Princess Qingyang returned to her seat, her expression unreadable. She then heard Su Wei say, "It is said that one day before the incident, Han Yao personally visited Ye Heng, begging him to plead for Han Tong. However, their conversation apparently did not go well, and many people can testify to what happened that day."
After a brief pause, Su Wei continued, "Therefore, this official speculates that Han Yao held some form of leverage over Ye Heng, using it to blackmail him into saving Han Tong. After Han Tong was sentenced to execution by beheading, Ye Heng feared that a distraught Han Yao would try to take him down with him, so he decided to strike first."
Consort Ru looked stunned. "Leverage? What kind of leverage could make Lord Ye… so worried?"
Emperor Muwu scoffed. "Han Tong committed a capital crime, yet Han Yao actually wanted Ye Heng to plead on his behalf. He must have been remarkably confident. I would very much like to know where this confidence of his came from."
