Starting in Exile: Transmigrated as the Crown Prince's Lucky Little Wife

Chapter 74 Consort Liang is caught cheating

Consort Liang slumped to the ground, her eyes vacant. Just then, a commotion erupted outside the hall. Immediately afterward, Emperor Xiao Han stormed into the hall, his face contorted with rage, followed by several guards who were escorting a man who looked panicked. Consort Liang looked closely and recognized him as her lover.

"How dare you!" Xiao Han roared, his voice booming like thunder in the hall. His eyes seemed to spit fire as he stared intently at Consort Liang and her lover. "To commit such a disgraceful act under my very nose is an unforgivable crime!"

Consort Liang snapped out of her daze and scrambled to Xiao Han's feet, crying out, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, spare me! It was him, he seduced me! I was confused for a moment..."

The lover was so frightened that he immediately knelt down and begged for mercy: "Your Majesty, it was Consort Liang who took the initiative to be intimate with me. I... I was also bewitched. Please, Your Majesty, have mercy!"

Xiao Han looked at them with disgust and snorted coldly: "Even now, you're still passing the buck to each other, showing no remorse whatsoever!"

Gu Liuli stood aside, her heart filled with mixed emotions. Watching the chaotic scene, she suddenly remembered the system's ability to perceive one's origins, and with a thought, she activated it. When she focused her attention on Consort Liang, a series of startling pieces of information flooded her mind. She discovered that Consort Liang's father, Liang Kui, had intricate connections to the Blood Fiend Palace. Moreover, for his own advancement, Liang Kui had hired someone to murder his ex-wife, Consort Liang's biological mother, before marrying Minister Lin's daughter to solidify his position.

Gu Liuli was shocked and quickly informed Xiao Jingchuan of her discovery. Xiao Jingchuan was also shocked upon hearing this: "I never expected Liang Kui to be so ruthless. If this matter is not thoroughly investigated, the court will never have peace."

After discussing it, the two decided to report the matter to the Emperor. Upon hearing this, Xiao Han was furious: "This Liang Kui always pretended to be a loyal minister, but I never expected him to be such a viper! Guards, immediately take Liang Kui into the main hall!"

Before long, Liang Kui was brought to the main hall. Seeing the disheveled state of Consort Liang and her lover, he immediately understood what had happened. Still clinging to a sliver of hope, he knelt down with a thud and cried, "Your Majesty, this old minister is innocent! There must be a misunderstanding!"

Xiao Han stared at him coldly: "Misunderstanding? Liang Kui, you still dare to argue! Someone has exposed that you hired someone to murder your ex-wife and colluded with the Blood Fiend Palace. How do you explain this?"

Liang Kui's heart tightened, and large beads of sweat rolled down his forehead.

He knew that his scheme had probably been exposed, but he still tried to make a last-ditch effort: "Your Majesty, someone is slandering this old minister! This old minister has been loyal to Your Majesty and has devoted himself to the court. How could I have done such a treasonous thing?"

Gu Liuli stepped forward and said righteously, "Lord Liang, even now, you still won't admit it? I heard the assassin confess with my own ears that you paid them a large sum of money to do it. Moreover, we have also seized your correspondence with the Blood Fiend Palace."

Liang Kui was filled with resentment, never expecting that his carefully planned scheme would be exposed so easily.

Knowing that all was lost, he suddenly kowtowed heavily and cried out, "Your Majesty, this old minister deserves to die! I beg Your Majesty to spare my life in consideration of my many years of service to the court! This old minister is willing to atone for my sins by serving Your Majesty like a slave!"

Looking at Liang Kui's disgraceful state, Xiao Han was filled with disgust: "You have committed such crimes, you deserve to die! For your own selfish desires, you murdered your wife, colluded with evil forces in the martial arts world, and seriously disrupted the court. How can I forgive you?"

Liang Kui was still unwilling to give up. He turned to Minister Lin and pleaded tearfully, "Father-in-law, please put in a good word for this old minister!"

Minister Lin was also ashen-faced. He hadn't expected his in-laws to do such a thing. He was both angry and resentful, but for the sake of his reputation, he forced himself to say, "Your Majesty, Liang Kui's crime is indeed unforgivable, but considering that he has made some contributions to the court, I hope Your Majesty can be lenient with him."

Xiao Han snorted coldly: "Minister Lin, do not plead for him any longer. His actions have severely damaged the dignity of the court and the interests of the people. If he is not severely punished, how can the people be appeased?"

At this moment, Xiao Jingchuan stepped forward and said, "Father, Liang Kui has committed numerous crimes. If he is not severely punished, it may encourage other ministers to take chances, which would be detrimental to the stability of the court. I hope that Father will consider the overall situation."

Xiao Han nodded slightly, and after a moment of contemplation, said, "Liang Kui, I will spare your life because you have served the court, but you must be dismissed from your post and investigated, and your property will be confiscated. The crimes you and Consort Liang committed are intolerable under the law, so you should both go to the imperial prison to reflect on your actions!"

Upon hearing that his life was temporarily safe, Liang Kui breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly kowtowed to express his gratitude: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for sparing my life. This old minister is willing to accept punishment."

Consort Liang collapsed to the ground, her face ashen. She knew that her wealth and status had completely vanished.

At this moment, the imperial court was silent. The ministers were so shocked by this sudden turn of events that they were speechless. They never imagined that Liang Kui and Consort Liang, who seemed so glamorous on the surface, were hiding so many crimes.

Xiao Han looked at the assembled ministers and said solemnly, "All of you should take today's events as a warning. I will never allow anyone in the court to be disloyal, unjust, or to break the law. Anyone who dares to defy the law will not be spared!"

All the ministers knelt down and said in unison, "Your Majesty is wise. We will certainly abide by our duties, be loyal to Your Majesty, and serve the court."

After this incident, the atmosphere in the court was greatly improved. Ministers acted with greater caution and dared not slacken their efforts in the slightest. Gu Liuli, having repeatedly exposed the crimes of the Liang father and daughter, also gained much prestige in the palace. The Empress Dowager and Mu Qingling praised her highly, regarding her as a role model in the harem.

However, Gu Liuli knew in her heart that this was only the tip of the iceberg in the palace intrigue.

The Blood Fiend Palace's influence remains turbulent, and the mystery of its origins has yet to be revealed.

In the days that followed, Gu Liuli did not let her guard down because of this incident.

She cooperated more closely with Xiao Jingchuan, secretly keeping an eye on the Blood Fiend Palace's every move. At the same time, she also used the system's various functions to continuously explore clues about her own origins.

One day, while Gu Liuli was organizing information about the Blood Fiend Palace, the system suddenly issued a notification: "Host, new clues have been discovered. The Blood Fiend Palace will soon hold a secret meeting at an abandoned mountain villa on the outskirts of the capital. They probably know that Lu Yifan gave you the Palace Master's token."

Gu Liuli was overjoyed and quickly informed Xiao Jingchuan of the news. After listening, Xiao Jingchuan said, "Liuli, this may be the time for us to uncover the secrets of the Blood Fiend Palace, but the Blood Fiend Palace acts mysteriously, and this gathering will definitely be heavily guarded. We must proceed with caution."

Gu Liuli nodded and said, "I understand. We can send our secret guards to investigate the situation, find out their personnel deployment and meeting content, and then make a plan."

Therefore, the two quickly arranged for their guards to go to the abandoned mountain villa on the outskirts of the capital.

After several days of investigation, the secret guards brought back detailed intelligence. It turned out that the Blood Fiend Palace's gathering was to discuss how to deal with Gu Liuli and her group's investigation, as well as a major plan they had been hiding for many years.

Gu Liuli looked at the intelligence report in her hand, feeling both excited and nervous. She knew she was one step closer to the truth about her origins.

"Jingchuan, no matter what, I must attend this gathering. I must find out what the Blood Fiend Palace is plotting, and whether my mother and they are still alive," Gu Liuli said with a determined look in her eyes.

Xiao Jingchuan looked at Gu Liuli, his heart filled with worry, but he also understood Gu Liuli's determination: "Liuli, I'll go with you. No matter what danger we encounter, we'll stand together through thick and thin."