The Prime Minister's Darling novel Chapter 1180

Chapter 1180: 572 Overwhelming Strength! (One More)

The elite bodyguards who were originally rushing towards Princess Xinyang were almost instantaneously thrown aside by a fearsome surge of internal force; no one saw how the man who suddenly appeared made his move. By the time everyone had reacted, they had all been simultaneously knocked down next to Princess Ning An.

You should know these were experts brought from the border fortresses. Although they were not as formidable as the Dragon Shadow Guard, they were no ordinary fighters, yet they were so easily defeated by the opponent, like wilted flowers carried away by the current.

Princess Ning An was so shocked that she couldn’t speak.

Moments later, she recognized the mask of the Dragon Shadow Guard on the man’s face.

But wasn’t this strange?

She had seen all four of the Emperor’s Dragon Shadow Guards; not one of them was as tall and fierce. Moreover, with one dead and three still recovering from their injuries, it was impossible for them to be in action.

So where did this Dragon Shadow Guard come from?

Not many court ministers had truly seen the Dragon Shadow Guards before. For a while, no one recognized him as the Dragon Shadow Guard who scared people stiff at the mention of the name; they just assumed he was one of Princess Xinyang’s secret guards.

The ministers didn’t have a clear understanding of the martial prowess of these experts, but seeing him easily fight four at once, they couldn’t help but think he was very impressive.

"So powerful, must be a secret guard provided by Marquis Xuanping," someone said.

"It should be," another agreed.

Mutterings began to spread among the ministers.

Out of fear for Long Yi, no one dared to step forward to help the injured Princess Ning An to her feet.

Princess Xinyang stepped down the stairs one by one, her face covered in red rash but her aura undiminished.

Upon the steps above Princess Ning An, Princess Xinyang stopped and looked down at her. "You say I’m an impostor, look closely, do I look fake to you?" she said.

Princess Ning An’s gaze remained fixated on Princess Xinyang’s face, lingering for a long moment before shifting to that of the young maid.

Princess Xinyang beckoned with a crook of her finger.

Understanding the gesture, the young maid silently moved to Princess Xinyang’s side.

Princess Xinyang said indifferently, "You suspect my maid is wearing a human skin mask, so I shall have someone show you." With that, she looked to a nearby eunuch, "Come here."

The eunuch promptly approached: "Go ahead."

"Yes." The eunuch walked up to the young maid, said politely, "Excuse me," and started to feel around her facial features and behind her ears. After a thorough check, he faced Princess Xinyang and Princess Ning An, "To answer both princesses, it’s her own face."

Princess Ning An’s complexion changed: "Impossible!"

Yesterday, it was this young maid who was with the impostor Princess Xinyang, and this maid’s actions were filled with strangeness, even having taken the Emperor’s pulse.

It was clearly Gu Jiao!

Princess Xinyang ordered, "Yuyu, go over there and show Princess Ning An your face."

"Yes." The young maid called Yuyu approached Princess Ning An, knelt down, and brought her face close to hers.

Princess Ning An touched her face with her hand.

It was indeed her own face.

She widened her eyes in disbelief.

Princess Xinyang asked coldly, "Ning An, why did you do this?"

Princess Ning An glanced at the ministers with complicated expressions and explained, "It’s... someone saw Princess Xinyang causing trouble on the streets with this maid, and they exposed the fact that she wasn’t the real Princess Xinyang. That’s why I..."

Princess Xinyang snorted coldly, "So, without reporting to the Empress in Kunning Palace, nor to the Crown Prince in the East Palace, and without seeking verification from my household servants, you just publicly sought to apply the law to me in front of everyone in the hall! Are you so desperate to achieve merit, or did you intentionally come here to obstruct my regency?"

Princess Ning An gritted her teeth, avoiding the poignant question, and tried to steer the conversation back, "If I wasn’t certain that you were an impostor, would I expose you? It’s clearly you who set a trap for me."

Princess Xinyang stood firm, "You had to willingly fall into the trap I set. When the Empress and Crown Prince are both present, is it your place to come to Jinluan Hall and expose the fake princess?"

It was because Empress Xiao was shielding Xiao Liulang. If Empress Xiao knew one of the impostors was Xiao Liulang’s wife, Gu Jiao, she might have suppressed the matter.

But bringing it to Jinluan Hall left no room for maneuvering.

"What has happened?" Empress Xiao and the Crown Prince had arrived, with Empress Xiao asking the question.

Princess Xinyang told the Empress about the recent events, "... Your Majesty saw my face yesterday and knows how serious it was. If it wasn’t for the quick healing of my face, I fear no one would recognize me today. She might say, if you are innocent, won’t the truth reveal itself once your rash is gone in a few days? But the question is, waiting in jail for the rash to subside, would I not be subjected to someone’s sinister plans?"

Her words were so seamless, even Empress Xiao felt that the method to frame someone was feasible upon hearing it.