Chapter 124: Chapter 124

"Sister, even if you won’t forgive me, there’s no need to treat me , right?" The previously weak and conciliatory posture had completely disappeared from Hongniang, replaced by insidious cunning. She laughed bitterly and said, "If you want me to leave, just say so. I’ll understand and I will leave. But why do you have to push me and Yao Yao ?"

"I’m fine, with tough skin and thick flesh, a few injuries don’t matter, but Yao Yao is different." Hongniang continued, "Yao Yao is not in good health, she can’t bear this kind of torment."

"Mother, it hurts so much, it hurts everywhere, I feel so terrible," said the little girl who hadn’t spoken all the while, suddenly crying.

Her words were completely at odds with her timid and cowardly appearance, driving people crazy.

The way they looked bullied and the words they spoke, anyone who didn’t know the situation might really think Jun Ning and Qiong Hua had done something malicious to them.

"Hehehe..." Jun Ning and Qiong Hua, the mother and daughter, laughed in anger.

Around them were servants who had witnessed the entire situation unfold, yet hadn’t managed to do anything, each wearing a baffled expression, wondering what the mother and daughter from the Furong Pavilion intended to do?

Suddenly, Emperor Yongning’s voice, accompanied by the sound of footsteps, unexpectedly came from outside.

Soon after, Emperor Yongning, with Xiao Lizi and Wei Lin carrying an unknown pile of things, walked in.

Then... they saw the mother and daughter sitting on the floor, hugging each other and crying bitterly. Surrounded by servants who looked fierce.

And standing to the side, the hosts of Weiyang Palace, Qiong Hua and Jun Ning, mother and daughter, were also looking very displeased.

Anyone unaware of the truth seeing this scene would truly be mistaken.

Jun Ning just realized why this Hongniang suddenly appeared, said so many inexplicable words, then acted in this way.

She was simply waiting for Emperor Yongning to come and see this scene!

Emperor Yongning hadn’t thought, after such a long absence from Weiyang Palace, that he’d see such a scene upon his return.

"What exactly happened?" He demanded.

His voice carried a hint of anger.

Jun Ning lowered her head and stared at the ground, without saying a word.

Qiong Hua explained everything that had just happened in detail, and after Emperor Yongning listened, he turned to Hongniang, asking her to recount what had happened.

The facts as recounted by Hongniang were completely different from Qiong Hua’s.

In Hongniang’s words, as Emperor Yongning saw upon entering, she and Yao Yao were victims being bullied by Qiong Hua and Jun Ning, pitiable.

Hongniang’s palm injuries and Yao Yao being pushed to the ground, continuously crying out in pain all over, were all blamed on the mother and daughter duo.

Two statements from two people on the matter.

Determining right from wrong was difficult at this moment.

Hongniang cried pitifully, "Your Majesty, you must give justice to the common woman! In this Imperial City, I have no family, no friends, the only one I can rely on is you, Your Majesty."

"How dare you spout nonsense?"

Jun Ning charged towards Hongniang in anger.

Had it not been for Qiong Hua stopping her, she would have surely taken action against Hongniang.

Hongniang fearfully glanced at Jun Ning and moved a bit closer to Emperor Yongning, "Your Majesty, look, this is exactly how they bully me."

The tension escalated between the two sides.

Yet Emperor Yongning remained silent, with his eyes closed.

When Hongniang realized his silent disapproval and stopped causing a scene, Emperor Yongning glanced at her and finally spoke.

"Bao’er, how do you see this matter?"

Hongniang heard the address and eagerly urged Yao Yao beside her, "Yao Yao, your father is asking you, quickly answer?"

Emperor Yongning: "..."

In this palace, who isn’t aware? Bao’er is the special name Emperor Yongning gave to Jun Ning.

This Hongniang really overestimated her and Yao Yao’s importance.

Yao Yao didn’t even dare look at Emperor Yongning more, she lowered her head and timidly spoke, "Father, I... I have no opinion..."

"...I wasn’t asking you." Emperor Yongning didn’t even spare Yao Yao a glance, he said to Jun Ning, "Yi Yi, I was asking you, how do you view this matter?"

Bao’er wasn’t her Yao Yao? But Yi Yi? The eighteenth prince disguised as a girl?

Hongniang was thoroughly humiliated.

She felt extremely embarrassed, wishing to dig a hole and crawl inside.

Yao Yao pouted, silently cried, frightened by Emperor Yongning.

Jun Ning, who was being questioned, was silent for a long time, staring straight at Emperor Yongning.

Why ask her about this?

Would he believe a child’s words if she expressed her opinion?

"Why aren’t you speaking?" Emperor Yongning beckoned to Jun Ning, "Come over to Father?"

Jun Ning didn’t move, still watching Emperor Yongning with a cold expression, as if he were a stranger. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭⚑𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮⚑𝕟𝕖𝕥

The resentment from being ignored and refused these days seemed to flow out at this moment.

Emperor Yongning felt like he had been drenched with a bucket of cold water, chilling him to the core.

"No matter how Father views this incident, neither Mother nor I have done anything bad to Hongniang and Yao Yao." Jun Ning’s soft voice sounded in everyone’s ears, "If Father doesn’t believe it, he can have the Imperial Physician examine the injuries on Hongniang and them, and see what truly happened with their injuries?"

Emperor Yongning deeply glanced at Jun Ning, then said to Xiao Lizi, "Summon the Imperial Physician immediately."

That one call to summon the Imperial Physician chilled Jun Ning and Qiong Hua’s hearts even more.

The Emperor clearly doesn’t trust their words, hence the call for the Imperial Physician.

Are they truly unworthy of his trust in this way?

On the contrary, Emperor Yongning isn’t mistrusting Qiong Hua and Jun Ning, but is thinking of clearing their names quickly, thus calling the Imperial Physician.

Having lived to such a mature age and fought in battles in his youth, drenched in blood all over, he can surely tell the difference between old and new wounds.

He recognized the marks on Hongniang and her daughter’s bodies were old injuries, not freshly caused.

Yet, mere words without any evidence are unreliable. Instead, it’s better to simply bring in an Imperial Physician who everyone trusts for diagnosis, and thus all will be clear.

The Imperial Physician immediately appeared, specifically the Dean of the Imperial Hospital.

The Dean, older with a wealth of experience, found Hongniang’s little tricks impossible to escape his eyes.

After just a glance at the wound on Hongniang’s palm and feeling Yao Yao’s pulse, he already understood the situation in his heart.