Forced to be a third person: I turned around and left the palace to marry a villain

There was an obvious bruise on her wrist, which was keenly noticed by Jiang Xue.

Jiang Xue instantly understood the cause of the bruise, quickly held her hand, and covered the scar with her sleeve to prevent others from noticing.

There was a hint of gloom in her eyes. She suppressed her inner anger and ordered the people around her, "Don't just stand there. Go find some clean clothes for the Ninth Princess!"

"Yes!" The servants who were watching immediately bowed their heads in response and hurried away.

Out of caution, Jiang Xue also sent someone to wake up Xiaochun and Fudong and asked them to help take care of the Ninth Princess.

When changing Xiao Xianyu's clothes, Fu Dong discovered more marks on her body and frowned.

"Princess... the ninth princess..." Fu Dong hesitated to speak, as these traces were obviously not left voluntarily.

If all this was forced, then jumping into the lake to commit suicide would be even more worrying. Thinking of this, Fu Dong felt a chill on his back.

"How is she now?" Jiang Xue raised her hand to signal Fu Dong not to continue speaking, and turned her gaze to the inner room to ask.

"After being comforted just now, she has fallen asleep and she probably won't wake up in the short term." Fu Dong replied.

“You take good care of her here. I have to go to Xuchen Palace.” Jiang Xue was determined to tell Yun Che about this matter. After all, a princess of a country could not let it go when she suffered such humiliation.

But just as Jiang Xue was about to leave, a voice stopped her: "Princess, you don't have to go."

Xiaochun had just come back from fetching water when she heard Jiang Xue say that she was going out.

Before Jiang Xue could ask, Xiao Zhan walked in with Qing Feng in iron armor, his face full of dark clouds, which made people shudder.

"You know everything." He looked towards the inner room as he entered. Jiang Xue immediately realized that he had known about Xiao Xianyu's affairs, and looking at his expression, it seemed that he had even guessed some details of the matter.

"The news has spread widely in the court." Xiao Zhan rubbed his eyebrows and his tone softened a little.

During the morning court today, he received a report about Xiao Xianyu being humiliated. What made him angry was that what happened in the harem was known to the ministers of the previous dynasty before he did. It was obvious that someone deliberately leaked the news in an attempt to damage his ninth sister's reputation.

"Have you found out who spread the news?" Jiang Xue asked.

"Not yet, but I have sent someone to investigate." Xiao Zhan said, walking to the bedside and gently stroking the unconscious Xiao Xianyu: "Whoever dares to hurt my sister, I will never let him go."

Xiao Xianyu is Xiao Zhan's beloved little sister since childhood. Anyone who dares to harm her will be severely punished!

"It was stormy last night, and the rain washed away many traces, making it difficult to find the person." Jiang Xue pondered, "But if it was done by someone in the palace, we can track it down through the records after curfew. If it was someone outside the palace, it would be difficult."

"Ninth sister just got into trouble, and rumors are already flying all over the city. This is obviously a premeditated act with the purpose of destroying her reputation. Therefore, there must be a connection between the person who attacked Ninth sister and the person who spread the rumors. If we catch one, the other will not be far behind." Xiao Zhan said firmly.

The person behind this, who was able to spread the news so quickly, must be someone in the palace.

It's not difficult to find this person as long as you narrow the scope.

"It's not that difficult actually." Jiang Xue added, "It rained heavily last night, and ordinary people wouldn't go out easily. This actually helps us identify our target. We just need to carefully check the people who entered and left the mansion after curfew, and we can get closer to the truth."

"Very good, let's do it." Xiao Zhan agreed, and ordered Qing Feng: "Bring everyone who entered and left the mansion after the curfew last night to the imperial study."

In the imperial study, four or five suspects stood in a row in front of Xiao Zhan.

As his eyes swept over everyone, Xiao Zhan frowned.

These people include Nan Jingxing, Xie Qi, Xiao Yun, Xiao Shen and finally Xie Linyuan.

Among them, Xiao Yun and Nan Jingxing were responsible for patrolling inside and outside the palace respectively and were not subject to curfew.

As a brother, Xiao Shen would never do such a thing to his sister, so the three of them were quickly excluded. Now, there were only a few people left who needed further interrogation.

In front of Xiao Zhan, only Xie Qi and Xie Linyuan were left. He pointed at them and asked in a low voice: "Where did you go after curfew last night?"

Xie Qi bowed his head slightly and answered respectfully: "Your Majesty, after curfew, I followed the instructions of Concubine Shu and served in her palace. Concubine Shu can prove it for me."

As he said this, the corner of his eyes inadvertently swept over Xie Linyuan, and he sneered in his heart: Just wait, Xie Linyuan, you can't escape this time.

Jiang Xue raised her eyebrows, her eyes sharp as a knife: "Once the palace gates are locked, outsiders are not allowed to stay in the harem. Doesn't Concubine Shu understand this rule?"

Xiao Shen also cast a suspicious look: "No matter how willful your mother is, she will not violate the basic rules. She will not let you, an outsider, stay in the palace after curfew."

"Xie Qi, think carefully before you speak." Xiao Zhan's voice was filled with unquestionable majesty. "If you lie, it will be a crime of deceiving the emperor."

Facing the pressure from the three dignitaries, Xie Qi felt breathless, but he still tried to stay calm: "Your Majesty, Your Highnesses, even if I am incompetent, I dare not lie to you. The Concubine Shu can indeed testify for me. If you don't believe me, you can ask her to confront me."

Seeing Xie Qi's attitude, Jiang Xue looked at him coldly and exchanged a meaningful look with Xiao Zhan.

Then, Xiao Zhan turned to Xie Linyuan and asked, "What about you?"

Xie Linyuan's voice was a little hoarse because his body had not yet recovered: "Your Majesty, I felt uneasy after the curfew, so I went to the palace gate."

After taking the medicine last night, he felt restless, as if he heard Xiao Xianyu calling his name, making him toss and turn and unable to fall asleep.

Finally, he decided to go to the palace gate, where he stayed all night and did not return until early morning.

But before he left, he heard the news that something had happened to the Ninth Princess, so he immediately rushed into the palace.

After hearing this, someone immediately accused: "Your Majesty, did you hear that? The most suspicious person is this Xie Linyuan!"

Xie Qi took advantage of the situation and immediately pointed at Xie Linyuan, loudly accusing Emperor Xiao Zhan: "In the middle of the night, he didn't stay at home, but ran to the palace instead.

This is suspicious no matter how you look at it, and I have heard for a long time that he has feelings for the princess. The princess's humiliation this time must have been his doing. I don't know what despicable means he used to sneak into the palace, drug the princess unconscious, and then do something worse than an animal.

Our Xie family has always been known for its strict family tradition. Xie Linyuan's behavior is simply a disgrace to the family. Your Majesty, please do not show mercy, severely punish Xie Linyuan, seek justice for the princess, and give our Xie family a chance to atone for our sins. "

As soon as Xie Qi finished speaking, the entire study room fell into silence, and everyone turned their eyes to him.