Chapter 139 Li Nanke must be buried with him!
As the sun gradually set in the west, a cool breeze suddenly rose, sending chills down one's spine.
The banks of the Bian River have been placed under martial law by the Imperial Guards.
The refugees were suddenly moved to a nearby camp, where the Ministry of Works temporarily took over the distribution of porridge.
In a makeshift shed erected by the river, Empress Xue sat with a gloomy expression, her hands gripping the armrests of the chair tightly, the veins on her hands standing out prominently.
The eunuchs and palace maids who came with Princess Zhaoning knelt on the ground, all prostrate, not daring to utter a sound.
The atmosphere at the scene was completely frozen.
Xue Shu knelt on the ground, her eyes red from crying.
"It's all my fault, Aunt. I didn't take good care of Zhaoning."
Empress Xue pursed her lips and remained silent.
Lady Xin stepped forward and whispered, "Xiao'er said the current is too strong, and she guessed that anyone who falls into the river will be swept downstream."
He has already led the Imperial Guards downstream to search. The princess is incredibly lucky; she'll be alright.
Despite saying that, everyone present felt a sense of panic.
Nearly two hours have passed since Princess Zhaoning and Li Nanke fell into the water!
If we could find them, we would have found them long ago.
If the person still can't be found, the chances of them dying are slim...
But no one dared to say these words aloud, for to do so would be to curse the princess!
Even Lady Xue, who was the emperor's sister-in-law, dared not say anything, and could only wipe away her tears and beat her own daughter Xue Shu.
"How did I tell you to keep a close eye on the two princesses? Where were you when the princesses fell into the water?"
"Huh? Why wasn't it you who fell into the water? Zhao Ning is still so young, you..."
Xue Shu dared not say that she had gone to talk to Xie Xuanxiao, so she could only lower her head, cry, and let the Duchess of Xue beat her.
"Enough! All of you, shut up!"
Empress Xue finally spoke, her voice urgent and shrill.
Lady Xue was so frightened that she choked back the cry that was about to escape her throat.
Empress Xue stared grimly at the trembling palace maid on the ground.
"What were my orders? How did the princess fall into the water?"
The palace maid kept kowtowing.
“This servant deserves to die. At the time of the incident, I was ordered by the princess to pick up pebbles from the ground, but I... I didn’t see clearly.”
Empress Xue suddenly turned to Princess Zhaokang.
"Tell me, how did your elder sister fall into the river?"
Princess Zhaokang was just six years old and had always been timid. At this moment, she was so frightened that she huddled in her nanny's arms and cried incessantly.
He can't even speak a complete sentence.
Empress Xue stood up impatiently and pulled Princess Zhaokang out of the nanny's arms.
"Don't cry. I'm asking you, how did your elder sister fall into the river? Who pushed her?"
Zhao Kang had never seen the Empress like this before. He was so frightened that he trembled uncontrollably and gasped for breath that he didn't even dare to cry.
He pointed at Zhao Wanqing, who was huddled next to Song Hui.
"It was her...she pushed. There was a big cat, she...she pushed my elder sister..."
Empress Xue released her and glared at Zhao Wanqing with a sharp gaze.
Zhao Wanqing, her face pale, collapsed to the ground, crying and shaking her head desperately.
"No, it wasn't me!"
Song Hui was so frightened that she immediately knelt on the ground and kowtowed.
"Your Majesty, spare my life! My daughter has the utmost respect for the princess. Even if she had ten lives, she wouldn't dare to push the princess into the water."
While kowtowing, he pinched Zhao Wanqing hard.
"Stop crying, quickly explain to Her Majesty the Empress what happened."
Zhao Wanqing's tears fell even harder as she was pinched, and she cried as she said, "There... there was a big raccoon that suddenly jumped out and scratched the princess."
I...I wanted to save the princess, so...I stood in front of her. I didn't push her, I didn't..."
She cried as she stretched out her left hand.
There were three thin, long scratches on the back of my hand, and the blood beads on them had dried.
"I blocked the raccoon, and I even got scratched by it."
When Song Hui saw the scratches on Zhao Wanqing's hand, her eyes lit up instantly.
She quickly raised her daughter's hand, "Your Majesty, look, Qing'er really did it to save the princess. She didn't push the princess into the water."
Empress Xue glanced at the scratches on Zhao Wanqing's hand, then looked away and focused her gaze on the palace maid on the ground.
"How did the princess fall into the water?"
Zhao Wanqing was terrified and kept crying.
"I have no idea....."
Empress Xue was agitated and restless, like a trapped beast in a frenzy.
With red-rimmed eyes, she glanced at the eunuchs and palace maids on the ground. When she opened her mouth, her voice choked with sobs, almost losing its audibility.
"My Changsheng has been missing for six years. Six years! I only have Zhaoning as my child now."
You useless lot can't even keep an eye on the princess, what use are you to me?
"Guards, drag them all away and beat them to death!"
The palace maids and servants wept and begged.
"Your Majesty, spare my life!"
"Please, Your Majesty, spare my life!"
"And you too!"
Empress Xue suddenly turned her head and pointed at Zhao Wanqing.
Song Hui was so frightened that she blurted out, "Your Majesty, it really has nothing to do with Qing'er, it's Li Nanke!"
"It must be that Li Nanke lost his footing and dragged the princess into the water!"
The two maids serving Princess Zhaoning seemed to have found a lifeline and nodded eagerly in agreement.
“It was Li Nanke who led the princess to the riverbank first. The princess ordered her to pick up stones, but she didn’t do it properly.”
"Yes, yes, the princess was so angry that she ordered us to help pick up the stones, which is why we neglected the princess."
Song Yi hurriedly squeezed out of the crowd, glared at Song Hui and the two palace maids, and shrieked, "You're talking nonsense."
Ke'er would never push the princess; Your Majesty, please understand.
Her face was pale as she knelt on the ground and kowtowed to Empress Xue.
Empress Xue's expression was gloomy.
Li Nanke, it's Li Nanke again!
If Li Nanke hadn't mentioned the matter of distributing porridge to His Majesty, His Majesty wouldn't have asked Zhao Ning to come along to distribute porridge.
How could these filthy, lowly commoners outside be worthy of her Zhao Ning personally distributing porridge?
Now, it's Li Nanke who's dragging Zhao Ning down with him.
Empress Xue's eyes turned red in an instant, and she felt like killing Song Yi.
“Mr. Song, you…”
"Royal sister-in-law!"
Shen Cong walked over, wrapped in a cloak, carrying a thick booklet in his hand.
His cold gaze swept over Song Shi before handing the booklet to Empress Xue.
"Your Majesty, I know you are extremely anxious, but now is not the time to settle scores. Your Majesty's safety is the most important thing."
The fact that Xie Shizi led so many imperial guards into the water but couldn't find the person indicates that the person was swept downstream by the river.
This is a record of the Bian River's flow rate that my younger brother sent to the Water Conservancy Bureau to find. It is based on the speed of the water flow and the time when Zhao Ning fell into the water.
They should have been swept at least ten miles away to Wujiapo by now. Your Majesty, I intend to immediately lead men to Wujiapo and search from there in this direction. We will split up and act separately from Prince Xie.”
Empress Xue looked at the booklet in her hand, which was filled with numbers.
I can't understand a single thing.
She was already in a state of utter confusion and could only nod hastily.
"Alright, Acong, take the men and go quickly. I'm entrusting Zhaoning to you."
After saying that, he glared at Song Yi with lingering resentment.
"If anything happens to my Zhaoning, I will make you and your daughter pay with your lives!"
Song Yi's face turned deathly pale, and tears streamed down her face uncontrollably.
It wasn't fear of Empress Xue's panic, but rather concern for her beloved Ke'er.
She got up, looking distraught, and staggered out of the crowd, calling out to Shen Cong, who was about to leave.
"Your Highness, please wait."
She looked at Shen Cong with pleading eyes and asked, "Could I send a servant to accompany the prince's men to Wujiapo?"
"I...we won't cause any trouble, we just want to save Ke'er. I'll kowtow to Your Highness, I beg you."
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