20demayo Chapter 18 The War Goddess Princess Rejects Romantic Thinking (5)
Chapter 18 The War Goddess Princess Rejects Romantic Thinking (5)
Su Dingding chuckled to himself.
Sure enough, today's scene reminded Ru Qing of her childhood.
Being abandoned by her biological parents is a pain she will never forget.
"Ru Qing, how dare you hit me!" Li Youan shouted, "Your Majesty, help me!"
The emperor looked at him coldly and said nothing.
As a high-ranking official in the court, he dared to disregard the law, secretly marry a concubine, and even have a child with her. He deserves to die!
In fact, the emperor's advocacy of monogamy included some related policies and benefits.
Li Youan enjoys the benefits of monogamy, yet he secretly engages in illicit activities, which is truly unforgivable.
Ru Qing beat Li Youan until he was covered in blood and gore, then suddenly stopped.
She still has a mission and cannot act impulsively; otherwise, if she doesn't obtain the antidote within a month, she will surely die.
So she knelt down again and begged the emperor, "Please, Your Majesty, have mercy..."
Before she could finish speaking, a eunuch outside the hall suddenly shouted, "The Prime Minister's wife is here to see you!"
Everyone was surprised. Li Youan's wife had been bedridden for many years, so why did she suddenly enter the palace?
Moreover, although she didn't look well, she walked steadily, and a young woman was following behind her.
Upon closer inspection, the group discovered that the young woman looked exactly like Ru Qing, the eldest daughter of the Prime Minister.
"Your Majesty, this humble woman pays her respects!"
"This humble woman greets Your Majesty!"
"Rise." Upon seeing them, the Emperor knew that Ying Ruo had not gone mad today.
Li Youan was so nervous that he broke out in a cold sweat and panicked.
The Prime Minister's wife did not get up, but presented the letter in her hand. "Your Majesty, these are the letters between Li Youanli and the prince of the Yuhuang Kingdom. Please take a look!"
"Bring it here!" The Emperor never expected that Li Youan would dare to betray his country and defect to the enemy.
"I am innocent!" Li Youan crawled forward a step and stretched out his hand.
The Prime Minister's wife had a cold expression and didn't even glance at Li Youan. She was heartbroken and completely devastated.
Since marrying this man, she has never had a good day. She acted out a loving scene with him for years and helped him rise step by step to become prime minister.
He was having affairs and keeping mistresses, which she tolerated, since men are naturally promiscuous. But she never expected that this man would imprison her for the sake of his other women and children, and publicly claim that she was paralyzed and bedridden.
They also locked up their only daughter and replaced her with a fake one.
If it weren't for Princess Ying Ruo, perhaps she and her daughter would have spent their lives in darkness. Now that she had given them a chance, she was determined to drag Li You'an into hell, even at the cost of her life!
After reading the letter, the Emperor was furious and demanded, "Li Youan, what else do you have to say?"
"I am innocent!" Li Youan vehemently denied the accusation.
At this moment, the real Ru Qing tearfully pointed out, "Your Majesty, that woman is a spy from the Yuhuang Kingdom. She impersonated me to seduce the Crown Prince. I beg Your Majesty to tear off her mask and restore my innocence!"
Jia Ruqing's body went limp, knowing full well that all was lost!
How could this be?
Their plan was meticulous; even their letters were written in a very subtle way. There shouldn't have been any flaws!
The guards approached, and Jia Ruqing, her face cold, still tried to make a futile struggle.
In the end, she was kicked over by Su Dingding. The Crown Prince was curious and personally tore off the fake skin on her face. He was shocked to find that a person could actually have two faces!
"You think you can seduce me, the Crown Prince? You're overestimating yourself!" The Crown Prince glared at her with disgust.
Fake Ruqing's eyes were deep and cold. Suddenly, she shook off the two guards, and a Gu worm appeared on her fingertip, heading towards Su Dingding.
Su Dingding chuckled inwardly and swiftly kicked out, sending the Gu worm into the mouth of the fake Ruqing.
Jia Ruqing swallowed the Gu worm, clutching her throat with both hands, in great pain.
"Seduce my imperial brother and even plot against my imperial sister! This is outrageous!" The second prince jumped out again.
Before he could even get close to the fake Ruqing, he saw blood flowing from the corner of her mouth, her head lolling to the side, and she was dead.
"It's none of my business!" The second prince panicked, took a step back, and looked at Su Dingding with a wronged expression. "Royal sister, I'm going back to eat grapes."
Su Dingding waved helplessly, indicating that he could leave.
It's clear that Jia Ruqing committed suicide by biting her tongue, which brought her a kind of relief.
Li Youan shuddered. Could he be next?
“Father, the evidence against Li Youan for betraying his country is irrefutable. I beg you, Father, to make the final decision!” Su Dingding said loudly.
"No, Your Majesty, I am innocent!" Li Youan said guiltily, but still tried to defend himself.
The emperor stripped him of his official position and imprisoned Li Youan in the imperial prison to await further punishment.
His wife and daughter were rewarded with ten thousand taels of gold for their meritorious report, and were able to live peacefully after divorcing Li Youan.
As for the two injured concubines and three children, the Emperor hesitated and looked at Su Dingding.
"Father, if you don't cut the weeds at the root, they will grow back in the spring breeze."
The Emperor immediately understood and waved his hand, "Throw them both into the imperial prison along with Li Youan!"
Su Dingding glanced sideways at Li Youan's two concubines. If it weren't for their whispers in his ear, Li Youan wouldn't have ended up like this.
Don't blame her for being ruthless; after all, nobody wants to keep a menace around.
Who can guarantee they won't be used to seek revenge later? Only death can prevent future troubles.
The welcoming banquet continued, but all the ministers were on tenterhooks, and no one dared to have any other thoughts.
That night, Su Dingding told her father the whole story. The Yuhuang Kingdom was eyeing the Hong Kingdom covetously, and they could not sit idly by and wait for their doom.
"Ying Ruo, is there a solution?" The Emperor has always valued peace, but right now, the Yuhuang Kingdom is going too far.
"Father, I want to be married off to a foreign land..."
After Su Dingding finished explaining her idea, the Emperor, although feeling it was improper, still let her do it.
The next day, the emperor sent an envoy to the Wilderness Kingdom.
The ruler of the Wilderness Kingdom has many wives and concubines, and numerous children, including six princes who are still unmarried at the age of 18.
The envoy spoke frankly: Princess Yingruo of Hong Kingdom was very willing to form a marriage alliance, but she did not find the sixth prince, Yanfeng (Li Hefeng), appealing to the ruler of Yuhuang Kingdom. Therefore, she asked if the ruler of Yuhuang Kingdom could send a few more princes to Hong Kingdom to propose marriage, so that she could choose from them.
The ruler of the Wilderness Kingdom felt humiliated, but after careful consideration, he thought that if his son could win Princess Ying Ruo's heart and marry her into the Wilderness Kingdom, without the Ying family army, wouldn't the Hong Kingdom be easy to capture?
Three days later, the most handsome ninth prince and the most talented thirteenth prince of the Wilderness Kingdom set off for the Hong Kingdom.
Both of them were full of confidence, after all, whoever could marry Ying Ruo would become the noble consort of Hong Kingdom!
With their combined efforts from within and without, Hongguo will surely become their slave state, and their dominance of the world will be just around the corner!
Having traveled a long and arduous journey to Hongguo, Su Dingding, riding a tall horse, personally greeted them at the palace gate.
“Princess Ying Ruo!” The Ninth Prince looked up, radiating charm.
"Princess Yingruo," the thirteenth prince deliberately showed off his talent, "the princess's beauty is truly captivating; a single glance from her could charm a hundred beauties, making all the other ladies in the palace pale in comparison..."
"Guards!" Su Dingding suddenly shouted, "The Ninth Prince of the Wilderness Kingdom has seduced me, and the Thirteenth Prince has shown disrespect to me. Arrest them both and hang them on the city gate as a warning to others!"