Chapter 11 Full of Mischief
Minister Pei's expression was solemn. "Your Majesty, this is my first time entering the palace. How dare I trespass into the inner palace!"
Granny Li stepped forward and bowed to the Emperor. "Your Majesty, today we were enjoying the cool air with the Princess in the small garden when Young Master Pei suddenly barged in. I was afraid he was a thief who would harm the Princess, so I called the Imperial Guards!"
The emperor's face immediately darkened. "A sudden intrusion? The patrolling imperial guards just let someone into the Empress's garden like that! Where is Shen Cha?!"
A rather burly man in armor was running briskly from not far away.
As soon as he entered, he knelt before the emperor and said, "Your Majesty, please calm down. The imperial guards on duty at the Empress's palace today failed in their duties. They didn't even notice that someone had broken into the Empress's palace. I have already severely punished them."
The emperor flew into a rage. "No one discovered it! What a wonderful thing! If the assassin had entered the Empress's palace, I would probably be seeing the Empress's corpse right now! Shen Cha, you have truly done an excellent job leading the Imperial Guards!"
Shen Cha immediately kowtowed to the ground, "Your Majesty, please forgive me!"
The emperor rebuked, "The imperial guards on duty today shall each receive one hundred strokes of the cane and be expelled from the palace! You yourself shall receive eighty strokes of the cane and be suspended from duty pending investigation! If this happens again, you shall all be executed!"
Shen Cha quickly replied, "Your subject accepts the imperial decree and expresses his gratitude!"
Upon hearing this, Consort Shen quickly said, "Your Majesty, isn't such a punishment too harsh on Commander Shen? It's merely a dereliction of duty by the Imperial Guards. Commander Shen will be disciplined more strictly in the future."
The Emperor glared angrily at Consort Shen. "The Empress's inner palace guards failed in their duties. Is this a trivial matter? Is the safety of the Empress Dowager a trivial matter? Then will my safety be a trivial matter tomorrow?"
Consort Shen quickly said, "Your Majesty, please calm down. That's not what I meant. I just feel that this punishment is too severe."
The emperor snorted coldly, "If it weren't for your sake, I would have dismissed him and investigated him long ago!"
Consort Shen's face immediately turned very ugly.
The Empress looked at Minister Pei, "Minister Pei, what else do you have to say?"
Minister Pei quickly said, "Your Majesty, this is all a misunderstanding! This is my first time entering the palace today. I must have mistakenly wandered into Your Majesty's garden. I had absolutely no intention of offending you!"
The Empress sneered.
"If it weren't for the Imperial Guards' dereliction of duty, anyone found trespassing into the inner palace would have been executed on the spot."
Minister Pei, Jinzhi didn't take your son's life, she just punished him with a few dozen strokes of the cane according to the rules, but Minister Pei wants to send my Jinzhi to the White Sparrow Temple, that place of asceticism!
I wonder what Vice Minister Pei means by this?
Minister Pei's face turned somewhat ugly. Everyone knew that the Empress Dowager doted on this princess whom she had raised. Three years ago, Prime Minister Cui led all the officials to kneel in the Imperial Study and force His Majesty to execute Qin Jinzhi. In the end, they compromised and sent Qin Jinzhi to Baique Temple. Besides the Prince of Zhenbei's illustrious achievements, another important reason was because of the Empress Dowager.
The Empress grabbed a rope and prepared to hang herself in front of the Imperial Study.
The Empress Dowager who was forced to her death was still the Empress Dowager who had fought alongside His Majesty to conquer the world.
The backbone of these court officials will be shattered by the world.
When Qin Jinzhi finally returned to the capital, he insisted on sending her away again.
The Empress's eyes were filled with hatred, as if she wanted to devour him!
At this moment, the Ninth Princess shouted, "What do you mean by 'cooling off'! It was clearly you who bullied the palace maid, and Granny Li and Granny Zhao were accomplices! Brother Pei only reprimanded Qin Jinzhi because he wanted to save the palace maid! She's trying to kill him to silence him!"
As soon as the Ninth Princess spoke, Consort Shen noticed that she was there. However, after she finished speaking, Consort Shen's expression immediately turned ugly.
"Shut up! Who gave you the right to speak! Look at yourself! Get back to the palace right now!"
"Mother! Why won't you help your son!"
Qin Jinzhi felt incredibly happy to be back in the palace; how could such a fool, Consort Shen, have a pair of them?
She slowly walked to the Ninth Princess's side. "How did you know?"
The Ninth Princess said with a resentful look, "I saw it with my own eyes!"
Consort Shen immediately shouted, "Yuanyi! Shut up!"
Qin Jinzhi almost burst out laughing when she saw her.
"You said you saw it with your own eyes, which means you were also in the Empress Dowager's back garden at the time."
Granny Li said that the Imperial Guards were sent away by someone. So, it was you who sent them away?
You sent the Imperial Guards away and allowed men from outside the palace to enter. What are you trying to do?
The Ninth Princess turned pale and immediately looked at the Emperor, "Father, I didn't! I just happened to see it with Brother Pei!"
Qin Jinzhi raised an eyebrow. "So, you were indeed in the garden at the time. Why were you in my grandmother's garden? No one is allowed to enter except for the people of Jiaofang Palace."
The Ninth Princess immediately retorted, "I've heard that Her Majesty the Empress's garden is exquisitely crafted, and I'd like to see it for myself."
Qin Jinzhi immediately asked, "Then why is Pei Jinnian with you?"
Suddenly, as if she had just realized something, she exclaimed, "Oh!!! You and Pei Jinnian are having a secret rendezvous!"
The Ninth Princess immediately knelt down, "I didn't! Father, don't listen to this vile woman's nonsense!"
Qin Jinzhi clicked her tongue. "So that's why Minister Pei didn't approve of my marriage with Pei Jinnian. It turns out he's climbed the social ladder to marry a real princess. Of course, a princess's status is much higher than mine. It's just a pity that Miss Cui almost lost her life for him, and her fiancé was stolen away by her best friend. How interesting."
Her nonchalant demeanor made it seem as if someone else was the culprit who nearly caused Miss Cui's death.
Minister Pei felt as if the sky was about to fall. It was not because Qin Jinzhi was angry and embarrassed after her advances were rejected that she seriously injured his beloved son.
How could his son have become a thief who trespassed into the inner palace and had an affair with the princess in such a short time? If this gets out, what will become of the reputation of the Pei family!
Minister Pei said in a somewhat flustered voice, "Your Majesty, I am completely innocent. I absolutely did not have any private dealings with Her Highness the Princess, nor did I intend to offend Her Majesty the Empress. Please investigate thoroughly, Your Majesty!"
Consort Shen's face was so black it looked like it was about to drip water. This Qin Jinzhi had been full of evil schemes since she was a child, and she ruined the reputation of many people with just a few words.
If it is confirmed that Pei Jinnian and the princess were having an affair, then Prime Minister Cui will become her complete enemy!
The Pei family may not let this go easily!
How could she have given birth to such an idiot!
Qin Jinzhi didn't even need to use any tricks; she just walked right into the circle!
She stepped forward and said softly:
"Your Majesty, there must be some misunderstanding!"
Yuanyi has always been playful, and as a young girl, she must have longed for her sister's garden, which was full of beautiful flowers.
As for Vice Minister Pei's son, it was his first time entering the palace, and it was understandable that he was disoriented.
Yuan Yi has always been kind-hearted and couldn't bear to see the Pei family's youngest son constantly running around guiding her, which is why she accidentally stumbled upon the princess bullying a palace maid.
"My elder sister dotes on Princess Jinzhi so much, yet Princess Jinzhi bullies her maids as soon as she returns. The younger sister feels heartbroken for her sister."
Qin Jinzhi really wanted to applaud Consort Shen. With just a few words, she managed to absolve herself of all blame and even sow discord between Consort Shen and her grandmother.
What an amazing mouth!
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