Chapter 177 Entering the Palace for an Audience
"ah--!"
A piercing scream tore through the night sky above the princess's residence!
Pei Mingyue's pupils contracted sharply, and her blood seemed to freeze instantly!
As if she had seen a ghost, she tumbled and scrambled off the bed, frantically retreating on all fours, knocking over the screen and the vase!
"Head! Head! Qingdai's head! Help! Someone help! There's a ghost! No... there's an assassin!!!"
She was crying and snot streaming down her face, looking like a madwoman, her whole body covered in glaring blood.
The entire princess's residence was awakened by this scream!
Lanterns and torches lit up one after another, and the guards were on high alert. The sounds of hurried footsteps, shouts, and clashing weapons filled the air as they rushed toward Qixia Garden.
When the commander of the guards led his men into the bedchamber and saw the headless, dark-colored corpse on the ground and the head with its eyes wide open in death, even the guards, who were used to seeing bloodshed, couldn't help but gasp.
Who is it?!
Incredibly, in the heavily guarded princess's residence, in the second princess's bedroom, they were able to silently sever the head of her trusted head maid and precisely place it on her bed!
This is no longer a simple assassination attempt, but a blatant act of intimidation and humiliation!
"What are you all standing there for! Hurry up and clean it up!"
The butler, who had rushed over, struggled to support his trembling legs and shouted sternly, not daring to look at the bloody scene for long.
Pei Mingyue's condition was extremely bad at the moment.
That meticulously maintained face was ashen white, its lips trembling with an unnatural bluish-purple tinge, its eyes unfocused and vacant, as if its very soul had been terrified by the bloodied head.
If the princess were truly frightened into something serious, such as having a seizure or going insane...
Regardless of the type, those who hold office have to risk their lives to pay the price!
He suppressed his urge to vomit and roared hoarsely, "Quick! Quickly summon the imperial physician! No... first summon the physician from the prefectural office! Quickly!"
He suddenly remembered something, broke out in a cold sweat, and quickly changed his words.
The Emperor will surely know if the Imperial Physician is summoned!
The news must not be leaked to the Emperor before the situation is fully understood!
The entire Qixia Garden was in complete chaos.
The guards were on high alert. Some surrounded the princess's bedchamber with knives, while others frantically tried to clean up the scene.
Two brave guards, suppressing their nausea, wrapped Qingdai's head and body in cloth. The maids, carrying buckets and cloths, tremblingly wiped away the large patches of dark red bloodstains on the carpet and bed. The heavy smell of blood made everyone dizzy.
Others tried to help Pei Mingyue up, but she pushed them away.
"Get away! Don't touch me! There's a ghost! There's a ghost! It's Xie Sangning! It must be her! She's come to take my life!!"
Pei Mingyue cried incoherently, her face covered in tears and snot.
Amidst the chaos and turmoil of war, people and horses were thrown into disarray.
Not far from the sleeping quarters, on a tall, ancient tree, a dark shadow, almost blending into the tree's shadow, was silently lurking among the branches.
It was just like winter.
She blended perfectly with her surroundings. Just moments ago, she had chopped off Qingdai's head and thrown it onto the Second Princess's bed, then tossed Xie Wulu into the princess's outhouse and thoughtfully covered him with a blanket she had grabbed.
After completing the task, he squatted on the tree to watch the excitement.
Ru Dong's lips twitched very slightly.
This already showed that she was quite interested.
She was like an audience member, enjoying a drama that she herself had personally unveiled.
The so-called strict security of the princess's residence was utterly ineffective in the face of absolute power.
In her eyes, the panic, fear, and incompetence of these people became evidence—proof of the perfect success of her mission.
As the night wind swept through the treetops, Ru Dong, having had her fill of watching Pei Mingyue's grotesque display, swayed slightly and vanished without a trace.
Pei Mingyue stared blankly into the void, repeatedly murmuring the name she hated to the core: "Xie Sangning... Xie Sangning..."
——
The next morning, before dawn, the gates of the General's Mansion were knocked on urgently.
The eunuch who came to deliver the imperial decree had a solemn expression: "By His Majesty's oral order! Summon Xie Sangning to the palace for an audience immediately!"
Xie Sangning had just finished washing up and was having breakfast. Upon hearing this, she remained calm and even slowly picked up a crystal shrimp dumpling and put it in her mouth. After chewing it slowly, she put down her silver chopsticks and took the warm silk handkerchief handed to her by Ru Chun to wipe the corner of her mouth.
"knew."
She instructed Ruchun to bring the court robes prepared according to her rank, and she changed and dressed slowly and gracefully, without the slightest sign of panic.
“Miss…” Ru Chun’s eyes could not hide her worry.
Xie Sangning chuckled at her elegantly dressed reflection in the mirror: "What's the rush? How can we refuse an opportunity that's been delivered to our doorstep? Prepare the carriage, let's go to the palace."
Pei Mingyue has indeed become extremely stupid after losing the brains of Bai Qing, Qing Dai, and Xie Wulu.
The atmosphere in the Golden Palace was extremely oppressive.
The emperor, dressed in a bright yellow dragon robe, sat high on the dragon throne with a gloomy face, but upon closer inspection, his eyes seemed to be filled with excitement.
He found an opportunity to punish Xie Sangning and take back Xi Han, and Pei Mingyue finally did the right thing.
Not far below him, the Second Princess Pei Mingyue was pale, with dark circles under her eyes, unfocused gaze, and her body was still trembling slightly.
As soon as Xie Sangning stepped into the hall, Pei Mingyue trembled like a startled rabbit and instinctively shrank back into her chair.
However, when Xie Sangning's calm gaze swept over her, anger suddenly surged up again!
Pei Mingyue screamed shrilly, her voice trembling, her finger pointing at Xie Sangning shaking uncontrollably: "Father! It was her! She killed Qingdai! She cut off her head and threw it on my bed! She tried to scare me to death! She tried to rebel! Father! You must do justice for me! Kill her! Cut her into a thousand pieces!"
She was incoherent, agitated, and appeared to be insane.
"Enough!"
The emperor slammed his hand on the imperial desk.
"Pei Mingyue! Look at yourself! What kind of behavior is this!"
Although he felt sorry for his daughter being frightened, Pei Mingyue's loss of composure at this moment made him feel that the royal family had lost face. A princess had been driven mad by a county princess. Such a loss of composure!
The emperor took a deep breath, suppressing his anger, and stared intently at Xie Sangning, who was gracefully bowing in the hall.
He needed an opportunity to legitimately suppress the Xie family and put Xie Zhenting in a bad light!
Xie Sangning, this audacious woman who repeatedly challenged imperial power, was the perfect target!
"Thank you, Sangning!"
"The Second Princess testifies that you sneaked into the Princess's residence last night, brutally murdered her personal maid Qingdai, and then cut off her head and placed it on the Princess's bed. Your actions were so heinous and appalling! Do you know your crime?!"
The emperor didn't give Xie Sangning a chance to defend himself at all, and immediately launched into a final, definitive question, intending to convict him outright!
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