Chapter 865 So you were all drugged?
Soon, Marquis Changping and his wife, along with their daughter, entered the palace. Helan Yanran was also disguised.
Seeing that Lin Yu was also with them, Hongxiu quickly went to greet them and said softly, "Her Majesty asked me to wait for you here."
Lin Yu looked at Helan Yanran, a hint of worry in her eyes, "I've explained the pros and cons to her, whether she listens or not is up to her."
Stepping into the palace again, Helan Yanran trembled all over. She even wanted to back down. Her mother held her arm and said gently, "Ran'er, don't be afraid. With your parents here, his family won't dare to bully you. If anyone dares to bully my daughter, I'll fight them to the death."
He Lan Yanran's eyes were slightly red, and tears were welling up in her eyes. She held her mother's hand tightly, "I'm sorry..."
"Silly daughter, you are the apple of my eye. For you, I fear no one." Lady Helan had experienced the pain of losing her daughter, and she understood this feeling of regaining her better than anyone. As long as her daughter was still alive and standing in front of her, the child in her womb could be born and raised by the Helan family.
With the support of her family, Helan Yanran felt more confident and bolder. Even if she saw Shang Hong, she wouldn't cry. She said to Lin Yu, "Thank you, Miss Lin."
Lin Yu sighed, "The Empress took pity on you and helped you back then. I hope you won't make the same mistake again this time." Giving yourself to a man and trusting him like that, in her opinion, Helan Yanran made a mistake that many women would make. She was lucky to have parents who loved her to the bone.
Helan Yanran wanted to die last night. She wanted to end it all so that she wouldn't have to bring trouble to the Helan family. But if she died, her parents would suffer even more.
This was the first time she had ever seen her father cry. Her brother had been in poor health since childhood, but he had never cried or given up on him. This time, however, her father cried for her.
He Lan Yanran also deeply regretted her actions.
When she saw Shang Hong kneeling outside the Imperial Study with a rattan cane on his back, her heart skipped a beat. If Lady Helan hadn't held her back, she probably would have rushed forward.
Lady Helan also wanted to rush forward and slap him a few times, but she had to endure it. She would cry to the Emperor if she had any grievances.
Lin Yu ignored Helan Yanran; if she continued to be foolish, she would only face certain death.
Lin Yu wondered to herself, "What is Shang Hong acting out? Is it a self-inflicted injury ruse?"
She sighed, hoping that Helan Yanran would see his true colors.
He Lan Yanran wore a veil and was completely wrapped in a cloak, but Shang Hong still recognized her. He suddenly called out softly, "Lan'er."
Helan Yanran walked past him without saying a word; her whole body seemed to be trembling. She had so many questions she wanted to ask him, but…
At this moment, Wuxin came out again, "Lord Changping, please come in!"
Marquis Changping entered the imperial study with his family, saying, "Your subject pays respects to Your Majesty."
Xie Shang glanced at Helan Yanran and said in a deep voice, "Get up, all of you!"
He simply didn't believe what Shang Yi said. He thought that Shang Hong, who had been working in the palace for many years, would set his sights on the concubines in the harem; he deserved to die.
But now the Great Zhou Dynasty is in dire need of manpower...
All eyes were on the Great Zhou Dynasty.
Then Xie Shang said, "Go and call Shang Hong in!"
Wuxin went again!
Shang Hong limped into the main hall, where he knelt before the emperor and admitted his mistake, saying, "Your subject greets Your Majesty."
Xie Shang didn't believe Shang Yi's story at all. As the commander of the Imperial Guard, he had free access to the palace and didn't know when he had gotten involved with Helan Yanran.
Was Ruan Ruan deceived by them?
The thought that Helan Yanran's departure from the palace was all orchestrated by the Empress to help them made him think to himself that Ruan Ruan was incredibly bold, daring to do anything.
Xie Shang said coldly, "What exactly happened? He Lan Yanran, tell me yourself." He felt disgusted even calling her Consort Lan. A woman who was disloyal to me deserved to die.
Helan Yanran knelt on the ground, suddenly bursting into tears, "Your Majesty, I am guilty, I deserve to die, it's all my fault... I really didn't know I would be drugged. I was not in my right mind at the time, I only felt someone break into my room, and then..."
She had a white bandage wrapped around her wrist. She knelt on the ground, supporting her head with her hands. The blood-stained bandage was clearly visible to the Emperor, and Xie Shang happened to see it.
He frowned deeply. What was the Helan family up to now?
When Shang Hong heard her say that, he was completely stunned. She meant that he had broken into her room and forced himself on her.
He knelt on the ground with his head slightly lowered. Could Helan Jue be lying to him?
Lady Helan also tearfully recounted, "Your Majesty, please investigate. Yanran was terribly wronged. When she woke up, she saw Commander Shang next to her. She dared not make a sound, and Commander Shang forbade her to speak. Later, she discovered that she was pregnant. Yanran had nowhere else to turn, so she sought help from Her Majesty the Empress."
Xie Shang said in a deep voice, "You mean Shang Hong drugged her?"
Shang Hong and Shang Yi were both taken aback. Shang Hong said, "Your Majesty, please let me explain. It was not me who drugged Consort Lan. I was also drugged at the time. I don't know why I was in a room. Both Consort Lan and I were drugged. Later, I was terrified and told Consort Lan not to make a fuss. Then I asked Her Majesty the Empress for help, and Her Majesty arranged for Consort Lan to leave the palace and fake her death."
Jiang Fenghua curled her lips. Shang Hong was capable of speaking, so it was she, the Empress, who took the initiative to arrange for Helan Yanran to leave the palace.
The business must have planned for her to take the blame all along!
Jiang Fenghua didn't say anything, just listened quietly.
He Lan Yanran said, "It was not the Empress who asked me to leave the palace, but I asked to leave the palace on my own initiative. I know that I am no longer a virgin and that I am pregnant with Lord Shang's child. I know that I cannot serve the Emperor, so I do not want to stay in the palace."
Her Majesty the Empress knew I had nowhere else to turn, which is why she kindly allowed me to leave the palace. I only wished to live out the rest of my life in anonymity. But suddenly one day, a group of men in black arrived. They knew everything that had happened to me; it was as if they had witnessed what had happened to me in the palace. They tore away my veil of shame, forcing me to return to the Helan family.
These were the words Lin Yu taught her to say.
Xie Shang asked, "So you were all drugged?"
Shang Hong nodded, "Yes."
Helan Yanran nodded and said softly, "Yes."
Then Helan Yanran took out another letter, "This is a letter from the man in black who is using my whereabouts to blackmail my parents. Please take a look, Your Majesty."
Jiang Fenghua was also stunned. Where did she get the evidence? If she had this letter, then the case would be completely flawless.
But Xie Shang isn't stupid; it's just a matter of whether he's willing to believe it or not.
Xie Shang said, "Bring it here."
Wu Xin personally went to receive the letter and handed it to the Emperor.
Xie Shang opened the letter and read it. He saw that Xie Shang's brows were furrowed, his face was gloomy, and his fingers were clenching the letter tightly.
Jiang Fenghua asked in confusion, "What kind of letter is it? What did it say that made the Emperor so angry?"
Xie Shang said in a deep voice, "Someone asked Marquis Changping to deliver a message from the Great Zhou, and the signature included a pattern of a crescent moon and a whale."
Jiang Fenghua said, "Let me see."
After reading it, she felt that the letter was imitated very well, and even the pattern of the crescent moon whale was exactly the same as that of the Earthly Fiend Sect.
Marquis Changping hurriedly replied, "Your Majesty, please investigate thoroughly. Although I received the letter, I have never revealed any information about the Great Zhou."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
