His Majesty's Hostage

Hong Xu raised his eyebrows and watched ZiLi for a while, who was frowning like he was having a hard time and mumbling like he could not figure it out, taking in every trace of change of expression on ZiLi’s face. Suddenly he got the thought that the change of expressions on ZiLi’s beautiful face were really interesting.

“I will be really killed because of you! You― You, don’t come any closer. I told you I don't know you. Even if I knew you before, I don't remember you now. And even if I remember you now, I cannot save you. Who ordered you to kill the Emperor? Besides, I am in a difficult position myself now, so how could I save you? Furthermore, you are clearly saying this because you want to use me as a scapegoat!”

“Eh, that is not what I meant! I meant― that― if you want to determine whether a person really did it, you should at least combine several testimonies. Someone’s oral confession alone cannot be strong evidence, let alone the basis for judging a crime.” ZiLi was so anxious that his brow beaded with sweat. At this point, the witness testimony and oral confession had come to the conclusion that he was the mastermind behind the scenes, making his current situation very unfavorable. “Your Majesty, the charge of assassination is not something that ordinary people can take upon themselves. My humble self is just a nobody, without power and authority. How could someone, who is willing to risk their own life or even risk Execution of Nine Relations 1 , be sent by my humble self to kill His Majesty?”

*Gulp* ZiLi could not help but to swallow his saliva, but he still summed up the courage and said, “Your Majesty, it’s impossible for my humble self to do it and furthermore, my humble self has no motive to do it. To speak of the worst-case scenario, if this assassination had been successful, what benefits are there for me? The answer is that there are none. Not only does it have no benefit for me, but it will also lead to the death of me. Only a fool would risk his life for such an unprofitable undertaking.”

Hong Xu’s gaze had grown cold after listening, then he stared at ZiLi with a meaningful look.

Author Notes