I happened to get a witness
Li Xingyi silently stepped back a little, and Qingyi immediately stood in front of that person.
Li Xingyi said, "Someone come here."
At this moment, everyone rushed in. The first thing they smelled was blood. Then they saw Qingyi holding a sword with her back to Li Xingyi, her hands trembling as she held the sword. Qingyi had tears in her eyes and looked terrified. Li Xingyi pretended to be startled and deliberately swayed slightly.
Upon seeing this, Qianwu immediately went over to help Li Xingyi sit down. When Qingyi saw everyone arrive, she immediately pretended to be frightened, dropped her sword, and then sat down on the ground, stammering, "I...I killed...killed someone!"
Li Xingyi looked at Qingyi calmly.
No wonder he grew up with me; his acting was so realistic. But that guy got off too easy; he died too comfortably.
The palace maids rushed over to comfort Qingyi. Qianwu looked around and asked Li Xingyi, "Your Highness, are you injured? What happened?"
Li Xingyi said, "No. After you all left, this man dared to lay a hand on me. I couldn't dodge in time, but luckily Qingyi pushed him away. Who knew he would bump into a stone pillar and bleed a little. Seeing that he was about to pounce on me again, Qingyi grabbed a sword and swung it at him in a panic. I was so frightened that I called for help."
Seeing how sincere Li Xingyi was, Qianwu would have believed him long ago if she were anyone else, but she was promoted by Qi Dou and already knew everything about Li Xingyi.
Qianwu turned to the palace servants and said, "Someone, go and report this to His Majesty."
How could the leader of the martial arts alliance possibly fail to dodge in time?
Upon hearing the order, a palace servant immediately bowed to Li Xingyi and then walked towards the door.
Meanwhile, all the guards watching over Li Xingyi were being chased into the woods by a group of masked men wearing white fox masks and dressed in white.
As soon as Li Xingyi dismissed the palace servants, the masked men appeared and lured away the group of guards, leaving no one behind.
In the woods, the guards were forced to defend themselves after being attacked. The guard leader realized that the masked men did not intend to kill them all; they seemed to only want to trap them here.
He immediately spoke up, "Who are you? We've kept to ourselves, why are you trapping us here?"
Even if they won't tell you, it's still more reassuring to ask.
The masked men didn't speak, but stood there for a moment before leaving. The leader of the secret guards pondered this.
We, the bodyguards, have all undergone rigorous training and were selected from the elite of the elite. How could we not have sensed their presence back then, or even detected the slightest movement?
Is this what they mean by "there are always people more powerful than you"? I've heard that those with superior martial arts skills are imperceptible to others; this must be true. Luckily, they didn't intend to kill us, otherwise we would surely be dead today! They are no ordinary people!
The head of the secret guards frowned at this thought, but thankfully someone beside him reminded him, "Boss, what about Her Majesty..."
The head of the secret guards then remembered Li Xingyi and said, "Let's go, let's check on Her Majesty the Empress's safety first."
"yes."
When they returned to the roof of Fengyi Palace, they saw the devastation inside and were somewhat alarmed.
No way! How could something happen so quickly while I was gone?! His Majesty will punish us to death!
Before long, a loud shout was heard from outside: "His Majesty has arrived!"
Everyone looked towards the doorway, and Li Xingyi's eyes lit up slightly.
Let me see what kind of person you really are. I'm curious how you'll handle this.
After Qi Dou entered the hall, everyone hurriedly bowed. When he saw Li Xingyi, he quickened his pace slightly, but then, as if he had thought of something, he immediately suppressed his worry for Li Xingyi and slowed his steps.
He walked up to Li Xingyi, pulled him up from the chair, and said gently, "Xingyi, I'm sorry you were frightened. Don't worry, I will deal with this matter seriously and give you an explanation."
Li Xingyi quietly looked at Qi Dou in front of him.
Although he spoke in a gentle voice, his tone was much more unfamiliar than before, and I felt... a strange feeling in my heart.
Seeing that Li Xingyi had not spoken for a long time, Qi Dou forgot her identity in his haste and worried that she was frightened, so he immediately said, "Someone, please invite the imperial physician to examine the Empress."
Li Xingyi said, "No need, Your Majesty, I'm fine. I was just frightened. I'll be alright after a rest."
Just as Qi Dou was about to speak, he heard a voice from outside the hall: "Guards! Seize the Empress for me! I want to punish this vile woman properly!"
You can tell it's Shi Hui just by hearing her voice.
The guards saw Qi Dou as soon as they entered, and stood there at a loss. Shi Hui shouted from behind, "Go! What are you all standing there for?!"
The guards were all eager to try after hearing this.
Upon seeing this, Qi Dou immediately shouted, "Who dares?!"
The guards were in a real predicament; they couldn't arrest him, nor could they leave him behind.
Upon hearing Qi Dou's voice, Shi Hui immediately stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, are you going to protect this woman again?! This is distorting the royal bloodline! How can Your Majesty tolerate this?!"
Upon hearing this, the palace staff of Fengyi Palace were stunned.
No? How does this confuse royal bloodlines? We've gone off-topic.
After hearing this, Qianwu looked at Shi Hui helplessly.
This Empress Dowager has a truly rich imagination.
Li Xingyi calmly looked at Shi Hui.
Seriously... they're not giving us any way out at all.
Qi Dou, barely suppressing his anger, asked, "Mother, why don't you tell me how the Empress confused the royal bloodline? And how did she become the 'traitor' you speak of?"
Shi Hui chuckled and said, "Your Majesty should know that commoners are not allowed to enter or leave the palace at will. There are many guards outside the palace. How did he, a mere commoner, get into the palace? Obviously, someone must have escorted him in! In my opinion, this is simply Li Xingyi having a secret rendezvous with his lover. When he was discovered, he killed someone in a moment of panic and then blamed it on the maid to cover it up!"
Li Xingyi was speechless.
I was the one who was wronged, but now it's the common people who are being wronged. What a huge scapegoat! Besides, you know better than anyone who granted him permission to enter the palace, don't you?
Qi Dou glanced at Shun Hua and said, "Why would Mother think this way about the Empress? Or is someone trying to confuse the truth with Mother?!"
Shi Hui was a little puzzled that Qi Dou didn't fly into a rage like before, but she didn't think much of it.
She simply posed the question to Li Xingyi: "Empress, tell me, why is there a commoner in the palace? And a man at that, who just happened to come to your palace and try to take advantage of you?!"
Li Xingyi said unhurriedly, "This morning, Your Majesty and I saw Prince Pingshou and others off. A palace servant came to report that someone wanted to see me and had something to discuss. He had already entered the palace by then."
"I thought that if the people truly had an urgent matter and had nowhere to appeal, and could not even see His Majesty, they would have no choice but to come to me for help. Naturally, I could not stand idly by, so I had someone take them to the Phoenix Palace to wait. Who knew that the Empress Dowager would summon me for some business..."
At this point, Li Xingyi glanced at Shi Hui.
Shi Hui was taken aback for a moment upon seeing this, and Li Xingyi continued, "To avoid others saying that I am not hospitable enough, I have asked Qingyi and one of the Empress Dowager's maids to go to Fengyi Palace to entertain them first."
She emphasized the words "Empress Dowager".
After hearing this, Shi Hui turned to look at Shun Hua.
Tsk, that palace maid is really superfluous; she can't even handle this simple task.
Seeing this, Shunhua whispered, "Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager did not originally instruct that palace maid..."
Shi Hui was so angry she wanted to hit someone; this was like shooting herself in the foot. But she still forced herself to remain calm and said, "That doesn't prove you haven't been having an affair!"
Li Xingyi said calmly, "Mother, please listen to the whole thing first. Qingyi, go and pull that palace maid out."
Upon hearing the order, Qingyi immediately found the palace maid among the group of palace maids behind Shi Hui.
After Qingyi pulled her out, she said to Li Xingyi, "Your Majesty, it's her."
The palace maid stood there at a loss. Li Xingyi said, "If you heard the testimony from Qingyi and the palace servants of Fengyi Palace, you probably wouldn't believe it, since their mistress is me. But besides my people, there is another person from Cining Palace, so her words should have some credibility."
Upon hearing this, Shi Hui had another idea.
Li Xingyi, you're dead this time! She's my woman, how could she possibly speak up for you? What a fool!
Li Xingyi looked at the palace maid and said, "Speak, what did you and Qingyi see after arriving at Fengyi Palace?"
Just as the palace maid was about to speak, she heard Shi Hui cough.
Seeing this, Qi Dou said, "I want to hear the truth! You should know that the crime of deceiving the emperor is punishable by death!"
The palace maid trembled with fright. Qingyi quickly patted her back and then put her hand on her right shoulder, saying softly, "It's alright, don't be nervous. Tell me everything you saw."
To the narrow-minded Qingyi, it seemed like she was gently comforting her, but to the palace maid, it was simply terrifying.
Because there was a thin needle pressed against her neck under the hand that Qingyi had placed on her shoulder!
Qingyi whispered, "Don't lie, okay? Otherwise, who knows if my hands will shake? And what about your family's fate? If you tell the truth, maybe you'll all be safe and sound."
The palace maid was so frightened that she quickly knelt down and said, "This servant only knows that the man is a scoundrel. He always spoke rudely and made a scene in Fengyi Palace. He even broke the tea that Your Majesty gave to the Empress. Judging from his words, he came because of rumors. Moreover, Her Majesty the Empress could not possibly be interested in such a scoundrel!"
Shi Hui's face turned purple with anger after hearing this. She muttered angrily, "You traitor!"
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