239. Self-defense?

The little dumpling shook its head: "Yue'er is fine."

The little princess chimed in from the side, "Jiayou! I also went to the Prince's residence and even helped Little Moon teach the bad guys a lesson! Aren't you going to ask me if I'm alright?"

The young prince then turned to look at her, rolling his eyes: "How dare you say that? Leaving the palace without permission scared us to death."

Although he was scolding her, his gaze fell back on the little girl, carefully examining her skirt and cuffs. Seeing how messy they were, he felt even more sorry for her.

He thought for a moment, then took out a piece of pastry from his sleeve and handed it over: "This was just made by the Imperial Kitchen. You must have been frightened. Have something to eat first."

The little dumpling took the pastry, and the little princess leaned over and reached out her hand: "Jiayou, I want one too!"

Helpless, the little prince took out another piece from his sleeve and handed it to her, not forgetting to tell the little dumpling: "If you feel unwell anywhere, be sure to tell your father when you see him later."

The three walked toward the imperial study, while the little princess chattered on and on about how she hid in the book box and how she scareed away the guards, like a little sparrow eager for praise.

The young prince would occasionally respond, but most of the time he was watching the little girl's expression. Seeing that there was still some fear in her eyes, he slowed down and gently comforted her.

As the little dumpling listened, the tension in her heart eased a bit.

-

Meanwhile, on the way to the Imperial Study, Dou Shichen finally couldn't help but speak, his voice filled with obvious anxiety: "Uncle Li, will we be killed...? After all, we really did something wrong..."

Li Bo turned to look at him, his tone disdainful: "Young Master, you are too kind-hearted. She is just a county princess. Even if she has suffered some injustice, so what? We are protecting the Prince's Mansion and you. Even if we detained her, there was a reason. Besides, we did not use any private torture on her."

"But the county princess is innocent after all..."

"Innocent?" Li Bo sneered, interrupting him. "If she were truly innocent, why would Tao Wanbi have gone to the manor with her? Besides, she's just a young lady from a powerless marquis's family. Even if she suffers some injustice, she should accept it. His Majesty is busy with countless affairs of state; how could he possibly punish us for such a trivial matter?"

"but……"

Li Bo waved his hand dismissively: "Your Highness, don't worry. When you see His Majesty later, this old servant will explain and make sure you won't be implicated. A little girl like her can't cause any trouble."

After being interrupted several times, Dou Shichen pursed his lips and remained silent.

His mind was in turmoil; he was scared, guilty, and completely at a loss.

-

When the group arrived outside the Imperial Study, the guards led the little boy, Marquis Beiding, Jiang Xiyue, Qu Zijin, the little princess, and the little prince inside, while Li Bo and Dou Shichen were left outside to wait.

The half-open palace door could not block out the sounds inside; every sound clearly reached the two of them.

The little dumpling stepped into the hall and met Wei Xiuming's gaze on the dragon throne.

The once majestic emperor noticed the lingering fear in her eyes, and his expression softened instantly. Before she and Marquis Jiang Xiyue of Beiding could perform the kneeling ceremony, he spoke first: "Come here, come over here."

The little dumpling paused for a moment, then moved forward slowly.

The next second, Wei Xiuming reached out and pulled her in front of him, picked her up, and let her sit on his lap. He gently stroked her dusty sleeves with his hand, his tone full of tenderness: "Good child, have you suffered a lot? Don't be afraid, I'm here, no one will let you suffer anymore."

Marquis Jiang Xiyue of Beiding stood aside, and seeing how Wei Xiuming treated his daughter, her heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally felt a little relieved.

Jiang Xiyue quietly wiped the corner of her eye.

It seems the suffering my daughter endured at the Prince's residence will not have been in vain.

The little dumpling's pent-up fear and grievances finally broke down at this comforting word, and tears streamed down her face as she choked out, "Your Majesty... Uncle Li said that Yue'er and Sister Tao conspired to lock Yue'er and the steward in the woodshed, and even threatened Yue'er with the steward's life... Yue'er secretly climbed out the window and escaped..."

"This is absolutely outrageous!" The little princess immediately moved closer to the dragon throne, puffing out her cheeks. "Father, you have no idea! Uncle Li even led people to attack Uncle Beiding Marquis's men. If I hadn't revealed my identity, we would have all been tied up by him! He made a mistake, but he refuses to admit it!"

Marquis Beiding stepped forward, bowed to Wei Xiuming, and said angrily, "Your Majesty, Yue'er is innocent, but she has been detained and threatened by Li Bo for no reason, and even the guards in the manor were injured. I beg Your Majesty to do justice for our Marquis Beiding manor!"

Jiang Xiyue nodded in agreement, her voice tinged with lingering fear: "Yes, Your Majesty, if it weren't for Princess, we really don't know what we would have gone through."

The young prince also stepped forward to speak up: "Father, I have heard that the Crown Prince's residence not only imprisoned Little Moon, but also tortured the steward!"

Qu Zijin also spoke up: "Your Majesty, this is utterly disregard for the law and the emperor's authority; it is simply lawless!"

Li Bo, who was outside the hall, heard all of this clearly. He also glimpsed Wei Xiuming holding the little dumpling through the crack in the door. His manner was not like that of an ordinary county princess. He was clearly treating her like his own child!

His heart skipped a beat, and his face instantly turned ashen.

What was previously just a minor county magistrate's disdain has now turned into panic.

Wei Xiuming's gaze swept across the outside of the hall like a sharp sword: "Bring them in!"

The imperial guards responded by pushing open the door and escorting the two men into the hall.

Li Bo and Dou Shichen knelt down.

Wei Xiuming angrily questioned, "How dare you! You actually dared to detain the county princess without authorization and even use torture to threaten her. Do you have no respect for the law?!"

Dou Shichen opened his mouth to explain, but Li Bo beat him to it.

Li Bo knelt on the ground, forcing himself to explain, "Your Majesty, please calm down! This old servant did not intend to make things difficult for the county princess! At that time, Tao Wanbi was causing trouble in the mansion, and this old servant was worried that she would collude with the county princess and harm the heir and the prince's mansion, so I temporarily put the county princess under guard. It was truly a matter of self-preservation!"

"Self-preservation?" Wei Xiuming sneered, gently patting the little dumpling's trembling shoulder. His tone was full of anger. "Locking her in the woodshed and threatening the steward's life, you call that self-preservation? How dare you treat her like this? Do you think the face of the Zhennan Prince's Mansion is more important than my words?"

“Your Majesty, everything this old servant has said is true! At that time, Tao Wanbi had ulterior motives in the mansion. This old servant could not tell whether the county princess was in cahoots with her. In order to protect the safety of the prince and the mansion, this old servant temporarily detained her. This was by no means an abuse of power, but a legitimate act of self-defense!”

Dou Shichen, standing to the side, lowered his head.

He knew that the little dumpling was innocent, and he also knew that Uncle Li's explanation was driven by personal motives. But now, he could neither completely absolve himself of any responsibility nor bear to let the little dumpling suffer any more injustice. So he could only remain silent and not utter a single word.

"Self-defense?" Marquis Beiding stepped forward, his voice trembling with rage. "Locking someone in the woodshed and threatening the steward's life, is that self-defense? If it weren't for Yue'er's quick thinking in escaping, who knows how much suffering she would have endured! I implore Your Majesty to punish her severely and give our Marquis Beiding Manor justice!"

Jiang Xiyue nodded in agreement, her eyes red-rimmed: "Your Majesty, Yue'er has suffered this calamity for no reason, and the guards in the manor have also been injured. If they are not severely punished, I'm afraid everyone will dare to detain others at will in the future!"

“Your Majesty, the actions of the Prince’s residence are clearly lawless. If they are not punished, it will be difficult to convince the public,” Qu Zijin followed up, his tone serious. “Your Majesty, although he has the heart to protect his master, he has overstepped the rules and abused his power to detain the county princess. He has violated the law and should be held accountable.”

The little princess grabbed Wei Xiuming's sleeve and shook it vigorously, saying, "Father! He did it on purpose! People like him should be severely punished, otherwise he'll dare to bully others again!"

Uncle Li lay on the ground, cold sweat soaking the ground from his forehead.

He then realized that he had been completely wrong from the very beginning.

Not only did they misjudge the truth of the matter, but they also underestimated the importance of the little dumpling in everyone's hearts. Today, it's impossible for them to try to cover it up by protecting themselves.

Seeing Wei Xiuming's increasingly cold gaze, he finally couldn't hold back any longer. His voice weakened, and he had to change his words: "Your Majesty, it was this old servant... it was this old servant who was confused for a moment and failed to distinguish the situation. He did indeed overreact in self-defense. Please forgive me, Your Majesty!"