The sharp blade was pressed against Su Xiaoning's neck; if it were pushed forward even slightly, it would likely pierce her skin.
Su Qingcai flew into a rage and stepped forward to save Su Xiaoning, but the guards immediately turned their blades and pointed them directly at him. It seemed that if he made any move, the two sides would start fighting.
"Lord Cao, what do you mean by this?"
Su Qingcai stopped and looked coldly at the Minister of Justice.
The Minister of Justice met Su Qingcai's gaze without flinching and said calmly, "Didn't I just say that I am here on the Emperor's orders to arrest Su Xiaoning? I know that the Ninth Prince is worried about Su Xiaoning, but this is the Emperor's order. Does the Ninth Prince intend to disobey it?"
These guards were all from the Imperial Guard, so what the Minister of Justice said should be true. Su Qingcai tried his best to suppress the urge to fight. His face was ashen, and his cold eyes were filled with terrifying ferocity.
Su Xiaoning looked at Su Qingcai, whose face was pale with worry, and said anxiously, "Since it is the Emperor's order, I will go with you. Don't make things difficult for the Ninth Prince!"
“You…” Su Qingcai clenched his fists, looking at Su Xiaoning who was bound and unable to move, and felt a pang of pain in his heart.
Su Xiaoning gave a pale smile and deliberately spoke to Su Qingcai in a light tone, "It's nothing, don't worry! I'll take care of myself, don't you trust me?"
“I…of course I believe you…” Su Qingcai looked pained. He knew that Su Xiaoning hoped he would not openly defy the imperial decree, but her understanding only intensified his guilt and sadness.
The two stood silently facing each other, separated by guards, as if an insurmountable chasm stood between them.
Seeing that Su Qingcai remained silent, the Minister of Justice didn't linger and waved his hand before taking Su Xiaoning away.
Su Xiaoning gave Su Qingcai a reassuring look in the end. Su Qingcai had no other choice but to suppress his anger and watch helplessly as the Minister of Justice led his men away.
...
In the Seventh Prince's Mansion.
Su Qinghe rushed back and hurriedly went to see Qin Yunyun. As soon as he entered the room, he heard Qin Yunyun calling out repeatedly.
"Ouch, it really hurts! I was just doing a good deed, how could this happen! Your Highness, you must stand up for me!"
Qin Yunyun lay on the bed clutching her stomach, her face pale, her forehead covered in cold sweat, and her eyes brimming with tears. Her condition looked extremely serious.
Su Qinghe was shocked and hurriedly grabbed Qin Yunyun's hand: "What happened? How could a fall have caused such a serious injury!"
Qin Yunyun sniffed, and as soon as she opened her mouth, another string of tears rolled down her cheeks.
"Your Highness, everyone says I just tripped and fell, but only I know how much pain I'm in. Su Xiaoning clearly tried to kill me! This child was probably born with my lucky charm. If the child is gone, my lucky charm mark won't matter..."
The koi fish mark was what Su Qinghe cared about most, and Qin Yunyun understood this deeply. As soon as she opened her mouth, she brought up the koi fish mark, which successfully made Su Qinghe even more flustered.
"Damn Su Xiaoning, if anything goes wrong with the koi fish mark, I will make her wish she were dead!"
Su Qinghe gritted his teeth, wishing he could devour Su Xiaoning and drink her blood.
A subtle, cold smile flashed across Qin Yunyun's face. She gently grasped Su Qinghe's hand, tears welling in her eyes, and said, "Your Highness, I rely on you the most. I believe you will definitely stand up for me. By the way, the Ninth Prince is protecting Su Xiaoning; he doesn't respect you at all. He needs to be taught a lesson..."
"You're right, Su Qingcai also has to take responsibility for this!"
Su Qinghe's face was gloomy. She was easily swayed by a few words. After comforting Qin Yunyun, she turned to planning how to deal with Su Qingcai.
The officials he had befriended on ordinary days all came in handy at this moment. Su Qinghe gathered those officials who supported him and jointly reported that Su Qingcai's cover-up of Su Xiaoning had caused a great deal of impact among the people. They even brought in the Minister of Justice, who had just arrested Su Xiaoning.
"Lord Cao, my beloved concubine is in critical condition, and all of this is caused by Su Xiaoning. This is no small crime! Lord Cao is a smart man. I don't need to tell you how to properly 'take care' of Su Xiaoning, do I?"
Su Qinghe narrowed his eyes, a dangerous glint flashing within them.
The Minister of Justice knelt before Su Qinghe, knowing he couldn't afford to offend him, and hurriedly replied, "Your subject understands!"
"Good to know." Su Qinghe snorted coldly, dismissed the Minister of Justice, and continued to think about how to use this matter to suppress Su Qingcai.
Su Qingcai was completely unaware of the impending storm; all he could think about was how to rescue Su Xiaoning.
Knowing that Su Xiaoning had been arrested by imperial decree, he went directly to the emperor without saying a word.
Upon seeing the emperor, Su Qingcai knelt on the ground and pleaded, "Your Majesty, please rescind your order! Su Xiaoning is innocent!"
"Injustice? So many ministers came to report, how could she be wronged?" The emperor's face remained ashen, and he did not believe Su Qingcai's statement.
Su Qingcai pursed her lips, carefully organized her thoughts, and then spoke:
"Your Majesty, as the most honored person in the world, you should not be swayed by one-sided opinions. I am aware of what happened today. Su Xiaoning was just out playing and went out of the palace. Her dog was greedy and was attracted by the aroma of porridge, which is why it accidentally bumped into someone. It was not Su Xiaoning's intention to do so."
"Your Majesty and I are family. Su Xiaoning will also be living in my household in the future. Why should I do such wrong things? I beg Your Majesty to investigate thoroughly and not to wrong an innocent person!"
Su Qingcai, with a clear mind, recounted the events of that day in detail, and also played the emotional card. Sure enough, the emperor's attitude softened considerably.
"I am not an unreasonable person. I only ordered Su Xiaoning to be arrested because I was angry. Now I can't take back my order. Besides, if Su Xiaoning is released so easily, how can the public anger be quelled?"
"Alright, I'll give you some time to thoroughly investigate the truth of the matter. If Su Xiaoning really didn't do these things, I will naturally release her!"
Upon hearing this, Su Qingcai frowned and remained silent for a moment.
This whole thing was orchestrated by Qin Yunyun to frame Su Xiaoning. Su Xiaoning never intended to harm her; she didn't even lift a finger, so how could she investigate? You know, the hardest thing in the world is proving that something never happened.
"What, you're unwilling?" Seeing that Su Qingcai remained silent, the emperor snorted coldly, his attitude turning even colder.
"Your Majesty, I have no objection. I thank you for your great kindness." Su Qingcai had no other choice but to agree temporarily, despite his reluctance.
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