“A life has been lost just like that, how can I not investigate?” Yun Ke’s gaze fell on the two princes, and Xuan Yuan Che nodded: “This matter should indeed be investigated.”
"Investigate if you will, and while you're at it, give Sister Qing justice!" Xuan Yuanming said.
Only Xu Lingqing's eyelids twitched; she knew that Song Yue had set this trap and there must be another trick up her sleeve.
Mulan was quickly captured, and her face was revealed. Someone exclaimed, "Isn't that the round-faced maid?"
It's her.
After twenty strokes of the cane, Mulan relented: "It was the Princess Consort. The Princess Consort sent me to secretly deliver a message to the Crown Princess."
"Nonsense!" Xu Lingqing glared angrily: "I only sent you to wait outside the palace, I never asked you to go to the Crown Princess. Tell me, who exactly bribed you?"
Mulan looked at Xu Lingqing: "Your Highness, I am here on your orders to deliver a message. You regretted not seeing the Crown Princess at today's banquet and said you wanted to humiliate her. Have you forgotten all that?"
Xu Lingqing's heart pounded, and she wished she could go forward and kick him a couple of times.
"The Eighth Princess Consort has been imprisoned for too long. She finally found a backer, but she has revealed her true colors. Today, she killed my unborn child. I will settle this score!" Yun Ke reached out and drew the guard's sword, then slashed at Xu Lingqing: "I will make you pay with your life!"
Xu Lingqing's eyes widened, and she instinctively pulled the maid in front of her.
*Pfft*
A sword pierced the maid's right shoulder.
The maid screamed in pain.
Xuan Yuanche, who was nearby, was somewhat surprised to see this scene. His next move was to pull Xu Lingqing to safety.
The maid knelt on the ground, writhing in pain.
Yun Ke was about to strike with his second sword when Xuan Yuan Che blocked it: "It's winter and your feet are slippery. Perhaps the Eighth Princess lost her footing. It wasn't intentional. Please calm down, Your Highness. The Eighth Princess is also very remorseful for losing her child."
"If she hadn't bullied the Crown Princess in the middle of the night and demanded she come out, how could she have fallen into the water?" Yunke roared.
Xuan Yuanche didn't know how to defend himself against this.
He didn't understand why Xu Lingqing wanted to meet him at Taiye Pond, or even in another palace, just to exchange a few words.
"I had no idea the Crown Princess was pregnant, so how could I have harmed her?" Xu Lingqing said angrily.
Yun Dong immediately retorted: "When Mulan went to invite the Crown Princess, I had already told her that the Crown Princess was pregnant and her pregnancy was unstable, so she should not move around. However, Mulan had been ordered by the Eighth Prince's Consort that if she did not go, she would bear the consequences. That's why my Crown Princess had no choice but to bite the bullet and go to the appointment."
Mulan looked guilty: "Yes, this servant also informed the Princess Consort that the Crown Princess is pregnant."
The lie was exposed once again, and Xu Lingqing was furious. She gripped Xuan Yuanche's sleeve tightly: "She's lying. I didn't know the Crown Princess was pregnant."
Xuan Yuanche turned around and gave her a reassuring look.
Xu Lingqing's emotions gradually stabilized.
She believed that the two brothers would stand up for her and make decisions for her.
Yun Ke raised his sword high, but Xuan Yuan Che stopped him: "Your Highness, the Eighth Princess has been kind to us brothers. For the sake of Dongying, we cannot believe only one side of the story."
“That’s right, we should bring the Crown Princess out and question her clearly,” Xuan Yuanming said.
Yun Ke's forehead veins bulged: "We have witnesses and physical evidence, what injustice is there? The Crown Princess just had a miscarriage and is very weak. How can she confront us?"
After being yelled at by Yun Ke, Xuan Yuanming shrank back, speechless, and used most of his body to completely block Xu Lingqing from view.
"Anyway, I trust Sister Qing's character; there's definitely something fishy going on here!"
Neither of them would give an inch.
Xu Lingqing hid behind the two of them.
"The two princes may not know how precious this pregnancy of the Crown Princess is. His Highness the Crown Prince has been frail since childhood and has had great difficulty conceiving. The Crown Princess has been taking care of her health since the marriage and finally became pregnant. Now that she has lost her child, it will be difficult for her to have children in the future."
The imperial physician suddenly stepped forward and said, "If the Crown Prince has no heir, the foundation of Northern Chu will be unstable, alas..."
Xuan Yuanche and Xuan Yuanming's expressions changed slightly.
This has become serious.
This child is so precious.
Xu Lingqing raised her small face and choked up, saying, "You can't pin the blame on me."
The imperial physician hesitated, as if he wanted to speak but then stopped.
Yun Ke looked coldly at Xuan Yuan Che and Xuan Yuan Ming: "Are you two princes simply visiting, or do you have ulterior motives? Why are you so determined to protect the murderer and interfere in Northern Chu's affairs?"
Upon hearing this, Xuanyuan Che quickly explained, "Your Highness has misunderstood."
"A misunderstanding?" Yun Ke roared, "Then tell me, Second Prince, where the misunderstanding lies, and I will investigate it thoroughly immediately."
After hesitating for a long time, Xuan Yuanche finally said, "The Eighth Princess Consort said herself that she did not harm the Crown Princess."
He knew as soon as he said that his statement was untenable.
"Guards!" Yun Ke ordered, "Relay my orders to seal the city gates. All citizens must register with the government before they can freely enter or leave the city. No one else is allowed to enter or leave without permission. Anyone who disobeys will be executed on the spot!"
"What does the Crown Prince mean by this?" Xuan Yuanche asked, displeased. "Are you going to imprison us two brothers?"
Yun Ke shook his head: "No, as long as the two princes do not harbor any ill intentions towards Northern Chu, I guarantee that I will send them back to Japan safely. However, if the two princes continue to interfere in Northern Chu's affairs, I will not hesitate to send someone to Japan to seek justice. Although Northern Chu's military strength is not as great as Japan's, it is by no means afraid of trouble!"
Seeing that Yun Ke was truly angry, Xuan Yuan Che knew he was in the wrong and remained silent.
He didn't believe for a second that Yunke would actually dare to send troops.
"From today onwards, the Eighth Princess Consort will temporarily reside in the palace."
"No!" Xu Lingqing refused without hesitation: "I'm not feeling well and I'm not used to living in the palace."
Xuanyuan Che said, "Your Highness, this is indeed asking the impossible."
Meeting Yun Ke's gaze, Xuan Yuan Che softened his tone: "Your Highness, the Eighth Princess is a weak woman and is pregnant. If something goes wrong, how will you explain it to the Eighth Prince? You are a magnanimous person, please forgive the Eighth Princess this time."
"Does the Second Prince mean that all the suffering my Crown Princess has endured has been for nothing?" Yun Dong asked angrily.
Xuan Yuanche was speechless for a moment.
"Until the Crown Princess's health is fully recovered, the Eighth Prince and his wife are not allowed to leave the capital without authorization. If they take a single step out, I will use all my strength to hunt them down to the bitter end!" Yun Ke said.
Xu Lingqing finally understood the situation: she was not allowed to leave the capital.
"Let the two princes also bear witness: Japan cannot take people away for any reason."
Seeing Yun Ke's attitude, Xuan Yuan Che knew that if he didn't agree today, he definitely wouldn't let it go easily, so he nodded: "Of course."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
