Starting with being handed over to the Imperial Concubine, building a family with a thousand-year hi

Seeing Lin Wen calm down, Xiao Anxun's gaze turned to the trembling Xu Qian'er. His tone instantly turned icy cold, carrying an unyielding pressure: "Xu Qian'er, I'm giving you one last chance. Tell the truth! The Xiao royal family possesses a secret soul-searching technique. If you dare utter even the slightest lie, I will order a soul search. At that time, your soul and spirit will be annihilated, leaving you unable to live or die. Don't blame me for being ruthless!"

This is no exaggeration. The Xiao royal family has a thousand-year-old tradition and does indeed possess a domineering soul-searching technique, which only high-level martial artists with strong spiritual sense can use. However, this technique is too insidious. After it is used, the soul of the person being searched is completely destroyed, turning them into a walking corpse. The user will also suffer a huge loss of soul power and damage to their foundation. Therefore, it has rarely been used throughout history, unless absolutely necessary.

Xu Qianren was already terrified and her body went limp. Upon hearing the words "soul search," she was struck dumb, her legs buckled, and she collapsed to the ground, her face ashen, her lips trembling, all traces of her previous resolve gone. She wasn't afraid of death, but she was afraid of the torment of living a life worse than death, afraid of her soul being annihilated and never being reincarnated.

"I'll talk! I'll talk! I'll tell the Emperor everything!" Xu Qian'er's voice trembled with tears, "Eunuch Su never instructed me to assassinate the Empress. It was all my own idea—I hated the Empress for destroying the Situ family and killing my sister, so I took this risk!"

She took a deep breath and continued, choking back tears, "I slandered Eunuch Su simply because I was unwilling to accept it! Knowing I couldn't escape death, I wanted to drag him down with me, to avenge him for not informing me of my sister's death, and to avenge his 'heartlessness' towards her! Also, after my sister's assassination attempt on the Empress failed, she fled to the library. It wasn't Eunuch Su protecting her; it was Situ Wan and I who secretly arranged for her to escape through the library. We just didn't expect that my sister would ultimately die there!"

When the truth came out, Xu Qian'er could no longer hold on and collapsed to the ground, her whole body trembling uncontrollably.

"Since you're willing to tell the truth, I'll grant you a quick death!" Xiao Anxun's tone was icy and merciless. He waved his hand at the guard beside him, "Take him away and execute him!"

Upon hearing the words "death sentence," Xu Qian'er breathed a sigh of relief, a relieved smile appearing on her face. She did not resist, allowing the guards to escort her out of the Qianming Hall. She knew this was the best possible outcome; at least she wouldn't have to endure the torment of soul-searching—from the moment she decided to carry out the assassination, she knew she wouldn't live to see the next day.

After dealing with Xu Qian'er, Xiao Anxun turned his gaze to the captured Divine Judgment expert, his tone still icy: "Speak! Did you collude with Su Mu? Were those testimonies fabricated at someone's behest?"

The expert from the Divine Judgment was a powerful cultivator at the Innate Realm. He had undergone rigorous training and possessed unwavering resolve. Even imprisoned, he gritted his teeth and said with resolute eyes, "Everything I said is true! Su Mu has long been colluding with the Divine Judgment, and his father, Su Qingshan, is a core member of the Divine Judgment. Every word I said is true, without a trace of falsehood!"

Seeing that he remained unrepentant, a hint of impatience flashed in Xiao Anxun's eyes. Just as he was about to give the order, Xiao Changshan stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, I am willing to take action and use the Soul Searching Technique on him to find out the truth!"

Xiao Anxun was taken aback and quickly dissuaded him, "Changshan, your injuries have not healed, and you have long since lost any chance of breaking through to the Grandmaster level. Now you are completely exhausted. If you forcibly use the Soul Searching Secret Technique, it will only deplete your remaining soul power, damage your foundation, and even endanger your life! This is absolutely not allowed!"

Xiao Changshan shook his head, a resolute look on his face, his tone heavy: "Your Majesty, I am a member of the Xiao family. The royal family is currently facing internal and external troubles. Whether Lord Su Mu is colluding with the Divine Judgment is a matter of life and death for the royal family and the safety of the Great Qian Dynasty. This matter is of utmost importance! I am nearing the end of my life, and even if it depletes my soul power and damages my very foundation, I am willing to make one last contribution to the royal family and find out who is secretly sowing discord!"

He knew in his heart that after the desperate battle on the morning of the festival, he was severely wounded and on his last legs, and would not live much longer. Rather than prolong his life, he would rather find out the truth and live up to the kindness of the royal family in raising him.

Looking into Xiao Changshan's resolute eyes, Xiao Anxun was deeply moved, knowing he couldn't persuade him otherwise. After a moment of silence, he slowly nodded, his voice heavy: "Alright! Changshan, then I'll have to trouble you! If you really can't hold on, stop immediately, don't push yourself!"

"Your subject obeys!" Xiao Changshan bowed and accepted the order, slowly turning around. His gaze fell on the expert of the Divine Judgment, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes. He took a deep breath, circulating the last of his soul power, his divine sense surging, probing towards the other's sea of ​​consciousness—the Soul Searching Secret Technique was officially activated!

A moment later, Xiao Changshan abruptly withdrew his divine sense, his face instantly turning deathly pale, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, his body trembling slightly, and he nearly collapsed. Meanwhile, the expert in Divine Judgment seemed to have all his strength drained away, collapsing to the ground, his eyes vacant, his soul severely damaged, having long lost his previous resilience.

"Your Majesty..." Xiao Changshan staggered forward, bowing deeply to report, his voice weak but clear, "This man is lying! He has never met Lord Su Mu before, has had no connection whatsoever, and has no collusion whatsoever! He fabricated this testimony because someone secretly instructed him, promising to rescue him and provide a generous reward if he succeeded in slandering him!"

"Hmph! It's a slander after all!" Upon seeing this, Xiao Anran immediately shouted angrily and stepped forward to Xiao Anxun, saying, "Your Majesty, it's obvious that this is all a conspiracy by the Divine Judgment! The two identical letters and this person's false testimony were all deliberately arranged by them, with the aim of sowing discord between the royal family and Lord Su, disrupting the order of the palace, and plotting something sinister!"

Lin Wen's face alternated between pale and flushed, filled with resentment, yet she still did not give up. She stepped forward and admonished, "Your Majesty, even if Su Mu did not collude with the Divine Judgment, he is still the son of Su Da, the ruler of Xichuan, and Su Qingshan! Blood ties are unbreakable! The Xiao family and the former royal family of Xichuan have an irreconcilable feud. Su Mu should regard the Xiao family as his enemy. Even if he has no intention of rebelling now, who can guarantee that he will not turn against them in the future, retaliate against the Xiao family, and overthrow the Great Qian?"

What she said was true. Blood ties are an imprint etched into the bones. Even though Su Mu grew up in the Great Qian Dynasty and made great contributions, his identity as a descendant of the Western Sichuan royal family was still like a thorn stuck in everyone's heart.

"Your Majesty, you are mistaken!" Xiao Anran immediately retorted, her tone firm. "If Lord Su truly considered himself a member of the Western Sichuan royal family and sought revenge against the Xiao family, why would Su Qingshan go to such lengths to frame him? Moreover, Lord Su personally killed a Divine Judgment Grandmaster in the library. If there were any collusion, why would he have gone to such lengths to kill him?"

Xiao Changshan, forcing himself to remain calm, added, "Your Majesty, considering all the circumstances, Lord Su Mu had no intention of rebelling. During the Sacrificial Ceremony, Situ rebelled. If he wanted to rebel, he could have simply sat back and watched the two sides fight, or even seized the opportunity to launch an attack and overthrow the Xiao family. But he didn't do that; instead, he stepped in to help, quelled the rebellion, and rescued the royal family. At that time, the Sacrificial Ceremony had many restrictions; even a Grandmaster would have faced danger if caught in it. His willingness to intervene demonstrates his loyalty to the royal family!"