The emperor’s face turned as if covered with a thick layer of ice.
When the emperor was a prince, he did not enjoy the favor of the late emperor.
The late emperor’s favorite was Prince Yu, the emperor’s half-brother, so upon ascending the throne, the emperor both courted and feared Prince Yu.
However, when he ascended the throne, Prince Yu was the first to kneel and proclaim long live, and throughout his over twenty years of emperor life, Prince Yu remained respectful, which led the emperor to lower his guard against him.
Now that Tong Huaqiong claims Prince Yu Mansion is plotting rebellion, it instantly touches the old emperor’s concerns, bringing his deepest suspicions about Prince Yu to the surface.
The emperor’s gaze at Prince Yu was scrutinous, and scrutinous again.
Was this brother, who was more respectful to him than anyone else after he ascended the throne, truly as honest as he appeared?
Or was Prince Yu deliberately using honesty and respect to confuse him, secretly plotting his throne behind the scenes?
When his beloved Crown Prince was executed, was there Prince Yu’s help behind it, aiming to make them father and son slaughter each other?
After the Crown Prince died, his remaining sons fell into disputes and none of them were of much use.
Could it be that Prince Yu planned from the roots to eliminate his entire line, so that the throne would eventually fall to his descendants?
If so, then Prince Yu was dreaming.
Even if his sons were unsuitable, he still had an imperial grandson, who truly had the qualities of a Crown Prince.
Thinking about the Crown Grandson, the emperor became increasingly suspicious of Prince Yu.
Why, just the second day after the Crown Grandson returned, did people from Prince Yu Mansion eagerly confront Taohua Dessert? Could it be to test the Crown Grandson’s reaction?
Once the seed of doubt is sown, it quickly germinates, then breaks through the soil and its roots will delve deeply into the heart.
Tong Huaqiong observed the old emperor with her peripheral vision.
She was confident that she had successfully provoked the old emperor’s suspicion of Prince Yu Mansion.
It seemed she had succeeded.
Since they had already offended Princess Ming Yue and there was no chance of reconciliation, it was better to flip over the table.
Prince Yu also quietly scrutinized the emperor, and with one look, his heart sank to the bottom.
Upon receiving the news, he thought the Crown Grandson’s adoptive grandmother was just a rural merchant, posing no threat to his family.
Unexpectedly, this woman had directly placed a hat of rebellion on Prince Yu Mansion.
She was truly bold!
More importantly, the emperor seemed to believe it.
Prince Yu trembled with fear.
Prince Yu explained himself but received no response from the emperor.
The entire hall was silent, as if entering an endless dark world.
With her father there, Princess Ming Yue grew more confident.
Her imperial uncle had countless times expressed through words and actions that he and her father were true brothers; how could true brothers side with outsiders?
Thus, she clamored, "Imperial Uncle, please see clearly, these two women falsely accuse our Prince Yu Mansion, they should be beheaded for punishment, or else anyone would dare to step on our Prince Yu Mansion."
"Shut up, this is not a place for you to act wildly," Prince Yu reprimanded.
Princess Ming Yue, not understanding why, continued, "But they accuse our Prince Yu Mansion of rebellion. Shouldn’t they be killed?"
Prince Yu closed his eyes.
His daughter was raised spoiled, no matter what trouble she got into outside, he never blamed her once.
He intentionally raised the princess to be domineering, just to put the emperor at ease with Prince Yu Mansion.
Unexpectedly, one day, it became a problem for himself.
Her domineering nature was overdone, and when used by those with ulterior motives, it turned into a disaster.
The emperor remained silent, ignoring Prince Yu’s scolding of Princess Ming Yue.
After a long while, the emperor suddenly coldly inquired, "Guided and interpreted by someone with intentions? How is it interpreted? How is it guided?"
These questions were directed at Prince Yu.
Prince Yu’s heart sank to the bottom.
Sure enough, his good imperial brother still had suspicion towards him.
Or rather, that suspicion never disappeared.
It was just like a seed hidden in the permafrost, sprouting upon encountering the spring breeze.
Prince Yu replied, trembling, "In response to the emperor, this minister misspoke. Upon hearing someone claim that Prince Yu Mansion was rebelling, this minister became frightened and confused; my loyalty is evident to the sun and moon, I have no thought of rebellion, please see clearly, Your Majesty."
Seeing the emperor remain silent, Prince Yu organized his words and said, "This matter is entirely my fault. This minister has been too lenient to Xi Yue over the years, raising her to be indulgent, which has led her maids to disregard the court’s laws, openly attempting to seize Manager Tong’s pastry chef, and when unable to do so, they resorted to bullying and saying things that shouldn’t be said."
"But this minister absolutely has no thought of rebellion."
Prince Yu touched his head to the ground, the sound of his kneeling reverberated through Jinluan Palace.
Prince Yu Mansion initially thought Princess Ming Yue’s attempt to seize a pastry chef was nothing significant.
Let alone the pastry chef from Taohua Dessert, even the pastry chefs from the Imperial Kitchen would have been given to her if Princess Ming Yue expressed liking them, probably by the emperor himself.
When he learned that confronting Taohua Dessert over a pastry chef wasn’t a concern at all, he even thought it was Taohua Dessert lacking decorum in not giving face to Prince Yu Mansion.
He underestimated this woman from the countryside.
Princess Ming Yue saw her father’s forehead bleeding, excitedly shouting at the old emperor, "Imperial Uncle, my father is your own brother, how can you suspect him of rebellion for a woman from the countryside?"
Prince Yu paused his kowtowing, almost wanting to strangle Princess Ming Yue.
Princess Ming Yue obstinately looked at the old emperor.
The old emperor chuckled, suddenly saying, "Both your father and I were once princes; is there a prince who doesn’t wish to sit on this throne? Xi Yue, as a princess, couldn’t possibly understand a prince’s thoughts."
Princess Ming Yue stared at the old emperor, dumbfounded.
Was this still the imperial uncle that doted on her immensely?
Upon hearing this, Prince Yu almost fainted, shouting, "This minister is willing to die for self-vindication."
Seeing Prince Yu kowtow with a bloody forehead, the emperor leisurely said, "Imperial brother, you are taking this too seriously. We’re just having a casual chat. How could I not know my own thoughts? If you truly had intentions of rebellion, how could I have sat securely on this position for so many years?"
Prince Yu, terrified, kowtowed again.
The old emperor raised his hand, commanding him to stand.
Seeing Prince Yu kneeling at his feet so pathetically, the old emperor felt an indescribable satisfaction.
Tong Huaqiong, patting her chest, said with a face full of lingering fear, "It turns out to have been a misunderstanding; it’s good that Prince Yu has no rebellious intentions. It’s just that as a common woman, I took wind for rain, asking the emperor to punish me."
The old emperor, having reprimanded Prince Yu, now needed a way to settle down.
So Tong Huaqiong had to provide an out.
Gu Taohua muttered, "But this can’t be blamed on my mother, right? Who made Princess Ming Yue’s maid speak in a way that led to wild imaginings."
The old emperor slightly eased his expression, saying, "This matter indeed can’t be blamed on Sui Feng Village Lady; it’s the maid’s message that caused the misunderstanding. Sui Feng Village Lady has just arrived in Shengjing from Ning City, she’s never seen such bullying; the maid’s words certainly led to rampant thoughts."
The maid, passing the message, indeed did so cleverly.
Whose words were passed on, if not Princess Ming Yue’s?
This comment from the old emperor clearly showed partiality toward Tong Huaqiong.
Prince Yu pleaded, "This minister will certainly teach Xi Yue strictly and restrain the household servants strictly, ensuring no one loses decorum just because the emperor trusts this minister. That maid has already been ordered by this minister to be bound, her tongue pulled out and executed by stick as a warning to others."
With one sentence, the maid’s tragic fate was sealed.
Blood dripped from Prince Yu’s forehead onto Jinluan Palace.