799 Conviction (6)
Seeing how coldly Shen Dongling treated her biological father, Shen Miao did not think that Shen Dongling would have any feelings for a sister like her.
Gu Yu also mumbled, “She’s already in prison. I don’t think she can still play tricks.”
“Don’t worry. As long as I don’t go, nothing will go wrong,” Shen Miao said.
Jingzhe nodded repeatedly. “Yes, it’s right not to go.”
Shen Miao lowered her eyes. However, there was something she found strange. The crown prince and Wang Bi were naturally sent to prison because of Huangfu Hao’s death, but what made Emperor Wen Hui in such a hurry to convict them was probably related to the smuggling of salt.
Emperor Wen Hui could not tolerate people who wanted to use illegal means to make money, even if it was his own son. That was why the decision was made so quickly.
However… How did the news of the salt smuggling spread?
Did Xie Jingxing do it? She held her chin and thought hard.
…
In the palace, outside the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
The empress had been kneeling there for the entire day.
At this moment, under the sun, she was sweating profusely. She gritted her teeth and did not say a word, looking like she was about to faint at any time.
The palace eunuch beside her advised, “Your Majesty, let’s go back first. His Majesty is probably busy today and can’t see you. Why do you have to hurt yourself like this? It’s not good if you catch a cold.”
“I have to kneel.” The empress said firmly, “I have to kneel until His Majesty changes his mind.”
When the eunuch delivered the empress’s words to Emperor Wen Hui, Emperor Wen Hui flew into a rage and said, “Let her kneel! Let her kneel! If she wants to change my mind, she can forget about it.”
Ever since she found out that the crown prince had been convicted, the empress wanted to see Emperor Wen Hui personally to plead for leniency, but Emperor Wen Hui did not even want to see her. The empress was worried about the crown prince, but there was nothing she could do. She could only kneel outside the Hall of Mental Cultivation, thinking that if she knelt for long enough, Emperor Wen Hui would let her in for the sake of her status.
The empress knew that the crown prince had made a huge mistake. Anyone with a discerning eye could tell that there was something fishy about what happened to Huangfu Hao. Because of this, Emperor Wen Hui was still protective of his son. The sale of illegal salt with the Wang family had worn away the last bit of guilt towards his son in Emperor Wen Hui’s heart. Now that Emperor Wen Hui was angry and disgusted with the crown prince, why would he see the empress?
The empress had no choice. After being husband and wife with Emperor Wen Hui for so many years, she knew very well what Emperor Wen Hui was thinking. However, the crown prince was her only son. For this only son, she was willing to kneel for the rest of her life. A day was nothing.
Just as the situation was in a deadlock, the empress heard a chuckle from behind. Someone walked over enchantingly. She was wearing a peach-colored golden-threaded dress. Her clothes were bright, and her face was radiant. She looked at the empress and said, “Sister, why are you kneeling here? You scared me. I thought you were performing a courtesy to me.”
The empress gritted her teeth and looked at her with hatred. This person was Consort Xu. The empress suspected that the revelation of the illicit salt dealings must be done by Prince Zhou and Prince Jing. After all, when the crown prince was dead, the two of them would have one less powerful enemy.
However, without evidence, she could not accuse her.
Consort Xu smiled charmingly and asked, “Sister, why aren’t you going in? Did you do something wrong? Do you want me to go in and ask His Majesty to forgive you?”
