Chapter 202 - Truth Becoming Lies
Li Rong's words fell in everyone's ears and they looked at Xi Ying whose face doesn't have much of an expression after hearing Li Rong's words.
His eyes were solely focused on Li Rui's back who was still kneeling on the floor.
He glanced at An Ju who nodded her head and went forward to help Li Rui in standing up. However, Li Rui didn't take An Ju's hand, instead stood up on her own.
Xi Ying's eyes observed Li Rui's each and every action as she walked back to stand by his side. When she was beside him, he held her hand and sighed in relief when she didn't resist his approach.
Only then did he move his eyes to look at Li Rong who was standing firmly in front of the Emperor demanding justice for her daughter.
He didn't say anything until Zhao Wang Lei glanced at him faintly and said
"Minister Xi, do you have anything to say?"
Xi Ying was silent for a moment and he looked at Li Rui from the corner of his eyes. Looking back at the Emperor, he said coldly.
"Your Majesty can punish this one as he wishes. However, this Lord does not regret what he did. If this Lord had not stopped Third Miss Li with his whip then she would have harmed this Lord's wife.
Xi Ying does not need to think about what Madam Li would have done if it was this Lord's wife in the third Miss Li's place. She would have called it her daughter's one a careless mistake. However, First Madam Li needs to understand that every time things do not work like this.
The first time when your daughter spoke badly about this Lord's wife this Lord let her go. The second time also, this Lord just warned her by showing his whip. However, if your daughter dares to do the same mistake the third time, she is a fool and it is not this Lord's mistake that this Lord saved his wife."
Xi Ying finished and Li Rong was deadly pale.
Even Yi Jie who was standing by Li Rong's side could not help but feel that his words were had logic and they were reasonable.
Truly, if it had been her Rui in Li Caihong's place then Li Rong would have done the same thing. Fortunately, Lord Xi saved her daughter or else…Yi Jie dared not think ahead. A mother would never want to see her children in pain.
The little bit of sympathy that she had for Li Caihong inside his heart was swept away by Xi Ying's words.
She herself was not that stupid.
Li Caihong was looking so furious and vicious at that moment that she could see the hatred in her eyes for her daughter.
If Xi Ying had not hit Li Caihong, then she would really have attacked her daughter.
In the end, Li Rong could not say anything against Lord Xi and the Emperor let this matter go saying that it was Third Miss Li who was at fault since the start.
After that, the Emperor finally glanced at the young Eunuch and Li Na.
Eunuch Wang saw the Emperor's cold gaze on the young Eunuch and he hit the young Eunuch again without any expression on his face.
Zhao Wang Lei moved his eyes away and ordered
"Put him into the prison."
As soon as the Emperor finished his words, the Imperial guards came inside and dragged the young and beaten eunuch from Lianxin hall without even hearing his explanation.
Li Na who looked dazed and confused went pale when she saw the Young Eunuch being dragged out.
She was not a fool to not know that her situation was not much favorable. If the things had really happened the way she is thinking, then she had disrespected the Emperor and the punishment for such a sin was either life Imprisonment or public execution.
She immediately banged her forehead on the floor and said
"Your Majesty, this maiden …this maiden doesn't even know how she got here. This maiden has just gone out of the banquet hall to get some fresh air. While walking towards Lianxin hall, this maiden suddenly felt heavy pain in her head, and after that …after that this maiden doesn't remember anything.
Although this maiden might not have disrespected Your Majesty intentionally…this maiden in the end had done and hence deserved to be punished. Asking Your Majesty to punish this maiden."
Li Na sobbed and cried as she continuously banged her head on the floor.
Li Rong's eyes were wide when she heard her daughter's words while Yi Jie and General Li's had very grim faces.
The three of them looked at the Emperor and saw that there was no change in the expression on his face.
People's eyes were also filled with doubts and sympathy for Li Na now.
A moment later, they saw the Emperor looking at the Empress and then the Empress saying to the maid standing behind her
"Go and call a Momo."
Lianxin hall remained silent when the maid came back with a Momo following her.
"Since Second Miss Li said that she had felt heavy pain in her head then she must have been hit on the back of her head by someone. Momo will check Second Miss Li if there is any injury on the back of her head." said the Empress and people agreed with her words by nodding their head as it seemed very reasonable.
Li Na was more than happy to cooperate with the Momo to prove her innocence.
The old Momo knelt down and felt the back of Li Na's head with her hand. When she saw no frown on Li Na's face, her face went serious. She again pressed the back of her head for a few more seconds but didn't find anything.
Li Na could already see that even the Old Momo was starting to doubt her words. So she intentionally frowned when the old Momo pressed her head again and made a face that seemed to tell that she was in a lot of pain.
However, she was surprised when she saw the Momo instantly standing up from her kneeling position.
"Your Majesty"
The old Momo lowered her head in respect in front of the Empress and continued
"Second Miss Li is perfectly alright. She doesn't have any injury in the back of her head."
"Momo…I think you are mistaken. I felt pain when you pressed this side of my head." Said Li Na instantly when she heard the old Momo's words.
However, she suddenly saw the old Momo smiling at her coldly and saying
"Second Miss Li, this one has not grayed her hair in the sun. From the expression of your face, this one can predict very easily when you are lying and when you are not."
The old Momo has lived in the Imperial Palace for so many years. So she had a very good eye for recognizing a person's character.
"Your Majesty, this servant can assure that Second Miss Li is lying."
The Empress just nodded her head and then looked at the Emperor. When the Emperor waved his hand, the old Momo was sent away by the Empress and now everyone was looking at Li Na with the same disgust and mockery which they had before.
However, Li Na still refused to accept that she was lying and said that she deserved a chance to prove herself.
In the end, she really deserved it.
Maybe what the old Momo said was the truth; however, such an important decision just could not be taken like this.
So the Emperor announced
"Miss Li will stay in the Yao Yue hall for tonight."
No punishment, no decision but some people understood why Li Na was being sent to Yao Yue hall.
Yao Yue hall was the abode of all the Imperial Physicians. This is the place where they practiced and treated the people of the Imperial Palace.
Li Na was being sent there so that the physician can check her body from any kind of drugs that made her unconscious.
As Li Na was being helped to stand up and taken to the Yao Yue hall, Li Rui who had been standing quietly beside Xi Ying looked at her faintly.
No one noticed the flicker in her eyes when the old Momo had said that Li Na doesn't have any injury in the back of her head.
She then looked back at the pale faces of her family members and clenched her fists tightly.
A moment later, Rui looked at the man beside herself and a glint of coldness shone in her eyes.
If she has done a mistake then she also knows very well how to improve that mistake.