Chapter 705

First Volume, Chapter 705: Two Mothers!

If anyone else had said this, they'd have been dragged out and beheaded long ago.

Imperial affairs are not for outsiders to discuss.

But when Qin Feng says it, the tone is entirely different—no one can touch Qin Feng, not even if he directly accuses the Empress of being the mastermind behind it all.

The Chang Princess's heart was in her throat; the stakes of this matter were enormous.

If this old case were reopened, many would be implicated.

Yet when the Chang Princess looked at the Empress, she found the Empress still smiling sweetly, as if she had long anticipated Qin Feng bringing this up.

"The death of the First Prince grieves me deeply."

"Had no accident occurred, this throne heirship would never have sparked so much trouble. The First Prince was the rightful heir—no one could take it from him."

"As for claims that someone secretly stirred the pot and caused the First Prince's death, I have never heard such talk."

"Qin Feng, though you dwell among the folk and are well-informed, you cannot deny that these rumors are a mix of truth and falsehood—how can you distinguish truth from falsehood?"

"Folk gossip is unreliable."

What they didn't know was that the Jinyiwei had already dug up every last detail of this case!

Though the Jinyiwei's hands could not reach into the Imperial Palace to touch its core figures,

the place where the First Prince "fell in battle" was the Northern Border.

With the passage of time, the vast Northern Border had become Qin Feng's domain—on his own turf, investigating an old case came with unparalleled advantages.

The most crucial point…

Wei Xiao, the assassin ranked fourth on the Heavenly Ranking, was the Empress's top killer; Qin Feng, through his special connection with Wei Xiao, could naturally probe into this matter indirectly.

Though no concrete evidence yet existed, the mastermind behind the First Prince's death was undoubtedly the Empress!

Qin Feng had long expected the Empress would deny it, and he wasn't in a hurry—he spoke casually: "This old case may be beyond investigation now."

"But this case involved my Qin Family."

"Had the First Prince not died, how could my mother have suffered? She was banished back to the Ancestral Land—and that banishment lasted over a decade!"

"If there truly is no mastermind behind this, fine. But if I uncover that mastermind, no matter how high their rank, I will make them pay!"

The Empress's eyes narrowed slightly, watching Qin Feng without expression; from his gaze, she sensed undeniable resolve.

Qin Feng's threat of revenge was no empty bluff.

Those involved in the case back then—those who deserved to die were dead; those still alive were all the Empress's loyalists.

Even if Qin Feng were allowed to investigate, the Empress firmly believed he would find no hard evidence—and she smiled confidently: "Suppose this person is a member of the Imperial Clan—what then?"

At these words, the Qiyang Commandery Princess broke into a cold sweat.

The Empress's words were a trap laid for Qin Feng.

And this trap could be small or enormous—if Qin Feng dared to threaten retaliation against the Imperial Clan, the worst interpretation was treason, the mildest was insubordination.

But…

This tactic might work against others, but against Qin Feng, it bordered on playing with fire.

After all, even the Liang Emperor feared driving Qin Feng to rebellion—even when Qin Feng publicly executed Palace Guards, the Liang Emperor pretended nothing happened.

Facing the Empress's provocation, Qin Feng would never back down—he answered without hesitation: "Killers must pay with their lives; debts must be repaid—it is only right."

"As the saying goes: Equal Before the Law."

"Should members of the Imperial Clan be allowed to kill with impunity?"

"If so, what purpose did the former emperors serve in establishing the Zongzheng Temple?"

Qin Feng's words transformed this personal grievance into a legal issue.

The Qiyang Commandery Princess sighed inwardly—this man was too sharp!

After declaring his stance, Qin Feng pressed on: "If the mastermind is truly an Imperial Clan Member, according to the Great Liang Code, murder by the Imperial Clan is no different from murder by commoners. If the Imperial Clan turns on itself for personal gain, the crime is aggravated."

"I sincerely hope this mastermind has no ties to the Imperial Clan—otherwise, the charge of murdering the First Prince is grave indeed!"

Facing Qin Feng's unyielding, piercing aura, the Empress's smile slowly faded.

From Qin Feng's words, the Empress now understood his stance: if he found proof, even she would be dragged before the Zongzheng Temple.

The Empress had rarely regretted anything in her life—but this time, she truly did.

She regretted not cutting the Gordian knot early, crushing Qin Feng in his cradle.

"Feng'er, you're about to become a prince consort—surely your first act after marrying Mingyue Princess won't be to turn on your own family?"

Qin Feng didn't hesitate—he replied instantly: "Your Highness, you misunderstand—I am not turning on my family. I am upholding justice by eliminating a traitor within."

Upholding justice by eliminating a traitor within…

These words struck like blades against the Empress's psychological defenses.

Though they could not breach the Empress's decades of cultivated composure, nor shake her calm,

one thing was undeniable: this decisive young man was far more dangerous than Imperial Consort Lin.

At that moment, Qin Feng delivered another heavy blow.

"Imperial Consort Lin voluntarily relinquished her title and returned to Jiangnan—could it be she learned the truth behind the First Prince's death?"

The Empress's face remained expressionless.

After all, she had already confessed to Li Xiaolan and Imperial Consort Lin face-to-face that she was the one who killed the First Prince.

So what if she admitted it? Without ironclad proof, no one could dislodge her.

The Empress took a slow breath; her once serene gaze sharpened: "Imperial Consort Lin, the First Prince's biological mother, could do nothing."

"Could your hatred possibly be stronger than hers?"

The implication was clear: if even Imperial Consort Lin couldn't touch her, what is Qin Feng?

Not only could Qin Feng do nothing to her—even if he could, all he could manage was to place her under soft detention in the Hou Gong, and from then on, she would withdraw from worldly affairs.

She will always be Empress; no one can change that.

Even if one day the Liang Emperor abdicates, and any Prince ascends the throne, she will only become Empress Dowager from Empress.

If the Empress still had a one-in-ten-thousand chance of being overthrown, becoming Empress Dowager erases even that negligible possibility.

Throughout all dynasties, no emperor or minister has ever been heard of daring to depose an Empress Dowager.

The Empress's eyebrows lifted slightly as she smiled again: "Feng'er, once you become Prince Consort, you must also recognize this palace as your Empress Mother."

"At that time, you will have Two Mothers."

"In this Jingdu, this palace protects you; when you return to the Northern Border, Qin Cheng Clan will care for you—you will be the most fortunate Son-Minister in Heaven."

In other words, Qin Feng must overthrow the Empress before becoming Prince Consort.

Otherwise, it would be the collapse of rites and music, a violation of human ethics!