Chapter 952: Chapter 952 I’m a Low-Key Person_1

Li Hongyuan fell silent for a moment, then suddenly raised his hand–

Jiang Ning dodged backward: “Let’s talk. There’s no need for physical action!”

Li Hongyuan paused, letting his hand drop to her head and stroked her hair bun, smiled and said, “They call you smart, and indeed you are. They call you foolish and you’re charmingly foolish.”

“What do you mean?”

“You thought that just by leveraging a lowly monk, you could bring the Empress down?”

“Of course not, I’m just presenting a reason for the Emperor to dispose of her.” Jiang Ning tilted her head to avoid his huge palm and straightened her own hairpin.

“Even if you prove that Jieming is indulged in wine and women, can you prove that everything he’s said is false?” questioned Li Hongyuan.

“What kind of twisted logic is that? His actions show that he’s not an enlightened monk!” Jiang Ning frowned, “Am I the one who’s dense, or are you not thinking straight? Doesn’t avenging your concubine mother matter to you anymore?”

“It does.”

“Tell me then, can this matter allow the Emperor to depose the Empress?”

“If you insist, of course it can.”

“Of course I insist!”

“Okay.” Li Hongyuan nodded, “But you also need to bear the expected consequences.”

“What consequences?” Jiang Ning asked, visibly perplexed.

“As the Princess Consort and technically the Empress’s daughter-in-law, your relentless attempts to pinpoint her errors and bring her down will be remembered. You may seem in the right for now, but have you considered the future?” Li Hongyuan walked to the door, watched outside, exhaled slowly, then said, “People, you see, forget. After the Empress faces her penalty, her errors are soon forgotten. Will people always remember the mistakes of the dead?”

“So what? If somebody is evil, they deserve punishment. I don’t care if people forget about these facts.”

“But you’re still alive.” Li Hongyuan said, “In the future, when people mention you, they’re going to remember that you had schemed and brought down your own mother-in-law.”

“Screw her!”

“Jiang Ning.”

“Okay, okay, technically she is indeed my mother-in-law.” Jiang Ning rolled her eyes, “Let them remember then. Should I abandon punishing evildoers today for fear of future prejudice?”

Li Hongyuan smiled, “Very well. You can see the Emperor now.”

“Huh?”

“The Emperor has summoned you. You should know why,” he hinted.

Jiang Ning hesitated: “The man in custody wasn’t my catch. If the Emperor has suspicions, why not ask Prince of Wutong or Lord Huang for explanation?”

Li Hongyuan smirked: “Are you feeling guilty? You were quick to claim moral superiority just now.”

“Well, I prefer anonymity when I do good deeds. You may call it low-key.”

“Enough of your nonsense, hurry along.”

“I’m famished, I haven’t eaten yet.”

“You’ve always been audacious before the Emperor so having some refreshments in the Crystal Frost Hall shouldn’t be a problem.”

“Isn’t the Empress going to be there?”

“Of course.”

“Then I’d better grab a bite to make sure I have enough energy if me and the Empress get into it.” Jiang Ning had Huang Ying bring a plate of cakes. After eating two pieces and drinking a half cup of tea, she felt somewhat buzzy and then proceeded to Crystal Frost Hall.

Inside the Crystal Frost Hall, the Emperor sat in the prime seat with the Empress by his side, both solemn-faced.

The monk Jieming knelt on the floor, prostrate, the back of his meaty bald head shining.

Looking at it from a distance, it seemed like an oil lamp filled with kerosene.

Next to Jieming stood the Imperial Censor Huang Ren.

Huang Ren, with heated enthusiasm and impassioned rhetoric, laid out all the charges against Jieming.