Chapter 64 It was Shen Xiao who did it.
"You do have it!" Now that Xie Mingzhu had the Emperor's backing, she became even more unforgiving.
“Father, Miss Shen was clearly with my brother’s villa outside the city last night, and only returned to the city now. But Lord Li has gone mad.”
"After hearing what that murderer Shen Xiao said, he actually suspected that Miss Shen Er had injured the Imperial Uncle and wanted to take him to the Ministry of Justice for questioning. I told Lord Li, but he just wouldn't believe me. Father, do you think I, a princess, would lie to him?"
The Emperor was already troubled by this matter, and after hearing what Xie Mingzhu said, his brows furrowed even more.
Li Xiu cupped his hands and said, "Your Highness is too kind. When did I ever say I didn't believe you?"
Xie Mingzhu wanted to argue back, but the Emperor stopped her, saying, "That's enough."
The Emperor, his face grim, looked at Shen Shu: "It's you again, Shen family girl? I find it strange, why do you always seem to be involved?"
Shen Shu: ...
The Emperor should ask why the Shen family won't let her go.
However, she dared not say these words and could only remain silent.
The Emperor waved his sleeve and said, "Alright, since everyone is here, Minister Li, you may ask the questions here."
The emperor wouldn't feel at ease without getting to the bottom of it.
Li Xiu asked, "May I ask where you went yesterday, Second Miss? The servants of the Prince's Mansion said that you didn't come out after you escorted Princess Shen into the bridal chamber. How did you end up outside the city overnight?"
Before Shen Shu could speak, Xie Mingzhu interrupted, "Of course they're blind!"
Seeing that Xie Mingzhu had repeatedly protected Shen Shu and even tried to obstruct his investigation, Li Xiu directly turned his attention to her.
"I've heard that the princess and Miss Shen have never met before. How could they be traveling together? And even going outside the city together?"
"Is it wrong that we hit it off at the Imperial Uncle's wedding banquet yesterday? We got along well, so I had her accompany me to Qiyun Temple to pray for blessings. Since we were late, we spent the night at Cousin Lin Wei's villa. Is that not allowed?"
Li Xiu pressed on: "Princess, are you sure you've been with Miss Shen the whole time since last night? You haven't been apart for a single moment?"
Xie Mingzhu nervously swallowed.
Of course not, Shen Shu was with her cousin Lin Wei all night.
The Emperor noticed Xie Mingzhu's hesitation and looked at her.
Xie Mingzhu mustered her courage and met the Emperor's gaze: "I already said that we are at Cousin Lin Wei's villa. If he has to go to the bathroom, he can't just stay with me while changing his clothes, can he?"
She deliberately emphasized the words "Brother Lin Wei" in the emperor's name, hoping he would understand her implication.
As expected, the emperor's brow twitched, wondering if there was something else going on with Lin Wei.
He suddenly realized why Mingzhu had been hesitant; now he finally understood.
It seems that Miss Shen and that boy Awei had a secret rendezvous last night!
The emperor was secretly pleased, thinking that Awei had finally come to his senses.
So he completely dispelled any doubts: "Minister Li, this is none of your business. The assassination of Prince Cheng was all done by that Shen Xiao. There is no doubt that this has nothing to do with Miss Shen. Minister Li, you may leave."
Li Xiu didn't know why the Emperor had suddenly changed his mind, but there were many suspicious points in this matter. How could it be so easily dismissed because of the Ninth Princess's few words?
He was about to offer further advice when the emperor gave him a cold look.
"Minister Li, don't make me repeat myself!"
Li Xiu looked up, utterly incredulous that the Emperor would so readily condone the Ninth Princess's misbehavior and interference in the Ministry of Justice's investigations.
His questioning of Shen Shu was not without reason.
It was because the servants of Prince Cheng's mansion said they saw Shen Shu enter Prince Cheng's mansion and never come out again.
Princess Shen also claimed that she was knocked unconscious by Shen Shu and had no knowledge of Prince Cheng's injury, and that she was framed by Shen Shu. She even showed the wound on the back of her head caused by the jade ruyi as evidence.
Each and every one of these points proves that there are many suspicious aspects to this matter.
Judging from the Emperor's attitude, if he were to investigate further, it would be considered defying the imperial decree!
Li Xiu clenched his fists, his face full of resentment, but he had no better choice but to back down.
He had just stepped out of the Imperial Study when Eunuch Fu arrived.
"Your Majesty, Lord Shen has a memorial to present!"
Eunuch Fu hurriedly handed over the memorial.
The Emperor looked at her for a moment, then gave Shen Shu a cold smile.
“Chen girl, you really have a good father. When your sister got into trouble, he was eager to distance himself from it, saying that Shen Xiao had already married into the royal family and was now a member of the royal family. Now that she has committed a heinous crime, she should be dealt with by the royal family, and it has nothing to do with your patriarch’s mansion.”
Xie Mingzhu now knows everything about the Shen family and how they bullied Shen Shu, so she can't help but speak up for her.
“Father, what are you saying? Since Miss Shen has been betrothed to Cousin Lin Wei, she will be a member of the royal family from now on. The fact that the people from the Bo Gong Mansion have done such despicable things is the Bo Gong Mansion’s problem. Please don’t confuse Miss Shen with them.”
Although the Emperor appeared angry, his tone revealed his indulgence towards Xie Mingzhu: "You little brat, how dare you speak to your father like that! You have no manners!"
When Xie Mingzhu saw the Emperor's expression, she knew that he was not angry.
She tugged at his sleeve and pleaded, "Father, I'm your daughter, not your subject. Besides, do you really want me to be all respectful to you?"
The Emperor looked helpless: "You little rascal!"
After the Emperor left, Xie Mingzhu took Shen Shu's hand.
"Don't go back. Stay with me in the palace for a few days. I imagine your lord's mansion is in complete chaos right now."
"Instead of going back and being held captive, it's better to wait until the matter between your uncle and sister is settled, and then I'll personally escort you back. I think that way, your biased parents won't dare to say anything."
Shen Shu nodded. Now that things had progressed this far, she was very curious about what would happen to Shen Xiao and Xie Hanyu.
Being by the princess's side meant getting far more information than the Earl's mansion.
…
The mansion of the old man was brightly lit, as bright as day.
When she received the news that Xiao'er had assassinated Prince Cheng and that Prince Cheng had taken her out of prison to deal with her, she was so frightened that she fainted and woke up repeatedly.
Shen Qiushan was overwhelmed with problems, fearing both being implicated by Shen Xiao and being dismissed by Prince Cheng for the job he had worked so hard to obtain.
After all, he has been in office for more than ten days. If he were to pack up and leave now, he would be ridiculed to death.
This afternoon, he hurriedly sent a memorial to the palace in an attempt to distance himself from Shen Xiao.
Shen Qiushan was so angry that he started smashing things. Now, he no longer treated Shen Xiao as his daughter at all.
He cursed, "It's all that wretched Shen Xiao's fault! We should have just told her to keep Shen Shu in the Cheng Prince's mansion according to the plan, but why did she have to go crazy and hack the Cheng Prince to pieces like this? Now look what's happened, she's not only dead herself, but she's also dragged our Bogong Mansion down with her. We're really going to be killed by her!"
When Wen Lanting saw Shen Qiushan scolding her like this, she couldn't stand it anymore.
"My lord, how could you say such a thing about Xiao'er! Don't you know what kind of person Xiao'er is? It must be Shen Shu who harmed her!"
She continued, sobbing, "I also heard that as soon as the bridal sedan chair landed, before it even entered the gate, Prince Cheng beat her up in the street and injured her. Even if it wasn't Xiao'er who did it, it wouldn't be surprising. That bastard Prince Cheng treated my precious daughter like that, he deserved it!"
Why wasn't he killed? Wen Lanting was so angry that his heart was bleeding.
"My lord... please think of a way... save Xiao'er! I don't ask for anything else, I'd even rather Xiao'er spend the rest of her life as a nun, as long as she can be spared!"
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