RPAGF Chapter 388 Complaint
Chapter 388 Complaint
Yuan Wanru suddenly kowtowed heavily: "Your Majesty! This humble woman wishes to file a lawsuit with the Emperor!"
The moment she raised her head, her eyes blazed with fury. "How dare the Second Prince mention Sun Haining's kidnapping! Utterly shameless!"
Her slender fingers gripped the hem of her dress tightly, her expression a mixture of anger and tension: "I have had very few social interactions in my life. Apart from the relatives of the Lu family, I only have one close friend, Sun Haining. That day, the young master Sun rushed over to report that Haining had been kidnapped, and the kidnappers specifically requested that I go alone to exchange her."
At this point, her voice choked with emotion, "Though I tremble with fear, I have decided that if I cannot find Haining that night, I will risk my life alone. But then..."
She suddenly turned to the Second Prince, "This humble woman had no idea that the mastermind behind everything was actually the Second Prince!"
"Utter nonsense!"
The second prince interrupted sharply, his face contorted with rage, "If you didn't know the truth, why would you have captured Liang Zhong to threaten us?"
Yuan Wanru suddenly let out a cold laugh, a laugh laced with chilling coldness: "That's a question for you to answer!"
She turned to the emperor, tears glistening in her eyes, "Young Master Liang Nian of the second branch of the Liang family couldn't stand by and watch, so he risked everything to tell me about Liang Yusong's wicked scheme."
"Your Majesty!" Her voice suddenly rose, "If we hadn't captured Liang Zhong in time and threatened them not to lay a hand on Haining, Haining... she would have been defiled by these beasts!"
When this matter was brought up, the Crown Prince said with great sorrow, "Father, you are wise to see the truth."
"At first, the Sun family, concerned for the safety of Haining, dared not make a sound and secretly sought help from me. I mobilized all my manpower to search all night, but to no avail."
He sighed heavily, "Only later did I learn that it was Murong Xiao who did it, but..."
The Crown Prince looked troubled. "At that time, Father had already told me that he was about to launch a crackdown to arrest Consort Liang and her faction. I was afraid of alerting them and ruining Father's grand plan, so I held back."
At this point, the Crown Prince solemnly bowed deeply to Yuan Wanru: "Madam Lu possesses extraordinary courage and wisdom; the Sun family will never forget this kindness."
The Emperor was fully aware of all this, yet it seemed as if he were hearing it for the first time. His face was ashen, and he suddenly slammed his hand on the table, making the teacups clatter.
"Murong Xiao! Is there anything you wouldn't dare to do?"
This angry shout was like a thunderclap, shaking the entire hall.
The second prince turned ashen-faced, while Consort Liang wailed, "Your Majesty, please be wise! This Yuan woman is most adept at bewitching people!"
She suddenly pointed at Yuan Wanru, her face contorted in pain: "Do you dare swear to heaven? Back at Ziyun Temple, didn't you personally confess to poisoning me? If you utter a single lie, may Lu Jiangnian be pierced by a thousand arrows and die a horrible death!"
"Consort Liang!" the Crown Prince shouted sternly, "How dare you curse a court official like this before the Emperor!"
Yuan Wanru suddenly straightened her back.
A resolute look appeared on her pale face: "That's right, I did say back then that the Second Prince was poisoned by me, which is why he couldn't have sex, and only I can cure him."
The sound, though soft, resounded like thunder in the hall.
The second prince was taken aback for a moment, then burst into maniacal laughter: "Hahaha! Father, did you hear that? She admitted it! She finally admitted it!"
Consort Liang also revealed a triumphant smile: "Your Majesty, she admitted it herself!"
The crown prince's pupils constricted sharply, and he almost burst out with questions.
He looked at Yuan Wanru in disbelief, unsure how to react.
The emperor's face was ashen: "Yuan Shi, do you think this is a stage for a theatrical performance?"
Yuan Wanru seemed to be awestruck by the imperial might; her frail body trembled slightly, yet she still stubbornly raised her face: "At that time... I was truly gambling with my life."
Her voice was as light as a feather, yet every word was clear: "My husband is not in the capital, and with such a thing happening, I am terrified."
"But if I retreat out of fear and cause Haining to suffer misfortune, I will never have peace of mind for the rest of my life."
She took a deep breath, her eyes glistening with tears: "The Second Prince's hidden illness is the talk of the town. I don't know if he's truly recovered, but seeing him go to such lengths to silence witnesses, this illness must be quite difficult to cure."
At this point, she breathed a sigh of relief: "Fortunately, I made the right bet."
"So you didn't poison her at all." The emperor suddenly interrupted, his sharp gaze seeming to pierce her soul. "Just a bluff, to gain a sliver of hope?"
Yuan Wanru pursed her lips shyly, as if embarrassed to admit she had lied in front of so many people: "Your Majesty is wise."
Murong Xiao was absolutely furious.
He has completely lost his mind.
She's the one who caused him so much trouble, yet she's pretending to be innocent!
How could Murong Xiao tolerate this?
His face contorted in rage as he lunged at Yuan Wanru, yelling, "You wretch! I'll kill you!"
The crown prince moved with lightning speed, his black python-patterned boots slamming heavily into Murong Xiao's heart: "Insolence!"
This kick, delivered with the force of thunder, sent the man sprawling to the ground with a dull thud.
Yuan Wanru was startled by this sudden turn of events, fell to the ground, her hairpins scattered, and then burst into tears like a wronged child.
She cried and coughed, her frail body trembling like a leaf, yet she still managed to pull a stack of papers from her sleeve.
"Your Majesty...look..." she sobbed, holding the testimony high, "The Second Prince...he even wants to poison our whole family..."
"He is utterly inhuman."
The Crown Prince took the stack of testimonies, his expression growing increasingly grim as he read: "Father, one of Lu Bai's concubines confessed that Murong Xiao had already planted spies in the Lu household seven or eight years ago."
"Murong Xiao's schemes are truly grand; his intentions are despicable!"
The emperor took the testimony, and as the pages turned, the charges against him gradually became clear. The mother and son beside him were truly beyond his expectations.
"Murong Xiao!" The emperor slammed his fist on the table, his dragon robe billowing like a raging tide. "The Lu family was promoted by me and is utterly loyal to me. How dare you plant a spy in the Marquis of Zhongyong's residence? What are you trying to do!"
"You and your son, you are wolves in sheep's clothing, how dare you even cry out for justice here!"
"Take him away!" the emperor suddenly shouted, closing his eyes wearily.
Listening to them talk for so long was completely pointless.
The imperial guards dragged Consort Liang and Murong Xiao away. Consort Liang struggled desperately, her hair disheveled, and shouted, "Your Majesty, you will regret this!"
"Yuan Wanru must die. She's a menace; she'll poison you."
Yuan Wanru turned around and looked at Consort Liang, who was being dragged to the door, a smile flashing in her eyes.
When Consort Liang saw that smile, she cast a vicious glance at her, as if she wanted to devour her alive.
As the palace doors slammed shut, Consort Liang's piercing cry still echoed: "Your Majesty, my loyalty is as clear as day! You mustn't be careless!"
"You must be careful of the Crown Prince—"
Finally, I could no longer hear it.
The hall fell silent. The emperor's sharp gaze fell on Yuan Wanru: "Yuan, you seem to have foreseen this, bringing these testimonies into the palace with you?"
The Crown Prince's emotions, which had just relaxed, instantly tightened again.