“You lowly commoner, His Majesty and the Duke are both here. Do you have something to say?” the Third Prince suddenly spoke up.
This enraged His Majesty: "Zhou Yuanheng, shut up! You speak!"
The man knelt, trembling with fear, and could only say, "Your Majesty, Duke, I am innocent! It was the Third Prince who sent someone to find me, promising a hundred taels of gold, saying that today is the Qixi Festival and Miss Shen from the Duke's mansion will be going out..."
"Let this commoner lead some men to harass her!"
"What did you say!" Shen Chongde, who had been silent until now, suddenly widened his eyes in shock.
His deep, angry roar terrified the man so much that his body went limp.
The Third Prince's face turned deathly pale.
My mind is filled with two words:
It’s over!
Shen Zhiyi glanced at Zhou Xuance.
She always felt a sense of satisfaction when someone stood up for her.
The Third Prince has dug his own pit this time, and it's even gotten her into it; he's probably going to bury himself in it.
"Lord Duke, the Third Prince only told us to tease Miss Shen, and he would appear in time to save her. We were just cooperating with him in a play. Even if we had ten times the courage, we wouldn't dare to touch the young lady of the Duke's mansion!"
"But Your Majesty and the Duke, rest assured, we didn't encounter Miss Shen at all."
"She, she is brave and resourceful, she could have saved herself, but she beat me into this state."
As the man spoke, he deliberately showed off the scars on his body.
"You bastard!"
Shen Chongde couldn't hold back any longer, and Shen Zhiyi tried to stop her father, but it was too late.
He took two quick steps forward and kicked the kneeling man away. The madman's back slammed into a pillar, his spine feeling as if it were about to break. He collapsed to the ground in convulsions, trembling uncontrollably.
"Third Prince, shouldn't you give me an explanation for this matter?" Shen Chongde turned to look at Zhou Yuanheng.
The Third Prince never expected that things would be exposed so quickly, and his eyes were filled with panic.
"Zhou Yuanheng!" Emperor Xiaoxuan slammed his fist on the table.
He hurriedly knelt down, "Father, this madman must be slandering me. Please investigate, Father. I love Zhiyi and have always treated her with courtesy. How could he treat her like this?"
"I beg my father to clear my name!"
"Even if I wanted to marry Sister Zhiyi, I wouldn't use such methods."
Emperor Xiaoxuan sneered: "Do you want to marry her, or do you covet the Shen family behind her?"
“Father…” The Third Prince’s pupils widened in shock.
"Zhou Yuanheng, things have come to this point, and you still won't tell the truth!" Emperor Xiaoxuan shouted angrily, his brows furrowed in a cold stare. The entire study was instantly enveloped in a low-pressure atmosphere, and a deathly silence fell.
"You mean you don't acknowledge this?" Emperor Xiaoxuan sneered.
"Uncle, I don't know where you got this information, but this madman is clearly trying to slander me. Uncle, we grew up together, don't you know me?"
Chen Zhiyi raised an eyebrow:
Growing up together...
Indeed, Zhou Xuance was about the same age as the Crown Prince and the Third Prince. Although they were uncle and nephew, they had practically grown up together.
It was at this moment that he said these words, and for some reason, Shen Zhiyi almost laughed out loud.
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