Chapter 525: Demonstrating One’s Innocence with Death
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
The weather today was exceptionally sunny. Golden light scattered across the land, but it could not brighten Su Ying’s glum-looking eyes.
When they knew that Su Ying would be coming, all the persons-in-charge of the academy came out to wait outside the academy’s gate very early.
At this juncture, the parents who came to visit the academy had also arrived. Although they did not have to come so early, they did not dare to be lackadaisical. Many people had already arrived outside the academy before dawn.
“Her Imperial Highness the Empress has arrived.”
The crowd split into two queues outside the academy’s gate. As soon as Su Ying’s horse carriage arrived, the people all stepped forward to kowtow.
“Greetings, Your Imperial Highness.”
Zhou Qjng helped Su Ying out of the horse carriage.
Su Ying’s icy eyes swept across everyone. “You may all rise.”
“Thank you, Your Imperial Highness.”
“There’s no need for formalities. Today, everyone is here to visit the academy. Please follow the attendants into the academy.”
Su Ying was the first to enter the academy, and the rest of the people followed close behind her.
An attendant began to introduce the various buildings of the academy to the family members.
“This building is the academy’s stargazing platform. At night, the students can stand on the stargazing platform and do star-gazing. Everyone can take a look.”
As soon as the attendant finished speaking, a cry of surprise rang out from the crowd.
“Argh!”
Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw a thin figure standing on the stargazing platform.
She was wearing a student’s uniform. At this moment, she was sitting on the railing of the stargazing platform and her body was swaying precariously.
“This… this is too dangerous. Young Miss, quick. Go inside quickly. Don’t climb out.”
“It’s Tingting. She seems to be Tingting.”
Very soon, some students recognized the person at the top of the building.
“Tingting! My child, what are you doing? Go back inside quickly!” A couple shouted in agitation after watching for a while.
Everyone’s nerves tensed up, and their eyes were tightly locked on the person high up there.
Tingting seemed to have heard the commotion below. She moved, which put her swaying body in a more precarious position.
“Tingting, don’t move!” A teacher shouted.
The guards nearby wanted to go up to the stargazing platform, but Tingting suddenly took out a dagger and pressed it against her neck. “No one is allowed to come up. If anyone comes up, I’ll immediately slit my throat!”
These words frightened the people below badly. They did not know what had happened.
“Tingting, if you have anything to say, just tell us. Don’t do anything stupid!” Down below, Tingting’s parents were on the verge of tears.
Su Ying’s two almond-shaped eyes were locked squarely on the girl.
She looked around and disappeared into the crowd.
At this moment, everyone’s attention was focused on Tingting so no one noticed Su Ying’s movements.
“Young Miss, what on earth happened? Tell us and we will definitely help you.”
A court minister who came today also shouted at the top of his lungs.
“None of you can save me. Originally, I thought that I came here to realize my dream, but I didn’t expect… I didn’t expect to fall into the devil’s den!” When Tingting shouted this statement, everyone became very bewildered.
“What on earth is going on?”
“I don’t know. I just heard from my child that a few of the kids seem to have fallen sick…”
“Just last night, the people of the academy lied to me. They said that the Empress wanted to test my knowledge and they took me out of the academy. I thought that I would be so nervous that I wouldn’t be able to speak when I met the Empress. To my surprise, it wasn’t the Empress at all. It was an evil demon! This woman made use of the name of the academy to make us poor girls become playthings for others in exchange for her own interests!”
Tingting screamed with all her might and her piercing shrieks were filled with despair.
“Last night… after I was sold for 1,500 taels of silver, I no longer have any dignity left to continue living in this world. Before I die, I want to expose the Empress’s ugly face to everyone. She’s not human, she’s not human at all!”
As Tingting spoke, she suddenly pulled open the lapels of her clothes. Even though there was some distance between the people below and her, the people below could still vaguely see the mottled marks on her body.
The crowd all gasped. They could not believe that the Empress would do such a thing!
“This… this…”
The officials who had come here were so shocked that they were speechless. If this matter were true, the capital city would be in chaos!
“Tingting, are you mistaken? How could the Empress do such a thing?”
“That’s right, Tingting. Don’t slander the Empress.”
When she saw that those people were unwilling to believe her, Tingting laughed bitterly. “I’m willing to die to prove my innocence!” With that, she jumped down from the stargazing platform without hesitation.
“Argh!”
The people below were so frightened that they screamed. She would definitely die if she fell from such a high place!
Just as the girl was about to fall to the ground, at this critical moment, a figure quickly darted out from the dark and accurately caught Tingting who was about to hit the ground.
The high speed of the fall made Tingting lose consciousness, and she fainted outright!
“Tingting!” Tingting’s parents shouted and rushed over. When they saw the bruises on her body, they were even more appalled.
“Silly child! Why are you so silly!”
Su Ying tidied up the girl’s clothes and gestured for Zhou Qing to send her back to the school dormitory so that the female doctor could take a look at her.
“Your Imperial Highness, what is going on?”
A few court ministers walked out from the crowd with furious expressions. Some of them had disliked Su Ying’s behavior all along and felt that she was too arrogant. Now, this matter that erupted was no small matter. No matter how arrogant Su Ying was, they couldn’t let her get away with such brazenness.
“I also want to know who dared to lay their hands on my students!” Su Ying’s almond-shaped eyes swept across everyone’s faces sharply.
At this moment, an attendant ran over with a flustered expression and said in a trembling voice, “Your Imperial Highness, Your Imperial Highness, Teacher Fang… Teacher Fang hanged herself in the school dormitory!”
“What? Teacher Fang hanged herself?”
“Heavens, this, this…”
Su Ying’s almond-shaped eyes narrowed. Teacher Fang had been silenced. The other party really acted fast.
“Your… your servant found this in Teacher Fang’s room.”
The attendant took out a letter from his hand.
The court minister grabbed the letter before anyone else and read it quickly.
After reading it, the expressions of those few ministers turned very unsightly. “Your Imperial Highness should give us a reasonable explanation.”
Su Ying didn’t even need to read the contents of the letter to know that it was written to accuse her and testify how she had used these female students to win over the officials of the Imperial Court!
Bai Shuang picked up the letter and scanned through it. She became so angry that she almost started scolding people. “What utter nonsense! Her Imperial Highness would never do such a thing. This is clearly someone slandering the Empress. What a good plan. Now that the accuser is dead and can’t corroborate, these people can simply slander Her Imperial Highness in whatever manner they like!”
However, the court ministers felt that this matter definitely had something to do with Su Ying. She was born in the Prime Minister’s Residence, and Su Yulun was also a scheming person.. It was possible that he had come up with such a shameless strategy!