Jiang He walked up to Lan Miao and comforted her softly.
"Lady Lan, the Empress Dowager has already heard about this. It's just too late for her to come in person, but she sent me here to pass on a message that she will surely give Miss Wen an explanation."
"Thank the Empress Dowager, and thank you for coming, Miss Jiang He."
Lan Miao felt much more at ease.
Jiang He nodded and led her. The two of them slowly walked towards the main hall.
When Lan Miao entered the main hall, she was really startled by the sight in front of her.
When she came in just now, she was in a hurry and didn't notice the situation here. Now that she took a look, the commotion tonight was really quite a big one. Not only was the Emperor sitting high on the throne, but there also seemed to be two unfamiliar concubines sitting beside him. They were dressed in magnificent clothes and both were extremely beautiful.
Rows of children, like little beans, were kneeling neatly on the ground, waiting for the Emperor in front of them to pass judgment. Their eyes varied, and they exchanged glances with each other. At the very front were three children of about the same age. On the far left was the Second Prince, in the middle was the Third Prince, and on the right was Yu Jia.
Jiang He whispered a reminder behind Lan Miao.
"Lady Lan, don't worry. Miss Xue'er fell from the library and was luckily caught by the Emperor. This incident may involve the two princes, so their birth mothers are also present. The Emperor can't tolerate any injustice. If someone dares to do evil in front of His Majesty, His Majesty will never let it go."
These words made Lan Miao feel a mix of joy and worry.
The joy was that Xue'er would surely not be wronged this time.
But at the same time, she was worried -
Was the Emperor the kind of person who would never forgive a wrong?
Then... if that matter was really discovered by the Emperor, would it become the death warrant for her and her daughter?
Even though Lan Miao was good at hiding her emotions, cold sweat was oozing from her forehead at this moment. A wisp of the night wind blew into the hall, fluttering her sleeves and making her look extremely delicate.
Seeing the sweat on Lan Miao's forehead, Jiang He thought she was just too tired and quickly moved a chair for her. How could Lan Miao dare to sit down? She was just about to step forward to salute the Emperor when there was a commotion among the children kneeling below.
The Second Prince was arrogant and cold, the Third Prince was calm and gentle, while Yu Jia looked indignant. She suddenly stood up, pointed at the people behind, and shouted, "Who pushed Xue'er downstairs? Stand up by yourself."
There was an uproar.
Lan Miao was shocked.
Princess Yu Jia was even more imposing than the two princes.
The Emperor raised his deep, dark eyes.
Not bad. She was worthy of being his daughter. When someone bullied someone close to her, she didn't cower.
The Second Prince quickly jumped up and snorted at Yu Jia, "What are you talking nonsense about? How do you know she didn't just accidentally fall? Is it really worth making such a big stir just for a kid?"
Hearing her son's words, the Imperial Concubine, the Second Prince's birth mother, turned pale and supported her forehead with a bitter smile.
It was the Emperor who had made this grand stir.
How could a son accuse his father?
Had he read too many books and gone stupid?
Before Yu Jia could say anything, the Emperor above slowly spoke. His words were full of oppression, "Second son, do you mean it's my fault?"
The Second Prince accidentally met the Emperor's dark gaze. Cold sweat broke out on his forehead, and he quickly knelt down. After all, he was only a nine - year - old child. "Replying to Father, your son wouldn't dare."
His body trembled, and the Emperor was too lazy to look at him anymore.
The Emperor's eyes slightly narrowed. His cold gaze scanned the people kneeling below, and his majestic aura was faintly emitted. "I didn't know that someone would dare to do evil right in front of me. Even if this person is just a child, I will never tolerate it. If you stand up now, I can still be lenient."
After all, they were just kids, and the Emperor didn't want to use the same interrogation methods for adults on them. If they could stand up on their own initiative, he could give them a way out.
The kids kneeling below were already trembling.
They exchanged glances and even whispered to each other. Some of their fathers had also come over, all looking grim. No one dared to speak at this moment.
Among them, one person's hand was shaking especially violently, but it was hidden by the wide sleeves, so no one could tell.
He comforted himself in his heart. No, no one would know. He had just done it on a whim. Who knew that the kid would fall so easily with just a push? She deserved it.
Moreover, there were no palace servants on the second floor at that time. After he pushed the kid down, he quickly hid behind a pillar and then quickly joined the others. It was all done secretly.
No one would know.
Lan Miao saw the panicked children and understood the Emperor's difficulty in handling this matter. She had something to say, but was worried that if she stood up at this moment, she would become the target of public criticism.
Unexpectedly, Wen Yuanning's gentle voice sounded behind her, "Sister - in - law, do you have something to say? You should have seen Xue'er just now. Did Xue'er see the person who pushed her downstairs?"
Lan Miao didn't look at him.
She nodded and softly replied, "Yes."
"Sister - in - law, don't worry. Just speak your mind. Brother and I are here. Nothing will happen."
Wen Yuanning got closer. His breath almost blew on her neck, and his voice became even gentler.
This scene was just seen by the Emperor above.
He calmly scanned over them. His dark eyes became even darker, and suddenly he said in a deep voice, "Lady Lan, what do you have to say?"
Suddenly being called by the Emperor, everyone's eyes were focused on her. Lan Miao was startled. Her long eyelashes fluttered like a frightened fawn, and the Emperor stared at her with great interest.
Lan Miao quickly composed herself. She stood up, walked to the center of the main hall, saluted the Emperor, and knelt down.
"Your Majesty, when my child was pushed downstairs, she grabbed the wrist of the person who pushed her. If we can check the wrists of everyone present to see if there are any wounds, we should be able to find out who that person is."
Lan Miao looked up, speaking clearly word by word.
As soon as she finished speaking, the Emperor made a prompt decision.
"Check."
It was as if they had discussed it beforehand. They were extremely in sync.
An He immediately led the palace servants and guards to search among the kids in the middle. They moved quickly, like the wind. Even the two princes were not spared, and no one dared to make a sound.
Lan Miao still stood in the center of the main hall. She hung her head and stood quietly, like a beautiful lantern hanging on the wall, quiet and cold. Many people in the hall unconsciously stared at her back. Many people knew that there was a reclusive widow in the Yongyi Marquis Mansion, but they didn't know that this widow was actually so beautiful.
The Imperial Concubine and the Noble Consort sitting beside the Emperor were also sizing up Lan Miao. The Noble Consort squinted her eyes, and her slender nails gently tapped on the armrest, as if she was sizing up a pleasing painting.
She thought to herself, no wonder the Empress Dowager had immediately appointed Lan Miao as the jade - carving master after meeting her. She didn't even want to see the jade - carving masters recommended by others. It seemed that the Empress Dowager had other motives.
The Noble Consort tilted her head slightly and quietly glanced at the Emperor's expression. His face was cold, and his posture was the same as usual.
Fortunately, it seemed that the Emperor hadn't taken a fancy to this widow.
The searching palace servants quickly got a result.
"Your Majesty, this child has a scratch on his wrist."