Celestial Palace V
The members of the Fire Clan immediately fell down to their knees. Yang was the youngest and couldn't help but shake under the immense pressure from the Celestial Emperor. Luckily, his mother was at his side so she could steady him and give him some comfort.
"Please be wise, your Majesty. We of the Fire Clan have no idea how your Majesty's wine cup was damaged. Even if we are proficient in the arts of Fire magic, many others do also possess the knowledge of Fire." The High Fire God Magma steadily replied.
"Though, others didn't recently causally cast around Fire spells in the vicinity of his Majesty's throne." An young looking man clad in white intervened with a hint of a mocking smile on his face. He waved a fan depicting mount Tai.
The audience wasn't stupid and could easily detect what the speaker implied.
"Oh, is that so? Keep talking, God of Spring." The Celestial Emperor's attention was now on the immortal.
"Your Majesty, until the moment of your arrival the Fire God Yang was exchanging moves with the Ice God Ying. The reason why they were fighting on the day of your Majesty's 10 millionth birthday is unknown to me, but I am certain that miss Ying wasn't the initiator."
God of Spring kept waving his fan leisurely.
"I, as many others present, can attest that Fire God Yang was the one who attacked miss Ying from behind, which she blocked skillfully, if you ask me. Afterwards, minor God Yang kept charging, which could have caused some splash effects."
No one could find falsehood in his summary of the events.
"What do you now have to say to your defence, Fire High God Magma?" The Celestial Emperor's tone turned dangerously cold.
Yang felt as if he was sunk into icy water. Deep remorse and dread were only the tip of the mountain of feelings he experienced at that moment. Why didn't he listen to his parents? Now his clan might be impacted by his reckless behavior.
"This..." Magma was speechless and didn't know how to respond. Seeing this, his wife Ember decided to speak instead.
"May I have a word, your Majesty?"
As the Emperor didn't reject her, she continued.
"It is undeniable that my son played with Fire a moment ago. To claim that he certainly didn't cause the crack on your Majesty's cup is impossible, but to claim that he with certainty damaged it would be lying."
"Keep going."
"What this subject want to convey is that we currently can neither confirm or deny my son's guilt. Furthermore, the Fire Clan doesn't lack enemies in the Four Realms and some might even be present at this banquet." Ember threw a meaningful glance at the God of Spring, who acted as if he didn't notice.
"It wouldn't thus be unthinkable that some might have taken the presented opportunity to strike a conflict between the Fire Clan and the Royal Clan. To avoid falling into a trap, please investigate this thoroughly." The Fire High God concluded with a bow.