Chapter 340: Unable to Defend Oneself

"Kill him! He must be killed! To commit such an inhumane act on the day of our national celebration, we must deal with this severely!"

Inside the great hall of the Ansili palace, King Abdullah and the others were discussing how to handle the matter of Chen Che and Xie Wanning.

The one who had just spoken was none other than the second most powerful person in the country, General Hogan.

In truth, Hogan's current mood was the most complex; he had originally thought that after tonight, Ansili would be in his grasp, and even the Cult Leader's death squads would be the elite force for his conquest of Zhonglu.

Yet, the Cult Leader had died just like that.

That mysterious and shameless Cult Leader had actually died at the hands of an outsider?

This made Hogan still find it hard to believe even now.

But since things had reached this point, he had to think about what came next.

"General Hogan's words make sense. The Cult Leader's status among the people of Ansili is too special; we must punish the murderers severely, or else the public anger will not subside."

"That's right, we think so too."

A crowd of officials echoed in unison.

King Abdullah sat on the throne, scanned the officials, and asked: "To execute those two, are you all prepared to go to war with Xia?"

For a moment, there was dead silence.

"Those two—one is the personal guard of the Xia Empress, the other is a young hero who just performed a great service, and they are both disciples of the Xia Empress. Kill them, and the public anger may be quelled, but the wrath of the Xia Empress, the wrath of Xia—who among you here in Ansili can appease that?"

King Abdullah issued a soul-searching question; the officials present all looked at one another, speechless.

The disparity in national strength was obvious, and the answer was self-evident.

"But if we don't kill them, the domestic public will not accept it. Your Majesty, please think thrice."

Hogan continued to apply pressure.

"Then Hogan, do you have any good ideas?" the King asked.

Hogan thought for a moment and said: "Since we cannot kill them, then cripple them. After all, it was the Xia people who attempted to insult the Princess first, and then killed to silence witnesses. If we leave them their lives, the Xia Empress likely won't pursue it, and our people will have an explanation."

"General Hogan's words make sense, I agree!"

"I agree too!"

King Abdullah was clearly having a headache; he pinched the bridge of his nose, waved his hand, and said: "Alright, you all may leave first. I will think about it carefully, and before dawn, I will give you all, and the nation of Ansili, an answer."

Hogan frowned; he knew King Abdullah still couldn't make up his mind, but he couldn't afford to care about that much.

Now that the Cult Leader was dead, the Follower Leiji was also under his control.

The only one who knew the truth about tonight's events was Chen Che. Although Chen Che had been framed as the mastermind, if Chen Che told the truth, even if King Abdullah didn't believe him, a thorough investigation would still reveal many suspicious points.

Even if they couldn't find evidence of his collusion with the Cult Leader, they could still punish him for failing in his duties as a guard.

Once convicted, Hogan's power would certainly be weakened, and it would be even harder to replace the King later.

However, he couldn't say anything more in the current situation, so he left with the other officials, though he had a new idea in his heart.

After all the officials had left, Princess Laila trotted out, followed by Queen Fatima and the head of the guards, Yuri, who had caught up.

"Father, are you really going to execute Chen?!"

Princess Laila had heard the officials' discussion the whole time and was very worried that Chen Che would be executed.

"Your Highness, that Chen Che is just a shameless villain, a lecher! If the Cult Leader hadn't arrived in time, you would have long since fallen victim to his evil hands!"

Yuri looked indignant. "And you saw the situation at the time; it was he who killed the Cult Leader, it was he and that woman who killed the Cult Leader together! You worrying for him now is simply not worth it!"

"No! That's not true!"

Princess Laila shook her head: "Chen is not that kind of person. I know this very well. There must be a misunderstanding in this matter! Father, it must be a misunderstanding, I believe in Chen!"

"Your Highness, His Majesty the King and the Queen saw his actions with their own eyes; please stop arguing for him!"

Yuri looked as if he were frustrated by her lack of resolve.

Princess Laila grabbed the King's clothes with both hands, looking at him with a pleading face.

King Abdullah sighed and said: "There are indeed many suspicious points in this matter, but that is not important now.

Laila, do you know what the Due Sect means to Ansili, and do you know what the Cult Leader means to the people of Ansili?

That is their faith, their spiritual pillar. Now that the people have gathered, if this is not handled properly, Ansili will fall into chaos."

"But... but that doesn't mean you can execute Chen!"

Princess Laila said with a look of grievance.

Queen Fatima stepped forward, stroked her daughter's hair, and asked warmly: "Laila, you are a good girl. You believe in Chen, but that doesn't mean Chen hasn't lied to you.

As it stands, he is a despicable and shameless person who not only coveted your beauty but also murdered the Cult Leader.

Mother knows you have a good impression of him, and your father and I did indeed think about marrying you to him, but now, we will not allow our daughter to marry such a person."

"Mother..."

Laila wanted to say something more, but was interrupted by King Abdullah: "Laila, you don't need to doubt. I have already sent people to bring Chen and Xie from the dungeon. Whether it is true or not, you can ask him face to face."

As he spoke, the palace doors opened.

Chen Che and Xie Wanning walked in under the escort of guards and arrived at the center of the great hall.

"Chen! It wasn't you, right? Tell me, this is all a misunderstanding, right?"

The moment Princess Laila saw Chen Che, she rushed out, threw herself onto Chen Che, grabbed his clothes, and looked at him with full expectation as she asked.

Chen Che looked down at Princess Laila, not knowing how to explain.

In the current situation, he was unable to defend himself.

Seeing that Chen Che did not speak, Yuri stepped forward and forcibly separated the two, saying: "Your Highness, do you see? Him not speaking is his admission! He is exactly that kind of person; everything before was just an act, he has been lying to you all along! Such a sinister villain is not worth your affection!"

Two lines of clear tears slid down the Princess's cheeks. Princess Laila was heartbroken and looked at Chen Che with tears streaming down her face: "Chen, was it really you? Why would you do this? If you really wanted me... it's not like I wouldn't have given myself to you... but... why would you do this..."

Chen Che's expression stirred; Princess Laila was innocent and naive, without so many ulterior motives, and her current state proved that she was truly deeply hurt.

The Queen stepped forward and pulled the Princess into her arms, glaring coldly at Chen Che, her eyes full of anger: "Hypocritical and venomous villain, I will not let you hurt my daughter again. My husband, the King of Ansili, will give you the most severe punishment!"

The Queen left with the Princess.

Yuri gripped the hilt of his blade, staring at Chen Che; his eyes, filled with resentment and murderous intent, seemed as if they wanted to tear Chen Che into ten thousand pieces.

"It is fortunate that the Princess is unharmed; otherwise, no matter what, I would certainly have cut off your head with my own hands! But for now, you two should also prepare for the arrival of death!"

Yuri slammed the hilt of his blade into Chen Che's lower abdomen with a thud, and Chen Che gasped in pain.

Because his hands were tied behind his back and he was wearing a True Qi Restrictor on his feet, Chen Che could neither dodge nor resist, and could only endure it.

"Yuri, you should go out as well."

King Abdullah spoke up.

Yuri was uneasy and said, "Your Majesty, they are Martial Artists after all, and their cultivation realms are not low; if I stay, I can protect you."

The King shook his head: "They have a True Qi Restrictor on them and their hands are tied; if there is any unusual movement, I only need to press this button, and they will lose the ability to act."

The King extended his right hand from his robe, holding a button between his index finger and thumb.

Yuri hesitated for a moment, but ultimately bowed to the King and left.

Inside the great hall, only King Abdullah, Chen Che, and Xie Wanning remained.

King Abdullah rose from the throne and came before Chen Che.

The two locked eyes.

Suddenly, King Abdullah raised his right hand and pressed the button.

………