Chapter 419 Promise Concubine
An was stung by the words of the princess. She raised her head proudly and retorted: "Do you have any substantial evidence? Do you want to slander people with just some empty words? This is too disrespectful of people!"
Her words revealed her disdain and provocation for the princess and others. She seemed to believe that as long as there was no solid evidence, no one could shake her and An Yuesheng's status.
However, Zhao Shuoer was completely infuriated by Concubine An's attitude. She was so angry that she trembled all over, staring at Concubine An and An Yuesheng tightly, as if she wanted to nail them to the pillar of shame with her eyes. Her heart was filled with anger and determination, and she must seek justice for herself.
Zhao Shuoer slowly raised her head and stared at the emperor with her eyes. The waves in her eyes were like deep lake water, swaying gently in the night wind. Tears silently slid down her eyes, across her pale cheeks, and dripped onto the cold ground. These silent tears could make people feel her inner grievance and unwillingness better than any words.
She choked and said.
"Your Majesty, what Anyuesheng gave me today was an aphrodisiac, and the dosage was extremely high. If the princess hadn't found the antidote in time, my life would have been ruined, and my reputation would have ceased to exist... Should I be treated like this just because of the past events and rumors between me and Qin Qixuan? Should I just marry Anyuesheng obediently and let him do whatever he wants? I, Zhao Shuoer, am definitely not the kind of woman who allows myself to be bullied and slaughtered!"
Zhao Shuoer's words were full of determination and firmness, and her crying echoed in the empty hall, sounding particularly miserable. The princess looked at her grief-stricken appearance, and a surge of pity welled up in her heart. She hugged Zhao Shuoer gently, trying to give her some warmth and comfort.
Xiao Xixi stood aside, looking at Zhao Shuoer's grief, and couldn't help sighing.
She knew in her heart that Zhao Shuoer's crying was not entirely acting, and this incident did make her suffer a lot of grievances. On the other hand, she also felt deeply lost and sad about Qin Qixuan's avoidance.
The emperor looked at Zhao Shuoer's tearful face, and his heart was mixed. Zhao Shuoer was his spoiled child since childhood, and he naturally couldn't bear to see her suffer any harm.
He took a deep breath, walked down the steps slowly, and helped Zhao Shuoer up with his own hands.
His eyes were full of tenderness and determination.
"I promise you that I will thoroughly investigate this matter and give you a fair explanation. No matter who is involved, I will never tolerate it!"
After hearing the emperor's words, Zhao Shuoer's crying gradually weakened, and she nodded gently, as if her emotions had been somewhat calmed down. Although there were still tears in her eyes, her emotions were obviously much calmer.
After the emperor helped Zhao Shuoer up, although her body was still shaking, she took a deep breath and tried to make her voice sound steady. She spoke slowly with a slightly trembling voice.
"Your Majesty, Shuo'er wants to personally participate in the investigation of this incident. This matter concerns Shuo'er's innocence and future. I want to seek justice for myself!"
There was a firm light flashing in her eyes, like the brightest star in the night sky. The light seemed to draw strength from the grief just now and burned more fiercely.
The emperor looked at Zhao Shuo'er, and a trace of praise flashed in his eyes. He knew Zhao Shuo'er's character very well and knew that she would not give up easily.
"Okay, I will do as you say. You will investigate this matter with the Dali Temple and make sure to find out the truth."
When Concubine An heard that the emperor wanted Zhao Shuo'er to participate in the investigation, her heart tightened. She spoke hurriedly.
"Your Majesty, this matter concerns the reputation of the royal family. It is safer
to let the Ministry of Justice investigate. Of course, in order to avoid suspicion, Yuesheng should avoid it." The Ministry of Justice is composed of An Yuesheng's subordinates. Although An Yuesheng is not investigating it personally, it is much safer to let the Ministry of Justice investigate it than to let the Dali Temple investigate it.
However, before Zhao Shuoer could express his opinion, the emperor had already made a decision and shook his head.
"No, this matter should be investigated by the Dali Temple. They have always been fair and strict, and they will definitely find out the truth." The emperor's tone was firm and unquestionable.
Hearing this, Concubine An showed a look of grievance on her face. "Your Majesty, I am also thinking about the royal family. I am afraid that this matter will become a big deal and damage the royal family's reputation." Concubine An
even brought up the reputation of the royal family and pretended to be aggrieved.
The emperor looked at Concubine An, and a trace of hesitation flashed in his eyes.
He knew that Concubine An's worries were not unreasonable, and that Concubine An had a great weight in the emperor's heart these days...
But when he saw Zhao Shuo'er's haggard and determined face, the balance in his heart tilted again. "I have made up my mind. This matter will be investigated by the Dali Temple. Concubine An, you don't need to say more."
Seeing this, Concubine An knew that it would be useless to argue further, so she had to retreat sadly. Zhao Shuo'er cast a grateful look at the emperor, knowing that she had taken the first step to seek justice for herself.
Deciding to let the Dali Temple investigate this matter was actually equivalent to handing the right of investigation to Qin Qixuan. As everyone knows, Qin Qixuan is fair and selfless and has a keen eye for details. Zhao Shuo'er was filled with indescribable joy. She knew very well that although Qin Qixuan's feelings for her were not deep, and might even be a little distant, he always remained calm and fair when handling cases, and would never err on the side of justice because of personal feelings.
Zhao Shuoer firmly believed that if this matter was handed over to Qin Qixuan, even if he did not like her very much, he would definitely enforce the law impartially and spare no effort to find out the truth. This trust made Zhao Shuoer very happy.
As the decision maker of all this, the emperor naturally understood Zhao Shuoer's deep feelings for Qin Qixuan.
He deliberately chose to let the Dali Temple, that is, Qin Qixuan, handle this case, not only because of his trust in Qin Qixuan's fair enforcement of the law, but also to make Zhao Shuoer happier.
The emperor has always been concerned about Zhao Shuo'er and is very concerned about her. He knows how deeply this incident has hurt Zhao Shuo'er, so he is determined to find out the truth for her and give her justice. In fact, the emperor's attitude is very firm.
However, all of this was watched coldly by Xixi. She stood aside, silently observing the emperor's every move, with strange feelings in her heart. She always felt that the emperor this time seemed different from usual, but she couldn't tell what was wrong.
Xixi pondered in her heart.
[Why do I always feel that there seems to be something wrong with the emperor? His eyes and actions seem to hide some secrets that I can't touch. What went wrong...】
This confusion and doubt lingered in Xixi's heart, making her attitude towards the emperor more complicated and subtle.
Although Xixi could not accurately point out the emperor's fault, her intuition was always accurate.