Chapter 176 The blow was still too light
night.
Dai Viet Royal Palace.
The sleeping hall of Chengqian Palace.
The hall was brightly lit with candles. Emperor Hongde sat behind the desk in the hall, his eyes dark and violent in the candlelight.
Miao Ping served by his side and hardly dared to say a word.
It has been several days since Yuan Yao and his group fled Changjing.
The pursuing troops sent by the imperial court were defeated wave after wave.
No matter whether they were the Embroidered Uniform Guards or the Royal Secret Guards, anyone who fought against that mob would die.
At the same time, public doubts grew louder and louder, and countless literary masters took the lead in criticizing the imperial court.
Under pressure, the emperor had to order the removal of the wanted notice posted on the city gate and publicly announced that the incident would be thoroughly re-investigated.
In other words, Yuan Yao is no longer a wanted criminal.
The court's actions against him could only be carried out in secret, without being seen in public.
Yuan Yao is the best among the younger generation of the Yuan family. At the age of twelve, he followed his father to garrison the border and fight the enemy. He is not only a martial arts expert and brave warrior, but also good at arranging troops. At the age of fifteen, he began to lead the army alone. He had many ingenious strategies on the battlefield and led his Yuan family army to victory in every battle.
No one can match his talent as a general to this day.
Therefore, the emperor could not sleep peacefully as long as Yuan Yao was not dead.
"Four adults and five children. I have trained elite soldiers for many years, but I still can't defeat these people." Emperor Hongde spoke lightly and walked out from behind the desk with his hands behind his back.
Miao Ping hurriedly bowed and followed, "Your Majesty, the hour of midnight has arrived..."
He hesitated to speak.
It's time for the emperor to go to bed.
This is also the rule set by the emperor himself. In order to keep the dragon body strong, the emperor has paid great attention to health preservation in recent years.
Emperor Hong De did not look back. "Go to the water dungeon."
Miao Ping's heart trembled, "Yes."
The royal water prison is located in the palace, in the northwest secret guard camp. It is another secret place different from the clan prison.
When the emperor has a serious criminal whom he wants to interrogate personally but does not want to go through the clan court, he will lock him up here.
Arriving at the backyard of the Dark Guard Camp, they opened the heavily chained iron gate, revealing a long, dark corridor behind it.
There were lanterns hanging on the walls on both sides of the corridor, but the light was not very bright.
As soon as you step into the corridor, you can smell the strong dampness in the air, mixed with the rotten and moldy smell accumulated in the underground water dungeon over the years, which is pungent and unpleasant.
After passing through the corridor, the place suddenly becomes spacious.
This is the royal secret dungeon.
There were prisoners in several cells.
In the innermost room, a beautiful female prisoner was wearing only a white middle garment, her hands were tied to a cross, and half of her body was soaked in dirty and smelly water.
The white clothes were also stained with blood and were too dirty to look at.
The woman's head was leaning against the wooden frame, slightly tilted back. Under the dim light, her face was eerily pale, almost bloodless, and even her lips had a dying blue-gray color.
Hearing the familiar footsteps approaching, the woman's tightly closed eyelashes trembled, and she struggled to open her eyes a little.
Looking at the bright yellow light that appeared outside the iron fence, she pulled up her lips and smiled.
"Royal brother, are you going to interrogate me again?" Her voice was hoarse, like the sound of a throat torn apart by thirst. "Is it day or night outside? It's daytime, right? Royal brother is not free at night."
After being locked up in the dark water dungeon for so long, she could no longer tell whether it was day or night.
Emperor Hong De stood outside the iron bars, his hands behind his back, his deep, sharp eyes fixed on the woman's face.
He looked at her with cold and indifferent eyes, completely lacking the doting and loving look he showed when they were outside. "It's been so many days, and you still won't confess?"
Princess Changle smiled bitterly, a smile that was weak and aggrieved, "I have said this many times, but it is just that my brother doesn't believe me."
"You don't know why Yuan Yao showed up in your house. You said they plotted against you and that you were forced to help them escape... How can I believe these words?"
Emperor Hongde's tone was smooth and steady, as calm as if he wasn't even angry at all. "Since you were a child, I've always doted on you, indulging you in many ways. Even when court officials accused you of being arrogant and willful, violent and overbearing, I always stood up for you and never criticized you for it. Is this how you repay me? By helping outsiders stab me in the heart?"
Changle's eyes were red as she laughed miserably. She had already exhausted most of her energy by saying those words. Her tone was noticeably weaker, and her breathing became short. "If you don't believe me, please kill me. I have always been grateful for your love and care, but I know I have someone to back me up, so I haven't been too restrained. I have indeed caused you a lot of trouble over the years. Today, I am willing to die to prove my innocence, so that I can be worthy of your love and care for me."
After saying this, Princess Changle seemed exhausted and closed her eyes again.
In the scorching heat of summer, the thin and frail body was soaked in water, shivering uncontrollably.
It can easily make people feel pity and compassion.
Emperor Hong De watched quietly, and after a moment, he said, "It was still not a light blow."
Miao Ping followed behind, turned his eyes away and dared not breathe.
Princess Changle is still useful to the emperor and will not be killed easily.
But the death penalty can be avoided, but the living punishment cannot be escaped.
This princess, who seems to be pampered by outsiders, still has a long way to go.
But who told her to be ungrateful?
"Come here," Emperor Hongde said again, his gaze fixed on the dying woman's face, eyes tightly closed, to avoid missing any flaws. "Go investigate all of Princess Changle's activities and the people she's come into contact with since fifteen years ago. Let me see if you're truly loyal to me, and if you're truly as innocent as you claim!"
The woman seemed to have fainted.
The pale, almost transparent face showed no slight change.
Seeing this, Emperor Hongde narrowed his eyes and left in a huff.
After the footsteps disappeared, the dying woman in the dungeon struggled to open her eyes a crack again.
Looking at the direction the man left, there was deep and swirling hatred in his eyes.
Violent and strong, biting the bones.
When the late emperor passed away, Emperor Hongde ascended the throne. At that time, she was still in her mother's womb, the late emperor's posthumous child.
Because of this, my mother was spared the fate of being buried alive.
After she was born, she and her mother lived in the harem like walking on thin ice, relying on each other for survival. She thought that she could get through the days by living a peaceful life.
At that time, her mother often told her that when she reached marriageable age, if she could find a good man, her life would be settled.
Unfortunately, the good times did not last long. When he was six years old, his mother suddenly died.
Later she was taken away by Miao Ping, and Emperor Hongde issued an edict to grant her the title of Changle.
Since then, she has been favored and indulged by the emperor, and her glory is even greater than that of Emperor Hong Duc's biological daughter. Everyone says that she is the number one princess of Dai Viet.
She had also thought he was, and was thankful and grateful for it.
Until she was fifteen years old, a neighboring country came to pay tribute, and she was sent to the bed of the neighboring minister.
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