Chapter 2 The Empress Dowager's Questioning
Yuan Hua slowly sat down on the carved chair.
A palace maid served her hot tea. She picked up the teacup, not even bothering to lift her eyelids, and coldly watched the group of people below perform.
The atmosphere inside the hall became somewhat tense for a moment.
Consort Li's eyes darted around, and she quickly spoke up.
"Empress Dowager! I remember now! Little Fifth said that the First Prince went to see His Majesty, perhaps..."
Before she could finish speaking, a concubine dressed in a bright pink palace dress next to her got angry.
"You bitch, don't you dare spout such slander!"
Consort Mei stared wide-eyed at the other woman, wishing she could tear two pieces of flesh from her body.
"My son has always had the best relationship with His Majesty, and His Majesty loves to be close to him, his older brother! How could he possibly do such a thing!"
"I think you just want to throw mud at my child and me!"
Yuan Hua clicked his tongue softly and slammed the teacup down on the small table beside him.
The entire hall fell silent instantly.
"Shut up, all of you!"
Her voice was as cold as ice: "I'm not dead yet, what right do you have to judge me here?"
The two of them shuddered and quickly knelt down, bowing their heads low.
"Your Majesty, please calm your anger!"
Just then, a series of hurried and disorderly footsteps sounded outside the hall.
"Royal Grandmother!"
A slightly childish, boyish voice came through, tinged with tears.
Everyone turned around and saw a boy of about twelve or thirteen years old staggering into the main hall.
The boy was dressed in brocade clothes, but he was soaked through, with water droplets running down his face from his hair.
His face was deathly pale, his lips were purple from the cold, and his whole body was trembling uncontrollably; he looked extremely pitiful.
As soon as he entered the hall, he saw Yuan Hua's cold eyes, his legs went weak, and he knelt down with a thud.
"Royal Grandmother!"
Yu Jingchuan's voice trembled violently: "Grandson, grandson is guilty!"
"It's all my fault! I didn't watch my sister properly!"
As he spoke, he kowtowed heavily, his forehead hitting the ground with a dull thud.
"My grandson was indeed with my sister at the time, by the pond in the Imperial Garden. My sister said she wanted to see the koi, so my grandson stayed with her. Who knew that she would step on a pebble, lose her balance, and fall into the water."
"It's all my fault! If I were a better swimmer, I would have rescued my sister immediately!"
He was sobbing uncontrollably by the end.
Seeing this, Consort Mei, who was standing nearby, felt so sorry for her that tears streamed down her face, and she quickly joined in the lament.
"Empress Dowager, look! Jingchuan is so cold from trying to save His Majesty!"
"If he really had such bad intentions, why would he jump into the icy water himself? That would be playing with his life!"
Yu Jingchuan raised his face, which was streaked with tears, his eyes unusually stubborn.
"Grandmother, my sister's accident is my fault. If you believe I did it, you can kill me or torture me, I will have no complaints!"
These words were spoken with such sincerity and conviction, resonating deeply with the audience.
Yuan Hua looked at his grandson, whom he had watched grow up, and his heart softened.
Indeed, Jingchuan has always been a steady and reliable child, and his relationship with Zhaoning is as good as that of siblings. Whenever there is something good, he always thinks of Zhaoning first.
Zhao Ning also really likes this older brother.
Could it really have just been an accident?
The anger in her heart was somewhat extinguished.
However, Yu Zhaoning, who was lying on the dragon bed, was furious.
She had just finished binding with the system and was about to browse the original book's plot loaded by the system when she heard a commotion outside.
When she heard Yu Jingchuan's righteous words, she almost sat up in shock as if she were on her deathbed!
[Aww! Grandmother! Please don't be fooled by this two-faced, treacherous fellow!]
[This is the kind of actor you're talking about! He deserves an Oscar!]
[It was him! He's the one who pushed me down!]
Yu Zhaoning roared inwardly, wishing she could immediately get up and ram into him.
[Waaaaah, I treated him like my own brother, I was so good to him, and he actually pushed me into the water for some audacious palace maid!]
[What do you mean by slipping? He deliberately lured me to the pond with a kite, saying he wanted to give it to me. When I reached for it, he suddenly pushed me away! I was completely stunned!]
[If the system hadn't arrived in time, I would have really kicked the bucket!]
Yuan Hua's already wavering expression froze instantly upon hearing his beloved granddaughter's rapid-fire words.
Her hand holding the teacup paused slightly. She raised her eyelids, and the murderous aura that had just been suppressed surged up again in her beautiful phoenix eyes.
What a shrewd Yu Jingchuan!
At such a young age, your acting skills are already so superb! You almost fooled even me!
He sneered inwardly, but remained outwardly calm.
She spoke softly, her voice revealing neither joy nor anger: "Your Highness, do you dare to promise that every word you just said is true?"
Upon hearing this, Yu Jingyuan seemed greatly insulted. He suddenly straightened his small frame, raised three fingers, and shouted:
"I swear to Heaven! If even a single word I said was false, may I be struck by lightning and die a horrible death!"
That oath was ruthless!
Several concubines who had been observing the situation couldn't help but whisper among themselves upon hearing this.
"Tsk tsk, the eldest prince has even made such a solemn oath, it seems this matter really has nothing to do with him."
"Yes, who would dare to joke with their own life?"
"It seems to have been an accident. The Empress Dowager overreacted this time."
Upon hearing her son's solemn oath, Consort Mei straightened her back and even revealed a hint of smugness on her face, glancing sideways at Consort Li, whose face had turned pale.
Yuan Hua took in all of this, his fingers lightly tapping the table.
Hearing Yu Jingyuan make a poisonous oath while lying on the dragon bed, Yu Zhaoning became even more anxious.
[I'm so anxious! I'm so anxious! It's just a vow, nothing serious! If he gets away with it, won't I have suffered for nothing? How can I swallow this anger!]
She struggled to sit up, but her body felt like it was filled with lead, and she couldn't move at all.
In my mind, the system's mechanical voice sounded at just the right moment.
[Ding! Warning to the host: The system is undergoing deep binding and fusion with your body. Please do not engage in strenuous activity, otherwise the binding may fail and your bodily functions may fail again!]
Yu Zhaoning wailed inwardly.
[How could I not be anxious? If I don't get up now, it'll be too late! Once Grandmother believes his nonsense, this matter will definitely be forgotten!]
[Yu Jingchuan not only watched me floundering in the water, but he even had the nerve to hug and comfort that palace maid!!]
[Oh, right! That palace maid also slipped him a purse! He treasured it so much, he wore it around his neck! It's definitely still on him now!]
Yuan Hua was just worried about not finding a breakthrough when he heard this crucial information, and his eyes sharpened.
A purse?
Her gaze was sharp as she swept over Yu Jingchuan, who was kneeling on the ground.
Her icy voice rang out: "Who told you to stand up?"
Consort Mei, who was feeling smug, couldn't help but sarcastically remark, "Sister, the Empress Dowager didn't tell you to stand up, so how come you stood up on your own?"
Consort Li was speechless, her face flushed red, and she knelt down in humiliation.
However, Empress Dowager Yuan slowly rose and walked step by step toward Consort Mei and her son.
"I'm referring to the two of you."
The color drained from Consort Mei's face instantly. She cried out in panic, "Empress Dowager! It's a miscarriage of justice! Jingchuan has already proven his innocence! You must see the truth!"
"clean?"
Yuan Hua snorted coldly, completely ignoring her shouts.
She walked up to Yu Jingyuan and looked down at him.
Yu Jingyuan felt uneasy under her gaze and subconsciously shrank his neck.
Yuan Hua didn't say anything, but simply reached out and swiftly slipped his hand inside Yuan Hua's soaked clothes.
Yu Jingyuan was shocked and tried to dodge, but someone grabbed his shoulder and made him unable to move.
Soon, a red rope was pulled from his neck.
At the end of the red string was a strange pouch.
Inside the main hall, everyone's eyes were focused on that small purse.
Yuan Hua held the purse up to Yu Jingyuan's eyes and spoke slowly and deliberately.
"Grandson, didn't you say you jumped into the water to save someone and searched for a long time?"
"Your hair is completely soaked, so why is the purse you wear around your neck dry?"
"Furthermore, tell me, what important person gave you this treasure, that you protect it so carefully, preferring to get soaked yourself rather than let it get a single drop of water on it?"