Chapter 234 Taking the Blame
Du Qingzhi was immediately shocked: "Your Majesty, what are you talking about? I didn't do that! How could I be so bold!"
"Really? That day you fell in front of the Imperial Concubine's palace. I saw it with my own eyes. But there are rumors in the palace that the Imperial Concubine was tyrannical and bullied you and humiliated you on purpose. Qingzhi, didn't you order people to spread it?"
Du Qingzhi desperately shook her head: "No! Your Majesty, I didn't, I don't know!"
Emperor Yuan Yong looked at her steadily, his eyes somewhat complicated. After a while, he slowly said, "If you tell the truth now, I will forgive you this time, and the imperial concubine will not bother with you anymore. Don't remember to answer me, think carefully before you speak."
Du Qingzhi lowered his eyes, but his hands in his sleeves clenched subconsciously, and his heart was pounding.
Xu Lanshan secretly curled her lips, thinking that the emperor really did have some feelings for her. He hadn't even discussed this with her, and now he was speaking for her! What do you mean by not caring? She insisted on caring...
Although Xu Lanshan complained in her heart, she didn't really take it seriously.
How could the Emperor be so heartless? If he truly was such a person, she would look down on him and wouldn't like him at all.
No one knew what kind of ideological struggle Du Qingzhi had in her heart. In fact, she didn't think for long before she raised her head: "Your Majesty, I am wronged. I really didn't--"
"Dong Zhi! You say!" Emperor Yuan Yong's patience was finally exhausted, and he interrupted her impatiently and coldly.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Dong Zhi told the story slowly and brought up the captured young eunuch, Yunxiang and Yunlan.
The young eunuch had already confessed and handed over all the money that Yunxiang and the others had bribed him with.
Yunxiang and Yunlan turned pale, knelt on the ground, trembling and claiming they were innocent. Du Qingzhi was so angry that tears welled up in his eyes, and indignantly questioned Xu Lanshan.
"Why must the Imperial Concubine frame me? The Imperial Concubine is very powerful in the palace, what can she do? I am no match for the Imperial Concubine! I——"
"shut up!"
Emperor Yuan Yong was furious, his dark eyes growing colder and colder. He interrupted Du Qingzhi and said to Dong Zhi, "Go on."
"Yes..." Dong Zhi bowed, glancing at Du Qingzhi with a hint of pity, thinking to himself, "How ungrateful!" He couldn't have offended anyone else, but the Emperor's favorite. He wanted to compete with the Imperial Concubine for who held a higher position in the Emperor's heart. Wasn't that just courting death?
Even the Queen wouldn't dare to compete like this!
When Yunxiang and Yunlan's whereabouts on the day they went to bribe the two young eunuchs were described in detail and there were witnesses, Yunxiang and Yunlan's legs were weak and their hearts were broken so that they could hardly move, but Du Qingzhi was still stubborn.
"Impossible! They would never do such a thing! Your Majesty, this is someone framing me! Your Majesty, please help me!"
Emperor Yuan Yong looked at her and suddenly sneered, which was extremely sarcastic and boring.
What little affection he had for Du Qingzhi in the past completely disappeared.
He was just an ordinary man, no different from most other people.
"Du Qingzhi, do you take me for a fool? What's the point of deceiving yourself like this? The evidence is irrefutable, and since you refuse to admit it, I have no choice but to hand you both over to the Ministry of Punishment for a thorough interrogation!"
"emperor!"
Du Qingzhi's face turned pale in an instant, her heart was broken, and she was stunned by the bolt of thunder in the clear sky!
"Do you admit it?"
“…”
"Dong Zhi, send him to the Ministry of Punishment! I don't believe they can't find out!"
Emperor Yuan Yong no longer had any feelings for her.
"Your Majesty! No, no!" Du Qingzhi had never expected this. She didn't bother to savor the pain of the blow and cried, "Your Majesty, I don't know. I really don't know anything! Yunxiang, Yunlan, what's going on? Why don't you tell the truth!"
Yunxiang and Yunlan looked at Du Qingzhi in disbelief, full of despair.
Girl, are you going to put everything on the two of you and let you take the blame?
Yes, whenever the master makes a mistake, aren't the servants always the ones who take the blame? They should have thought of this when they did this.
I just didn't expect that this day would come so soon.
Yun Lan gritted her teeth and kowtowed to Emperor Yuan Yong and Xu Lanshan, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, this was done by me alone. Yun Xiang was unaware of this and only found out what happened after I coaxed her into going. It was all my idea! I, I am willing to accept the punishment. I beg Your Majesty not to implicate innocent people! I beg Your Majesty to spare the innocent people!"
Yunlan choked up and kowtowed repeatedly.
Yunxiang also sobbed suddenly, looking at Yunlan in shock, her eyes filled with sorrow and pain. She wanted to say something, but Yunlan glared at her fiercely, and she swallowed her words in tears.
They have always had a very good relationship, as close as sisters. Yunlan is willing to risk everything to protect her and the girl. She feels very sad, but she has to admit that she is very timid and she does not have the courage to stand up and share the responsibility with Yunlan.
She hated herself for being like this, but that was all.
In comparison, Du Qingzhi is much calmer and more rational than Yunxiang.
She first opened her eyes wide in disbelief, then angrily scolded Yunlan: "It was you! How could you do such a thing behind my back! How can I face the Imperial Concubine! How can I face the Emperor! Yunlan, I never thought you were such a person!"
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, I am also at fault. I failed to discipline my subordinates well. I am sorry! Please forgive me, Your Majesty! As for Yunlan... I don't have the face to plead with you on her behalf, so I'll leave it to you to deal with. I only ask that you show some mercy and let her die peacefully! Let me, let me take care of her funeral, and I'll be completely satisfied!"
Du Qingzhi seemed to be very disappointed with his son and was heartbroken. He wiped his tears with a handkerchief and sobbed, so sad that he could hardly speak.
Yunxiang lowered her head, tears falling like beads from a broken string, her heart feeling cold.
Girl, how did the girl become like this... It's horrible, it's horrible!
Yunxiang smiled sadly, feeling even more disheartened.
Her master was such a cold and indifferent person! She had nothing to say.
Emperor Yuan Yong became more and more angry.
Are they really treating him like a fool? Do they really think he can't see anything?
This play is too superficial and fake!
"Is this really the case? Yunlan, are you sure it is so?"
"Yes, I dare not deceive the emperor! I only ask for death!"
Du Qingzhi was heartbroken: "Yunlan, why are you so stupid!"
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