Shen Li stood there quietly. Although there was still a smile on her face, it didn't reach her eyes.
Although the little palace maid lowered her head quickly after she finished speaking, Shen Li still saw a shrewd smile on her sharp little face.
"Your Highness, this matter is of great importance. Since this matter is related to me now, may I ask her a few questions?" Shen Li asked Princess Luoyao, who was sitting on the seat.
"Go ahead!"
Everyone present was talking in whispers. Now that the evidence was conclusive, why did Princess Luoyao still allow Shen Li to question the maid? Could the maid's words be false? That would be a beheading offense!
"Right in front of the three princesses and many young ladies, I'll ask you again. Did you see with your own eyes that I poured hot water into these three peony pots and ruined them like this?"
Shen Li's gaze on the little maid suddenly turned stern.
The little maid was quite capable. Facing Shen Li's scrutinizing gaze, she still insisted firmly, "Miss Shen was wearing a purple dress today. It was really easy to recognize. I have a deep impression of Miss Shen."
"Well! Since you saw it with your own eyes at that time, why didn't you step forward to stop me? Instead, you just watched me pour the water in. You even watched me water all three peony pots one after another! Knowing about it but not reporting it, aren't you afraid of being blamed for poor guarding when these three peonies got damaged?"
The maid was slightly stunned for a moment before she continued, "By the time I saw it, it was already too late. Miss Shen had already finished pouring the water. I didn't have time to stop her!"
Without giving the maid time to react, Shen Li quickly said, "Then how do you know whether I poured water into one pot or all three pots?"
"I... I checked the peonies after Miss Shen left and found water stains in all three pots!"
"Then why didn't you report this matter or stop me and go to the princess to confront me? Instead, you only stood up now?"
The little maid showed a pitiful expression, "At that time, there was no one else but me who saw it. Miss Shen has a noble status. I'm just a low - ranking maid. Even if I said it, no one would believe me! Besides, I didn't see anything wrong with the three flowers at that time, so I didn't think much about it."
"I didn't expect that half an hour later, these flowers started to wither. I was scared, so I told the truth!"
"I didn't mean to see it! Please forgive me, Miss Shen! Don't hold a grudge against me!"
Suddenly, the maid knelt in front of Shen Li and cried.
The noble ladies and young misses around started to talk in whispers, "I really didn't expect that a well - bred young lady like her could do such a thing!"
"Exactly. She killed the flowers, and now she even wants to force this little maid to death! She is simply lawless!"
"Before, we only knew that Shen Li was timid and stupid, but we didn't expect her to be so vicious!"
Shen Li ignored the comments around her. She just stared at the back of the little maid and lowered her head to hide the fleeting killing intent in her eyes.
This little maid was obviously well - prepared. She knew every detail of her "crime" clearly. Now she showed weakness and pushed Shen Li into the limelight! She was really formidable!
"Justice will be served. Princess Wugong and the Empress Dowager will make a fair decision for you! You don't have to be like this! If everything can be solved by crying and shedding a few tears to gain sympathy, then what's the use of national laws and family rules?"
"If everyone can just pretend to be pitiful and show weakness, how can the whole country be governed?"
With these words, Shen Li exposed the maid's false crying and showing weakness.
Sure enough, the little maid's face froze, and she couldn't cry anymore.
"How did you see me watering the peonies at that time?"
"I felt a stomachache before, so I went to the toilet. When I came back, I saw it!"
"When you saw me, was I alone or with my maids?"
"Miss Shen was with two maids. At that time, they were keeping watch outside while Miss Shen went to water the flowers!"
Shen Li's eyes became sharp. She stared at the maid's face and said, "Liar! Since there were two people keeping watch, how did you manage to avoid their eyes and see me watering the flowers?"
The maid blurted out subconsciously, "I naturally managed to hide and see it when they weren't looking."
"Humph! Nonsense!"
"You just came back from outside. How did you know that I had people guarding there? Since you didn't know there were people keeping watch, how did you manage to avoid them?"
"My two maids have been practicing martial arts since childhood. They are highly skilled and can fight against ten people. They have sharp ears and eyes, no worse than the high - level guards in the palace. How did you, a little maid, manage to avoid two high - level guards in the palace?"
Under Shen Li's repeated questioning, the maid's face turned pale. Her mouth opened and closed, but she didn't know what to say.
Looking at the panicked face of the maid, Shen Li showed a sarcastic smile.
"Do you have the ability to foresee the future and know that I would go to kill the peonies and send two people to guard there just to block you?"
The maid looked up in shock, meeting Shen Li's bright and clear eyes. Although it was the spring when everything was coming back to life, she only felt as cold as in the coldest winter. She could only tremble and say, "Anyway, I saw it with my own eyes!"
"Okay! You said you saw it. Then when did you see it?"
Shen Li's voice softened a little, as if she was recalling, "Today, I've been staying with everyone all the time. The princesses can all testify. I only left for a while after the talent competition. There wasn't even time for me to commit such a crime!"
Hearing Shen Li's words, the maid's eyes immediately lit up, "I saw Miss Shen right after the competition!"
"Hehe! You probably don't know that after the talent competition, Princess Wugong personally announced that I won the first prize! Those three peonies have already been rewarded to me. Why would I take the risk of being discovered to destroy these three flowers and offend Princess Wugong?"
The maid obviously didn't expect that Shen Li had won the first prize and the three peonies had been rewarded to her by Princess Wugong!
Princess Luoning had wanted to speak up for Shen Li for a long time, but Shen Li had repeatedly signaled her with her eyes not to speak for the time being.
Now that the matter was gradually becoming clear, she stood up to testify for Shen Li.
"Moreover, since Miss Shen left, she has been staying with me on the Yujing Terrace until we came back just now. She didn't leave for a single step during this period!"
"I can also testify that I saw Princess Jiugong and Miss Shen on the Yujing Terrace!" At this time, He Yimeng also stood up to testify for Shen Li.
The maid was already scared and sweating profusely. She didn't expect that Shen Li had actually dug a pit for her and was waiting for her to jump in!
Now that Princess Jiugong had stood up to testify, there was no room for her to speak. She had messed up this matter today! She didn't know if she could still keep her life. But now she could only take a risk.