Yu Sangning was brought in feeling desperate. After Ding Jue had quickly led her through the motions at the estate and swiftly departed, telling her everything along the way, she felt as if she’d fallen into an icy pit.
Ding Jue told her he was the Crown Princess’s man, acting on orders, deliberately misleading Xiao Changmin to catch adulterers, thereby discovering this person who looked identical to His Majesty!
The Crown Princess was so daring, able to find someone who looked exactly like His Majesty and keep him so openly. At that moment, she knew Xiao Changmin was finished. Regarding this outcome, she felt relieved she had acted quickly but was also terrified by the Crown Princess’s methods, while tasting bitter regret.
She had schemed carefully to emerge unscathed, and her plan had seemed foolproof. Although she had divorced Xiao Changmin, by citing filial piety, not only would no one despise her, but they would praise her integrity and character.
After she recovered, with more planning and the Crown Princess dealing with Xiao Changmin, it wouldn’t be impossible for her to marry into another noble family.
Even His Majesty and the Empress Dowager, given how Xiao Changmin had wronged her, would treat her well.
Everything had gone smoothly until now, but it had all fallen apart at the final moment.
The Crown Princess gave her two choices: either implicate Xiao Changmin or share the charge of treason with him!
Was this even a choice? She had no room to choose at all!
“Yu, answer me, why did you go out late at night and arrange to meet with the Hereditary Prince of Zhenbei?” Emperor Youning’s sharp gaze fixed on Yu Sangning.
The imperial pressure, which Yu Sangning had never experienced before, made her breath catch. For a moment, she seemed to fall into endless darkness, with overwhelming pressure surging toward her from all directions. Yu Sangning’s mind went blank for an instant.
Some words rolled to her throat, about to unconsciously spill out when Ding Jue beside her seemingly collapsed in terror, the dull sound of his fall making Yu Sangning’s spine tighten, bringing back some rationality.
Even if she told the truth now, repeating everything Ding Jue had just told her to His Majesty, directly pointing out that everything was the Crown Princess’s scheme to destroy Xiao Changmin, she had no evidence.
It would only make His Majesty suspicious of Shen Xihe, and Ding Jue had already hinted that the Crown Princess was pregnant. In this situation, even if His Majesty wanted to interrogate and detain the Crown Princess citing the gravity of the matter, he couldn’t.
Because if it turned out to be unrelated to the Crown Princess, harming the Crown Prince’s bloodline would be too high a price for His Majesty to pay. Therefore, His Majesty wouldn’t rashly arrest the Crown Princess.
But without even a simple arrest, even if she implicated the Crown Princess, she would end up bearing all the consequences. Moreover, Ding Jue’s daring to tell her was naturally on the Crown Princess’s instructions. Since the Crown Princess had told her everything, she must have anticipated that Yu Sangning might break under imperial questioning and reveal the truth and surely had countermeasures prepared.
At this point, even knowing she had become the Crown Princess’s pawn, she had to be an obedient and useful one, or she would be the first to be broken!
Her thoughts racing, Yu Sangning appeared stunned into silence, until Liu Sanzhi had to remind her: “Yu, how dare you not answer His Majesty’s question?”
Trembling, Yu Sangning seemed to finally come to her senses. She replied shakily, “Your… Your Majesty, I actually… saw this person earlier at the Prince’s residence…”
“Yu!” Xiao Changmin’s eyes nearly burst from their sockets, the blood from his forehead had seeped into his eyes, making them red and bloodshot, looking more ferocious than an enraged beast in the jungle.
If not for the guards present, Yu Sangning believed Xiao Changmin would have pounced on her and torn her to death.
Not daring to look at Xiao Changmin again, Yu Sangning prostrated herself, her voice choked and trembling: “Your Majesty, every word is true. I saw this person at the Prince’s residence before. At first, I thought it was Your Majesty visiting, but later seeing how the… The second Prince showed no respect to this person, I began to suspect.
Since then, I couldn’t sleep at night, tossing and turning, anxious in my heart. I tried to probe the Second Prince secretly but to no avail. I saw him once more, then never again.
Until after my divorce from the Second Prince, one day the Hereditary Prince of Zhenbei came to see my brother and inadvertently mentioned seeing Your Majesty at… at a brothel.”
“I… I didn’t…” Ding Jue stammered a weak denial.
He was already trembling in fear.
Emperor Youning didn’t show anger, but said in a deep voice: “Continue!”
“Your Majesty! Your Majesty! Yu is fabricating lies, she’s slandering me, she must have been bought to harm my life, Your Majesty! To frame me, she would even abandon her flesh and blood. That day I took medicine in my concubine’s chamber, this medicine came from Ding Jue’s hands. Your Majesty, please investigate clearly, I am wronged!”
Speaking thus, Xiao Changmin knocked his head heavily on the ground, his already injured forehead instantly leaving a bloodstain on the carpet.
“Imperial Physician, don’t let him die!” Emperor Youning shouted, then stared at Xiao Changmin, “I will certainly investigate thoroughly, don’t be so quick to claim innocence!”
Then he ordered Yu Sangning: “Continue!”
Yu Sangning maintained her terrified expression, her body trembling: “I… I was scared to death when I heard… how could Your Majesty be at a brothel? That brothel… that brothel is Second Prince’s business…”
This bombshell left Xiao Changmin reeling. Yu knew, she knew the brothel was his business!
He had kept this matter so secret! He was certain no one in the capital could know, yet Yu knew!
In fact, if not for the Bu Shulin incident, even Xiao Huayong wouldn’t have known that Xiao Changmin was truly behind the brothel!
Yu Sangning certainly didn’t know this – Ding Jue had told her before being stopped by the Five Cities Command!
“Liu Sanzhi, investigate the brothel personally, investigate it thoroughly for me!” Emperor Youning ordered.
Investigating the brothel would be complex without knowing who owned it, but now knowing it was Xiao Changmin’s business, investigating from his end wouldn’t be difficult!
Xiao Changmin hurriedly prostrated himself: “Your Majesty, the brothel is indeed my business, and I have indeed profited considerably from it, but I have not committed treason!”
Emperor Youning glanced at him, then said to Liu Sanzhi who was awaiting orders: “Go investigate!”
After Liu Sanzhi withdrew, Emperor Youning’s heavy gaze fell on Yu Sangning again: “Tell me everything you know!”
Yu Sangning shuddered: “Your… Your Majesty, I only began associating with the Hereditary Prince of Zhenbei after my miscarriage. The reason was the pill that the Second Prince mentioned. I knew the pill was what the Second Prince took that day, so I asked the Hereditary Prince where the pill came from. After he told me, he agreed to help me investigate…”
Omitting that the formula came from her ancestors and the real reason she asked Ding Jue to investigate, everything else Yu Sangning said was true!
Seven parts truth and three parts lies – when His Majesty verified it, there would be no discrepancies!