We have fought to the Arctic Circle, and you want me to inherit the throne?

Chapter 1062 Qiu Hong's End (Part 2)

The music stopped at some point, and all eyes instantly focused on Qiu Hong.

Qiu Hong's face quickly contorted with grief, and his voice choked with emotion: "Your Majesty's inquiry reveals that this is indeed a misfortune for the Qiu family."

"When my late father was alive, he was strict in managing the family. However, in my generation, a heartless and wicked wretch like Qiu Bai has emerged, who murdered his brother and relatives!"

"This child is vicious by nature. He committed heinous crimes and then disappeared without a trace. He must have already been punished by heaven!"

“Whenever I think of this, I feel heartbroken and deeply ashamed before my ancestors, and I have no face to face Your Majesty’s inquiry.”

"After this incident, the entire Qiu family closed their doors to reflect on their mistakes, rectified their family traditions, and dared not slacken in the slightest again."

He spoke with great emotion, tears welling in his eyes, perfectly portraying the image of a victim.

Many officials and gentry who were unaware of the situation looked sympathetic and sighed softly.

Li Che listened quietly, offering no comment.

After Qiu Hong finished his performance, he wiped the corners of his eyes, which were dry, with his sleeve, preparing to say something more.

Just then, Li Che gently raised his hand, stopping his movement.

"Patriarch Qiu, you keep saying that Qiu Bai is ruthless by nature. I am curious about the inside story of this case."

"How exactly was the verdict made back then? Are the witnesses and physical evidence still complete?"

Qiu Hong's heart skipped a beat, and he had a vague sense of unease, but he could only brace himself and reply: "Your Majesty, the tragedy happened suddenly back then, and the scene was chaotic... Several guards and servants witnessed that rebellious son committing the crime with a knife, and the weapon in his hand matched the wound. The government office also has records of this."

"But that rebellious son was incredibly strong and brave, and almost managed to escape in the chaos..."

"Oh? Strong and brave?" Li Che chuckled and suddenly interrupted Qiu Hong.

He suddenly turned to the iron-faced general beside him: "Qiu Bai, how come I don't remember you having such abilities?"

The call was neither too loud nor too soft, but Qiu Hong heard it clearly.

He suddenly looked up, his pupils contracted, and stared incredulously at the side of the throne.

Everyone at the table turned their gazes in astonishment.

Upon hearing the sound, the iron-faced general stepped forward without hesitation and stood in the brightest spot in the center of the hall.

Then, he slowly raised his hands and grasped the edge of the mask.

“No…impossible…” Qiu Hong murmured, his whole body beginning to tremble uncontrollably.

click-

With a slight click of metal, the cold iron mask that concealed the face was removed.

Beneath the mask was a handsome yet cold face.

Although he looks very different from the somewhat thin boy he was back then, the outline of his eyebrows and eyes is inexplicably familiar.

Especially those calm, deep eyes, which were so similar to those of the late Qiu Mingyuan that it was hard to mistake them.

Many old Jingzhou residents who knew Qiu Mingyuan or had seen the young Qiu Bai gasped in shock.

"Qiu...Qiu Bai?!"

"Is he the eldest son of the second branch of the Qiu family?"

"Is it really him?!"

"He actually... became a general by His Majesty's side?!"

Qiu Hong was struck as if by a heavy blow, staggering back a step, his finger trembling as he pointed at Qiu Bai: "You...you wicked creature! How dare...how dare you impersonate an imperial official and sneak into the Emperor's presence?!"

"Your Majesty! This is Qiu Bai, the traitor who murdered his own father! Please arrest him immediately!"

He shouted himself hoarse, trying to preemptively strike.

Qiu Bai ignored his roars and respectfully placed the mask he had taken off aside.

He then turned to face the throne, knelt on one knee, and said in a deep and steady voice, "Your subject, Qiu Bai, Commander of the Palace Guards and Marquis of Cheng'en, pays respects to Your Majesty!"

Everyone gasped, staring in astonishment at Qiu Bai before them.

The title of marquis and the important position in the imperial court completely confirmed his status.

The eldest son of the second branch of the Qiu family not only returned, but also acquired a powerful new identity, with an even more powerful backer.

Li Che nodded slightly: "Qiu Bai, did you hear what Patriarch Qiu said clearly?"

Qiu Bai nodded, stood up, and slowly turned to Qiu Hong.

"Qiu Hong." He addressed him by his first name without any courtesy. "You say I murdered my brother and relatives, and the witnesses are irrefutable?"

Before Qiu Hong could refute, Qiu Bai raised his hand and clapped twice.

Outside the hall, two Imperial Guards led three people in.

One was an elderly man with gray hair and a hunched back; another was a middle-aged man with a calm expression; and the third was a slightly overweight man with a deathly pale face.

They are Uncle Fu, who guards the ancestral hall, and Hu Kui, the brother-in-law of Zhao Ji and Qiu Hong.

Qiu Bai began to recount clearly: "On the night of the third day of the seventh month that year, you invited my father to the ancestral hall under the pretext of discussing family canal transport affairs, and then murdered him through family private punishment."

Uncle Fu, tears streaming down his face, prostrated himself and said, "This old servant was serving in the outer room at the time and personally overheard the conversation between the eldest master and the second master. After the second master died, the eldest master quickly took over the keys to the accounting office..."

Qiu Hong looked at Uncle Fu in disbelief: "Old man, what nonsense are you talking about?"

Qiu Bai continued, "In August of the same year, at the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet, your son Qiu Shan drugged my wine, intending to make me fall into the water and die."

"I sensed something was wrong, so I only drank half a cup and pretended to be drunk. When Akiyama saw that I didn't fall, he and his confidants cornered me in the back garden."

"I had no choice but to seize the knife and fight back."

Zhao Ji immediately stepped forward: "I saw it clearly that day. Young Master Bai was surrounded and beaten by the wicked servants. He was covered in injuries. Qiu Shan and the others were ruthless and every move was deadly."

"The second young master had no choice but to resist, which is why he killed those people."

Qiu Hong stared at Zhao Ji, his lips turning slightly purple: "You beast! Traitorous slave!"

Qiu Bai continued, "You then bribed the coroner and the yamen runners to confirm my crime of 'murdering my brother and aunt.' Fortunately, my uncle protected me, which allowed me to be sent to the penal camp."

"You can then, as the head of the family, quickly purge my father's former subordinates from the household and seize control of the family's finances and power."

"Even my great-uncle... you silenced him!"

Hu Kui, held down by soldiers, was pale as a ghost and cried out in a shrill voice, "Brother-in-law... no, Qiu Hong!"

"Those old ledgers you made me deal with, and the receipts you asked me to secretly sell off the Second Master's properties and transfer the gold reserves, are all in the secret compartment of my house!"

"These things have nothing to do with me, I confess! I confess everything! Please, Your Majesty, have mercy and spare my life, Second Young Master!"

Qiu Hong looked at Hu Kui, his anger turning into a cruel laugh: "You heartless wretch... you heartless wretch!"

The Imperial Guards then presented a stack of account books and receipts.

Qiu Bai finally looked at Qiu Hong, his eyes filled with chilling coldness: "If I hadn't met a wise ruler, would I be standing here today, exposing you, this hypocrite who is a beast in human form, who harmed his own family, and who stole his family's business?!"

Each accusation is supported by witness testimonies and physical evidence, with each link connected and the logic clear.

The truth behind that tragedy was brutally exposed by those involved, revealing it to all the prominent figures in Jingzhou.

The room erupted in uproar.

Shocked, disdainful, and incredulous gazes shot like arrows at the teetering Qiu Hong.

Some people who had heard about the Qiu family's past but did not know the truth suddenly realized what was going on.

The representatives of each branch of the Qiu family changed their expressions drastically, their eyes filled with shock as they looked at Qiu Hong.

They finally understood the root cause of their family's decline over the years!

Qiu Hong completely broke down under countless piercing gazes.

He pointed at the traitorous witnesses, his throat gurgling.

He wanted to argue, but couldn't utter a single word.

Li Che had been observing silently until now, when he slowly spoke: "Phimosis, framing, plotting to seize family property, deceiving the government... Qiu Hong, what else do you have to say?"

Qiu Hong collapsed to the ground, his lips trembling: "Why is this happening? Why is this happening... You, a dignified emperor, why would you stand up for a mere child like Qiu Bai?"

He understood, of course, that Qiu Bai could not have achieved this without the emperor's strong support.

Looking back now, ever since the emperor entered the city, he had been covering for Qiu Bai and intimidating other powerful families in order to deal with Qiu Hong.

Qiu Hong was just a nobody; how could he be worth the emperor scheming against?

Li Che chuckled lightly: "Have you not heard of Qiu Bai's title? Marquis Cheng'en!"

"Qiu Bai has protected me and saved my life on many occasions!"

Qiu Bai was always by Li Che's side, protecting him in numerous battles and shielding him from countless open and hidden attacks.

It would be no exaggeration to say that he saved my life.

A strange look appeared on Qiu Hong's face as he muttered to himself, "So that's how it is, so that's how it is..."

Li Che ignored him and slowly said, "Du Qingcheng."

"Your subject is here!" Du Qingcheng, already drenched in sweat, immediately stepped forward and bowed upon hearing the voice.

"The criminal Qiu Hong is to be jointly tried by you and the Ministry of Justice. He shall be dealt with strictly in accordance with the law, and no favoritism shall be shown."

"Your subject obeys the decree!" Du Qingcheng accepted the order and waved his hand, and yamen runners stepped forward and dragged Qiu Hong, who was as limp as mud, away.

Li Che's gaze swept over the Qiu family members who were silent in the hall, and he continued, "The Qiu family has been hiding such a great evil for many years, and has also accumulated many problems such as concealing land, unclear accounts, and unknown materials used in workshops."

"According to the law, he should be severely punished."

The Qiu family members all knelt down with a thud, kowtowing repeatedly and crying out, "Your Majesty, have mercy!"

“Indeed.” Li Che changed the subject, his tone softening slightly, “Considering that Qiu Mingyuan’s lineage has been wronged and that Qiu Bai has rendered meritorious service to the country… I will give the Qiu family a chance.”

He looked at Qiu Bai, who was standing solemnly to the side: "Qiu Bai."

"My subordinate is here."

"Since you are a member of the Qiu family and are well aware of its problems, I hereby order you to temporarily supervise the Qiu family, to inventory the accounts of land and property, to recover illegal gains, to rectify the clan rules, and to guide them toward good."

"Could you be competent?"

Qiu Bai knelt on one knee: "Your subordinate will do everything in his power to restore order to the family and repay Your Majesty's grace!"

“Alright.” Li Che nodded, then said to the Qiu family members, “The remaining branches of the Qiu family will be temporarily supervised by Marquis Chengen.”

“Those who cooperate with the investigation of past events may be given lenient treatment; those who remain obstinate will be punished the same as Qiu Hong.”

"As for Qiu Hongyi's assets," he glanced at the box of jewelry, "they have all been confiscated and put into public possession. As for the Qiu family's hidden treasures over the years, after verification, those that should be returned will be returned, and those that should be fined will be fined."

"The specific amount will be determined by the Marquis of Chengen in conjunction with the government office."

"Thank you for your great favor, Your Majesty! Long live the Emperor!"

The Qiu family members kowtowed in gratitude as if they had survived a calamity, their hearts filled with complex and indescribable emotions.

Although the family suffered a severe blow, most of the people managed to save their lives and property. Moreover, the person in charge of the reorganization was Qiu Bai, the former rebellious son of the Qiu family.

It's really unpredictable.

However, just when those present thought the excitement was over...

Li Che's words caused all the aristocratic families to shudder.