The princess regretted it.

Chapter 346: Diverting trouble to the east

Jiaoyu's heart tightened. Ever since she met the Emperor, she had been calculating rapidly: Mingyue was still alive when she was taken away, and now she had been rescued by Concubine Cen. Concubine Cen would definitely find a way to save Mingyue. She wasn't sure if Mingyue would ever wake up, but now she had to find a suitable excuse to give herself time to deal with it.

At this point, the only option was to shift the blame and put the blame on Concubine Cen and Mingyue. After all, Mingyue's horrific injuries were an undeniable fact, and there was no way to deny it, so it was better to use this as a breakthrough to rationalize his behavior.

Jiaoyu quickly knelt down with a thud, raised her head quickly, and met the emperor's gaze directly with a firm and aggrieved look, and said urgently, "Father, I did detain Mingyue and even arranged for someone to interrogate her.

Although the injuries on her body were not caused by me, they were indeed sustained in my palace. I shall bear the responsibility that belongs to me, and I will definitely shoulder it wholeheartedly.

"But, Father, you know me best. I was simply envious of Jin'an, and occasionally felt a little aggrieved. I previously said something inappropriate, and Father has punished me. I now deeply recognize my faults. Mingyue and I have no past or present grudges. How could I, for no apparent reason, do such a heinous act?"

Jiaoyu paused slightly, tears welling up in her eyes, her voice trembling unconsciously as she continued, "This son dares not hide anything from Father. In fact, this son accidentally discovered that a few days before the fire, Mingyue was always wandering around the Imperial Garden stealthily, and from time to time, she would look at a small courtyard. This son had no idea who lived in that small courtyard, but she just thought Mingyue's behavior was really strange. At that time, this son did not think too much about it.

However, when a fire suddenly broke out in the palace, the first person I thought of was Mingyue. Her previous unusual behavior was undoubtedly related to the fire. I thought, if I could pry the truth out of her, it would be a relief for my father and a way to eliminate hidden dangers for the royal family!

As Jiaoyu spoke, her face showed a bit of pain and self-blame, and her voice choked: "I know that it is wrong to use torture privately, but the situation was urgent at the time. I was obsessed with finding out the truth as soon as possible, and I lost my mind for a moment, so I resorted to this bad idea. Father, I was wrong, but my loyalty to the royal family is evident to all! I hope that you will be wise and not be deceived by that evil-minded person!" As she spoke, she secretly observed the emperor's reaction, praying in her heart that her words would make the emperor believe her and point the finger of suspicion at Concubine Cen and Mingyue.

The emperor had doubts in his heart, so he didn't completely believe Jiaoyu's words. Instead, he calmly asked, "Even if, as you said, you captured Mingyue out of good intentions to find out the truth, why didn't you tell the Imperial Guards about this when they came to search for you?"

Jiaoyu's heart skipped a beat. This was indeed an inexplicable loophole. But at this point, she could only bite the bullet and deal with it.

She bit her lip, a flash of panic in her eyes, but she quickly concealed it. She lowered her head and pretended to be ashamed, saying, "Father, I was scared at that time."

Jiaoyu raised her head, tears welling in her eyes. She looked at the emperor pitifully and continued, "It is against the rules for me to arrest and interrogate someone without permission. Seeing the Imperial Guards suddenly barge in, I was terrified, fearing that my reckless actions would bring shame upon my father and the royal family."

She was trembling slightly, her voice tinged with tears: "Your son was confused for a moment, so I thought of hiding it first. I would apologize to your father after I had figured things out thoroughly. Your son was really afraid of disappointing your father because of your fault, and I was even more afraid that this matter would get out and affect the dignity of the royal family. Your Majesty, please forgive your son's confusion this time." As Jiaoyu spoke, she kowtowed repeatedly. The sound of her forehead hitting the ground was particularly clear in the silent hall.

The emperor listened to Jiaoyu's words, his expression remained calm, making it hard to fathom his true thoughts. However, Jiaoyu's words did stir a ripple in his heart.

Now it seems there's a deeper story behind this. Why did Mingyue behave so strangely before the fire? Jiaoyu's explanation seems reasonable, but it also raises many questions. And what role did Concubine Cen play in this matter? Why was Mingyue found in Jiaoyu Palace and rescued by Concubine Cen?

A series of questions swirled in the emperor's mind. He narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze becoming deep and cold, as if he wanted to see through Jiaoyu's eyes and see her true thoughts.

After a long silence, the Emperor slowly spoke in a low and dignified voice, "Jiaoyu, I will investigate this matter thoroughly. If what you say is true, I will give you justice. However, if you concealed something or were involved in this, I will show no mercy."

After hearing the emperor's words, Jiaoyu was startled and kowtowed again, saying, "I dare not deceive you, father. Everything I said is true. I hope you will understand." Her voice trembled slightly, and she was glad that her words could help her get away with it for a short time.

At this moment, she wasn't pinning all her hopes on the Emperor's decision. She had other plans in mind: seeking help from her maternal grandfather and his family. After experiencing this series of misfortunes, she now understood why her mother had relied so heavily on her maternal grandfather's family.

After hearing Jiaoyu's answer, the emperor slowly stood up, his expression still solemn, his tone calm but revealing unquestionable majesty: "I'll leave first, you get up." After saying that, he turned around and walked out of the hall with steady steps.

Upon seeing this, Fuquan immediately followed closely behind him and disappeared outside the palace gate.

Jiaoyu waited until the emperor's figure had completely disappeared before she slowly stood up from the ground. She breathed a sigh of relief, dragging her slightly heavy steps to a chair nearby and sat down. She raised her hand to rub her aching knee, a hint of relief still lingering in her eyes.

At this time, Xiangcao hurried in from outside. When she came back, she happened to run into the emperor leaving Jiaoyu Palace. She had no way to avoid him, and her heart instantly rose to her throat. She could only lower her head in panic, stand respectfully aside, not daring to breathe, and respectfully saw the emperor off.

Although the emperor's gaze didn't linger on her for long, she was still nervous enough to sweat in her palms. Fortunately, Xiangcao had only been serving Jiaoyu closely for a short time, so the emperor had no impression of her. However, Eunuch Fuquan did glance at her with deep meaning, but thankfully, he didn't say anything afterwards and left with the emperor.