Chapter 737 - 734: 7 Inches_1
The Crown Prince also later understood that his brother, King Liang, was not as weak and incompetent as he seemed. This time, the Emperor protected King Liang by just putting him under house arrest instead of killing him.
"What does this have to do with you framing the Princess of Zhen?" the Crown Prince asked again.
"The house today was the former residence of King Liang’s old counselor, Du Zhiwei. I could only hand over Wang Qiulu to Old Mr. Fang and Mr. Ren in that house, under the surveillance of King Liang’s people! Otherwise, there was no way I could take Wang Qiulu away alone!" Li Mingrui bowed to the Crown Prince, "I framed the Princess of Zhen to stay out of the matter. I knew she had saved you before and that you trusted her deeply. I was certain you wouldn’t truly suspect her!"
"I also had someone inform the Princess of Zhen about Wang Qiulu and King Liang’s frequent interactions to alert her. If the Crown Prince questioned her, she could check in that direction..."
Just as Li Mingrui was attempting to justify himself, Bai Jinxiu slammed the small table and stood up, ruthlessly exposing him: "Nonsense! Your words are contradictory! If you were a loyal minister, you should have gone to the Crown Prince or presented your case to the Left Prime Minister when King Liang threatened you... At that time, Wang Qiulu was still in prison. Would the Emperor and Crown Prince have suspected your Li family of disloyalty? Do you think the Crown Prince is a fool?"
The Crown Prince, jolted by Bai Jinxiu’s words, adjusted his posture and nodded in agreement.
Li Mingrui hurriedly bowed to the Crown Prince: "It was because I was confused and muddleheaded at the time. Although I deeply regret it, I had already rescued Wang Qiulu and could only try to make amends. I beg the Crown Prince to understand!"
"You don’t trust the Crown Prince or the Emperor! You make the decision to rescue Wang Qiulu on your own and then try to fix it by framing my eldest sister? Your explanation is barely plausible. But Minister Lu is here... Let Minister Lu judge whether it’s convincing or not!"