"Your majesty, the Fourth Prince was suspected of lying. Later on, it was because of this palace maid's counterattack that the Fourth Prince was able to bear witness to the framing of Lian Rue's name, causing this palace maid to be burned to death. Right now, the Fourth Prince is in the dungeon, but the palace maid is still alive and well. He's not lying. Did he really see the person who was going to frame the Emperor? " Xiao Zhenhai analyzed each point.
Zhou Chengdi seemed to have suddenly thought of something. He slowly turned around and his deep gaze fell on Lian Ruyue and Feng Yunzheng — —
"Speak!" Xiao He quickly pulled out his sharp sword and pressed it against Hui Zhi's neck. His eyes emitted a cold light as he said, "Did you frame the Fourth Prince?"
After waiting for almost a day, the main event of the day had finally arrived. The corners of Lian Xiyue's lips slightly curled up as an indistinct smile appeared on her face before disappearing in the blink of an eye.
"Servant, servant …" Hui Zhi was trembling with fear all over and her voice was trembling. She raised her eyes and looked in the direction of Lian Ruyue and Feng Yunzheng. Her eyes flickered and then fiercely lowered, not daring to look at them again.
At this time, Lian Zhaoyi couldn't help but step forward and say, "Hui Zhi, what's going on? How come you're not dead? Why are you in the Prime Minister's Estate? I have already lost my position of fourth concubine, if you don't speak the truth now, are you going to push me into the cold palace again? "
Hui Zhi was still a member of her palace, no matter what, she couldn't get rid of the suspicion.
"Empress, yes, I'm sorry, Empress." Hui Zhi crawled on the ground and couldn't help but shed tears, looking like he was sorry Lian Zhao Yi.
Xiao Zhenhai's eyes flashed with contemplation as he said, "Your majesty, I'm afraid that this woman has been secretly threatened and doesn't dare to speak the truth. This matter is related to the Fourth Prince's innocence.
Zhou Cheng Di nodded and said, "Yes."
"Your majesty has already spared your life, why aren't you telling me now? "Did someone order you to frame the fourth prince? If you speak any more nonsense, I will definitely serve you with a heavy punishment!" Xiao Shan asked when he saw Hui Zhi not speak for a long time and could not help it.
Hui Zhi seemed to have suffered an intense struggle in his heart as he kowtowed in the direction of Feng Yunzheng and Lian Ruyue. Tears rolled down his face as he said, "Ninth Prince, Eldest Miss, Servant, I'm sorry!"
After saying that, she knelt down towards Zhou Cheng Di and said, "Reporting to your majesty, this servant was actually ordered by First Miss and Ninth Prince to bite back at Fourth Prince that day."
"What …" Zhou Cheng Emperor looked at Feng Yunzheng and Lian Yue. Even Yan Qing was shocked.
The two of them were stunned. Their faces revealed expressions of shock as they kneeled on the ground and said —
"Imperial Father is wise!"
"Your majesty, there's no such thing as this, your majesty."
"Ha!" Xiao Zhenhai smiled. "We should listen to this palace maid talk about what happened that day. The fourth prince can't accept such injustice."
"Continue!" Zhou Chengdi pursed his lips, the expression on his face turning gloomy.
"Yes, Ninth Prince also promised me that as long as we listen to his arrangements, first we would pretend to accuse Miss Lian and then bite back at the appropriate time. Not only will he keep this servant's life, he will also allow this servant to go back home and marry the one he loves."
As expected, this servant was ordered to die by the empress dowager. It was the Ninth Prince's guard, Lord Ye Feng, who saved this servant and pushed her body into the well, creating the illusion that this servant had been burnt to ashes.
Initially, Prince Nine had planned for Lord Ye Feng to use a carriage to take his servant away from the capital. However, the security of the city gate prevented her from leaving the city.
In the end, the eldest miss said that the most dangerous place was the safest place, so she decided to just not do anything and bring the servant back to the Prime Minister's Estate. "Because today is the birthday of the prime minister, I didn't expect that the emperor and the empress would suddenly arrive. I was afraid that I would be caught red-handed, so I put on my kitchen clothes and hid inside the fake mountain. I was already like this, and then it passed. Who knew that just now, there was a snake crawling on my feet, I …"
Hui Zhi recounted the whole story without leakage. The more she recounted it, the more Zhou Chengdi's face turned ashen. His eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at the kneeling Feng Yunzheng and Lian Ruyue in front of him.
Lian Ru Yue smiled bitterly. Although Hui Zhi seemed to be trembling in fear when he said those words, in reality, it was a very perfect punishment against both Feng Yun Zheng and Lian Ru Yue …
She must have been taught to say these words.
"Your majesty, no matter what you say, this palace maid isn't dead yet, and she's still hiding in the Prime Minister's Estate. This is enough to prove that the fourth princess was wrongly accused, your majesty." Xiao Zhenhai looked coldly at Lian Ru Yue before speaking to Emperor Zhou with a trembling voice.
"No, your majesty, she is lying. Your subject's daughter did not collude with her, much less bring her back to the manor. Your majesty, please enlighten me." Lian Ru Yue's entire body trembled, her face was deathly pale, as if she was a wronged person. She tremblingly pointed at Hui Zhi and said, "You and I have no enmity between us, why did you frame me like this?"
"royal father, this woman is in chaos. Her words are simply not enough to win the trust! This son truly has his suspicions. Someone saved this palace maid in secret that day, then used her as a threat to make her testify against this son and Lian Ruyue in front of everyone today. " After Lian Xiyue finished speaking, Feng Yunzheng also immediately retorted Xiao Zhenhai's words. His sharp gaze looked at Hui Zhi, and Hui Zhi lowered his head, not daring to look at him.
"Your majesty, what Ninth Prince said might be reasonable." Lian Zhaoyi whispered beside the emperor.
"Howl …" At this time, a servant in the crowd suddenly started crying. His knees went weak and he kneeled on the ground.
"Who is it?" Lian Yan Qing immediately shouted.
"S-servant …" "Your servant, Xiqiu, pays her respects to the emperor …" This young maid, Xi Qiu, knelt on the ground and glanced at her. She seemed to have some impression of this young maid. What was she going to do now?
"The Emperor is in court, why are you crying?" Lian Yan Qing asked with a dark expression.
"Your servant, your servant is afraid. Your majesty, your majesty, please spare your servant and wait for death." As Xi Qiu spoke, she shed tears again and said, "A few days ago, this servant had met this Hui Zhi at the Prime Minister's Residence."
"Where did you see it?" Xiao Zhenhai asked.
"This servant is, it's from the raccoon room, two days ago I delivered clothes to First Miss's courtyard, because this servant was careless, I made an extra trip, the second time I went to the Immortal Lotus Courtyard, I saw this unfamiliar maid in the Immortal Lotus Courtyard, and I even heard Eldest Miss say that she would be sent out of the house in two days, to the southern hometown to settle down. At that time, Eldest Miss gave her a personal jade pendant." Xi Qiu pointed at Hui Zhi. Due to her fear, her voice sounded a little shaky.
"What does the jade look like? Did you see it clearly?" Xiao Zhenhai continued to ask.
As Xi Qiu recalled, she said, "This servant didn't see it very clearly. It was a circular shape with gold in the middle."
"Search her." Zhou Chengdi gave the order.