Chapter 43 The Grace of Saving a Life
The Cui family was drenched in sweat.
The people outside the palace didn't have so many concerns; after a brief moment of shock, they began to discuss among themselves.
"My goodness! The Empress Dowager is right!"
An old woman carrying a vegetable basket gave a loud, cold snort.
"Look at that old woman from the Cui family, her head is covered in jewels, every single one of them is part of our princess's dowry! And she still has the nerve to complain about being poor and say that the princess is bullying them? Bah!"
The old woman spat on the ground.
"This is outrageous! How can there be such a vicious family in the world!"
The young woman who had previously voiced her doubts now stood with her hands on her hips.
"I knew it! I had a feeling that Prince Consort Cui and that Mu Yu were no good! Now it seems my intuition was right!"
She got angrier and angrier as she talked.
"They stole the princess's jade pendant to testify, and now they dare to turn around and accuse her! Who gave them the audacity?!"
The murmurs of the people, their undisguised contempt and curses, made the Cui family members' faces turn pale and grim.
Old Madam Cui was the first to give in; her legs buckled, and she scrambled and crawled toward the high platform.
"Empress Dowager! Spare me!"
She was no longer arrogant; all that remained was a face full of snot and tears.
"It wasn't us! It really wasn't us! It was that Mu Yu! That bitch ordered us to do it!"
Her trembling hand pointed at Mu Yu not far away, her voice shrill.
"She deceived us! She threatened and bribed us! She said if we didn't help her identify the princess, she would kill my son!"
She clung to Cui Li's leg, crying her heart out.
"Empress Dowager, Your Majesty! If Mu Yu hadn't threatened my son's life, how could we have dared to do such a treasonous thing! We had no idea about this before; it was all Mu Yu's doing! We are innocent!"
Seeing this, the others immediately realized what was happening and tried to shift the blame.
"Yes, yes! It's all because of Mu Yu that we're forced to do this!"
"We are victims too!"
Seeing this group of people fighting like dogs, Mu Yu was so angry that she trembled all over and laughed maniacally.
"Haha, hahahaha!"
The laughter was sharp and piercing, filled with resentment.
"Great! So now you want to push me out as a scapegoat?"
Her bloodshot eyes swept over every member of the Cui family.
"None of you are getting away! Even if you didn't know about the imposter being a princess, don't you know how you've been humiliating the Great Yu princess? That's a crime of deceiving the emperor!"
"You think you can save your lives by shifting all the blame onto me?"
Mu Yu's eyes seemed to be laced with venom.
"Dream on! If I die, you will all die with me!"
Cui Li's expression changed drastically.
He rushed to Mu Yu in one stride and slapped her across the face!
The crisp sound echoed in the main hall.
"You vicious woman!" Cui Li's eyes were bloodshot as he pointed at Mu Yu and cursed angrily. "You're nothing but a concubine! How dare you talk back to your mother-in-law in public?! And you're trying to frame us!"
He turned to the Empress Dowager and the entire court, tears streaming down his face.
"Your Majesty, please be wise! She orchestrated all of this! She threatened our entire family's lives, so how could we possibly plot against Her Highness the Princess?"
His performance was sincere and heartfelt.
"I am a prince consort, destined for endless riches and honors. Why would I stoop to her level? This is utterly illogical!"
After saying that, Cui Li didn't even glance at Mu Yu, turned around, and knelt heavily in front of the Second Princess Luan Xue with a thud.
He cried so hard, and as he cried, he raised his hand and slapped himself hard across the face.
"Slap! Slap! Slap!"
Each blow was louder than the last, and in no time, his handsome face swelled up like a pig's head.
"Luan Xue! It's all my fault! I misjudged people and was blinded by this poisonous woman!"
"I'm a bastard! I'm not human!"
"She threatened me, saying that if I didn't listen to her, she would harm you! I... I really had no choice!"
As he spoke, he secretly observed Luan Xue's reaction out of the corner of his eye.
"Luan Xue, you're a good girl, a good princess. I know you're kind at heart. You'll definitely forgive me, won't you?"
Cui Li sneered inwardly.
That foolish woman, Luan Xue, was once head over heels in love with him. In order to marry him, she knelt in front of the Empress Dowager's palace gate for an entire night.
Now that he's gone to such lengths—kneeling, apologizing, and even hitting himself—how could she not soften?
As long as Luan Xue pleads for mercy, the Empress Dowager will have no grounds to retaliate!
His life has been saved!
Seeing Cui Fuma's self-righteous and self-satisfied attitude, many ministers were furious.
Lin Xiang was so angry that his teeth itched, thinking that this person was truly shameless to the extreme!
Luan Xue is a royal princess, after all. She has been humiliated like this. How could she possibly forgive a scumbag like you!
Even if the princess softens her heart for a moment, His Majesty and the Empress Dowager will never let this fellow off easily!
However, some ministers who knew the inside story whispered among themselves.
"It's hard to say. Back then, Her Highness the Princess knelt in the Empress Dowager's palace all night to beg for the hand of this Prince Consort Cui..."
"Yes, that affection cannot be faked. What if the princess really..."
The person next to him sighed.
"Sigh, I hope Your Highness can see things clearly and not be fooled by this beast again!"
Not far away, Luan Xue stood quietly, watching Cui Li kneeling on the ground and performing with all his might, her expression somewhat dazed, as if she were lost in some distant memory.
Seeing that she hadn't responded for a long time, Prince Consort Cui became a little anxious and couldn't help but urge her.
"Luan Xue! Have you forgotten that I saved your life? Don't you want to repay this life-saving grace? How could I have known you were such an ungrateful person?!"
Upon hearing this, everyone's hearts leaped into their throats.
A life-saving grace is an immense favor!
Just as everyone was on tenterhooks, worried that the Second Princess might really soften her heart and beg the Empress Dowager to spare Prince Consort Cui.
That voice, both sweet and angry, rang out once more.
The small voice was furious.
[What savior?! What kind of savior is he?!]
Xiao Zhaoning was so angry that she kicked her short legs on the dragon throne and clenched her little fists.
[Pah! Trying to glorify yourself without even knowing your own limitations!]
The civil and military officials were greatly encouraged!
It's here! His Majesty's biggest bombshell has arrived!
[The person who saved my imperial aunt was that imposing General Zhenbei, capable of taking on a hundred men single-handedly! What does that have to do with you, you weak, spineless gigolo who only knows how to live off women?!]
Lin Xiang's eyes lit up instantly.
General Who Guards the North?
[At that time, my imperial aunt was tricked by those villains from the Mu family and chased by thugs all the way. She even went blind. In her panic, she happened to run into General Zhenbei, who was recuperating from his injuries at a villa in the suburbs of the capital!]
The Minister of War slapped his thigh!
Yes! Seven years ago, the General of the North did indeed recuperate in the outskirts of Beijing for a period of time due to a recurrence of an old injury! The timing matches up!
[For a whole month! General Zhenbei took care of my imperial aunt without taking a break! He clumsily learned to brew medicine and feed her! If it weren't for the sudden enemy invasion and General Zhenbei being urgently recalled to the border by a military order, he would have already prepared a grand wedding procession for my imperial aunt!]
[And what happened? During that brief moment, Cui Li, that ultimate scumbag, found out! He immediately went and impersonated my imperial aunt's savior! After my imperial aunt was found by my grandfather and restored to her princess status, he shamelessly used this stolen favor to ask for my hand in marriage!]
[My aunt's eyes hadn't fully recovered at the time, and she couldn't recognize people at all. She was completely fooled by this swindler!]
[Ugh! I'm so angry! They stole someone's life-saving grace and then tricked them into marriage! And now they have the nerve to bring it up?! How can there be such a shameless person in the world?!]
Xiao Zhaoning's face turned red with anger, and her cheeks puffed out like two little steamed buns.
The civil and military officials who heard his thoughts were furious!
The way they looked at Cui Li was extremely unfriendly.
Cui Li felt the gazes and looked back, puzzled. He wondered why everyone hated him so much.