"Ahem, Empress, you can't just listen to their side of the story."
Xiang Wan shook her robes, turned around, and raised an eyebrow. "You say this thing is yours, do you have any proof? Is your name written on it? If you call it, will it respond? If you have any one of these, I will give it to you free of charge. But if there is no proof, then it is blatant slander. The current princess has been slandered without cause, and on such a large scale. I reserve the right to pursue legal action, but I demand that you make amends."
"You..." Tong Siwei's hands trembled so badly they were almost unrecognizable. He looked at Lin Wushuang, tears streaming down his face, and said, "Your Majesty, how could this old minister not recognize his own belongings? The Second Princess is clearly trying to take this opportunity to seize this old minister's private stash. Such a disregard for the law deserves to be punished to appease public anger!"
"Please, Your Majesty, investigate this matter thoroughly!"
The court officials were all filled with righteous indignation, wishing they could skin Xiang Wan alive.
Lin Wushuang was also very troubled. On her first day acting as regent, this kind of thing happened. Could Hua Xiangwan be any more unreliable?
Was she sent by God specifically to cause him trouble?
Lin Wushuang didn't speak, but Hua De, having recovered, spoke first.
Everyone thought she would help them, but who knew that this Prince De would cut off their escape route as soon as he opened his mouth.
“Your Highness, if you’re going to give a gift, why choose a counterfeit that is so coveted by the ministers? If word gets out, people will think that our Flower Kingdom is so poor that it can only give counterfeit goods as gifts. This is not good, not good at all. You should at least inform them first.”
notify?
She said it yesterday, but they just pretended not to hear it.
The ministers' faces were extremely grim.
Do you think they wouldn't know if it's a fake?
Is it acceptable to use this as an excuse?
If the royal family is so unreasonable, they will risk losing this official position to seek justice for their private collection!
"Prince De, are you serious?"
The ministers' somber gazes made Hua De somewhat overwhelmed.
Now she finally understood what it meant when her niece gave her that porcelain basin.
This is to give her some leeway!
Who knew she would cause such a huge mess!
It's about to cause a huge upheaval!
She's about to lose control!
I'm so embarrassed!
Hua De glared angrily at Xiang Wan, knowing that he had made a mess of his own business and should clean it up himself!
Xiang Wan rolled her eyes, circling the blue-and-white porcelain long-necked pot twice. She held it in her hand and examined it closely, tossing it from left to right and right to left, making Tong Siwei stare wide-eyed.
How can you treat a baby like this?!
It fell to the ground before I knew it!
If it breaks, I'll fight the Second Princess to the death!
"This pot..."
"A blue and white porcelain long-necked ewer! This is a rare treasure, handle it with care!"
Tong Siwei's eyes were practically glued to the teapot; he wished he could snatch it from Xiang Wan's hands immediately, hold it in his arms, and not let anyone see it.
Xiang Wan chuckled softly, grasped the long-necked pot with both hands, raised it above her head, and gave Tong Siwei a bright smile.
Tong Siwei's heart skipped a beat. Before he could react, the long-necked pot, moving in slow motion, shattered on the marble floor of the main hall.
It's broken!
It's broken!!
It's broken!!!
"Ah—, Hua Wanqing, I'm going to kill you!"
Tong Siwei's eyes instantly turned red. He disregarded his status and etiquette and got up to grab Xiang Wan's neck.
So weak, if she can even hold her own, then she's already lost!
Xiang Wan swiftly retrieved a piece of paper from the shattered porcelain bottle, held it high, and her voice resounded throughout the hall, "There's a piece of paper inside the pot! To prove our innocence, please have Minister Zuo read it aloud in front of everyone."
Zuo Yimei was stunned. How could this be?
Everyone's minds raced. Could it be that Tong Siwei was so nervous about this pot because the Second Princess had stumbled upon her secret affair?
Tong Siwei was also stunned. How come she didn't know that there was a note inside the long-necked teapot she had been playing with?
Seeing that Xiang Wan was taking the initiative to avoid suspicion, Tong Siwei calmed down a bit, silently returned to his original position, and glanced at Xiang Wan sideways. His eyes were practically saying: I'm upright and honest, what's there to be afraid of!
Xiang Wan smiled calmly and gave Lin Wushuang a flirtatious wink, which made the latter's veins bulge.
Zuo Yimei first examined the color and texture of the paper to confirm that it wasn't newly placed inside before opening it.
Upon seeing the words above, Zuo Yimei's heart sank.
She knew then that she would never get those treasures back!
Who knows, we might have to spend a lot of money!
"Minister Zuo, what's written on the paper? Stop dawdling, everyone's waiting."
Imperial Censor Mo was a little anxious. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If she could directly take down a princess, she might even be able to bring down Prince De and Empress Feng. She would then become the most famous imperial censor in the history of the Flower Kingdom, and her name would be remembered for thousands of years!
"Minister Zuo, don't be afraid, we are all on your side."
Everyone expressed their opinions. Zuo Yimei's back was soaked with sweat. She glanced at Xiang Wan, swallowed, crumpled the paper ball, put it in her mouth, chewed it a couple of times, and swallowed it.
Swallowed?
Everyone stared in disbelief.
Xiang Wan was also stunned. Could court officials be so shameless?
It's okay, there's something else!
Xiang Wan spotted a piece of calligraphy and painting, picked it up, and was about to tear it apart.
Zuo Yimei quickly stepped forward and said, "Your Highness, Commander Liu is willing to spend money to buy it. The money will be given to Empress Feng as a congratulatory gift to replenish the national treasury!"
? ? ?
Is Minister Zuo out of his mind?
Why should I make decisions for others?
No, why would Minister Zuo betray his post at the last minute?
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
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