Chapter 76 The Final Truth
Qian Deng spoke, asking Xiao Fuyu, "Princess, now that Yan Penglai has confessed and your mother's suicide note has been verified, with all the witnesses and evidence, why do you still need to deny it? Do you insist on going to court and being interrogated and imprisoned with Yan Penglai and the others in the mansion?"
Xiao Fuyu's face was ashen as she looked up at the Crown Prince. Meeting his shocked and disappointed gaze, tears welled up in her eyes. "Please forgive me, Your Highness. I... this is what my mother left me. She told me to bring down the Princess of Lingling County. Otherwise, our Princess Mansion... would be finished..."
Qiandeng frowned, wondering why this mother and daughter had such a strong hatred for her and would not let her go until their death.
Yan Penglai continued to speak, his attitude calm and almost distant, as if he was recounting something that had nothing to do with him. "On the county lady's birthday, the Grand Princess also came to Qujiang Lake and asked to meet me. At the time, she was entangled in nightmares and was caught in the vortex of the court. She asked me tiredly and haggardly how to escape all her suffering. But I was just a mere Minister of the Imperial Astronomy Department. How could I save her from this sea of suffering? The princess told me that she had found a way to save the princess's mansion and her daughter, but the price was too high, and she was a little afraid..."
Who could have expected at that time that the path that Princess Gao had found, the one that would turn the crisis around and save the day, was contained in those two words that Mingjiu had accidentally glimpsed that night.
Last words.
"After the princess passed away, the county lady, unaware of the true circumstances, told the Crown Prince and the county lady what the maid had seen that night, causing a stir in the backyard. Thinking back to what the princess had said to me before her death, I suddenly realized she might have committed suicide. I had no choice but to go find the princess as soon as possible and seek her trust."
With his suggestion, Princess Changyi found the suicide note that Mingjiu had seen, which was stored in the secret compartment of the study.
This letter reminded them of what Mingjiu said when he quarreled with Xiao Fuyu by the Qujiang Pond. Yan Penglai immediately deduced that the assassin who sneaked into the princess's mansion and killed the horse was Mingjiu, and he might have seen the unfinished letter from the princess.
This discovery made Xiao Fuyu feel like she was facing a disaster. If the eldest princess's suicide was exposed, then all her sacrifices and plans would be in vain, and it might even bring a huge disaster to the princess's mansion.
However, after calming down and analyzing Mingjiu's actions at that time, Yan Penglai believed that Mingjiu might not have seen the contents of the letter. Firstly, he sneaked in in a hurry, and secondly, he was not proficient in Chinese, so how much Chinese characters could he know?
The most important thing is that at Qujiang Lake, he took it for granted that the princess left the letter to leave Beijing, not to say goodbye forever.
After Yan Penglai returned, he secretly tested Mingjiu and found that just as they expected, Mingjiu was only gloating over the drowning of the Grand Princess and had no doubts at all.
Regardless, he was a potential threat. The Tang Dynasty and the Uighurs had been negotiating for months without any results, and the Three Judicial Departments couldn't fully investigate the Uighur prince. If the investigation ultimately led to Mingjiu, the case would remain unsolved, resulting in the best outcome for the Princess's residence.
Therefore, the identity of the scapegoat naturally fell on Mingjiu.
"So, the princess and I decided to frame Prince Mingjiu as the murderer. The princess spread rumors and fabricated the illusion that he had left the riverside to roast the lamb using burnt banana leaves. I tampered with the ladder he used to sneak in and out, stole Meng Lanxi's sleeping pills, faked footprints outside the house, and took advantage of the dispute to plant the princess's gold foil and pearl flowers on him. Together, we assembled a chain of evidence and ultimately succeeded in misleading everyone. We were able to convict Prince Mingjiu of the murder and expel him from Chang'an, covering up the truth about the princess's drowning. This, in turn, discredited the princess and created a powerful enemy."
Mingjiu snorted disdainfully, "It's a shame Xianzhu is so smart and has such a close relationship with me. Of course she trusts me. How could she fall for your despicable scheme?"
These words were spoken with such force that it seemed as if he had never robbed Qiandeng out of anger or misunderstanding.
The Crown Prince pursed his lips tightly, staring at the collapsed Xiao Fuyu for a long moment before he spoke, his voice measured and precise, "Changyi, how could you possibly do such a thing? Use your mother's death to frame Lingling?"
Xiao Fuyu's face turned pale, his body trembled, and his trembling lips opened, but he couldn't squeeze out a word for a long time.
The Crown Prince stared at Xiao Fuyu for a long time before saying with difficulty, "If that's the case, let's discuss our marriage later. Changyi, with your current state of mind, even if you marry me, I'm afraid you won't be able to be the mistress of the Eastern Palace."
Xiao Fuyu broke down and cried bitterly, "How could I possibly want this to happen? But my mother said... as long as Lingling County Princess doesn't die, I'll never have a chance to rise in this life..."
The strange emotions in Qiandeng's heart became stronger and stronger. She couldn't help but look at the prince, and the words he had said that day rang in her ears -
"In this world, besides my father and mother, you... are the most important and precious person to me."
After that day, she deliberately avoided meeting the prince, but it seemed that Xiao Fuyu, like her, still remembered these words.
The uneasiness in her heart made her hesitate for a moment, and Xiao Fuyu stared at her with resentment, as if he wanted to eat her alive.
The prince looked up at Qiandeng, and the moment their eyes met, she subconsciously looked away.
He looked sadly at the prostrate Xiao Fuyu and said, "Changyi, I will have the Zongzheng Temple take you there. I hope you will reflect on your actions and await the court's verdict. No matter what, I will do my best to help you."
This means that the law of the country cannot forgive her and she will be detained in the Zongzheng Temple to await her fate.
Xiao Fuyu has been a favored girl since she was young and has been loved by everyone. She never thought that she would be imprisoned.
Tears streamed down her face as she grabbed the hem of the prince's clothes and begged, "No, Your Highness... Brother Yan, please let me go. I want to go home. I want to go back and keep vigil for my mother. She is the emperor's aunt and also your great-aunt. What should I do if no one is there to keep vigil..."
"Oh, you're thinking of your mother now." Screeching Eagle sneered, "I thought you only used your mother to harm others!"
The prince looked at Xiao Fuyu coldly, slowly pulled back the hem of her clothes, and stood up.
"Then... please allow me to return home, Your Highness. I need to take care of the affairs of the mansion and then... burn a stick of incense for my mother, so that she doesn't have to worry about me..." Unable to grasp the hem of the prince's clothes, Xiao Fuyu was exhausted and desperate, crying bitterly and falling to the ground, "Your Highness, you have no aunt anymore, I have no mother anymore... I have no relatives anymore..."
The princess, who had always been arrogant and domineering, now fell to the ground in grief, no longer as glorious as before.
The Crown Prince turned his head away from her, collected his thoughts, and remembered the matters he was supposed to handle as the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty. "Prince Mingjiu, it seems the previous conclusion of the Three Courts is indeed questionable. I hope you will give us a little more time. I will definitely give you justice."
"Of course. How could a dignified Huihe prince like me suffer such a loss?" Mingjiu was naturally rude. After thinking for a moment, he gestured at the wound on Qiandeng's face and said, "But Prince, don't blame Xianzhu. She didn't betray the court. I snatched her away yesterday. I forced her to do that."
The prince had already noticed the red marks and small wounds on Qiandeng's face that had not yet faded. He stared at her face for a moment and said in a low voice, "Well, I know... Princess Lingling will never betray the court or me."
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