Great, it's just a lackey, we're saved!

Chapter 222 Ah Bao, come here!

The crown prince was startled, but pretended not to understand what Zhou Wei was saying.

“Zhou Dianjun is right, but we should carefully search for the instigator to avoid wrongly accusing an innocent person like Lord Wang did.”

Zhou Wei sneered, "Innocent people? Your Highness, are you saying that you and the two Mei sons, who deliberately led the beast tide to the southern suburbs, causing countless families to be destroyed and lives lost, are innocent people?"

These words shocked everyone present!

Everyone immediately looked at the Crown Prince, and those who were unaware of the situation could not hide their shock.

Those in the know wanted to see how the Crown Prince would react!

The crown prince panicked for only a moment before quickly regaining his composure.

He glared at Zhou Wei: "Zhou Dianjun, this is a grand court assembly, with Heaven, Earth, ancestors, and all officials watching. How dare you spout such nonsense and slander me? I am the Crown Prince of the Great Zhou! You are truly audacious! Kneel down now!"

Zhou Wei, however, remained unfazed: "Kneel down? Why should I kneel? Even princes are subject to the law. So what if you are the crown prince?"

"You disregarded the lives of the people and deliberately led the beast tide to the southern suburbs, resulting in almost no survivors in several villages in the southern suburbs!"

"How can you be so inhumane and disregard human life? Do you deserve to be the crown prince?"

The Crown Prince trembled with anger at Zhou Wei's words, only then realizing that besides her exceptional martial arts skills, Zhou Wei was also very eloquent.

Back then at the Zhenyuan Marquis's residence, he silenced Wan Qianliang, the Divine Physician.

Now that Zhou Wei has turned her attention to him, the Crown Prince realizes how difficult she is to deal with!

Knowing he was no match for Zhou Wei in a verbal battle, he immediately turned to Jiang Yueli.

“Elder sister, Zhou Wei is a fifth-rank military officer in your princess’s residence. According to the rules, she is not qualified to attend court. Now that an exception has been made to allow her to attend, she still dares to talk nonsense and slander me. Shouldn’t elder sister discipline her properly?”

The eldest princess chuckled softly; she hadn't said much since the grand court assembly began.

He finally spoke, but his tone was full of disdain: "Restraint? Zhou Dianjun is not wrong, why should I restrain you?"

Upon hearing this, the Crown Prince was startled and looked at the Eldest Princess with a very complicated expression.

"Royal sister, what do you mean by this? Could it be that you, like Zhou Wei, suspect that I am the one who led the beast tide?"

The eldest princess shook her head, her expression icy.

"You're wrong. I'm not doubting, I'm certain!"

"I am certain that the one who instigated the beast tide, causing countless deaths and injuries among the people, is none other than you, Jiang Yueshan."

The Princess's words carried far more weight than those of Zhou Wei, a mere fifth-rank military officer.

Some of the court officials who had just been completely skeptical of Zhou Wei were now beginning to waver.

Could this matter really be related to the Crown Prince?

But why would the Crown Prince do this?

The problems of the court officials were also the lifeline that the crown prince grasped in his panic.

He immediately retorted, "It is utterly unreasonable for my elder sister to slander me like this. I did not encounter the beast tide at all, so how could I have led it?"

"Besides, even if I were to encounter a beast tide, I wouldn't have time to escape, so why would I bother guiding it? What good would that do?"

The prince spoke as if to bolster the credibility of his sophistry.

He turned to look at Qian Tao: "General Qian, I remember we met before the beast tide, didn't we?"

Qian Tao nodded in agreement: "Your Highness did indeed meet us in the mountains. I was searching for the Third Prince, so we parted ways. Not long after, we encountered a beast tide."

"But seeing that His Highness is unharmed and said that he did not encounter the beast tide, could it be that His Highness left the mountains before the beast tide appeared?"

Qian Tao's words relieved the Crown Prince.

He had already noticed that Qian Tao's attitude towards the Eldest Princess was different, probably because Jiang Yueli had saved these military generals during the beast tide.

The crown prince thought Qian Tao wouldn't speak up for him, but he didn't expect the other party to be quite fair.

"That's right. After I parted ways with General Qian, I led my men away from the mountains and forests and headed towards the Deer Hunting Banquet camp. We did not encounter the beast tide."

Qian Tao then cupped his hands to Bai Xiaoxiao and said, "Your Highness, I did indeed meet His Highness in the mountains, but I do not know whether His Highness encountered a beast tide."

Upon hearing this, the Crown Prince's face darkened, and he glared fiercely at Qian Tao.

He had hoped to use Qian Tao's testimony to prove that he had not encountered the beast tide, but Qian Tao did not take the bait at all.

Zhou Wei couldn't help but laugh out loud: "Alright, Your Highness, stop struggling. You say you didn't encounter a beast tide, but who can testify to that?"

Provoked by Zhou Wei's smile, the Crown Prince blurted out, "Then you say I encountered a beast tide and deliberately led it. Who can testify to that?"

Zhou Wei's gaze lingered on A Bao for a long time, making even the Crown Prince somewhat puzzled.

She then said, "This auspicious beast can serve as proof!"

Upon hearing this, the Crown Prince smiled sarcastically, looking at Zhou Wei as if she were an idiot.

"You mean my Xuan Su auspicious beast can testify for you? How can it testify? Is it able to speak or speak eloquently?"

Zhou Wei ignored the Crown Prince's mockery and pointed at A Bao: "My lords, this auspicious beast is the leader of the beast tide, the head of all beasts. When the jackals, wolves, tigers and leopards in the mountains and forests see it, they tremble in fear and submit willingly."

"The people in the Fengshan Camp can't catch this auspicious beast because they're going in the wrong direction."

"It clearly comes from the continuous mountain forests where General Qian and other military officers were granted titles, and it is from a completely different direction from the Fengshan Camp."

Upon hearing this, the Crown Prince could no longer conceal his anger.

Pointing at Zhou Wei, he angrily cursed, "You lowly servant! Relying on the Emperor's favor, you obtained an official position and dared to spout nonsense in the court assembly!"

"You say this beast has nothing to do with the Fengshan Camp? Are you perhaps suspecting that the soldiers of the Fengshan Camp presented a fake auspicious omen?"

Zhou Wei, however, held up a finger and waved it at the Crown Prince.

"Your Highness, you are mistaken! The auspicious omen is indeed a true auspicious omen, but its origin is somewhat questionable."

"There were three waves of beast tide that day. This auspicious beast was the leader of the third wave, leading a pack of jackals, wolves, tigers and leopards that attacked like a flood."

"I, the princess, and the generals all witnessed its agile and fierce figure! So, I'm really curious, how did this auspicious beast end up near the Fengshan camp and get captured alive?"

Upon hearing Zhou Wei's words, the Crown Prince's face gradually turned ashen.

He couldn't help but look at Mei Xingyue, who had been dead for a long time, on the ground, and felt regretful. He had forgotten to ask Mei Xingyue about the origin of this auspicious beast.

Mei Xingyue saw that he didn't ask, nor did she take the initiative to tell him.

As a result, the Crown Prince feels extremely guilty whenever Zhou Wei mentions it!

Qian Tao and the others also bowed to Bai Xiaoxiao, confirming Zhou Wei's words.

“Your Majesty, we did indeed see this auspicious beast in the beast tide. Its shape, body, claws, and mouth are exactly the same as the Xuan Su before us.”

With so many military officers stepping forward to testify, the way everyone looked at the Crown Prince became intriguing.

The crown prince could not accept that the auspicious beast's recognition of its master was being questioned, and immediately rebuked, "Nonsense! You are all talking utter nonsense!"

"Most beasts in the world look the same. Apart from its distinctive fur color, this black and white beast has no other characteristics. Where do you get the idea that my Xuan Su auspicious beast is the same one as the leader of all beasts in the beast tide?"

"Could it be that the auspicious beast told you to wait?"

The crown prince believed his logic was flawless and without any loopholes.

Unexpectedly, Zhou Wei's voice came from beside him: "Your Highness, it was the auspicious beast that told me to wait."

As Zhou Wei spoke, she reached out her hand to A Bao, revealing a seductive smile.

"Abao, come here!"