newbobooks Chapter 65 Interrogation
Chapter 65 Interrogation
Chapter 65 Interrogation
This wasn't the first time Ye Pianran had planted flowers and tended to plants in "Langhuan Spirit Realm." The transformation of this barren place into its current lush and vibrant landscape was entirely due to her meticulous cultivation every day.
Plants and flowers grow naturally in accordance with the laws of nature. Compared to humans, they can absorb the spiritual energy from the spiritual realm and spring water more quickly, washing away impurities and becoming purer and cleaner. If this weren't the case, she wouldn't have had the confidence to boast to the emperor that she could save Jin Ding Mo He.
Sure enough, like a hungry person suddenly given delicious food, the Golden Lotus began to greedily and frantically absorb the spiritual energy of the soil after it was planted, shedding all its lifelessness and becoming translucent and emerald green. After an unknown amount of time, tender green shoots sprouted from its branches, and the new branches and leaves grew tall and stretched out, their color changing from light green to dark green, making it look even more lush and robust than before.
After an unknown amount of time, the green leaves finally stopped growing and began to sprout small, adorable flower buds. The misty fog, like a gentle hand, softly brushed over the buds, gradually dyeing them from pure white to a vibrant crimson. The buds grew larger and larger, their color becoming more and more intense, until finally, unable to contain their urge to display themselves, they all trembled and burst into bloom.
Smelling the refreshing fragrance of chrysanthemums in the air, Ye Pianran's heart stirred. She put down her medical book and walked towards the open space planted with golden-topped black lotus. Before she even reached it, she was already amazed by the sight of the golden-topped black lotus in bloom.
What a breathtaking beauty it was! It was clearly a chrysanthemum, yet it bloomed like a lotus with countless petals. Each petal was the same size, and each one was a magnificent and beautiful red. At the tip of each petal, there was a touch of just the right amount of brilliant gold. Any more would have been vulgar, and any less would have lost its charm. No matter which angle you looked at it from, it was dazzling and breathtakingly beautiful.
This is the Golden-Topped Ink Lotus, which the emperor treasured greatly; it is indeed a rare and exquisite chrysanthemum.
Ye Pianran gently touched the dew-kissed petals of the Golden Lotus with her fingertips, and smiled brightly with a slight upturn of her lips.
Although she had never seen the original Golden-Topped Ink Lotus before, she was certain that the emperor would be extremely fond of this brand-new Golden-Topped Ink Lotus! This time, she could not only avert this calamity, but perhaps also gain unexpected benefits.
She was secretly pleased, but she didn't notice that the mist in the space was becoming thicker and thicker, and was even shimmering with golden light.
——※※※——
As the night deepened, the bright yellow moon hung high in the sky, surrounded by a dazzling Milky Way, a breathtaking sight. Under this magnificent night sky, the streets and alleys of the capital were crowded with people climbing to high places to admire the moon and releasing lanterns to pray for blessings, transforming the city into a city that never sleeps.
In contrast to the bustling city, Qionglin Garden was deathly silent.
Inside the main hall of the imperial palace, apart from Ye Pianran in the Yinlu Garden, the young masters and ladies who came to the banquet were surrounded by guards in two tightly packed groups. They were not allowed to talk privately or move around. Even if they accidentally fell asleep, they would be cruelly woken up. It was just like being a prisoner in a jail.
These pampered young masters and ladies had never experienced such treatment before, and they were all seething with resentment. But when they thought about losing their heads for angering the emperor, they could only swallow their anger and wait.
Suddenly, footsteps sounded outside the hall, and the daughter of the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial, having finished her interrogation, walked in with light steps. Seeing her like this, everyone felt a pang of disappointment.
The Ministry of Justice has been interrogating people for most of the night, but they still haven't gotten any results. Are they going to keep doing this until dawn?
After the young lady from the Honglu Temple returned to the women's seating area, a guard came forward and called out, "Is Ye Yingrou here?"
Countless gazes were cast upon Ye Yingrou, but she remained unmoved, gracefully rising to reply, "I am here."
"Miss Ye, Lord Shu requests your presence."
Ye Yingrou followed the guard who was leading the way to the door of a house. The guard said, "Miss Ye, please."
Knowing that the person inside was the renowned Minister of Justice, Shu Wenda, Ye Yingrou took a deep breath, lifted her skirt, and calmly walked in. She bowed gracefully and said, "This humble woman, Ye Yingrou, greets Minister Shu and Minister Meng."
Shu Wenda put down the letter in his hand, looked up at Ye Yingrou, and smiled very kindly: "Miss Ye, there is no need for formalities. Please sit down as you please. I am just asking a few questions."
"Yes," Ye Yingrou replied, lowering her head and sitting down on the chair next to her.
"I have tasted the tea produced in Fuzhou, and it is indeed a rare and excellent tea," Shu Wenda said with a smile. "Especially the Guzhu Zisun tea, which is sweet and refreshing, leaving a lingering fragrance on the lips and teeth that lasts for three days."
Ye Yingrou's heart stirred, and she said, "My mother-in-law also loves to drink this tea, so we still have some at home. If you like it, Lord Shu, I will have someone send it to your residence after we leave Qionglin Garden."
"No need for that. The tea is good, but I have a problem: I can't sleep after drinking tea. I'm getting old and can't handle that anymore, so it's best to drink less." Shu Wenda refused quite decisively, and then asked, "Judging from Miss Ye's accent, she doesn't seem to have grown up in Fuzhou?"
Knowing that Shu Wenda's test had begun, Ye Yingrou dared not relax and replied, "I have lived in the capital with my mother since I was a child."
"Oh, really? As far as I know, there aren't many families with the surname Ye in the capital. May I ask which one your father is?" Shu Wenda smiled, but his gaze was extremely sharp, as if he wanted to see through the beautiful young woman in front of him.
Ye Yingrou gritted her teeth inwardly: "My father... is none other than Marquis Anshi."
Shu Wenda looked surprised: "But I have never heard of the Marquis of Anshi's mansion having an extra young lady."
"My mother was not a concubine in the Marquis's mansion, and she never sought any title. Therefore, I was not included in the Marquis of Anshi's family genealogy. I only lived alone with my mother in the brothel." Ye Yingrou spoke softly about her background. Her expression did not change, but she was filled with hatred in her heart.
Her mother should have been the matriarch of the Marquis of Anshi's mansion, and she should have been the legitimate daughter of the Marquis of Anshi's mansion! But all of this was taken by Gongsun Yuan and Ye Pianran!
"I apologize, I did not mean to touch upon your painful memories, it was simply my duty. Please forgive me."
Ye Yingrou didn't dare to say anything more, only replying, "It's alright, it's nothing to be sad about."
"Oh? Has the young lady never thought of returning to the Marquis of Anshi's residence?" Shu Wenda asked meaningfully.
Ye Yingrou broke out in a cold sweat. She quickly changed her mind and said, "To be honest, my father came to the banquet today because he planned to announce my identity in front of everyone. Unfortunately, the time was not right, so we have put it on hold for now."
"So, you mean when you performed with the Ye family's young master, you were actually hoping to gain recognition of your ancestry before His Majesty?" Shu Wenda smiled slightly and said sharply.
"Indeed, Your Excellency is indeed very perceptive," Ye Yingrou quickly complimented.
"Your performance was excellent. If you hadn't been interrupted, you would likely have received a generous reward from His Majesty. Miss Ye must be resentful about missing such a golden opportunity, right?"
Ye Yingrou knew that she couldn't lie when dealing with someone like Shu Wenda, so she said half-truthfully, "At first I was naturally resentful, but opportunities are created by people. If I fail this time, I'll just think of another way. Besides, whether I go back to the Marquis of Anshi's mansion or not doesn't make much difference to me."
"I didn't expect Miss Ye to be such a magnanimous person." Shu Wenda stroked his beard and laughed heartily. "It was I who was being petty."
“I know what Lord Shu wants to say. Judging from my background, I am indeed the most suspicious person. But we are all in this together, and we are all in this together. Although I have no official title, I still have the blood of the Marquis’s family and I will never bring the Marquis’s family into injustice.”
This explanation was so plausible that even though Shu Wenda still had doubts, he could only nod and say, "Alright, I have nothing more to ask. Miss Ye, please leave."
Ye Yingrou felt relieved, knowing that she had finally managed to deceive him. She stood up and bowed to Shu Wenda again, just as she had come, before turning around and leaving calmly.
Just as she stepped out the door, a guard brushed past her, rushed into the house, knelt on one knee, and said, "Lord Shu, something has happened at Yinlu Garden! The Third Prince has captured a black-clad assassin!"
"What? They've caught someone?" Commander Meng immediately jumped up from his chair. "Lord Shu, let's hurry back to Yinlu Garden!"
"Wait!" Shu Wenda shouted. "Go to the main hall and take all those young masters and ladies to Yinlu Garden." He then looked at Ye Yingrou, who was trying to distance herself from the situation.
"Miss Ye, why don't you come with us?"