jdhmnovel Chapter 208 Li Anyang's Despair
Chapter 208 Li Anyang's Despair
"Guards, drag this madwoman away!" Zhou Yuan snorted coldly, his voice filled with anger and determination. He waved his hand, signaling the guards to step forward.
The guards immediately stepped forward, intending to drag Li Anyang away.
Li Anyang struggled desperately, "Your Highness, you can't do this to me! My father is Prime Minister Li!"
Li Anyang twisted his body desperately, his voice shrill, his eyes filled with fear and despair.
Prime Minister Li quickly stood up, "Your Highness, please calm down. My daughter was probably confused for a moment."
Prime Minister Li's face turned deathly pale instantly, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. He quickly got up and apologized to Zhou Yuan.
Zhou Yuan stared coldly at Prime Minister Li, a hint of chill in his eyes, his voice icy and stern: "Prime Minister Li, you have failed in your duty to raise your daughter. I will demand an explanation for what happened today."
Looking at the chaotic scene, Su Yinyin thought to herself that someone was probably doing this on purpose.
At this moment, the Imperial Noble Consort, who had been silent all along, spoke up again, "Yuan'er, this matter cannot be left like this; it concerns the reputation of the royal family."
The Imperial Noble Consort's face was full of urgency and dissatisfaction, and her voice was sharp and hurried.
Zhou Yuan looked at the Imperial Noble Consort, "Your Highness, rest assured, I will handle this properly."
Zhou Yuan looked at the Imperial Noble Consort, his eyes filled with helplessness and anger.
He has found out that this was all orchestrated by his good mother.
The Imperial Noble Consort said angrily, "Yuan'er, I am your mother. A woman's chastity is of utmost importance. Do you want her dead? Since you took Li Anyang's body, you should give her a proper title."
"Mother, do not believe this madwoman's nonsense! Your son has never done such a thing!" Zhou Yuan glared at the Imperial Noble Consort, his eyes filled with disappointment and anger, his voice almost squeezed out from between his teeth.
The Imperial Noble Consort turned pale with anger. "Yuan'er, don't try to argue!"
"Your Highness, this matter has not yet been investigated. You are so certain. Could it be that you already knew about it?" Su Yinyin sneered, her eyes filled with doubt and mockery, her voice clear and loud.
The Imperial Noble Consort glared at Su Yinyin, "You little brat, stop talking nonsense!"
Just then, the Empress Dowager, who had been silent until now, spoke up, "Stop arguing! Let the Emperor decide this matter."
The Empress Dowager's voice was calm and authoritative, and her gaze swept over everyone, silencing all those present.
The emperor frowned, his expression serious, his voice low and forceful. "Put Li Anyang in jail first, and we'll deal with him after we find out the truth."
Prime Minister Li's expression changed drastically. "Your Majesty, my daughter..."
Seeing that things were not going as he had expected, An Yang ran towards the center of the main hall.
Kneeling before the emperor, she said, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, everything you have said is true. Princess Anguo did indeed see me and the Regent Prince having sex in the backyard of the Prince's mansion."
"The backyard of the Prince's mansion!"
"The Prince's mansion is heavily guarded, with hidden guards as well. How could a woman with no martial arts skills possibly enter the heavily guarded mansion?"
"Perhaps Li Anyang bribed the guards of the Prince's mansion!"
The murmurs of the crowd reached Li Anyang's ears.
Meanwhile, Li Anyang was pondering how to make himself more convincing to others.
The emperor narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze filled with scrutiny and doubt, and his voice was deep and authoritative: "Princess Anguo, do you have anything to say?"
Su Yinyin bowed respectfully. "Your Majesty, I was merely passing by the back gate of the Regent's Palace that day and did not witness anything inappropriate."
Furthermore, even if, as she said, the Prince's residence was heavily guarded, how did a weak woman like her get in? There must be something fishy going on. The Emperor nodded.
At this moment, the Imperial Noble Consort said urgently, "Li Anyang just mentioned Shadow. As everyone knows, Shadow is Yuan'er's personal bodyguard. This can't be faked, can it?"
Su Yinyin retorted, "Your Highness, this is a baseless suspicion. If what you say is true, then wouldn't the person secretly helping her be able to freely enter and leave the Prince's residence? How could His Highness the Regent not know about this security loophole?"
Zhou Yuan also clasped his hands in a salute, "Your Majesty, there is absolutely no problem with the safety of my royal residence. This woman must be deliberately framing me."
Zhou Yuan looked at the Imperial Noble Consort, his eyes filled with disappointment and anger: "Mother, why did you believe this madwoman's words so easily? It is true that Shadow is my guard, but we cannot assume that this is true based solely on her word."
The Imperial Noble Consort was taken aback by Zhou Yuan's gaze, and then said, "Yuan'er, I'm doing this for your own good."
Su Yinyin said, "Your Highness, if what Li Anyang said is true, then where is Shadow now? Why doesn't he come out to testify?"
At this moment, Li Anyang hurriedly said, "Shadow must have been hidden by the Regent."
Zhou Yuan roared, "Li Anyang, stop making false accusations! I have acted uprightly and honestly, why would I need to hide anyone?"
The emperor said in a deep voice, "This matter cannot be judged hastily. Summon Shadow to the palace."
A moment later, Shadow entered the hall and knelt down to pay his respects.
The Emperor asked, "Shadow, have you seen Li Anyang and the Regent engaging in sexual activity in the backyard of the Prince's residence?"
Shadow replied, "Your Majesty, this is absolutely not true. Li Anyang's words are pure slander. That night, the Prince was unwell, and the doctors and imperial physicians can testify to this."
Li Anyang's eyes widened. "Shadow, you're lying! It's clearly..."
The emperor interrupted her: "Enough! Li Anyang, bring the doctor and the imperial physician."
Before long, the doctor and the imperial physician arrived in the hall and knelt down to pay their respects.
The emperor asked, "You two, tell me, what happened that night?"
The doctor spoke first: "Your Majesty, the Regent was indeed unwell that night, and I treated him; his condition is quite serious."
The doctor's voice trembled, his forehead was covered in sweat, and he looked tense.
The imperial physician then replied, "Your Majesty, I can also testify that the Regent's condition at the time could not possibly be as this woman described."
The imperial physician spoke with a firm tone, a serious expression, and unwavering gaze.
"Li Anyang, what else do you have to say?" The emperor's face was terribly gloomy, his eyes filled with majesty and anger.
"Your Majesty, it's impossible, it's impossible. I saw the Prince, I... I saw him."
Li Anyang's face was ashen; he collapsed to the ground, his voice trembling, his eyes filled with despair.
The emperor snorted coldly, his voice filled with anger and authority. With a wave of his hand, he signaled the guards to drag Li Anyang away: "You are audacious enough to frame the Regent and Princess Anguo at the palace banquet. Your crimes are unforgivable. Drag him away and throw him into the imperial prison to await your judgment."
The Prime Minister's wife was filled with anxiety, tears welling up in her eyes. She wanted to rush forward, but the Prime Minister held her tightly. The Prime Minister was pale and kept shaking his head, signaling his wife not to act rashly.
The guards acted swiftly and decisively, dragging Li Anyang away without mercy, his cries echoing through the hall.
The Imperial Noble Consort's face was ashen, her lips trembled slightly, and her eyes were filled with resentment and anger, but under the Emperor's majesty, she ultimately dared not say another word.
The Empress breathed a sigh of relief. As long as it didn't involve her, she couldn't understand how someone could have given birth to such a rebellious daughter. Not only did she not think about securing greater benefits for the family, but she also repeatedly tried to push the family into the abyss.
The empress wore a fawning smile, her tone respectful and obsequious, her eyes filled with awe for the emperor: "Your Majesty is wise, and has finally cleared the Regent and Princess Anguo's name."
Su Yinyin bowed again: "Thank you for your keen insight, Your Majesty."
Su Yinyin moved with elegance and grace, her voice was clear and melodious, and her eyes were filled with gratitude.
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Zhou Yuan clasped his hands in a salute, his expression solemn, his voice deep and powerful.
The emperor waved his hand, his expression softening slightly, his voice tinged with weariness: "Enough, let's let this matter rest and not spoil the mood of the palace banquet."
The palace banquet continued, but Su Yinyin sensed that several pairs of eyes were still secretly watching her.
The turmoil at the palace banquet has temporarily subsided, but everyone is still shaken.