Chapter 292 Imperial Marriage Decree

Chapter 292: The Marriage Bestowal

As she spoke, she touched her slightly swollen face, her expression full of grievance.

Luo Qingge let out a cold snort. "Just now, Third Sister-in-law asked you twice, and both times you answered that Madam Cai hit you with her right hand. Now why has it changed to the left hand?"

"Luo Qianxue, do you have a single truthful word in your mouth? Could it be that you hit yourself and then deliberately framed Madam Cai?"

Luo Qianxue, hit a nerve, was both angry and embarrassed. She stood up and glared at her.

"How am I not truthful? I said I misremembered, so I misremembered! What, are mistakes in memory not allowed?"

"You—" Luo Qingge was so angry she could hardly speak. "You're just being unreasonable!"

Luo Qianxue's shamelessness had once again shocked Luo Qingge.

Ji Yuntang stepped forward and patted her on the shoulder, smiling gently at Luo Qingge. "Tenth Sister, isn't too bright in the head. As her elder sister, you need to learn to tolerate her."

"She says she misremembered, so let's just assume she did for now."

After saying that, Ji Yuntang turned to look at Luo Qianxue, her tone mild.

"Tenth Sister, would you mind letting Third Sister-in-law take a look at the slap mark on your face?"

Seeing her gentle and smiling demeanor, Luo Qianxue felt a chill run down her spine.

Whenever Ji Yuntang showed that expression, she was sure nothing good would come of it.

Luo Qianxue took two steps back, her voice tinged with panic.

"No! If anyone is to look, it should be the imperial physician. Why should it be you?"

Ji Yuntang sighed. "I know Tenth Sister doesn't trust me. Fine, then let's have the Empress summon a physician to examine Tenth Sister."

The Empress glanced at the palace maid beside her, who immediately went out to summon a physician.

The person who came was Physician Zhang, a highly respected imperial doctor.

Ji Yuntang took Madam Cai's left hand and showed it to Physician Zhang.

"Physician Zhang, please take a careful look at my mother's palm. Is it the same size as the slap mark on Tenth Sister's face?"

Those who studied medicine were very familiar with the distribution of bones and meridians in the human body and had a set of criteria for judgment.

Usually, they could see the problem at a glance without needing to measure.

Physician Zhang carefully examined Madam Cai's palm, then looked at the slap mark on Luo Qianxue's face, and finally came to a conclusion.

"Your Majesties, the Emperor and Empress. The slap mark on the Tenth Princess's face is slightly smaller, and Madam Cai's palm is noticeably larger, and Madam Cai's fingers are a bit longer than the finger marks on the Tenth Princess's face."

"Thus, the slap mark on the Tenth Princess's face was definitely not made by Madam Cai but by someone else."

Luo Qianxue's face turned pale with fright. She swallowed hard and shouted, "You old quack, talking nonsense! Have you been bribed by Ji Yuntang? Are you in cahoots with them?"

Physician Zhang's expression turned cold. "Tenth Princess, please be careful with your words. I've been a physician for years and have seen countless handprints. The slap mark on your face—I could tell at a glance that it was not made by this lady."

"If you don't believe me, call another physician to verify."

Ji Yuntang raised an eyebrow. "This is simple. Since Tenth Sister was beaten in Weiyang Palace, why not call in all the palace maids and eunuchs of Weiyang Palace and compare their handprints with the mark on her face one by one?"

Xie Liuzheng picked up on Ji Yuntang's implication. He realized she had a suspect in mind.

So he cooperated, "Even if the palace maids and eunuchs of Weiyang Palace were daring, they wouldn't dare to lay hands on the Tenth Princess, would they?"

"The real culprit must be someone else."

The Empress nodded lightly. "Heir Xie has a point. Oh, what's wrong with Consort Li's right hand?"

As soon as she finished speaking, everyone's eyes landed on Consort Li's right hand.

It was wrapped in white gauze, while her left hand was hidden inside her sleeve, making it hard to see clearly.

Consort Li's lips quivered. Though panicking inside, she forced herself to stay calm.

"Thank you for your concern, Empress. I accidentally scalded my hand with hot water; it's nothing serious."

This clearly contradicted what she had said earlier.

Ji Yuntang could clearly sense her lack of confidence now.

This further strengthened her suspicions.

"Is Consort Li's left hand injured too? I happen to have a very effective burn ointment that you can try."

Ji Yuntang was decisive. She walked directly over, grabbed Consort Li's left hand, and pulled it out of her sleeve.

But Consort Li kept her hand clenched tight, unwilling to open her palm.

"What's the matter, Consort Li? Do you have a wound on your palm?"

"That won't do. If you're injured, you shouldn't avoid medical attention."

As she spoke, Ji Yuntang pressed an acupoint on Consort Li's wrist, making her fist relax instantly.

While Consort Li was distracted, Ji Yuntang lifted Consort Li's hand and pressed it against Luo Qianxue's face.

"I see that Consort Li's hand matches the slap mark on Tenth Sister's face perfectly!"

Everyone looked and saw that Consort Li's palm fit perfectly over the slap mark on Luo Qianxue's face.

This stunned everyone. Consort Li was furious. "How dare you! How dare you do this to me?"

But Ji Yuntang ignored Consort Li and exclaimed triumphantly,

"It's settled! It's settled! The slap mark on Tenth Sister's face was indeed made by Consort Li's left hand!"

Consort Li: "..."

Consort Li: "!!!"

This bitch!

She was so furious she almost coughed up blood.

The Empress's gaze turned cold as she swept over Consort Li's delicate face and questioned sternly.

"Consort Li, explain what is going on. Why did you deliberately frame Madam Cai?"

Several pairs of eyes fixed upon her. Consort Li immediately knelt to the ground. Her eyes darted around, and then she began to cry,

Empress, please calm your anger. I really had no other choice!

Xue'er insisted on marrying Heir Xie, but Heir Xie had no feelings for her. So I thought of asking Madam Cai to act as a matchmaker and help connect them.

But to my surprise, Madam Cai showed no appreciation and kept finding fault with Xue'er. I really had no choice but to do this.

Emperor Jingyang's face darkened with anger, and he looked at Consort Li with deep disappointment.

"How dare you! How could you be so foolish? If Xue'er likes Heir Xie, you could have just told me. Why did you deliberately deceive me?"

Emperor Jingyang really trusted Consort Li. When she claimed she had been wronged, he immediately sent the Imperial Guards to arrest Madam Cai.

Who would have thought that this was a lie carefully fabricated by Consort Li.

Emperor Jingyang was furious. He had believed Consort Li was the one who understood him best and cared for him the most, but he never expected that she would also take advantage of him.

Although this was a crime of deceiving the emperor, he still couldn't bear to kill Consort Li.

Clenching his fists, Emperor Jingyang roared: "Issue my decree: From today, Consort Li is hereby demoted to the rank of Concubine Li. All rewards and gifts bestowed on Weiyang Palace are revoked. She is to be confined to her palace for one month to reflect on her mistakes."

"The Tenth Princess is betrothed to Xue Cheng, son of the Grand Master of Remonstrance. The wedding will take place on an auspicious day to be chosen."

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