"Your Majesty, the Crown Prince and Crown Princess are requesting an audience outside!"

Just as Song Donghao finished speaking, a eunuch walked in from outside and bowed to report.

"Why is everyone rushing here today? Let them in!"

Emperor Wenjian sighed in confusion, then waved for someone to call Su Liluo and the others in.

"Greetings, Father Emperor!"

Su Liluo and the others first knelt down and performed a grand salute to Emperor Wenjian, then stood aside. She glanced indifferently at the people in the hall.

Xiao Churen stood smugly to the side, while Song Donghao and Grand Tutor Song knelt on the ground.

Su Liluo looked at Song Donghao and the others' serious expressions and was slightly puzzled. It seemed that they had made Emperor Wenjian unhappy.

"What business do you have with me?"

Emperor Wenjian asked them.

Xiao Ye glanced at Su Liluo, signaling her to say that he had only come to accompany and protect her.

Su Liluo then cupped her hands to Emperor Wenjian and said, "Father, your daughter-in-law has come today because of the matter of Miss Zheng being pushed into the water at the Su family banquet."

"You came here for this too? What's wrong with you all today... Wait, what did you just say, someone pushed you into the water? What do you mean by that?"

Emperor Wenjian realized what was happening and looked at Su Liluo with surprise.

She just said that Zheng Qinxue was pushed into the water?

Doesn't that mean this is a conspiracy?

Adding to his own suspicions about Song Donghao, if Zheng Qinxue's fall into the water was not a coincidence but rather deliberate, with the aim of ruining her marriage to the King of Chu.

That's a big deal. The royal family can't accept a woman whose reputation has been ruined in public. But if someone deliberately wants to ruin this marriage, then the person behind it must be severely punished.

Therefore, after Emperor Wenjian finished speaking, he couldn't help but give Song Donghao a dangerous look.

Song Donghao instinctively tried to defend himself: "Your Majesty, I truly saved Miss Zheng by chance and had no idea of ​​the conspiracy behind it!"

Su Liluo then realized that Emperor Wenjian had misunderstood, so she quickly explained, "Father, this matter has nothing to do with Young Master Song. The person who framed Miss Zheng has been identified by my daughter-in-law, and she has brought witnesses here."

"Oh? Bring the person up so I can see them!"

Emperor Wenjian exclaimed in surprise, and his suspicions about Song Donghao subsided.

Soon, Su Liluo ordered someone to bring Li Lianru and Zhang Lanlin in and explained to Su Wanshi that she had them deliberately fall down and knock Zheng Qinru into the lake.

"Su Wanshi?"

Emperor Wenjian angrily chewed on the name, "Who is she? Why did she do this?"

Emperor Wenjian did not have a deep impression of Su Wanshi. Even if he had seen her before, he had long forgotten her by now.

"Father can ask His Highness Prince Chu about this. Prince Chu should know why she did this by now."

Su Liluo looked at Xiao Churen with a playful gaze.

Xiao Churen was shocked after hearing their words; he had never imagined that this was a conspiracy devised by Su Wanshi.

As for the reason, he understood it now: it was because Su Wanshi wanted to get rid of Zheng Qinxue and replace her as her principal wife.

"King of Chu? You tell me, what's going on here?"

Emperor Wenjian squinted and looked at Xiao Churen with a puzzled expression.

His expression had changed from one of confidence and reason to one of panic.

"Father, I..."

"Speak! I'm telling you to speak!"

When Emperor Wenjian saw the King of Chu in this state, he roared angrily.

Faced with Emperor Wenjian's furious expression, Xiao Churen could only lower his head and say slowly and guiltily, "Wanshi... she was the woman I wanted to marry before."

"What!"

Emperor Wenjian grabbed a teacup and smashed it on the ground.

After hearing what Xiao Churen said, how could he not understand anything?

He kindly found a woman of equal social standing and respectable character for the King of Chu to be his principal wife, but he ended up having an affair with someone else and even had that woman frame Zheng Qinxue.

He was utterly disappointed!

"Father, please forgive me. Wan Shi definitely didn't do it on purpose. These people must have conspired to frame Wan Shi. The Crown Princess has always been at odds with Wan Shi, this must be their conspiracy!"

Xiao Churen quickly knelt down to beg for mercy, his words becoming increasingly incoherent.

Just as he was getting angry, a report came from outside that Zheng Hongye, the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy, was requesting an audience.

Emperor Wenjian immediately knew why the other party had come. He rubbed his forehead in exasperation but still summoned him.

Zheng Hongye knelt down and cried as soon as he arrived, "Your Majesty, please uphold justice for this old minister! Xue'er is my only daughter. She was supposed to marry Prince Chu happily, but now she has been harmed like this!"

How can Xue'er ever face anyone again? Xue'er also said she was pushed into the lake, and begs Your Majesty to severely punish the culprit!

Zheng Hongye cried his heart out, which only made Emperor Wenjian even more frustrated.

He waved his hand and said, "Don't worry, I will uphold justice for you. Someone, go and deliver the imperial edict, saying that Su Wanshi is malicious and should be imprisoned for three months!"

Emperor Wenjian originally intended to imprison Su Wanshi for several years, but then he thought that Su Wanshi was a member of the Su family and Su Zhen had just returned with great merit, so he reduced the punishment.

"Your Majesty, I am willing to take responsibility. I would like to request Your Majesty to bestow Miss Zheng upon me in marriage!"

At this moment, Song Donghao, who was standing to the side, asked for the Dao again.

Emperor Wenjian then remembered Song Donghao, whom he had left out, and glanced at Zheng Hongye, who looked like he had suffered a great injustice. He could only sigh in his heart.

The daughter-in-law he had his eye on now had to be given away to someone else.

Fortunately, Song Donghao's family background was not bad either, and he was more than a match for Zheng Qinxue. So he issued another imperial decree to bestow marriage upon them.

Zheng Hongye and Song Donghao gratefully accepted the imperial edict, kowtowed to Emperor Wenjian in thanks, and then left the palace.

Su Liluo and her group got a satisfactory result and left the palace with the witnesses. As for the two witnesses, they were confined to their quarters and punished with caning.

Xiao Churen was left kneeling in the palace, and Emperor Wenjian looked at him with disappointment and frustration.

Finally, he ordered: "King Chu is foolish and muddle-headed, unable to judge people, and impulsive and reckless. He must have suffered too little and is not as calm and perceptive as the Crown Prince. From this day forward, he shall be stripped of all his civil posts and sent to the Crown Prince's army for tempering! He may return only when he has tempered his character, so that he will not do anything shameful in the future!"

"Father! Your son knows he was wrong, please have mercy!"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Churen was terrified and immediately kowtowed repeatedly, begging for mercy.

This imperial edict was worse than death for him!

To send him to serve in the army under the Crown Prince, to become the Crown Prince's subordinate, and to be under the Crown Prince's control in the future, not to mention that he has never experienced the hardships of military service, just the thought of being forced to serve under the Crown Prince is enough to make him feel extremely humiliated!

Emperor Wenjian ignored his pleas for mercy and ordered him to be driven out of the palace, intending to have him forcibly taken to the Crown Prince's military camp the next day.