When the Empress Dowager arrived, the Emperor immediately felt a little guilty and quickly turned around to ask her, "Why has Mother come?"
"With such a major incident, if I hadn't come soon, I'm afraid someone might have had an affair with another man, gotten pregnant, and then blamed the Crown Prince, thus confusing the royal bloodline."
The Empress Dowager's expression was serious and cold.
Ning Hongxi and Ning Rong both knelt on the ground.
Ning Rong's mind was still buzzing.
She could hardly believe that the person she had just been intimate with in this room was not Yun Zhuo, but an unknown guard.
That waist tag is the unique waist tag of the Palace Guards.
Her innocent body was given to a guard?
She, the daughter of the Prime Minister's family, was actually defiled by an unknown guard.
From the crown prince to the imperial guards...
The contrast was so stark that Ning Rong almost fainted.
But she can't faint yet. If she does, she'll probably be dragged away and executed, never to wake up again.
While being defiled by a guard certainly made her angry, sad, and heartbroken, losing her life was even more unbearable!
Therefore, Ning Rong endured the waves of dizziness!
She trembled and cried out, "Your Majesty, please see the truth! I dare not defile the inner palace. I am also a victim. I came here only to bid farewell to His Highness the Crown Prince. I dare not have any other thoughts."
"Someone with malicious intent drugged me, which is why I thought that man was His Highness the Crown Prince! I have been harmed, I beg Your Majesty to spare my life!"
Ning Hongxi followed up and said, "Your Majesty, my daughter was indeed wrong, but she only made a mistake by mistaking an unknown guard for His Highness the Crown Prince. She did not intend to slander the Crown Prince, nor did she ever have any intention of confusing the royal bloodline. I beg Your Majesty to forgive her this time!"
"Your Majesty, I will certainly teach her a lesson in the future and never let her make such a mistake again. She was too nervous and scared, and she was under the influence of traditional Chinese medicine, which is why she mistook someone for someone else. Please, Your Majesty, show leniency!"
He paused, then continued, "After tonight, I will send her to the estate so she can reflect on her actions! I will also find her a suitable family and marry her off as soon as possible! I beg the Empress Dowager for mercy, and I beg the Emperor for mercy!"
The emperor coughed lightly, looked at the Empress Dowager, and said, "Your Majesty, the Prime Minister has served in the court for many years and has made great contributions. He is not young anymore. It would be too cruel for him to bury his son at this time."
"I recently experienced something similar, and I really can't bear to let the Prime Minister suffer the same fate. Please, Your Majesty, show leniency and spare the Ning family girl. This would be a good deed for your newly arrived great-grandson!" The Emperor said sincerely.
The Empress Dowager was somewhat moved when Ye Qingxue's unborn child was mentioned. There had been no happy events in the palace for a long time, and killing at this time was indeed not a good thing.
Moreover, it's not easy to refuse the emperor's request, since he is the emperor after all. Besides, the prime minister should also be given some face.
After making this decision, the Empress Dowager stared intently at Ning Hongxi and Ning Rong. "Since the Emperor has said so, then I will spare the Ning family girl this time, for the sake of the Emperor."
"However, I urge Prime Minister Ning to find that guard from tonight as soon as possible and arrange for Miss Ning's marriage. Before her marriage, Miss Ning should remain at the estate and is not allowed to enter the capital!"
Ning Hongxi exhaled: "Your Majesty, I thank the Empress Dowager and the Emperor for sparing my life!"
After saying that, he pulled Ning Rong again, and Ning Rong came back to her senses. She immediately knelt down to thank the Empress Dowager and the Emperor for their grace.
The Empress Dowager snorted coldly and ordered them to apologize to Yun Zhuo and Ye Qingxue: "If the Crown Prince hadn't been with the Crown Princess the whole time and hadn't come in from outside, it would have been difficult for him to clear his name tonight."
Having served as prime minister for many years, Ning Hongxi was adept at yielding and readily apologized to Yun Zhuo and Ye Qingxue, even kowtowing once.
Ning Rong, with her lofty ambitions, had never suffered such a loss before, and her heart was practically bleeding.
But to save her life, she eventually kowtowed and admitted her mistake.
Yun Zhuo's brows were cold. "Miss Ning, you must be careful in the future to see clearly who the man you sleep with is. Never again mistake a guard for a member of the royal family, or you will truly be confusing the royal bloodline!"
A blatant mockery! Ning Rong was filled with hatred, but she could only grit her teeth and say, "I will remember the Crown Prince's lesson!"
Yun Zhuo took Ye Qingxue's hand and left with the Empress Dowager.
The emperor then ordered a thorough investigation to find out who had entered the side hall that night and who the token belonged to: "The person must be found for me!"
After the emperor left, Ning Rong collapsed to the ground, completely exhausted and covered in cold sweat.
Tonight, not only was she defiled, but she also almost lost her life... Now that she has survived, she couldn't hold back anymore and threw herself into Ning Hongxi's arms, bursting into tears.
After leaving the palace, in the carriage returning to the Prime Minister's residence.
Ning Hongxi asked Ning Rong to review what happened tonight.
Ning Rong recounted to Ning Hongxi in detail how she entered the palace, how she saw Yun Zhuo, and how she took the medicine.
"Father, the person I saw back then really was Yun Zhuo. I grew up with him, and I would never mistake him for someone else!"
Ning Hongxi remained silent for a long time before saying, "I believe that what you saw back then was indeed the Crown Prince! However, the Crown Prince must have discovered your plan in advance and then turned the tables on you. He ran away beforehand and lured the guards in. You inhaled the sleeping potion and mistook the guard for the Crown Prince!"
Ning Hongxi sighed.
The nephew he had watched grow up was no longer the spirited and naive boy he had imagined.
Indeed, how could a crown prince not be shrewd after being deposed and nearly dying?
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