Chapter 476: Blame
Consort Ru’s mind went completely blank.
The color drained from her face, leaving it a ghastly white. For a moment, she stopped breathing, and the blood in her veins seemed to freeze.
Xiao Lansi grew flustered at the sight of her. She rushed forward to support her, crying out in alarm, "Mother! Mother? Are you all right?! Are you feeling unwell? I’ll send for an Imperial Physician right away!"
"No!"
Consort Ru finally snapped back to her senses, her first instinct to refuse.
She gripped Xiao Lansi’s hand with all her might, like a drowning woman clinging to a final piece of driftwood.
"I... I’m going to the Ministry of Justice! Yes! I’m going to personally ask them what they plan to do with Cheng Xuan!"
As if suddenly realizing what she had to do, she staggered to her feet and lurched toward the exit.
Xiao Lansi immediately moved to block her. "Mother! Calm down! You can’t go there now!"
SLAP!
Consort Ru spun around and struck her hard across the face. "How dare you stop me!"
The force of the blow snapped Xiao Lansi’s head to the side. Red fingerprints stood out starkly against her pale skin.
For a moment, she was completely still.
But Consort Ru had only taken two steps before she tripped on something and fell to the ground.
Shaken from her stupor, Xiao Lansi rushed over and carefully helped her up. "Mother?"
Her brow furrowed slightly, her eyes filled with pain and helplessness, as if she wasn’t the one who had just been slapped—or as if she was already used to it.
The fall hurt Consort Ru, and the pain finally seemed to sober her up.
She slumped to the cold floor, all her strength gone.
"How... How could this happen?" she murmured, tears streaming uncontrollably from her eyes.
’Cheng Xuan is in prison. He’s actually been imprisoned!’
Consort Ru knew exactly what this meant. This outcome all but confirmed that Cheng Xuan was truly connected to those Southern Hu Blade Men!
Any other crime wouldn’t have mattered, but this one... this one was the gravest of capital offenses!
When Xiao Chengxuan was under house arrest at Chengxin Lake, she could still console herself that it was all temporary, that they still had a chance to make a comeback.
But now!
No one could escape the charge of "colluding with the enemy and treason"!
And once it was proven, it wouldn’t just be Xiao Chengxuan—she, and even her maternal family, would all be punished along with him!
That was why Consort Ru had instantly crumbled.
She couldn’t understand. It was just a Jade Pendant, just a few fabricated accusations. Anyone could see how clumsy the frame-up was. How could it have ended like this?!
"The Ministry of Justice... the Ministry of Justice... What the hell is Fan Chengzhuo doing?!"
After the initial shock and fear came a towering wave of anger and resentment.
"Is this how he investigates cases?!"
Anyone else seeing Consort Ru in such a hysterical state would have thought she had become a completely different person.
How could the always gentle and beautiful woman suddenly turn into a madwoman?
But Xiao Lansi said nothing, showing not a trace of surprise or fear from beginning to end.
She explained softly, "It was a joint trial by the Three Judicial Departments, not something Mr. Fan could control alone. Besides... Lord Su and Lord Xu have never been on good terms with Second Brother..."
Her words instantly struck a sensitive nerve in Consort Ru.
’That’s right!’
Xu Fengchi! Su Wei!
Those men were the ones who had put all their effort into impeaching Cheng Xuan in the first place!
’Now that they have the chance, of course they’d try to destroy him!’
Even if Fan Chengzhuo wanted to save him, he would have been powerless.
"I knew it! These people are a menace!"
Consort Ru was seething with hatred. "It wasn’t enough for them to ruin Cheng Xuan; now they want his life! What kind of deep-seated grudge do they have against him?!"
After much thought, there seemed to be only one answer.
"Could it be... they’re all Prince Lie’s men?!"
Other than that, she couldn’t think of any other reason for them to target Cheng Xuan so relentlessly.
But she hadn’t seen any sign of it before.
How long has it been since Xiao Chengqi returned to the capital? To think that he—
"Mother, I don’t think they are Third Brother’s men," Xiao Lansi said suddenly, causing Consort Ru’s brow to tighten.
"What did you say?"
"The two lords have been in the capital for years and have had no dealings with Third Brother. To say they’ve recently chosen to side with him doesn’t seem to match their usual way of doing things."
A hesitant look appeared on Xiao Lansi’s face. "However... both of them seem to have a rather close relationship with Ye Zheng."
"Ye Zheng?"
Consort Ru froze for a second before it dawned on her. "Are you saying they’re avenging Ye Zheng?!"
Xiao Lansi paused. "Lord Xu and Lord Ye were the closest of friends; everyone knows that. But as for Lord Su... it wasn’t obvious before, but that day, he clearly sided with Lord Xu."
Consort Ru had an epiphany. "Of course! If not for that, why would he have stepped forward at that moment!"
Xu Fengchi’s official rank isn’t particularly high in the capital. If he didn’t have someone backing him, how would he dare cause such a scene?
"So... so they were in it together all along!"
Consort Ru trembled all over.
Xiao Lansi added, as if unintentionally, "Also, I’ve heard that Lord Su is quite courteous toward Second Miss Ye. When Second Miss Ye went to the Ministry of Justice before, it was Lord Su who personally sent his confidant to escort her..."
"No wonder!"
Consort Ru ground her teeth in hatred. "It must be that Ye Chutang pulling the strings! She despises Cheng Xuan, so of course she wants him dead! All she had to do was incite those men, and getting revenge on Cheng Xuan would be as easy as flipping her hand!"
Consort Ru had completely lost her reason.
She didn’t stop to think about how Xiao Chengxuan could have been detained after just one trip to the Ministry of Justice. She didn’t wonder why Fan Chengzhuo’s presence hadn’t been enough to stop it. And she certainly didn’t consider whether Xiao Chengxuan had actually done something to deserve this as his retribution.
She remembered only one thing: someone was trying to harm her son!
Xu Fengchi! Su Wei!
And especially that Ye Chutang!
"If that bitch finds out, she’s probably gloating right now!"
In the past, Consort Ru would have had countless ways to make Ye Chutang wish for death, but now of all times!
Not only did Ye Chutang have powerful backing, but she was also treating His Majesty. Who would dare touch her?
Xiao Lansi tried to reason with her. "Mother, now is not the time to worry about these things. Second Brother is in prison. The most important thing is that we can’t let them prove those charges!"
Consort Ru quickly wiped the tears from her face and nodded forcefully. "You’re right... you’re right! Quickly, go and find out what exactly went wrong."