Xiao Shu'er saw the open wooden box placed to the side, containing familiar gold and silver jewelry. She froze for a moment, then immediately moved obediently toward the Emperor.
She affectionately took the emperor's arm and said in a coquettish tone, "Brother Emperor, what's going on? Isn't that my jewelry? I thought I lost it, how did it end up here?"
After saying that, she ran over in surprise, as if she hadn't noticed the Emperor's stern face at all.
"Why are you here? I'd like to ask you about that," the Emperor said, his voice trembling with suppressed anger. "Did you use these to bribe Imperial Physician Jiang?"
Xiao Shuer's joy vanished instantly. She immediately put down the jewelry in her hand and said with a hurt expression, "Brother Emperor, why would you think that? Are you talking about Consort Lan's matter? Why do you say that I bribed Imperial Physician Jiang?"
Her pitiful appearance softened the Emperor's cold gaze. He sighed, looked away with a headache, rubbed his forehead, and said helplessly, "Tell me the whole story again."
Meng Yuxiu remained expressionless throughout, while the little eunuch trembled uncontrollably.
After everything was explained, Xiao Shu'er looked at the Emperor with a pained expression, tears welling in her eyes: "Brother Emperor, how could you believe them? Do you also think that I killed Consort Lan's unborn child and then framed Chang Lili?"
The Emperor hesitated for a moment, and a hint of affection appeared in his gaze as he looked at Xiao Shu'er.
The Emperor naturally believed that Xiao Shu'er loathed and even hated Chang Lili and wanted to get rid of her. However, in his mind, although Xiao Shu'er was arrogant and willful, she was kind-hearted and he believed that she would not do something like harming the child in Consort Lan's womb.
"But why would I harm Consort Lan's unborn child? That's my brother's flesh and blood, and my own nephew!" Xiao Shu'er cried, tears streaming down her face. "What motive would I have to harm him? Does my brother really think of me as such a ruthless person?"
Although the Emperor did not speak, the heartache in his eyes showed that he believed in Xiao Shu'er.
“Perhaps the matter of the child has nothing to do with the Princess, but it is a fact that Chang Lili was framed. Lili is innocent. I beg Your Majesty to investigate!” Meng Yuxiu said firmly.
Xiao Shu'er, with tears in her eyes, turned angrily and pointed at Meng Yuxiu, saying, "Meng Yuxiu! You heartless and ungrateful person! How dare you say such things? A few days ago, you invited me to the Imperial Garden for a chat, but who knew you would try to force me to take poison to exonerate Chang Lili? Fortunately, Deputy Commander Chu saved me, otherwise..."
As she spoke, she covered her face and wept uncontrollably, her shoulders trembling as she threw herself into the Emperor's arms.
The Emperor looked at Meng Yuxiu in disbelief, and said in shock and anger, "Meng Yuxiu...you did such a thing?"
Meng Yuxiu frowned and remained silent. For the first time, he blamed himself for his incompetence and recklessness. Faced with the emperor's questioning, he could not deny it, but he did not want to harm Chang Lili because of it.
"Your Majesty, I was confused for a moment, but this matter has nothing to do with Chang Lili. She is innocent. You have also affirmed her talent. We cannot wrongly kill a highly talented blacksmith." Meng Yuxiu knelt down, his tone more humble than ever before.
Even so, the Emperor's face was still contorted with rage: "You, the dignified Grand General of Yun Kingdom, actually did such a thing? Is this your loyalty to the royal family? Is it acceptable to act so absurdly for a woman? I think this Chang Lili must not be allowed to live, otherwise, there will be endless troubles!"
"Your Majesty, I made a mistake. You cannot deny the truth as well. Chang Lili is innocent and should not have died unjustly!" Meng Yuxiu looked up and stared directly into the Emperor's eyes, showing no fear, but rather a calm and anxious expression that made it difficult for anyone to refuse him.
But serving a ruler is like serving a tiger; the emperor did not change his mind because of this, and his anger intensified.
"Are you threatening me? My Yun Kingdom's number one general, who has made great contributions, is he going to betray us for a woman?" the emperor said with some heartache.
Nestled beside him, Xiao Shuer turned her tear-streaked face toward Meng Yuxiu, revealing a smug yet sinister smile.
Meng Yuxiu said nothing more; he knew he was now beyond redemption.
"Get out! All of you, get out of here!" the emperor suddenly roared, startling everyone.
Meng Yuxiu, however, stubbornly refused to leave. Only after being persuaded and pulled by Eunuch Guangde did he reluctantly withdraw from the Qianqing Palace.
After Xiao Shu'er was also driven out of the Qianqing Palace by the Emperor, the surroundings finally quieted down. The Emperor sighed wearily, and soon a pair of hands touched his temples, kneading them skillfully with just the right amount of force.
The Emperor sighed and said in a deep voice, "What do you think of today's matter?"
Eunuch Guangde dared not say more, only saying, "Even the Emperor, who is extremely discerning, is unsure about this matter, so how could this servant possibly see anything about it?"
The Emperor sighed, feeling his headache ease somewhat, and raised his eyes to ask, "Has the Empress made any moves these past few days?"
Eunuch Guangde said cautiously, "The Empress... went to the dungeon and met General Meng. The two talked for a while..."
Before he could finish speaking, he saw the Emperor's gaze turn sharp, and he straightened up and said angrily, "It really is this woman!"
As the scorching sun sank westward, Meng Yuxiu looked at the dimming sunlight. He, who was always decisive in killing, felt that the light was somewhat lonely.
He returned to the general's mansion, feeling somewhat dazed the whole way. The feeling of panic lingered in his mind, and Chang Lili's voice and smile floated into his thoughts. The thought of losing her caused pain to spread in his heart.
He gripped Mengli tightly in his hand; the coldness emanating from the scabbard brought him a sense of peace.
He would not let anything happen to Chang Lili, no matter what. His gaze was calm and firm, filled with murderous intent.
In the Scarlet Smoke Palace, the exquisite Linglong Playful Phoenix Cup, which had only been acquired not long ago, suffered a mishap.
Xiao Shuer swept all the teacups and teapots to the ground, and the freshly brewed Longjing tea flowed on the ground, emitting a fragrant aroma.
"Meng Yuxiu! You want to save her? I'll make sure you can't!" Xiao Shu'er gritted her teeth.
Bai Mei bowed and offered a clean handkerchief, which Xiao Shu'er snatched away, continuing angrily, "And that little eunuch, how dare he accuse me! Now anyone dares to climb all over me!"
"Princess, don't be angry. It's not worth ruining your health. If someone dares to offend you, they won't live much longer either," Bai Mei said solicitously.
Xiao Shu'er's expression softened slightly, and she said coldly, "You know what to do with that little eunuch, right?"
Bai Mei hesitated, "Princess...this person just identified you during the day, and then this happened tonight..."
"What? Is it so hard for me to take his life?" Xiao Shu'er frowned, her eyes surging with anger.
"Of course not," Bai Mei said immediately, not daring to say anything more.
But then Xiao Shu'er continued in a sinister voice, "To cut the weeds, you must pull them out by the roots. Get rid of everyone who's in your way."
"Your Highness, do you mean... but isn't this like trying to hide something obvious?" Bai Mei said cautiously.
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