PFC Chapter 189: The Conspiracy is Clear, Trust is Rebuilt
Chapter 189: The Conspiracy is Clear, Trust is Rebuilt
The red-robed messenger threw the black ball into the air with great force. Before anyone could react, a thick black fog instantly spread out, quickly covering the entire hall.
"Oh no, it's poisonous!" Ren Xiaoyao was quick-witted and pulled Xia Lin beside him, protecting her behind him. At the same time, he held his breath and released his true energy to form a barrier to block the invasion of the poisonous fog.
“Cough cough…” Bursts of coughing were heard from the black fog, mixed with the angry roar of the Golden Lion King, “Protect the princess!”
In the chaos, Ren Xiaoyao felt a strong spiritual power fluctuation coming from the depths of the black fog. He was startled and realized that the red-robed messenger was trying to escape in the chaos.
"Want to leave? Not that easy!" Ren Xiaoyao snorted coldly and was about to rush into the black fog, but was stopped by Xia Lin.
"Xiaoyao, be careful, there might be a trap! Let's wait and see what happens." Xia Lin's calm voice sounded in her ears.
Ren Xiaoyao thought about it for a moment and felt that what Xia Lin said made sense, so he suppressed his impulsive thoughts and vigilantly observed the movements around him.
At this moment, a clear voice came from the entrance of the hall, "Father, I have found evidence! The red-robed messenger..."
As they spoke, a woman in formal attire swiftly entered the hall. She was Xia Lin's friend and a spy under the Golden Lion King's command. Holding a jade slip high in her hand, she excitedly declared, "We found this slip in the Red Robe Envoy's room. It records his conspiracy with other forces to murder my father and overthrow the Golden Lion Kingdom!"
Upon hearing this, the Golden Lion King snatched the jade slip and injected spiritual power into it. Suddenly, a curtain of light was projected from the jade slip, revealing the conspiracy of the red-robed messenger.
"How ridiculous!" The Golden Lion King roared, and the jade slip in his hand instantly turned into dust. He turned his head abruptly, staring into the depths of the black fog with a sharp gaze. "Red Robe Messenger, what else do you have to say?!"
The black fog swirled, and the crimson-robed messenger stumbled out of the thick mist, clutching his chest, blood seeping from the corner of his mouth. Clearly, he'd sustained significant injuries in the earlier fight. Facing the Golden Lion King's angry questioning, the crimson-robed messenger's face paled, yet he still managed a last vestige of arrogance, laughing hoarsely, "Success goes to the king, and failure goes to the bandit. I'm inferior in skill, so I have nothing to say!"
The princess, upon seeing the overwhelming evidence of guilt contained in the jade slips and recalling her earlier suspicions and provocations of Ren Xiaoyao and Xia Lin, felt a wave of shame. She walked up to Ren Xiaoyao, bowed deeply, and said sincerely, "You two, I have wronged you! I was blinded by the red-robed messenger's sweet talk, which led me to act so rashly. Please forgive my ignorance and impulsiveness."
The national teacher who had been silent all this time also stood up at this moment. He sighed and said with regret on his face: "I am old and confused! I was actually used by the red-robed messenger and almost caused a big mistake! Xiaoyao, Xia Lin, I wronged you before. If you want to blame someone, blame me!" The national teacher was heartbroken. He knew very well that as the right-hand man of the Golden Lion King, he shouldered the heavy responsibility of protecting the safety of the country, but because of his momentary confusion, he almost pushed the Golden Lion Kingdom into the abyss of no return.
Ren Xiaoyao and Xia Lin exchanged a glance, each seeing the relief in the other's eyes. Ren Xiaoyao stepped forward, helped the princess up, and said gently, "Your Highness, your words are too serious. We all understand that you were concerned about the safety of the Golden Lion Kingdom. You were simply being used."
Xia Lin also walked over to the Imperial Master and softly consoled him, "There's no need to blame yourself, Imperial Master. It's good enough that you admit your mistakes and can correct them. The most important thing now is how to deal with the Red Robe Envoy and eliminate the impact of his conspiracy."
The Imperial Preceptor looked at Xia Lin gratefully, nodded, and said, "Miss Xia Lin is right. The most urgent task is to stabilize the situation. We must not let the Red Robe Envoy succeed in his scheme!" He then turned to the Golden Lion King and said, "Your Majesty, I suggest that the Red Robe Envoy be immediately apprehended, rigorously interrogated, and thoroughly investigated!"
The Golden Lion King, still furious, immediately nodded in agreement upon hearing the Imperial Master's suggestion. He waved his hand and ordered the guards outside the palace, "Come here, capture the red-robed messenger!"
The guards rushed forward, surrounding the stubbornly resisting Red-robed Envoy. Just as the Red-robed Envoy was about to be captured, the previously silent General Black Tiger suddenly stepped forward and said in a deep voice, "Wait!" General Black Tiger's sudden words brought the already tense atmosphere of the hall to a standstill. He approached the Red-robed Envoy, his gaze piercing, and asked in a deep voice, "Red-robed Envoy, do you remember that day on the training grounds, when you obstructed him in every possible way and slandered Mr. Xiaoyao and Miss Xia Lin, saying they had ill intentions and were trying to undermine diplomatic relations between our two countries?"
The red-robed envoy felt uneasy under the sharp gaze of General Black Tiger, but he still said stubbornly, "General Black Tiger, everything I said is true. Have you also been deceived by them?"
General Black Tiger sneered, pulled out a brocade bag from his bosom, threw it in front of the red-robed envoy, and said sternly, "Look at what this is!"
The red-robed envoy opened the brocade pouch and his face turned pale. Inside was the letter of conspiracy between him and the enemy country! He looked up at General Black Tiger in horror, only to see disappointment and anger in his eyes.
It turned out that although General Black Tiger was straightforward and impulsive, he was not stupid. Ever since the competition, he had harbored doubts about the Red Robe Emissary's words and secretly sent people to investigate. Finally, before the truth was revealed today, he found irrefutable evidence of the Red Robe Emissary's treason.
"Although I, Black Tiger, am not very talented, I know the difference between loyalty and treachery! As an envoy of the Golden Lion Kingdom, you colluded with foreign enemies and framed loyal officials. Your crime is unforgivable!" General Black Tiger said indignantly. He turned to face the Golden Lion King, knelt on one knee, and said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, I was deceived by the red-robed envoy and wrongly accused Mr. Xiaoyao and Miss Xia Lin. Please forgive me, Your Majesty!"
King Golden Lion felt mixed emotions as he watched the scene. He had never imagined that the loyal General Black Tiger would be deceived by the Red Robe Messenger. What made him even more sad was that he was almost deceived by this traitor and made a wrong judgment.
"General Black Tiger, please stand up quickly. This is not your fault. You were deceived by the treacherous people!" The Golden Lion King quickly helped General Black Tiger to his feet and comforted him, "I am very pleased that you have found your way back."
General Black Tiger stood up, walked over to Ren Xiaoyao and Xia Lin, bowed deeply, and said sincerely, "Mr. Xiaoyao, Miss Xia Lin, I was reckless before and I hope you will forgive me for any offense I caused. From now on, I will follow your lead and fully support the alliance between our two countries!"
Ren Xiaoyao and Xia Lin exchanged a glance, each seeing the relief in the other's eyes. They knew that while the Red Robe Envoy's plot had been completely shattered, the estrangement and suspicion between the two countries would not be eliminated overnight. General Black Tiger's statement undoubtedly cleared a huge obstacle for the two countries' alliance.
"General Heihu, you are too polite. We have long forgotten what happened before. Now that we are facing a powerful enemy, we should unite and fight against it together!" Ren Xiaoyao said solemnly.
"Yes, we are very pleased that General Black Tiger can put aside past grudges and support the alliance between the two countries." Xia Lin also said with a smile.
The red-robed envoy saw that his conspiracy was completely exposed, and originally wanted to struggle and make up more lies, but now that he saw that even General Black Tiger stood on the side of Ren Xiaoyao and Xia Lin, he knew that there was no possibility of turning the situation around, and could only be taken away by the guards dejectedly like a defeated rooster.
The Golden Lion King looked at Ren Xiaoyao and Xia Lin, his eyes filled with gratitude and admiration. He knew that if they hadn't been so resourceful and brave, seeing through the Red Robe Envoy's scheme, the consequences would have been disastrous. He cleared his throat and said solemnly, "Mr. Xiaoyao, Miss Xia Lin, this time, thanks to you..."
Before he could finish his words, Ren Xiaoyao interrupted him with a wave of his hand, "Your Majesty the Golden Lion King, now that we are facing a powerful enemy, we should hurry up and discuss the alliance."
The Golden Lion King nodded, a complicated look flashing in his eyes, and he slowly said, "We are naturally very happy to form an alliance, but..."