Chapter 367: Your Play, Have You Had Enough?

Everyone's gaze flicked toward Jifeng.

Jifeng was stunned, his eyes widened as he stared at Bao Erci.

Bao Erci scrambled toward Jifeng with hands and feet, and the nearby guards hurriedly held her down tightly.

Bao Erci struggled, "Second Prince! It was clearly you who made me do it!"

"You, you said Great Hadtun has already collapsed, the Khanate will be yours sooner or later!"

"You said the Great Khan is already gravely ill, and since the eagle's wing is broken, why not let it return to Eternal Heaven early, so you can ascend the throne!"

"I said I wouldn't dare, yet you told me the poison was brought by the saintess's brothers from Zhongyuan's imperial palace, even Emu Qi couldn't recognize it! There will be absolutely no mishap!"

Xiao Ningxun and his party were all startled.

Xiao Ran blurted out, "Why does this also involve us?"

Tears streaming down her face, Bao Erci struggled toward Jifeng, "Second Prince!"

"You said that once it succeeds, the richest pasture will be allotted to my son, so my son can become a noble chieftain from then on."

"So he will never again have to bow his head feeding horses or bend to herd sheep for the White River Tribe."

"My whole family's lives are tied to your saddle, Second Prince! How can you now not say a word for me!"

Inside the tent, a sudden uproar erupted!

Bateer felt a secret joy, but his face flared with anger, "Full of nonsense! No matter how reckless Jifeng is usually, he would never do such a thing!"

"He is the loudest among the Khanate's hoofbeats; Father Khan is already gravely ill, why is he so urgent to poison Father Khan?"

Bao Erci sobbed, "Second Prince said he fears the steppe's wind direction could change overnight."

"He fears the Great Khan cannot forget Wurena, and perhaps one day will let Wurena sit again on Great Hadtun's carpet."

"Then, the Great Prince will sprout again like spring grass! He also worries that behind the Great Prince, the White River Tribe stands as a backing for him."

"He also said that after the Spring Festival, his hatred toward the White River Tribe is like a knife lodged in his heart; he cannot wait a moment, wanting to inherit the Khanate as soon as possible!"

"Then, then he will, like the Great Khan did to the White Deer Tribe, let the White River Tribe's blood stain the whole grassland red."

"I, I thought again and again, the Second Prince will sooner or later become Great Khan; if I help him now, my whole family will no longer be people of the White River Tribe."

"Then, we won't have our own tents crushed by the genocidal hooves."

"Otherwise, I'm just a woman who boils tea and stews meat—where does such boldness come from!"

Seizing the throne, revenge, genocide!

Bao Erci's words, reasonable and logical, only deepened the doubts in the eyes of several elders and ministers, all of whom stared fixedly at Jifeng.

Jifeng's face showed no expression at all.

So that's it! This was all aimed at me!

You came at me saying you wanted to kill me!

They even poisoned Father Khan and tried to frame me!

Tuan Tuan pouted, "You're lying! Uncle Jifeng is not that kind of person!"

Jifeng glanced at Tuan Tuan and smiled.

He was unflustered, looking down at Bao Erci, and coldly asked, "You say the poison was given by me; then when and where did I hand the poison to you?"

Bao Erci's sob halted, "It was, it was three nights ago, behind your tent."

"Who else was there at that time?"

"No, none! You said this matter is confidential, it must not be known by others…"

Xiao Ningxun suddenly interjected, his tone flat, yet like a fine needle piercing a crack, "Bao Erci, you said it was three nights ago?"

"Yes, yes!"

"But I recall that night it drizzled, how could the Second Prince still meet you behind the tent?"

"The next morning, rising early, your footprints covered the ground; where could any secrecy remain?"

"When I went to see the Second Prince, the rain hadn't yet fallen from the clouds!"

"Oh, what direction was the wind that night? East wind or west wind?"

Bao Erci was stunned.

Xiao Ningxun stared at her, continuing, "Was the moon that night full or crescent?"

Bao Erci's eyes dodged, "I… I forgot!"

"When he said 'the saintess's brothers', which brother did he mean, the fifth or the sixth?"

"I… I don't remember!"

"Don't remember? The two of you had a secret meeting; how many words could you exchange? It's only been three days, and you already forget?"

Cold sweat began to bead on Bao Erci's forehead, "You're stabbing me with a knife to confuse me! Everything I said is true! Not a single false word!"

She gritted her teeth, "If I utter even a single false word, may Eternal Heaven punish me to never be reborn!"

She violently broke free from the guards, pulled a brass hairpin from her head, and thrust it forcefully into her own throat!

In an instant, blood splattered three feet inside the Golden Tent.

Bao Erci collapsed on the ground, eyes bulging, twitching a few times, then she moved no more.

Everything happened so fast that Xiao Ningxun didn't even have time to cover Tuan Tuan's eyes.

Tuan Tuan, clutching Fan Fan, spun around sharply and saw Menggen's eyes widened.

The urgency in his gaze was almost bursting out of his sockets.

Huh, Great Khan grandpa has something to say!

Inside the tent, a dead silence.

Su He, his face full of grief and anger, raised a finger at Xiao Ningxun, "You! You forced her to die with words!"

He then turned to Jifeng, "Bao Erci washed her tongue clean with blood! What else can you say!"

He again looked toward the elders and senior officials: "Everyone, you all saw that, right?"

"Jifeng colluded with these Lie State people, ordering Bao'er Chi to poison the Great Khan; the human witness's blood isn't even cold yet, and the material evidence is right before our eyes!"

Xiao Ningxun retorted: "Bao'er Chi's testimony is vague and full of loopholes!"

"That porcelain bottle was indeed found in her tent, but who knows where she came from?"

"How is it that we have both human and material evidence?"

Su He snorted: "Central Plains people are the most deceitful!"

"It's so clear, yet you're still here kicking and bumping about like a wild horse, trying to mess things up!"

"Central Plains people have always begrudged our grasslands prosperity!"

"Fine! Let's not bring up Bao'er Chi's poisoning for now."

"Just speaking of these days when the Great Khan was gravely ill, the Eldest Prince personally delivered various tonics to outside the Golden Tent every day; his filial devotion shone like the sun on the grasslands, visible to all eyes."

"Even if the Great Khan never summoned him, the Eldest Prince still frequently visited the Golden Tent."

"Second Prince, what about you?"

Su He turned to Jifeng: "Besides the Great Khan's summons, have you ever come on your own? What did you do?"

"Quite the opposite! You spend all day bouncing on horseback and soaking in wine bowls!"

"Even last night, when the Great Khan fell ill from poison, E'muqi was helpless, and it was the Eldest Prince who alone kept watch at the Great Khan's bedside."

"And you! Reeking of alcohol, you only staggered into the Golden Tent when the sun was high overhead."

"Elders and senior officials, which prince truly shows filial devotion to the Great Khan needs no further explanation from me."

Xiao Ningxun and Xiao Ran exchanged a glance; Su He's words were indeed factual, indisputable.

Tuan Tuan rolled her eyes at Su He: "Uncle Jifeng just loves riding horses and drinking! It's not like he only started after the Great Khan grandfather fell ill."

"He's always been like that!"

"Is today the first day you've met him?"

"You!" Su He's face turned green, choked by Tuan Tuan's words.

Jifeng looked at Tuan Tuan, raising his hand to ruffle her hair.

Immediately, he turned to Bateer: "Bateer, my good elder brother, have you had enough of your performance?"