noffsinger Chapter 561 The real murderer is Princess Li!
Chapter 561 The real murderer is Princess Li!
Everyone in the hall was silent as a mouse, and apart from exchanging glances, they dared not make a sound.
Although Prince Li has a cold personality, his attitude towards elders and officials has always been the most respectful and comfortable among all the princes.
That is the cultivation in his bones, otherwise so many officials would not favor Prince Li.
But now, for the sake of Princess Li, Prince Li actually did not give the Duchess any face in front of so many officials. With just a few words, he even hinted that the Duchess was suspected of committing insubordination!
It seems that the Duchess has really crossed Prince Li's bottom line.
The wife of Duke Zheng, Pang Yun, was the only daughter of Duke Caozhou, Pang Jing. She had been spoiled since childhood. Later, after marrying Duke Zheng, she always kept her word and was respected by others.
It can be said that her life has always been smooth sailing.
This was the first time she had been humiliated like this.
Her face was covered in bruises, and the feeling of humiliation filled her entire face.
"Prince Li! I am also the wife of a duke, and I am your elder. Is this how you treat your elders?"
"Where's your upbringing? Where's your composure? Did it all disappear just because you met this woman?!"
Baili Moqing's face was cold and indifferent. He snorted coldly, "As the saying goes, respect and love are always gifts given to those who deserve it. If Madam wants the respect of the younger generation, then the prerequisite is that Madam must cultivate virtue in the world!"
"But how did you do it, ma'am?"
Baili Moqing glanced at her coldly, a hint of disgust in his eyes, "I am a first-class prince, so my princess is naturally also a first-class princess. This rank is three levels higher than that of a wife!"
"You're not even respectful or fearful of the Princess of the First Class. So, you probably don't practice 'virtue' in your daily life, do you? If that's the case, what right do you have to demand respect from others?"
Pang Shi's face turned pale after hearing what Baili Moqing said. She pinched Zheng Xiaodie next to her tightly with her fingers, almost digging her nails into her flesh.
Waves of stinging pain filled Zheng Xiaodie's brows, but she bit her lips skillfully to prevent herself from making any sound.
"Besides, Duke Zheng is the elder brother of Consort De, and Madam can only be considered Fourth Brother's elder. But to be honest, Madam's use of the title 'elder' shouldn't apply to me, right?"
After all, there are so many concubines in the harem. If every concubine's brothers and sisters come out to call the prince elders, then wouldn't these princes have elders flying all over their heads?
"Prince Li, you!!"
In the hall, everyone's eyes were fixed on this place, and some people were whispering in the distance. Pang Shi even felt that they were casting all kinds of bad looks at her.
Contempt, ridicule, sneer...
"Your Majesty, you must make the decision for me!"
"I lost three of my own children in one day, but Princess Li not only failed to sympathize with my grief, but instead spoke coldly to me. To protect his wife, Prince Li even spoke harshly to me. I..."
"Is there anything wrong with what Prince Li and his wife did?!"
Emperor Qiwen's expression turned slightly cold, and he interrupted her directly, which made Pang Shi's crying face become stiff.
Concubine De knew Emperor Qiwen very well, and she knew that Emperor Qiwen was really angry.
She hurried forward and said to Madam Pang, "Sister-in-law! This is a royal banquet. If you have any grievances, you can wait until the banquet is over before speaking to the emperor! Such a wonderful atmosphere today! You really shouldn't be making such a noise and disturbing His Majesty's good mood!"
Defei's words had actually given a very clear reminder, but she didn't expect that Pang Shi ignored her words and continued to cry to the emperor.
"Your Majesty, my children died unjustly! The murderer is still at large. Shouldn't Your Majesty apprehend the real culprit and bring him to justice to comfort the hearts of your subjects?"
Emperor Qiwen was so angry that he almost laughed. "What does the unjust death of your children have to do with Prince Li and his wife? Why should they suffer such disrespect for the grief of your Zheng family?"
"Also, didn't your son's murderer die in the Dali Temple prison? What else do you want to do?!"
"Your Majesty, the murderer did not..."
"Duke Zheng!" Emperor Qiwen interrupted her with a look of displeasure on his face. He raised his brows and looked at Duke Zheng, who had been drinking silently beside him.
When Duke Zheng heard the emperor calling him, his expression wavered, then he put down his wine glass and walked out.
Emperor Qiwen frowned at him, furious. "Zheng Yongwen, your wife is grief-stricken and has clashed with Prince Li and his wife. As the head of the family and a duke of the country, you just hide away and watch?"
"Your Majesty, please forgive me. I am willing to accept the punishment!"
Duke Zheng Yongwen had a dazed expression and simply knelt on the ground without any explanation or rebuttal, looking numb.
Seeing this, Emperor Qiwen frowned even more tightly.
Zheng Yongwen was weak by nature and was notoriously henpecked. Therefore, even though Zheng Pangshi was lawless, the children she raised were equally lawless!
"Duke Zheng, if you had taken on the responsibility of being the head of the family sooner, your children wouldn't have ended up like this."
After hearing this, Zheng Yongwen couldn't help but tremble, but he remained lying on the ground in silence.
"Forget it! Today is the Spring Imperial Banquet. Considering the great changes that have befallen your Zheng family, I will not bother with you!"
"Zheng Yongwen, since your wife is feeling unwell, you should take her back home to rest early!"
Hearing the emperor's words that clearly meant to drive people away, Pang Shi's face showed resentment and indignation, "Your Majesty, you can't do this to our Zheng family!"
"Just because the murderer is Princess Li, are you going to protect the real murderer?"
"Boom!" It was like a loud bang that exploded above everyone's heads.
"What? The murderer is Princess Li? What does the Duke's wife mean by this?"
"Isn't it said that the murderer who killed the two sons of the Duke's family was the former owner of the Zhenyao Pavilion? A woman named Liu Ruxin."
"That's right, I heard about it too! And that Liu Ruxin was burned to charcoal in the fire at Dali Temple half a month ago!"
"If that's the case, then why did the Duke's wife say that the murderer was Princess Li?"
Emperor Qiwen's expression became even uglier as he listened to the discussions below. He glanced at Shu He and Baili Moqing, both of whom looked very calm, with even their eyes not changing.
These two people are really patient!
"Pang Shi, do you know what you're saying?" The anger on Emperor Qiwen's face disappeared, leaving only impatience. "Although your Zheng family has suffered a great change, my patience has its limits!"
"At a royal banquet with all the officials gathered, you openly slandered the First-Class Prince's Consort. Do you know how serious a crime this is?!"
Pang Shi opened her mouth, but before she could say anything, she heard her son's hurried voice behind her.
"Your Majesty, I have evidence!"