Wei Dongling sobbed uncontrollably, with tears and snot streaming down her face. Her voice trembling, she said, "Aunt Minfang told me before she passed away that the culprit was Nanny Gao, who serves Empress Zhao! Grand Empress Dowager, you must seek justice for me..."
"How dare she!" The Empress Dowager flew into a rage upon hearing this. She waved her hand at the Imperial Guards and commanded, "Go to the Ten - Thousand Buddha Pagoda and bring that mistress - servant pair here!"
"Yes!"
The Empress Dowager looked down at Wei Dongling with red - rimmed eyes and sighed. "Alright, stop kneeling. Go and wipe your tears. What kind of appearance is this?"
"Yes." Wei Dongling, with red eyes, wiped her tears while choking out, "I know such improper behavior will invite gossip, but I just can't control myself! Aunt Minfang was arranged by you, Grand Empress Dowager, to take care of me. She always followed your teachings and was extremely kind to me. She even sacrificed her life to protect me. Whenever I think of her tragic death because of me, my heart aches so much... Wuwuwu..." Her words were half - true and half - false. Minfang's death did make her feel sad, but at this moment, her crying and making a fuss were more to urge the Empress Dowager to severely punish those involved.
After all, the Tenth Prince was of royal blood. Even if he killed someone by accident, he wouldn't receive severe punishment. But Nanny Gao was different! It would be best to directly order her execution to avoid future troubles.
Concubine Shu had already sent someone to summon the imperial physician to treat Cheng Hao, who was seriously injured and unconscious.
The Empress Dowager had to patiently coax the crying Wei Dongling, and anger welled up in her heart. Minfang was, after all, a servant who had come from her palace. To be killed so brazenly was a blatant contempt for royal authority! Fortunately, Minfang had protected the Fifth Princess safely; otherwise, things would have been in an even bigger mess.
Before long, the Imperial Guards escorted Empress Zhao and Nanny Gao over.
Empress Zhao's face was gloomy. She glanced at Wei Dongling sitting beside the Empress Dowager and asked loudly, "I wonder why Your Majesty has sent people to escort me here like this?"
The Empress Dowager, her face full of anger, cursed, "You still have the nerve to ask? The good dog you've raised has committed murder in the palace! If it weren't for the loyal maid from my Cining Palace protecting her mistress, the Fifth Princess might have died at your hands today!"
"I'm wronged!" Empress Zhao secretly resented that Nanny Gao hadn't managed to kill Wei Dongling. Despite her annoyance, she still pleaded her innocence. "I know nothing about this! Please, Your Majesty, discern the truth!"
Nanny Gao glared hatefully at the seriously injured and unconscious Cheng Hao. This young man had pestered her like a madman. Even after being beaten so badly, he still wouldn't let go, preventing her from going after Wei Dongling. Instead, she was injured by Cheng Hao's desperate momentum. The more Nanny Gao thought about it, the angrier she became. But she had to suppress her anger and step forward to admit her mistake. "Your Majesty, it was this young man who took the initiative to provoke and pester this old servant, asking for guidance in martial arts. This old servant, out of eagerness to cherish talent, sparred with him for a few moves. I didn't expect him to be so..." Nanny Gao didn't dare to say "useless" in front of the Empress Dowager. She gritted her teeth and said, "In this matter, Her Majesty the Empress really knows nothing about it. Please, Your Majesty, discern the truth!"
Nanny Gao had changed the concept. She turned the act of injuring someone into a friendly spar and completely absolved Empress Zhao of any blame!
The Empress Dowager looked at Wei Dongling with a puzzled expression.
Wei Dongling jumped up from her chair and pointed at Nanny Gao's nose. "She's lying! Grand Empress Dowager! She's lying! If it were just a spar, how could she have injured my personal bodyguard like this? Clearly, she intended to kill him. She had a premeditated plan to take someone's life, Grand Empress Dowager!"
Nanny Gao was stunned upon hearing this. She never expected that the Fifth Princess would slander her. If she wanted to kill someone, would she have even bothered to spar with Cheng Hao? It was precisely because she was afraid of causing trouble that she didn't want to kill casually. At the same time, Nanny Gao secretly regretted that if she had just knocked Cheng Hao unconscious and directly taken Wei Dongling's life, would there have been so many problems? Alas! Nanny Gao pointed at Cheng Hao and gritted her teeth. "Your Majesty! This old servant really never intended to take his life!"
Seeing that the just - consoled Wei Dongling was crying again, looking so aggrieved, the Empress Dowager felt a wave of annoyance. She pointed at Minfang's body beside her and roared at Nanny Gao, "What about Minfang? Minfang served me whole - heartedly for many years. Even if she had no great merits, she had put in a lot of hard work. How could you be so cruel?"
Nanny Gao looked at Minfang, who had been dead for some time, in surprise and said speechlessly, "Your Majesty, Minfang's death has nothing to do with this old servant! This old servant was always sparring with this young man and had no idea how Minfang died!"
Wei Dongling jumped up like a cat with its tail stepped on. Pointing at Nanny Gao's nose, she said without a hint of shame, "She's lying! She's lying, Grand Empress Dowager! This Nanny Gao was just now choking my throat tightly. If it weren't for Aunt Minfang coming to stop her, I would have been choked to death by her! Nanny Gao, seeing that she couldn't harm me, flew into a rage and twisted Aunt Minfang's neck!"
Nanny Gao roared, "This old servant has never harmed the Fifth Princess! And I've never killed Minfang!"
Wei Dongling pulled at her collar, revealing the red marks on her neck from being choked. She sobbed mournfully, "This old servant choked my neck! How many women in the palace are so highly skilled in martial arts that they can take someone's life with a single move? Clearly, she just gently twisted Minfang's neck, and poor Aunt Minfang, she just..." Wei Dongling covered her face and sobbed uncontrollably.
Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager was even more furious. She glared at Nanny Gao and roared, "What else do you have to say?"
Nanny Gao was so angry that her whole body trembled. She gritted her teeth and said, "The Fifth Princess is slandering me! Although this old servant knows a little martial arts, in all these years in the palace, when have I ever hurt someone?"
Wei Dongling wiped the tears from her face and walked over to glare coldly at Nanny Gao. She snorted, "Who knows if Nanny Gao has trained some highly - skilled disciples? If you didn't do it, could it be that your disciple did it?" Her words clearly carried a threat. If you're not willing to take the blame, do you want me to expose the fact that the Tenth Prince was instigated by you?
Nanny Gao was speechless, her face turning ashen with anger. The Tenth Prince was still very useful, and it wasn't a good time for his actions to be revealed. Moreover, the matter of him killing Minfang could easily be criticized by those with ulterior motives. Therefore, after some thought, Nanny Gao chose to remain silent.
Concubine Shu and her personal maid had actually witnessed the Tenth Prince's act of violence, but they clearly didn't want to cause trouble. At this moment, they stood quietly by, watching Wei Dongling tell lies with her eyes wide open.
Wei Dongling secretly felt lucky. Concubine Shu was a friend worth making. Even that haughty maid beside her seemed a lot more pleasing to the eye at this moment.
Seeing that Wei Dongling's words had silenced Nanny Gao, Empress Zhao was secretly anxious. She quickly knelt forward and called out loudly, "Mother! Mother! Nanny Gao has watched me grow up since I was a child. She would never do such a thing, Mother! Please, discern the truth, Mother!"