roccoschili Chapter 137 Thief
Chapter 137 Thief
“Princess Yongle, don’t make baseless accusations.”
Ren Yinxue never expected that she would have no sense of shame at all, and instead force such a thing onto her.
“How could I, the legitimate daughter of Grand Tutor Ren, a first-rank official, possibly do such a despicable thing? On the contrary, you…”
Before Ren Yinxue could finish speaking, Madam Pei interrupted her coldly, "Miss Ren, I advise you to think before you speak. Do you think the Pei family can be manipulated by your Ren family? Don't forget, Su Fuying is now a daughter of the Pei family!"
Ren Yinxue's expression froze for a moment, secretly annoyed that she had forgotten about this!
Su Fuying has now climbed the social ladder by attaching herself to the Pei family. Although the Pei family has no influence in the capital now, so what if they are on par with her father?
She looked down on it from the bottom of her heart, but she would never dare to say it in front of everyone.
He could only reply with a smile, "That's not what I meant, Madam Pei."
Ren Yinxue gritted her teeth inwardly, her heart filled with resentment and indignation, but on the surface she could only pretend to be innocent and aggrieved.
She knew that she couldn't openly confront the Pei family in this situation, otherwise it would only bring her more trouble.
Her gaze shifted to Su Fuying, her eyes flashing with resentment and jealousy.
"Then what do you mean?" Madam Pei pressed on without backing down.
Ren Yinxue was speechless for a moment, and her face immediately turned ugly. She never expected that Madam Pei would be so disrespectful. It was simply a deliberate attempt to make things difficult for her, and she deserved to die.
"Alright, we won't interfere in the squabbles between the younger generation." Seeing that Ren Yinxue was at a disadvantage, the Empress quickly spoke up to help, trying to downplay the matter.
"A junior? How dare a junior slander someone's reputation like this?" Madam Pei's displeased question echoed loudly in the empty garden.
"You..." The Empress was truly surprised that Madam Pei dared to speak to her like that, and a surge of anger welled up in her heart. But before she could vent her anger, she heard an announcement from outside: "Your Majesty, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review requests an audience."
Upon hearing this, the emperor breathed a sigh of relief. He had been hoping that this farce would end as soon as possible, so he immediately straightened up and said impatiently, "Summon the emperor."
"Summon him!" As the eunuch's shrill voice rang out, a middle-aged man in an official robe hurriedly walked in.
"Greetings, Your Majesty." The man knelt and bowed, his expression solemn and respectful.
"Rise. Today is a day off. What brings you here in such a hurry?"
The emperor tapped his fingers on the stone table, his tone casual.
"Your Majesty, I have an important matter to report."
After the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review finished speaking, he looked up and his gaze fell on Su Fuying.
“Coincidentally, Princess Yongle is also here, and this matter is also related to Princess Yongle.”
"Oh? What a coincidence? Well then, I'd like to hear it."
The emperor appeared to be in high spirits, showing no signs of his earlier fatigue.
"His Majesty……"
The Empress suddenly had a bad feeling. There were too many variables surrounding Su Fuying. The Minister of the Court of Judicial Review had suddenly come over, and he might be trying to exonerate Su Fuying again.
The Minister of the Court of Judicial Review did not give the Empress a chance to speak, and immediately began to report:
"Your Majesty, a few days ago, Princess Yongle reported to the government office that her residence had been robbed. The thieves were later found, but there were many complicated matters involved, which is why our Minister of the Court of Judicial Review took over the case."
His words elicited various reactions from the people present.
"Is the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review really telling the truth? Is there such a coincidence in the world?"
Consort Li's tone was questionable; she managed to exonerate Su Fuying with just a few words. This was unacceptable.
"What does Consort Li mean by this? I am merely reporting the truth."
Anyone would be unhappy if their work was questioned, hence the Chief Justice of the Court of Judicial Review's tone was not very pleasant.
Consort Li's face turned ugly, but given her status, she dared not refute.
"Lord Bai, Consort Li was merely asking a question, nothing serious. Why must you be so insistent? We were just discussing the theft at Princess Yongle's residence, and Princess Yongle couldn't give a clear explanation. Lord Bai just happened to come in to help Princess Yongle. There's probably more to this than meets the eye..."
The Queen's words sounded gentle, but they were actually full of profound meaning.
On the surface, she was pleading for Consort Li, but in reality, every word she said hinted that the matter was related to Su Fuying, which led to various speculations.
The last unspoken sentence is even more intriguing, as if some unspeakable secret is hidden within it.
"Your Majesty, the inner palace has always been forbidden from interfering in politics. How can you say it's harmless?"
The Minister of the Court of Judicial Review responded resolutely, his gaze meeting the Empress's without fear, his tone firm and serious.
He emphasized the rule that the harem should not interfere in political affairs, which was undoubtedly aimed at the Empress and Consort Li for their interruptions.
This response shocked everyone present, as few dared to challenge the Queen's authority so directly.
"Be bold!"
Upon hearing the rebuttal from the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, the Empress was immediately enraged.
She originally thought that her status and power could suppress the other party, but she did not expect that the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review would be so stubborn and inflexible.
Her face darkened, and a hint of murderous intent flashed in her eyes. She had long known that the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review was an upright and selfless man who was difficult to bribe, but she hadn't expected him to be so disrespectful to her.
"Your Majesty, have I said something wrong? If it weren't for His Majesty's instruction, how could such an important matter be something that you women of the inner palace would be allowed to hear?"
The Minister of the Court of Judicial Review was not intimidated by the Empress's rebuke, and his tone remained neither humble nor arrogant.
"Your Majesty, look at him."
Unable to control him, she could only turn to look at the emperor.
The emperor then spoke, "Enough! What kind of behavior is this, all this arguing and shouting? I believe what you say is true, my dear minister. So, in your opinion, what is the truth of this matter?" The emperor asked the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review.
"Yes."
The Minister of the Court of Judicial Review raised his chin arrogantly, his gaze sweeping over the Empress's flushed face, and said unhurriedly:
"When the thief was caught, it was discovered that he had stolen many poems, calligraphy and paintings from the Princess's residence, as well as other valuables from the residence. Following this lead, the magistrate discovered other things."
At this point, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review paused, glancing at the Emperor with a troubled look in his eyes.
"explain."
The emperor remained indifferent, showing no concern for the bystanders present.
Even the emperor didn't care, so he, as a subject, naturally couldn't say much. "It has been discovered that there have been many such transactions in the capital recently. Many students who will be taking the imperial examinations next spring have come to the capital early to buy and sell exam questions."
"Is there such a thing?"
The emperor's expression hardened slightly, and his tone became more serious.
"Yes, the Dali Temple has already investigated many people, but I have discovered that someone is manipulating this matter behind the scenes. I realized that this is a very serious matter, so I came here to report immediately."
"Who is so bold!"
The emperor slammed his hand on the stone table, making a dull thud.