Chapter 240: Chapter 240
Prince Xiao Yao has truly gone mad. Directly questioning Jun Ning is one thing, but in his rage, he completely lost his composure. Uncaring of the consequences, he said to Jun Ning, "The one who should have been gnawed by rats inside was you, Princess Anle Jun Ning, not my son."
Prince Xiao Yao, this fool.
How could he say this?
This... this is just a confession without being beaten. He’s basically admitting that he orchestrated this event to have Jun Ning’s face gnawed beyond recognition by rats, leaving her life in the balance!
Well, now there’s no need for interrogation.
This foolish prince has already confessed everything.
And the black-clad woman Jiang Li, whom Jun Ning had the Imperial Guard capture, is no longer needed. Jiang Li could at most identify Yao Yao. But Yao Yao is just a small fry, not worth concern. The important one is the big fish.
The big fish has now surfaced voluntarily.
The people present initially sympathized with Prince Xiao Yao’s daughter’s plight—a perfectly lively child, so how did she end up in a rat-infested house and get injured ?
Turns out it was all because of her father.
If it weren’t for her father trying to harm others, how could he mistakenly end up harming his own daughter?
"There’s a price to pay for doing evil."
The voices of sympathy turned into voices of mockery, painfully piercing to hear.
Everyone was all ears to the murmurings, but Emperor Yongning could not be bothered. Filled with lingering fear, he tightened his grip on the little girl in his arms.
Just a little, just a tad more, and the one lying there would have been his precious child.
"Yiyi, you must be well, understand?" Emperor Yongning solemnly said.
"Mm-hmm." Jun Ning nodded, hugging Emperor Yongning’s neck.
At this moment, Emperor Yongning still couldn’t understand something.
After some hesitation, he asked, "My dear, how did Jun Yang and An Ding end up in that rat-filled house, do you know by any chance?" It’s not like they could have gone in by themselves, right?
Is he suspecting her?
No wonder he is the Emperor.
The people around were too busy accusing Prince Xiao Yao to notice the actual reason the tables turned and Jun Ning perfectly averted a disaster.
"I know." Jun Ning produced the explanation she had prepared long ago, "They told me Jing Shu sprained her ankle over here, asking me to come take a look. I didn’t want to come, but they insisted. When I finally came over, they said the rat-infested house was haunted and wanted me to go check it out. I’m afraid of ghosts, so I naturally didn’t want to go..."
After a pause, Jun Ning took a breath and continued, "I didn’t go, but they went into that house to see the ghosts and then never came out..."
"Are you sure that’s how it went?" Emperor Yongning asked again, worried that the little girl might have spoken too quickly and left something out.
Jun Ning nodded and said, "That’s how it happened!"
Jun Yang and Yao Yao trying to lure her over to see ghosts was a fact; Jun Ning was not lying.
As for how Jun Yang and Yao Yao ended up in the dark house?
It was naturally Jun Ning who pushed them in!
But if it weren’t for their malicious intent to push Jun Ning, why would she fight back?
At this point, if they don’t want to be accused of conspiracy to harm a princess, they would obediently accept Jun Ning’s explanation without rebuttal.
Otherwise, not only would they suffer rat bites, but they’d also face Emperor Yongning’s wrath.
Seeing that Emperor Yongning seemed a bit skeptical, Jun Ning added, "Jing Shu saw it too, if you don’t believe me, Father Emperor, you can ask Jing Shu."
Jing Shu, who was being held by the Crown Prince nearby, was close to Emperor Yongning and Jun Ning, so she naturally heard the father and daughter’s conversation.
Before Emperor Yongning could ask, Jing Shu began nodding vigorously, saying, "Yes, yes, yes, that’s exactly it. I saw everything little aunt said."
"Alright, I’ve understood."
Emperor Yongning no longer questioned anything. He immediately concluded that Jun Yang and Yao Yao were simply curious about the haunted house and went in, but what was inside was not ghosts, but something more terrifying.
This is all Prince Xiao Yao’s fault.
He wanted Jun Yang to lure Yiyi into the mouse house under the guise of a haunting, to retaliate for being beaten previously, but fate had other plans, and he ended up harming his own daughter.
The Imperial Physician arrived and examined Jun Yang and Princess An Ding on the spot.
Emperor Yongning then returned to the banquet in Delin Palace with Jun Ning in his arms, and said in front of all the ministers, "From now on, neither Prince Xiao Yao nor his legitimate daughter are allowed to enter the palace, and his monthly salary... ha... salary..."
An individual who contributed nothing to the State of Dong Chu, and yet still receives a salary?
And every month, such a large sum is spent?
It’s important to know that what is paid in a month could support a poor family for ten years.
The more Emperor Yongning thought about it, the angrier he became. He fiercely flung his sleeve and said, "Prince Xiao Yao intended to harm Princess Anle. Considering that his plan did not succeed and Princess Anle was uninjured, he is temporarily fined three years of salary, pending further observation." If the future outcome is not satisfactory, his salary will be permanently cut.
Prince Xiao Yao has lived his entire life as an idle prince yet lacks the consciousness of one. The source of thɪs content is 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩·𝔣𝔦𝔯𝔢·𝔫𝔢𝔱
Emperor Yongning this time was really enraged.
It was time for Prince Xiao Yao to face some consequences.
This punishment might not mean much for ordinary ministers, but for members of the Imperial Family, it’s quite severe.
However, none of the ministers expressed any objections.
Those who usually interacted with Prince Xiao Yao did not speak a word in his defense.
After all, those people Prince Xiao Yao usually mingled with were merely buddies for indulging in pleasure. They were of no help in a critical moment, not worth trusting, and not true friends.
Meanwhile, after receiving treatment from the Imperial Physician, it was confirmed that Jun Yang suffered only external injuries and her life was not in danger.
Prince Xiao Yao took her home.
However, a few days later, Jun Yang was diagnosed with the plague.
High fever, severe headache, rapid breathing, and quickened heartbeat... all symptoms manifested on Jun Yang.
Princess An Ding Yao Yao was no exception; she also contracted the plague.
The plague can be contagious.
After the last epidemic, the State of Dong Chu was already weakened, it could take three to five years for recovery.
Now there’s another plague?
When the ministers learned of this news, they panicked. Fortunately, Emperor Yongning had foreseen this upon seeing so many rats and had made preparations early on.
Everyone in Prince Xiao Yao’s mansion, as well as those caring for Yao Yao, had all been quarantined and had no contact with others.
So now, even though the plague has broken out, as long as these people remain isolated and treatment is contained, it will not spread widely.
Emperor Yongning will not let Yao Yao die and will naturally have the Imperial Physicians do their utmost to treat her, no matter what, ensuring her life is saved.
As for Prince Xiao Yao, having committed the act of harming Emperor Yongning’s most beloved daughter, he has henceforth lost the Emperor’s trust...