Three days later.
That day, the sun was very good. Even though it was already late autumn, it was still a rare good weather. The lazy sunlight shone on the charming petals of the big Persian chrysanthemums that had not yet withered, making them look even more beautiful. In Shu Fang Palace, a beautiful woman dressed in luxurious clothes stood high above. Her previous exotic charm seemed to have been swept away in an instant, leaving only a naked murderous aura.
The palace maid beside her served tea, "Your Ladyship, after drinking tea, it is time to go to the palace to observe the public trial in front of the Emperor."
Honored Consort Shu slowly took the tea from the palace maid's hand and took a sip. She had also dressed up meticulously today, appearing even more beautiful and picturesque. Correspondingly, there was also an overbearing aura. The bright red dress undoubtedly made her even more imposing. Princess He Yi's death was a huge blow to Empress Shu.
For so many years, Empress Shu had no other sons in the palace except for He Yi. She did not even think about fighting for the throne, relying on the Emperor's favor. Although the Emperor did not love her as much as Imperial Consort Chen, because she had given birth to a daughter, Princess He Yi did not pose a threat to the country, so the Emperor was not wary of her.
Although Princess He Yi was usually domineering, in the end, she was still a piece of flesh that had fallen from her belly. She had been pampered for so many years, but she did not know how she had ended up in such a tragic end. Empress Shu was an extremely arrogant and impulsive person. When she knew that Xuan Lang had confirmed that Jiang Ruan had killed Princess He Yi, she wanted to rush out and tear Jiang Ruan to pieces. However, Jiang Ruan had already been locked up by the Ministry of Justice, so it was not easy for her to make a move.
However, there was no one in the world that she, Empress Shu, could not defeat. She relied on her scheming and beauty to obtain a place among the four consorts in the palace. Naturally, she was not a pushover. Even Imperial Consort Chen, who had fought with her for a lifetime, was now at a disadvantage. What did Jiang Ruan count for? She was just the daughter of a small official. Killing Princess He Yi was a sin that she could not pay for in her lifetime. After Empress Shu calmed down, she was not anxious.
This case involved a lot of people. She went to the Emperor and cried, and the Emperor also agreed to seek justice for He Yi. After being husband and wife for so many years, Empress Shu could still grasp the Emperor's emotions. Naturally, she could see that the Emperor was already displeased with Jiang Ruan. Moreover, there were witnesses and material evidence. Empress Shu did not even need to take care of it herself to make Jiang Ruan die without a burial.
Because the people involved in this case were all members of the royal family, and even Empress Dowager Yi De had intervened, the Emperor agreed to personally investigate the case. Since the founding of the country, there had only been one or two cases where the Emperor personally investigated the case, and they were all major events that involved the founding elders of the country. This was the first time that such a royal dispute was personally investigated by the Emperor. Empress Shu herself knew that besides Zhao Guang's family and Empress Dowager Yi De, even Prince Jinying Xiao Shao, the Crown Prince's Grand Tutor Liu Min, and the Zongbing Daren's fu's youngest son, Gu Yi, were among those who pleaded for leniency for Jiang Ruan. Every time she thought of this, Empress Shu would gnash her teeth in hatred.
When Princess He Yi was in the palace, because she was doted on by the Emperor, she had made friends with a group of young masters and young ladies. Now that Princess He Yi had died tragically, no one stood up to speak for her. Even those who had been on good terms with her were now like turtles hiding in their shells. It was true that she might have been warned by others, but it was clear that Princess Yi's friends were just a bunch of fair-weather friends. On the other hand, Jiang Ruan was merely the daughter of an official, and not a genuine relative of the Emperor. Yet, there were so many people rushing to protect her. She was indeed a foxy charmer at such a young age!
"Is Jinying Wang also here?" Empress Shu put down her teacup and asked in a sinister tone.
"Your Ladyship, Jinying Wang has already left," the palace maid replied.
Empress Shu slowly clenched her fists. She did not know how Princess He Yi had died, but she knew that everything was caused by Xiao Shao. Since Princess He Yi had lost her life for Xiao Shao, then Jiang Ruan, as Xiao Shao's sweetheart, had to pay for Princess He Yi's life no matter what. So what if he had great power and influence in the court? Under the watchful eyes of the public, would Xiao Shao still be able to resist the imperial edict? Seeing the tragic death of her sweetheart with her own eyes, Empress Shu felt a deep pleasure in her heart whenever she thought of Xiao Shao's furious expression and Jiang Ruan's despairing look.
...
Jiang Dan had already entered the palace with the newly entered xiuxian and was staying in the small courtyard that the xiuxian women lived in together. The courtyard was filled with a group of young girls that were as beautiful as flowers and as fine as jade. The place was bustling with noise and excitement. Perhaps it was the concubine daughter of a powerful family, or the di daughter of a small family, sending their daughter to the palace was nothing more than hoping that one day she would have a meteoric rise and help her maternal family. Since ancient times, this kind of thing was not uncommon. It was just that these young girls were still unaware of the dangers and dangers of the palace. Their innocent and unaffected appearances almost dazzled people's eyes.
Jiang Dan sat quietly in the front hall of the room and watched the lively and excited young girls happily interacting with each other. Her face maintained a lively and somewhat bashful smile from beginning to end. This kind of appearance was the least likely to cause people to be on guard against her. Thus, even though she could only interject very little, it did not prevent the group of young girls from quickly treating her as one of their own.
One of the concubine daughters from the assistant minister's family said, "Hey, sisters, I don't know if you have heard, but today is the day of the public trial for the murder of Princess He Yi by the di daughter of the Jiang family."
"Ah, that's right. Now that you mention it, it's indeed today." Hearing this, another girl echoed, "It's a pity that we can't go out from here, so we can't go and see what exactly is going on."
Hearing the regret in her tone, this group of girls were all young and curious, and were also full of interest in such matters. For a moment, they were also somewhat disappointed, but their spirits were high.
Jiang Dan smiled as she looked at everything in front of her. Her expression was the same as usual, as if she had not heard the news.
"It's just a murder case. What's there to see?" The girl who spoke had a father who worked in the Ministry of Justice, so she probably knew a little about it. She nodded and said, "I heard my father say that there is almost no trial for Princess He Yi's case. The coroner has already examined it, and with a witness like the Fourth Prince, there is almost no way to retract the confession. So what if Princess Hong An is favored by the Empress Dowager? Murdering a descendant of the imperial family is a crime punishable by execution. No one can protect her. "
"Princess Hong An is too bold. I didn't expect that she would dare to kill someone." One of them seemed to have thought of something and looked at Jiang Dan, "Eh, isn't she your di sister? What do you think is going on? "
Jiang Dan was slightly stunned, then shook her head and said, "This matter... I am not very clear. I am just a concubine daughter, so how can I be qualified to interfere in these matters? "
"Then is she usually this fierce in the residence?" Someone asked curiously, "Have you ever been beaten or scolded by her?"
Jiang Dan shook her head, but a trace of fear flashed in her eyes, "No, Da Jiejie has never hit me."
The more she said this, the more suspicious her evasive gaze became. Everyone looked at her timid appearance, and when they talked about Jiang Ruan, they suddenly understood. For a moment, they were all chattering about Jiang Ruan's faults. Originally, as a woman, it was natural to have some jealousy in their hearts. These past few years, Jiang Ruan's appearance had been good, and her luck had been extraordinarily good. She had obtained the protection of Empress Dowager Yi De, and she also had a War God older brother. This had already aroused the jealousy of others. Now that she had fallen into the water, these originally jealous people would naturally mercilessly step on her.
In an unremarkable corner of the room, there was still a person sitting quietly at the moment. Her appearance was dainty and beautiful, but her expression was somewhat indifferent, even somewhat disdainful. Listening to everyone talk about Jiang Ruan, her face showed a bit of disgust. This person was none other than Dong Yinger.
In the end, she had still entered the palace. Now, it seemed that the matter that Dong Yinger had originally rejected seemed not so difficult. There were so many beauties in the palace that even the Emperor needed some luck to remember her, so there was no need to say that she was favored. If the Emperor never noticed her, then it might not be a bad thing to die peacefully in the palace.
Dong Yinger had heard her father mention that Jiang Ruan had killed Princess He Yi. She naturally did not believe that Jiang Ruan would kill Princess He Yi. It was not because of anything else, but because she felt that even if Jiang Ruan wanted to kill someone, she would not be so stupid as to do it in front of the Fourth Prince. The Capital Governor was an intelligent person. When he had analyzed the pros and cons, Dong Yinger had heard a thing or two, but this was also something that she could not do.
Now, sitting here, listening to these people belittling Jiang Ruan and Jiang Dan's hypocritical slander, Dong Yinger only felt an uncomfortable feeling in her stomach. If it was according to her usual temperament, based on her friendship with Jiang Ruan, she would naturally go forward to reason with her. But now, she just sat to the side, coldly watching the crowd's discussion, and did not go forward.
In her mind, she thought of the time when she was about to be sent to the palace. When she had cried and begged Jiang Ruan, Jiang Ruan had said that it had nothing to do with her.
Things in the world were mostly unpredictable. Dong Yinger did not know why, but she actually felt a trace of joy in her heart. For example, at this moment, Jiang Ruan was in prison and was slandered for killing Hong 'an Princess. Just as those beauties had said, it was difficult for her to escape, but what did it have to do with her?
…
However, no matter how the truth changed in the palace, the public trial in the palace hall still had to be heard.
The Emperor, dressed in a bright yellow dragon robe, stood high above, looking at the crowd of civil and military officials who were watching the trial. He had a naturally dignified bearing.
Today's public trial in front of the Emperor was not so much to let the civil and military officials observe the trial to show fairness, but rather to kill the chicken to warn the monkey. These days, there were some forces in the court who could not restrain themselves from stirring, and the Emperor naturally saw it. He also needed to give those who saw the wind and were still watching. Today, the Emperor wanted to use the trial to kill their prestige and let the world see who had the final say in this country!
Eunuch Li looked down and waved his horsetail whisk as he sat quietly to one side. Luo Tingwei, on the other hand, stood to one side and had long since ordered people to bring the guilty official in. Then, he heard someone shout from outside, "The guilty official has arrived — —"
Jiang Ruan, dressed in snow-white prison clothes, was escorted in by a group of soldiers. However, it was unknown whether it was because someone had instructed them, or because she herself did not struggle and had a good attitude, but the soldiers did not coerce her and only followed by her side. She walked towards the throne room step by step, giving off the feeling of lotus flowers with each step. She had a smile on her face and a calm expression on her face, as if she wasn't here to participate in a life-or-death trial. She even seemed to be at ease. In this way, it was as if she had brought two servants out for a quick stroll.
When Empress Shu, who was sitting at the side, saw this, her eyes could not help but flash slightly. A trace of resentment flashed through her eyes, and she slowly tightened her grip on the handkerchief in her sleeve.
Jiang Ruan's clothes were clean, and her hair was not messed up. Even at such a time, her elegance did not diminish. The civil and military officials of the court had seen her once when she had accompanied the Empress Dowager back to the palace, and they knew that she was charming and moving. Now that they had not seen each other for a long time, she suddenly appeared in the throne room. Even though she was dressed in prison clothes, it made her look even more picturesque, as if she was a living spirit. This young girl seemed to grow more beautiful with each passing day. This time, she seemed to have lost some of her beauty compared to the last time. For a moment, some of the younger officials in the court were somewhat infatuated.
Jiang Ruan slowly walked past, but her gaze fell on the black-clothed youth in front of the officials. Today, he was wearing a black first-rank court robe embroidered with a golden python, which made him look even more dignified and elegant. Even among the crowd of geniuses, he was still the most eye-catching one.
Noticing Jiang Ruan's gaze, a trace of a smile flashed in Xiao Shao's eyes. With such a smile, his elegant and heroic face seemed to have a hint of gentleness that seeped into one's bones.
Liu Min, who had been paying attention to Jiang Ruan's every move, felt as if he had lost something, and his heart felt strangely uncomfortable. His original worry for Jiang Ruan immediately turned into a chest full of discomfort. He slightly turned his head away, no longer looking at this depressing scene.
Xuan Li's smile was gentle and elegant. He only stared at Jiang Ruan with a smile, as if he was staring at a prey that was about to fall into a trap, full of satisfaction.
Xuan Lang stood beside Xuan Li, his body slightly turned to the side, as if he was avoiding something. In the eyes of others, they would only think that this incompetent and cowardly Fourth Prince was afraid because this was his first time being a witness.
Zhao Guang frowned tightly, and the gaze he used to look at Jiang Ruan was incomparably distressed. This was the flesh and blood of the Zhao family, but now she was imprisoned, and as her grandfather, he could not do anything. Xiao Shao had already informed him that he had his own arrangements for this matter. Although he had a fiery temper, he knew that Xiao Shao was a person who would do what he said. If he acted rashly, it could ruin Xiao Shao's plans. But up until now, Xiao Shao had not made any moves. Zhao Guang had long since rained curses on Xiao Shao in his heart. He thought to himself, What a good little brat, to actually play around with the Zhao family like this. Could it be that he had fallen for his trick? This little brat was simply a coward. He did not have the guts to seek redress for the Ruan girl's grievances, and instead retreated at the last minute?
Unlike Zhao Guang, although Empress Dowager Yi De was also worried about Jiang Ruan, she did not show it on her face. She still had the appearance of an ancient well without ripples. It was just that the ruby on her left hand slowly and uneasily brushed against the edge of the chair. This was her usual action. Whenever she felt uneasy, she would unconsciously brush against it.
Jiang Ruan was a special existence in Empress Dowager Yi De's heart. In the beginning, she had regarded her as Princess Yuan Rong. After three years of living together, she had developed some feelings of sincerity towards her. Now, Jiang Ruan was Xiao Shao's sweetheart. Empress Dowager Yi De was very clear about Xiao Shao's temperament. It was fine if such a person did not fall in love, but like his father, once he fell in love, he would set his mind on a person. Since he had set his mind on Jiang Ruan, he would certainly not allow her to fall into danger.
It was just that Xiao Shao's temperament was intense, so Empress Dowager Yi De could not intervene in this matter. This was because she knew clearly that Xiao Shao had already made his move in secret, but she did not know how intense this method was. She could only hope that Jiang Ruan's calm temperament would be able to restrain him. Of course, Empress Dowager Yi De could not possibly know that in certain matters, Jiang Ruan's temperament was ten thousand times more intense than Xiao Shao's.
"Hong 'an Junzhu!" Under the Emperor's signal, Luo Tingwei opened his mouth and said, "You killed Junzhu He Yi. There are witnesses and material evidence. Your intentions are punishable by death. Plotting to murder a descendant of the imperial family is a crime of the highest degree. What else can you say?"
After this case was sent to the Ministry of Justice, the Supreme Court had already tried it once. At that time, it was almost decided that Jiang Ruan was guilty, but no matter what, Jiang Ruan stubbornly refused to admit to it. Later, there was talk of the Emperor personally trying the case, so this matter was delayed.
"I did not kill Junzhu He Yi." Jiang Ruan said.
Her expression did not show a trace of panic, and her voice was powerful and resonant, as if her words were irrefutable evidence. People always believed in what they saw in front of them. Even those who had initially believed that Jiang Ruan was the murderer were slightly shaken at this moment — people were always particularly tolerant towards beautiful women.
"What a sharp tongue, what a poisonous beauty!" Empress Shu sneered and said, "You are so young, yet you have such a vicious heart. I don't know how my He Yi offended you to have you kill her like this! As He Yi's mother, I must seek justice for my son. Hong 'an Junzhu, murder must be repaid with one's life! " Empress Shu changed the topic and looked at the Emperor. Her eyes suddenly became misty, "Your Majesty, He Yi is your daughter. You must seek justice for this concubine, for the deceased He Yi!"
The Emperor looked down at Jiang Ruan, who was kneeling in the hall, and said indifferently, "Hong 'an, if you say that He Yi was not killed by you, then you must produce evidence. If you cannot produce evidence, We can only accept that you have nothing to say!"
Towards the end of his words, his tone had already intensified, and it was almost as if there was some kind of inexplicable threat mixed in. When the Emperor is angry, millions of corpses will be laid. The hearts of the officials were all shaken. They knew that this was a precursor to the Emperor's anger. They all lowered their heads and did not dare to make a sound, for fear that the anger would be transferred to them. However, the expression of the young girl in the hall did not change. It was as if the thunderous anger was nothing more than a raindrop in the spring. In a moment, the clouds were as light as the wind.
Her gaze swept over the officials and paused for a moment in front of the yellow-robed monk by the Emperor's side. The monk had a benevolent countenance and held a Buddhist prayer bead in one hand. When he received her gaze, he slightly lowered his eyes and was about to say Amitabha Buddha.
"I can testify for her that He Yi's death has nothing to do with her!"
A clear voice suddenly appeared in the hall. That voice came abruptly, like a sudden clap of thunder on everyone's head. Xiao Shao frowned slightly, the Emperor's eyes flashed, Empress Shu immediately sat up straight, and Empress Dowager Yi De's hand that was touching the ruby armor stopped.
However, Jiang Ruan's eyes suddenly widened, her body trembled, and she turned her head in disbelief.
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