Even the crown prince is getting a marriage of convenience? Why are you in such a hurry to stop bein

"This humble official would like to ask Your Majesty a question: what is the purpose of Your Majesty's biased stance? Could it be that you are the mastermind behind this?"

Consort Xian's expression changed drastically, and she angrily rebuked, "Nonsense! I have been favored by His Majesty for many years, how could I do such an ungrateful thing? On the contrary, you, Prince Xiao, rely on His Majesty's favor to spout nonsense and have no respect for rank."

"I will punish him properly today so that he will know what proper conduct and decorum are."

After saying that, she gave a wink, and the group of eunuchs who did the hard labor at the back quietly came up, as if to surround them.

Xiao Lie merely curled his lips slightly and smiled, "Does Consort Xian truly intend to make her move here? Aren't you afraid of disturbing His Majesty?"

"What a joke! This place is a mile away from the Imperial Study. No matter how much noise we make, it won't reach His Majesty."

Xiao Lie's smile remained unchanged, but he looked behind her. Consort Xian was startled and immediately turned around, only to find that De Shun had arrived with a large entourage at some point.

He glanced coldly at Shanqing, then at Xiao Lie and Consort Xian, and finally raised his whisk and said in a low voice.

"We are here on His Majesty's orders to fetch you. We would like to ask that Young Master Xiao and... Consort Xian come with us."

Consort Xian's face stiffened, almost cracking open, and she forced a smile.

"Eunuch Deshun, I merely had a chance encounter with Prince Xiao in the Imperial Garden. How could I possibly delay His Majesty's important business? I should return now."

Consort Xian sensed something was wrong and was about to slip away when she heard the old eunuch behind her say in a low voice.

"Your Majesty, we are acting on His Majesty's orders. If Your Majesty wishes to go, this old servant dares not stop you. But have you considered the consequences?"

After saying that, the old eunuch sighed softly again.

"Your Majesty is a wise woman. Why put up so much resistance? Why don't you come with us?"

"If you hadn't refused to go, then only Prince Xiao would have been left. His Majesty, being easily swayed by one side, might have..."

Before he finished speaking, Consort Xian already understood what he meant.

Consort Xian felt a chill in her heart, knowing that His Majesty was already aware of this matter. Even if she wanted to avoid it, she couldn't. On the contrary, her absence would give Xiao Lie room to maneuver.

So instead of running away, it's better to just follow them; at least then you can offer some explanation.

In a few breaths, Consort Xian sorted out her thoughts. She secretly clenched her palms and forced a smile.

"Then please lead the way, Father-in-law."

De Shun responded with an "Eh," a smile on his face, and turned to lead the way.

"It would be wonderful if Your Majesty could come to this understanding."

Xiao Lie smiled and said, "Of course. If Consort Xian hadn't gone, this scene would have been incredibly boring."

De Shun glanced at him, frowned slightly, and felt that his words were somewhat disrespectful. He silently advised him to "be careful with his words."

Like a startled cat, she was stung by those words and stared at Xiao Lie with an unusual hatred in her eyes, as if facing a formidable enemy.

A group of people harbored ulterior motives, and the atmosphere was silent.

After an incense stick had burned, they finally arrived at the Imperial Study.

"Come in!"

Several people stepped forward and knelt down. The emperor sat at the head of the table, placing the revised memorials aside, exuding an air of authority.

"Tell me, what exactly happened?"

Xiao Lie immediately spoke first, "Your Majesty, please allow me to say that since Your Majesty bestowed upon me the position of Deputy Procurement Envoy, I have been working diligently and conscientiously, fearing to fail Your Majesty's grace. I have been meticulous in procuring the items here, striving for perfection and never daring to be negligent. But who would have thought..."

Xiao Lie then described the events of the day in a more embellished way.

In his version, he is, of course, the honest and hardworking man, while Shanqing becomes a villain who comes to cause trouble on someone's orders.

Xiao Lie spoke earnestly and was deeply moved. He even hypocritically wiped his eyes with his sleeve when he got to the point of tears.

"Your Majesty, I cannot understand this person's intentions. Why would he want to harm me like this?"

Upon hearing this, Consort Xian was stunned. She never expected that Shanqing would be caught red-handed in front of everyone. But how could this be?

She wanted to defend herself, but found it difficult to speak for the moment. After all, on the surface, she was still an "innocent" person. If she rushed to defend Shanqing now, wouldn't that be admitting that she was the person behind Shanqing?

Consort Xian was extremely anxious and had no choice but to speak.

"How could the young master have made enemies so soon after arriving? Is there some misunderstanding?"

"Your Majesty, relying solely on the Crown Prince's words may lead to bias. Why not summon Shanqing and question him? Perhaps we can discover something else?"

The emperor nodded and gave a look. De Shun understood immediately and ordered someone to bring Shan Qing in, removing the ropes from his body and the rag from his mouth.

Having finally gained his freedom, Shanqing immediately knelt before the emperor, kowtowing repeatedly with tears streaming down his face.

"Your Majesty, I am innocent! I did nothing! It's all Prince Xiao who's twisting the truth! Your Majesty, please believe me!"

Xiao Lie remained calm and spoke indifferently.

"What Eunuch Shanqing said is certainly worth listening to, but he did the deed, so he will naturally try to find a way to shirk responsibility."

"Your Majesty, since you want a fair judgment, why not summon the people from the procurement office as well? We can compare their statements and then we'll know who is telling the truth and who is lying."

"No, the procurement office is your people. How can their testimony be trusted? You are trying to collude with others to slander loyal officials in front of His Majesty."

Hearing Consort Xian's rebuttal, Xiao Lie coldly snorted, "So, according to Consort Xian, these people should just side with whoever they're on. Then I'd like to ask, which side is Shan Qing on, and what is the purpose of his words and actions?"

Consort Xian was stunned and didn't know how to answer, but Xiao Lie had already bowed and his voice was cold.

"Your Majesty, I have inquired with the palace servants in the procurement department, and they all say that Eunuch Shanqing is working for Consort Xian. Through Shanqing, Consort Xian has made a lot of money. I didn't believe it at first, but seeing Consort Xian intercept people on the road and repeatedly defend Shanqing in the Imperial Study, I have no choice but to believe it, even if I don't want to."

"Your Majesty, I believe that not only should Shanqing be investigated, but Consort Xian should also be investigated!"

The long-hidden facade was exposed in public, and the Consort Xian was shocked and suddenly felt terrified.

How dare Xiao Lie?

She quickly tried to appear submissive to the emperor on the throne.

"Your Majesty, what Xiao Lie said is completely baseless and absurd. He slanders me with such empty words. I am truly wronged. I beg Your Majesty to punish him severely to clarify the law and let him understand that these golden rules cannot be shaken by a few clever words."

Consort Xian knelt on the ground, weeping incessantly.

Tears rolled down her face, revealing a touch of broken and melancholic beauty on Consort Xian's well-preserved face.

Xiao Lie narrowed his eyes slightly, suddenly sensing something was wrong.

Is this virtuous concubine planning to use her beauty to seduce someone?