Children of Loulan

Chapter 453 Blackmailing the Palace?

The king stared at A Yuan, and he could not help but be moved by the determination and firmness in A Yuan's eyes. However, he could not help but remind her: "You must think clearly, these 108 punishments are not something that ordinary people can bear. Once all the punishments are completed, you will probably be disabled if not dead!"

A Yuan's body trembled slightly, but her eyes still showed no sign of retreat. She gritted her teeth and said, "I am not afraid! Even if I die, I will make the real murderer receive the punishment he deserves!"

The king was silent for a moment, then turned his gaze to King Cheng and asked slowly: "What about you? Do you think this method will work?"

King Cheng remained calm and replied, "Father, I think this is not feasible. Since ancient times, severe punishments have often produced many innocent souls. Moreover, after such cruel punishments, there is no guarantee that the servants in the palace will not bite and bite in order to protect themselves."

The king nodded slightly to show his approval, "Well, what you said makes sense!" His eyes fell on Hawul again and asked, "Hawul, now that they both have their own opinions, how do you think this matter should be handled?"

Seeing this, Ha Wuer continued, "Grandfather Wang, I think it would be better to lock up Miss A Yuan, her cousin, and her personal servant first. Then, based on what Miss A Yuan said, we can conduct a careful investigation from the time when her young lady was abducted. I believe there will be some clues."

The king nodded and said, "Well, let's talk about the evidence."

Ha Wuer quickly responded, "Grandfather Wang is right. I think we can send some people to the city to inquire about our cousin's reputation. We can also ask the palace maids and eunuchs who have had frequent contact with our cousin to see what kind of person the prince is in their eyes."

After hearing this, King Cheng's face suddenly changed. He retorted, "Father, I think this method is absolutely not feasible! If those people have a personal grudge against me, or if they were bribed by others to deliberately frame me, then wouldn't he be speechless and unable to defend himself?"

Seeing this, Ha Wuer hurriedly explained, "Uncle Third Prince, you worry too much! Even if there are people who have a personal grudge against my cousin, they are only a few. However, there are probably at least 800 people who have had contact with my cousin inside and outside the palace. Among so many people, it is normal for some discordant voices to appear occasionally. As for bribery, with so many people, who can have such strong financial resources to take out so much silver to bribe hundreds of people at the same time?"

After hearing what Hawuer said, the king felt that what he said made sense and his doubts were slightly alleviated.

After a brief thought, he made a prompt decision and said, "Okay, let's settle this! Send Aikebaner to the palace first. Before the truth is revealed, although he is indeed a suspect, there is no need to throw him into prison. Just confine him to the palace. As for the servant beside him and the plaintiff Ayuan, take them to prison first and wait for the results of the investigation!"

After hearing this, A Yuan's excitement was like the surging waves in the sea. She knelt on her knees and bowed deeply to the king, her forehead pressed against the ground. She said in a trembling voice: "Thank you, king, for upholding justice!"

Then, she slowly stood up, turned to face Hawule, eyes full of gratitude, knelt down again and said, "Thank you, young prince, for your righteous words!"

Hawuer smiled and waved his hand, saying, "No need to thank me, this is what you have fought for as a loyal servant. I am just moved by your courage to sacrifice everything for your lady."

Upon hearing this, A Yuan lowered her head, tears welling up in her eyes like a flood. She sobbed and said, "My life was saved by the young lady. Now she died unjustly. How can I not seek justice for her?"

Just as the two were talking, two men in imperial guard uniforms quietly walked into the hall like ghosts. They had no expression on their faces, and moved quickly and neatly, stepping forward to take A Yuan away.

Ha Wuer looked at A Yuan's petite but resolute back quietly, feeling a lot of emotion in his heart. He couldn't help but think that such a weak little girl actually had such great courage. Facing the powerful King Cheng and the pressure from the civil and military officials and the king, she was able to be fearless just to seek justice.

After returning to his residence, Prince Cheng hurriedly walked towards Princess Cheng's courtyard. His pace seemed a little impatient, as if there was something urgent waiting for him to deal with.

As soon as he entered the yard, King Cheng's eyes were as cold as ice, and he scanned the servants in the house coldly. His eyes revealed a kind of majesty and indifference that made people shudder.

When Princess Cheng saw the King's expression, she understood what he was doing and realized that he was here to question her. So she quickly waved her hand to signal all the servants to leave.

After everyone left, only King Cheng and Princess Cheng were left in the room. Princess Cheng calmed down and said in a calm tone, "Your Highness, what's wrong with you? Did something happen?"

King Cheng did not answer her question, but continued to stare at her with his cold eyes, as if trying to see through her eyes and see her inner thoughts.

After a while, King Cheng finally spoke, his voice carrying a hint of severity: "Let me ask you, what has your son been doing lately?"

Princess Cheng's face darkened. She probably guessed what the king was referring to. However, she did not answer immediately. Instead, she pretended to be confused and said, "What can he do? He just goes to the palace to study every day and then goes back home directly."

Prince Cheng was obviously not satisfied with the answer of the Princess. His face became even darker and he shouted angrily, "Don't play dumb with me! I'm asking if he touched Doctor Zhengyi's niece!"

Princess Cheng's expression changed slightly, but she quickly regained her composure and insisted, "Your Highness, what are you talking about? Our son has always been well-behaved and obedient. How could he go and provoke Doctor Zhengyi's niece for no reason?"

Seeing the calm appearance of Princess Cheng, King Cheng became more and more furious. He slammed the table hard, making a loud "bang" sound, which almost made the teacups on the table jump up.

"Don't think I don't know!" King Cheng roared, "He has done a lot of things and you have been covering up for him behind his back! Do you think you can get away with it? Doctor Zhengyi has even reported it to the court!"

Upon hearing this, Princess Cheng was immediately furious and shouted angrily, "What? He actually dared to file a complaint? A mere fourth-rank civil servant who couldn't even discipline his own niece and actually allowed her to seduce my son at will, and now that something has happened, he is filing a complaint with the emperor? This is clearly an attempt to blackmail our palace!"

When King Cheng heard what Princess Cheng said, he couldn't believe it. He stared at her with wide eyes, as if he didn't know her. He asked in disbelief, "What did you say? Blackmail? And you seduced your son? You are just making up stories! It was obviously your son who fell in love with the girl and wanted to force her into the mansion, but he accidentally killed her. Shouldn't he report you?"