Chapter 248 Preparing for the Wedding
With tears welling up in his eyes, Eunuch Bao hurriedly stepped forward and, right in front of all the civil and military officials, helped Xie Qingran inside.
Changchun Palace.
Xie Qingran knelt on the ground, sobbing uncontrollably.
Seeing her like this gave both the emperor and empress a headache.
The emperor, in particular, looked at Xie Qingran with a change in expression!
The Empress glanced at the Emperor first, then looked at Xie Qingran: "Qingran, you're pregnant, so get up first before we talk!"
"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I dare not accept such an offer. I am here today for the sake of the child in my womb!"
“Right now, my husband is on rotation in the western city, serving the country loyally. But some people are spreading rumors that this child is of unknown origin and is disrupting the bloodline of my Zhenguo Duke’s mansion. I beg Your Majesty and Empress to do justice for me, for the Zhenguo Duke’s mansion, and for Xiao Jue!”
Xie Qingran handed the complaint to Eunuch Bao and kowtowed heavily.
Seeing this, everyone was dumbfounded, especially the emperor. He had considered many possibilities, but he never expected that Xie Qingran would pull such a stunt just for such a trivial matter.
He took the complaint, and after reading it carefully, his face turned very gloomy: "Outrageous! This is utter nonsense! It's clearly a good thing that the emperor and his subjects are of one mind, yet someone is saying that I'm going to take action against the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion? Outrageous! Absolutely outrageous! Where did these rumors come from?"
"It was Xie Hanyue who orchestrated it, and Lu Jinzhi spread the rumors!"
"Your Majesty, I have already gathered witness testimonies. I beg Your Majesty to make the final decision!"
Xie Qingran knelt on the ground, heartbroken.
Seeing Xie Qingran's appearance, the Empress was genuinely worried about the baby in her womb and hurriedly said, "These are all minor matters. Get up first and be careful of the baby."
The old woman beside her stepped forward and gently helped Xie Qingran up, then helped her sit on a chair next to her.
The emperor clenched his fist: "Summon these two wretches to the palace immediately!"
Even if the emperor truly wanted to be wary of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, he absolutely could not say it aloud. If such a thing were to spread and outsiders believed it, wouldn't the emperor be seen as a mean and ungrateful person?
Thinking of this, the emperor's anger surged even higher!
Soon, Lu Jinzhi and Xie Hanyue arrived at Changchun Palace. Originally, Xie Hanyue still had a little hope that the Emperor would change his mind and let her stay in the capital.
But when Xie Hanyue arrived at Changchun Palace and saw Xie Qingran there, she had a bad feeling.
Xie Hanyue and Lu Jinzhi exchanged a glance, then knelt on the ground: "Greetings, Your Majesty."
"There are rumors circulating outside that the child in the Lady of Zhenguo's womb is not of the Zhenguo Duke's bloodline at all. What do you think about this?" The Emperor got straight to the point, his gaze falling directly on Xie Hanyue, and sure enough, he saw Xie Hanyue's evasive eyes.
Xie Hanyue's face indeed turned ugly, her eyes filled with guilt, but she still kept her head down and didn't say a word.
Seeing this, the Empress spoke up directly: "You two had better think carefully before deciding how to reply. Lying to His Majesty is a crime of deceiving the emperor."
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, I was just confused for a moment. Please forgive me!"
Lu Jinzhi immediately realized the seriousness of the matter and hurriedly admitted to it.
Lu Jinzhi still doesn't realize the true seriousness of this matter. He still thinks it's just a small grudge between a few people, and that it will be over after a few reprimands, just like before!
But after hearing this, the emperor slammed his hand on the table and looked at Lu Jinzhi with a look of utter disappointment: "I've watched you grow up since you were a child. I always thought you were a smart and sensible kid, but I never expected you to do something so foolish. I've really misjudged you!"
"Your Majesty, I was truly confused for a moment. Xie Qingran, relying on the power of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, always spoke rudely to me and made things difficult for me at every turn. I... I just wanted to vent my anger!" Lu Jinzhi looked at the emperor with a face full of fear: "Your Majesty, I really didn't mean it. I was just so angry that I lost my temper!"
Xie Qingran sat there expressionless; after all, the entire capital knew how she treated Lu Jinzhi.
Before her marriage, Xie Qingran thought she would marry Lu Jinzhi, so she kept pestering him. However, after deciding to marry Xiao Jue, she stopped contacting Lu Jinzhi. On several occasions when they met at banquets, Lu Jinzhi always made things difficult for Xie Qingran.
Now that Lu Jinzhi has said such things, the emperor doesn't even need to verify it. He simply says coldly, "Ever since Xie Qingran married into the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, you have made things difficult and complained at every turn. If you liked her from the beginning, why were you unwilling to fulfill the marriage contract? Since you are not going to fulfill the marriage contract, why bother about who she marries? Lu Jinzhi, in the end, it's all because you can't figure it out yourself."
"I see that you are deeply in love with Xie Hanyue. It just so happens that the Crown Prince of Lingnan has submitted a memorial saying that he has someone he loves and does not like this so-called Crown Princess. So I will bestow her upon you."
"The ceremony will be completed in three days. After the ceremony, the two of you will be sent to Lingnan for posting."
The emperor shook his head, stood up, and strode outside.
Since dealing with Xie Hanyue alone isn't enough, let's just deal with them all.
The Emperor swiftly brought down the knife without the slightest hesitation, not even glancing at Xie Hanyue once throughout the entire process, completely disregarding the fact that she was his own flesh and blood.
Xie Hanyue had previously thought that the Emperor was cold-hearted, but she had never witnessed it firsthand. Now, seeing the Emperor like this, she was completely dumbfounded.
She did want to marry Lu Jinzhi, but she wanted to stay in the capital. Now, however, they were going to Lingnan together.
"No, no, I won't go to Lingnan!"
"Your Majesty, I am a princess! I am your own daughter! How can you be so cruel to me?"
Why are you doing this to me? Why?!
Xie Hanyue suddenly went mad, grabbing the emperor's ankle tightly, glaring at him through gritted teeth, her expression filled with resentment!
Upon hearing this, the emperor didn't even pause in his tracks: "Empress, you must handle this matter properly!"
"yes."
The Empress immediately stood up and bowed.
"No, I'm a princess! You can't treat me like this!"
"I am truly a princess!"
Xie Hanyue went berserk, trembling as tears streamed down her face, crying like a madwoman.
Seeing this, the Empress felt a headache coming on and found it all too annoying: "Guards, gag her and prepare for the wedding. The ceremony will take place in three days!"
"Your Majesty?" Lu Jinzhi looked at the Empress in surprise and disbelief.
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