Chapter 109: The Girl Who Was Putting the Blame on Others
Before she could touch him, the emperor kicked her on the shoulder and pushed her away, shouting, "Kneel down! Evil creature!"
Ji Rangzhou knelt down at the right moment and said with his eyes downcast, "I have hurt the Fifth Princess with my rough hands and feet. I beg Your Majesty to punish me."
The fifth princess was kicked to the ground and looked at the emperor in disbelief: "Father..."
The emperor glanced at Princess Kangning, who was still sleeping in the gauze curtain, rubbed his brow, and said with suppressed anger: "Zhou Peiyi, I will give you one chance. Tell the truth about what you did."
Hearing the emperor address her by her full name, the fifth princess didn't dare disobey him. She climbed up and knelt, subconsciously starting to argue and cry, "Father, I didn't do that! The arrows that hit my sister's white horse were all shot by Shi Jianli. It has nothing to do with me. The color of the arrow feathers is Shi Jianli's!"
If she told the truth, she would not be able to bear the wrath of her father and the queen.
"Shi Jianli and Liang Jingming have a grudge against each other and are targeting Liang Jingming. Gong Pingting is close friends with Liang Jingming and wanted to ride her horse to trample Shi Jianli in order to vent her anger on Liang Jingming's behalf. She definitely has no intention of harming the imperial sister!"
"I don't know who is confusing right and wrong, accusing me of instigating others to harm my sister. I am innocent."
"Father, I don't know why Shi Jianli shot your horse!"
"You're so confused, thinking I'm a fool, easy to fool?" Seeing the obvious evasion and fear in her eyes, the emperor was extremely disappointed with her. He raised his hand, "Come here, give him ten sticks."
"Your Majesty, no! There is no evidence. If Peiyi is wrongly accused, then the caning she received would be in vain." Concubine Jiang grabbed his clothes.
"Someone, pull it open." The emperor looked at her coldly.
The palace maids pulled Concubine Jiang away and took the Fifth Princess to be caned.
The stick hit her lower back hard, and the fifth princess let out a sharp scream.
After ten blows of the cane, the frail Fifth Princess was in so much pain that she was unable to move.
The surroundings fell silent. The emperor lowered his eyelids and looked at Ji Rangzhou. "Get up. Do you have anything to say?"
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Ji Rangzhou stood up and said, "Your Majesty, I have interrogated Gong Pingting alone, and she has confessed. This is the confession."
Ji Rangzhou pulled out two pieces of paper from his pocket and handed them over. "According to Gong Pingting, the Fifth Princess bribed the palace servants to put a slow-acting but powerful sleeping powder into the tea and cakes that Princess Kangning ate."
The chief eunuch took the confession and handed it to the emperor.
"After entering the forest, Gong Pingting, under the Fifth Princess's orders, pulled the arrow from Miss Shi's prey and shot it into the rump of Princess Kangning's white horse. The horse, infuriated by the pain, bolted towards the rock wall at the end of the forest."
"The drug has taken effect and Princess Kangning has fallen into a coma."
"This move is intended to put the blame on Miss Shi. If Princess Kangning makes any mistake, Miss Shi will be punished."
"But then Miss Shi shot the horse's hind legs, slowing it down. She risked her life to lift Princess Kangning off the horse, thus thwarting their plot."
"As a result, the two fell from their horses. The girl was injured, and the frantic white horse hit the wall and died."
"I have examined the traces in the forest and they match the confession."
"Then, fearing her secret would be exposed, the Fifth Princess went all out and instigated Gong Pingting to ride her horse and trample Princess Kangning and Miss Shi, intending to kill them."
"Ming Jingyao shot Gong Pingting's horse as it ran towards the two of them. The horse died instantly, while Gong Pingting broke her back and was seriously injured, but she survived and was able to speak."
The emperor stood with his hands behind his back, reading the confession with one hand, crumpled the paper into a ball, and threw it at Concubine Jiang. "Is this the injustice you mentioned?"
Concubine Jiang fell to the ground helplessly. How could she have given birth to such a stupid daughter!
Mingzhao, who was still kneeling, spoke up, "Your Majesty, Gong Pingting is deeply involved with the descendant of a criminal. She has deliberately murdered and plotted to take someone's life for the latter. I suspect the prefect of Shuntian Prefecture is colluding with the criminal in the imperial examination case, posing a threat to the country. I suggest that the prefect of Shuntian Prefecture be suspended and put on trial."
Yu Heming cupped his hands and said, "I second the motion."
The emperor glanced at him and asked, "How did Shi Jianan's daughter become enemies with the descendant of that treacherous minister?"
Mingzhao continued, "I'm afraid this has polluted your ears."
"Just speak frankly."
"This matter is also related to the eldest son born from the affair between the concubine of the guilty minister Xie Lingdong and the housekeeper..."
The emperor was silent for a moment when he heard this. "Get up. I will give you an explanation."
It was just the right time to wipe out all of Concubine Jiang's gang.
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your wisdom."
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, His Highness Kangning has woken up." At this time, a palace servant came out and said.
Afterwards, Princess Kangning ran out, glanced at the Queen, and then hugged the Emperor's arm and began to cry with shaking shoulders, "Father... I'm actually still alive and can see you and Mother..."
"Zhou Peiyi wanted to kill me. I saw her shoot me with an arrow. I felt very sleepy for some reason. After the horse was shot, I fell asleep. I don't know how I got back here."
"Forgive her youth. I can overlook her past petty quarrels, but this time she wants my life. How many lives do I have? I almost didn't get to see you and the Queen Mother."
"Father, I'm afraid..."
Princess Kangning was really scared, so she cried sincerely. As she cried, she began to sob, and her tears wet the emperor's shoulders.
The emperor patted her head with a distressed look on his face. "Father will take care of you. He will never let her off easily. Sweetheart, don't cry. You just woke up. What if you faint from crying?"
Seeing this, Mingzhao and the other two tactfully bowed and left.
After Yu Heming left the imperial tent, he asked, "Jingyao, how is Miss Shi's injury?"
"Fortunately, there was no vital injury." Mingzhao was still in a bad mood.
In front of the emperor, even though he hated the Fifth Princess very much, he could only say a bad word about her in the name of her hurting Princess Kangning.
"That's good. You guys go first. I'll go see the princess later."
"Yeah." Mingzhao nodded.
When I returned to the tent area where the Duke of Anguo's Mansion was located, I saw Ming Weisu and Ming Weishen were both outside Shi Jianli's tent.
Mingzhao glanced at the fallen curtain of the tent and asked, "Father, Second Uncle."
Ming Weisu asked, "Did you go to the Emperor?"
"Yes, the emperor said he would give an explanation." Ming Zhao replied after meeting Ming Weishen's eyes, and briefly explained the whole story.
After standing outside the tent with his hands behind his back for a while, he saw Xianyue come out with a basin of water. Mingzhao even went forward to ask, "Is cousin Li awake?"
"Our girl hasn't woken up yet. The Duke's wife, the second wife, and the second girl are inside with her."
Mingzhao also took off the token with his name engraved on it from his waist and said, "Go to the Imperial Kitchen Camp and ask the imperial chefs to prepare some nourishing meals for the blood and qi. I'll pick them up when Cousin Li wakes up."
"Yes, Prince."
Mingzhao also glanced at the tent in front of him, and then walked towards the tent of the imperial doctors.
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