Chapter 493 Even a tiger won’t eat its own cubs
"Concubine Li, who did this to you?"
Princess Huai'an roared.
The Second Prince's wife and Concubine Sun shuddered at the same time.
The second prince quickly stepped forward to smooth things over, "Grandmother, Aunt, Concubine Li and Jing'er were in this state because they fell into a dry pond. It was all an accident."
The Queen Mother stared at Murong Xu, "Second Brother, do you think I'm blind? I can tell the difference between a fall and a blow! Nanny Gui, ask Concubine Li and her daughter to go to the side hall and summon the imperial physician."
"Grandmother!" The second prince was anxious.
The Queen Mother slammed the table in anger, "Murong Xu! Even a tiger won't eat its own cubs! Tell me honestly how Jing'er got the injury!"
"Grandmother, Jing'er was indeed injured in the fall. It's New Year's Day now, and I've already asked the imperial physician to apply medicine to her. There's no need to summon the imperial physician!" Murong Xu knelt there and kowtowed hard.
The more he acted like this, the angrier the empress dowager became, so she let him kowtow and refused to give in.
Everyone was surprised.
Zhao Wanyi wiped her tears with distress, quickly knelt down to stop Murong Xu, and kowtowed with him, "Queen Mother, this is all my granddaughter-in-law's fault, it has nothing to do with the Second Prince, please punish me!"
"Second brother, you beat Li and Jing'er like that?" The Queen Mother's angry eyes were filled with shock and disappointment.
Zhao Wanyi cried and tried to explain, "It was Concubine Li who instructed Jing'er to tamper with my granddaughter-in-law's medicine. My granddaughter-in-law caught her red-handed. She was so angry that she had them beaten. It's all my fault!"
The Queen Mother became more and more angry and slammed the table. "Someone, bring Concubine Li and her daughter here! Today, I must get to the bottom of this matter!"
Concubine Li and Murong Jing entered the hall again. Seeing that everyone was staring at them, they quickly knelt down.
The Queen Mother asked coldly, "Concubine Li, the Second Prince's wife accused you of instigating your daughter to put drugs in her medicine. Is this true?"
"It's unfair, Queen Mother! I am innocent!" Concubine Li knelt on the ground and kowtowed desperately.
The second prince angrily reprimanded, "The evidence is irrefutable, and you are still trying to argue?"
Concubine Li shook her head vigorously with tears in her eyes, "Empress Dowager, I still don't know why the Second Prince and the Crown Prince's wife insisted that I was the one who instigated the child to take the drug. That day, Jing'er was beaten half to death and sent back. I collapsed at that time. Before I could go to see the Second Prince and the Crown Prince's wife, the housekeeper came with a group of guards and imprisoned my mother and me in the courtyard, leaving us to perish on our own.
Jing'er almost died, but luckily we still have some medicine left that we prepared for her. These days, my mother and I have been gritting our teeth to get through it. Please, Queen Mother, please understand!"
The empress dowager trembled as she held onto Nanny Gui's hand and staggered to Murong Jing. She lifted her arm and saw the shocking wound. Her chest was instantly filled with anger and she turned around and slapped Murong Xu hard.
Zhao Wanyi's face turned pale with fright and she was about to speak.
The Queen Mother suddenly gave a cold order, "Come here, take the Second Prince, the Second Prince's wife, Concubine Li, and Miss Jing away and interrogate them separately!"
"Grandmother! Grandmother! I know I was wrong! Grandmother, please forgive me this time!" Murong Xu was dragged away by the guards in panic.
Everyone in the hall looked at each other, not knowing what to say for a moment.
The Queen Mother expressionlessly asked someone to invite the Emperor and the Empress.
Princess Huai'an quickly took the lead in taking her leave.
After leaving the Empress Dowager's palace, the group kept looking back and whispering to each other.
Murong Chen and Shen Tian looked at each other with their children and whispered, "I'm afraid this palace banquet will end hastily. You take the children back first, and I will stay to explain."
Shen Tian nodded and immediately followed the steps of Princess Huai'an.
"Aunt, let's go together?"
Princess Huai'an took her arm with a serious look and asked in a low voice, "Are you leaving the palace?"
"Yes, His Highness asked me to take the child back first. Aunt, do you know what happened?" Shen Tian asked in a low voice.
Princess Huai'an met her curious and frightened eyes and reminded her: "Don't ask, it's not a good thing. The second son has become more and more unreasonable over the years. He even beat his own daughter like that!"
"It was the Second Prince who beat him? Wasn't it the Second Sister-in-law?" Chen Tian pretended to be stupid.
Princess Huai'an sighed and shook her head, "You are too naive! If it was really the Second Prince's Consort who beat her, how could he react like that? No matter what, she is his daughter, he will not cover up for the Second Prince's Consort! Oh! Let's not talk about it, it's so annoying!"
Princess Huai'an hurriedly took Chen Tian out of the palace and happened to run into Princess Qingfeng who had just entered the palace.
Princess Qingfeng hurriedly saluted and nodded to Shen Tian in a polite and distant manner.
"The Princess and Concubine Shen are leaving the palace? Isn't it still early?"
Princess Huai'an showed a dignified smile and replied slowly, "If you don't want to stay, go back. Princess, please do as you please."
Chen Tian followed Princess Huai'an obediently without saying a word.
Princess Qingfeng watched them go away, expressionless, "Hongqin, let's go! Let's go pay our respects to the Queen Mother first."
As soon as the master and servant arrived outside the Empress Dowager's palace, they were stopped by Nanny Gui who was standing at the door.
"Princess, the Queen Mother is not seeing anyone, please go back!"
Princess Qingfeng's expression changed slightly. She glanced at the hall and turned away obediently.
His expression was solemn.
Inside the palace.
The Queen Mother was so angry that she clenched her fists, pounded her chest and shook her head, "I used to think that the Second Prince was a little unrestrained when it came to women, but he was good in other aspects. Today I know that he is so cruel! Emperor and Empress, please look at the girl Jing!"
Murong Jing had just finished applying the medicine and was carried in on a stretcher.
The queen hurried forward and accidentally touched Murong Jing's arm.
Murong Jing was in so much pain that tears came out, but she didn't dare to say a word.
The emperor and empress came closer and took a closer look at Murong Jing's injuries, and their expressions changed.
The queen felt dizzy, "Mother, are you saying that the second son made his daughter like this?"
The Queen Mother closed her eyes and nodded heavily, "I have just interrogated Jing carefully. Jing didn't do anything at all. She didn't drug the Second Brother's family either. These are all excuses to frame Jing. Concubine Li was implicated by Jing and was beaten as well, but she wasn't injured that seriously."
The emperor was stunned and immediately squatted down to look at the child, "Jing'er, tell me why your father beat you. Don't worry, with me here, no one can do anything to you!"
Murong Jing shrank back in fear, her eyes full of confusion, "Jing'er didn't do anything, and I don't know why Dad hit me. Grandfather, does Dad no longer love Jing'er?"
After hearing this, the three adults all felt very uncomfortable.
The emperor was the emperor after all, and he quickly regained his composure and continued, "Then think carefully, have you done anything to anger your father during this period of time, or have you seen anything or someone you shouldn't have seen, or gone to any place you shouldn't have gone to?"
Murong Jing answered honestly, "Jing'er used to play in the garden of the mansion. Mother wouldn't let her go anywhere else. Later, when my sister came back, I secretly went to see her a few times, but Aunt Cen wouldn't let Jing'er play with her, so Jing'er could only watch secretly."
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