Chapter 173 Ears

Minglan's words fell to the ground with a sound, and Lord Wang's face turned pale and blue. He stammered and could not speak, and could only whisper: "This... this is just your one-sided statement."

Minglan smiled, "What Lord Wang said just now, which one is not the one-sided statement of others, just based on hearsay, you believed it to be true, and even spread it openly in this hall. Now I tell you the truth, but you turn a deaf ear and accuse me of not being worthy of standing in the court. Isn't this a contradiction? Lord Wang behaves like this, is he prejudiced against me, or is he prejudiced against my identity as a woman?" Minglan was hinting.

The Queen Mother's eyes suddenly looked over, and Lord Wang's forehead was sweating and his legs began to tremble.

However, Minglan did not intend to stop there and continued, "Your Majesty, Queen Mother, we are discussing the country's major plans, disaster relief and people's comfort, but this Lord Wang has provoked disputes for no reason and tried to confuse the public. The motive behind this cannot but make people think deeply. Your Majesty, Queen Mother, I think that this person's behavior is suspicious. Either he is a spy from another country, intending to undermine the stability of our Song Dynasty; or he is the remnant of the rebels, with evil intentions, trying to take the opportunity to cause trouble. No matter what the situation is, it should be strictly investigated to prevent future troubles." After that, Minglan knelt down solemnly and asked the emperor and the queen mother with a firm look.

Lord Wang was sweating profusely at this moment. His legs went limp and he fell to his knees, his voice trembling, "Your Majesty, I am innocent! I just believed the rumors in the market and mistakenly thought that the reputation of the Princess Protector of the Country was not worthy of me. My original intention was actually for Your Majesty and for the country of the Song Dynasty!"

He was extremely regretful. Although he had been in the court for many years, he had not been able to make any achievements. On the other hand, Sheng Minglan, a woman, was able to surpass him just by saving the emperor. This made him feel unwilling and jealous. He always looked down on women. Although the Queen Mother was a woman, she had a respected status, so he dared not make any comments. But Sheng Minglan was just a concubine's daughter from a fourth-rank official family, and she could be so glorious. This made him hard to accept.

Especially that day, when he scolded his wife and daughter at home on the street, he was caught by Sheng Minglan and scolded in public, which made him lose face and resentful. So when those rumors about Sheng Minglan reached his ears, he chose to believe them without hesitation, thinking that this was just proof that she was superficial and vulnerable. He thought that many of his colleagues had the same idea as him and were dissatisfied with Sheng Minglan's existence, so he dared to make trouble in the court. However, he never expected that Sheng Minglan was not as panicked as he expected, but refuted him clearly and logically, which caught him off guard.

Seeing this, the emperor had a plan in mind. He knew that he had just ascended the throne and it was a time of trouble. Liao and Jin were eyeing him covetously. Any disturbance in the court could affect the overall situation. Although Lord Wang's actions seemed unintentional, his motives were unclear and he had to be on guard. So he ordered in a deep voice: "Take this man away and hand him over to Yu Shitai for detailed investigation. Make sure to find out the truth!"

Lord Wang was taken away from the hall by the guards, and Sheng Minglan bowed respectfully to Xie En: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your understanding!"

Then, the emperor brought the topic back to the disaster relief issue and encouraged Sheng Minglan to elaborate on her ideas in detail. In the hall, the ministers also ignored the previous episode and started a discussion again around the drought relief issue. The atmosphere in the hall returned to tension and enthusiasm.

After the court session, Minglan followed the Queen Mother back to Baoci Palace.

"What do you think of what happened in the court today?"

The Queen Mother asked Minglan as she walked. Minglan did not think that the Queen Mother was asking her about the drought relief, so she carefully answered, "Someone must want to deal with me."

"Do you have any idea?" Upon hearing this, the Queen Mother slowly stopped and looked at Minglan with a deep gaze.

Minglan also stopped and thought carefully. She had just entered the court and had just made her mark. She had not expressed her political opinions many times. It should not be that some court official went to great lengths to frame her in this way. Using words to hurt people is usually a method used by women, except for the censors. Minglan recalled the complicated and unpredictable look in Huang Fuxiang's eyes when she was at Gu's house, which made her feel very uncomfortable.

Minglan hesitated for a moment. Although she had doubts in her heart, she did not dare to make a rash statement. "I do have a candidate in mind, but I don't have enough evidence, so I dare not speak rashly." The Queen Mother

glanced at Minglan, turned around, and continued to walk forward. "You need to handle this matter properly. I don't want to hear any more unfavorable remarks about the Princess of the Guardian of the Country."

Minglan bowed her head respectfully and replied "Yes". The Queen Mother did not stay any longer, and gradually walked away with the vast team of palace maids.

When the Queen Mother's figure completely disappeared from her sight, Minglan slowly stood up. She understood that the Queen Mother's words were both a warning and a test. It was a silent ultimatum for her to solve this trouble quickly and cleanly.

Minglan walked out of the palace slowly, thinking about the countermeasures for this matter as she walked. When she left the palace, Xiao Tao was already waiting for her outside the palace gate.

"Miss!" As soon as Ming Lan appeared, Xiao Tao came forward, her eyes gleaming with concern.

Minglan glanced at the familiar Sheng Mansion's carriage, a faint smile appeared on the corner of her mouth, and she joked, "Didn't you say that the princess's carriage was so beautiful and that you wanted to pick me up in that carriage every day? Why did you change back to our carriage today?"

Xiaotao's face flashed a hint of unnaturalness when she heard that. She glanced at Minglan cautiously and made up an excuse to fool her, "Oh, girl, you know, we have luxury cars and horses every day, and occasionally we change back to our carriage for something new. It's just like what I said, recalling... recalling the bitter past and thinking of the sweet past!"

Minglan was amused by Xiaotao's witty words. She gently tapped her forehead and said lovingly, "You, you, I really can't do anything about you. It's up to you."

Minglan got on the carriage, the wheels rolled forward slowly, and soon they arrived at Yu Street. Outside the car window, the bustling atmosphere of the city was in stark contrast to the solemnity of the imperial city, as if they were two completely different worlds. Minglan looked out the window, her lips curled up unconsciously, enjoying this rare tranquility and freedom.

Suddenly, the sound of discussion outside reached Minglan's ears.

"This is the carriage of the Princess Protector of the Country. Do you think the Princess Protector of the Country has really given herself to the bandits?"

The harsh words were like a sharp blade in the cold wind, which instantly froze Minglan's smile. Minglan listened quietly to the sound outside the car window.

"I don't know, but I heard that she fought her way out of the siege alone."

"Didn't the princess also go out of the city alone to deliver the imperial edict to rescue the emperor? I think she should be able to deal with those bandits."

These voices outside were all discussing Minglan's affairs. Maybe some of them were not malicious, but every word in the words clearly struck Minglan's heart, causing ripples.