Chapter 397: The Prime Minister apologizes for his crime, and Zhou Ruier is saved by Concubine Xi

Empress Xu's eyes were filled with coldness. She curled her lips and said, "How could the Prime Minister do anything wrong? I don't know how my family has offended the Prime Minister, and he actually plotted to murder her and her unborn child!"

Prime Minister Zhou said in horror, "Empress, even if I had a hundred guts, I would never dare to frame the Crown Princess!"

Empress Xu waved her hand and Zhou Ruier was brought up.

In just half an hour, after being severely tortured, Zhou Ruier was covered in wounds. She knelt on the ground, her whole body was dull and she kept mumbling, "Father, save me."

She placed her last hope on the prime minister next to her.

But when she met her father's cold eyes, her whole body trembled, and she knew that she had been abandoned by her father. Oh, yes, not abandoned, because her father had never cared about her.

She has always been the one abandoned.

Prime Minister Zhou clasped his hands together and said, "Did this rebellious girl offend the Crown Princess? She was originally the daughter of a lowly concubine in the palace, and she has no knowledge of etiquette. She claimed to be attracted to the Crown Prince. This old minister thought that since she was old and would die of old age in the courtyard if she didn't marry, she begged the Crown Prince, and he accepted her. Now that she is married to the Crown Prince, if she does anything disobedient, he can punish her at will."

After hearing this, Zhou Ruier collapsed to the ground.

Empress Xu didn't believe such nonsense at all, and there was a sharp look in her eyes.

"A daughter born to a lowly concubine? She actually has such great power that she brought in unusually venomous snakes, and under the pretext of saving the Crown Princess, she brought hundreds of deadly servants to besiege the Crown Prince's residence! Prime Minister Zhou, you give me an explanation!"

She stepped forward, the edges of her white shoes stained red.

The venomous snake moved in front of Zhou Ruier and the Prime Minister.

Zhou Rui'er grabbed the edge of the Queen's clothes and said, "I didn't do that. I didn't do that. Li Qingcheng must have put it in the Crown Princess's bedroom. I really came here to protect my sister."

Disgusting! Empress Xu raised her foot and kicked the man away.

Jiusu asked: "Who gave you the hundreds of Deadpools you brought with you?"

Zhou Ruier looked aside guiltily, but was slapped hard. It hurt so much that blood flowed from the corner of her mouth. Her whole body felt like it was falling apart. She smiled bitterly, missing the gentle prince so much.

If you want to survive, you have to rely on yourself.

She muttered.

"yes…"

Prime Minister Zhou cursed, "You actually hired someone to kill the Crown Princess! You've brought shame upon our Prime Minister's Mansion!"

"I..." she said weakly.

Prime Minister Zhou was afraid that she would expose him, so he spoke nervously, trying to suppress her voice: "From now on, the relationship between you and me as father and daughter ends here!"

Zhou Ruier's eyes were dull and her cheeks were swollen. After hearing his words, she curled her lips into a smile.

"Father."

She looked up and repeated.

"Father said the Crown Princess was in danger and asked me to open the door and break in. In fact, he wanted to kill the Crown Princess."

"Rebellious girl! How dare you slander me!" Prime Minister Zhou was just raising his hand, and this slap might knock someone unconscious.

Jiusu stopped him and said, "Prime Minister, do you want to beat him to death so that he can die without any evidence?"

Prime Minister Zhou breathed a sigh of relief and lowered his hand. His face darkened. "It's easy to find a pretext to accuse someone of a crime. The Crown Prince is the foundation of this country. How dare you harm his child?"

However, as to why.

Both of them knew it well.

But the queen would not say that the emperor had high hopes for Xu Cairong, and her random guesses would definitely displease the emperor.

Jiusu's eyes flashed: "I'll have to ask the Prime Minister about this."

Prime Minister Zhou pointed at Jiusu angrily. The appearance of this person in front of him had turned Shengjing upside down. His son-in-law's status had been declining again and again, and his nephew's death was also related to her.

He clenched his back teeth.

"Why do you insist on going against me? Wen Bao is dead, when will the cycle of revenge ever end? This whole thing was done by Zhou Rui'er alone. She was jealous of the Crown Princess and wanted to win her favor, so she became vicious!"

Empress Xu stroked her newly-painted nails and sneered, "Zhou Rui'er, is this what the Prime Minister said?"

Zhou Ruier shook her head, as if she had thought of something.

He took out the token from his pocket.

"My Lady, this is evidence. My father gave it to me to mobilize the guards."

Empress Xu touched the token, which could mobilize soldiers. She sneered, "The Prime Minister has really invested a lot of money."

Prime Minister Zhou touched his clothes and suddenly broke out in a cold sweat. He asked Zhou Ruier in panic, "Did you go to the study and steal my token?"

Zhou Ruier shuddered: "Yes."

Upon hearing this, Prime Minister Zhou bowed deeply and said sadly, "Empress, I am wronged! It was this rebellious girl who wanted to kill the Crown Princess and monopolize the Crown Prince's favor. Let me be honest with you. She so brazenly besieged the Crown Prince's residence. Anyone would think it was me who ordered it. Isn't that too foolish?"

The Prime Minister is not stupid.

It is an unfathomable gray wolf.

Empress Xu said calmly, "Taking an unconventional approach is a good idea. If the Prime Minister has any grievances, he should speak to the Emperor."

Jiusu did not participate in this matter.

She was very sleepy, so she went back home to catch up on her sleep.

When I woke up, it was already noon.

Zitan went to the small kitchen and brought a bowl of lotus root starch and glutinous rice. She carefully stirred it with a spoon and told the young lady the news from the palace: "After we left the Prince's Mansion, the Queen knelt in front of the Imperial Study and begged the Emperor to punish the Prime Minister's Mansion."

Jiu Su guessed.

"But the Emperor didn't punish the Prime Minister?"

Zitan nodded. "The Emperor originally stayed indoors, but the Prime Minister came all the way from the palace gate, kneeling with a bramble on his back. He had no choice but to come out. He first comforted the Empress, and then went to welcome the Prime Minister."

Jiusu looked outside the yard.

Kou Shao and Zhong Qin were flying a kite. One was still, while the other was moving, and they looked like a flowing painting, feeling exceptionally free.

She withdrew her gaze and put down the celadon bowl.

"Xu Cairong went to the border. The emperor dotes on him, and he definitely needs the Prime Minister's family to provide support for Xu Cairong. It's impossible for him to fall so easily. I guess the emperor will say that the evidence is insufficient and kill Zhou Ruier to appease the queen's anger. After that, he will increase the reward for the emperor's grandson."

Zi Tan said, "That's true, but Zhou Rui'er didn't die. She was saved by Concubine Xi."

Concubine Xi? Jiusu remembered that the two of them seemed to have some conflicts. Ajing killed Concubine Xi's brother and also snatched the bride that Concubine Xi had found for her brother.

"It's true that enemies often meet on a narrow road." The corners of her mouth curled up. "The bad guys are banding together, right?"

If she had Concubine Xi's protection, Zhou Ruier would still have a chance to turn things around.

However, this requires waiting for the prince to come back and make a decision.

Zitan pushed open the wooden window, and the spring breeze blew in. "Miss, you should now happily wait for your wedding day. Everything else is unimportant."

In the past half month.

The Crown Princess had been living in the palace, and the Emperor's grandson was well taken care of and grew fat. He was born when he was only seven months old, but she and the Queen were heartbroken.

The queen wanted to give him all the good things in the palace.

Emperor Xu also came to visit from time to time. He named his grandson Jiashuo and was very fond of the child. He said happily, "The child is so cute. Concubine Xi's child must be just as cute."

Empress Xu sneered in her heart.

Then, she placed some distance between the emperor and the child, motioned Xi Xiang to take the prince away, and changed the subject.

"The day after tomorrow, Jiusu will be getting married. Can the Emperor go?"

Emperor Xu said, "Originally I didn't want to go, but Concubine Xi wanted to go and take a look, so I went with her."