Chapter 537: Intelligence Network: The Emperor Himself
Chapter 537: Chapter 537: Intelligence Network: The Emperor Himself
As the crowd looked on, Hong Ying was led through the door by Chen Ye. Behind them, the Black Wolf King followed.
The townspeople cried out in alarm.
Fortunately, the Black Wolf King merely walked into the government office and obediently lay down at Shen Ningning’s feet.
But its eerie yellow eyes stared none too kindly at Wu Ke, who stood opposite them.
Hong Ying knelt in the hall and lowered her head. "This... This servant, Hong Ying, pays her respects to the Princess and the esteemed masters."
Shen Ningning said, "Hong Ying, I hear you were also in Mr. Wu’s private room that night. Tell us everything you heard. You must have seen why they were fighting."
Hong Ying was frightened. She raised her head and silently glanced at Wu Ke.
She saw him narrow his eyes, the warning in them self-evident.
Shen Ningning, of course, saw it too.
"Hong Ying, speak freely and without fear. As long as I’m here, no one can harm you. You needn’t worry about offending someone by telling the truth. Cangyun Country is a nation of laws. However, if you lie, then *I* will be the one who gets angry."
Hong Ying trembled.
’Should I offend Mr. Wu, or should I offend the Princess?’ In that instant, she already had her answer.
"Princess, please forgive me. This servant didn’t mean to hide anything. It’s just... what Mr. Wu said that night was so debauched and vulgar, so utterly uncivilized, that this... this servant dare not repeat it in open court."
"Just say it! This official grants you immunity!" the county magistrate declared, banging on the table.
Only after hearing this did Hong Ying dare to speak. "That night, Mr. Wu had too much to drink, and everyone started teasing him. They said that since he was about to be engaged to Miss Ye, he couldn’t keep fooling around in the brothel like this."
"But Mr. Wu said... he said that Miss Ye was a gullible fool. Not only did he brag that the bracelet he gave her was a cheap imitation, he even said that on their wedding day, if he was in a good mood... he’d let everyone else touch Miss Ye’s hand as well."
Even though Shen Ningning had been prepared for something bad, hearing these words spoken in open court left her exceptionally shocked and enraged.
Ye Shangyi shot to her feet, her almond-shaped eyes clouding over with rage.
"Wu Ke! You’ve got some nerve. So this is how you slander me in front of others."
"I didn’t! Changyi, how can you believe the words of a common prostitute? She... she must have been bribed by the Princess!"
Shen Ningning said coldly, "What would I gain from framing you? Are you even worth the trouble?"
Hong Ying kowtowed. "Every word I’ve said is true. I’ve not spoken a single falsehood."
The townspeople began to mutter amongst themselves—
"This Wu Ke looks respectable enough on the outside, but he’s actually a complete scumbag."
"How could he speak so degradingly of his own fiancée? If she actually marries into his family, won’t her life be a living hell?"
Seeing things were not going their way, Mrs. Wu immediately stood up and addressed the county magistrate.
"Your Honor, I question the veracity of Hong Ying’s statement. As a prostitute, she’s naturally envious of Miss Ye’s excellent family background and her impending marriage into our family. She must be resentful and is deliberately trying to frame him. Her words cannot be trusted!"
Mrs. Wu had initially wanted to accuse Shen Ningning of bribing Hong Ying.
But on second thought, she knew there would be dire consequences if she deeply offended Princess Funing.
’She just needed to keep her sights on Xu Jingxi and make him suffer for this!’
Just then, a cold, sharp voice came from the entrance of the government office. "If Hong Ying’s words cannot be trusted, then what about mine?"
Shen Ningning turned her head and saw Mo Lingwei stride in, dressed in a Vermilion Python Robe and wearing a golden crown.
Behind him, Wu Fang and other guards restrained four sobbing women. All of them looked to be about sixteen, yet they were adorned with gold and silver and wore their hair in the style of married women.
The color drained from Wu Ke’s face.
The four women were thrown to the ground and immediately scrambled toward Wu Ke.
"Master! Master, you must help us!"
"Yes, we didn’t do anything! They’re not going to kill us, are they?"
Ye Shangyi demanded, shocked and furious, "Who are they?"
Mo Lingwei walked to Shen Ningning’s side and first spoke to the person he cared for. "I’ve finished investigating what you asked me to. I’m not late, am I?"
Shen Ningning’s beautiful eyes crinkled with a smile. "Not at all. Your timing is perfect, isn’t it? They’re being stubborn to the bitter end, refusing to confess."
Mo Lingwei then turned his cold gaze upon Wu Ke and Mrs. Wu, who stood frozen in place, utterly dumbfounded.
"After hearing about this incident, I found it quite the coincidence. Because I happened to hear a secret scandal from my friends. It is said that a certain young master, though not yet married, spends all his time womanizing, practically unable to pull himself away from a pile of women."
"Not only has he contracted a strange illness at a young age, but he also keeps four beautiful women outside his manor for his and his friends’ debauched pleasure. And that person... is Wu Ke."
Exposed in front of everyone, Wu Ke’s body shook and his lips trembled. "It’s not me! It’s not me!"
But Mo Lingwei wasn’t as accommodating as others.
He crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. "If you deny it again, I’ll have no choice but to have my men strip you and show everyone the rotten sores on your body from that strange disease."
Mrs. Wu broke down completely. She threw herself onto Wu Ke, sinking to her knees in tears.
"Your Highness the Crown Prince, please be merciful! Spare Ke’er! He only made a mistake, but he has repented. He wanted to marry Changyi to settle down and change his ways."
Shen Ningning snorted. "Settle down, my foot. Wasn’t he being utterly shameless in the brothel?"
Mo Lingwei glanced at Ye Shangyi, his brow furrowed as he spoke coolly, "Grand Tutor Ye must be going senile. Why didn’t he make a few inquiries before arranging a match for his own granddaughter?"
"Among the nobility of the Capital City, this Wu Ke’s reputation is completely rotten."
Just then, Ye Shangyi’s maid ran in from outside. "Miss! I went to three different street markets and finally found out! These gemstones aren’t some Wu family heirloom at all. They’re just cheap trinkets from the junk market over there that you can buy for ten wen a piece!"
With that, Wu Ke was thoroughly exposed on the spot.
The townspeople spat on the ground in disgust—
"Pah! To be born into such a privileged family and do something like this!"
"What a scumbag! He doesn’t deserve to be alive!"
The more they spoke, the more incensed the crowd became.
Now, Wu Ke could say nothing at all, only cry and beg for forgiveness.
He had only one thought. ’My life is ruined!’
Ye Shangyi grabbed a stool, rushed forward, and brought it crashing down on Wu Ke.
"Oof!" Mrs. Wu was knocked down with him, collapsing to the floor.
Ye Shangyi cursed furiously, "You scumbag! I’m going to go tell my grandfather right now!"
With that, she turned to leave. Thanking Ningning would have to wait until tomorrow.
Suddenly, Ye Shangyi remembered something and grabbed Xu Jingxi by the wrist.
"You’re coming with me!"
"Where are we going?"
"I’m going to tell my grandfather that you’re the one who helped me."
She dragged Xu Jingxi away as she ran. He looked back at his brothers, "I..."
Xie Ming’an beamed, his smile as bright as a flower. "Go on, don’t worry about us! Just go!"
’That fight was well worth it for our third brother!’
Xie Ming’an was still smiling when he turned his head and saw Mo Lingwei holding Shen Ningning’s hand, murmuring solicitously to her.
The smile instantly vanished from Xie Ming’an’s face, and Xie Mingxu frowned slightly as well.
’Why is the Crown Prince always so handsy!’
「Meanwhile.」
Back in the palace, Mr. Wu, still unaware of what had happened, was kneeling in the Imperial Study Room, weeping and begging the Emperor to intercede on his behalf.
The Emperor couldn’t be bothered to deal with him. He spent an entire hour reviewing memorials while Mr. Wu continued to cry.
Finally, irritated by the noise, the Emperor snatched a book from his desk and hurled it at Mr. Wu.
"I can’t even be bothered to expose your schemes. If you have this much time to cry, you’d be better off thinking about how to discipline that son of yours, who is rotten to the core!"
Mr. Wu looked terrified. "Your Majesty?"
The Emperor’s eyes were grim. "You think I know nothing? All those ’good deeds’ he’s committed, humiliating the Ye family’s daughter... I won’t take your life, but just you wait. In a little while, Grand Tutor Ye will be coming to the palace to ask me to sentence your son to death!"
In fact, the Emperor had been the first to know about the entire affair.
Shen Ningning had asked Mo Lingwei to investigate Wu Ke, but Mo Lingwei was too busy, so he had simply arranged for the Emperor to find people to look into it.
No one could have possibly imagined that the reason Mo Lingwei knew everything in such detail was because the Emperor himself had personally overseen the investigation.
In an instant, countless Hidden Guards lurking within the city provided a flood of information, right down to the very place where Wu Ke had contracted his disease.