Chapter 279: Ning Family Overturns the Case 1
Five days later, Suzhou.
"A bunch of rubbish!"
Xiao Jingheng smashed the things on the table to the ground.
Countless palace maids and guards knelt before him, each of them looking as if they were facing a great enemy, lowering their heads and not daring to look directly at the emperor.
"Your Majesty, please calm down..."
"If anything happens to the imperial concubine, I will make sure you come to me with your heads in my hands!"
Xiao Jingheng was so angry that his breathing became much heavier.
Song Zhao brought a cup of chrysanthemum tea to him and advised softly:
"Anger is harmful to your health. Your Majesty, please don't get angry with them. The Imperial Concubine is blessed with great fortune, so nothing will happen to her."
Song Zhao held the tea with both hands. Although Xiao Jingheng took it, he did not drink it at all and threw it on the table instead.
The tea spilled all over the table, soaking the pile of memorials.
Xiao Jingheng pointed at the open door and said angrily:
"Still kneeling here? Get out!"
Everyone was horrified and fled away tumbling.
In fact, it’s no wonder Xiao Jingheng was so angry.
The other day, news came back from Kyoto that Concubine Chen had disappeared from the old residence of the Ning family for no apparent reason.
The imperial concubine of the dynasty is missing, this is a very big event,
Deputy General An searched all over Kyoto but to no avail. He left a team of men to search the suburbs of Kyoto, and then personally led another team of men, traveling day and night from Kyoto back to Suzhou, hoping to see if he could find Concubine Chen on the way.
After Xiao Jingheng learned about this, he sent a large number of people to Qinling to search for her, thinking that Concubine Chen might have returned home to visit her mother.
But after all the trouble, she couldn't be found anywhere, as if Concubine Chen had disappeared out of thin air.
At this moment, Xiao Jingheng was pacing anxiously in the room.
Song Zhao could see that he was really concerned about Concubine Chen at this moment, so much so that his attitude towards her became cold.
Song Zhao advised him, "Your Majesty, don't worry. The reinforcements have been sent for, and the Imperial Concubine will be safe."
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!"
Her words of persuasion were interrupted by Xiao Yinzi's rash exclamation coming from far away.
Seeing him staggering into the room, he reported to Xiao Jingheng without having time to follow the formalities:
"She's back! The Imperial Concubine is back!"
"Where is the person?" Xiao Jingheng asked anxiously.
Xiao Yinzi said hurriedly, "The Imperial Concubine came back on horseback with her servants, and is now taking a boat to the island in the middle of the lake. The Imperial Concubine said she has something important to discuss with the Emperor."
"I'll go meet her."
Xiao Jingheng turned around and was about to leave. Before he left, he perhaps remembered Song Zhao.
So he turned around and said to her gently, "You are not feeling well, so take a good rest. I will come to see you later."
"Your Majesty, I respectfully send you off."
Song Zhao bowed politely to Xiao Jingheng's back as he walked along the dusty road.
It was not until he left the courtyard that Song Zhao slowly let out a breath of air. He then covered his chest and couldn't help vomiting.
Yunshan hurried forward and patted her back, saying distressedly, "Why didn't you tell the emperor that your majesty was pregnant? Instead, you went through so much trouble to hide it?"
She brought a teacup for Song Zhao to rinse his mouth, "You are pregnant this time, and the movement is much greater than last time..."
Song Zhao rinsed his mouth, spit the clean water into the jade urn, and then said slowly:
"The first three months are the most important. Right now, Huipin hasn't left yet. When she and the Queen return to the palace in two days, my pregnancy will be more stable, and it won't be too late to talk about it later."
Yunshan said, "I really wronged your Majesty... The Emperor's heart and eyes are full of the Imperial Concubine. When he heard that your Majesty was not feeling well, he came to accompany her and was absent-minded."
Song Zhao smiled disapprovingly, "Now that the imperial concubine has returned, I guess someone is going to be in big trouble."
Yunshan was curious, "Who?"
Song Zhao raised his eyebrows and looked at her, then said firmly:
"King Rui."
*
When Xiao Jingheng rushed to the shore, he saw the imperial concubine being helped down from the boat.
After not seeing her for a few days, she looked very haggard.
She had lost a lot of weight, her eyes were red and swollen from crying, and she no longer had the bright and beautiful look she once had.
Xiao Jingheng saw it and felt a pang in his heart.
Seeing Concubine Chen dragging her tired body towards him, Xiao Jingheng quickly took two steps to meet her.
"Slow down, don't fall."
He held Concubine Chen's hand tightly, and when she wanted to say something, she coughed violently for a while.
Concubine Chen's hands were very hot. The scorching heat spread through Xiao Jingheng's palms all the way to his heaving chest, burning a hole in his heart.
"You still have a high fever, why are you so willful?"
"Your Majesty... ahem! There's something wrong with Prince Rui! There's something wrong with him!"
Concubine Chen held Xiao Jingheng's hand tighter, her eyes full of resentment, and said in a loud and clear voice:
"Vice General An is an old subordinate of King Rui. He deliberately took me on a detour, causing me to miss the chance to save my father and brother! Afterwards, he drank and had fun with King Rui, as if the death of my father and brother was a great joy to them! Your Majesty! My father and brother must have been wronged by King Rui. I beg Your Majesty to thoroughly investigate this matter and clear my father and brother's name!"
Xiao Jingheng's eyes were slightly red, and he was also sighing.
"General Ning cannot be saved. Seeing you like this, I am very sad. In fact, it was not because you asked me to forgive them that day. Even if you did not ask, I still felt that there were many doubts about this matter. However, due to the overwhelming evidence and the pressure from the government, I had to give an explanation to the world."
He embraced Concubine Chen in his arms, and hot tears fell on Concubine Chen's forehead.
"I have already asked the Dali Temple to investigate this matter several times. Although the evidence is solid, I still have doubts in my heart. This time, when I agreed to spare your father and brother's lives, I secretly asked the Dali Temple's Junior Secretary to overstep his authority and re-investigate the matter. Believe me, if your father and brother were truly wronged, I will definitely give them justice!"
Concubine Chen nestled in Xiao Jingheng's arms, crying.
"Your Majesty... Prince Rui also holds the power of the personal guards. Now that the Qi Dynasty is peaceful and prosperous, he insists on framing and killing my father and brother. What exactly does he want to do? It is obvious that this person has ulterior motives and deserves death!"
Xiao Jingheng gently patted her thin shoulders and advised softly:
"This matter has not been concluded yet, and it is difficult to speculate. You have traveled all the way and are still sick. I will send you back to your room and let the imperial physician treat you."
When he turned back, he met Jiang Deshun on the way. He hurriedly said to Xiao Jingheng:
"Your Majesty, the Junior Official of the Dali Temple requests an audience."
"I understand." Xiao Jingheng was silent for a moment, then said, "I will first settle the imperial concubine and ask him to go to the study and wait for me."
"Your Majesty! I want to go with you! My father and brother cannot die in vain, I want to clear their name!"
Concubine Chen was quite emotional, and she insisted on doing so. Xiao Jingheng could not persuade her, so he had to agree and take her to the study to listen to what the people from the Dali Temple had found out this time.
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