The banquet was very lively, and after a few rounds of drinks, everyone was slightly tipsy, and their voices couldn't help but get louder...
"Report..."
A hurried sound rang out, followed by a guard rushing in from outside, stumbling and looking extremely flustered...
Finally, he crawled to a spot not far from the emperor, his hair disheveled in the process…
"How dare you! What's the matter that you're in such a panic?"
Before the Emperor could speak, Eunuch Tang immediately stepped forward and reprimanded him!
"Your Majesty, something terrible has happened..."
The guard was so flustered that he was incoherent; clearly, what had happened had a great impact on him…
"Shut up, speak properly..."
Despite his anger, Eunuch Tang continued to scold the guards, even resorting to his Lion's Roar to rouse them from their daze.
"Your Majesty...the little princess...the little princess, she..."
Upon hearing that it was the little princess, the emperor jumped to his feet and glared at the guards. Eunuch Tang rushed up to one of the guards, grabbed him by the collar, and berated him.
"Speak quickly, or I'll exterminate your entire family..."
Upon hearing Eunuch Tang's words, the guard realized that he had inadvertently offended the Emperor. However, the incident was too significant for him to ignore, and he was still in shock.
"Your Majesty...the little princess...she's dead..."
Bang!
The Emperor strode up to the guard, kicked him, and roared in shock and anger.
"Impossible... How dare you deceive me..."
The guard was kicked five meters away by the emperor, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth as he landed...
"Your Majesty...it's...it's true..."
The guard clutched his chest and said with difficulty, his pained expression showing just how hard the emperor had kicked him!
The hall fell silent for a moment. Li Zhu stood up in shock, unable to believe that his younger sister, who had just been vying for his favor, was dead...
"Who? Who dares to touch my little princess? I will kill him... kill him..."
The emperor roared furiously, his eyes instantly turning bloodshot, his murderous gaze leaving no doubt about his determination to kill…
"Your Majesty... Consort Zhu has fainted. We still don't know who could be so heartless..."
The guard answered obediently.
"Li Zhu..."
The emperor shouted angrily…
Startled, Li Zhu realized something was wrong. He had a feeling this was a trap set for him, a more meticulous and ruthless scheme than the Second Prince's elaborate scheme today…
"Your subject is here!"
Regardless of the circumstances, it's unavoidable now. All he can do now is try his best to prove his innocence!
"Was it you who escorted Xian'er back to the inner palace? Was there anyone suspicious?"
The emperor, suppressing his murderous intent, asked!
"Father, I haven't discovered anything; the journey has been completely peaceful..."
Li Zhu answered truthfully, and that was indeed the truth!
Where was the little princess murdered?
The Emperor looked at the guard and asked!
"In front of Consort Zhu's palace..."
"Li Zhu..."
The emperor looked at Li Zhu again, and his anger was palpable from the way he addressed him. This was definitely the calm before the storm!
"Father, your son... left only after escorting Xian'er to Consort Zhu's palace..."
Li Zhu knew what his adoptive father wanted to ask, and he also knew that he was now the prime suspect, after all, he was the last person to be alone with Li Xian'er...
How did the little princess die?
The emperor gritted his teeth and stared at the guard, asking!
"Yes...yes..."
The guard hesitated for a long time, unable to give a clear answer...
"Speak quickly..."
The emperor rebuked!
"Your Majesty...you...you should be prepared..."
The guard kindly offered this reminder!
"Stop talking nonsense and just say it..."
The emperor was already suppressing his anger; if it weren't for needing a guard to reply, he would have loved to chop the man into mincemeat...
"The little princess was... was raped to death..."
"What?"
The emperor swayed, nearly falling over; the blow was too great.
"Investigate! Find out who dared to commit such a beastly act against my most beloved princess right here in my palace! Even tearing them to pieces and scattering their ashes wouldn't quell the hatred in my heart..."
The emperor's anger had reached its peak, but anger could not solve the problem, and since the incident had already occurred, the culprit had to be found...
"Father, only the Crown Prince escorted Sister Xian'er back just now. I think this matter is inextricably linked to the Crown Prince..."
The second prince stepped forward and spoke calmly, a stark contrast to his timid and submissive demeanor in the crown prince's palace not long ago...
"Li Ke, do you know what you're saying?"
The emperor, barely suppressing his anger, rebuked them. At this critical moment, instead of seeking the murderer, they were taking advantage of his brother's misfortune; this was something he found utterly unacceptable…
"Father, I wasn't the only one who saw this; everyone present saw that it was my elder brother who took my sister Xian'er away..."
The second prince hurriedly replied, though he was afraid of his father's authority, he did not change his story...
"Father, although I am very reluctant to believe that my brother is such a person, everyone did see that Sister Xian'er left with my brother. Please, Father, see the truth!"
At this moment, the Third Prince also spoke up in agreement. If it were only the Second Prince, the Emperor could pretend not to hear, but now that the Third Prince had also stepped forward, their words could not be ignored!
"Li Zhu, is there anything you want to say?"
Being watched by his adoptive father, the emperor, made Li Zhu feel a little guilty. However, he hadn't done anything wrong and wasn't afraid of being questioned, so he calmly said...
"Father, I am innocent! There's definitely more to this than meets the eye. We must not let the real culprit go unpunished..."
The emperor thought Li Zhu's words made sense, and since the Marquis had been following Li Zhu all along, if it really was him, the Marquis wouldn't have been able to hide it. This was also why he reprimanded the second prince; he felt that his two sons had lost all sense of decency in their struggle for imperial power…
"Your Majesty...you must do justice for me..."
Consort Zhu's voice suddenly came, stumbling and falling all the way until she finally knelt on the ground, hugging the Emperor's leg and weeping as she spoke.
"Your Majesty, Xian'er... Xian'er... she died such a tragic death..."
"My beloved concubine, please rise and speak first..."
Seeing that Consort Zhu had woken up and come to him to complain, the emperor's emotions calmed down slightly, but the murderous intent and anger in his eyes never dissipated...
"Your Majesty... I can't do it... My body is too weak from excessive grief..."
Consort Zhu spoke pitifully, her pained expression even more heart-wrenching, everything seemed like a normal reaction to the sudden death of her daughter. Only Li Zhu felt that Consort Zhu seemed to be faking it…
He felt that no one could be so heartless as to sacrifice their ten-year-old daughter to frame him. What kind of mother could be so cruel?
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