After speaking these words, Consort Xiao angrily smashed her teacup!
Bang—
Gao Bingze’s entire body trembled. How could he not know the severity of this matter?
His body prostrated low on the ground, his lips trembling as he said: “Your Ladyship, this subject is wronged. This matter… this subject truly doesn’t know. I beg Your Ladyship to investigate clearly!”
While Ji Muqing beside him cried like a pear blossom in the rain, clutching the front of her garment, kneeling weakly on the ground, raising her tear-filled eyes, desperately shaking her head.
Choking out an explanation: “Your Ladyship, I absolutely did not do such a thing. I also don’t know why it’s like this, I truly don’t know…”
“Stop your nonsense! This matter is laid out before our eyes, yet you two still deny it!” Consort Xiao said.
Ji Muqing immediately rolled and crawled, shuffling on her knees to Consort Xiao’s front, clutching her thighs, begging bitterly: “I truly haven’t lied. I don’t even know him at all. Where would such relations between man and woman come from? Your Ladyship must return this commoner woman’s innocence. If this matter is spread abroad, this commoner woman cannot live. Please don’t wrongly accuse me.”
“Hmph!”
Consort Xiao swept her sleeve and directly kicked her away, angrily saying: “You mean that this palace has wrongly accused you two?”
“No… I don’t mean that, but I truly did not engage in illicit relations with this person.”
She collapsed on the ground, crying until her eyes were swollen.
Her clothes disheveled, her hair untidy, even the makeup she most valued had been cried away.
“Whether or not you’re innocent, this palace will have someone examine you and then we’ll know.” As her words fell, Consort Xiao gave Sang Lan a significant look with her eyes.
Sang Lan understood tacitly, having several young palace maids pull Ji Muqing up from the ground and take her to the inner hall.
In less than a moment, she was dragged out and thrown directly onto the ground.
Sang Lan walked respectfully to Consort Xiao’s front and whispered a few words.
Consort Xiao’s face accordingly darkened.
She walked to stand before Ji Muqing, who was like a broken person, squatted down, and said: “You are no longer innocent, yet you still say you’re wronged?”
Although Ji Muqing’s eyes were wide open, they appeared very lifeless.
Just now in the inner hall, the palace servants had examined her body, and she had actually lost her virginity!
That is to say, she and a strange man had been intimate last night.
She herself was terrified.
Gao Bingze raised his head in disbelief, his face full of panic, completely softening onto the ground.
He didn’t remember the events of last night, only knowing he had been sleeping in his room!
Could it be—
They truly did that kind of thing?
After a long while, he heard Ji Muqing’s trembling voice say: “Why is it like this? Why? I couldn’t possibly do such a thing, it’s impossible…”
Consort Xiao arched her curved willow-leaf eyebrows, questioning her: “Impossible? Then you tell this palace, last night, what exactly happened? Why did you appear at the Hanlin Academy?”
“I…”
“Speak!”
Ji Muqing bit her lips tightly, while firmly gripping her clothes, her eyes vacant for a long moment before saying: “Someone delivered the Crown Prince’s letter, asking me to go alone to the Eastern Palace. On the road, my neck hurt and I fainted. When I woke up… Your Ladyship, everything I’ve said is true, I absolutely dare not deceive in the slightest. Your Ladyship must investigate clearly. In this matter, this commoner woman was also harmed by someone.”
The corners of Consort Xiao’s lips curved up secretly in a cold smile as she looked toward Gao Bingze.
Although Gao Bingze didn’t cry out loudly, he was so frightened his soul had long fled.
Having slept with the internally designated Crown Princess—this crime he could not bear by any means. Frightened to a certain degree, he became numb.
Until—
“Minister Gao, this palace asks you once more: if this matter is truly as Miss Ji said, and last night someone knocked her unconscious and brought her to the Hanlin Academy, then was that person you?”
Gao Bingze’s body shuddered!
“This humble subject would absolutely never do such a thing. His Majesty’s birthday is approaching, and although this humble subject has remained at the Hanlin Academy these past days, I have not stepped outside the Hanlin Academy once. Regarding last night’s matter, I beg Your Ladyship to investigate clearly.”
He kowtowed several times loudly.
Consort Xiao was someone without patience. Her face turning cold, she waved her hand at the several eunuchs beside her, saying: “Take this disgrace away and imprison him for this palace. Without this palace’s permission, this matter cannot be spread. If anyone dares leak even half a word, this palace will remove your heads.”
“Yes!”
The three eunuchs in the hall immediately pulled Gao Bingze up and dragged him outside.
“Your Ladyship, investigate clearly! This subject truly didn’t do it, I beg Your Ladyship to investigate…” His voice echoed, dragged longer and longer, growing smaller and smaller.
Ji Muqing huddled her body, her face pale, worried it would be her turn.
She didn’t want to go to prison!
Watching Consort Xiao move toward her, that sense of terror was increasingly magnified.
Her body leaned backward as she begged for mercy: “Your Ladyship, this commoner woman doesn’t want to go to prison. I beg Your Ladyship to spare me.”
Who would have known that Consort Xiao would actually squat down, warmly grasping her hand, her face full of kindness.
“Muqing, come, stand up.”
Ji Muqing was dumbfounded!
Her body trembled, her lips quivering, allowing Consort Xiao to help her up and sit down beside her.
Then—
Consort Xiao swept her sleeve and ordered the people in the hall: “All of you, leave.”
The servants withdrew one by one.
Only Sang Lan remained attending beside them.
Consort Xiao took out a handkerchief and personally wiped the tears from Ji Muqing’s face, saying: “This palace knows this matter has nothing to do with you. You were also harmed by someone. Rest assured, this palace will not speak of this matter. Let’s act as if nothing happened.”
Ji Muqing’s eyes brightened.
“Does Your Ladyship mean I can still become the Crown Princess?”
Don’t even think about it!
Consort Xiao shook her head: “You are no longer innocent. To become Crown Princess is impossible in this lifetime.”
“Then…”
“That such a thing happened, this palace also feels for you.” Speaking thus, she reached out to remove the crooked jade hairpin from Ji Muqing’s head, tidied her disheveled hair, inserted the jade hairpin again, then said: “Tomorrow you need not attend the Crown Princess selection. After all, you are no longer innocent. If discovered, it would be a great crime—even your elder brother couldn’t save you.”
“Then what should I do?”
Anxious!
“Don’t worry, this palace will plan a way forward for you.”
“A way forward?” Ji Muqing didn’t understand.
Consort Xiao’s red lips curved: “Muqing, this palace quite favors you. With just one word from you, after the Crown Princess selection is over, this palace will memorialize His Majesty to have Prince Yi marry you.”
When these words came out, they shocked Ji Muqing to her core!
Her body tensed as she stared wide-eyed at her: “Your Ladyship, what you’re saying—is it true?”
Consort Xiao stood up, taking small light steps.
“This palace’s words are as good as done. Prince Yi will also listen to this palace and marry you. No one will know about last night’s matter.”
To be able to marry Jing Yi and also cover up her own defilement—it was simply a blessing from heaven!
How could she know that Consort Xiao had set a vicious trap for her?
Making her voluntarily give up being Crown Princess while also having her own son marry her to win over Ji Li and Ji Huan—this was killing two birds with one stone.
But Ji Muqing was completely unaware.
The next moment, she suddenly stood up, pulling at Consort Xiao’s sleeve and asking worriedly: “But will that person speak of it?”
Consort Xiao’s phoenix eyes lifted, carrying a chill.
“He won’t have the opportunity to speak. This palace guarantees it.”
…