PEASANT WOMAN'S DECREED LIFE AS A WIFE

Chapter 1195: Chapter 1192: Afraid of the Wife

Emperor Xuanming continued the interrogation, “Minister Chu, how long did you and the lady stay in the side hall this morning?”

“Two quarters of an hour,” Chu Heng replied without hesitation.

“Where did you meet.”

“Inside the side hall.”

“Didn’t you go to see the vegetables and fruits in the yard?” Emperor Xuanming asked with a raised eyebrow in surprise.

Chu Heng shook his head, “My spouse is frail, I didn’t dare let her stay outside for long, so we went straight into the hall. We talked there for a while.”

“The palace lady attending to my spouse can testify.”

Noble Consort Qi sneered, “Lord Chu, that palace lady is one of the Empress’s people, how can she provide testimony.”

“Madam, you are mistaken. The entire Imperial Harem is managed by the Empress. Everyone is qualified to testify. As to the truth or falsehood in their words, that is for the Department of Respectful Service to examine,” Chu Heng reminded the other party calmly and resolutely.

His extreme rationality made Noble Consort Qi seem overly emotional.

“Lord Chu is truly deserving of his title as Second Place Scholar, possessing quite the skill in sophistry,” Noble Consort Qi said sarcastically.

Indeed, she disliked officials from the previous dynasty; if they weren’t meddling, they were blocking others with their words—a style so watertight, it was exceedingly annoying.

But compared to her annoyance, she felt even more uneasy.

However, thinking of her eldest brother, she immediately calmed down.

To a fifth-grade minor official, the Qi family stood tall like a great tree, unshakable!

Chu Heng chose not to continue the conversation.

It was Emperor Xuanming who directly called for Yunduan to come over for questioning.

Yunduan didn’t lie, “To answer the Emperor, this servant indeed saw Lord Chu and the lady enter the side hall with my own eyes. To avoid disturbing the lady, this servant waited outside and didn’t enter.”

“After two quarters of an hour, Lord Chu left and the lady personally saw him off. Just as she was about to return to the side hall, Imperial Noble Consort approached, calling the lady over for a conversation.”

Being a servant attending to the Empress, she naturally understood that today, for the Empress, it was essential to clear any wrongful accusations, otherwise, life in the Central Palace might become difficult in the future.

Emperor Xuanming narrowed his eyes, “So you mean, after seeing off Minister Chu, Madam didn’t return to the side hall?”

“During that time, apart from the half quarter of an hour when the two were inside the hall, your eyes never left Minister Chu and Madam?”

“Yes,” Yunduan said nervously, kneeling on the ground, answering whatever the Emperor asked.

Noble Consort Qi tightened her grip on her handkerchief, yet her face wore a smile, “Emperor, the words of this palace lady shouldn’t be taken lightly. It would be better to have the Department of Respectful Service interrogate her thoroughly first.”

Her gaze landed on Yunduan’s alarmed face, with a smile that was not quite a smile.

Emperor Xuanming waved his hand, and Yunduan was taken away.

Just then, those sent to investigate the Imperial Wardrobe Department and Lord Chu’s colleagues at the Hanlin Academy returned.

“To report to the Emperor, everything Lord Chu has said matches with the accounts of his colleagues at the Hanlin Academy, as well as with the Shopkeeper and embroiderers at the Imperial Wardrobe Department.”

“This is the new waistband design recovered from the Imperial Wardrobe Department.”

“Lord Chu’s colleagues at the Hanlin Academy saw him working on the design ten days ago, and he mentioned to them about losing a waistband. Fearing the lady’s anger, he went to secretly have an identical one made, amusing his colleagues by their teasing of his fear of his spouse.”

The one conducting the investigation was Emperor Xuanming’s private guard, not sending officials from the Court of Judicial Review, Imperial Clan Court, or Department of Respectful Service, showing his determination to get to the bottom of this matter.

Upon hearing this, Ye Muyu’s ears turned red, noticing the many glances cast her way.

Since when did Chu Heng fear his spouse?

She felt wronged.

At that moment, Emperor Xuanming’s laughter rang out, “I never expected Minister Chu to be thus fearful of his spouse.”

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