Chapter 175 - A Beast Under Human Skin!

Xiao Jingran frowned and said, “What does this have to do with Huanxi? Your Highness, you are framing an innocent person!”

Shen Ninghua lowered her eyes slightly, and then she raised her eyes and laughed out loud. “Lord Xiao, I didn’t expect you to pay back my kindness for saving your daughter, but at least you shouldn’t return kindness with ingratitude, right?”

Xiao Jingran’s expression paused. “Your Highness, you helped cure Huanxi and indeed saved her life. So if the person you hurt was a member of my Xiao family, I would definitely not make things difficult for you so as to repay your life-saving kindness. However, Wang Wei is the only son of the Assistant Minister of Rites. It is truly beyond my ability.”

“Lord Xiao is so magnanimous.”

“That’s right. He truly deserves the trust of His Majesty.”

While the surrounding officials praised and admired Xiao Jingran in a low voice, Shen Ninghua made a sarcastic response.

“Lord Xiao, you’re wrong. The life-saving kindness that I spoke of is not last time’s treatment, but Xiao Huanxi’s being kidnapped this time.”

“What?”

Shen Ninghua’s eyes were cold and her voice was clear like jade. “Lord Xiao, this matter concerns Xiao Huanxi’s reputation. I understand that you want to keep it a secret, but you shouldn’t try to silence me. After all, if it weren’t for me, Wang Wei would have already raped Xiao Huanxi, and you and Lord Wang would be in-laws now.”

The Assistant Minister of Rites suddenly raised his head and glared at Shen Ninghua angrily. “Princess Zhaohua, what do you mean by that?”

Shen Ninghua smiled gently. She took out the confession signed by Wang Wei from her sleeve and handed it to Xiao Jingran. “Lord Xiao, do you want to take a look?”

Xiao Jingran looked at Shen Ninghua with contempt and took the confession. Seeing what was written on it, his expression instantly changed.

It described in detail how Xiao Huanxi had instructed Wang Wei to frame Shen Ninghua. If this confession was handed to the emperor, it would be evidence of a capital crime of murdering the royal princess. At that time, even if the entire Xiao family were exterminated, it would be only a light punishment.

Xiao Jingran’s fingers couldn’t help but tremble slightly, and then he abruptly tore the confession in his hand into pieces. He turned to look at Shen Ninghua, and his bloody and baleful aura pressed down on her.

“Your Highness, you are so meticulous. You even have a written confession?”

Shen Ninghua sneered. She had faced thousands upon thousands of troops before, so how would she be intimidated by Xiao Jingran. “I have no other choice. Ever since I was made Princess, I’ve been framed many times. I’ve developed a habit of leaving behind some evidence for anything I did. I will carefully put away all the evidence I can collect. Maybe there’s a day when it will come into use.”

Xiao Jingran gritted his teeth fiercely. “That’s very thoughtful of Your Highness.”

“I will keep evidence more carefully in the future. Perhaps some will be of use for Lord Xiao.” Xiao Jingran, if you dared to harm me, I would definitely trample you down from the clouds if I got a handle over you!

Xiao Jingran fiercely grasped the shredded paper in his hand and stared at Wang Wei with a stiff gaze. “This monster actually dared to have an evil desire for Huanxi? What a bastard!”

The Assistant Minister of Rites was stunned for a moment, and then a chill arose in his heart. “Lord Xiao, what do you mean by this?”

“What do I mean by this? I thought that Wang Wei had been mistreated when I saw him like this, but now it seems that he deserves it!”

“Lord Xiao, how can you speak like this? My son is a victim!”

“What kind of victim is he? He is clearly a perverted beast! Huanxi is his cousin, but he actually had an evil desire for her. If it wasn’t for Princess Zhaohua’s kind help, Huanxi would probably have lost her life by now.”

As Xiao Jingran said this, he lifted his robe and knelt on the ground. “Your Majesty, please forgive me. I was impulsive and tore up the confession. I beg Your Majesty to give justice to my daughter! That Wang Wei was bold. He actually took advantage of chaos after the banquet to deceive Huanxi and kidnapped her with bad intentions. Fortunately, Princess Zhaohua saved her. Otherwise, the consequences would be unimaginable…Please do justice for us, Your Majesty.”

Many officials in the Imperial Court were at a loss when they heard that the victim suddenly turned into a criminal. Didn’t he say that Princess Zhaohua had harmed Wang Wei? And now the story became one that Princess Zhaohua had saved Xiao Huanxi from the hands of Wang Wei?

Baili Qingcang placed one hand on the imperial desk and the other on his knee. His expression was exceptionally cold. “So that Wang Wei deserved it?”

Xiao Jingran’s heart trembled with anger, but he could only lower his head and admit it. He could not reveal the truth, or else Xiao Huanxi’s life would be in danger.

“Your Majesty, Wang Wei indeed deserved it.”

Baili Qingcang sneered. “Oh, it’s really a good show, huh? Where are those people who were the liveliest a moment ago? What do you have to say now?”

The censors who had spoken for the Assistant Minister of Rites earlier instantly trembled like quails. Things had changed too quickly, and their words were too conclusive. They didn’t even have a way out now.

Suddenly, someone responded. “Your Majesty, we believed in Lord Wang’s words without finding out the truth. Please forgive us, Your Majesty!”

When the others heard this, they immediately echoed, saying that they had been deceived. Meanwhile, they harshly criticized Wang Wei as a beast in human attire.

An obscure smile flashed across Shen Ninghua’s eyes. She swept her gaze across Xiao Jingran’s face and found that his expression was almost as dark as charcoal.

Baili Qingcang narrowed his eyes invisibly, and a flash of displeasure flashed through his heart. After Xiao Jingran said that Wang Wei was the criminal, these people instantly changed their stance and claimed that they were deceived by the Assistant Minister of Rites. Since when did Xiao Jingran have such influence in the court?

The Assistant Minister of Rites covered his chest and sat on the ground with a pale face. “My fellow colleagues, when did I ever deceive you? My son was indeed wronged. How can you add insult to injury?”

“Lord Wang, your son usually bullies the people. We have long heard of his misdeeds.”

“That’s right. I heard that he fought with a drinker in the brothel for a famous prostitute a while ago. You spent a lot of money to settle this matter, right?”

“Lord Wang, it’s understandable that you feel sorry for your son, but you can’t frame Princess Zhaohua. Her Highness had a deep concern for the people. She did many things that benefited the country and the people. She helped relieve the plague, developed a cure for the chickenpox, donated gold for dam enhancement, and offered free clinic service. She is a symbol of righteousness. Why would she plot against your son for no reason?”

“That’s right…”

The hall was once again noisy, but this time, Shen Ninghua was the object of praise. Hearing the praise from the crowd, Shen Ninghua secretly sighed in her heart. As expected of the censors, their mouths can confuse right and wrong, as well as black and white.

After everyone finished arguing, Baili Qingcang lowered his eyes and scanned the entire court. “Assistant Minister of Rites, what else do you have to say?”

The Assistant Minister of Rites slowly knelt up. His hand covered his chest more and more forcefully. Before he could say a word, he suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood!

The incident caused the hall to suddenly quiet down.

Chen Yun stepped forward and glanced at him. He shook his head slightly in his heart. “Your Majesty, Lord Wang suffered a sudden attack of anger which caused his artery to be blocked. I’m afraid that he will have to spend the rest of his life in bed.”

The muscles on Baili Qingcang’s cheeks twitched, and his eyes were filled with anger. “Did someone just say that Wang Wei oppressed the people?”

Chu Junyi walked out in an official uniform. This was the first time Shen Ninghua had seen him in an official uniform. He wore a robe embroidered with a pine and a fairy crane and a silverfish sachet hanging on his waist, which gave him a resolute temperament. He was indeed a handsome and elegant gentleman.

“Your Majesty, Xiao Huanxi is my younger sister. When I heard that something happened to her, I investigated overnight. I didn’t expect that I would actually find out some evidence.

Chu Junyi handed a roll of written complaints in his hand to the eunuch and continued in a deep voice.

“Your Majesty, the twenty-one written complaints are from those parents who wish to get justice for their daughters. The defendant…is Wang Wei, the only son of the Assistant Minister of Rites!”

The Assistant Minister of Rites lay on the ground with his eyes widened and his hands and feet twitching continuously.

Chu Junyi’s eyes did not contain the slightest bit of warmth. This Assistant Minister of Rites spoke of benevolence, righteousness, and morality, but he himself had more than a dozen concubines and countless bedroom maids who had slept with him. His only son, Wang Wei, had raped countless girls, but he had a good father behind him who helped him settle down everything.

Baili Qingcang flipped through the written complaints faster and faster. Finally, he threw the written complaints in his hand into the center of the hall. “Monster! What a monster!”

Many of those complaints were written in blood. Because they were accusing an official, everyone added a large line at the end of the paper vowing that they were willing to roll on the nail plate and walk on the hot iron in exchange for the right to file a complaint. Each written complaint concerned the life of a beautiful girl, and the crimes written on it made people furious after reading it.

“Your Majesty, please calm down!”

“How can I calm down? I really didn’t expect that an official in charge of the Ministry of Rites was actually a beast under human skin. This is truly appalling!”

Baili Qingcang’s expression was gloomy, and the aura around him was violent, scaring all the officials out of their wits.

The rage of the emperor could result in the deaths of thousands of people.

Chu Junyi stood upright unaffected. After Baili Qingcang finished his angry speech, he cupped his hands and said, “Your Majesty, these civilians who submitted the written complaints are waiting outside the imperial palace. If you do not believe me, you can summon them in for questioning.”

Baili Qingcang sat on the throne. The veins on the back of his hands were exposed. “Summon them in!”

Two dozens of people rushed into the hall. They crouched and seemed that they wanted to grovel on the ground.

They lived at the bottom of society, without dignity or status. But for their daughters, they could roll on the nail plate and walk on the hot iron without hesitation, just to see if there was still justice in this world!

Baili Qingcang was furious, but he didn’t know where to vent the anger. After a long while, he took out a complaint written all by blood from the imperial desk. “Whose complaint is this?”

An old man crawled two steps forward.

“Your Majesty, that complaint is mine. I can’t write, so I can only ask a scholar to write for me with my blood. I’m a useless man and don’t have any money. I sold everything in my house to get fifty pennies to pay the scholar for helping me write this complaint!”

Shen Ninghua’s eyes moved slightly and her throat seemed to be blocked. He had to use all his savings for a piece of written complaint to help his daughter seek justice…

The old man groveled on the ground. His body stayed close to the ground, making the most humble gesture.

“Your Majesty, my daughter was robbed by Young Master Wang because of her beautiful appearance. She was never able to come back. She should be married soon. It’s all my fault. If I weren’t sick in bed, I wouldn’t have let my daughter go out to buy vegetable so that she wouldn’t be seen by that beast!”

“Your Majesty, I want to sue the Assistant Minister of Rites and his son. I’m willing to roll on the nail plate. I won’t complain even if I need to climb the knife mountain or go down the boiling oil pot. All I want is justice for my daughter. Her mother had been waiting for her return even before she died…”