After being jilted, the entire neighboring village was filled with deep regret.

Chapter 537 The Eldest Princess's Wrath

"What...thing! Madam Shen must have mistaken me for someone else. Haizhu has always lived in our Ji State Duke's Mansion and has never run away from home." The Ji State Duke's wife retorted with a fierce but weak voice, her emotions very agitated, and there was something fishy about it.

The emperor looked at them sternly, "Enough! Since Miss Ruan's identity is disputed, then investigate it thoroughly. Guards! Take Ruan Haizhu away for questioning."

Lady Ji was terrified and pulled Ruan Haizhu to kneel down, begging for mercy. "Your Majesty, Haizhu is a descendant of loyal martyrs and is not the person Madam Shen described. Madam Shen must be deliberately slandering her out of spite. Haizhu is inexperienced and will talk nonsense when she is frightened. Please, Your Majesty, have mercy!"

Princess Qingfeng also knelt down to plead for mercy, "Your Majesty, I have heard that this Miss Ruan lost both her parents at a young age and is timid and fearful. She might not even know what she is saying if she is frightened. Even if we interrogate her, we cannot take the results seriously!"

Damn it! That brat clearly said she was an orphan who escaped from a desolate area, how could she be related to the Shen family? Now we have no choice but to stick to her identity, otherwise we'll all be doomed.

Princess Qingkang was completely bewildered. She knew nothing and dared not say anything rash.

Su Tai also knelt down, but remained calm and composed. "Your Majesty, it is actually quite simple to know Ruan Haizhu's identity. I never expected to meet Miss Haizhu when I entered the palace today, let alone pass on any information."

"Many of the maids and servants I brought back from Shenjiazhuang know Miss Haizhu. You can have them brought here to identify her; they come from the same place as Miss Haizhu and probably know her better than I do."

Upon hearing Su Tai's words, the Empress Dowager immediately issued an excited order, "Guards! Bring those servants that Madam Shen mentioned into the palace. Today, I want to see for myself who this Ruan Haizhu really is!"

The Duchess of Ji's face turned pale instantly, while Princess Qingfeng stared coldly at Su Tai, her fists clenching tightly beneath her sleeves.

Su Tai noticed her gaze, but rolled her eyes at her mockingly. Princess Qingfeng almost lost her composure and broke down.

Su Tai added, "By the way, Your Majesty, I also remembered a few people. Back then, Ruan Haizhu came back with my caravan. I didn't want her, so I had the head镖师 (bodyguard/escort) of the caravan take her away. That head镖师 is still in the capital. His name is Feng Peng. We can find him to identify her."

The more Su Tai spoke, the heavier the heart of the Duchess of Ji's wife became.

The Emperor looked at her with great interest. "Madam Ji, Madam Shen is speaking with great certainty and has listed so many people who know Ruan Haizhu. What about you? Who in the Ji State Duke's mansion can vouch for Ruan Haizhu?"

Lady Ji's heart pounded like a drum. She wanted to tell her confidantes, but they hadn't prepared their testimonies before entering the palace and couldn't withstand the emperor's interrogation.

What to do now? Pretend to faint, that's right, pretend to faint!

Just as she was about to collapse, Princess Huai'an spoke coldly, "Today, I will definitely investigate this woman's identity thoroughly. If what Madam Shen said is true, I will certainly not let those involved off lightly!"

The Empress nodded. "Not to mention the Princess's relentless pursuit, even I would punish them severely!"

The Duchess of Ji was truly terrified.

She couldn't name anyone who could prove Ruan Haizhu's identity, and her forehead was covered in fine beads of sweat.

The emperor could tell she was panicked at a glance and signaled to the empress to handle the situation.

The Empress shouted sternly, "Guards, take Lady Ji away for questioning."

Just as Princess Qingfeng was about to plead for mercy, the Empress gave her a warning look and asked, "What does Princess Qingfeng have to say?"

Qingfeng quickly lowered her head, "This concubine has nothing to say." The Empress glanced at Princess Qingkang again, "And you? Didn't you enter the palace with them?"

Princess Qingkang's legs went weak and she immediately knelt down. "Your Majesty, please understand. I was merely accompanying the Empress Dowager to the palace to pay my respects and had no knowledge of Miss Ruan's matter."

The Empress Dowager shook her head in disappointment. They had come together so early in the morning, which meant they had agreed to do so. Before the matter was even investigated, Qingkang was already trying to distance himself from them. He was so cold and ruthless that it chilled her to the bone.

Because Su Tai provided so many clues.

Ruan Fangyu and several others were brought to Ruan Haizhu. They immediately called out Ruan Haizhu's name and even explained Ruan Haizhu's background.

Feng Peng provided even more clues, so much so that Eunuch Zhou's scalp tingled, and he was trembling with fear when he came in to give his reply.

Seeing his expression, the emperor realized that something was amiss. "What do you mean?"

Eunuch Zhou cursed the three women, including the Duchess of Ji, in his heart, and replied with a bitter face: "Your Majesty, the servants in Madam Shen's residence and Feng Peng, the head镖师 (bodyguard), have identified Miss Ruan. They not only called out Miss Ruan's name, but also told her about her background. They all agreed."

Feng Peng also said that after Miss Ruan came from Qiongzi, she worked at the escort agency to pay off her debts. Before the debts were paid off, she ran away when the snow melted in the spring and stole the escort agency's silver. Although Feng Peng reported it to the authorities, he could not find Ruan Haizhu's whereabouts for a long time. As soon as they met, Feng Peng shouted that Ruan Haizhu should pay back the money.

He also mentioned some of the scars on Ruan Haizhu's body, and they all matched up.

Everyone's expressions changed drastically.

Princess Huai'an was so angry that she wanted to smash things. "How dare the Duchess of Ji humiliate my son like this! My royal brother, I will tear her to pieces!"

She was never a good-tempered person to begin with, otherwise she wouldn't have resolutely divorced him and taken her son with her.

We have suffered such a humiliating disgrace today; this is intolerable.

Eunuch Zhou hurriedly explained, "Princess, it's not what you think. It's just that Ruan Haizhu is clumsy and doesn't work well. She also likes to run around in the escort agency and has been accidentally injured several times, leaving scars in some places. It was the old lady of the escort agency who told Feng Peng about it."

Feng Peng felt somewhat guilty and considered forgiving Ruan Haizhu's debts, but Ruan Haizhu stole the money and ran away.

Murong Jue sneered twice, "No matter what the situation is, this woman is of bad character. The Duchess of Ji must have a grudge against me, otherwise she wouldn't have brought out the Golden Phoenix and used such a woman to humiliate me. I wonder if the old Duke in the afterlife would be so angry that he would lift the coffin lid and climb out to settle accounts with her!"

Princess Huai'an calmed down and said, "Empress Dowager, Imperial Brother, the Duchess of Ji is not a fool. If Ruan Haizhu were her biological daughter, I could understand. But to bring out the Golden Phoenix for such a lowly thing is really illogical. There must be something bigger going on here!"

Princess Qingfeng's heart sank, and she was so nervous that her hands and feet were sweating.

The emperor had obviously thought of this as well, and immediately ordered a thorough investigation.

In less than half a day, the Duchess of Ji and Ruan Haizhu confessed everything.

The emperor coldly stared at Princess Qingfeng, who was kneeling on the ground trying to appear calm, his gaze deep and unfathomable. "Qingfeng! What do you have to say?"