Chapter 105: Ling Yu’s Obstruction
After all, she was a young girl. It was normal for her to feel ashamed and cover her face after being seen in such a disheveled state by a man.
Mo Zheng’s actions did not attract the attention of others.
Everyone else was now looking at Ling Yu standing in the hall.
Ling Yu was still looking at this companion reader young lady.
Although her little face was pale, her hair was disheveled, and her dress was somewhat messy, there was no blood from her mouth or nose, and no traces of being beaten on her face.
Compared to the palace maid nearby whose face was covered in blood and whose buttocks were oozing blood, she was unscathed.
Ling Yu felt relieved in his heart, then shook his head again.
He had long known that A Sheng’s cousin was dull and clumsy, but it turned out that this cousin’s wife was the same.
Why had she only come now!
She should have come to call him as soon as the incident happened!
That way, they wouldn’t have had to endure these frights.
“Dr. Ling.” The Empress said in a deep voice again, “I am asking you a question!”
Only then did Ling Yu look toward the Empress and respectfully salute.
“Your Ladyship is mistaken,” he said, then straightened his body. “I am the Five Classics Doctor appointed by His Majesty, and also a libationer disciple. I can go anywhere in the National Academy, not to mention that what Your Ladyship wants to dispose of are disciples of the National Academy.”
The Empress laughed in disbelief: “What kind of National Academy disciple is she?”
“She has taken the National Academy exam and listened to the libationer’s lectures,” Ling Yu said in a deep voice. “How could she not count?”
The Empress looked at this young scholar, then at the instructors standing in the hall whose expressions were not exactly respectful…
Scholars who had experienced chaotic times carried an inherent rebellious spirit.
Especially Libationer Wang Zaitian, who dared to strike and curse in front of the Emperor—his disciples were surely no pushovers either.
“Then let me put it another way,” the Empress said. “My daughter has been harmed. Surely I cannot question the culprit?”
Ling Yu’s gaze turned to the trembling palace maid on the ground who seemed to have fainted, then to the seized punishment staff.
“Your Ladyship, this is coercive interrogation and venting anger,” he said, pointing to the Mingde plaque hanging at the back. “If Your Ladyship truly cares for the princess, please set aside personal grudges and conduct a proper inquiry.”
Personal grudges.
The Empress clenched her hands on her knees.
Could even this young scholar know of her past humiliation?
“Fine,” the Empress stood up. “Since your National Academy, a place of sages, cannot tolerate underhanded matters, I will go to the prison for the inquiry.”
She commanded.
“Take them away.”
The palace maids and eunuchs reacted and hurried to grab the palace maid and young girl prostrated on the ground, but Ling Yu stopped them again.
“The incident happened in the National Academy, and they are disciples of the National Academy. Before the inquiry is clear, Your Ladyship cannot take them away.”
As he spoke, the instructors also surrounded the palace maids and eunuchs once more.
The Empress laughed angrily, her gaze turning to the young girl blocked on the ground.
She had vented personal grudges? Since arriving, she hadn’t even landed a slap or a staff blow on this Miss Yang.
Her expression became somewhat dazed again, just like back then, when that Lady Yang humiliated and cursed her, yet she couldn’t even land a slap on her face because the Emperor had blocked it—
The Empress’s face darkened.
“Imperial Guards,” she commanded.
The imperial guards who had been surrounding the school hall outside immediately surged in, instantly surrounding Ling Yu and the instructors while drawing their knife and sword.
“Today, I must take the suspects away,” the Empress said.
Ling Yu did not retreat but stepped forward to the foremost imperial guard: “Then today, Your Ladyship must have them step over my corpse first.”
Inside and outside the school hall instantly froze.
Yang Luo, standing outside the school hall, clenched her hands, while Jiang Rui, still at her side, grabbed her arm again.
The other companion reader young ladies also held their breath, many shedding tears once more.
Were they really going to witness bloodshed at the National Academy today?
“Mother Empress.”
A female voice rang out, breaking the freeze.
The companion reader young ladies instantly recognized it as Princess Pingcheng’s voice, and everyone involuntarily tiptoed to look inside.
After her face was injured and bleeding, Princess Pingcheng had immediately been helped away by the palace maids and had not reappeared, so no one knew her condition.
Unfortunately, there were too many people in the school hall blocking the gaze, and the companion reader young ladies could not see Princess Pingcheng.
Those inside the school hall could see her, but Ling Yu did not look. He only stared at the weapons of the imperial guards before him, hearing Princess Pingcheng’s voice come from behind again.
“Mother Empress, calm your anger.” Princess Pingcheng took a step forward, her voice a plea.
Perhaps not wanting her daughter to see her so hysterical, the Empress’s tense shoulders drooped.
Princess Pingcheng hurried forward to support her: “Mother Empress, sit down first. Let me ask.”
The Empress said nothing.
Princess Pingcheng straightened her body and gestured to the imperial guards.
“Withdraw first.”
The imperial guards stepped back to the sides.
Princess Pingcheng walked over a few steps and looked at Ling Yu: “Senior Brother Ling.”
Calling him senior brother instead of doctor was in response to what Ling Yu had just said about them also being National Academy disciples.
Only then did Ling Yu look at her and slightly nod: “Princess.”
His gaze then fell on Princess Pingcheng’s face.
Everyone in the hall saw Princess Pingcheng enter, and upon seeing the blood-smeared mess on her cheek, they all immediately lowered their gazes.
They could not bear to look, nor dared to look at the disfigured princess.
Ling Yu’s action was somewhat offensive, but Princess Pingcheng was not angry and did not avoid it, allowing Ling Yu to examine her face.
“Princess…” Ling Yu looked at Princess Pingcheng’s face, his expression surprised. “Your face…”
Princess Pingcheng nodded and continued his words: “My face is not injured.”
Not injured?
Inside and outside the school hall froze again.
Yang Luo and Jiang Rui exchanged a glance, seeing the shock and joy on each other’s faces.
The other companion reader young ladies also surged forward one after another, but unfortunately still could not see the situation inside.
The people in the school hall had all lifted their heads and saw Princess Pingcheng wipe her face, smearing away the rouge to reveal her fair cheek.
Princess Pingcheng spread open her hand full of rouge.
“This is pigment and Miss Yang Luo’s blood,” she said, then looked at the young girl prostrated on the ground. “Miss Yang, you can get up now.”
Mo Zheng on the ground, who had covered her head with her sleeve, responded affirmatively, slowly kneeling upright, then standing up.
She kept her head lowered, seemingly not daring to face the gathered gazes.
Princess Pingcheng looked at the palace maid on the ground, who was also staring at them in disbelief, trembling even more violently.
“When you handed the paintbrush to Yang Luo, she already noticed something was wrong,” Princess Pingcheng said. “She did not expose it on the spot but played along to see what you would do—or rather, what you all would do…”
At “you all,” Princess Pingcheng looked at a palace maid standing nearby.
That palace maid’s face turned deathly pale.
She was the palace maid who had been holding the brush, ink, paper, and inkstone for distribution earlier, surnamed Wu. She was also the one who had collided with “Yang Luo” and fallen toward Princess Pingcheng together.
Unlike the palace maid who provided the paintbrush, Wu Gongfu had been personally selected by the Empress to specially care for Princess Pingcheng.
Because the paintbrush that injured the princess was the one “Yang Luo” had grabbed, which hid a thin blade, she had not been held accountable. Overwhelmed with guilt, she had knelt outside the princess’s door. When the Empress arrived, she was called up and had been busy with everyone else.
When she heard Princess Pingcheng say she was not injured, she had already been stunned. When Princess Pingcheng called up “Yang Luo” and then looked at her, Wu Gongfu’s legs gave way, and she knelt on the ground with a thud.
……
…….
“…When falling, Miss Yang felt her hand being deliberately pressed toward Princess Pingcheng’s face by that palace maid…”
“…But before that, Miss Yang had already cut her palm with the paintbrush hiding the thin blade. At the moment of falling, she hid the paintbrush in her sleeve, then pressed her bleeding hand on the princess’s face…”
“…Then, in the chaos, she smeared the scattered pigment on the princess’s neck and clothes, creating the illusion that the princess was injured.”
Inside the rocking carriage, the secret guard who had returned from scouting the National Academy spoke in a low voice.
Hearing this, the Emperor exhaled, his tense face relaxing.
Thank heavens, Pingcheng’s face was not truly injured.
The Emperor’s expression became complicated again.
That Miss Yang had not actually caused a great disaster.
