usatvline Chapter 226 I am innocent
Chapter 226 I am innocent
Shen Li met with Eunuch Xiao Su, who had come to deliver the imperial decree. The eunuch was familiar with Shen Li and revealed that Emperor Cheng had received a secret report from the Flying Fish Guard yesterday, saying that the man surnamed Zhou was a member of the Grand Secretary Zhou family's guards.
Emperor Cheng felt that this matter might be related to the Zhou family, so he ordered Prefect Tang Huai to seal the case file overnight and summoned the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review and the Commander of the Flying Fish Guard, who were far away in the capital, to jointly investigate the case.
"How could this be?" Shen Li asked, looking completely bewildered. "I believe I have a good relationship with the Zhou family and have never made any enemies."
"Lord Shen is kind-hearted, but others may not be like you." The eunuch Su lowered his voice again and said, "According to a secret report, we found information on the guards that Lord Gu's cousin was in contact with the Crown Prince."
Shen Li was even more surprised: "How could this be?"
"Lord Shen, you must be prepared that His Majesty may ask questions," Eunuch Su reminded him.
"Thank you, sir." Shen Li said, taking a silver note from her sleeve and handing it over: "Please keep it for tea, sir."
This single payment amounted to a full five hundred taels, enough to buy any kind of tea.
The eunuch Su was grinning from ear to ear. He would be eager to do any job for Lord Shen in the future, and he would also pay close attention to matters concerning her.
When Shen Li saw Emperor Cheng, his face was very gloomy, but it softened a little when he saw her: "Li girl, you've arrived. Get up and tell me, were you injured yesterday?"
"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. Thanks to the timely arrival of the guards, I was unharmed," Shen Li replied, rising to her feet.
"That's good." Emperor Cheng pondered for a moment before asking, "Do you have any past grievances with the Crown Prince's concubine?"
"Your Majesty is wise; I have never done anything wrong," Shen Li said, kneeling down again in fear.
"I was just asking, you don't need to be afraid, stand up and speak." Emperor Cheng was confident after seeing her performance. Although the Shen family members were intelligent, they were loyal by nature and would not have any disloyal intentions.
The Zhou family and the Crown Prince, on the other hand, are becoming increasingly restless.
"I can see you've been quite frightened. You don't need to come to the palace for the next few days. Just rest and recuperate at home. I will have your case investigated thoroughly," Emperor Cheng said, reassuring Shen Li after he had made up his mind.
"Thank you, Your Majesty. I shall take my leave." Shen Li retreated cautiously, her steps unsteady but each one respectful of etiquette, never overstepping the bounds of propriety.
Emperor Cheng narrowed his eyes and immediately summoned the Flying Fish Guards to keep a close eye on the Zhou family's every move, demanding detailed information.
Shen Li walked out of the palace gate and only smiled faintly when she got into the carriage. Leaning against the carriage, her face no longer showed any fear or surprise.
She felt that Zhou Qianqian should be the one surprised now.
Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.
"How could it be the Zhou family's guards?" Zhou Qianqian's face turned pale upon hearing the news. "Why would Father help that idiot Liu Yue? What can she possibly accomplish?"
"News has come from the manor, but the master is unaware of it. He thinks you sent it," the maid whispered.
"Why would I send someone without my father's permission? Besides, what good would killing Shen Li do for me and the Crown Prince?" Zhou Qianqian was completely bewildered. "It would be strange if it wasn't someone sent by my father. Did he go there himself?"
"At first, the master was also puzzled, but then he said that if it wasn't you, then it must be Gu Chang'an and Shen Li who were behind it."
"Gu Chang'an? Shen Li?" Zhou Qianqian still couldn't figure it out.
"Master said we're in a dangerous situation. His Majesty was already sending the Flying Fish Guards to investigate him, so this makes our situation even more precarious," the palace maid continued.
A sudden realization struck Zhou Qianqian, and she exclaimed in shock, "Father, do you mean that Shen Li framed the Zhou family?"
"Exactly."
"Insolence!" Zhou Qianqian slammed the teacup on the table onto the floor. "How dare she!"
The palace maid was so frightened that she knelt on the ground.
Just as Zhou Qianqian was about to continue smashing the pot, she saw Li Heng standing at the door with a sullen face. Her heart skipped a beat, but she still stood up and bowed: "This concubine greets Your Highness."
Li Heng didn't tell her to get up, but instead said, "Tell me, what happened?"
"Your Highness, please believe me. I really didn't harm Shen Li. It would have done me no good to harm her," Zhou Qianqian hurriedly explained.
"You're doing this for no benefit." Li Heng lifted her chin, his eyes icy. "Isn't it because I'm jealous of her?"
"Your Highness is wise. It is only natural that a noble lady would favor many women. How could I not understand this?"
"Then why?" Li Heng didn't believe her and continued to speculate, "Or does your father feel that the Shen family is blocking his way?"
"Your Highness, I really didn't do it, and neither did my father. They framed me." Zhou Qianqian's voice was already trembling.
Because she had a feeling that no one would believe it, even her first reaction was that her father was the one who did it, so how could anyone else believe it?
"Oh? Then tell me how they framed you, by bribing your Zhou family's guards to go and die?"
"This concubine...this concubine doesn't know why, but Your Highness wants to..."
Li Heng grabbed her chin and shoved her aside: "You're all useless and good for nothing. Do you know how stupid this is? A simple investigation will find you. Are you out of your minds?"
"Hiss..." Zhou Qianqian gasped, her hand was cut by a shard of broken porcelain on the ground when she fell.
But she ignored the pain in her hand and immediately put her hand on her stomach, afraid that something might happen to the baby.
Seeing her like this, Li Heng was even more furious. If he had been able to marry Shen Yue as the Crown Princess, even if this situation had occurred, the Shen family would not have made such a big fuss.
But reporting it to the authorities and alarming the Flying Fish Guard is a different story. The case has now been closed, and the Emperor has even forbidden the Ministry of Justice from getting involved, handing it directly over to the Flying Fish Guard and the Court of Judicial Review. This clearly shows that the Zhou family is not given any opportunity to maneuver.
If it is proven that the Zhou family colluded with bandits to murder high-ranking officials, Zhou Zhen's tenure as Grand Secretary would be over. If he were to be further targeted and his downfall compounded, who knows how much of a commotion it could cause.
The Zhou family really ruined him.
"You'd better pray that you're truly innocent, otherwise I won't have an easy time, and you won't have an easy time in the future either." Li Heng said harshly to Zhou Qianqian, then turned and left.
After Li Heng left, the palace maid hurriedly came to help Zhou Qianqian up: "Master, please get up quickly. Xiao Quanzi will go and fetch the imperial physician."
Zhou Qianqian frowned and stood up. She had long since given up on Li Heng, and even with Li Heng's behavior, her feelings were not greatly affected.
He was the crown prince, not her husband.
Then she could simply remain the Crown Princess, without developing any genuine feelings. Isn't that exactly what the current Emperor and Empress are like?
What she was worried about was the consequences if this matter were to be confirmed, which the Zhou family probably couldn't afford. She really didn't expect Shen Li's first counterattack to be so ruthless.
This is going to bring utter ruin to the Zhou family.
She couldn't just sit and wait to die, but what could she do now?