Chapter 159 The Ministry of Justice Prison
Zhi'er, who was not far away, saw her coming out. After waiting for a while, she glanced in the direction of Gao Liangui and ran quickly towards Tao Tao's back.
"Princess...Princess!"
Tao Tao heard the sound behind her, glanced at the figure running towards her out of the corner of her eye, and continued forward.
The people in front walked very fast, and it took Zhi'er quite a while to catch up.
She said between breaths, "Princess...are you going to return to see Her Majesty the Empress with me?"
Tao Tao glanced at Wu Mama beside her. Wu Mama, receiving a signal, stepped forward and blocked her way, saying coldly, "Miss Zhi'er, my lady is leaving the palace now and will not be going to see Her Majesty the Empress."
Zhi'er was taken aback, and quickly said, "Her Majesty the Empress is waiting for you to return and report."
"Rest assured, Your Majesty, things will proceed as you wish."
The girl in front of him said those words and strode away.
Before Zhi'er could figure it out, she took a step forward, intending to block her way, but was stopped by Granny Wu.
Granny Wu's face darkened, her gaze sharp and cold as she glared at her, and she snapped, "What are you doing? How dare a mere servant block the county princess's path? Are you trying to commit insubordination?!"
Zhi'er turned pale instantly when she was scolded like that. The image of Wu Mama's strict teaching of her immediately flashed into her mind, making her knees go weak.
"This servant wouldn't dare; this servant did not intend to offend the county princess."
Granny Wu snorted coldly, "Since you know you have offended the county princess, you will kneel here until the sun sets before you can get up."
She lowered her head and replied anxiously, "Yes, Granny."
Walking along the palace path, Rong'er recalled what had just happened and asked with some worry, "Princess, are we really going to leave like this? What if Her Majesty the Empress blames us?"
"I've done everything she asked for, what more does she want?"
As soon as they exited the palace gates, Leng Qiao was sitting in a carriage. When she saw Tao Tao approaching, she jumped down and greeted her.
Rong'er placed the stool on the ground, helped her up, and then climbed up herself.
"Leng Qiao, go to the Ministry of Justice prison."
Leng Qiao, holding the whip, turned her head and heard the voice coming from inside the carriage. She replied, "Yes, Miss."
The Ministry of Justice prison.
Leng Qiao tightened the reins, and the carriage slowly came to a stop.
"Miss, we've arrived."
Rong'er came out first, then stood to the side and lifted the curtain to wait for the people inside to come out.
With her help, Tao Tao got off the carriage and stood in front of the prison. She looked around and saw that it was not much different from the prison of the Dali Temple.
The jailers on either side frowned, their faces cold as they reached out to block them: "Who are you? Unauthorized personnel are not allowed in!"
Rong'er took out a token from her sleeve and displayed it in front of them, coldly saying, "Princess Huaimin is here, why don't you all quickly step aside?"
The two exchanged a glance, their expressions instantly becoming obsequious: "So you are the county princess. We were blind to your greatness and beg your forgiveness."
"Which official does the county princess wish to visit?"
Tao Tao smiled and said, "I have come to visit His Highness the Crown Prince on the orders of the Empress. I hope you two will do me a favor."
Upon hearing that it was the Crown Prince, the jailer looked troubled and said apologetically, "Princess, His Majesty has ordered that no one is allowed to visit His Highness the Crown Prince. I cannot obey."
"Does that also include the Empress, the Crown Prince's birth mother? Surely His Majesty wouldn't say that too?"
His Majesty would never say that, but the Empress was certainly among those mentioned.
"Oh dear, Princess Huaimin, please don't make things difficult for me. Otherwise, if the higher-ups blame me, I'll be half dead, if not dead."
Tao Tao glanced at Rong'er, who took the bulging purse from her waist, stepped forward, looked around, and stuffed it directly into the jailer's hand.
"Don't worry, I'll just go in for a little while and say a few words to put Her Majesty's mind at ease."
The two jailers looked at each other, then at the heavy purse in their hands, and said helplessly, "Then you'd better come out quickly, Princess, or the Vice Minister will be here soon."
She nodded, and the two men made way for her and her maid to go inside.
As she walked in, a foul, rotten smell wafted over on the wind. She frowned and quickly covered her mouth and nose with a handkerchief.
Apart from the occasional cries of pain, the cell was quite quiet.
The clanging of chains echoed from where she walked, as prisoners curiously stood up and looked around, their expressions suggesting they hadn't seen anyone for a long time.
Rong'er walked beside her, her body pressed tightly against hers, her face slightly pale, her eyes filled with terror.
Tao Tao noticed this, reached out and grabbed her wrist, pulling her forward.
"If you're scared, just go outside and wait for me. You don't have to force yourself."
Upon hearing this, Rong'er looked up at Tao Tao, then shook her head and said, trying to appear calm, "Princess, I am not afraid. I will stay with you."
She glanced at her sideways and said calmly, "Fear is human nature."
After walking for some time, they finally found Qi Heng in a prison cell. He was wearing a light yellow robe, sitting in a chair, resting with his eyes closed and supporting his temples with his hands.
Pure and clear, untouched by a speck of dust, he is truly a virtuous gentleman.
The cell was fairly clean and tidy, and the tables, chairs, and tea sets were clearly new, but this kind of environment seemed to be an insult to His Highness the Crown Prince.
She stood at the door for a while, and finally the person inside noticed the gaze fixed on her and opened their eyes to look over.
Upon seeing who was in front of him, his eyes lit up slightly. In less than a second, he realized where he was and what embarrassing situation he was in, and a look of embarrassment flashed across his face.
"Why are you here? How are your injuries?"
Tao Tao stepped forward, reached out and grasped the railing, her expression full of worry: "I'm fine, thank you for bringing me back to the manor to seek medical help in time. But you, have they treated you badly?"
Qi Heng smiled, stood up and walked to her: "It's alright, I am the Crown Prince, they wouldn't dare."
"Then you're the crown prince, why did you get yourself into this state?"
Upon hearing this, he shook his head helplessly, gave a bitter smile, and was speechless for a moment.
She continued, "Why don't you ask me why I saw you at the banquet?"
He smiled gently: "If you want to tell me, you will naturally do so."
"If you don't ask, how can I tell you? Wouldn't that be presumptuous of me? Who knows if you want to hear it or not."
He suddenly realized and nodded: "I see. So how did you get into the palace?"
“Prince Murong Huaishi of Yingzhou adopted me as his goddaughter, which is why I was able to attend the banquet in the palace. I know why you were imprisoned, but I believe this matter has nothing to do with you.”
“You could never do something like patricide. There’s something fishy about this, but don’t worry, I believe you’ll be out soon.”
He frowned upon hearing the last sentence. "Did you go to see the Empress?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com