flstandardbreds Chapter 109 The Deer Banquet Scandal (Framed)
Chapter 109 The Deer Banquet Scandal (Framed)
Everyone turned to look, and the one who spoke was none other than Lin Shu, who continued:
"If the official in charge of ceremonies did not misread the names during the announcement of the results, and your registered residence is in a remote area, you should have arrived in the capital only a few days before the imperial examination. Since then, the Seventh Prince has not left the palace. How did you come to know him?"
Feng Han also looked over.
"I...I..." The woman's gaze wandered, glancing at a certain place from time to time. Lin Shu followed her gaze and saw the Third Princess? Or perhaps the First Princess?
Just then, the door creaked open from the inside, and a handsome but disheveled servant boy ran out in a panic, clutching his clothes. Upon seeing so many people at the door, he froze on the spot.
The people behind him were cursing and swearing:
"Get out of here! You lowly thing, how dare you ruin my good time!"
“Your Majesty…Your Majesty…” Ling Wanzhen pushed aside the servant at the door with a fierce expression, and saw Feng Han and the others. Her legs went weak and she immediately knelt down.
Feng Han finally breathed a sigh of relief; at least it wasn't her own son! Then she said sternly again:
"Ling Wanzhen! How dare you! You actually dare to commit such a despicable act at the Deer Cry Banquet. Do you not take me seriously?"
Upon hearing this, Ling Wanzhen hurriedly protested, shifting the blame onto the servant: "No...no, Your Majesty, I...I really don't know why, I suppose...I suppose this lowly servant is trying to curry favor with the powerful...Yes! It must be him."
Seeing that Feng Han remained unmoved, the eldest princess Feng Xin, still in that disheveled state, her face covered in scratches, head half-lowered, glanced at Lin Shu who had disappeared for a long time, and said casually:
"Your Majesty, I believe there is something fishy about this. My cousin would never be so foolish as to act in this way at the Deer Cry Banquet. I beg Your Majesty to summon the imperial physician to examine her..."
Feng Han gave Feng Xin a deep look. If she hadn't already known the inside story, she probably would have thought that someone was deliberately framing her. However, she still said, "Summon the imperial physician."
The imperial physician arrived swiftly and finished his examination in no time. He emerged with an incense burner and said to Feng Han, "Your Majesty, this incense is an aphrodisiac..."
The rest is self-evident.
Ling Wanzhen also came to her senses at this moment, and hurriedly knelt down and took a few steps forward, kowtowing and saying, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty! You see, someone poisoned me, I am truly innocent..."
"Oh? Is that so? Then tell me, who dares to frame you?" Feng Han sneered.
"This this……"
Seeing Ling Wanzhen speechless, the First Princess cursed her inwardly as a fool. If Ling Wanzhen weren't still useful, she would have killed her immediately. She then continued:
"Your Majesty, I saw Scholar Lin leave his seat for more than half an hour before he returned."
"Ah, yes, yes! It's Lin Shu, she must be the one trying to frame me!" Ling Wanzhen pointed at Lin Shu and asserted.
"Ha!" Lin Shu sneered upon hearing this.
Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw that the woman was still dressed in blue, her lips were slightly swollen and red, and there was a cut on the corner of her mouth. Although she was sneering, her beauty was still undeniable. Not to mention men, even women found it hard to resist her...
But all the beauty was shattered by her cold, mocking voice: "What a joke! Why would I frame you? Just because you're stupid? Bad? Shameless?"
“You…” Ling Wanzhen was enraged, but before she could finish speaking, the First Princess interrupted her loudly:
"Hmph! Of course it's because you are the illegitimate daughter of the Prince of Dingbei, so you can't tolerate the legitimate daughter, Wanzhen."
These words caused an uproar throughout the room, and even Ling Huanan, who had remained silent until now, couldn't help but frown.
Feng Qing was even more exaggerated, her eyes widening as she exclaimed, "What?"
Feng Han squinted at Feng Xin, and sneered inwardly. She had underestimated this daughter in the past!
"Lin Shu is my eldest daughter! Eighteen years ago, her father was murdered by Feng Rui, and she has only just been found! If such words ever reach my ears again, I will not care about your identity!"
Ling Huanan, who had remained silent until now, stared sharply at the eldest princess with a warning look, and spoke up to defend Lin Shu.
Then everyone remembered that there had been similar rumors in the capital before, and they never thought it was true. So they looked at Ling Wanzhen with disdain, after all, like father, like daughter!
Ling Wanzhen's face showed pain. She had just been questioned by His Majesty, and Ling Huanan hadn't uttered a single word in her defense. But why was she so intolerant of someone merely slandering Lin Shu...?
"If it weren't her, how could she have disappeared for so long?" Ling Wanzhen, having given up all hope, turned to Lin Shu and said, "You say it wasn't you who did it, then produce the evidence!"
Lin Shu almost laughed in anger, and scoffed coldly: "Ha! The burden of proof lies with the person making the claim."
"What do you mean?" Ling Wanzhen asked, somewhat puzzled.
Lin Shu pointed at her and the eldest princess, her face mocking: "You're so stupid you don't even realize it. Now it's up to you two to provide evidence to prove that I did it, not for me to prove my innocence, understand?"
"puff……"
The laughter was abrupt, and everyone looked in the direction of the sound.
A man in blue robes stood before them, his eyes clear as a deer's, his nose high and straight, his dark hair tied up with a hair ornament, blue ribbons swaying gently in the wind, flowing from his head to his shoulders, giving him an air of otherworldly grace, as if he were "riding the wind to return home"...
Her whole being was like the bright moon in the sky, which should have been aloof, but was softened by her clear deer eyes, revealing purity and gentleness.
This person was none other than Ji Heng, the grandson of Grand Tutor Ji.
Seemingly sensing the gazes of the crowd, Ji Heng suppressed his smile, bowed respectfully to His Majesty, and then said:
"Your Majesty, just now Miss Lin was with me. My grandmother has been praising Miss Lin's strategic questions recently, so I wanted to ask her for advice. However, we ended up talking and forgot the time, which led to a misunderstanding among the people..."
Grand Tutor Ji, standing not far away: ...? ? ?
However, no one questioned this statement, because everyone knew that the young master of the Ji family was exceptionally talented, far surpassing ordinary women. He was proficient in all the arts, including music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and was most passionate about exquisite literature...
Therefore, these words are quite reasonable.
Lin Shu also turned to look at the unfamiliar man, her eyes full of doubt. Young Master Ji?
"You...you're talking nonsense. If it were true, why didn't Lin Shu defend herself just now?" Ling Wanzhen was still making a last-ditch effort.
“Miss Lin is very polite. I suppose you are worried about damaging my reputation…” Ji Heng smiled slightly, but his words were full of double meaning and left much to ponder.
"you……"
"Enough!" Feng Han had lost all patience with Ling Wanzhen. Her face was ashen as she scolded, "Since you have no evidence and Lin Shu has witnesses, stop spouting nonsense and making baseless accusations!"
"Guards, convey my decree: Ling Wanzhen of the Dingbei Prince's Mansion has behaved improperly, disgracing the royal family. She is hereby punished to attend the Imperial Music Academy for four hours daily. Any further offenses will be severely punished..."
Upon hearing the words "Jiaofangsi," Ling Wanzhen turned pale. Jiaofangsi was a place to punish noble children who had committed numerous evils but whose crimes did not warrant death. Once inside, one would either die or be severely injured!
Moreover, she will probably be the first person sent to the brothel since Feng Han took power...
But before Feng Han could finish speaking, she was interrupted by a cold voice:
"Your Majesty, wait!"
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