After Xue Wu finished speaking, he seemed to have made a great decision and crashed into the wall beside him.
Ling Shumo was standing not far from Xue Wu, so it was impossible for her to watch Xue Wu get killed in front of her.
When Xue Wu was two or three steps away from the wall, Ling Shumo successfully stopped him.
Xue Wu looked at Ling Shumo, his beautiful face streaked with tears. His expression was miserable and desperate, yet also revealed a beautiful and pitiful brokenness. He had practiced the gestures and movements he was now displaying thousands of times in private, making sure that the princess could feel his pity.
Ling Shumo took the handkerchief handed to her by Shi Qi and gently wiped the tears from Xue Wu's face.
Then, she looked up at Shangguan Xu, the pity in her eyes completely turning into indifference. "Shangguan Xu, you have murdered the unborn heir in Xue Wu's belly. Your crime is unforgivable. According to our ancestral laws, you will be demoted from the rank of Princess Consort to the rank of a third-rank Virtuous Lord. You will also be publicly punished with twenty strokes of the cane. Execute immediately."
Shangguan Xu knelt on the ground in embarrassment. He reached out to grab Ling Shumo's trouser leg and said, "Your Highness, I was wrongly accused. I have never thought of pitying the children you harmed. I didn't make those two puppets either. Your Highness, you must believe me!"
Ling Shumo took a step back and pulled her trouser leg out of Shangguan Xu's hand. "There's witnesses and evidence, and you just admitted it yourself. Even if you die on your knees here, I won't stop your sophistry. I just hope that after this punishment, you can truly reflect on your mistakes."
Two burly attendants grabbed Shangguan Xu and dragged him towards the torture bench in the middle of the room.
Fu Yijing turned his head away, as if he couldn't bear to see this scene.
Xue Wu's face remained etched with grief and despair, yet his heart was filled with immense joy. After a year, he had finally avenged Zhu Ye. However, the price he paid was equally horrific. Without his child, his life was now completely in the hands of the Princess, and he could only be commanded by Fu Yijing like a dog.
Xie Changning stood in the corner of the room and watched the whole scene from beginning to end without missing a single detail.
He watched the usually high-handed Shangguan Xu pinned to the torture bench, constantly claiming he was wronged, while Her Highness the Princess wouldn't even bother to spare him a glance. He then looked at Fu Yijing standing beside Her Highness the Princess. Fu Yijing's eyes were filled with sorrow, as if he truly regretted Xue Wu's death.
This princess's methods were truly remarkable. Xie Changning was secretly horrified, yet at the same time, he was glad to have followed the right master. He knew he would soon be able to kill Xiwu and avenge his third brother, Xie Changfeng.
Just as the servant was about to raise the wooden board in his hand and hit Shangguan Xu, Lu Jinshu, who had remained silent, suddenly rushed out and stood in front of Shangguan Xu.
Lu Jinshu knelt and bowed before Ling Shu, saying earnestly, "Your Highness, I feel Shangguan Xu must have been wronged. He may be a bit arrogant and domineering on a daily basis, but it is precisely because he is inherently proud that he disdains lying. Your Highness, think carefully. If he was jealous that Xue Wu was pregnant with Your Highness's child, given his character, he would have just come to her house openly and openly to fight her."
Ling Shumo's gaze fell on the pregnant puppet on the ground. "Lu Jinshu, Shangguan Xu not only harmed Xue Wu's unborn child, he also cursed you. And you still want to speak for him?"
Lu Jinshu glanced back at Shangguan Xu, his eyes more serious. "Back then, Chen He'an wanted to beat me to death. If Shangguan Xu hadn't taken me in, I wouldn't have lived to see His Highness return to the Eastern Palace. He said he wanted to harm me, but he could have just stood by and watched. Why wait until now, taking such a big risk and becoming a puppet with my name on it? Although there is no evidence, I am willing to believe that Shangguan Xu was wrongly accused."
Shangguan Xu had already sat up at this time. He looked at Lu Jinshu in disbelief. He had never expected that Lu Jinshu would speak for him.
Everyone in the Eastern Palace knew that he had watched coldly as Lu Jinshu was forced to drink abortion pills by Shen He'an and his lumbar vertebrae were broken. Lu Jinshu must have hated him to the core, and he himself believed so.
From then on, he and Lu Jinshu completely broke off the relationship and never spoke to each other again. Shangguan Xu couldn't understand why Lu Jinshu wanted to help him.
Fu Yijing looked at Lu Jinshu who suddenly jumped out to disrupt the situation. He was furious in his heart, but he still looked compassionate on the surface. "Lu Xianjun, you can't distort the truth in front of Her Royal Highness just because you used to have a good relationship with Shangguan Xu! You feel sorry for Shangguan Xu and think he will be punished, but who will feel sorry for the child in your lady's belly?"
Lu Jinshu seemed not to hear Fu Yijing's words. He knelt straight on the ground and kowtowed to Ling Shumo. "Shangguan Xu made two big-bellied puppets. I can't forgive him on your behalf, but I can make my own decision, right?"
Ling Shumo didn't answer Lu Jinshu's question. Instead, she stepped forward and personally helped Lu Jinshu up from the ground. "You are now a double-bodied person. I have told you so many times that you don't need to bow, let alone kneel. Why don't you know how to take care of yourself?"
Lu Jinshu didn't insist on kneeling on the ground. He just looked at Ling Shumo with pleading eyes, "Your Highness, I don't ask you to exempt Shangguan Xu from all punishments. I only hope you can spare him the caning. He's used to a life of luxury, how can he withstand twenty strokes of the cane?"
Seeing that Ling Shumo still didn't answer, Lu Jinshu changed his voice to "Your Highness..." with a mournful tone. The last syllable was dragged out for a long time, as if he was acting coquettishly.
Ling Shumo reached out to smooth out Lu Jinshu's wrinkled dress from kneeling. She finally agreed to Lu Jinshu's request, "Then change the originally planned caning to house arrest for three months."
Shi Qi saw Shangguan Xu still in a daze and reminded him, "Prince Dejun, please express your gratitude quickly." She had already changed her tone of voice by addressing him. From today on, Shangguan Xu's position as the Crown Princess's Concubine had been stripped away.
Shangguan Xu knelt down in the direction and said, "Your Highness the Princess, I thank you for your generosity. In the next three months, I will reflect on myself in Changqiu Palace." After he said that, he put his forehead to the ground and kowtowed heavily.
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