mesbooks Chapter 131 Or shall I come to judge personally?
Chapter 131 Or shall I come to judge personally?
Zhao's heart trembled. She took a deep breath and said slowly,
"Empress Dowager, although I don't have any solid evidence, I can ask someone to go to Jing'an Temple to ask the monks there. Every time my husband went to Jing'an Temple to donate money, the temple kept records. If we can verify that Concubine Wen was also in the temple during those times, then it can prove that what I said is true."
The Queen Mother frowned slightly, thought for a moment and said,
"Zhao, do you know that if I ask someone to investigate this matter, once you are found guilty of slandering the royal concubine, I will not let you off easily, including your children. Do you still insist?"
"I know."
Zhao raised her head and looked at the Queen Mother with a firm gaze.
"But everything I said is true. If this matter is not thoroughly investigated, I will not be at peace. I hope the Queen Mother will understand."
The Queen Mother stared at Zhao for a long time without saying a word.
"Well, since you insist so much, I will send someone to Jing'an Temple to investigate. However, during this period, you two, mother and daughter, should stay here with me. As for Concubine Wen, you should stay with her as well."
"Queen Mother..."
The Queen Mother's words clearly meant to delay the matter. Zhao was naturally unwilling to do so, but she was powerless to refute it.
Murong Jin felt a little relieved. As long as the Queen Mother put the matter aside for later, there would still be a chance.
But I don’t know if Lin Ke succeeded?
For a moment, everyone in the room had different thoughts.
Princess Shun lowered her head and sneered, "Hmph, the Queen Mother is really getting more confused as she gets older. Not to mention in the royal family, even in ordinary people's homes, if a woman's innocence is questioned, it would be a matter of life and death."
But judging from the Queen Mother's thoughts, she might want to shut Zhao's mouth!
She couldn't let this matter be suppressed by the Queen Mother.
At this moment, a voice suddenly came from outside the palace.
"Your Majesty is here!"
With this loud shout, everyone in the hall was startled.
Princess Shun quickly suppressed the sneer on her face, lowered her head slightly, and assumed a respectful attitude.
Zhao and Chen Ruoruo also knelt on the ground nervously, feeling uneasy, wondering what kind of turn His Majesty's arrival would bring to the matter.
Concubine Wen's face turned even paler. She knew very well how much importance His Majesty attached to this matter, and her heart was filled with fear.
Murong Jin frowned slightly.
Emperor Jingxuan strode into the hall and everyone bowed to him.
He raised his hand slightly, signaling everyone to stand up. His eyes swept across everyone in the hall and finally fell on the Queen Mother.
"My son, please give your regards to the Queen Mother."
Emperor Jingxuan's voice was steady and majestic.
The Queen Mother nodded slightly.
"Your Majesty, please excuse me. How come you have time to come here today?"
Emperor Jingxuan looked solemn and said sternly,
"I heard that the matter of Prince Shun's Mansion has reached the Queen Mother. I am worried and came to see you."
The Queen Mother sighed, fearing that His Majesty would intervene, and hurriedly said,
"Your Majesty, please do not worry about this matter. These are all women's affairs. If I were not worried about Princess Shun being embarrassed, I would have asked her to deal with it directly. There is no need for Your Majesty to worry about this."
The Queen Mother's words were vague, as if the mother and daughter of the Chen family had really been deliberately slandering her.
Emperor Jingxuan, however, was fully aware of the whole story and did not pay attention to the Queen Mother's words.
"I'm afraid that your mother still doesn't understand. The matter of Concubine Wen not only concerns her innocence, but also the purity of our royal bloodline. It is not a trivial matter, and I will naturally not sit idly by."
"Your Majesty, what do you mean by that?"
The Queen Mother suddenly raised her voice, not wanting His Majesty to continue speaking.
Emperor Jingxuan sneered, and his eyes turned colder as he looked at Murong Jin and Concubine Wen.
"Your Majesty, please don't be fooled. I can follow your instructions on other matters, but I have already handed over today's matter to Shuntian Prefecture. I just don't know why you suddenly intervened, Your Majesty."
The Queen Mother's expression changed slightly. She didn't expect the Emperor to be so tough on this matter.
"Your Majesty, are you blaming me? I am also concerned about the reputation of the royal family and do not want this matter to become too big a deal."
Emperor Jingxuan narrowed his eyes slightly, and his voice left no room for doubt.
"Mother, the reputation of the royal family is important, but the truth is more important. If Concubine Wen really did something that damaged the royal family's reputation, I will never tolerate it. But before the truth is known, no one can make any decisions on their own."
"But, Prince Shun..."
Emperor Jingxuan suddenly turned his gaze to the Empress Dowager and just looked at her quietly. The Empress Dowager unconsciously avoided his gaze because of his gaze.
For no reason, she felt a sense of fear and guilt.
His Majesty's eyes just now were clearly blaming himself. At the beginning, he insisted on marrying the daughter of the Xiao family, and even admitted in person that he and Xiao Qing were husband and wife.
However, at that time, in order to let her marry her niece from her mother's side, I questioned Xiao Qing's innocence and even threatened that even if such a shameless woman was pregnant, I, the queen mother, would not acknowledge that it was the royal bloodline, let alone that she had lost her virginity to His Majesty.
She still remembered how His Majesty knelt before her and begged her at the top of his lungs.
At that time, she finally defeated His Majesty.
But since when did he no longer have the same respect for his mother?
Now, His Majesty is keeping a close eye on Pingle, and is even so sad about Concubine Wen's affairs. Could it be that he is speaking up for Xiao Qing?
The Queen Mother was silent for a moment, but couldn't bear to see her eldest son become a laughing stock in the capital, so she continued,
"Your Majesty, this is a private matter of our royal family. Please do not let the people of Shuntian Prefecture interfere. Besides, Concubine Wen is a woman. If she is tortured into confessing by Shuntian Prefecture, it will also lose the face of our royal family! If you do not trust me, then leave it to the Queen. The Queen is the mother of a country. She is usually fair and will investigate thoroughly."
Emperor Jingxuan looked serious and his tone became more and more impatient.
"Mother, I have never said that I don't trust you. However, this matter is not my royal family's affair. Concubine Wen is suspected of murder, so it must be handled impartially. Does the Queen Mother want me to bend the law for her, a concubine of the royal palace?"
The Queen Mother was displeased. His Majesty's high-sounding words were just to prevent her from interfering.
She glanced at Murong Jin, only to see her looking at her with pleading eyes.
well!
At this point, isn't she conflicted?
How could she have no grudges against Murong Jin's life experience?
But, truth or falsehood is no longer important to her.
However, if things really got out of hand, wouldn’t it be confirmed that Prince Shun was infertile?
Emperor Jingxuan turned around and looked at the Queen Mother with a firm gaze.
"Mother, I know you have always loved my brother, but this is a question of royal blood. If Concubine Wen is innocent, I will give my brother justice. But if Concubine Wen has really committed a crime, she must be punished."
The Queen Mother wanted to say something, but was interrupted by Emperor Jingxuan.
"Should this matter be handed over to Shuntian Prefecture for handling, or should I personally come to judge? Mother, please choose one!"