Chapter 23: How Else Will You Quibble

What concern is it of Cheng Xi which prince the Empress Dowager supports to ascend the throne?

It is just that Li Taifei dragged Cheng Xi into this, which sounds exceptionally strange.

Li Zhi'an glanced at his father; the Regent glared back at him, then opened his mouth to say, "Since Li Taifei has brought up Eldest Miss Cheng and also mentioned Prince Ke, then invite them both here. Someone, summon Prince Ke and Eldest Miss Cheng to the palace!"

"Yes, Your Highness." The palace attendant received the order and dashed away.

Prince Ke had lived in the palace since he was young, so he arrived faster than Cheng Xi. Cheng Xi was somewhat bewildered, not knowing why she was summoned to the palace.

Once she entered the palace and learned the ins and outs of the matter, she looked toward Li Taifei.

Li Taifei's calm eyes swept over her, then she turned to look at the Little Emperor and said softly, "The Emperor does not yet know, but Eldest Miss Cheng is quite formidable. She used a blade to sever the arm of the heir to the State Duke Mansion, and even applied poison to the wound so that the severed arm could not be reattached.

This kind of poison cannot be solved even by the Director of the Imperial Observatory. Now, the poison the Emperor has been struck with is also very strange, and the Imperial Physician cannot identify it either. It is just too coincidental that on the day Cheng Xi entered the palace, the Empress Dowager's people met with her in private."

The Little Emperor looked at Cheng Xi in surprise. So it was she who had severed Jiang Weiran's arm. This woman was thin and frail; she did not look like someone who could lift a blade.

Cheng Xi's eyes landed on the Little Emperor's face. She lowered her gaze slightly, then raised her head to look at Li Taifei and smiled faintly, "Grand Concubine, why tell only half the story? Let this subject explain to the Emperor exactly what happened."

Upon hearing this, Li Taifei immediately said, "Cheng Xi, the Emperor has not asked you anything; do not be insolent."

"Speak! What is there that cannot be said? Li Taifei, or are you feeling guilty?" the Empress Dowager said in a deep voice.

Cheng Xi did not give Li Taifei any chance to speak before the Emperor, looking directly at the Little Emperor and saying, "Your Majesty, because Li Taifei's niece—who is also my stepsister—had an illicit affair with Jiang Weiran, Jiang Weiran wanted to break off our engagement."

The Little Emperor:...

"Your Majesty, Jiang Weiran's life was saved by my mother. It was because of this debt of gratitude that I became betrothed to Jiang Weiran. Since he wants to be treacherous and break the engagement, one arm in exchange for one life—I was being too kind."

The Little Emperor:...

"Cheng Xi, even if Jiang Weiran failed the debt of gratitude owed to your mother, if you wanted justice, the person involved should have come themselves."

"Come myself? My mother was already murdered by someone, how could she come? If Li Taifei says it like that, why don't I invite Master Jiang Zhongqiao to the palace to personally send you down to the Nine Netherworlds? You can go see for yourself if my mother hasn't been reincarnated yet, and if she hasn't, you can bring her back to take Jiang Weiran's life."

No one had ever spoken to Li Taifei like this before. Her face turned ashen, and she raged, "Cheng Xi, do you know your crime for offending your superiors?"

"This subject does not acknowledge it. I am just very curious: where exactly did I offend Li Taifei? First, you summoned me to the palace to back Cheng Fenglan and forced me to make a bet with her. Now, you frame me for offering poison to the Empress Dowager to harm the Emperor."

After Cheng Xi finished speaking, she looked at Li Zhi'an, "Chief of Tongtian, this subject wishes to accuse Li Taifei of framing me and plotting against the Empress Dowager. I ask that the Chief of Tongtian investigate the truth and grant this subject justice."

Li Zhi'an's dark, heavy eyes swept over Cheng Xi. Her ability to lodge complaints was truly becoming more and more practiced.

"This is simply preposterous!" Li Taifei raged, "Your Majesty, now you have heard it with your own ears and seen it with your own eyes—Cheng Xi is indeed sharp-tongued."

Cheng Xi winked at Li Zhi'an, then turned to look at Li Taifei, "Grand Concubine, you had people summon me to the palace—was it not for the matter of the Emperor being poisoned? Why is it that now that I have entered the palace, you seem to be in no rush regarding this matter?"

"Cheng Xi is right. Li Taifei, since you say Cheng Xi is a suspect, then produce the evidence." The Empress Dowager found Cheng Xi more and more pleasing to the eye; although this girl was thin and frail, her mouth was certainly sharp.

The uglier Li Taifei's expression became, the more delighted the Empress Dowager felt.

The Regent glanced at Cheng Xi, then looked at his own son.

He had long heard people say that his son had recently set his sights on a young girl, repeatedly finding excuses to approach her, and most absurdly, even locking her in the Tongtian Division's prison.

The little girl looked malnourished, thin and frail; he really knew how to be ruthless.

Thinking of this, the Regent coughed lightly and looked at the Emperor.

"Regent, do you have anything to say?" the Little Emperor asked, shrinking back slightly. He was too young and did not dare to meet the gaze of the sharp-spirited Regent.

"Your Majesty, the Imperial Court requires human witnesses and material evidence to settle a case. Since both parties are now present, and Li Taifei was the one to first accuse Eldest Miss Cheng, we can only ask the Grand Concubine to produce the evidence first," the Regent said, looking at Li Taifei, "Just now, Li Taifei said you knew that someone from the Empress Dowager's side met with Eldest Miss Cheng in private. I wonder if you saw this with your own eyes, or if you heard it from someone else."

Li Taifei did not dare put on airs before the Regent, and said gently, "Your Highness's words are reasonable. It was my palace attendant, Songyue, who saw it with her own eyes."

"Bring her here," the Regent said loudly.

Li Zhi'an ignored his father's gaze and looked at Cheng Xi again, only to see her peripheral vision fixed on the Little Emperor, so he could not help but look over as well.

Perhaps because the Emperor was poisoned, the area under his eyes was dark, his lips were blue, and his spirit was listless; he was truly quite pitiful.

However, looking at Prince Ke, who had been standing in a corner without saying a word since entering the hall, Prince Ke was even thinner and frailer than the Emperor.

Li Zhi'an was lost in thought. In this gap, Cheng Xi leaned slightly toward him and whispered, "Chief Li, could you have Ji Muzhi come here?"

Cheng Xi dropped this sentence and immediately stood straight, wearing a smile as if it were not she who had just spoken.

Li Zhi'an:...

Li Zhi'an made a light gesture, and a shadow left from outside the door.

The Empress Dowager glared at Li Taifei, yet Li Taifei was fussing over the Little Emperor, as if she were his own mother.

Cheng Xi found it extremely interesting; this was truly different from the rumors outside the palace.

Who would have thought that the Little Emperor seemed to be closer to Li Taifei?

Just then, Songyue entered the hall. Seeing so many people in the hall, she lowered her head and walked forward quickly, "This servant pays respects to the Emperor, the Empress Dowager, and the Grand Concubine."

"Songyue, I ask you, did you see with your own eyes someone from the Empress Dowager's side meet with Cheng Xi?" the Little Emperor asked with a light cough.

"In reply to the Emperor, this servant would not dare to lie. I did indeed see with my own eyes Sister Lingxiang from the Empress Dowager's side speaking with Eldest Miss Cheng."

"Cheng Xi, how else will you quibble!" Li Taifei raged.

"Grand Concubine, this is merely something this palace maid said offhandedly. She neither knows what I said to that person, nor did she see me deliver any poison with her own eyes. This witness is far too absurd," Cheng Xi sighed faintly, "However, although I have never delivered poison, I can see that the poison the Emperor has been struck with is somewhat strange."

Two brothers born of the same mother, yet they were like strangers.