Chapter 392: Stealing Credit
「Meanwhile, in the palace.」
Princess Consort Qi, Qi Jingchun, was pleading with the Emperor on behalf of the Li Family.
"I should not be meddling, but I happen to have been close friends with Madam Li in our youth. I believe the Li Family has very strict values and would never dare to disrespect Your Majesty. The recent incident was likely just an unfortunate misunderstanding."
She watched the Emperor’s expression from the corner of her eye as she poured him tea.
"In any case, Your Majesty should give that little girl from the Li Family a chance. I heard she has been proclaiming her innocence and begging for an audience. The poor child is only eight years old."
The Emperor held his cup without a word, his mind elsewhere.
’By now,’ he thought, ’the eunuch should have delivered the Imperial Decree of enfeoffment to Shen Ningning.’
The Emperor had specifically sent the Chief Eunuch while the little one was in class at the National Academy.
Firstly, it would bring Shen Ningning great honor. Secondly, it would appease Mo Lingwei.
Ever since Qi Jingchun’s reinstatement, Mo Lingwei hadn’t shown the Emperor a single pleasant expression.
He knew his son better than anyone. Anyone who had ever bullied Shen Ningning was marked as an enemy by Mo Lingwei.
At this thought, the Emperor sighed.
Qi Jingchun’s expression shifted subtly. "Your Majesty?"
"Oh, what were you saying?" the Emperor asked, snapping out of his thoughts.
Qi Jingchun smiled. "Would you like to meet the young girl, Li Yuyi, and see what she has to say?"
The Emperor took a sip of tea and was silent for a moment before asking, "I sentenced the Li Family to the Northern Desert. Have they not departed yet?"
"The criminals are set to depart in five days. If Your Majesty wishes to question her, it must be before then," Qi Jingchun replied.
The Emperor pondered for a moment, his eyes narrowing.
The official reason the Emperor gave for exiling Li Hai was corruption and bribery, but the evidence was insufficient.
The main reason the Li Family was being banished to the Northern Desert was that they had offended the Emperor.
Many officials in the court had expressed their doubts about the matter.
"Fine. I’ll see her. Pass down the order: after the morning court session tomorrow, summon Li Hai’s daughter to the Imperial Study Room. I want to see what she has to say." ’Perfect. After we meet, I can use ’disrespect in the imperial presence’ as a reason to banish her family to the Northern Desert for good. That should be enough to silence the murmurs in the court.’
A fleeting, unreadable emotion flashed through Princess Consort Qi’s gentle eyes.
When news of this reached Shen Ningning’s ears, Mo Lingwei was taking her for a stroll in the Imperial Garden.
"You don’t need to worry. Even if Father Emperor meets with Li Yuyi, he won’t go easy on her. It’s just a show for the court officials," Mo Lingwei told the little girl.
After a moment’s thought, he added coolly, "Besides, as long as I’m here, I won’t let them get away with it."
Shen Ningning snapped back to the present and blinked her round, dark eyes. "Brother, I’m not worried about the Li Family escaping punishment. I was thinking about something else."
"The death of Uncle Zhang, Mr. Zhang Liu, in that fire has always been suspicious. So many farmers and all those sweet potato vines were burned to ashes along with him."
"I was thinking that maybe the Li Family knows something. Since Uncle Emperor is going to question them, why don’t we get a step ahead and interrogate them ourselves?"
Mo Lingwei hesitated slightly. "You want to see Li Yuyi? She’s petty and narrow-minded. I’m afraid she hates you to the bone right now and won’t tell you the truth."
"I’m not seeing *her*!" Shen Ningning huffed playfully. Gazing at the swaying spring scenery, she said in her soft voice, "Changyi told me Li Yuyi has a younger half-brother she’s never liked. I’ll see *him*. Maybe I can get something out of him!"
Mo Lingwei was momentarily surprised, then nodded. "Alright. I’ll arrange it for you."
"Do it quietly! We don’t want to tip anyone off." ’Princess Consort Qi wouldn’t plead for the Li Family for no reason,’ she thought. ’She must be trying to use this opportunity to win them over.’
That was why Shen Ningning didn’t want Qi Jingchun to know she was planning to question the Li Family’s second young master.
Just as the two of them passed through an arched gateway, a shrill meow echoed, and a black shadow leaped down from above, heading straight for Shen Ningning!
Its sharp claws extended in mid-air, flashing like a blade.
Mo Lingwei reacted first, pulling Shen Ningning behind him and kicking out swiftly with his boot.
"MREOW!" Mo Lingwei’s kick landed squarely on the cat’s belly, and it let out a pained cry.
Shen Ningning clutched Mo Lingwei’s sleeve, her large eyes wide with fright.
She watched as the black cat, bigger than her own head, tumbled to the ground after being kicked. But it immediately scrambled back up and used the vines to bound onto the top of the wall in a few swift moves.
"Meow." The black cat landed on the wall but didn’t leave right away. Instead, it turned back, staring at Shen Ningning’s pale, soft face with cold green eyes.
"It’s not afraid of me!" the little girl exclaimed in surprise.
Because she usually lived with the Black Wolf King and the others, the other wild beasts on the mountain would smell her unique scent from a distance.
Some would hide in fear, while others would only dare to watch from afar, never approaching.
But this palace cat wasn’t afraid of her at all.
Mo Lingwei’s brow furrowed as he stared at the animal. "That’s Princess Consort Qi’s cat, the Black Raccoon."
Oh~
Shen Ningning understood.
So this was the legendary "king of cats" in the palace, famous for catching countless mice.
"It’s wild and untamable. It listens to no one but Princess Consort Qi. Not long ago, it scratched several Palace Attendants. Judging by the way it lunged at you, it must see you as an enemy. It’s best to be careful."
After speaking, Mo Lingwei had his men drive the cat away.
The guards used their scabbards to strike the wall, and only then did the large black cat flee.
Shen Ningning patted her chest with her small hand. "Whew. Scaring me is no big deal. Hmph, just you wait! Next time, I’ll bring a kitten to the palace. If it’s so tough, let it try to bully my cat!"
Mo Lingwei smiled and took her small hand, and the two walked side-by-side deeper into the Imperial Garden.
「The next day, the sky was overcast.」
The Emperor summoned Li Yuyi to the Imperial Study Room.
As soon as Li Yuyi was brought in, she faced the imposing Emperor and burst into childish sobs that echoed through the room.
"Your Majesty is wise! Yuyi was framed! The events of that day were clearly a result of the Xie Mansion deliberately misleading us. Otherwise, how could we have possibly offended you?"
The days she had spent locked in a cell were a stark contrast to her previous life of luxury.
It was as agonizing as living in the Eighteen Layers of Hell.
Li Yuyi could not bear such a fate. The moment she saw the Emperor, she eagerly brought up the grain she had donated in Nanzhou.
She was trying to atone for her family’s offense and seek the Emperor’s forgiveness.
"At this point, Yuyi doesn’t want to hide it any longer! I beg Your Majesty, for the sake of the grain Yuyi once donated anonymously, please spare my family’s lives!"
"My father and mother taught me not to seek credit for good deeds, but now Your Majesty wants to take my life and the lives of my entire family! What was the point of all the good I’ve done? Won’t this make everyone in the world lose heart in you?"
The Emperor had been listening to her tearful plea with a blank expression.
However, when Li Yuyi mentioned the anonymous grain donation, his expression suddenly darkened.
"What did you say? *You* donated the grain anonymously?"
"Yes! Ten storehouses of firewood, six hundred bolts of cotton cloth, and five entire granaries of rice and flour! Your Majesty can investigate; Yuyi is not lying! It was all done with good intentions, simply hoping that Cangyun Country could overcome its crisis. Heaven itself values life, so Yuyi shouldn’t have to die such a wrongful death!"
The Emperor flew into a rage and swiped the teacup beside him off the table.
"Insolence! I gave you a chance to confess your wrongdoings, yet you stand here and lie. It’s clear your character is vile."
"Do you have any idea who donated that grain? It was Princess Funing! She wished to remain discreet, so she asked me to make the anonymous donation in the name of a lady from Jiangnan. I never imagined it would become your excuse to claim credit and beg for mercy!"
Li Yuyi was utterly stunned.
The tears she was about to force out froze on her face, along with her look of disbelief.
"Wh-What?" ’How could it have been Shen Ningning!’
The Emperor, unable to contain his fury, sneered through gritted teeth. "You never imagined that only Princess Funing and I knew about this, did you? I promised her I would keep it a secret."
"You truly are courting death, trying to deceive me right under my nose! Guards!"
He roared, "Drag this deceitful creature away! Banish her to the Northern Desert! Get her out of the Capital City immediately, without delay!"
Li Yuyi shrieked and sobbed as the imperial guard dragged her away, still screaming, "Your Majesty, I was wrong! I’ll never lie again! It was Xie Yuanjiu who taught me to do this, Your Majesty!"