12dz Chapter 858 Showdown
Chapter 858 Showdown
"This guy must be terrified. Not only did he confess, but he also implicated the Minister of Justice and the General."
Everyone was startled by Lin Ping's words. Bai Tiantian looked incredulous, and Han Yan was so frightened that he trembled all over and was about to defend himself.
"General, what's going on?" the Emperor asked with a grim expression.
He was giving Bai Tiantian a chance to explain. First, Bai Tiantian wore golden armor all day, so Lin Ping might have mistaken her for someone else. Second, even if Bai Tiantian was at the Ministry of Justice that day, it couldn't be determined that she was involved in the case.
Bai Tiantian glanced at Lin Ping, who gave her a strange smile.
"Your Majesty, I was indeed at the Ministry of Justice that day," Bai Tiantian replied truthfully.
The emperor was clearly dissatisfied with his answer and continued to ask, "Do you have other official business?"
“Your Majesty, the affairs under the General’s jurisdiction have nothing to do with the Ministry of Justice,” Fan Li said urgently.
He had waited a long time for this day to come, and even if the emperor intended to show favoritism, he would still make Bai Tiantian suffer greatly.
"There was no other official business; I went there specifically to release Lin Wuqing," Bai Tiantian replied, cupping her hands in greeting.
Upon hearing this, Han Yan rolled his eyes and almost fainted.
Lin Ping's words may not carry much weight, but Bai Tiantian's are different; Han Yan has no way to defend himself.
"Bai Tiantian, this is my palace. I will not tolerate your nonsense. I will ask you one last time: why did you go to the Ministry of Justice that day?" The emperor was furious and utterly disappointed by Bai Tiantian's answer.
"They confessed just like that?" Even Fan Li was puzzled.
He hadn't even added much embellishment, yet Bai Tiantian had already confessed; this victory seemed rather easy.
Fan Li was too embarrassed to say that he had defeated the biggest opponent of his life.
"Your Majesty's words are all true, and I am certain that Your Majesty has seen through my ignorance!" Bai Tiantian knelt on one knee and answered sincerely.
"How dare you!" The emperor slammed his fist on the dragon throne, his beard twitching with rage. "Guards! Arrest Bai Tiantian, Han Yan, and this brat! They'll be at your mercy!"
Bai Tiantian has already made her point so clearly that if the Emperor doesn't arrest him, it would be a loss of dignity.
But he didn't want to ruin Bai Tiantian because of this; she had really given him a difficult problem.
We are often helpless when faced with someone who is determined to die.
"Why did Your Majesty arrest us?" Bai Tiantian asked, looking bewildered.
"Why were you arrested?" He took the emperor by surprise. Did such a simple crime really need an explanation?
"I was merely clearing Lin Wuqing's name; I did not commit any crime," Bai Tiantian said innocently.
The emperor gritted his teeth in anger and replied sternly, "Clear the injustice? Can the crime of murder be cleared?"
“It can be cleared,” Lin Ping said respectfully. “There are two types of murder: the first is malicious murder, and the second is passive murder, also known as self-defense!”
"So you were acting in self-defense?" one of Fan Li's men said sarcastically.
Lin Ping wanted to nod in agreement, but he felt that the other person's tone was off and that it was suggestive.
Such things can be done in private, but they cannot be discussed openly, especially in the main hall.
“Of course,” Lin Ping explained.
"You mean someone tried to kill you that day?" The emperor's expression softened considerably, and he had a new approach to solving the case.
"They don't want to kill me, they want to kill my brother-in-law," Lin Ping replied.
"Nonsense! How can you prove Zhang Mingfang wanted to kill Meng Qingfan based solely on your word? Who knows if it's just a lie you made up to clear your name?" Fan Li said angrily.
"Oh? It seems Lord Fan is quite concerned about this case. I, a mere commoner, am truly flattered," Lin Ping said sarcastically.
Fan Li was speechless after being confronted. He regretted his rashness earlier, as it was clear that he had framed Bai Tiantian.
"You unreasonable brat, don't think you can get rid of your crime like this. Unless you can find evidence that Zhang Mingfang wanted to kill someone, it's intentional homicide." Fan Li didn't want to waste time with Lin Ping on the previous issue.
Besides him and Meng Qingge and her brother, the only other person present that day was the head constable of the government office. Since Meng Qingge and her brother were related to Lin Ping, their testimonies were invalid, and the head constable could not speak up for him.
Therefore, it seems that Lin Ping's charges are really hard to overturn.
“Lord Fan, what you just said is not quite right. What do you mean by ‘evidence that Zhang Mingfang wanted to kill someone’? He has clearly already killed someone,” Lin Ping replied coldly.
"Then tell me, who did Zhang Mingfang kill?" Fan Li laughed loudly, as if he could already see Lin Ping unable to defend himself.
“Naturally, it was killing my young brother-in-law,” Lin Ping replied.
"As far as I know, Meng Qingfan is alive and well, yet you say he was killed by Zhang Mingfang. This is a crime of deceiving the emperor!" Fan Li sneered.
Previously, the charge was only murder, but now there is also the charge of deceiving the emperor, which is punishable by the extermination of three generations of one's family.
Fan Li was very pleased with this unexpected gain.
"How dare you, Lin Wuqing, deceive even the Emperor!" His authority challenged, the Emperor roared in fury, "Take him out and execute him immediately!"
"Serves you right. You even dared to deceive the emperor. You deserve to die."
"You brat, this is the end result you've already set when you decided to fight me."
Fan Li sneered inwardly. He hadn't expected that Lin Ping could be dealt with so easily. If he had known this would happen, he shouldn't have spent so much money to hire assassins from the Nightmare Palace.
"Your Majesty, please allow me to explain." Seeing several guards approaching angrily, Lin Ping hurriedly said, "Zhang Mingfang did kill Qingfan, but I saved him."
"You saved him? Nonsense! Do you think you're a miracle doctor?" Fan Li laughed disdainfully. "If you were that young master from the Wu Kingdom, perhaps you really would have that ability, but unfortunately you're miles away from him."
"Oh? So, the young master of Wu Kingdom really has the ability to bring the dead back to life?" Lin Ping asked meaningfully.
In recent days, Fan Li has become increasingly impressed with the abilities of the Prince of Wu and has been looking for an opportunity to win him over. Now is the perfect time to praise him, and Fan Li will not miss it.
"Of course, the young master of Wu Kingdom possesses unparalleled medical skills; bringing the dead back to life is merely a minor matter for him," Fan Li said, almost obsequiously.
“That’s right, I’ve also heard that the young master of the Wu Kingdom has the ability to bring the dead back to life.”
"Not only is his medical skill superb, but the young master of Wu Kingdom is also the richest merchant in the world, and the greatest general in the world!"
"This kid is nothing but a fool, not even worthy to carry the shoes of the Prince of Wu, yet he dares to claim he can bring the dead back to life!"
Many people began to discuss it, praising the young master of the Wu Kingdom's abilities to the skies while condemning Lin Ping to the depths of the earth.
Not only that, they also used the title of "the greatest general in the world" to severely damage Bai Tiantian's reputation, making it even more difficult for him to gain a foothold in the court.
Lin Ping shook his head helplessly and spread his hands: "I'm not pretending anymore. I'm coming clean. I am the young master of the Wu Kingdom that you're talking about."