NCCnovel Chapter 335 Portrait 2
Chapter 335 Portrait 2
Chapter 335
Liu looked at the person in the portrait, then looked at Xue Qing, only to see Xue Qing nodding at her.
She understood immediately, and Mrs. Ding was so shocked that she couldn't utter a word.
"Sir Xing, who is the real daughter of the Duke of Zhenguo, Xia Xueqing or Xia Xuelian? It's still unclear."
After Zhou Qian looked around and saw everyone's expressions, he said to Lord Xing.
Looking at Lord Duan Fang again, he was staring at Xue Qing blankly.
Lord Xing finally reacted at this time: "Your Highness, this matter is of great importance. Can the retrial be postponed?"
Zhou Qian: "Lord Xing is the chief judge, please let Lord Xing make the decision."
After listening to this, Lord Xing bowed, slammed the gavel, and took the men to the back hall to be tried again later.
Inner Hall
The Xia couple and Wu Tong and Li were taken away.
This time, because of doubts about Xue Qing's background, when he was hesitating, Wu Yu stepped forward and said, "Sir Xing, since you can't prove that Qing'er is the witch rumored by the outside world, then Xia Xueqing will follow me back to the general's mansion."
Zhou Qian's eyes showed displeasure: "If Xia Xueqing is confirmed to be the legitimate daughter of the Duke of Zhenguo, it would be inappropriate for her to live in the General's Mansion."
At the moment of danger, Lord Xing looked at Xue Qing and said, "Miss Xia, are you willing for me to arrange accommodation for you?"
Finally, according to Xue Qing's own wishes, he returned to General Dingyuan's Mansion.
Imperial Palace Study Room
The emperor looked coldly at Xing Lin standing below, holding the memorial he wrote: "Lord Xing, do you think Xia Xueqing is not the witch rumored by the outside world, and that she is the legitimate daughter of the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion?"
Xing Lin lowered his head quickly and said, "Your Majesty, it is true that the story of this witch is far-fetched, but she does look too much like the Duke's wife, which makes people doubt that she is the real daughter of the Duke's mansion."
The emperor put down the memorial in his hand and said, "Call Xue He."
Li Jun bowed and left the imperial study, just in time to meet the eldest prince who was there. Li Jun ordered the eunuch to summon Xue He, and then he turned around and went in to report that the eldest prince had come to pay his respects.
The atmosphere in the imperial study was solemn and tense.
Xue He was summoned here by the emperor, and his heart was full of doubts.
When the emperor asked Xue He to look at the portrait, his eyes were instantly attracted to it.
The woman in the portrait had a pretty face and a gentle temperament. Xue He recognized it immediately as a portrait of his wife when she was young.
His eyes revealed a touch of nostalgia and tenderness, and he said softly: "Your Majesty, this is indeed a portrait of my wife when she was young."
However, the emperor ordered the eunuch to show another identical portrait and place it in front of Xue He.
"My dear Lord Xue, please look carefully again. Which one is the portrait of your wife when she was young?" The emperor's voice was steady and majestic.
Xue He's heart tightened as he carefully observed the two portraits.
His brows gradually furrowed, and for a moment he couldn't tell which one was the real portrait of his wife when she was young.
His eyes were filled with confusion and hesitation, and beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.
When Xue He was hesitating, the eldest prince Zhou Qian said, "Duke, these two paintings are actually two people. This one is a portrait of the Duke's wife when she was young, and this one is Xia Xuelian's adoptive mother's biological daughter, Xia Xueqing..."
When Zhou Qian said the three words "Xia Xueqing", he looked at Xue He steadily.
Xue He's face turned pale instantly when he heard this.
His body trembled slightly, as if he couldn't believe what he heard.
His eyes moved back and forth between the two portraits, trying to find some clues.
The emperor narrowed his eyes slightly, looked at the few people quietly, and waited for Xue He's response. Lord Xing also said at this time: "Duke, this Xia Xueqing is indeed 80% similar to Madam Wang when she was young. Did you recognize the wrong daughter?"
Xue He's mood was like a rough sea, and he couldn't calm down for a long time.
He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down, and said, "Your Majesty, it was I who found my daughter in Anyang and brought her to the capital with the Xia couple. The Xia couple insisted that this was our daughter, so I acknowledged her. I never thought that this would happen now."
The emperor's eyes were slightly cold, and he said, "Lord Xue, why don't you find out the truth before you recognize the daughter of the Duke's Mansion, which is such an important matter?"
Xue He pondered for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, when my daughter was born, she was not in the mansion. Later, the child was lost and I searched for her for many years... I really didn't expect..."
After Xing Lin and Xue He left the palace, Xing Lin was very active and was determined to help Xue He distinguish the real daughter from the fake one.
Xing Lin said to Xue He, "Duke, this matter is of great importance. We must find out the truth as soon as possible. If we really made a mistake with the daughter, it would be disastrous."
Xue He certainly understood what he meant. If the Xue family married the fake daughter into the royal family, it would be a crime of deceiving the emperor!
Xue He looked solemn, nodded slightly and said: "Master Xing is right. This matter concerns the reputation of my Xue family. I hope Master Xing can help me."
In the imperial study, the emperor asked the eldest prince Zhou Qian how he knew that there was something wrong with Xia Xuelian's background.
Zhou Qian said respectfully, "Father, the wife of the Duke of Zhenguo was the most beautiful woman in the capital, but this daughter, Xia Xuelian, is far from the lady. I didn't want to marry a fake daughter, so I sent someone to Anyang to investigate. I learned that the Xia couple had a biological daughter. Later, when I saw this girl in the capital, I found that she looked more like Madam Wang, so I became suspicious."
The emperor looked at Zhou Qian with an obscure look in his eyes. After a moment of silence, he asked, "Why are you so concerned about this matter? Is it just because you don't want to marry a fake daughter?"
Zhou Qian said sincerely, "Father, as a prince, I cannot be careless about marriage. If this matter is not investigated, it may cause a lot of trouble. I am also thinking about you and the court."
The emperor narrowed his eyes slightly, examined Zhou Qian, and said, "You'd better be sincere in thinking about the court. If I find out that you have other thoughts, I will never forgive you."
Zhou Qian knelt down immediately and said, "Father, please understand. I have no second thoughts."
The emperor waved his hand, asked Zhou Qian to stand up, and said, "I will have someone continue to investigate this matter. You can leave first."
Zhou Qian bowed respectfully and left the imperial study. The emperor sat on the dragon chair and fell into deep thought.
The matter of the fake daughter was spreading like wildfire in the capital, and of course it had also reached the Lotus Cottage.
Xia Xuelian wanted Xiaoqing to go out and find out what was going on.
Xiaoqing stammered and said that they were not allowed to go out of the mansion now. Xia Xuelian looked extremely panicked and quickly got up to go to Zhufeng Courtyard, but was stopped by Xiaoqing. The master said that they could only stay in the Lotus Villa for the time being.
Xue Qing returned to the general's residence and went directly to the study with Wu Yu.
"Qing'er, did you notice anything?" Wu Yu's eyes were full of concern.
Xue Qing sat down, looking a little tired: "The eldest prince should have known my identity a long time ago. He just wants to force the Xue family to admit that they recognized the wrong daughter."
Xue Qing sat down, looking a little tired: "The eldest prince should have known my identity a long time ago. He just wants to force the Xue family to admit that they recognized the wrong daughter."
Wu Yu's eyes darkened: "The eldest prince's target is you!"
Xue Qing nodded: "I know, so I can't go back to the Xue family."
A hint of joy flashed across Wu Yu's face inadvertently.
"Wu Yu, I'm a little tired and I want to go home!" Xue Qing suddenly said this.
Wu Yu suddenly stepped forward and grabbed her hand and said, "Qing'er, don't go!"
Wu Yu knew that when Xue Qing said going home, she didn't mean going back to Anyang, but leaving here and returning to her real home.
It seems like I will really lose her soon, and only then will I realize how important she is in my heart.
Xue Qing looked at Wu Yu's panicked face and said, "Wu Yu, I will come back after I leave Xiao Qing'er, you should be very happy, right?"
Xue Qing's eyes were a little dim when he said this. Until now, the person who wiped him out has not been found, and the original owner is still sleeping.
Can I really disobey the emperor's order and not marry or return to the Xue family?
Wu Yu was stunned for a moment when he heard that the original owner might come back. Xue Qing's face was full of disappointment: "You go back."
"Qing'er, I..." Xue Qing didn't want to listen to him and pushed him out.
Three days later, the atmosphere in the palace hall was solemn and dignified. The emperor personally tried the case, and Li Wutong and Xia couple were brought to the hall.
The emperor sat on the dragon throne, looking down with a majestic gaze. "Li, tell me what you know about Xia Xueqing."
Li knelt down tremblingly and said, "Your Majesty, when Xia Xueqing first came to the Wu family, she was not only ugly, but also cowardly. Then one day, she fell down the hillside, and her personality changed drastically since then. She actually knew how to detoxify poisonous mushrooms, but Liu definitely couldn't know this method. In addition, she later sold the detoxification recipe to Youranju, and went to the mountains to pick star anise and peppercorns that can be used as food seasonings. All these are enough to prove that she was possessed by a demon after she fell down the mountain that day. Moreover, her appearance has also changed a lot."
The emperor frowned slightly and looked at Wu Tong: "Wu Tong, you tell me."
Wu Tong also knelt down quickly and said, "Your Majesty, I can indeed prove that Liu does not know how to remove the poison. And Xia Xueqing has indeed been very different since she fell off the mountain that time."
At this time, Xia Xuelian was also in the hall.
She knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, I can prove that Xia Xueqing is very different from before. She used to be timid and cowardly. After she fell, she almost beat my adoptive mother and me, her biological mother, to death. Many villagers in Shilibao saw it at the time. If it was the real Xia Xueqing, how could she be so unethical and cruel? That's why she was possessed by a monster that time. My poor sister was killed by her!"
After hearing what they said, the emperor's face darkened and he angrily rebuked Xia Xueqing: "How dare you, you daring evildoer, do evil under my nose."
Xia Xueqing was brought to the center of the hall by the guards and said, "Your Majesty, you only listened to their one-sided story. Can I defend myself a little?"
The emperor was unmoved and said, "The evidence is irrefutable, and you still dare to quibble."
Xia Xuelian couldn't hide the pride on her face.
Xue Qing continued, "Your Majesty, the so-called evidence is just what they said. Li, you said I was ugly. How many times have you seen me? Haven't you heard that girls change a lot when they grow up?"
Then he turned to look at the emperor and said, "Your Majesty, as for finding star anise and peppercorns in the mountains, as well as the recipe for removing poison, it's because I often go up the mountain to collect firewood, and I once met a Taoist priest who gave me these recipes. He taught me to recognize these foods that can be used as seasonings. And as for the change in my appearance, it's because the doctor at Baicaotang saw that I was poisoned. After treatment, I gradually got better and naturally restored my original appearance!"
Xue Qing looked at Xia Xuelian: "As for why I have been poisoned since I was a child, causing my appearance to be so ugly, should I ask you and your adoptive parents?"
Xia Xuelian dodged her gaze, calmed herself down, and looked at Xue Qing fiercely.
Duan Fang asked: "Why are you poisoned at such a young age?"
This also raised the question in the minds of the ministers present: why would someone be poisoned at such a young age?
Before the ministers could figure it out, they heard Xue Qing continue to say, "My good sister said that I almost beat her adoptive mother to death, and her. I would like to ask, everyone, if your own children were seriously injured, the first thing you would do is to hire a doctor to treat her injuries or bury her immediately?"
Mr. Duan has both a son and a daughter, and he immediately said, "We must ask a doctor to treat the injury."
Others also agreed.
Xue Qing listened to the ministers' agreement, and then said loudly: "However, my so-called biological mother and sister who grew up with me, when they knew that I fell from the mountain, the first thing they asked was not how bad my injuries were, but..."
Xue Qing couldn't help choking up when he thought about the original owner, who was only a teenager and was being abused like this.
After taking a breath, he continued, "Instead, they carried the coffin and arranged a ghost marriage for me. How did they determine that I was dead? Or did they want me to die regardless of whether I was dead or alive? Why is this?"
Xue Qing loudly questioned Xia Xuelian and the Xia couple!
All the ministers in the hall gasped, Liu's face turned pale, and Xia Xuelian trembled all over.
Xue Qing was questioning on behalf of the original owner, who didn't know his own life experience until he left this world.
Xue He's clenched fists creaked and he looked at Xia with an extremely cold look.
Lord Xing pointed at Liu and said, "Is Xia Xueqing your biological daughter? How could you treat your biological daughter so cruelly? Even if you want to please your adopted daughter's biological parents, you shouldn't treat your own daughter so harshly."
At this time, Han Qi stepped forward and said, "Liu, I want to ask you, has Xia Xuelian ever been poisoned since she was a child?"
Liu's face was pale, and she trembled as she said, "Never...never."
Seeing this, Han Qi turned to Xue He and said, "Duke, colleagues, take a closer look at why Xia Xueqing, Xia's biological daughter, looks so much like the Duke's wife, while Xia Xuelian looks like Liu?"
Seeing that everyone was whispering, he continued, "Since Xia Xuelian has never been poisoned, then Xia Xuelian's original appearance was like this, so who is the biological daughter of the Duke of Zhenguo?"
Lord Xing scolded, "Xia Cheng, Liu, you two are so bold that you actually confused the real thing with the fake and let your daughter replace the real daughter of the Duke's Mansion to deceive the emperor into granting you a marriage. You two have committed the crime of deceiving the emperor!"
Liu collapsed to the ground in fear. Xia Cheng knocked his forehead and blood flowed out: "Your Majesty is innocent. This... was all... Liu's idea! She said that her daughter would enjoy wealth and glory for the rest of her life..."