"Emperor, you're wise. Sister is speaking nothing but the truth! If not… if not, Sister would not appear in the bridal chamber. After all, the bride wasn't my older sister!" Su Ruolin said as she stared at Su Ruoxi angrily.
If she was not drugged, why would she lose her innocence to a fool? With her current circumstance, how could she still go back and face that person? It was all that good-for-nothing's fault for harming her.
"Emperor, I'm begging you, please uphold justice for me!" Su Ruoqi said as tears welled up in her eyes.
"That's right. The Eldest Miss and Second Miss of the Prince Su's mansion have always been on good terms. If she wasn't drugged, why would the older sister barge into the younger one's bridal chamber?"
"I agree! If she wasn't drugged, how would the Crown Prince know about consummation? Then she wouldn't…"
Officials silently discussed amongst themselves, after hearing Su Ruoqi, and her sister's words.
Upon hearing the chatter of the crowd, Su Yuntian and Su Yunqi's faces turned as dark as ever. Only Su Ruoxi was still standing there as if nothing had happened.
Something flashed in Bai Zhe's eyes as he looked at Su Ruoxi. He could not deny that this woman made him very curious. Not mentioning her attitude toward the head of a state, the drug inside the sisters of the Su family's body made him as interested as ever.
"Su Ruoxi, what else do you have to say?" Su Yuntian asked with a solemn face.
"I've already said that this had nothing to do with me." Su Ruoxi said lightly.
"Hmph, nothing to do with you? Now, both your sisters claimed that you were the one who drugged them. How else can you defend yourself? Don't force me to torture you!" Su Yuntian said as he looked at Su Yunqi, who had not spoken a word.
Su Ruoxi sneered as her eyes swept past Su Yuntian, sitting on the main seat, Su Yunqi with a solemn face and Lin Zewen, as his menacing plot was coming into place. She could roughly guess what these people were thinking…
"Emperor, even though both missies have strong drugs, this could not prove that the person who drugged them was Third Miss." Bai Zhe suddenly opened his mouth and spoke.
After he finished his sentence, even he himself was taken aback and confused at his intentions of helping Su Ruoxi. However, he was not wrong. Everything needed evidence. One could not just confirm someone as the culprit, solely based on what the victim had said.
"Master Physician Bai is right. I will definitely not frame a good person. Su Ruoqi, Su Ruolin, what else do you have to add?" Su Yuntian asked sternly.
"Dear Emperor, my servant girl can testify!"Su Ruoqi said in a low voice.
"Someone, bring Su Ruoqi's servant girl over from the Su's mansion." Su Yuntian instructed.
Not long later, two servant girls were brought forth and saw their own miss kneeling on the floor, with Third Miss standing at the side. Immediately, they knelt on the floor.
"Do you know why you're brought here? Say everything that you both know, and you mustn't lie. If not, you will be punished severely." Without waiting for Su Yuntian to speak up, Chancellor Lin hollered angrily from the side.
"Yes, yes. I wouldn't dare to lie about anything. On the night of Second Miss's wedding, Third Miss told us to serve a pot of tea to Big Missy and Second Miss. She said it was to relieve them of their tiredness…" Both servant girls knelt on the floor and said cautiously.
When Su Ruoxi heard that the two servant girls said, she looked at Su Yunqi sarcastically. Coincidentally, Su Yunqi raised his head and met with Su Ruoxi's gaze.
He felt as if she had seen through him. In his heart, he knew that this servant girl must have been planted by Lin Yue. Even though he knew that the incident was clearly done by Su Ruoxi, without any evidence, he could not do anything about it.
However, once the emperor had believed the servant girl's words, Su Ruoxi would not be able to escape from her convictions. By then, she would most likely be executed.
No matter what the truth was, the crime of murdering the Crown Prince must be bore by someone from Prince Su's mansion.
Perhaps, the emperor was considering their relations, so he chose Su Ruoxi, but did he really want to see this girl get executed?
However, if she did not take the fall, it would be Ruoqi and Ruolin. They were all his relatives, how should he choose?
"Su Ruoxi, how dare you? It was indeed you who had drugged the two missies and controlled them to assassinate the Crown Prince! Your sins can never be redeemed! Someone, bring Su Ruoxi down, and we will execute her at the Meridian Gate tomorrow!" Su Yuntian slammed the table in anger.
"Emperor…" Su Yunqi suddenly yelled.
"Prince, you have something to add?" Su Yuntian asked Su Yunqi.
Su Yunqi looked at Su Ruoqi and Su Ruolin kneeling on the floor and then at Su Ruoxi who was as nonchalant as ever. Finally, he lowered his head and said, "Nothing."
Su Ruoxi smiled cynically. She knew that it would end up this way a long time ago, but when she had to truly face it, she still felt unjust for the original owner! Forget it. Since this Prince's mansion and Kingdom of the Heavenly Phoenix were not worth the original owner remembering, then she would not care so much either.
Whatever she had owed her, no matter from the past or the present, all had to be repaid.
"Someone, bring Criminal Su Ruoxi away!" Su Yuntian said coldly.
"I hope you won't regret your decision!" Su Ruoxi suddenly said toward Su Yuntian, sitting on the throne.
For some reason, when Su Yuntian saw Su Ruoxi's gaze, he was slightly anxious. However, he later thought that it was impossible that a once good-for-nothing could do anything to him.
"Hmph, I have never regretted any decision I've made. Bring her down!" Su Yuntian said.
Su Ruoxi sneered and walked away with two guards. Of course, she would not be wearing any torture materials.
After seeing Su Ruoxi being brought away, Su Yuntian heaved a sigh of relief. Then, he turned around and looked at Su Ruoqi and Su Ruolin below. He said, "Since Su Ruoqi actually became Crown Prince's wife, I will confer you the title of Crown Princess. Crown Prince's death was still related to both of you no matter what, so you would be exempted from death but not your punishment. You two are convicted to observe mourning for the Crown Prince for three years. Everyone is dismissed…"
Su Ruoqi and Su Ruolin were extremely unwilling, but they did not dare say much at this point and could only lower their heads quietly.
After seeing Su Ruoxi's smile before she was brought away, for some reason, Bai Zhe felt that the Heavenly Phoenix City would be in trouble. When he thought of this, he immediately announced his departure and prepared to go back and share with his good friend about what he had witnessed today.
It seemed like the execution at Meridian Gate the next day would be very interesting.
Su Yunqi returned to the Prince's mansion with a solemn face.
Feng Yi Palace
While looking at Empress Dowager, who was resting with her eyes closed, she wiped her tears and said, "Empress Dowager, Feng-er…"
"Okay, stop crying! Feng-er has been a fool for so many years. If it was not because you were the one that gave birth to him and me supporting him behind the scenes, he would have passed on a long time ago. Even if Feng-er was still alive, the title of the Crown Prince would be given to someone else sooner or later. Didn't you know of this since the very start?" Empress Dowager Feng Hanyan opened her eyes and said to Feng Lan.
"Empress Dowager, I'm just… indignant! I'm upset that the Emperor always listens to that sl*t—Imperial Concubine Xue. I think she will immediately ask the Emperor to confer Su Nan as the Crown Prince." Feng Lan said with much hatred.