"Crown Princess, do you have anything else to say!" the Emperor roared, his usually benevolent face clouded over, his imperial majesty fully displayed.
Wei Yu, who had just gotten up, immediately knelt down with a thud.
"Father Emperor, your son is wronged!"
She still had the audacity to cry injustice, as if it were true.
Wang Qingyao also knelt down, crying out mournfully, "Please, Your Majesty, do justice for this humble wife! Grant me fairness!"
Xiao Yun also knelt down, "Please, Your Majesty, do justice for me!"
The Crown Prince also knelt, "Your Majesty, the Crown Princess is wrongly accused!"
With the important figures kneeling, the other insignificant ones also knelt down in fear and trepidation.
The Emperor glanced at Fang Zheng, "Fang Zheng, you speak. Speak while standing."
Fang Zheng thanked the Emperor for his grace and recounted what he had investigated.
"According to my investigation, the assassin who attempted to assassinate the Princess of Ding'an was named Ying Cai. She was a third-rank palace maid in the Eastern Palace, responsible for sweeping and cleaning in Concubine Lu's palace. She was taciturn, solitary, and had a very low presence. This has been confirmed by the head嬷嬷 in Concubine Lu's palace."
Fang Zheng did not finish speaking all at once.
As his report continued, Wei Yu's face grew paler, and large beads of sweat appeared on her forehead.
Concubine Lu!
Yes, Concubine Lu!
Wei Yu's eyes lit up, and in her panic, she shifted the blame to Concubine Lu.
"Father Emperor, your son has absolutely no intention of harming anyone. It was Concubine Lu, it must have been Concubine Lu! Concubine Lu resents me for holding the position of Crown Princess and deliberately set a treacherous scheme to frame me. I beg Your Majesty to investigate thoroughly!"
Wei Yu's thick skin was beyond compare. Lies flowed effortlessly from her lips, her face filled with righteous indignation, as if she were truly being framed.
The Emperor looked at her with disappointment.
Wei Yu was flustered, unsure of where she had gone wrong.
Fang Zheng then continued, "After my thorough investigation, Ying Cai's parents were both born into the Wei family. Before Ying Cai entered the palace, she was serving in the courtyard of the Crown Princess, who was not yet married at the time, within the Wei residence!"
Wei Yu's body went limp, and she collapsed onto the ground.
Fang Zheng had investigated so thoroughly.
Lord Ban, wanting to defend his niece, thought and thought but found no words. He was also afraid of angering the Emperor and bringing disaster upon the Ban family, so he ultimately decided to remain silent and kneel obediently.
The Crown Prince instantly decided to sacrifice the pawn to save the king.
He appeared incredulous and heartbroken, "Crown Princess, did you really do it? Why would you do such a thing? I trusted you so much!"
As he spoke, the Crown Prince signaled to Wei Yu.
Wei Yu closed her eyes, as if making a difficult decision.
When she opened them again, she had made up her mind.
"Yes, Ying Cai was ordered by me to assassinate the Princess of Ding'an!" She glared fiercely at Wang Qingyao, then raised her eyes to look at the Emperor, filled with remorse, "Your son resented the Princess of Ding'an for constantly opposing the Wei family and was momentarily blinded by infatuation, thus committing a grave mistake. Your son knows he was wrong, and I beg Father Emperor to punish me."
Wei Yu kowtowed heavily.
The Crown Prince also pleaded for her, "Father Emperor, given that the Crown Princess knows her mistakes and is willing to correct them, I implore Your Majesty to be lenient!"
Xiao Yun let out a cold laugh, and the Emperor frowned, looking at him.
He said, "The Crown Princess is meticulous and her schemes are peerless. It is truly hard to believe she was momentarily blinded by infatuation."
Wang Qingyao said with tears in her eyes, "Your Majesty, you do not know, but if I had not been carrying a dagger with me today, I would have drowned in the pond. I still feel terrified thinking about it. Does the Crown Prince's simple statement of 'knowing mistakes and correcting them' intend to erase the Crown Princess's crime? This is attempted murder. Although I did not lose my life, if the Crown Princess is lightly punished, my life will be threatened in the future!"
Wang Qingyao became anxious and no longer referred to herself as "this humble wife," which was quite in character for her.
The Crown Prince looked at Wang Qingyao with deep apology, "How does the Princess of Ding'an wish to deal with the Crown Princess? No matter how the Princess of Ding'an wishes to deal with her, I believe the Crown Princess will have no complaints."
Wei Yu bit her lower lip fiercely, the taste of blood filling her mouth.
She endured the pain, her eyes red, and said, "What must I do for the Princess of Ding'an to forgive me?"
Heh heh, never forgive, not even in death.
Wang Qingyao said, "Crown Princess, I will only ask you this once: was my blindness also deliberately caused by you?"
Wei Yu was stunned. She didn't know whether to admit or deny it.
If she denied it, given her attempt to assassinate Wang Qingyao today, the credibility would be too low.
If she admitted it, the Emperor was already furious...
Wei Yu did not answer immediately. In her hesitation, the answer was already evident.
The Emperor grabbed a paperweight from his imperial desk and hurled it at her, "Vicious woman!"
Wei Yu dared not dodge, and her forehead was struck, bleeding profusely.
Lord Ban felt pained but dared not plead for mercy. He only dared to kowtow, begging the Emperor to calm his anger and take care of his imperial body.
The Emperor finally issued an edict: the Crown Princess, having lost her virtue, was unfit to bear the heavy responsibility of Crown Princess. She was demoted to Imperial Consort Fengyi, confined to the cold palace of the Eastern Palace, and forbidden to leave the cold palace without imperial decree.
Wei Yu fainted on the spot.
She was the legitimate daughter of the Wei family, destined for greatness, noble and unparalleled.
Her position as Crown Princess was abolished, and she was confined to the cold palace. What future could she possibly have?
Wei Yu was ruined.
Wang Qingyao kowtowed, "Your Majesty is wise! Long live Your Majesty, long live, long live, long live!"