Chapter 434 Return to the Palace

No matter how reluctant Emperor Yucheng was, he had to accept the reality and personally went out of the city to welcome the prince into the city.

Anyway, there is no need to punish the prince for a serious crime like treason. He was a prince himself, so he naturally knows all the filth in the palace.

The prince had suffered countless injuries from years of fighting, and it was not uncommon for him to die suddenly from a relapse of his old illness.

At that time, if he had shown more grief and posthumously conferred some titles on his son, it would have been enough to preserve the father-son relationship.

After Emperor Yucheng figured this out, his expression was no longer so sinister. Outside the city, he staged a touching scene of a father and son meeting again in life and death.

Xiao Yunshuo's performance was naturally no less than that of the other two grown men, who were almost crying with their heads held together.

Chen Fenghe was in the carriage, watching from afar through the window, and couldn't help but sigh. It turned out that no matter what era it was, if you wanted to make it in life, you still needed some acting skills.

The father and son returned to the palace together, while Qin Mengyue, Shen Fenghe, Xiao Yunhao and others were temporarily placed in the prince's villa outside the palace.

After the Youzhou plague incident, Qin Mengyue's status as a concubine had been abolished, and Chen Fenghe now had the reputation of having "remarried" once, so the identities of both of them were not suitable for returning to the palace together.

In the court, Emperor Yucheng pretended to reward the prince and the soldiers who fought bravely. Naturally, some ministers came out immediately to talk about the prince's forcible theft of the tiger talisman.

Emperor Yucheng raised his eyebrows slightly in satisfaction. The minister who came out was none other than Prime Minister Zhao!

Zhao Xin, the son of Prime Minister Zhao, died an untimely death, which was probably caused by the crown prince. The evidence is solid, and Prime Minister Zhao's party alone will not let him go!

Even though Xiao Yunshuo was holding the tiger talisman, he was now in the imperial court. If any court official criticized him for attempting to seize military power, it would be a crime of treason and he could be executed immediately!

Of course, considering the mood of the army and the people of the world, he would still take into account the "father-son relationship" and only imprison him temporarily.

As for whether the prince committed suicide out of fear of punishment while in imprisonment, it is beyond human control.

Sure enough, several ministers from Zhao Xiang's party immediately came forward and echoed Zhao Xiang's accusation.

Emperor Yucheng glanced at Xiao Yunshuo with pride, thinking that he could see fear and anxiety on the face of his son, who had always been more outstanding than him since childhood.

However, Xiao Yunshuo's face remained calm, without any sign of panic!

Why? Why is he so calm?

He stole the military power. Isn't Sima Zhao's intention obvious?

At this moment, Xiao Yuncong suddenly stepped out of the line, knelt down, and said in panic, "Father, your brother is absolutely not to blame for this. I accidentally learned that your brother was still alive. I knew that my experience in leading troops in battle was not as good as your brother's, so I took the initiative to offer the tiger talisman and handed over the military power to your brother to resist the attack of the Northern Rong. If not, Yanmen Pass might have fallen long ago under your command! Father, if you want to blame someone, please blame your son. Your brother led the troops and not only defended Yanmen Pass, but also recovered Huaining and Shuozhou. His military achievements are outstanding. If your father blames your brother, I am afraid that even the people of the world will speak up for your brother!"

Prime Minister Zhao was stunned when he saw Xiao Yuncong suddenly standing on the side of the prince, and then his face became extremely ugly.

He worked hard to win over court officials and even secured military power for the second prince. Even if the crown prince is still alive now, the ministers of the crown prince's party, such as Xie Gao, have long been killed, exiled, or demoted, and are no longer a force to be reckoned with. Once the charge of seizing military power with the intention of rebellion is proven, that will be the end of the crown prince.

Even after the crown prince was eliminated, the second prince was still the best candidate to become the new crown prince.

Is Xiao Yuncong crazy? With his own side having the upper hand, he actually took the blame and submitted to the Crown Prince?

Emperor Yucheng's face also turned gloomy.

He thought he could just sit on the mountain and watch the fight between the tigers, let them fight, and he only needed to make the final decision, rewarding those who deserved reward and punishing those who deserved punishment.

Who knew that there wouldn't be a fight? If he had known that his second son was so weak, he should have sent someone to assassinate him on the road, at least he could have confirmed the prince's guilt!

Only then did Xiao Yunshuo slowly kneel down and said, "Father, the military situation was critical at the time. The Northern Rong army was eyeing us covetously, and could have breached Yanmen Pass at any moment. I was acting swiftly and had no time to report this matter to you, Your Majesty. That's why I had no choice but to accept my second brother's proposal. Father, if you want to punish me, please punish me, and don't blame my second brother. My second brother's contribution was also crucial in my victory over the Northern Rong this time!"

Without waiting for Emperor Yucheng to speak, the military generals who had entered the capital with Xiao Yunshuo, as well as some court officials who had changed their ways after hearing that the prince was still alive, all knelt down and begged for mercy.

"Your Majesty, this devastating defeat of the Northern Rong, which angered their Khan to death and caused internal strife between the two Northern Rong princes, all depended on the decisions and strategies of the two princes. The Crown Prince and the Second Prince both took great credit for their contributions. If you don't reward them for their merits, and instead punish them, I'm afraid you'll be criticized and discredited by the world. Your Majesty, please reconsider your decision!"

"Your Majesty, as the saying goes, a general on the battlefield is subject to military orders. Your Highness the Crown Prince and Your Highness the Second Prince were forced to act, so it can't really be considered disobeying an imperial decree..."

Emperor Yucheng's expression became increasingly grim.

Most of the people kneeling in the court were ministers who agreed that the prince was not guilty. Among them were some who had once stood on the side of the second prince or the sixth prince. They were gloomy in their hearts and thought about it again, or they could just go their own way and directly order the death penalty for Xiao Yunshuo.

no.

The prince returned to the court in triumph with an army of 100,000, but to put it another way, he led the army to "clear the court" and force the emperor to abdicate!

Although these 100,000 troops are nominally Dayu's army, they should obey him as the emperor.

But... once he orders the crown prince to be executed, the crown prince will never obey the order. At that time, it is hard to say whether these 100,000 troops will listen to him, the emperor, or to the crown prince!

He couldn't take this risk.

Emperor Yucheng took a deep breath, suppressed the gloom in his heart, and said, "That's enough. My dear ministers, there is no need to say more. The Crown Prince and Prince Rui responded swiftly and drove away the Northern Rong, protecting the safety of our Great Yu and the people. Their contribution is great and they deserve to be rewarded! No one is allowed to mention the matter of the tiger talisman again!"

This was the final verdict. After the ministers in the court looked at each other, they all knelt down and shouted "Long live the wise emperor."

Next came the rewarding of merit. The Crown Prince recommended Mu Xuan and other brave soldiers, and Emperor Yucheng rewarded them one by one. Even the Second Prince, Xiao Yuncong, received a reward, with an additional 10% on top of his original annual salary as Prince Rui.

When they reached the Crown Prince, before Emperor Yucheng could speak, Xiao Yunshuo spoke first: "Father, as Crown Prince Dayu, I have bravely led the troops to kill the enemy. This is my duty. I dare not accept any reward. However, I have a humble request, and I hope your grace will grant it."

Emperor Yucheng said calmly, "Prince, please feel free to speak."

Xiao Yunshuo then spoke, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, your Ninth Brother, and your Crown Princess have also returned to the capital with me this time. Previously, they were implicated in my false accusation of treason and exiled to Youzhou. Although Your Majesty later requested not to return to the palace, your Ninth Brother and the Crown Princess have done absolutely nothing wrong throughout. Furthermore, your Majesty's appearance has now been restored. Therefore, I request that Your Majesty restore their titles and welcome them back to the palace!"

There was nothing wrong with this statement, and Emperor Yucheng was indifferent to it. What he feared most was his son, whose achievements surpassed his own. Qin Mengyue was simple-minded, and the Crown Princess had done a lot, and was highly respected by the people of Dayu. But after all, she was just a woman, and there was nothing to be afraid of. Therefore, he was about to agree -

Unexpectedly, Prime Minister Zhao suddenly stepped out again and said, "Your Majesty, I think this is inappropriate. The Empress said her appearance was ruined and she didn't want to return to the palace. Now she's asking to return. If the world knew that the Queen Mother Dayu's face was completely ruined, wouldn't it be a disgrace to the state? As for the Crown Princess, I heard that she was married for the second time to an ordinary merchant. How can she still be qualified to be the Crown Princess?"

His son died at the hands of Xiao Yunshuo. Even if the Second Prince was timid and didn't dare to fight, he would never give up!

As long as the queen does not return to the palace, his daughter, Concubine Zhao, still has the hope of becoming the queen. Even if Xiao Yuncong is not up to the task, he can let Concubine Zhao give birth to a little prince, who will be the queen's legitimate son, and he will assist that one!

Xiao Yunshuo glanced at Prime Minister Zhao calmly and said:

"Father, the Queen Mother was injured by the plague that day, and her face was indeed destroyed. But she has received treatment since then, and her face has long recovered. If Prime Minister Zhao is worried that the Queen Mother's ugly appearance will harm the state, then there is no need to worry. As for the Crown Princess's second marriage, I was ambushed and seriously injured. I fell off a cliff, hit my head, and lost my memory. Fortunately, I was rescued by a passing merchant. Seeing that I was about the same age as his son who died early, he recognized me as his godson and passed on his wealth to me. It was also God's will that by chance, I settled in the village where my mother and the Crown Princess were exiled. "My mother and the Crown Princess recognized me, but feared a plot against me, and since my memory hadn't yet recovered, they continued to conceal my identity and allowed the Crown Princess to marry me a second time. It wasn't until recently, under the Crown Princess's care, that I regained my memory. I had originally intended to return to the palace to meet my father, but the Northern Rong army suddenly attacked from the south. I had no choice but to abandon my plans and head directly for Yanmen Pass... So, Prime Minister Zhao's claim of the Crown Princess marrying a second time was essentially a 'second marriage' to me. What's wrong with restoring her title as Crown Princess?"

Upon hearing this, Prime Minister Zhao's eyes flashed with a sinister glint. He said, "Your Majesty, I heard that the Empress and the Crown Princess were once taken hostage by the Second Prince of Beirong. In the hands of the enemy, their innocence..."

Before he could finish his words, Xiao Yunshuo shouted coldly, "Prime Minister Zhao!"

His scolding was filled with the hostility of a superior and had the deterrent power of an emperor's wrath. Even though Prime Minister Zhao had been in officialdom for many years, he was so frightened that he couldn't help but shiver.

"My mother, the Crown Princess, and the Ninth Prince have been with me in the Dayu Army the entire time. How could they have been taken hostage by the Northern Rong? The Crown Princess even used her medical skills to treat many injured soldiers, as many in the army can attest! Where did you hear this rumor, Prime Minister Zhao? In front of my father and all the court officials, you actually lied and tarnished the reputations of my mother and the Crown Princess. I no longer want Prime Minister Zhao's head!"

Hearing this, Prime Minister Zhao fell to his knees with a thud and hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, I have absolutely no such intention..."

"Enough!" Emperor Yucheng waved his sleeves and said impatiently, "Zhao Xin is lying. Starting today, he will be confined to reflect on his mistakes for a month. As for bringing the Empress and the Ninth Prince's Crown Princess into the palace and restoring their titles, issue an order to do so."

If Qin Mengyue returns to the palace, perhaps she can be used for some purpose.

Moreover, the palace was within his sphere of power as the emperor. Being under his control would make it easier to deal with and avoid any loopholes slipping through the net.

Especially the Crown Princess, who has been with the Crown Prince for more than a year.

If she were pregnant now, and we kept her outside the palace, if something happened and she cleverly escaped, there would be trouble in the future!

The imperial edict was quickly delivered to the prince's villa. After Qin Mengyue, Shen Fenghe and others received the edict, the palace ladies and maids who had accompanied them immediately dressed up, put on the standard attire of the empress and the crown princess, and rode the phoenix chariot into the palace.

At the palace gate, all the concubines, female officials, eunuchs and palace maids knelt on the ground to welcome the Queen and the Crown Princess back to the palace.

Qin Mengyue had experienced this kind of treatment when she followed Emperor Yu Cheng from the Prince's Mansion to the Imperial Palace. At that time, she was still a young girl, her heart full of happiness and glory.

However, at this moment, she had already learned the true face of Emperor Yucheng, and she felt that all this was so ironic.

If it weren't for Xiao Yunshuo, she would never set foot in the palace again in her life!

Qin Mengyue looked absentmindedly at the kneeling concubines below. Concubine Zhao happened to raise her head slightly and glance at her, her eyes full of unwillingness and resentment. When she found that Qin Mengyue was also looking at her, she quickly lowered her head.

Qin Mengyue just found her "disrespect" funny.

However, from Concubine Zhao's perspective, she was indeed dissatisfied. If she was not welcomed back to the palace, then Concubine Zhao would most likely be the next empress. How could Concubine Zhao not resent it?

Chen Fenghe entered the palace again, but she was more excited than happy. In fact, her emotion was mixed with sadness.

Think about it, when she first came through, she was a woman trapped within these high palace walls. Although she had a noble status, it could not change the fact that she had lost her freedom.

Later, he was exiled from the palace and experienced so many things. But the 'reward' he finally got was nothing more than returning to this cage surrounded by high palace walls?

Chen Fenghe was thinking about Xiao Yunshuo's voice, appearance and smile.

She had married him twice, and they had lived together day and night, and had experienced every moment together. She became more and more certain that he was indeed a man worthy of her love.

However, no matter how much she loved him, she was still unwilling to give up her freedom and be trapped with him within these palace walls...

Now that he has returned to the palace, how much time do the two of them have left to spend together?

The phoenix sedan chair quickly entered the palace. Qin Mengyue, Chen Fenghe and Xiao Yunhao thanked Emperor Yucheng for his decree and then returned to their respective bedrooms.

Next, of course, the concubines from each palace went to the Queen's Palace to pay their respects. There were also many people from Chen Fenghe's side who came to get close to her. The two were so busy that they couldn't even eat a bite of food.

After a long and peaceful day, the palace lights were lit and everyone in the palace came for dinner.

Qin Mengyue had no appetite, but she was afraid that Xiao Yunshuo would worry, so she forced herself to eat a little.

While they were eating, the eunuchs and maids from the palace suddenly came in hurriedly and announced, "Empress, the Emperor has arrived!"

This was also expected. Qin Mengyue frowned almost inaudibly, then put down the carved silver chopsticks, tidied her appearance, and went outside the palace to greet him.

Emperor Yucheng personally helped her up and held her hand as they walked in, smiling gently as he said, "The Queen has suffered a lot these days. Whenever I think of her, I feel so miserable that I can't sleep. Fortunately, all the misunderstandings and grievances have been resolved. From now on, I will never let the Queen suffer even a little bit!"

Qin Mengyue resisted the urge to pull her hand back and slap him twice more. She smiled and said, "Your Majesty, you are too kind. Your Majesty has already vindicated the Crown Prince. It was I who felt my appearance was ruined and dared not return to the palace to disturb His Majesty. It has nothing to do with Your Majesty..."

How dare he?!

He could ruthlessly plot against and slander her father, brother, and even their own son, but now he dared to show his deep love in front of her?

Emperor Yucheng looked at her carefully and found that her face was no different from what he remembered. In fact, after suffering outside the palace for more than two years, she had gained a bit more mature charm, which made him feel itchy in his heart.

If she hadn't given birth to a child like Xiao Yunshuo who overshadowed him, causing him to be unhappy and wary all the time, he would have favored her more.

The two of them sat down and ate a few dishes. Then Emperor Yucheng said, "Empress, it's getting late. You should go to bed early."

Qin Mengyue suddenly stood up and knelt, saying, "Your Majesty, I have been unwell these days and have disturbed your Majesty's interest. Please forgive me!"

When Emperor Yucheng heard this, a look of displeasure flashed across his face.

But he quickly covered it up and said with a smile, "Quickly, Queen, please get up. I was inconsiderate. I've been separated from you for so long and miss you so much that I can't wait any longer. In that case, I'll wait until you're relieved before I come."

After saying that, he sat for a while before leaving.

After he left, Qin Mengyue's gentle smile faded away, leaving only coldness in her eyes.

The next half month was filled with celebration banquets held in the court to reward the military commanders who had achieved military merit, and officials who tried to find ways to find out about the Crown Prince and the palace. In addition, Prime Minister Zhao and the Sixth Prince's party were unwilling to give in and were secretly plotting mischief. All of these were resolved one by one by Xiao Yunshuo.

In addition, Xie Gao and a number of ministers who had been unjustly exiled were reinstated at the prince's suggestion.

Xiao Yunshuo was very busy, as if he always had endless people to meet and endless things to talk about. Chen Fenghe and Qin Mengyue were not idle either. The wives of the noble families and ministers in the capital came to the palace to pay their respects. Some of them even brought their unmarried daughters with them, saying that they came to the palace to participate in flower viewing and poetry gatherings with the princesses. In fact, they were all preparing for the selection of concubines after the prince ascended the throne.

Qin Mengyue was naturally happy to see this happen.

Since ancient times, the concubines in the harem have always been an inseparable whole from the court. The emperor married the daughters of powerful ministers and generals as concubines in order to win over and balance the power of various parties in the court. This is the most basic operation.

Qin Mengyue herself was chosen as the imperial concubine because of this, and her son would naturally be chosen in the same way.

Chen Fenghe had been mentally prepared, but looking at the waves of plump and thin women entering the palace, she couldn't help but feel a little... jealous.

Surely one of these girls would enter the palace someday? Xiao Yunshuo would be as gentle and loving as he was with her, coaxing and pampering them, and bearing children with them, right?

Realizing what he was thinking, Chen Fenghe quickly shook his head, shaking off these disturbing thoughts.

She was leaving anyway, so how he treated other women had nothing to do with her anymore, right?

"What are you thinking about?" Xiao Yunshuo's voice suddenly sounded.

Chen Fenghe was startled and said with a smile: "Why did your highness come back at this time?"

Xiao Yunshuo let the eunuchs take off his outer coat while he smiled and said, "I have some free time. I was worried that you would be bored in the palace, so I came back to visit."

Chen Fenghe pursed her lips and smiled, saying, "Your Highness, aren't you afraid that others will say I'm misleading the Lord?"

Ever since the Crown Prince returned to the palace, rumors about the Crown Princess Chen Fenghe have been increasing little by little. Many of them said that she was a seductress who seduced the lord, or that she behaved improperly, or that she had been abducted by the Northern Rong and was no longer innocent, or that she had been married twice and was therefore fickle.

Xiao Yunshuo had clarified the matter of his second marriage, and he also covered up the fact that he was abducted by the Northern Rong.

However, rumors are just rumors because they ignore the facts and cannot be stopped no matter how hard we try.

Shen Fenghe was not surprised that these rumors appeared.

After all, when she married the prince, although she was not favored, she was still the legitimate daughter of the prime minister. Shen Shi'an was powerful in the court at that time, and she, the prince's consort, had such a family background, so she was naturally qualified to be the prince's consort.

But times have changed.

Shen Shi'an and the fifth prince were exposed, dismissed from office and exiled, and died miserably in exile.

Although she, the Crown Princess, had long ago severed ties with her scumbag father and drawn a clear line between them, in the eyes of the noble families in the capital, she and the Shen family were bound together, and they would prosper and suffer together.

Her current origin is that she is the daughter of a criminal.

The prince specially brought her, the crown princess, back to the palace because he took into account their old friendship.

But when the Crown Prince ascends the throne in the future and wants to appoint a queen, Chen Fenghe, the Crown Princess, will not be qualified at all.

How could the daughter of a traitorous official become the mother of the nation? Wouldn't that make her the target of ridicule and criticism?

These rumors and dirty talk nowadays are just a little foreplay, just a breeze.

In the future, there will be even more storms waiting for her.

When Xiao Yunshuo heard her half-jokingly mention those rumors and dirty talk, he felt pity and heartache.

He also knew a little about the rumors circulating among the ladies.

She has been really wronged these days.

She suffered such humiliation and injustice, but she still said it jokingly. She must be afraid that he would worry, so she pretended not to care in front of him.

"Speaking of this, I just have something to deal with. Come on, bring him in!" Xiao Yunshuo said.

Following his order, a group of more than a dozen eunuchs and palace maids were brought in and knelt on the ground. Each of them had a pale face and was trembling with fear.

Chen Fenghe took a quick look and found that they were all servants bribed by the noble families in Beijing to find out the news about the harem and spread some gossip.

Naturally, they had a lot of rumors about the Crown Princess.

Xiao Yunshuo said coldly, "These servants were found to have fabricated and spread rumors about the Crown Princess. They are extremely despicable! Come, take them all away and give them forty lashes of the cane. After that, the eunuchs will be sent to the Palace Supervisors and the palace maids to the Laundry Department. They will never be promoted!"

"Your Highness, please spare us! We servants know we are wrong!"

For a moment, there was crying and begging in the hall, but they were still dragged out by the eunuchs in charge of rewards and punishments.

Chen Fenghe felt warm in her heart.

She naturally knew what these people had done and what they had said behind her back. If she wanted to deal with them, it was not impossible, but she had to leave anyway, so there was no need to deal with them. On the contrary - with these rumors and foul language, it would be easier for Xiao Yunshuo to make other women the queen in the future, so she just let it go.

She didn't expect Xiao Yunshuo to personally deal with these people.

Although he regained his status as the crown prince and returned to the palace, how could Prime Minister Zhao, the Sixth Prince's party, or even Emperor Yucheng let it go?

Although the palace and the court seemed peaceful, the situation behind the scenes was actually as turbulent as the previous battle against the Northern Rong army.

Under such circumstances, he still took the time to pay attention to her affairs, which shows that he really cares about her.

"Your Highness..." Chen Fenghe called softly, her tone entwined with a lingering charm rarely seen before.

Xiao Yunshuo's heart turned around as if it was gently scratched by a feather.

Chen Fenghe's slender arms had already wrapped around his neck at the right time, her eyes full of spring, her eyes as charming as silk, she called out again: "Your Highness..."

If Xiao Yunshuo could still control himself at this moment, he would not be a man.

He stretched out his arms and suddenly wrapped his arms around Chen Fenghe's waist. He leaned over to her ear and bit her earlobe before saying with a smile, "Why don't you mind that it's still daytime?"

Chen Fenghe smiled slightly and whispered, "So what if it's during the day? I just want to indulge in lust in broad daylight and seduce my master!"