But the emperor's expression was no longer as benevolent as before; his face was stern, and he stood there shaking his head.
“If your grandmother knew, she would surely spoil you. Jingyue, you will never know you are wrong.”
The emperor was no longer willing to say anything more: "Guards, take her away."
"Serving a ruler is like serving a tiger." Princess Jingyue listened blankly to Emperor Guangqi's icy words, feeling as if her heart was being squeezed by a giant hand, making it impossible for her to breathe.
She stared at Emperor Guangqi in disbelief, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw the guards beside her about to come and grab her.
Princess Jingyue felt a chill run down her spine. In a panic, she yanked out the hairpin from her hair and held it against her neck.
"Father...Father...If you imprison me in the deep palace and leave me only with the empty title of princess, I would rather die!"
The emperor's expression shifted slightly, and he frowned deeply: "Jingyue!"
Princess Jingyue shook her head, pressing the hairpin she was gripping tightly against her neck even more: "Father, just consider this my wish to see my grandmother one last time. Father, just consider this my last time seeing my grandmother!"
Crimson blood gushed down her neck, a stark contrast to the bloodstains. Emperor Guangqi coldly watched his daughter, whom he had doted on since childhood, and finally sighed, relenting.
"Fine, then let's call your grandmother over, if she's willing."
After he finished speaking, he seemed lost in thought, his expression turning somber.
Princess Jingyue breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this, and the hairpin in her hand fell to the ground with a dull thud.
Tears streamed down her face; she felt she was finally saved!
The Empress Dowager's first favorite thing was Buddhist scriptures, and her second favorite thing was herself!
If I were to get to my grandmother's side, there would still be room for maneuver.
As for the grievances of Consort Zhen and Song Xizhi, the Empress Dowager would never care about these lowly commoners!
If Grandmother knew that she had been slapped twice by them and that she had been punished by Father Emperor to be imprisoned in the deep palace for life, she would probably want to kill them!
Seeing that the nanny beside Princess Jingyue was about to get up and go to the Empress Dowager's palace to report the matter, Princess Jingyue hurriedly pleaded:
"Granny, you must tell the Empress Dowager that your grandson is about to die. Please, Empress Dowager, save my life!"
The old woman nodded hurriedly, and under the emperor's cold expression, she scrambled out.
As it turned out, the Empress Dowager still doted on Princess Jingyue. Upon hearing the old woman's words, she disregarded the late hour and heavy dew, and rushed over wearing only a cloak.
Upon seeing the imposing scene outside the hall, she frowned, puzzled, and silently murmured "Amitabha Buddha" a few times.
When the Empress Dowager arrived at the palace, she saw Princess Jingyue kneeling there with tears streaming down her face, and her heart trembled slightly.
"Jingyue! What's wrong with you? The ground is so cold, why are you kneeling on it?"
Princess Jingyue heard the sound and suddenly looked up at the Empress Dowager. Seeing the Empress Dowager's concerned face, she knew that the matter was almost certain to be resolved.
With the Empress Dowager's protection, she will not only escape any punishment, but the Empress Dowager will likely deal harshly with Consort Zhen and Song Xizhi, those two vile women!
It's only because her father can't distinguish right from wrong and has been bewitched that he treats her this way!
Princess Jingyue gritted her teeth, concealing the ruthlessness in her eyes, and threw herself into the Empress Dowager's arms, sobbing.
"Grandmother, Jingyue knows she was wrong... Waaah, Jingyue is willing to spend her life as a vegetarian and chanting Buddhist scriptures, stay by Grandmother's side, and never marry again. Please don't let Father Jingyue be imprisoned in the deep palace and go mad. Please don't strip Jingyue and Mother of their titles..."
It must be said that Princess Jingyue is not only beautiful, but also has a very sweet tongue.
The other princesses were either of high status or very respectful and polite, but she was the only one who would throw herself at the Empress Dowager and act coquettishly. She would also stay by the Empress Dowager's side every day, reciting Buddhist scriptures and copying Buddhist texts for her.
This is what gives her the right to be arrogant and reckless.
Sure enough, when the Empress Dowager heard this, she looked down sharply and saw Princess Jingyue's swollen cheek. Her eyes narrowed, and her heart broke.
The Empress Dowager raised her head and frowned as she looked at the Emperor: "Your Majesty, what is Jingyue talking about?"
"Today is my birthday, with the Buddha himself present and Master Yuanhui sending birthday gifts. You even spared the people from the Marquis of Anding's mansion, yet in the end you want to punish your own daughter?"
"What heinous crime did she commit?"
"And who slapped me? Who in the palace dares to act so recklessly?"
Hearing the Empress Dowager's stern words, Consort Zhen's heart sank. She had a premonition that with the Empress Dowager's backing, things wouldn't go so smoothly today.
She bit her lip and knelt down with a thud: "Your Majesty, please forgive me, it's all my fault."
The emperor was truly enraged at this moment, and he forcefully helped Consort Zhen up, saying, "Don't kneel, you did nothing wrong!"
"Mother, Jingyue didn't suffer those two slaps for nothing. Consort Zhen's face is swollen too!"
The Empress Dowager took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and shook her head: "Didn't Jingyue tell her to fight back?"
"Look, she's bleeding from her neck. Amitabha, Amitabha, even Buddha himself couldn't bear to see her like this. Your Majesty, let's just let this matter rest. Let Jingyue stay by my side, and I will discipline her properly."
Princess Jingyue felt smug upon hearing this. Although she was kneeling on the ground, she looked at Song Xizhi and Consort Zhen with a provocative gaze.
She deliberately softened her tone, her voice becoming ingratiating: "Grandmother, please don't blame Father..."
Before she could finish speaking, Song Xizhi suddenly knelt on the ground: "Yes, Your Majesty, please don't argue with His Majesty. It's all my fault!"
"Consort Zhen did this to save me from the humiliation of being searched and tortured in the imperial prison. She slapped the princess in a moment of desperation to save my life."
"I never expected things to escalate so much, to spiral out of control. It's all my fault. I beg Your Majesty to imprison me back in the imperial prison and let things return to where they were!"
As Song Xizhi spoke, his body trembled slightly, and he couldn't help but burst into tears.
Princess Jingyue couldn't help but laugh at Song Xizhi's overconfident appearance.
So this is what it means to imitate someone else's foolishness. She thought that if she imitated her grandmother and said a few sweet words, her grandmother would also be biased towards her, pity her, and support her.
Doesn't she even know who she is?
I'm afraid that as soon as she finished speaking, her grandmother would give in to her wishes and send her to the imperial prison.
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