PDLP Chapter 59 was indeed written by my own hand.
Chapter 59 was indeed written by my own hand.
No one dared to utter a sound inside the room.
A hint of impatience appeared in Zhao Yunzheng's eyes: "If you admit it yourself, I might grant you a good death. But if you want me to point out the person myself, then don't blame me for being impolite."
The people inside the room fell silent, terrified.
Even though they hadn't done anything wrong, the intense pressure at that moment made them afraid to look up.
After a few breaths, Zhao Yunzheng's patience wore thin: "Nobody admits it?"
The eerie atmosphere intensified once more, causing some of the more timid to tremble, while the bolder ones merely feigned composure, their hearts already wailing. The prince's anger was truly terrifying; they dared not remain here for even a quarter of an hour longer.
Among these people, Zheng Antong was the most panicked.
With her wet nurse gone, she was completely at a loss.
In the sweltering summer heat, she was terrified that her hands and feet were ice-cold, and beads of cold sweat rolled down her forehead. If she hadn't been sitting in a chair, her legs would have given way and she would have rolled to the ground.
Compared to Zheng Antong, Tian Chunhua was much calmer.
She sat there with an air of indifference, neither looking around nor trembling, her composure was surprisingly calm.
Xu Jiaojiao's gaze swept across the faces of these people one by one, finally settling on Zheng Antong's face.
What it means to have a guilty conscience? This moment was embodied in Zheng Antong.
She gave a barely perceptible smile, waiting for Zheng Antong to dig his own grave and jump in.
After a brief silence, the princess sitting on the other side of Zhao Yunzheng spoke meaningfully: "If I remember correctly, Concubine Xu has personally written a confession, admitting that she was the one who carved this witchcraft doll."
As soon as he finished speaking, Zheng Antong looked at the princess as if she were a savior.
She subconsciously wanted to agree with the princess, but when she remembered her wet nurse's instructions to be careful with her words before she left, Zheng Antong swallowed back the words that were on the tip of her tongue.
"Confession?" Zhao Yunzheng raised an eyebrow slightly. "Where is it?"
The princess was slightly taken aback and looked at Prince Chen in disbelief.
She gave him the testimony the very first day he returned!
What does Prince Chen mean by this?
Is he trying to protect Xu Jiaojiao by completely erasing the testimony?
The princess was furious, but she couldn't vent her anger on Prince Chen.
She held back for a while, then forced out a rather unpleasant smile: "I must have misremembered. There was no confession."
Zhao Yunzheng clicked his tongue lightly: "Your Highness, you should make sure you understand what you're saying next time. Don't forget your place!"
The impatient tone made the princess's face turn red and white, and she snapped her nails off with her hands hidden in her sleeves.
The atmosphere was tense; the room was so quiet you couldn't even hear someone breathing.
Zhao Yunzheng was decisive and disliked procrastination. Without further preamble, he began the trial directly.
He glanced around before finally fixing his gaze on Tian Chunhua: "You, come out."
Tian Chunhua's face turned pale, her body trembled twice, and a trace of fear of death still showed in her lifeless eyes.
She took a shallow breath, mustered her courage, stood up, walked to the center of the room, knelt down, and bowed: "This concubine is Tian Chunhua, greetings to Your Highness."
The kneeling woman had pale lips and dark circles under her eyes, looking pitiful and weak, yet she did not evoke any pity from the man.
Zhao Yunzheng said coldly, "Did you discover the witch doctor?"
Tian Chunhua repeated the same story she had told the princess, but this time her words were no longer as pointed as before; instead, she emphasized that it was a coincidence.
After listening, Zhao Yunzheng looked at Yingyi and said, "Go and find that calligraphy copybook."
The calligraphy copybook was in the Princess's Mingkun Courtyard, and Yingyi quickly brought it over.
After quickly glancing at it, Zhao Yunzheng chuckled, his tone tinged with a hint of indulgence: "This handwriting is uniquely ugly, it is indeed Jiaojiao's handwriting, no one else can imitate it."
Xu Jiaojiao's face darkened: "..."
Upon hearing this, Zheng Antong, who was sitting down, smiled with delight.
Seeing Xu Jiaojiao's sour face, she was full of smugness and gave Xu Jiaojiao a mocking look.
Since the prince has said so, Xu Jiaojiao, you can just wait to die!
However, Xu Jiaojiao ignored her completely, only looking at Zhao Yunzheng with a resentful expression, and snorted as if she were both angry and annoyed: "I'm sorry for making you laugh, Your Highness."
As she spoke, Zhao Yunzheng's tense jawline relaxed slightly, and a hint of a smile appeared in his eyes.
Everyone in the room could clearly feel that Prince Chen's mood had improved, and the intense pressure had lessened considerably, so they couldn't help but subconsciously breathe a sigh of relief.
However, this feeling did not last long.
Zhao Yunzheng turned to look at the princess, a half-smile playing on his lips: "So, based solely on a calligraphy scroll, you concluded that this witchcraft dummy was made by Xu Jiaojiao?"
The princess's heart skipped a beat, and she broke out in a light sweat.
If I had known things would turn out this way, I wouldn't have given the confession to Prince Chen so soon.
Now that Prince Chen does not acknowledge her testimony, she cannot openly challenge him. She can only swallow her pride and bear the blame for being unable to distinguish right from wrong.
Despite the Prince's menacing aura, she forced herself to speak slowly: "This concubine is incompetent and has not found any further evidence. I beg Your Highness for punishment."
Ha... so quick to admit his mistake...
Prince Chen withdrew his gaze and said calmly, "The Princess Consort has failed in managing the household. She is to be punished by kneeling in the ancestral hall for three days and copying three volumes of Buddhist scriptures to cultivate her mind and character."
The princess trembled slightly.
She looked at Prince Chen in disbelief. The man had a handsome face and cold, stern eyes. His gaze was devoid of any emotion, as indifferent and aloof as a statue.
Prince Chen is punishing her for mistreating her concubines and failing to distinguish right from wrong, despite being a princess.
Although she was indeed wrong, she still couldn't help but feel a pain in her heart, and a faint crimson appeared in her eyes.
Does Prince Chen know that by embarrassing her in front of so many people, how will she ever be able to win over the public in the future?
Yes, Prince Chen doesn't love her. Her existence is probably less than a rat dropping on the ground, so why would Prince Chen consider her feelings...
She suppressed the bitterness in her heart and nodded slightly: "I understand."
Prince Chen looked at Xu Jiaojiao again, his tone much gentler: "Jiaojiao, do you have anything to say?"
Before Xu Jiaojiao could speak, her face flushed red: "Your Highness, you yourself said that my handwriting is uniquely ugly, and no one else can imitate it. This calligraphy book and the talisman on the figurine were indeed written by my own hand..."
As soon as he finished speaking, the room erupted in an uproar.
"Xu Jiaojiao admitted it! She really did carve this little figure!"
"It's unbelievable that the prince still dotes on her so much; he's simply insane!"
"Your Highness is wise and mighty, how dare Xu Jiaojiao?"
"Amitabha, I hope the curse on this villain will not come true."
"..."
Among the group of women, the silent Princess, Zheng Antong, and Tian Chunhua stood out from the crowd.
Zheng Antong stared in disbelief at Xu Jiaojiao, looking at her with an expression as if she were an idiot.
Has this woman gone mad?
The talisman on the little figure was copied by someone she had asked. Why did Xu Jiaojiao say that she wrote it herself?
What tricks is Xu Jiaojiao up to now?
Tian Chunhua's pupils dilated, but she remained much more composed than Zheng Antong.
She looked at Xu Jiaojiao hesitantly, unable to guess what the other woman was up to.
Could this be the self-rescue method that Xu Jiaojiao was talking about?
But this is clearly courting death, so how can it be a way to save oneself?