25. Anyone who insults the Princess Consort shall be killed! (Please add to your favorites)
The teacup was thrown with great speed, striking Gao Debao's knee. The military general was unable to dodge in time and fell to his knees. Only then did the incredibly slow-witted Gao Debao realize that the Prince of Xiaoyao was actually angry with him.
"Your Highness, this humble general would never dare. Your Highness's military prowess is divine, and your martial arts are so strong that you annihilated thousands of enemies with only ten men. This has long been known throughout the entire Hanxuan Dynasty, becoming a legend. Since then, who does not know Your Highness's fame? This humble general is no exception and has always taken Your Highness as his role model. How could I dare to insult Your Highness!"
Upon hearing Gao Debao's words, the Carefree King sneered and mocked:
"Hmph, that's strange. Is there anything you, General Gao, wouldn't dare to do?"
"This humble general dares not, this humble general is terrified!"
"Gao Debao, do you... know your crime?"
"Your Highness, Liu Hanruo is such a viper with a heart of stone, she is not worthy of being a princess. I am merely stating the facts, what crime have I committed!" Gao Debao said arrogantly.
"Haha, what a despicable person! What a crime! Gao Debao, I never knew you had such audacity! Very well, very well!" The carefree king laughed in anger. "General Gao, propriety, righteousness, integrity, and shame are the four pillars of a nation. Righteousness is the standard for action, integrity is being honest and upright, and shame is having a sense of shame. General Gao, do you know what propriety is?"
"Your Highness, how could I, a humble general, not know the four cardinal virtues of the nation, that etiquette distinguishes between the noble and the lowly, and between the honorable and the humble?"
"Since General Gao also knows about rank and status, then let me ask you again. You are merely a third-rank military officer, while my princess is a first-rank princess personally appointed by the Emperor. What right do you have to call me a lowly person and address me as your princess? Is this what you call the etiquette of rank and status?"
“This…” Gao Debao’s expression darkened, and he was speechless.
"Gao Debao, you dare to talk back to me, directly accusing my princess consort of being unvirtuous and unworthy of being a princess consort. Are you implying that the Emperor is blind to talent and that I am blind to talent?" Prince Xiaoyao looked coldly at Gao Debao and spoke again.
The words of the carefree king made Gao Debao break out in a cold sweat. If such a serious accusation were to be leveled against him, Gao Debao would lose all his previous arrogance and would hurriedly kowtow and admit his mistake.
"Gao Debao, do you know the mistake you made today? According to the law, you should be beheaded. If it weren't for your daughter who was teetering on the brink of death, I would never have let you off lightly! However, you may be spared the death penalty, but you will not be spared the punishment. After the banquet, go and receive one hundred strokes of the cane to teach me a lesson and make me think carefully about what I can and cannot do!"
The carefree prince coldly issued his orders, glancing meaningfully at the kneeling ministers. His authoritative voice resounded throughout the banquet hall.
"Listen carefully, all of you. Liu Hanruo is my principal wife, a first-rank princess bestowed by the Emperor. This is an unchangeable fact. I don't care what you say or spread in private, but there is one thing you must remember: a princess is always a princess. I will not tolerate anyone disregarding rank and slandering or insulting her. If I hear even a whisper of this again, I will execute them without mercy!"
"Your humble servants will certainly remember this and would never dare to violate it!" Upon hearing this, all the ministers broke out in a cold sweat and said in unison.
Seeing that the desired effect had been achieved, the Carefree King had all his ministers stand up, then turned to Liu Hanruo and said:
"Your Highness, you arranged all the banquets today. General Gao's daughter was poisoned, and you cannot escape suspicion. I ask you, do you have anything to say?"
In contrast, Liu Hanruo had already arrived at Prince Xiaoyao's side when he erupted in anger. Hearing his words, she was overwhelmed with mixed emotions. She turned her head slightly, gazing thoughtfully at his profile. Liu Hanruo wasn't surprised by Prince Xiaoyao's actions. She wasn't an ignorant woman; she understood the inviolability of royal dignity. As long as she remained a princess, she represented the royal family. To be insulted to her face by a mere third-rank military officer would be a disgrace to the royal family. Prince Xiaoyao was protecting her, and in doing so, he was also upholding the dignity of the royal family. Thinking this, she instinctively answered Prince Xiaoyao's question.
"Your Highness, I didn't do it, and I didn't do it!"
“Your Highness, the truth cannot be dismissed simply by saying you didn’t do it. You must know that only evidence matters before the law. Even if I believe you, it’s useless. I can only investigate step by step.” Prince Xiaoyao raised his eyebrows and spoke calmly.
"Your Highness, the innocent are innocent, and I am not afraid of your investigation."
Tonight's meals came from the same pot, and everyone who ate them was fine except for Gao Yiyi, who was poisoned. The only person who could have poisoned her was either the maid who served the food to Gao Yiyi or someone the maid had been in contact with. Prince Xiaoyao instructed his guard Wang Hai to take more people and question them one by one to find the maid who was in charge of Gao Yiyi's position tonight.
A moment later, Wang Hai led in a plain-looking girl. The girl was deathly pale and trembling. Before the Prince of Xiaoyao could ask any questions, she suddenly knelt down before him, kowtowing repeatedly, and her words slowly and haltingly came out:
"Please, Your Highness, have mercy! This servant truly didn't know the food was poisoned. This servant really didn't know anything. Please, Your Highness, have mercy!"
Looking at the trembling woman before him, the Carefree Prince pondered to himself. Generally speaking, it was inevitable that an ordinary maid would panic upon hearing that the person she was responsible for had been poisoned, and her incoherent speech would also be understandable. Judging from this maid's reaction, there was nothing amiss. The Carefree Prince then asked:
"Don't be nervous. Just tell me, before you served the meal to the person you were in charge of, did you come into contact with anyone else? Think carefully, this is your only chance."
"Your Highness, this servant... has not... had contact with... anyone..." The kneeling maid answered without hesitation.
Logically, after such an event, upon hearing of the only chance to survive, anyone would surely think carefully before answering. Yet the maid before him acted without a second thought, her speed astonishing. This aroused the suspicion of the carefree prince, who deliberately slammed his hand on the table and loudly reprimanded her:
"How dare you! Since you haven't been in contact with anyone, you must be the one who poisoned me! Confess now!"
"Your Highness... This servant... really... doesn't know... what... Seven-Day Seven-Flower Powder."
"What a sharp-tongued maid! You keep saying you don't know, yet you still manage to mention the Seven-Day Seven-Flower Powder. It seems you won't confess unless I use torture!"
Upon hearing that torture was to be used, the maid, who was already trembling with fear, shook even more violently. Suddenly, she looked up at Liu Hanruo and cried out:
"Your Highness, you must save me! Everything I did was because you asked me to do it. I was just following orders. You said that if I did it, you would save my life and give me five hundred taels of silver. You can't betray me now. You must save me. I don't want to die!"
---Aside---
I highly recommend this; please take a moment to add it to your favorites. Thank you.
I recommend my friend Jiuque's harem romance novel, *The Prince's Ruthless Allure*. A stunningly beautiful poison witch from the 21st century transmigrates into the body of a sexually impotent "fake" prince of the Lingtian Empire. Want to see how she regains her virility and how she makes love every night?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
