Chapter 71 Marrying into the Royal Family is Truly Annoying

Li Bao'er followed Mu Cenlin, led by palace servants, step by step towards Yongshou Palace, where the Empress Dowager resided.

The pillars stood tall, and all was silent. As soon as you stepped into the Yongshou Palace, a warm fragrance mixed with sandalwood and a faint herbal scent wafted towards you.

Li Bao'er quickly glanced up and understood immediately; it seemed there was going to be another good show today.

In the main hall, not only was the Empress Dowager seated in the main seat, but the Emperor and Empress, who had not appeared yesterday, were also present. Emperor Mu Yeling was dressed in a bright yellow casual robe, his face revealing neither joy nor anger, his gaze deep and unfathomable. Empress Wang, on the other hand, wore a phoenix-patterned palace dress, a perfectly measured smile playing on her lips.

What made Li Bao'er even more uneasy was that, in the lower seat, sat a middle-aged woman with a haggard face and unusually sharp and cold eyes. She had never seen this person before, but she guessed that she must be the eldest princess.

There was another person sitting next to her, Consort Zhang.

When Li Bao'er met Consort Zhang's almost undisguised resentment and venom in her eyes, she couldn't help but roll her eyes at her. In the past, because of Mu Yuan, she had often given her a hard time in the palace. Today, Mu Yuan was trying to abuse her, and she, as Mu Yuan's birth mother, hated her first.

cut!

Mu Cenlin's expression remained unchanged, as if he had anticipated all of this. He led Li Bao'er forward and bowed according to custom: "Grandson greets Imperial Grandmother, Father Emperor, and Empress."

The Empress Dowager, with a kind smile on her face, quickly raised her hand: "Get up, get up. I think you two children are a perfect match." Her gaze fell on Li Bao'er with concern, "Bao'er, are you feeling any better?"

Li Bao'er was about to reply and express her gratitude as instructed.

Before she could speak, the eldest princess, who was sitting at the lower end of the table, suddenly stood up, her sharp voice interrupting the pleasantries, her gaze like a poisoned knife shooting straight at Mu Cenlin:

"Mu Cenlin! Stop pretending! Where is my Kang Ning?! What have you done to her?! Hand her over immediately!"

"Hmph!" Consort Zhang was not to be outdone. She glanced at Li Bao'er and said in a sharp and sarcastic tone, "Princess Jing really has a big air about her. She only married into the family yesterday, and today she has caused a huge uproar in the city, even causing Yuan'er to be humiliated! I don't know if she has really suffered a great injustice, or if she is just born with a constitution that attracts trouble!" Her words were extremely vicious. She not only blamed Li Bao'er for Mu Yuan's humiliation, but also implied that she was an unlucky person.

Li Bao'er instantly understood why Consort Zhang was so angry today, and she couldn't help but chuckle to herself.

On the carriage, she heard the big news circulating in the capital this morning: the scandal of Mu Yuan being stripped naked and left in front of the palace gate!

Without a doubt, this was Mu Cenlin's doing. Zhang Shi didn't dare to be angry with Mu Cenlin, so she naturally blamed this "femme fatale" on her.

"Did you do Yuan'er's thing?! How dare you humiliate the prince like this!" the princess continued.

The eldest princess and Consort Zhang worked together, one demanding her daughter and the other seeking justice for her son, directing all their anger at Mu Cenlin and Li Bao'er.

The atmosphere inside the hall instantly became tense.

The emperor frowned slightly, remaining silent, while the empress's interest deepened.

The Empress Dowager's face darkened: "Enough! The matter has not yet been investigated, so do not make unwarranted accusations! Besides, Kangning did make a mistake!"

"The matter hasn't been investigated yet?" The Eldest Princess was agitated. "Kang Ning was detained by him all night! Who knows what kind of torture he suffered! And Yuan'er, a perfectly good prince, was stripped naked and left at the palace gate, becoming the laughingstock of the entire capital! If this wasn't done by Mu Cenlin, who else could it be?! Your Majesty! How long are you going to tolerate him?!"

The eldest princess knew that the Empress Dowager had always disliked Kang Ning, so she turned to the Emperor for help. Everyone knew that Kang Ning had started the trouble, but so what?

Kang Ning is the child she raised herself; no one can touch a hair on his head!

She gave Mu Cenlin the opportunity to marry Kang Ning, but he not only refused the marriage, but also forced her, a princess, to go to a temple to eat vegetarian food and worship Buddha every day. If you ask who the princess hates the most, it must be Mu Cenlin!

Consort Zhang also knelt down, sobbing, "Your Majesty! Even if Yuan'er has a thousand faults, he is still your prince, the lifeblood of my heart! Now that he has suffered such a great humiliation, how can he face people in the future? I beg Your Majesty to do justice for Yuan'er and severely punish the villains!" Although she did not name names directly, her gaze was like a knife, piercing Mu Cenlin.

Mu Cenlin remained unmoved by the accusations and cries of the two, even a faint hint of mockery curling at the corners of his lips.

He pulled Li Bao'er to sit down beside him, gesturing for her to be handed over to him, and slowly spoke, his voice clear and cold, completely drowning out the voices of the Eldest Princess and Consort Zhang:

"Your Highness, the Eldest Princess, Your Highness the Imperial Concubine."

“Princess Kangning is suspected of murdering the Prince’s principal wife. The evidence is conclusive, and she has been detained pending trial in accordance with the law. What is wrong with that? Does being a princess of the royal family mean you can be above the law?”

"As for His Highness the Third Prince..." His gaze swept over Consort Zhang, his coldness intensifying, "Why was he in that secluded guest room yesterday? And why was he drunk and unconscious? I am also very curious. As for the rumors at the palace gate... I was busy taking care of the frightened Princess and handling affairs in the palace yesterday, and had no time to attend to other matters. Perhaps the Third Prince has made too many enemies, which may have led to retaliation from others."

"You!" The eldest princess and Consort Zhang were so angry they almost fainted.

Mu Cenlin turned away from them, facing the Emperor, and bowed, saying, "Father, you are wise. Yesterday's events were all a disgrace to the royal family. I implore you to allow me to thoroughly investigate this matter. Whoever is involved should be severely punished according to the law to uphold justice and serve as a warning to others!"

He threw the question back at the emperor, his tone firm and unyielding.

In Li Bao'er's mind, 001 suddenly "dinged" and came online, her tone filled with incredulous amazement and a strange, maternal smile:

[Wow! Host, host! Look at the Great Demon King! He's so cool!] 001's electronic voice was so excited it changed tone. [That aura! That ability to roast people! He faced the Princess, the Imperial Concubine, and the hidden BOSS, the Emperor, all by himself without flinching! The key point is! He was protecting you the whole time! He drew all the firepower onto himself!]

Li Bao'er: "..." She was busy eating melon seeds and didn't have time to pay attention to this system that suddenly became infatuated.

001 continued her incessant chatter: "Tsk tsk tsk, so marriage really can change a man? Although the process was a bit thrilling and exciting, and not suitable for children… look at him now! He still has that deadpan expression, but his behavior is completely different! He even knows to stand up for you!"

[And look at his corruption level! Ever since your wedding yesterday, it's remained stable at 70%! It hasn't gone up any further! Host, it seems you're doing a very effective job as a princess! Maybe our mission really has a chance!]

Li Bao'er's head was throbbing from the noise, especially in this situation where she had to force herself to maintain a calm expression. She couldn't help but curse inwardly, "Shut up! This isn't the time to talk about this!"

001 reluctantly shut up, but couldn't help adding in a low voice one last time: [But host, you should still be careful. Consort Zhang's eyes seem to want to devour you and the Princess... Sigh, marrying into the royal family is really not easy.]

The emperor, who had been hesitant to speak, finally said, "Speak, what conditions will it take for you to hand over Kang Ning?"