Chapter 234 Personal Trial (Part 2)

"So, what you're saying is that the Crown Prince's Consort of Prince Kang's Mansion is timid and won't lie?" Prince Liang sneered. "That's quite a euphemism."

"Fu Yi...he even dislikes his own family." Prince Liang sighed and then hurried to look at Cheng Nianying's expression.

Cheng Nianying's facial features were wrinkled, but her mind was not on Fu Cheng and his wife.

She was looking at the palace maids who served Princess Zhaoning.

King Liang lowered his voice and asked, "What's the matter?"

"One is missing."

"You mean, there's one less person serving Zhao Ning?"

"Um."

King Liang immediately became alert: "If someone is missing for no reason, then there must be something wrong with this person."

"But how come you even noticed this?"

Cheng Nianying looked at him in surprise: "How could you not notice if such a big living person was missing?"

"Ordinary people really wouldn't pay attention. Princes and nobles all have servants around them."

Cheng Nianying didn't respond, but continued, "The missing maid is called Mu He."

King Liang was even more surprised: "How do you know this?"

"Mu He once worked as a maid in charge of the Prince's Mansion."

Prince Liang suddenly recalled something: "I think I've seen him before, always pushing a wheelchair beside Fu Yi, right?"

"Um."

"She is..." The emperor gave Fu Yi. Prince Liang suddenly fell silent.

The interrogation is still going on over there.

Prince Liang's mumbling finally reached a point where the emperor could no longer ignore it.

The emperor could no longer bear it: "Prince Liang, do you have something to say?"

King Liang took a step forward.

The thought flashed through everyone's mind - this might be to add fuel to the fire for Prince Danshuo?

Unexpectedly, King Liang spoke up: "Father, one person is missing."

"Oh? Who's missing?" the emperor asked.

King Liang then repeated what Cheng Nianying had just said.

Just omit the name.

Everyone was stunned after hearing this. This was... helping Prince Danshuo?

Those with Fu Yi's faction could no longer hold back and hurriedly knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, this missing person is a serious suspect!"

The emperor concealed the deep look in his eyes and asked King Liang, "Are you sure there's one person missing?"

King Liang bowed and said, "Your son is sure."

The emperor lowered his head and asked the palace maids kneeling on the ground, "Who else was with Zhaoning that day?"

The palace maids kowtowed several times and said, "Your Majesty, everyone is here. There is no one else."

"Did King Liang hear it?" asked the emperor.

Many thoughts flashed through King Liang's mind.

At this time, Cheng Nianying pulled his sleeve from behind without leaving any trace.

"I heard it."

"King Liang still insists that there's one person missing?"

King Liang pondered for a moment and said, "Perhaps I have seen it wrong."

"Yeah." The emperor felt better. Fortunately, he didn't lose his temper today.

But these words were secretly remembered by Fu Yi's group. Someone is missing? Regardless of whether it is true or not, they have to spend time looking for clues!

"Ms. Zeng, go on and tell me how you saw Prince Danshuo committing the crime?" The emperor looked at the Crown Princess again.

The Crown Prince's Consort kowtowed before continuing, "The Prince hasn't been to Prince Kang's residence for several days. My mother was worried about him, so she asked me, his sister-in-law, to bring him some gifts. When the Prince arrived at Prince Ding's residence, he didn't stay long before suddenly turning around and leaving."

"Fearing to miss the opportunity, I followed them and happened to see Princess Zhaoning talking to the Prince."

"When Princess Zhaoning said she wanted to recruit the prince as her consort, the prince's face changed immediately."

"I realized it was inconvenient to approach you at this moment, so I didn't say anything to interrupt you."

"Until the prince said, 'Even if you are the emperor's daughter, what does it matter?' Then I heard screams. The palace maids ran out in panic. I carefully peeked out and saw the prince holding a dagger. He looked at the remaining palace maids and muttered to himself, 'Who should I choose to be the murderer?'"

"Looking again, Princess Zhaoning had already fallen to the ground... I was terrified and quickly used the doorpost as cover to flee."

At this point, the Crown Prince's Consort sighed deeply, her eyes reddened as she kowtowed again, saying, "At that time... at that time, I also considered pretending not to see it. After all, I am the Duke's eldest sister-in-law. But when the news of Princess Zhaoning's death reached the banquet, I couldn't help but tell my husband about it."

"My dear, he said... Even if he is my brother, I must not indulge him, let alone bully him..."

As soon as the Crown Princess finished speaking, a man stood up from among the court officials and said loudly, "Good! A minister should always put the emperor first! Princess Zhaoning is the daughter of the emperor, yet she has suffered such a misfortune. Prince Danshuo relies on the emperor's favor and holds power, yet he doesn't even care about the emperor's daughter... We must not condone or protect him! Otherwise, if this continues, Prince Danshuo will become even more arrogant in the court. Will he even dare to kill princes and emperors in the future?"

The emperor covered his face with his handkerchief and coughed heavily a few times before looking at Fu Cheng again: "Your character is rare."

Then he sighed deeply and called Fu Yi by his courtesy name: "Huai Yan, you disappoint me so much."

Cheng Nianying was angry after hearing all this singing in unison.

At this moment, Fu Yi slowly turned his head and looked at Fu Cheng and his wife: "Brother and sister-in-law hate me to the core?"

Fu Cheng moved his lips: "Don't talk nonsense in front of the emperor."

Fu Yi sneered: "Otherwise, why would you frame me like this?"

"I was wondering why someone from Prince Ding's palace was so clumsy as to dirty my robe. Everyone knows I like cleanliness. But I was just changing my robe, and yet you put the blame on me."

Fu Yi closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, his eyes were redder than the Crown Prince's wife's.

He said, "I've been assassinated several times, but none of them compare to what happened to my brother and sister-in-law today. It chills my heart."

As the last word fell, tears slowly rolled down from the corners of Fu Yi's eyes.

Who in the court has ever seen Fu Yi cry?

Everyone was shocked at once.

The emperor knew Fu Yi's character well and felt that he shouldn't even try him personally today. He should deal with him as quickly as possible, otherwise he would have an opportunity to exploit.

The emperor immediately interrupted, "You are here accusing your brother and sister-in-law of cruelty, but who will pay for my daughter's life? Fu Yi, you have acted so perversely, yet you still refuse to admit your guilt?"

"I plead not guilty." Fu Yi only uttered four words, and then his body collapsed, leaning on the sedan chair behind him with difficulty, his face full of dejection.

The emperor's tone was slightly cold: "Fu Yi killed Princess Zhaoning. His crime is unforgivable. Take him away and give him poisoned wine."

Cheng Nianying was really angry. She didn't expect that it would come to the point of being given poisoned wine so soon.

She didn't care about anything else and said, "Just now, the Crown Prince's Consort said something a little strange."

The emperor turned to look at her: "Who are you?"

King Liang's heart suddenly rose to his throat. He immediately thought of a clever idea and deliberately answered first: "What's so strange? Tell me."

The emperor frowned and was about to scold.

Prince Liang had already shouted, "Speak now! How can we conceal anything in front of His Majesty?"

King Liang never thought that one day he would be so quick-witted.

I never thought that one day I would have to rack my brains to help save Fu Yi! It really is like swallowing ten flies in one breath!

As soon as Prince Liang said this, the emperor did not try to stop him.

Everyone turned their heads and stared at Cheng Nianying, who was dressed as a man in a guard's uniform.

Cheng Nianying endured so many stares without retreating. She said, "The Crown Prince's Consort said that when she went to see the Prince, she happened to hear him talking to Princess Zhaoning, and then hid aside. She heard screams and saw palace maids running out. She also heard the Prince telling the remaining palace maids to choose someone to be the murderer."

The Crown Princess stared at her warily and replied, "Yes."

"Prince Danshuo was severely injured while rescuing the emperor, and subsequently sustained injuries to his shoulder. Even attending court was difficult for him. He was a civil official, not skilled in martial arts. How could such a man have killed Princess Zhaoning while surrounded by so many palace servants?"

Cheng Nianying was clear-headed and finished speaking quickly.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Someone immediately responded, "The prince was injured, how could he kill Princess Zhaoning? Were all those palace maids dead? Seeing the princess being assassinated, they didn't know how to step forward to protect her? Then those palace maids should be executed too!"

These words made several palace maids' faces turn pale.

King Liang looked thoughtful. Indeed, this statement was quite plausible.

This further proves that Fu Yi could not have been the one who did it.

Cheng Nianying continued, "According to the Crown Prince's Consort, the maid ran out first, hiding behind the doorpost, and then quietly left. This is strange. If the maid wanted to run out, she would have pushed the door open... It was noon, and the sun was at its peak. If the Crown Prince's Consort stood behind the doorpost, her figure would have cast a shadow on the ground. How could the prince inside the room not see it?"

"If she had hidden behind another goalpost farther away, how could she have heard what the prince said?"

Cheng Nianying spoke each word clearly. Her tone was cold and almost emotionless, so everyone could hear her.

Fu Cheng stared at her steadily.

Who is it?

Who is this person?

The emperor sat behind the screen, his eyes also cold.

Jiang Shenyuan, holding his sword in one hand, quietly approached the emperor. He bowed and said, "This person... is the Cheng Nianying I mentioned."