Chapter 387: Doubting His Existence
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
Xiao Jin turned to look at Zhang Shuming. “Has the Empress returned to the palace?”
Zhang Shuming replied, “Your Majesty, your servant hasn’t received any news that the Empress has returned to the palace.”
Xiao Jin nodded. He then turned to the Imperial Guard and said, “Go to the palace gate and stand guard there. When the Empress returns to the palace, immediately come and inform me.”
The Imperial Guard murmured an acknowledgment somewhat in a daze and excused himself.
“Summon an Imperial Physician to take a look at the Third Prince’s injuries. Then release Imperial Consort De from her confinement and let her come over.”
Zhang Shuming answered in the affirmative and excused himself.
At the palace for temporary stays, the palace maids went back and forth. It took them quite some time to deliver clean clothes to the palace for temporary stays.
After Lin Zhuyu received the set of clothes, she was thinking about how to stall for time. When she turned around and walked into the inner hall, she saw Su Ying already sitting on a chair and drinking tea.
Lin Zhuyu got a shock. She did not hear any movement just now.
“Your Imperial Highness has returned. Let me help Your Imperial Highness change.”
Su Ying nodded. After changing her clothes, she walked out.
Prince Yu had been standing guard in the side hall the entire time. When he heard the sound of movement, he immediately turned to look at Su Ying.
Just as he was about to walk toward Su Ying, he saw a maidservant hurriedly running over to whisper into his ear.
Prince Yu’s expression changed drastically when he heard her words. He quickly glanced at Su Ying and frowned as he stepped forward. “It’s getting late. I will send Your Imperial Highness back to the palace.”
Su Ying replied with a nod, “Then I’ll have to trouble you, Prince Yu.”
Prince Yu sent Su Ying onto the horse carriage with an uneasy expression. Thereafter, he turned around and boarded the horse carriage behind him.
The moment the curtain was lowered, his expression instantly clouded over. “This self-righteous fool!”
Earlier, the maidservant came to tell him Princess Pingling was caught red-handed by the Imperial Guards in the palace while she was trying to assassinate the Third Prince. She was still detained in the palace right now.
Su Ying’s horse carriage stopped outside the palace gates, and Lin Zhuyu helped her out of the horse carriage.
The Imperial Guard who had been instructed to stand guard outside the palace gates was stunned the moment he saw Su Ying.
He rubbed his eyes hard and began to doubt himself.
“Greetings, Your Imperial Highness.”
Su Ying gestured for them to rise and went back to Conjugal Phoenix Palace with Lin Zhuyu.
Prince Yu shot one glance at Su Ying’s back profile and didn’t think much further. He then walked toward Xiao Jin’s palace with the palace maid leading the way.
Xiao Jin had just entered the Third Prince’s palace when he heard Consort De’s heart-wrenching cries.
“My poor Prince, what sin have you committed? If you had not been discovered in time, your life would have been lost…”
“The Emperor has arrived!”
When Consort De heard the noise, she howled even louder. This was a good opportunity to get Xiao Jin to cancel the marriage agreement.
“Your Majesty, 1 beg you. You have to seek justice for the Third Prince. That Princess of the Nan State clearly wants to take the Third Prince’s life. They are not here to negotiate peace. They are clearly here to harm other people!” Consort De knelt in front of Xiao Jin with a face full of tears and snot. She straightaway elevated Princess Pingling’s behavior to the state’s level of importance.
Xiao Jin gestured to the palace maids to help Consort De up and comforted her, “Consort De, don’t be anxious. I have already sent people to investigate this matter. If Princess Pingling really has such evil intentions, I will definitely not tolerate it.”
Xiao Li stood at the side with his head lowered. At that time, he was furious when he recovered himself, but now that he had regained his senses, he felt a wave of lingering fear.
If the Imperial Guards had not arrived in time, his life would have been lost in the hands of Princess Pingling. That woman really wanted to kill him!
“Are you alright, Third Younger Brother?” Xiao Jin spoke. His voice scared Xiao Li so much it sent shivers down his spine. He looked at Xiao Jin with panic-stricken eyes.
When he saw this, Xiao Jin reached out and patted him on the shoulder before motioning for him to sit on the chair. “Don’t be afraid. I will protect you.”
At that moment, Xiao Li really believed Xiao Jin’s words and even treated him as his supportive backer.
“Your Majesty, she… she really wants to kill me. Your Majesty, I beg Your Majesty to cancel my marriage agreement with that vicious girl.”
Xiao Jin told him not to be anxious. “Sit down and talk slowly. Go and make a bowl of soup for the Third Prince to calm his nerves.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
After Xiao Jin sat down on a chair, Zhang Shuming walked in. “Your Majesty, the Capital Governor has already brought people to investigate. They discovered that there is a kind of passion-arousing incense in the Third Prince’s inner hall. Half of it is missing, and it hasn’t finished burning yet.” “What passion-arousing incense? She’s simply shameless!” Consort De’s expression turned ferocious.
Xiao Jin frowned. “Go and bring Princess Pingling here.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
As soon as the Imperial Guards left, a eunuch came to report that Prince Yu was seeking an audience. Xiao Jin decided to see him together as well.
Prince Yu and Princess Pingling were quickly brought over.
The Imperial Guards escorted Princess Pingling and brought her to kneel in front of Xiao Jin. Prince Yu also bowed in greeting.
“Your Majesty, there must be some misunderstanding. Princess wholeheartedly wants to get to know the Third Prince better. She even sent people into the palace to inquire about his preferences, just so that she can get along well with the Third Prince in the future. Why would she try to harm him for no rhyme or reason?” Prince Yu anxiously defended Princess Pingling.
“She was strangling my neck. She almost strangled me to death, yet you still insist that she was not trying to kill me?”
Xiao Jin looked at Princess Pingling and said, “Let me ask you. Why did you light the passion-arousing incense in the Third Prince’s inner hall? And how did you get in?”
Passion-arousing incense?
Princess Pingling was here to kill him, so why would she burn that kind of damned incense!
Princess Pingling wanted to deny it, but Prince Yu cut in first, “Why are you so muddle-headed? You will marry the Third Prince sooner or later. Even if the Third Prince doesn’t like you now, you two have the marriage Imperial edict in your hands. He can’t possibly run away from you, can he? Yet you can’t even wait to rush up to him! You’re simply shameless!”
Princess Pingling was also taken aback by Prince Yu’s words, but she quickly reacted.
If she had only come to sleep with Xiao Li, even though she was shameless, her crime would not warrant the death penalty.
If the crime of her coming to assassinate Xiao Li was confirmed, she would die without a doubt!
After weighing the pros and cons, Princess Pingling gritted her teeth and said, “I… I did something stupid in a fit of muddle-headed confusion. Please forgive me, Your Majesty. 1 heard that the Third Prince didn’t like me and despised me for being older, so I wanted to jump the gun and sleep with him. I shouldn’t have done that. Please forgive me, Your Majesty.”
Princess Pingling had admitted to her crime, but the crime she admitted to was completely different from what Consort De and Xiao Li had imagined!
“Your Majesty, she’s here to kill my son. Don’t listen to her nonsense!”
“That’s right, Your Majesty. You mustn’t believe her so easily.”
Xiao Jin pondered for a moment before saying, “Didn’t the Imperial Guards see what happened back then? Let them in.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
The Imperial Guards who were the first to rush into the inner hall quickly entered.
“Tell me. What did you guys see when you came in?” Xiao Jin asked.
Upon hearing the query, the Imperial Guards replied, “Your Majesty, when we went in, we saw Princess Pingling sitting on the Third Prince’s body and strangling him.”
“That… that was because he wanted to resist. I didn’t want him to escape!” Princess Pingling hurriedly said.
Xiao Jin frowned with a troubled look. “Both of you insist on your own version of the incident. I won’t jump to conclusions before conclusive evidence is unearthed.”
“Your Majesty…”
Xiao Jin stopped Consort De.
“Consort De, don’t worry. I will seek justice for the Third Prince. It’s getting late, so you should all rest first. Before Princess Pingling is cleared of suspicion, she will be locked up in the palace’s prison.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Your Majesty.”
Prince Yu followed Xiao Jin out of the hall.
“Your Majesty, the Princess does not have the intention to harm the Third Prince at all. I beg Your Majesty to investigate thoroughly.”
Xiao Jin paused in his steps and turned to look at him.. “What did you say, Prince Yu? You want to discuss the terms of the peace deal with me now?”
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