Chapter 216 Requesting a Virginity Test

Chapter 216: Proposing a Chastity Examination

The crime of setting fire to the granary was far more serious than Luo Feizhou drugging his sister-in-law and attempting to defile her. Qing Feng naturally dared not mention it.

He only prayed that Emperor Jingyang would not delve into this matter, or the consequences would be beyond his imagination.

After the emperor gave his orders, eunuchs immediately went out to investigate.

The findings were exactly as Luo Jingshen had said: when Luo Feizhou had the incident, the granary in the west of the city caught fire, and all the Jingji Guards were there putting out the flames.

Moreover, to verify the claims of Luo Sinian and Xie Liuzheng, Emperor Jingyang sent others to the Green Bamboo Grove on the city outskirts to check if there were signs of a fight with the black-clad assassins as they had described.

The guards found not only traces of combat but also bloodstains on the ground, and many bamboo stalks had been cut down by swords, showing the fight had been dangerous and intense.

Luo Sinian and Consort Li both sighed in relief.

Consort Li was relieved that Luo Jingshen had been very quick-witted enough to clear himself with just a few words.

She had been terrified when Consort Chu accused Luo Jingshen of deliberately diverting the Jingji Guards to have Luo Feizhou attacked. Her heart was in her throat, and she wanted to cover Consort Chu's mouth.

Consort Li didn't know if Luo Jingshen was actually involved or not, and she feared he might have foolishly done something to ruin his own future.

Fortunately, his response did not disappoint her.

Luo Sinian's relief stemmed from a different reason. Knowing Emperor Jingyang's suspicious nature, he guessed the emperor would send people to investigate the scene. So he had intentionally fabricated a remote location—the Green Bamboo Grove.

Therefore, as early as in the private dining room, Luo Sinian had deliberately signaled Su Mu to go to the Green Bamboo Grove and set up the scene, faking signs of a fight with the black-clad assassins.

Su Mu's abilities did not let him down; the job was executed beautifully, successfully fooling Emperor Jingyang.

Xu Muyan then presented the evidence he had gathered, explaining it point by point.

The final conclusion was that Prince Qi's beating had nothing to do with Ji Yuntang; she too was a victim, and all evidence directly pointed to the black-clad assassins.

However, apart from Luo Sinian, Xie Liuzheng, and Ji Yuntang, no one had any leads regarding these assassins.

The only way to uncover the truth was to wait for Luo Feizhou to awaken and ask him directly.

Emperor Jingyang's expression darkened, and he locked his gaze on Luo Jingshen, speaking in a deep voice:

"The matter of the assassins will be discussed after Prince Qi wakes up. Since assassins appeared in the capital, it is ultimately the fault of the Jingji Guards. As punishment, the Crown Prince shall copy the 'Governance Treatise' one hundred times and submit it."

"Furthermore, from now on, the patrols of the Jingji Guards in the capital must be further reinforced. We cannot allow the granary fire to happen again."

Hearing that he was being punished to copy the treatise one hundred times, Luo Jingshen felt deeply wronged. He cursed Luo Feizhou in his heart.

Falsely accused for no reason, then the granary catches fire, and now I'm being punished—all because of Luo Feizhou. He settled this score against Luo Feizhou, vowing to settle the score after he recovered.

Suppressing his anger, Luo Jingshen accepted the order respectfully: "Yes, Your Majesty. Your son obeys."

At that moment, Luo Qianxue suddenly stepped forward, staring directly at Ji Yuntang.

"Father, this is unfair. Why should Crown Prince be punished for no fault, while Ji... Princess Ye was taken by the black-clad assassins yet gets off scot-free? Who knows if she has already lost her chastity?"

"Your daughter believes that Princess Ye should undergo a chastity examination. First, to protect the reputation of the Dongchen Kingdom's royal family, and second, to prevent someone from being unfaithful and cuckolding my third imperial brother. Everyone knows that my third brother cannot perform in bed—I doubt they have consummated their marriage yet."

Luo Qianxue looked arrogant, her eyes filled with intense provocation and hatred.

This bitch dared to seduce her beloved Heir Xie. She wished Ji Yuntang had lost her chastity so that Emperor Jingyang would order her to be drowned in a pig cage as punishment.

Xie Liuzheng's gaze darkened slightly. Seeing Luo Qianxue's arrogant demeanor, he felt utter disgust in his heart.

The implications of a chastity examination were obvious to all. She and Ji Yuntang were both women, even sisters-in-law. Why couldn't they get along peacefully? Why did she have to humiliate her like this?

As the old saying goes, why should women make things difficult for other women?

In Xie Liuzheng's eyes, Luo Qianxue could hardly be called a woman; she was a vicious woman. Whoever married this woman in the future would likely bring disaster upon the entire family.

Xie Liuzheng wanted to defend Ji Yuntang, but believing it inappropriate as a man to speak up, he wisely stayed silent.

Luo Qingge, however, was furious. She instantly turned into a fire-breathing dragon and lashed out.

"Luo Qianxue, have you lost all the etiquette you were taught in the palace all these years? How can there be someone as dark and narrow-minded as you? Those assassins were driven away by Eighth Imperial Brother and Heir Xie—what could they possibly have done to Third Sister-in-law?"

"You are a woman yourself; you know how important chastity is to a woman. Aren't you afraid that the same thing could one day happen to you? Why can't you bear to see Third Sister-in-law have the slightest bit of good?"

Luo Qianxue gave a disdainful snort, "Hmph, what status does she have compared to mine? I am a princess; she is a country bumpkin—how dare she be compared to me?"

"Besides, she was the one taken by the assassins, not me. Why should I worry?"

"I am doing this for the sake of the Dongchen Kingdom's royal family's reputation and for my third imperial brother's sake. What wrong have I done, then?"

The Empress, seeing Luo Qianxue's aggressiveness, fixed her gaze sharply and scolded with a cold face.

"Stop this nonsense. Consort Li, you should discipline your precious daughter properly. Does she have any sense of propriety or hierarchy left?"

Consort Li was startled, quickly knelt, and spoke softly, "Your Majesty, please calm your anger. Xue'er was only concerned for He Er and spoke carelessly. She did not mean to offend Princess Jiu."

"I believe that given Princess Ye's character and integrity, she would never do anything to betray He Er. However..."

She paused, her expression hesitant. Emperor Jingyang asked gently, "However what, Beloved Consort? Speak freely."

Consort Li bit her lip, looking troubled. "However, even though I trust her, others may not. Words alone are not enough to silence the masses."

"Now the entire capital knows that my daughter-in-law was knocked unconscious and taken away by eight black-clad assassins. If we do not perform a chastity examination, I fear that rumors and slander will spread, damaging Tang'er's reputation even more and bringing greater disgrace to the Prince Ye's Mansion."

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