Chapter 659: Punishing Qian Qiyue
The palace maid was frightened by the empress dowager's harsh shout and fell to the ground trembling.
"Prince, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has passed away."
"How could it be..."
The Queen Mother staggered and nearly fell, and Nanny Ran quickly supported her.
Concubine Zhao, standing by, had also stood up and said sternly, "What happened? Wasn't the Crown Prince fine just now? I asked the imperial physician and he said he was getting better. How could he suddenly pass away?"
The palace attendant trembled as she spoke, "When His Royal Highness was brought back, his head injury was already extremely severe. The imperial physicians took turns treating him and finally managed to stabilize his condition. But who would have thought that just now, the prince suddenly vomited blood."
"The imperial physician examined the Crown Prince and said that in addition to the head injury, his internal organs were also severely damaged. They tried their best to save him, but, but he still couldn't be saved..."
The prince vomited blood and died.
Everyone in the hall's expression changed, even Tang Ning felt cold all over.
If Qian Qiyue had only injured the prince, given that the prince had acted improperly before and she was trying to protect herself and save others, Emperor An and the empress dowager would not have dared to punish her too harshly, otherwise it would have been difficult to stop the gossip of the people.
But now that the prince is dead, everything has gotten out of control.
Qian Qiyue killed the crown prince. No matter what the reason was, it was a serious crime, and even the Qian family might not be able to escape.
When Qian Qiyue heard that the prince was dead, she was dazed for a moment and murmured in a low voice: "Impossible, I didn't kill the prince, nor did I want his life..." She clearly withdrew her hands.
"But the prince is indeed dead."
Princess Huan's eyes were filled with unconcealable gloating.
King Huan had long disliked the Crown Prince and Emperor An, and felt that the Crown Prince was incompetent and unfit to be the heir to the throne. He was ambitious for that position, and the Crown Prince was the biggest obstacle. However, he did not expect that before they could take action, the Crown Prince would kill himself, and die at the hands of a woman from the Qian family. He was so cowardly that he seemed like a joke.
Princess Huan wished she could hang a string of firecrackers to celebrate, and her words were even more merciless.
"The imperial physician also said that the prince died from his injuries. Qian Qiyue, what crime should you be charged with for killing the current crown prince?!"
Qian Qiyue's face was pale.
Fu Jinrou, who was standing beside her, also collapsed to the ground with shock in her eyes.
The prince is dead?
How could he die!
What would she do if the prince died?!
She had originally planned to follow Qian Qiyue's words and promise the previous things. As the "victim", she would be forced to compensate her by the royal family even if her reputation was ruined. The Fu family would also seek justice for her to save face. By then, even if the prince came to his senses and was unwilling, he would have no choice but to marry her to protect himself.
But now the prince is dead...
Fu Jinrou's face was pale. Now, let alone letting the prince marry her, she was not sure whether the royal family would forgive those who killed the prince.
Even if she managed to escape, since she was no longer a virgin and was a "fallen flower and a broken willow", how could she stay in the capital and how could people look at her in the eye?
She... is finished.
"Empress Dowager, Empress Dowager, what's wrong with you..." Nanny Ran suddenly spoke anxiously.
Everyone noticed that the Queen Mother's face was pale and ugly. She seemed to be shocked by the death of the Crown Prince. She no longer had her previous calm demeanor and said in a trembling voice, "The Crown Prince is dead, he's actually dead..."
She suddenly looked at Qian Qiyue, pointed at her and said angrily:
"Come here, bring this rebellious girl who plotted to murder the crown prince to me!"
"Empress Dowager..."
"Shut up!"
Seeing Tang Ning trying to stop her, the Queen Mother angrily said, "If my grandson has done something wrong, I and the Emperor will punish him. How can we allow this rebellious girl to commit treason and put someone to death? Now she dares to quibble. Since she killed the Crown Prince, how can I forgive her?"
"Come here, drag her away and let me beat her. Anyone who dares to stop me will be punished!"
Liu Tong'en stepped forward, grabbed Qian Qiyue and walked out. Seeing this, Tang Ning quickly stood in front of Liu Tong'en.
Seeing Liu Tongen reaching out to push him away, Tang Ning clasped the object on his wrist and said coldly, "Try to touch me!"
Liu Tongen's eyes turned cold.
Yu Yanfeng quickly turned sideways and pretended to move forward, just blocking Liu Tongen who was about to take action.
Tang Ning took the opportunity to pull Qian Qiyue hard and protect her behind him.
"Song Tangning, how dare you!" The Queen Mother flew into a rage, "Are you planning a rebellion?"
Tang Ning raised her eyes to the Queen Mother and said, "I dare not. I just don't want the Queen Mother to make a wrong order in a fit of anger. The death of the Crown Prince is indeed tragic, but the cause of the matter has not yet been investigated. How can a weak girl like Sister Qian withstand the harsh torture in the palace? Please think twice, Queen Mother."
The Queen Mother said coldly, "The Imperial Physician said that the Crown Prince died from the severe injuries he sustained after being beaten by her. Do you still dare to make excuses for her?"
Tang Ning's eyes were gloomy. "If the injuries were just too severe, the imperial physician would have been delayed in arriving, and the prince would have been cured and recovered by then. How could he have taken a sudden turn for the worse and suddenly passed away vomiting blood?"
She tried her best to calm herself down, her brows furrowed.
"I have always thought that although the Crown Prince is a rebellious person, he is not a fool. He knows his status very well. Even if he covets Sister Fu's beauty, he would never dare to act recklessly in Shoukang Palace."
"I believe he summoned Sister Fu to meet her secretly, but to say he forced her, and even wanted to insult Sister Qian after hurting Marquis Wenxin's wife, is absolutely impossible. Didn't the Empress Dowager realize that something was amiss?"
"Tang Ning..."
Qian Qiyue's expression changed slightly.
Tang Ning noticed that Zhou Yuchang's back suddenly stiffened after she spoke, and Qian Qiyue also looked anxious. The idea that had been vaguely in her mind became clearer and clearer.
Qian Qiyue lied.
Even Fu Jinrou is the same.
After Tang Ning glanced at Zhou Yuchang, he interrupted Qian Qiyue's words and said to the Queen Mother:
"Sister Fu said before that after the Crown Prince summoned her, he acted like a madman and dragged her into the annex to commit indecent acts. Later, Sister Qian also mentioned that after she and the wife of Marquis Wenxin rushed there, she felt unwell and was injured. I'm afraid the annex had already been tampered with."
Concubine Zhao frowned and said, "Princess Xiangning, are you saying that the Crown Prince was drugged?"
Tang Ning said, "I don't know. I just think that no matter how foolish the Crown Prince is, he would never choose to have an affair with someone in Shoukang Palace, where he has no control and could be caught at any time."
"If the Crown Prince was simply lusting after beauty, it would have been fine if he had left someone outside to guard him, but why did he even leave someone inside the porch to watch? He was clearly caught, yet he didn't stop and instead became even more insane."
"In my opinion, the Crown Prince is mentally ill and has probably been murdered long ago. The person who hid in the dark and harmed Marquis Wenxin's wife and Sister Qian is the one who truly wanted to plot against the Crown Prince."
Tang Ning looked at the Queen Mother and said in a deep voice:
"Today's incident clearly shows someone attempting to use the Shoukang Palace banquet as an excuse to murder the Crown Prince and even implicate the Ministry of Revenue and the Marquis Wenxin's residence. The Empress Dowager wants to punish Sister Qian without even investigating the entire situation. Isn't she afraid of chilling the hearts of the court officials?"
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