Chapter 246: The Case is Solved

Xiao Yang: "Regent King, what is the crime for slandering a court official, a sitting Marquis?"

Rong Yin: "Thirty heavy strokes with the plank, and removal from office. In this situation, Lu Yao holds no official post, but Lu Pin failed to discipline his daughter properly, so he should be held equally culpable."

The three members of the Lu family grew anxious when they heard talk of beatings and dismissal from office.

Lu Pin said hurriedly, "My daughter would never speak nonsense. It was General Li who acted improperly after drinking. May Your Majesty see the truth."

Xiao Yang: "Li Wei can drink a thousand cups without getting drunk. Almost no one in the army can match his tolerance for alcohol. That day, he only took ten small jars of wine. How could he have lost control? Li Wei is not lacking for beautiful women. Plenty of women have tried to seduce him, and Lu Yao is hardly the first."

"We trust Li Wei’s character. The soldiers of the army can also testify for him. Li Wei’s actions from the moment he met you and afterward were logical and clearly explained. This is not a matter where one can simply use a woman’s reputation and innocence to make false accusations."

Xiao Yang didn’t understand. "Lu Yao, what do you hope to gain from this slander? Do you want to ruin Li Wei’s reputation, or force him to take you in under pressure? If you rely on slander and schemes to get what you want, are you sure you’d have a good life after stepping into the Li family’s home?"

Xiao Yang was merely stating the facts, but Lu Yao was displeased. "Is Your Majesty threatening me on behalf of General Li? What he did, he did. Am I not even allowed to speak the truth?"

Xiao Yang sneered. "You really won’t give up until you’re at death’s door."

Xu Xingchen entered, followed by guards leading two people—Lu Yao’s maid and her nanny.

Xu Xingchen stepped forward and bowed. "Your Majesty, these two can prove that Lu Yao schemed against General Li with ulterior motives."

The maid and the nanny didn’t dare look at Lu Yao, speaking with their heads lowered.

The maid said, "Your Majesty... my lady does indeed admire the Great General. After the Great General returned from hunting the tiger, his heroic reputation spread throughout the Palace. She took me to secretly watch the General, and after returning, she was completely smitten. She excitedly picked out clothes, hoping to have a chance encounter with the Great General."

"My lady happened upon the Great General a few times, but they were always too far apart to speak. She also obtained a piece of the tigerskin from the tiger the Great General killed, through her father."

Lu Pin’s expression stiffened. "This... Don’t you speak nonsense. Yao’er just said she had never seen a tiger and wanted a small piece of the hide for her collection."

Lu Yao whipped her head around, her eyes sharp. "Hongzhi, what nonsense are you spouting? I have not treated you poorly!"

Hongzhi looked up at Lu Yao. Perhaps knowing there was no turning back, she showed no fear.

She continued, "On the night of the seventeenth, my lady couldn’t sleep after seeing the Great General, tossing and turning. In the middle of the night, she went to Little Qingtan. My lady and I accidentally saw someone swimming, a woman in white. After she came out of the water and climbed onto the stone platform, we saw someone else was there. In the end, she was held by that person... they did something very intimate... and finally, they left together in an embrace."

"I did not see the people clearly, but my lady was very certain it was the Great General. She came back heartbroken and didn’t eat for a whole day. But the next day, she put on a white dress and went swimming at Little Qingtan herself."

"My lady didn’t meet anyone that day and almost got frostbite. Nanny Liu and I made a ginger broth bath for her. The day after, she went again. This time, she met someone. I was far away and only saw them speaking. I thought my lady had gotten her wish, so I went back and even helped her keep it a secret, afraid her father and mother would find out. I never told anyone where my lady went, but her father somehow learned of it. He asked about it and then left. A short while later, my lady was sent back. When she learned her father had gone to see Your Majesty, she and her mother rushed out."

Hongzhi kowtowed. "That is all I know."

Nanny Liu obviously didn’t know as much as Hongzhi, the personal maid, but she could confirm the truth of much of what Hongzhi had said.

Yet even at this point, Lu Yao remained stubbornly defiant.

"I do admire the Great General, but is my admiration a reason for him to take advantage of me?"

She held her head high stubbornly, refusing to admit she had intentionally tried to seduce him, even on pain of death.

’How will my parents see me? How can I face anyone in the future?’

"Even Hongzhi can testify that the Great General was engaged in illicit acts with someone else. He is a sanctimonious and utterly hypocritical person. Why would I need to slander him?"

After Lu Yao finished speaking, the entire hall fell silent.

A deathly, awkward silence.

Prince Jing belatedly understood something. He looked at the completely unruffled Li Wei, then at the Emperor’s stiff expression.

’Case closed.’

Meanwhile, Rong Yin and Xu Xingchen both looked at the Emperor, clearly having realized something as well.

Xu Xingchen was alright, his expression just a little downcast. Rong Yin’s expression was fine when he looked at the Emperor, but when his gaze swept over to Li Wei, it was so dark it could practically drip water.

Prince Jing: ’Tsk tsk, someone’s about to crack!’

Xiao Yang’s expression was calm, but inwardly she was screaming.

’Privacy! Privacy! I already said that an emperor needs privacy!’

’Why does my life have so many spectators?’

’The pond was so dark. I just happened to go there and just happened to run into Li Wei. How could we have just happened to be seen by someone?’

’Heavens, are you deliberately picking on me?’

"Li Wei."

Xiao Yang sighed deeply. "Go and receive ten strokes of the rod later."

’If I don’t punish him, I just won’t feel right about this.’

Li Wei had not a single complaint. He rose, knelt on one knee, and bowed his head respectfully. "Your subject accepts his crime. Thank you, Your Majesty, for bestowing this punishment."

Xiao Yang extended her hand. Li Wei immediately placed his on hers, rising with her help. And just like that, their hands were joined under everyone’s watchful eyes.

Xiao Yang looked at the three members of the Lu family. "As you can see, Li Wei is my choice for Imperial Consort."

She offered no further explanation. "Drag them away and deal with them according to the rules."

This time, no one gave them another chance to speak nonsense. The guards stepped forward, clamped their hands over their mouths, and dragged them away.

Lu Yao was given thirty heavy strokes with the plank, Lu Pin was dismissed from his post, and all related personnel were dealt with and expelled.

For her meritorious testimony, Hongzhi had her indenture contract returned to her. However, she still went to attend to the beaten Lu Yao, waiting until she woke up.

When Lu Yao opened her eyes, her face was contorted in pain, but the moment she saw Hongzhi, it filled with infinite hatred. "You traitor! You wretched slave! How dare you betray me! Believe it or not, I’ll kill you!"

Hongzhi: "I’m afraid you can’t kill me now, my lady."

She was neither servile nor overbearing. "When I was nine, you and your father passed by my home and asked for a drink of water. You took a liking to me as I was cooking. You said you liked the look of me, so you had your father force money on my parents and buy me. For the ten years since, I have never seen my family again. I have served by your side without pay and without rest. When you were in a bad mood, you would hit and curse me. When you made a mistake, your father and mother felt sorry for you, so they would beat me too. My life may be lowly, but I was not born to be a slave. I once had parents who loved me, but I was forcibly separated from them to be your slave for ten years."

"Today, it wasn’t that I betrayed you. It was the might of the Emperor. Whether I spoke or not, the Lu Family could not have escaped. I did not want to die with you. You forced my hand once, so I have turned my back on you once. From now on, let us consider our debts settled. Also... my name is Sun Xiaozhu. I have a proper name. I am not some ’Hongzhi’."