Chapter 742 Covered in Dirty Water
Zhang Yurou's face turned deathly pale. She forced herself to remain calm and said, "I don't understand what Your Majesty means by saying this. Yi'er usually likes to play with my jewelry. It's normal!"
“But the other one is in Madam Li’s belly, which is not normal.” Xie Shang’s voice was icy, and his eyes were devoid of any warmth.
Zhang Yurou's breathing became rapid as she stared at Xie Shang's cold and ruthless demeanor. Did he hate her that much? In front of so many people, he didn't even leave her any room to maneuver. Did he suspect that she had killed Shu Xue? Was she really that vicious in his heart?
Zhang Yurou suddenly felt a sharp, stabbing pain in her heart; the man she had loved her whole life…
Jiang Fenghua, sitting to the side, couldn't bear to watch any longer. Zhang Yurou was dressed like this, and the way she stared at Xie Shang made it seem as if he had done something wrong to her. Was she trying to make Xie Shang feel guilty so that he would let her go?
Jiang Fenghua whispered, "Lianye, take the little princess away!" What happens next is not suitable for Xie Ruoyi to participate in.
Lianye stepped forward and pulled Xie Ruoyi, a rare smile on her face, "Princess, come with me!"
Lianye was also decisive. She didn't care whether Xie Ruoyi was willing or not, or whether she threw a tantrum. Before Xie Ruoyi could burst into tears, she took Xie Ruoyi away from the Golden Palace.
Zhang Anyu said, "On the night of the Lantern Festival, Madam Li did not return to the Li family. Instead, she went to the Fourth Prince's mansion with the Fourth Princess. From then on, Madam Li disappeared. On the morning of the third day, her body was found in the Fulai Inn. A ruby earring was found in her body. In other words, the last person to meet Madam Li was the Fourth Princess."
Zhang Yurou stared at Xie Shang without blinking, and said in a deep voice, "What makes you say that the last person Shu Xue saw was me, the princess? I don't know how my earring ended up in Shu Xue's stomach."
Zhang Anyu said, "Bring the person up here!"
Shuxue's maid, Chunxiang, was brought to the Golden Palace. Chunxiang was not dead; she had been revived.
Minister Tang looked at the maid who had clearly died from poisoning, and then stared at Xie Qi and Zhang Anyu, thinking to himself: They not only concealed the matter of the ruby earring from him, but even the maid's death from poisoning was faked. Were they on the orders of Empress Jiang or the Emperor to be wary of him?
Zhang Yurou looked at the person who came and naturally recognized her as Shu Xue's personal maid. But how could she be alive and well when she was clearly poisoned?
Zhang Anyu said, "Chunxiang, tell me everything you know!"
Chunxiang said tremblingly, "On the night of the Lantern Festival, Miss left the palace and went with the Fourth Princess. She told Qiuju and me that she wanted to ask the Princess some questions. Then she told us to wait for her in the carriage, but we waited for a long time and didn't see Miss come out. Later, the nanny next to the Princess came to us and said that Miss wanted to stay in the Prince's Mansion and was not leaving. She also told us to go to the side courtyard to rest."
Tears welled up in Chunxiang's eyes. "I never imagined that the Fourth Princess Consort would not only kill Miss that night, but also kill Qiuju and me to silence us, because our Miss knew the Fourth Princess Consort's secret."
Zhang Yurou was stunned when she heard this. Didn't Xie Yang say that Chunxiang and Qiuju were incapable of speaking? What was going on?
Zhang Yurou said coldly, "She's talking nonsense. I didn't kill Shu Xue."
Jiang Fenghua said, "So it turns out that Young Madam Li went to the Fourth Prince's residence with the Fourth Princess in the end. No wonder no one in the Li family saw her return. But why did Li Cheng say that she received Shu Xue's body at the Shu residence? It's really strange. If the Fourth Princess killed the person, why is the body at the Shu residence? At the time, Vice Minister Shu kept accusing Jin Ji of murder and demanding that he pay with his life. Ha! Your act of framing Jin Ji is full of loopholes. Why did you want to frame Jin Ji? I really can't figure it out."
Li Cheng knelt on the ground, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty the Empress, please investigate thoroughly. This humble servant truly did not know that Shu Xue was murdered by the Fourth Prince's Consort. It was Minister Shu who sent this humble servant to fetch Shu Xue, and only then did this humble servant learn that Shu Xue was already dead. It was also Minister Shu who sent this humble servant to take Shu Xue out of the city. You all know what happened after that."
Shu Lang quickly replied, "It was the Fourth Princess who instructed me to do this, because Xue'er knew the Fourth Princess's secret... Your Majesty, please allow me a moment to speak."
Xie Shang's eyes flashed with a cold light. "Say what you have to say right here!"
Shu Lang hesitated, then said, "Because Xue'er knows that the Fourth Princess's daughter is not actually the Fourth Prince's child, but the Emperor's child."
Upon hearing this, the entire court erupted in chaos. Everyone was so shocked that they couldn't speak. The young princess was the emperor's child. What was going on?
Xie Shang said coldly, "Nonsense, utter nonsense. I have no relationship with Zhang Yurou and Xie Ruoyi.
Zhang Yurou covered her face and knelt on the ground, weeping bitterly. "Yi'er really is the Emperor's child. Shu Xue found out about this and threatened me. I accidentally strangled her to death. Shu Xue kept telling me that she was not happy after marrying Li Cheng. Li Cheng neglected her and even beat her. She wanted me to use my status as a princess to stand up for her. I didn't want to get involved in their marital affairs, and I didn't want to offend the Li family. She held a grudge and said that if I didn't help her, she would reveal Yi'er's true identity and ruin my reputation."
Jiang Fenghua stared at Zhang Yurou, then glanced at Xie Shang. Regardless of the truth, the entire court was now discussing Xie Ruoyi's background and the Fourth Prince's alleged infidelity. Now she finally understood why they dared to openly frame Jin Ji, because this was their real purpose: to smear Xie Shang.
The news that Xie Shang and the Fourth Princess are having an affair will likely spread like wildfire.
I'm afraid even harsher things will come out.
The more aggrieved Zhang Yurou is crying now, the more despicable her face becomes. She disregards her own reputation by saying that Xie Ruoyi is the emperor's child, which, in the eyes of outsiders, is all part of the emperor's romantic history.
Xie Shang's face turned red with anger. "Zhang Yurou, when did I ever have anything with you? What nonsense are you spouting? Explain yourself!"
Zhang Yurou cried uncontrollably, “It’s all my fault. I shouldn’t have gotten pregnant with the Emperor’s child and married the Fourth Prince. I’ve always felt guilty, but back then the Emperor only loved Su Tingwan. We did that kind of thing behind her back. I’ve always wanted to die.”
Zhang Anyu and Xie Qi were also stunned. They were supposed to be investigating a murderer, but things had become increasingly complicated. The two of them didn't know how to proceed with the case and could only look in Jiang Fenghua's direction.
Jiang Fenghua remained silent throughout, sitting upright with an elegant and graceful demeanor, making it impossible to guess what she was thinking.
Xie Shang was furious and said coldly, "Guards, lock the Fourth Princess Consort in the dungeon, and lock everyone around her in the dungeon. Bring Xie Yang to see me. Court adjourned."
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