Even as he was being dragged away, Li Sang kept turning back and begging.
*
With everything settled, the ministers waiting in Jiaotai Hall all breathed a sigh of relief after receiving the definitive news. At the same time, they wore expressions that seemed to say, Just as expected.
The moment Su Qiao entered Jiaotai Hall, the ministers immediately performed a grand salute.
After she took her seat at the head, one minister stepped forward. "Your Highness, Your Majesty—no, Huang Ying actually colluded with Eastern Jin and tried to provoke a war. Her crime is tantamount to treason. It is truly despicable, and she is unfit to rule. I ask Your Highness not to let familial affection sway you