27. Punishment (Please add to your favorites)
With the maid's testimony and the evidence of the Seven-Day Seven-Flower Powder, all unfavorable factors pointed directly to Liu Hanruo, making her undoubtedly the prime suspect. According to the law, Liu Hanruo must be temporarily detained in prison until the truth is uncovered before a decision is made. However, if this were to be done, the Prince of Xiaoyao would feel reluctant. As a prince, how could he not know what the dungeon was? Once inside, it would be extremely difficult to get out unscathed. Caught in this dilemma, the Prince of Xiaoyao suddenly remembered the phoenix pendant, breathed a sigh of relief, and secretly channeled his inner energy to transmit his voice.
"Liu Hanruo, you should have a phoenix pendant in your hand, right? You should also remember what that person said when he left: if you are ever in danger, this phoenix pendant might save your life. Now listen to me, no matter what I say or do, you don't need to pay attention to it, just take out that phoenix pendant!"
Suddenly, the voice of the Carefree King appeared in Liu Hanruo's mind. She subconsciously looked over, but saw that the Carefree King's expression was normal, obviously he had not spoken. At this moment, the Carefree King's voice appeared in her mind again.
"Don't turn your head. I will use my inner power to communicate with you directly. Just remember what I said!"
Liu Hanruo turned her head back to the officials below, only to find them whispering amongst themselves. Just then, the Carefree Prince sighed and spoke softly:
"Your Highness, things have come to this point. Regardless of whether what that maid said is true or not, at this point, you are the most suspicious person. I have no choice but to detain you in prison according to the law. If it is found in the future that you are not involved in this matter, I will definitely give you justice!"
No sooner had the carefree prince finished speaking than several guards approached Liu Hanruo. Upon seeing this, Liu Hanruo gave a mocking smile and shouted, "Wait!"
Then she curtsied to the Prince of Xiaoyao and said softly:
"Your Highness, I have something else to say."
The Carefree King nodded, assuming Liu Hanruo was about to take out the Phoenix Pendant, and gestured for her to continue. Unexpectedly, Liu Hanruo suddenly spoke:
"Your Highness, I wish to speak a few words with that maid. Please grant me permission."
The carefree prince looked at Liu Hanruo with a puzzled expression, nodding despite his confusion. Liu Hanruo then slowly walked to the maid's side, knelt down, and softly said:
"At first, I really didn't understand. Logically speaking, I have no grudge against you, and you shouldn't have risked your life to drag me down with you. So why did you frame me, or were you acting under someone's orders? But now, whether you tell me or not, it's no longer important to me! Because I won't die! Oh, right, if you still have a chance to live, find a way to tell the person behind you that the Prince has already privately told me that this is just a temporary measure, and that I should be patient for now. I will come out in a few days. Hehe, tell your master not to think that just because she's hiding behind me, I don't know who she is. When I come out, I'll make sure she slits her own throat and gets ready to deal with her properly! Hehe!"
Hearing Liu Hanruo's words, the maid was filled with mixed feelings of joy and sorrow. She was happy that the princess was alright and she wouldn't have to bear the blame for someone's death, which made her feel extremely guilty. However, she was worried because if that was the case, that person would probably not let it go and would definitely try to continue the fight. She wondered what Sheng Ge would do then.
Compared to the maid's complex emotions, Liu Hanruo was remarkably calm. Returning to Prince Xiaoyao, she spoke again:
"Your Highness, I have no intention of making any excuses now, because I know that whatever I say will be useless. The reputation of the extremely wicked princess is already infamous, and no one will be willing to believe such a vicious princess. Since that's the case, I might as well admit everything! Your Highness, the Seven Insects and Seven Flowers Powder that Gao Yiyi was poisoned with was bought by me. Everything is just as that maid said. I coerced and tempted her, and she was driven to a dead end, so she had no choice but to agree to let me put the poison in Gao Yiyi's food. Everything was done by me alone, and has nothing to do with anyone else. If Your Highness wants to punish someone, punishing me alone is enough!"
Her words were simple and unassuming, yet they left the ministers below speechless with astonishment. Although they believed in their hearts that Liu Hanruo was responsible, they had always thought that she would deny it outright. Unexpectedly, she admitted it so readily and thoroughly that they were unsure of her intentions.
After hearing Liu Hanruo's words, the Carefree King was utterly speechless, his brows furrowing deeply. His gaze towards Liu Hanruo became even more peculiar, as if he were looking at a monster. Indeed, the Carefree King was truly bewildered by Liu Hanruo. He couldn't understand what she was up to. If he had simply asked her to produce the phoenix pendant, the matter would have ended there, and no one would have said anything. But why was the situation developing so drastically differently from what he had initially expected? He truly couldn't understand Liu Hanruo. Therefore, he transmitted his voice with slight annoyance:
"Liu Hanruo, what are you doing? Didn't we tell you to take out the Phoenix Pendant and settle this quickly? What are you putting on now? Don't you know that once you admit to everything, there's no going back!"
Liu Hanruo secretly rolled her eyes, lowered her head, and remained silent, lost in thought. What was going on? What was all this about? Wasn't this Prince Xiaoyao someone who never even gave her a second glance? Wasn't he supposed to hate her? What was wrong with him today? Why was he acting so strangely? Today, she had taken the initiative to admit it, which conveniently made room for him to become his queen. Shouldn't he be happy right now? Why was he so angry? What was the reason for this? Also, he had been talking about the phoenix pendant the whole time. Only that man in black should know about the phoenix pendant. How did he know? Could it be…
Seeing that Liu Hanruo remained silent, the Carefree King became even more furious and transmitted his voice:
"Liu Hanruo, even if you want to be willful, you should know when and where to act. It should never be now! Produce the Phoenix Pendant to me right now, and this matter will end here! If you continue to act so recklessly, even I will not be able to protect you!"
Interrupted from her thoughts by the words of the Carefree King, Liu Hanruo finally raised her head. Looking at him with utter bewilderment, she said calmly:
"Your Highness, all of this was truly done by me. Your Highness need not feel troubled. Since I dared to do it, I was already prepared for failure. Your Highness, just punish me according to the law, and I will have no objection!"
“You…!” Liu Hanruo’s words left the Prince of Xiaoyao speechless. He gave Liu Hanruo a meaningful look and uttered a single word.
Before long, the carefree king sighed helplessly and had no choice but to order his guards to detain Liu Hanruo in prison to await judgment.
---Aside---
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I recommend my friend Qingqing's sweet romance novel, "The Mischievous Wife, So Many Suitors."
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