Ruan Jingyue's face was shrouded in a fierce light, her slender hands clenched into a tight ball, her nails digging into her flesh without her feeling any pain.
When they entered the main hall, the emperor, Ye Lingfeng, was sitting at the head of the table.
Upon seeing Emperor Ye Lingfeng, Ruan Jingyue burst into tears. The person she loved with all her heart was the Emperor, but now she had a relationship with Prince Zhaoyang, Ye Ranyi, and she would never be able to marry Ye Lingfeng again.
Tonight, all of this was because Ruan Jingyue's cold eyes glared fiercely at Ji Hailing to the side.
It was her, it was all her. It must have been her who drugged her and Prince Zhaoyang in order to possess Ye Lingfeng, causing her to lose her virginity.
As Ruan Jingyue thought about it, she couldn't help but cry and said, "Please, Your Majesty of Beilu, give Jingyue justice."
"justice?"
Ye Lingfeng raised an eyebrow and coldly glanced at the people below him. He knew that his younger brother, Prince Zhaoyang Ye Ranyi, was always lecherous, and this time he had gone even further, actually sleeping with Princess Jingyue of Nanling Kingdom.
He needs to give an explanation for this.
Inside the main hall, before Ye Lingfeng could even speak, a eunuch outside the hall shrieked, "The Empress Dowager has arrived!"
Everyone looked up at the outside of the hall. The Empress Dowager led her people in and walked straight to the front of the hall.
Ye Lingfeng stood up and welcomed the Empress Dowager to sit at the head of the table.
Kneeling, Ruan Jingyue finally felt a glimmer of hope upon seeing the Empress Dowager appear. She spoke loudly, "Jingyue begs Your Majesty for justice! Tonight at the banquet, someone actually drugged Jingyue and Prince Zhaoyang!"
"Is that so?"
The Empress Dowager looked surprised, then turned to Ruan Jingyue and asked in a deep voice, "Who drugged you?"
"Ji Hailing, only she had the motive to drug me. Because she was afraid that I and the Emperor would fall in love while I was living in the palace, she drugged me and harmed me."
Ruan Jingyue could not continue speaking, but the Empress Dowager had already heard the cause and course of events and now understood. After listening to Ruan Jingyue's words, she looked at Hailing on one side of the hall.
Hai Ling was somewhat bewildered. She hadn't done anything wrong; she had just been watching the show, yet she was being attacked. Ruan Jingyue was truly ridiculous. She had gotten herself involved with Prince Zhaoyang, and now Ruan Jingyue was accusing her of drugging her.
However, Hailin's expression gradually turned cold, and doubt appeared in her eyes.
Ruan Jingyue likes Ye Lingfeng. If she hadn't been drugged, she would never have gotten involved with Prince Zhaoyang. Moreover, Prince Zhaoyang knew that Ruan Jingyue was a princess of Nanling Kingdom. He shouldn't have dared to favor Ruan Jingyue, but the two of them ended up sleeping together. Could it be that they were really drugged? Who was that person?
Hai Ling instinctively looked up at Ye Lingfeng high above.
Could it be that the person who administered the drug was actually the emperor?
It was a good thing that the Southern Ling Kingdom could form a marriage alliance with the Northern Lu Kingdom, but the Emperor did not want to marry Ruan Jingyue. So he drugged her and Prince Zhaoyang, making their marriage happen naturally. This way, he would not have to marry Ruan Jingyue, nor would he have to cause trouble with the Southern Ling Kingdom.
However, Hai Ling felt it necessary to speak up because the Empress Dowager kept staring at her.
"Your Majesty, Hai Ling did not poison me."
However, as soon as she finished speaking, Ruan Jingyue's face became even uglier. The two scratches on her face from Feng Yao's claws were now contorted into a hideous expression, which was quite gruesome. She screamed.
"If it wasn't you, then who was it? If it wasn't you, why would you be in the palace so late? Your presence here is the best evidence. Because you drugged me, I stayed in the palace to watch the show."
Ruan Jingyue screamed.
What she said made sense, so the Empress Dowager looked at Ye Lingfeng, wondering how the Emperor would handle the matter.
Just as Ye Lingfeng was about to speak, Ji Shaocheng, who was sitting next to Hai Ling, stood up and spoke calmly.
“Ling’er did not drug Princess Jingyue. We were together from beginning to end. I can testify to that.”
Ji Shaocheng was telling the truth, but Princess Jingyue refused to accept it and glared at him fiercely.
“She’s your sister, so of course you’d help her. Who else would do that? Who would drug me and Prince Zhaoyang?”
Ye Lingfeng's face was gloomy, his whole body was cold and fierce, and his eyes were sharp and piercing as he glared at Ruan Jingyue below.
"Ruan Jingyue, how dare you! You accuse someone of drugging you without any evidence. Besides, whether you were drugged or not is completely unknown. Maybe you're a promiscuous woman, which is why this happened today."
Inside the main hall, Ye Lingfeng's cold, emotionless words echoed.
Ruan Jingyue stared wide-eyed at Ye Lingfeng at the head of the table, incredulous.
Everyone in the world knows that he is the only person she truly loves. Yet he actually said such things, saying that she hadn't been drugged and that she was promiscuous. Ruan Jingyue was heartbroken, and tears streamed down her face like rain.
The pain she felt at this moment was even more heartbreaking and despairing than the previous pain.
Ye Lingfeng, how could you humiliate me like this? Why? Why?
You actually believed this woman without any reason. If you believe her, then what right do you have to insult me?
Inside the main hall, only Ruan Jingyue's cries could be heard. Ye Lingfeng no longer looked at her; his cold, unfathomable eyes were fixed on Prince Zhaoyang, Ye Ranyi, and he remained silent, lost in thought.
Looking at the situation before her, the Empress Dowager couldn't help but sigh before speaking.
"My son, let's think about how to handle this matter. Princess Jingyue and Prince Zhaoyang are already in this state."
Ye Lingfeng narrowed his eyes and said in a sinister tone, "Since Prince Zhaoyang and Princess Jingyue have developed to this point, then Princess Jingyue shall be bestowed upon Prince Zhaoyang as a concubine, and she shall be immediately sent to Prince Zhaoyang's residence by eunuchs, and the wedding shall be held on a chosen date."
At the Emperor's command, Prince Zhaoyang, standing below the main hall, obeyed.
He was overjoyed, having gained a beauty for no reason. He had been worried that the emperor would blame him, but to his surprise, the emperor did not. Just as Prince Zhaoyang was thinking this, the emperor's voice rang out again.
“The Prince of Zhaoyang dared to spend the night in Qingqian Palace. He should be punished according to the law. However, considering that this is the first time he has made such a mistake, he will be confined to his residence for a month to reflect on his actions and will not be allowed to leave the residence.”
"Your subject obeys the decree."
Prince Zhaoyang happily accepted the decree. Now that Princess Jingyue, the most beautiful woman in the world, was in his residence, he no longer needed to leave the mansion.