Princess Chun'an's face was grim:
"At a time like this, you still dare to be so arrogant as to sit in a wheelchair? Why don't you kneel down and accept your punishment?!"
Seeing the signal from the Grand Princess Chun'an, the palace servants pulled Su Wanwan off the wheelchair and forced her to kneel on the ground.
His face was pressed against the ground, and his hands were twisted behind his back by the palace servants.
Empress Zhang looked at Sun Wanwan with a cold smile:
"You jinx, are you trying to take this opportunity to kill us all, bewitch the emperor, and become the empress who rules the world?"
Su Wanwan endured the pain of her hands being forcibly twisted, forcefully tilted her head back to look at Empress Dowager Zhang, and calmly explained:
"Your Majesty, you have misunderstood. This servant would never have such thoughts!"
Empress Zhang's eyes were filled with malice:
"Hmph, you wouldn't dare to even think that?"
"Back then, your mother harbored thoughts of seducing the late emperor. You are the daughter of that vixen, how could you not have had the same idea?!"
"Guards, slap her!"
Su Wanwan did not struggle when she was pinned to the ground.
At this moment, she was like a lamb to the slaughter, only able to wait for the butcher's knife to fall.
"Stop!" Lu Xingjian appeared at the door of the east side room at some point, his face tense and his eyes filled with coldness.
Imperial Son-in-Law Cai Zhen hurriedly rose and bowed:
"This old minister pays his respects to Your Majesty."
He couldn't stand seeing two high-ranking people bullying an injured palace maid.
But as an outsider, it wasn't easy for him to speak up at this time.
Lu Xingjian walked up to Su Wanwan, his gaze sweeping over her, his tone indifferent:
"The Empress Dowager has just woken up and should not be startled. Fighting and killing will disturb her."
Su Wanwan was pinned to the ground, her vision obstructed, and she could only see the hem of his robe.
A deep sense of humiliation arose in my heart.
Humiliation that runs deep in the bones.
In the eyes of these superiors, she was nothing but an ant, someone they could trample on at will.
It is a sin to disturb them during their torture.
Even though she knew he was just looking for an excuse to save her, she still felt humiliated and upset.
Empress Dowager Zhang's face was full of hostility:
"Such a jinx will only bring disaster if left in the palace, Your Majesty. This matter must be handled with utmost care."
Lu Xingjian said, "The Lady of Ruian died of poisoning, which has nothing to do with whether she is a jinx or not."
"As for the others, they still need to be investigated. Your Majesty, please be careful with your words."
Things happened too suddenly and too fast; he wasn't prepared at all.
Princess Chun'an looked displeased. "Your Majesty, are you going to disobey the Empress Dowager for the sake of such a woman? Aren't you afraid that the world will condemn you for being unfilial?"
That's a pretty strong statement.
This dynasty "governs the world with filial piety".
If the emperor does not uphold filial piety, how can he set an example for the world?
If someone's virtue doesn't match their position, naturally someone will want to take their place.
Princess Chun'an was a member of Lu Xingjian's grandfather's generation. She was the oldest living princess, and her husband was in charge of the Imperial Clan Court, making her a highly respected figure.
If she were to raise her arms and call to action, I fear that all the regional princes would be eager to make a move and try to dethrone the emperor.
Lu Xingjian's disadvantage lies in his status as a junior.
He has only been on the throne for two years, but he already has too many elders above him.
They were all very ambitious and wielded considerable power.
Once the label of filial piety is attached to him, many things he does and says become too easy to be criticized from his perspective.
"Hmph, not observing filial piety?" The Empress Dowager was helped out and snorted coldly.
"Lu Jinse, are you blind? There's a clear example of unfilial behavior right in front of you, yet you're still making things up and falsely accusing others."
The Empress Dowager's voice was old and weak, but the irony was still undiminished.
Lu Jinse is the name of the Grand Princess of Chun'an.
Princess Chun'an didn't dare to reply at this moment.
Among the current members of the royal family in the capital, only the Empress Dowager can surpass her in terms of seniority and status.
Just now, the Empress Dowager fainted and went into her bedchamber for treatment. Her daughter-in-law, Empress Zhang, did not go in with her, but her grandson, Lu Xingjian, did.
It's crystal clear who is filial and who is not.
After the Empress Dowager sat down, she took a long time to recover before weakly having someone help Su Wanwan up from the ground and put her back in her wheelchair.
“Zhang, your dislike for Wanwan, in the end, isn’t it all because of Zheng Jinlian? Why go to such lengths to kill a junior?”
Upon hearing this, everyone present was stunned.
The name "Zheng Jinlian" was a taboo in the royal family.
It actually came from the mouth of the Empress Dowager, the most respected ancestor of the royal family.
Su Wanwan's heart began to pound wildly.
She glanced at Lu Xingjian cautiously.
He just stood there, looking exhausted and indifferent.
The name seems to have no effect on him.
Empress Dowager Zhang was the first to regain her senses:
"Su Wanwan was raised by that slut Zheng Jinlian, what good intentions could she possibly have?"
"Mother, we must not allow Su Wanwan to continue to stay in the palace and harm our royal family. Look, even the young Empress has fallen ill because of her..."
Lu Xingjian finally turned his gaze to Empress Dowager Zhang.
A chilling coldness filled his eyes.
Empress Dowager Zhang shuddered involuntarily, and her words faltered, and she didn't utter another word.
The Empress Dowager's aged voice was slow, yet extremely authoritative:
"Are you afraid that Zheng Jinlian will come back alive and take your position as Empress Dowager?"
Mrs. Zhang's face turned deathly pale instantly.
Princess Chun'an also panicked and kept giving Cai Zhen meaningful glances.
Cai Zhen had no choice but to bite the bullet and speak:
"Our ancestors, please be careful with your words and do not be misled by heresies."
"When the late emperor was alive, didn't he imprison Zheng Wang, who spread rumors and misled the public, in the Ministry of Justice's jail? How dare he impersonate the Crown Prince's maternal grandfather? He deserves to die!"
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