Chapter 131 Injustice

The woman then removed her veil and slightly raised her head to reveal her face.

Upon seeing that face, Lan Wu subconsciously frowned slightly.

She looked down at her dress, somewhat unhappy.

The person below was none other than Panxi, the palace maid I had seen in Jinghua Palace last time.

Did Panxi turn to Consort Shu for help?

Or is Consort Li still not giving up? Does she still want to offer Panxi to Chu Mingheng?

Last time I wore her clothes, this time I danced the same dance as her.

Lan Wu stared straight ahead, scrutinizing Pan Xi.

She's quite pretty and has a good figure. Although her dance wasn't as good as hers, you could tell she put in a lot of effort.

If it really is Consort Li, then she must have gone to great lengths. Even though she was targeted by Consort Shu, she still managed to send Panxi to learn her dance. She must have been quite active in the music hall.

When Chen Kang'an saw this, he was slightly taken aback, then turned his head to look at the emperor, as if asking for his opinion.

But Chu Mingheng's expression didn't change at all. In fact, his gaze had already shifted to Lan Wu, his eyes filled with a deep, unreadable emotion.

Chen Kang'an shuddered for no reason, quickly turned around, looked at the people below, and gave Panxi a reward just as he had given to others before.

After he finished speaking, Panxi refused the reward.

"Your Majesty, I do not ask for any reward, but only that Your Majesty make a fair and just judgment and hear my grievances—" Panxi said loudly, her whole body trembling as if she had thought of something terrible, but after a moment, she slowly calmed down.

This was truly unexpected. Everyone present turned their attention to the center of the hall, even forgetting that a Prince Wei was kneeling beside him.

Appealing against injustice at the New Year's Eve banquet?

Lan Wu pondered these words, somewhat puzzled. This Pan Xi was truly strange; she seemed neither like Consort Shu nor Consort Li.

But there's no doubt that she's currently drawing everyone's attention to herself.

But today is the New Year's Eve banquet, not a place to listen to people's grievances. If everyone did this, wouldn't it break the rules?

Some people present frowned in disapproval, giving the woman in the hall a rather unfriendly look.

But whether or not to hear this injustice depends on what His Majesty says.

King Wei felt uneasy, a sense of foreboding rising in his heart that he was being plotted against.

He stared at Panxi's figure and suddenly said, "You have a grievance but instead of seeking help from the palace servants, you come to this palace banquet to beg the Emperor for mercy. I have never seen a palace servant as scheming as you."

“Brother, today is New Year’s Eve. How can we allow such a lowly servant to disrupt the family banquet?” His words were sharp, a stark contrast to his previous attitude.

Chu Mingheng smiled faintly and looked at the Prince of Wei, saying, "You are quite angry today. I heard that your princess was scolded by you before the banquet even started. Although it was your family matter, you know that today is a family banquet. What did Lin do to upset you that you scolded her to the point of making her weep in this hall?"

"In that case, I should have someone drag you out and beat you up. Who told you to disturb the family banquet?"

Upon hearing this, everyone quickly lowered their heads, sighing inwardly—the Lin family was rumored to have treasonous intentions. Although His Majesty had not yet issued an edict, his attitude made it clear that the Lin family was likely doomed.

King Wei opened his mouth, but before he could defend himself, Chu Mingheng said:

“Indeed, Fifth Brother has always had a fiery temper since childhood, and is neither kind nor compassionate.” He glanced at Prince Wei, his lips slightly parted, his demeanor leisurely, yet exuding a murderous aura, “He doesn’t seem like Consort Hui, but rather like Lady Wen.”

The moment the name "Wen Shi" was uttered, the atmosphere in the hall suddenly became tense.

Everyone present knew that the late emperor's concubine, Lady Wen, had committed unforgivable crimes by plotting against the imperial heir and harming other concubines. The entire Wen family was executed, a tragic end, but it was also the result of the Wen family's own actions.

Now Your Majesty says that the King of Wei's temperament is like that of the Wen family, which shows that Your Majesty is dissatisfied with the King of Wei.

Looking at the King of Wei's reaction, it was quite different from what everyone expected.

Although his face showed surprise, his expression seemed to include not only surprise but also panic.

“Brother…” Prince Wei swallowed hard, about to force a smile and change the subject, when he heard the maid in the hall suddenly raise her voice.

"Your Majesty! The grievance I wish to raise concerns Prince Wei—"

Pan Xi answered loudly, her voice like the cry of an eagle, tearing apart the invisible silence in the hall and shattering the forced composure of the King of Wei.

Chu Mingheng then seemed somewhat interested and nodded slightly: "Then tell me about it."

Outside the hall, the sky had darkened without anyone noticing. The winter sun only shone for a brief moment at noon, and now the gloomy sky inexplicably complemented the atmosphere inside the hall, making one feel oppressed and as if a storm was brewing.

“When I was young, I entered the palace and by chance met a palace maid named Huanpei. She was ten years older than me and felt sorry for me when she saw me stealing snacks from the kitchen because I was hungry. As we got to know each other better, we became closer and I regarded her as my elder sister. We told each other everything.”

"The good times didn't last long. Huanpei was transferred to the palace of Consort Hui. Although we had less contact, Huanpei could still see me occasionally when she came to the imperial kitchen because I worked there. We agreed that if there was anything urgent we needed to talk to, we would put two stacked stones in a crevice in the rock garden. If the other person saw them, they would know that we had something to say."

“At that time, Prince Wei was only twelve years old and had not yet left the palace to establish his own residence. He would occasionally visit the palace of Consort Hui. Huanpei once told her maid that she had seen Prince Wei several times.”

"One day, Huanpei came to the imperial kitchen looking anxious, but she deliberately distanced herself from the servants, which the servants found very puzzling."

"However, before I could even ask, I heard that Huanpei had offended the Prince of Wei and had been executed on the spot."

At this point, Panxi almost hated King Wei to the core, her clenched teeth wishing she could tear his flesh apart.

But she still had her senses and wanted to continue speaking.

The veins on King Wei's forehead bulged, his reaction clearly not right. He abruptly interrupted Pan Xi, rising to his feet and shouting, "That palace maid poured scalding hot tea on me! I still have marks on my body! Killing her would be too lenient for her. Who dares to try and slander me here—"

Having said that, he knelt down before Chu Mingheng again, sweat beading on his forehead, and said anxiously, "Your Majesty, please be wise—this matter has been over for so many years, and it was dealt with long ago. This palace maid is harboring malicious intentions and is clearly about to spout nonsense. I beg Your Majesty to arrest her immediately; how can we allow her to slander your younger brother here—"

“This servant did not slander! What is it that Your Highness is afraid I will reveal that has caused you to panic like this?!” Panxi said sharply, her dark eyes staring straight at him, and she said in a sinister tone, “Are you in such a hurry to silence me because I know the truth that Huanpei knew back then?”

King Wei felt a chill run down his spine upon hearing her words.

Kill her—kill her—you must kill her! We can't let her say a word! Absolutely not—!

This single thought lingered in his mind, repeating itself endlessly as if possessed, silently cursing him.

Kill her! Kill her! Kill her!

"Ah—!!!" Several screams rang out, and panic spread all around.