The jailer stood aside and said, "When we found her, she was already frothing at the mouth. Alas..."
Xie Yuanjiu opened the white cloth with trembling fingers, and sure enough he saw Mrs. Xie's turbid and pale face.
Tears fell from her eyes, she covered her with the white cloth again, and fell to the ground crying.
The jailer asked: "Miss Xie Si, what should we do now? Will you take her away by yourself, or notify Xie's family members?"
Xie Yuanjiu choked: "My mother has suffered all her life, and now she has ended up like this! I should have taken a good life I was filial and buried her well, but now it seems that I can't even go back home, and my father can't tolerate me, and he won't care about my mother's life or death."
She cried and wiped away her tears: "Please give her a good care."
Then, she took out a piece of silver and put it in the jailer's hand. Seeing the jailer's confused look, she felt that the money was not enough.
So, Xie Yuanjiu left another ingot of silver, and with the help of the maid, she left in tears.
after a few days.
The sky was overcast, with thick winter clouds covering the sky.
As soon as the emperor left the royal study, he heard the sound of drums coming from far away, which made the people's hearts tremble.
He immediately turned around, frowned and shouted, "What happened!"
The sound of this drum was not ordinary, it was a Dengwen drum.
The so-called Dengwen Drum is a large drum set up outside the palace. If someone wants to complain to the emperor, he can beat this drum.
Legend has it that this Dengwen drum was made by Taizu, the founder of Cangyun Kingdom. Taizu once hunted a colorful yak. The yak fell at his feet and could speak human speech. It told the emperor to make its skin into a drum. You can know the injustices in the world and become a wise king.
Even so, the Dengwen drum is a symbol of imperial power. Beating this drum is like the emperor's personal visit. No one has dared to approach it. Since the founding of the People's Republic of China, the Dengwen drum has only been sounded four times.
They are all related to national events, border battles and the death of the emperor's relatives.
Now, it rang again.
The sound of the drums sounded like sharp knives, and the emperor frowned.
Commander Lu quickly stepped forward, cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, it's Xie Yuanjiu, the fourth lady of the Xie family, who is beating the drum. She has a grievance to complain about."
The emperor thought of Xie Yuanjiu's absurd behavior of attracting bird droppings in the palace, and frowned with a smile on his face. impatient.
"What does she want to do? She even dared to beat the drum randomly. Are you really not afraid of me punishing you?"
Commander Lu hesitated for a moment, lowered his head and replied: "She said that her mother was brutally murdered by Mr. Xie and General Fang in prison, so Please make the decision and bring justice to the dead Mrs. Xie."
The emperor was shocked.
If it were a normal matter, that would be fine, but the one Xie Yuanjiu sued was a female general with great military exploits, and the other was a former pillar of the imperial court.
What's more, if the daughter accuses her father of killing her mother because of his old love, if word gets out, I don't know what outsiders will think about it.
The emperor waved his hand: "Thank you Yuanjiu, and by the way, ask the prime minister to come over."
After thinking about it, he added: "Xie Dizhi and Fang Qingdai are also coming to see me."
Commander Lu immediately went to do it.
The emperor just sat down on the dragon chair with a calm expression, waiting for their arrival.
But at this moment, Mo Lingwei led Shen Ningning inside.
The little guy jumped up and down to greet the emperor.
The emperor's stern look was startled: "Why are you two here at this time? Do you have something to do with me?"
Shen Ningning blinked her eyes and said nothing. Mo Lingwei spoke for her: "Just now we heard the sound of Dengwen Drum. , Shen Ningning said that she had never seen anyone playing drums in her entire life, so she came to see what the excitement was."
The emperor laughed.
"Little Ning Ning, you are only five and a half years old. Of course you don't know how powerful this drum is. However, I'm afraid it's inconvenient for you to be here. Today's matter involves your second uncle and your sisters. Ling Wei, you should take Ning Wei with you. Ning go back first."
Shen Ningning said Nuonuo: "Uncle Emperor, then I should stay. Even though I am young, I am already a member of the Xie family!"
The emperor looked solemn, as if he was a little hesitant. .
I'm afraid that the scandal that Xie Yuanjiu will talk about will be too ugly later.
Shen Ningning saw the opportunity and ran over with her little feet. She boldly hugged the emperor's two palms, wrapped her small hands in her big hands, and shook them back and forth.
"Uncle Emperor, I wish you peace and health. Just let me stay and listen! Besides, I also have a little thing to tell you!"
The emperor looked at Shen Ningning. The little guy was wearing a bamboo-green dress with two heads on his head. A small tug-tiao, when it swayed, the silver bells on its two small wrists jingled crisply.
It was so cute and pink and exquisite that the emperor's heart softened. "Okay, okay, since you want to stay, let's listen together. But wait, you little guy can't act recklessly. The emperor's uncle has his own considerations. No matter what order is given, you are not allowed to cry."
Shen Ningning Agree immediately.
"Okay!" She smiled.
But I was already half worried in my heart.
Before the emperor saw his second uncle, he already thought of punishing him.
After all, everyone knows about the old relationship between Mr. Xie and Fang Qingdai, and now, Mr. Xie's own daughter has filed a lawsuit against him, saying that Mr. Xie killed his wife because of his old love.
No matter what the truth is, once word gets out, people will only believe what they want to believe.
Mo Lingwei had someone bring a long and wide prince chair and pulled Shen Ningning to sit on it.
He arranged for the eunuch to serve snacks and tea. He lowered his eyes and asked Shen Ningning in a low voice: "Is it enough to eat?"
Shen Ningning grabbed a handful of melon seeds and nodded obediently: "You can eat them until evening!"
Mo Lingwei narrowed his eyes. chuckle.
After a while, Xie Yuanjiu was brought into the palace by Commander Lu. She was dressed in plain white, with a mourning ribbon tied on her head. She was as pitiful as a white camellia in a heavy rain.
"Your Majesty, your Majesty, Your Highness the Crown Prince." She raised her head and her eyes were startled when she saw Shen Ningning. Mo Lingwei raised
his eyebrows: "Your Highness, Princess, won't you see me?"
Xie Yuanjiu was about to express her grievances to the emperor, and tears were already filling her eyes. However, the emperor raised his hand and stopped her next words.
"Don't rush in. I have summoned your uncle, your father, and General Fang. When they all arrive, you can explain the matter."
Xie Yuanjiu wiped away the tears that had just squeezed out, and lowered his head weakly: "Yes." Within half the time of burning the incense, brothers Xie Suzhi and Xie Erye arrived.
Fang Qingdai was dusty when she arrived, and she was still wearing her unchanged military uniform. She must have just been practicing in the martial arts field, and she would immediately hear the imperial edict. coming.
Shen Ningning was chewing melon seeds. After seeing her father, she smiled as cutely as a little hamster.
"Dad, second uncle, aunt Qingdai." She waved her little hand as if she were at home.
Xie Suzhi saw his daughter sitting on the prince's chair, sitting between the emperor and the prince!
His eyebrows jumped. He wanted to step forward and take his daughter away, but the emperor was already one step ahead of him and spoke softly to
Shen Ningning: "Ningning, you just promised the emperor's uncle to keep quiet, right? The emperor's uncle is going to ask them questions." The guy said "Oh", quickly covered his mouth and nodded apologetically.
She said she would be good.
The emperor smiled with satisfaction.
Why is this kid getting cuter and cuter every time I look at him?
Mo Lingwei whispered to Shen Ningning: "I'll peel the melon seeds for you."
Xie Suzhi seemed to feel that it would be a bit redundant for him to speak again. The most important thing at the moment was not that Ningning was sitting on the prince's chair.
But he heard that Xie Yuanjiu was going to sue Mr. Xie.
At this time, the emperor put on a stern look and looked at the four people kneeling under his highness.
"Thank you Miss Fourth, you can speak now." The emperor said.
Xie Yuanjiu burst into tears first, kneeling on the ground, sobbing bitterly.
But when it was my turn to speak, my words were clear.
"Your Majesty, I want to sue my father Xie Dizhi.
In order to reconcile with his old love, General Fang, he brutally poisoned my mother who was in prison!"
The whole place was in an uproar.
Fang Qingdai suddenly raised her head and said in unison with Mr. Xie: "What did you say?!"
Xie Suzhi frowned, and his cold eyes were dark and deep.
Xie Yuanjiu wiped away her tears: "I have evidence."
(End of chapter)