Seeing that stone, Dugu Pingting truly believed that the Empress Dowager's campaign was not unprepared.
In reality, if the palace wants to investigate a person or a matter, as long as they are serious, they will definitely be able to find out.
Moreover, she was immature in her early years, and many of her little actions left clues. If the investigation were thorough enough, it would be very easy to trace it back to her.
However, Dugu Pingting did not expect that the Empress Dowager would even investigate her affairs outside the palace!
What's the difference between this and stripping her naked and torturing her?
"Grandmother, please just consider that Pingting was bewitched and give your granddaughter another chance to reform!" Faced with overwhelming evidence, Dugu Pingting finally admitted defeat.
The Empress Dowager closed her eyes, hiding her disappointed, reddened gaze so as not to let anyone see her hurt and vulnerability.
How could I not be sad?
My own granddaughter, whom I raised from the bottom of my heart, never expected that she would turn out to be an ungrateful wretch!
The old lady was adamant that Dugu Pingting must go to the nunnery to live a life of quiet contemplation and Buddhist practice in order to atone for her sins.
Princess Xiaoyao realized what was happening and couldn't accept it. She screamed, "No, Mother! You can't do this! Pingting is my lifeblood. If you insist on doing this, I'll die!"
He immediately tore off his belt, intending without hesitation to hang himself from the roof beam of a side hall of the Shou Kang Palace.
The Empress Dowager was so angry that her health, which had improved considerably, started to relapse and she couldn't stop coughing.
In the end, no one could do anything, so they sent someone to invite the emperor and the carefree prince.
Granny Ji, representing the Empress Dowager, explained the whole story as if conveying an imperial edict, and concluded with a curtsy, "Her Majesty's meaning is: if you want to die, go home and die; don't defile the beams of Shou Kang Palace!"
Upon hearing this, Dugu Xuancheng's face darkened, and he was speechless.
Dugu Tianxiong rubbed his nose. "Brother, your wife and daughter are truly outrageous. They've made Mother so angry that she's been ill for a long time, and now they're even threatening her with their lives..."
"Yes, yes, it was my fault for failing to discipline her properly." Dugu Xuancheng looked ashamed and begged for forgiveness repeatedly. "Don't worry, Your Majesty, I will handle this matter personally when I get back. As for Pingting, she dared to lay a hand on her own grandmother for her own selfish reasons. It would be good enough if I didn't kill her with one blow. She absolutely has to go to the nunnery!"
But Lady Li has always been foolish and simple-minded; it's a miracle she hasn't been schemed against. She could never be Pingting's accomplice. I beg Your Majesty, for the sake of our many years of marriage, to punish Lady Li by confining her to the Prince's residence, forcing her to reflect on her actions, and forbidding her from ever leaving the residence again. Is that acceptable?
Because if Li were to be convicted, rumors would surely spread throughout the capital, which would be extremely detrimental to his reputation.
If the eldest daughter were to marry and live away from home, her in-laws would find out and embarrass her as well.
This is no easier to handle than simply accusing Dugu Pingting of a minor crime and sending her to a nunnery.
While the Empress Dowager was changing clothes after vomiting blood, Dugu Tianxiong lowered his voice and asked, "Brother, have you thought this through? Are you sure you want to do this?"
He was naturally referring to the punishment for Dugu Pingting and Li Shi.
In fact, Dugu Tianxiong felt that although the old lady was angry, she might not be that determined. If Dugu Xuancheng could show sincerity, plead for leniency, and let Li Shi and Dugu Pingting perform well for a while, there might still be room for maneuver.
After all, we're family.
However, upon hearing this, Dugu Xuancheng assumed that Dugu Tianxiong was dissatisfied with the lenient punishment. He gritted his teeth and added, "Then how about we cripple Li's leg? That way, even if she wants to leave, she probably won't be able to!"
"..." Dugu Tianxiong's mind went blank. Oh well, he was still not ruthless enough.
The carriage arrived empty, but ultimately returned filled with the sound of weeping in grief.
"My poor Pingting, what will become of her? Is she really destined to spend the rest of her life in a laborious and impoverished nunnery?" Li cried, her handkerchief soaked with tears in no time.
The couple were the only ones in the carriage. Dugu Pingting was secretly escorted out of the city directly from the palace.
A granddaughter poisoning her own grandmother is a family scandal that would be impossible to publicize even in an ordinary family, let alone in the royal family. So, only heaven, earth, and family members know about this; the rest can only guess.
This makes Chu Yuan, who was present throughout the entire event, seem somewhat special.
Dugu Xuancheng had been suppressing his anger, but now, disturbed by Li's crying, he said irritably, "Crying, crying, crying, do you think having such a daughter isn't unlucky enough?"
Tears streamed down Li's face as she stood frozen in place, her lips moving slightly. "Your Highness, that's Pingting, our own daughter! How can you bear to see her like this?"
"Whose fault is it? It's all her own fault for being so vicious and doing such a thing. Even I, as her father, have to bow down to the Empress Dowager and my brother because of her."
"If I had known she was like this, I should have strangled her when she was born!"
Li looked at the man in front of her in disbelief, feeling her heart turn completely cold.
In the past, he indulged in debauchery outside and neglected the household affairs, but now that his child has made a mistake, he only thinks about shirking responsibility.
Therefore, she became furious, stood up and pounced on Dugu Xuancheng, her fingers grabbing his neck, "Strangle Pingting to death? You're a heartless father!"
"Today, for Pingting's sake, and for my own, it's the right thing to do!"
However, the strength of women is always far inferior to that of men, so after the struggle, apart from tearing the man's clothes and scratching his face, Li suffered almost no other damage.
Instead, Dugu Xuancheng used force to throw him against the carriage wall, causing a cut on his forehead.
Dugu Xuancheng jumped off the carriage in a fit of anger and ordered his servants, "The princess has gone mad. Find a few strong and capable old women to drag her away and lock her up. From now on, without my order, she is not allowed to leave the palace!"
The servants had never seen Dugu Xuancheng so furious before, and they were stunned with shock.
In the eyes of everyone in the capital, the carefree prince was the epitome of kindness, always smiling and without the slightest airs.
Even in brothels, he's a good patron who wouldn't lose his temper with those lowly women.
At this moment, Dugu Xuancheng's aura was truly frightening, filled with an unfamiliar and chilling atmosphere.
After giving his instructions, he did not return to the manor immediately, but instead boarded a carriage and went to the prince's villa.
His daughter was indeed useless, but at least he didn't only have two money-losing daughters!
...
The Crown Prince's Residence.
Dugu Ling sat upright at his desk, holding a wolf-hair brush dipped in ink in his hand. He wrote several large characters on the white Xuan paper, indicating that he needed to practice more. However, a stunningly beautiful face involuntarily flashed through his mind.
Tick-tock—
Ink dripped onto the rice paper, and in no time, it smudged a large area, ruining the half-finished calligraphy.
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