For a fleeting moment, Xie Qianzhong glanced at Song Tangxue, who was bowing her head and remaining silent, but it was only a fleeting glimpse.
"Hurry up and go!" Li Zong turned around and stopped smiling. His gaze towards Song Tangxue and her group was cold. He was very unhappy because Xie Qianzhong had inexplicably obstructed them.
Li Zong's disgust for them reached its peak, and his attitude became quite hostile. He grabbed Song Tangxue, who hadn't been looking where she was going because she was looking down.
Song Tangxue stumbled and barely managed to regain her balance when Li Zong pushed her again. This time, she was completely out of control and fell forward to the ground.
"Miss." Haitang wanted to help Song Tangxue, but she was pulled back to her original position by the soldiers beside her as soon as she moved, who shouted loudly, "Prisoners are forbidden from touching each other!"
"Miss Song, do you need my help?" Li Zong said, but his body did not move an inch. He remained standing straight, not even moving a finger. He wanted to see Song Tangxue make a fool of herself.
Song Tangxue gritted her teeth and stood up, her palms scraped and slightly stinging: "No need to trouble Lord Li."
She was seething inside, but she couldn't show it on her face. She was dragged away in a disheveled state by the officials, who were tall and strong and didn't care about the girls in the group at all. They walked away quickly and hurriedly.
If you can't keep up, just drag them along.
The Song family members behind him were secretly delighted. Xie Qianzhong watched Song Tangxue leave in silence, then turned around. The Song family members' smiles hadn't faded when they met Xie Qianzhong's ashen face, and they looked somewhat embarrassed.
Ignoring them, Xie Qianzhong turned and returned to the carriage, the curtain falling to conceal his figure.
Once inside the carriage, Xie Qianzhong sat down with a grim face. It was time to make his move, or some people would soon lose track of who was the king and who was the prince.
Song Tangxue never expected that Li Zong would be so ruthless towards the Song family. She still held the title of the legitimate daughter of the Song family, yet Li Zong dared to force her to be paraded through the streets.
They deliberately chose crowded areas, with officers and soldiers aggressively clearing the way, which was also a way of indirectly reminding the people that there were suspects there.
Some passersby even stopped to see which suspect was involved and what shocking crime he had committed.
Upon seeing Song Tangxue come out, some people who didn't recognize her even asked each other questions.
This question was quite surprising. The person was actually the eldest daughter of the Song family, the Crown Princess appointed by His Majesty. She held a prestigious position and had not committed any petty theft.
It was a murder case.
As the saying goes, "Even the emperor is subject to the same laws as commoners," let alone a mere unmarried crown princess.
"Judging from Miss Song's practice of treating strangers on the street, I thought she was a good person. But who would have thought that you can know a person's face but not their heart!"
"Who says otherwise? Hey, I remember your son got some medicine from Miss Song a few days ago. Don't let him get sick from taking it again."
"I heard they killed her adoptive parents. It's utterly heinous and they don't deserve to live. They should be beheaded as soon as possible!"
"..."
Uncle Kui originally came out to check on Song Tangxue's shop and make purchases, but he never expected to witness the young lady being paraded through the streets, which horrified him.
Haitang also heard these comments. She grabbed Song Tangxue's hand, stretched out her arms to protect her behind her, and wrapped her small body around Song Tangxue.
All those offensive words reached their ears, and it was clear that Li Zong had done it on purpose, as if he was afraid the people, who were not far away, would not hear them.
The foul language poured into her ears as if it were free, and Haitang was so enraged that she fainted from anger.
The soldiers on the side stepped forward to drag her body, but Song Tangxue stopped them. The soldiers didn't insist, and she struggled to lift her up all by herself.
Uncle Kui was shocked. Now was not the time to confront the government head-on, so he concealed himself in the crowd.
Song Tangxue and her entourage were pushed and shoved into the Dali Temple prison, while Haitang and the other maids and servants were locked in another cell.
Li Zong personally led his troops to escort Song Tangxue into the prison. Standing outside the cell, he watched the jailer lock her up with a sinister smile: "Right Vice Minister Song has truly raised a fine daughter."
Song Tangxue glanced at him coldly, found a clean stool and sat down. Li Zong smiled sinisterly: "Don't worry, I will investigate this case thoroughly and will definitely clear Miss Song's name."
Li Zong emphasized the words "innocent" with particular force, the implied meaning clear.
At noon, Li Zhaoxian also came in with the meal.
Li Zhaoxian had the jailer open the cell. Song Tangxue was sitting on the bed, deep in thought. When she saw him enter from the door, she looked him over with a stern face. Li Zhaoxian flicked his sleeves and sighed.
"Song Tangxue, you've already pledged your allegiance to me, so why are you having these troublesome matters?" Li Zhaoxian casually opened the food box, revealing bland dishes inside.
“The palace maids eat better than this.” Li Zhaoxian slammed the lid of the food box shut. “Weren’t you quite arrogant before? You even asked the Empress Dowager for support. If you’re so capable, go and ask the Empress Dowager to release you.”
"No need for Your Highness to trouble yourself, I'm doing quite well here." Song Tangxue took the lunchbox and placed the food on the simple square table in the prison cell. The food was cold.
But since everything was new, Song Tangxue didn't feel any dissatisfaction. She had thought about how difficult her situation must be when she came in.
But if it only goes this far, she feels she can handle it perfectly well.
With a smile, she put down the last dish of food: "But Your Highness, since the food in your palace is better than mine, what brings you here?"
"Under the whole heaven, all land belongs to the people. I am the crown prince. Where can I not go?" Li Zhaoxian glanced around disdainfully.
The gray walls were covered in unknown filth; even this cramped cell was considered one of the best rooms in the Dali Temple.
"So if I wanted to take someone away, it would be a piece of cake. Tang Xue, you're a smart person, you should know what to do, right?" Li Zhaoxian condescendingly hinted to Song Tang Xue.
Looking down at Song Tangxue, Li Zhaoxian's expression was aloof, as if he were looking at a mouse that had somehow sneaked into the corner.
"Tang Xue just said that Your Highness doesn't need to worry about this. If Your Highness has the time, you should go and care for my sister, Ali."
Song Tangxue pointed to the door without any politeness: "My place is too small to accommodate someone as important as you."
These two sentences ignited Li Zhaoxian's anger: "Since you've said that, I absolutely will not help you this time. You can just pray for your own good fortune!"
Song Tangxue would definitely beg him to take her out of prison; after all, who would want to stay here if they could get out?
If Song Tangxue asks him for help, he is not unwilling to help, but it will certainly not be easy. He will first have to ask her to apologize to Song Tangli.
In the future, this arrogant personality needs to be changed. First of all, one must not be disrespectful to others, one must not have any opinions about him, and one must follow his orders without question.
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