Princess Yu Rong was not the original Princess Yu Rong; she did not realize the trap in Xie Zhaozhao's words.
"Impossible, I would never leave such a thing on the pleasure boat." Princess Yu Rong denied with difficulty, lying on the stool.
Waaah, my butt hurts so much! I just want to get out of the palace as soon as possible.
"Then where did you stay?" Xie Zhaozhao pressed. "Perhaps your servants took you there!"
"Nonsense! I don't recognize any of these things. Who knows who threw them there?"
"Your Majesty, I humbly request that the princess's personal maid, Jinling, be summoned for questioning."
Emperor Hui agreed and ordered the imperial guards at the gate: "Summon Jinling for questioning."
The maid waited outside the door, and the imperial guards summoned Jinling into the palace.
Jinling slipped the silver notes to the imperial guard and secretly asked, "What does His Majesty want with me?"
How could the Imperial Guards possibly tell her that they should just bring the person into the main hall?
With Emperor Hui present, no one dared to collude.
When Jinling entered, he saw Princess Yurong lying face down on a stool, her back covered in blood. He was terrified and knelt down to kowtow.
Emperor Hui asked Hua Zisheng to show Jinling the large stack of half-finished drafts that Xie Zhaozhao had obtained, and asked, "I ask you, did Princess Yurong write these things in the study or on the pleasure boat?"
Jinling took a look and thought to himself: How did these manuscripts end up in His Majesty's hands?
The Empress frowned and said with displeasure, "Your Majesty, isn't this inappropriate? Yu Rong has already said that these manuscripts were not written by her. Is Your Majesty trying to induce Jinling to lie by asking her this question?"
Emperor Hui asked the Empress calmly, "Is the Empress openly colluding with others to fabricate evidence?"
"Your Majesty, I was merely reminding you..."
"You want to be my master?"
"Your Majesty, I dare not." The Empress could not move her legs, so she could only bow her upper body and make a gesture of kowtowing with her hands.
"If I give you face, you are the Empress; if I don't, you are nothing!"
"Yes, Your Majesty, I know I was wrong."
The conversation between the two was utterly heartless!
The crown prince's face turned from pale to red, but he could only suppress his anger.
Emperor Hui looked at Jinling and said coldly, "Jinling, I will only ask you once: where exactly did the princess write these documents?"
Jinling knelt in the center, and even the Empress was reprimanded. She really didn't know what was going on and didn't know how to answer while holding the script.
"You're the princess's personal maid, yet you know nothing. What use are you? Drag you out and have you beaten to death!"
Jinling immediately begged for mercy: "Your Majesty, spare my life! These drafts were written by the princess in her study and were discarded."
"Have you seen it clearly?" the crown prince immediately retorted angrily. "Think it through before you speak."
Jinling was unsure of the current situation and what the Crown Prince truly meant.
"Yes, it was written in the study. I was there at the time. It was written just a few days ago."
The Crown Prince kicked Jinling: "You lowly servant, are you blind? Did the princess write this? How dare you, a mere maid, slander the princess? Who bribed you?"
Princess Yu Rong also said, "Even if it was found on my painted boat, it cannot be said that I wrote it!"
"Your Majesty, I wish Princess Yu Rong would write a few words to prove that I am not lying."
His Majesty said to Hua Zisheng, "Give Yu Rong paper and pen, and let her write!"
Despite Princess Yu Rong's repeated attempts to cover it up, it was no use. Everyone has a habit of making their handwriting easy to read!
Just then, a guard from outside reported: "Your Majesty, Lord Xie, Grand Secretary Liu, Duke Xun, and Prince Jing request an audience."
The Empress interrupted, saying urgently, "His Majesty is busy. Tell them to wait to the side."
The other ministers must absolutely not be informed that the Crown Prince has been severely poisoned.
Emperor Hui said coldly, "Let them in."
"Yes." The imperial guards went out to inform the senior ministers to come in.
The Empress's face darkened completely: "Your Majesty!"
Emperor Hui gave her a cold look, his eyes filled with icy warning and bloodlust!
The Empress shut her mouth, her face turning ugly.
Before long, Xie Anfeng, Grand Secretary Liu, Duke Xun, Prince Jing, and the Minister of Revenue entered together.
"Your Majesty, I have received an urgent memorial from Grand Secretary Gu and Magistrate Qin, delivered over 600 li."
Grand Secretary Liu handed over the memorial, which read, "Grand Secretary Gu has lived up to his mission, not only lowering the price of grain to fifty-five coins, but also persuading Prince Rong's army to retreat."
Xie Anfeng also presented a memorial: "The Prince Rong's confession has been submitted."
The Minister of Revenue submitted a memorial: "Xie Yu, the Director of the Department of Revenue, reports that Zizhou has received 1.6 million shi of rice from the imperial granaries, enough to supply the people of the entire prefecture until the summer harvest."
...
Hua Zisheng received the memorial and presented it to Emperor Hui.
Emperor Hui read it in three lines at a glance, burst into laughter, and his mood, which had been depressed for a month, finally improved.
He said three times in a row, "Good, good, good!"
Jingchen truly lives up to his reputation as my right-hand man. Xie Langzhong and Ling Shilang have fulfilled their missions and handled this matter in accordance with my wishes.
The remaining information was tacitly left unsaid by the senior ministers.
Gu Shaoyu, Xie Yu, and Ling Xun have brought Prince Rong to the capital. Information such as their route and arrival time cannot be disclosed.
After delivering the good news, Xie Anfeng said to Emperor Hui: "I have heard that Princess Yurong's residence harbored fugitives and poisoned His Highness the Crown Prince. I implore Your Majesty, Your Majesty the Empress, and His Highness the Crown Prince to investigate this matter thoroughly."
The entire Bo family, from top to bottom, are honest, loyal, and devoted to the emperor and the country.
Grand Secretary Gu served the court with utmost dedication, remaining incorruptible and upright. His wife, of noble character, was a paragon of virtue among the noble ladies of the capital. How could she possibly harbor a fugitive and poison the Crown Prince?
Xie Anfeng said that since the case of Guan Shanyue was personally tried by Grand Secretary Gu, how could he possibly have tried the case himself and then condoned his family members harboring fugitives?
As for the claim of poisoning the crown prince, that's utter nonsense. With so many guards around him, how capable could the people of the Earl's Mansion possibly be to poison the heir apparent?
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