freenovelworld Chapter 387 Let's see her put on a good show
Chapter 387 Let's see her put on a good show
The moment Yuan Wanru stepped into the main hall, she felt a chill emanating from it, and she shivered slightly.
Today she wore loose clothes and walked in with her head down. Her slender figure looked even thinner, and her steps were so unsteady that she seemed about to fall at any moment.
"Lu Jiangnian's wife, Madam Yuan, pays her respects to His Majesty. Long live the Emperor!"
She knelt on the ground, her voice barely audible, and as soon as she finished speaking, she covered her mouth and coughed twice, her shoulders trembling slightly.
The emperor squinted and sized up the woman.
The Emperor was well aware of her background, and he was quite satisfied that Lu Jiangnian had married such a woman.
Unexpectedly, such an ordinary woman dared to take such a risk alone.
Having just heard Consort Liang's description, he had imagined Yuan Wanru to be a valiant and heroic woman. But now, he saw that her face was as pale as paper, and she was even trembling when she knelt down.
So timid?
Are you sick?
The Emperor's voice echoed in the hall.
Yuan Wanru seemed to be intimidated by the divine might, shrinking even smaller until her forehead almost touched the ground: "Cough cough, I'm not sick..."
She paused, her voice growing weaker, "Sigh, I guess I'm sick."
This incoherent answer left everyone in the hall looking puzzled.
The Emperor gave Consort Liang a meaningful look and said calmly, "Yuan Shi, look up and see who's in the hall."
Yuan Wanru then cautiously raised her head, her almond-shaped eyes glistening with tears, and timidly surveyed the hall.
When her gaze fell on Consort Liang and her son, she widened her eyes like a startled fawn, then hurriedly lowered her head.
Her gaze fell upon the Crown Prince, and her tense body relaxed slightly.
When she looked at the Emperor one last time, she trembled like a leaf in the autumn wind and immediately bowed down.
“I see… clearly now,” she replied softly, her voice almost inaudible, like a sheltered woman who had never seen the world.
A look of surprise flashed in the Crown Prince's eyes.
Last year, on the Crown Princess's birthday, in a dark room of the Eastern Palace, even though the traitor had been beaten to a pulp, Yuan Shi remained calm and composed, displaying extraordinary courage and sharp wit.
His current timid and cowardly appearance is completely different from how I remember him.
Recalling Lu Jiangnian's words that "my wife is most skilled at using gentleness to overcome strength," the Crown Prince almost burst out laughing, and his tense nerves relaxed a bit.
Yuan Shi is truly a remarkable person.
The emperor lightly tapped the armrest of his dragon throne with his knuckles, the dull sound echoing in the hall. His hawk-like gaze swept back and forth between Yuan Wanru's cowering figure and Consort Liang and her son, finally settling on Yuan Wanru.
"Madam Yuan, Consort Liang accused you of personally admitting to poisoning the Second Prince, rendering him impotent. Is this true?"
Upon hearing this, Yuan Wanru suddenly looked up, her almond-shaped eyes wide open, her pale lips trembling slightly, looking just like a frightened rabbit.
But when she met the emperor's sharp gaze, she immediately shrank back, almost curling up into a ball. This timid and cowardly appearance made the emperor frown—this cowardly woman managed to force Murong Xiao to retreat. How incompetent is his son?
"No...cough cough..." She covered her mouth and coughed lightly, her voice barely audible. "Your Majesty, I am innocent. I did not poison you."
Before she could finish speaking, she swayed and nearly fell over, her wide sleeves flaring with her trembling arms.
The second prince, having recovered from the beating he had just received from the crown prince, was so angry at Yuan Wanru's wretched appearance that he almost vomited blood.
That day at Ziyun Temple, Yuan Wanru was so aggressive and arrogant, threatening him to release Sun Haining and forcing him to abandon his cousin. She was practically a female demon.
And now, she's actually pretending to be an innocent little rabbit here?!
It's absolutely infuriating!
The second prince, his face covered in bruises, shouted, "Father, don't be fooled by her! This woman is incredibly audacious. She's faking it! She's faking it!"
Consort Liang chimed in, "I met Lady Yuan once at the imperial palace last time. She was quite eloquent back then, unlike how she is now."
"Yuan, do you know that the crime of deceiving the emperor is punishable by the extermination of your entire clan?"
Upon hearing this, Yuan Wanru trembled and her eyes instantly turned red.
She bit her lower lip, tears welling up in her eyes, but stubbornly refused to let them fall.
"I...no, cough cough..."
"Your Majesty, I have not deceived you... I dare not..."
She seemed so frightened that she was incoherent.
Her voice choked with emotion, but she suddenly mustered the courage to look up, "You're wronging an innocent person... You're the bad guys, you're the ones crying 'stop thief'..."
She glanced timidly at the Emperor: "Your Majesty is wise, I did not poison him."
He said it so lightly and quickly, and immediately lowered his head like a child who had made a mistake.
The crown prince clenched his fists tightly; he had to use all his strength to suppress his laughter.
The Yuan family's ability to feign ignorance is truly exceptional.
Catching a glimpse of his father's thoughtful expression, the Crown Prince knew that this charade was becoming increasingly interesting.
The emperor's gaze swept among the group of people before finally settling on Yuan Wanru.
Although she tried to remain calm, her interlaced fingers were already white, and fine beads of sweat even appeared on her forehead, making her look genuinely frightened.
Who is lying?
The Emperor's gaze darkened, his voice carrying an imposing authority: "Yuan Shi, I ask you, at the Third Prince's son's first birthday banquet, why did Lu Jiangnian publicly expose the Second Prince's hidden illness? And how did he know such a private matter?"
The second prince's face lit up with smugness, his sinister gaze sweeping over Yuan Wanru: "Isn't that right? If she wasn't the one who poisoned her, how could she know so clearly?"
Yuan Wanru suddenly looked up, her previous timid expression vanished, and a sharp glint flashed in her eyes.
She pointed directly at the Second Prince, her voice trembling with anger: "Your Majesty, please be wise! It was the Second Prince who first disregarded human life!"
"Second Prince, you are too cruel, too heartless!"
She straightened her back, her words ringing out firmly: "Those folk doctors who treated you couldn't cure your hidden ailment, so you killed them to silence them! That old doctor, who had treated and saved countless lives throughout his life, died unjustly at your hands!"
"When you wake up in the middle of the night, do you feel even the slightest bit of guilt?"
The second prince was taken aback. He hadn't expected that she actually knew about this.
Yuan Wanru's eyes were filled with tears, but she stubbornly refused to let them fall.
“My husband has always been an upright man. By chance, he learned of this matter. He couldn’t bear to see such atrocities, so he exposed it in public to make the Second Prince hesitate and dare not kill innocent people indiscriminately again!”
She turned to the emperor, her words earnest: "Since that day, the Second Prince has indeed not harmed the doctor again. Your Majesty, my husband is repaying injustice with justice; his intentions are truly commendable!"
"We never expected that our good intentions would become your excuse to frame us."
"Poisoning? How could I possibly have the ability to poison you?"
These words were so insightful that the Crown Prince was amazed.
He spoke up at the opportune moment: "Your Majesty, you are wise. Lady Yuan was raised in seclusion from a young age, rarely even venturing beyond the gates of the Marquis's residence. When Jiang Nian married her at his parents' behest, he even complained to me about it."
He gave Consort Liang a meaningful look: "Just as Lord Tang said, Consort Liang's accusations simply cannot withstand scrutiny."
The emperor's gaze was like lightning. Although Yuan Wanru straightened her back at this moment, her thin figure was still trembling slightly. After her impassioned speech, she returned to her cautious demeanor, but the stubbornness in her eyes had not faded.
The Second Prince's face turned ashen: "What a sharp tongue you have, twisting the truth! That day at Ziyun Temple, you clearly admitted that you were the one who poisoned me and forced me to release Sun Haining. Yuan Shi, how dare you deny it now?!"
Consort Liang quickly stopped him: "Xiao'er..."
How foolish of me to mention this to the Emperor!