Chapter 307: Willful Mischief

Mrs. Lin did not argue with the wife of Young Master Yan. After hearing this, she just smiled slightly and said nothing more.

Too much talk will lead to mistakes.

She is not Zhao Liya's biological mother or relative, but just an outsider. It is not good for her to help too much, otherwise people will have something to say.

Seeing that she was silent, Third Young Master Yan's wife snorted, as if punching cotton. "In short, let me tell you, it takes two to tango, and don't put everything on the Second Prince. The Second Prince is pure at heart, without the many twists and turns that others have. Who knows if he's fallen into someone's trap! Humph, besides, who can win a hunting bet with him? It's a joke! I'm just waiting for someone to lose and be ashamed!"

Mrs. Lin was too lazy to pay attention to her.

After hearing what Mrs. Lin said, the other ladies, who were all smart, kept silent, or pretended not to hear, or smiled and said nothing.

Otherwise, if the second prince wins, it will be fine, but if he loses, it will be embarrassing.

Somehow, the news of this bet reached the emperor's ears, and Zhao Xiang happened to be there when he was talking about it. This was a bit embarrassing.

The emperor was almost laughing out of anger, frowning and scolding: "What nonsense! How can you do such a ridiculous thing?"

The Second Prince's wife's father, the Minister of War, Lord Yang, along with the eldest son of the Yan family, the Junior Minister of the Supreme Court, and several other officials, were also accompanying the emperor. When they looked at each other, Lord Yan remarked, "Your Majesty is absolutely right. This is truly absurd! Even if it was a bet, how could they make such a huge bet? This doesn't sound like a legitimate bet. It's more like the jealousy of a willful and ignorant little girl!"

Among the three people who made the bet, only Zhao Liya is a woman. If this statement is not a veiled reference to Zhao Liya and an attempt to put the blame on her, how could it be otherwise?

Zhao Xiang was also angry when he heard about the bet. He was of course angry at the Second Prince, so he said, "Master Yan, do you think someone would bet their own engagement? We'll know the truth about this matter once they come and ask. Master Yan, be careful with your words and don't rush to speak."

Lord Yan sneered, "The Second Prince has always been filial and simple, not so devious! Does Lord Zhao think that this bet was proposed by the Second Prince?"

Zhao Xiang certainly thought so.

But I can't say it.

If this were to be told, the Emperor would definitely be unhappy.

You can't think about this problem for too long, otherwise you will just be criticizing the Second Prince in your heart but not daring to say it out loud. If someone tries to sow discord again, the Emperor will still be unhappy.

As soon as Lord Yan finished speaking, Zhao Xiang said, "I'm not as confident as Lord Yan, nor am I as certain of the results as Lord Yan based solely on my own speculation. Everything is still unknown. I reserve any opinion and will only make a judgment after knowing the full picture and seeing the truth. Perhaps there is some reason or misunderstanding!"

Lord Yan glared angrily. What kind of bullshit is this? Isn't it the same as saying nothing after talking for so long?

"Lord Zhao is right," the emperor nodded, agreeing fully with what Zhao Xiang said. He stroked his beard and laughed heartily, "As expected of Lord Zhao, you are thoughtful, impartial, and of high moral character. It is a blessing for the Qin Empire and for me to have a minister like Lord Zhao! Hahahaha!"

Zhao Xiang bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I am deeply ashamed to accept your praise. Loyalty to the Great Qin and to Your Majesty is my duty."

"Hahahaha!" The emperor became even happier after hearing this.

Lord Yang and Lord Yan exchanged glances, feeling almost suffocated and angry! Zhao Xiang used to be a piece of stinky stone, smelly and hard, very annoying, but he was unexpectedly even more hateful now.

Lord Yan was furious and jealous, and the more he looked at Zhao Xiang, the more he disliked him! In his rage, he couldn't help but blurt out, "Lord Zhao is a good man. He is not only loyal to the Qin Dynasty and the Emperor, but he should also be loyal to our Crown Prince!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the whole place fell silent. Those with lower official positions, those who were not favored or respected by the emperor, lowered their heads and wanted to shrink back even more, trying to reduce their presence.

Lord Yan immediately regretted and felt annoyed as soon as he said that!

His original intention was to remind the emperor that no matter how good Zhao Xiang was, he was still the prince's man, and he was against the second prince. Since the emperor valued the second prince and wanted to pass the throne to the second prince, he should distance himself from Zhao Xiang, be wary of Zhao Xiang, and absolutely not give him any decent honors.

But he forgot that mentioning the prince in front of the emperor was a taboo.

And for him to bring it up in front of Zhao Xiang on purpose, isn't that a blatant attempt to deceive people?

He only hoped that Zhao Xiang would respond with a firm tone, "I am loyal to the Crown Prince. What's wrong with that?"

In this way, the emperor would most likely transfer his anger to Zhao Xiang, and he could get away with it perfectly.

In the past, he would have most likely succeeded. At that time, Zhao Xiang believed that he was open-minded, selfless, and upright. He would not mind saying such things at all. When it was time to say something, he would say it without any hesitation.

But Zhao Xiang is different now.

So he did not respond to Lord Yan's words, but looked at him with a cold and expressionless face.

The emperor became angry and his face darkened.

He dotes on the Second Prince and Imperial Concubine Yan, but that doesn't mean he will indulge everyone in the Yan family without any bottom line. Yan Shaoqing dares to be so blatant in front of him, what does he want to do?

In other words, what did he think of himself as the emperor?

Do you think it's a knife in his hand? He tries to instigate whoever he wants to deal with in front of me?

What outcome did he want to see? Did he want to see him, the emperor, severely punish Zhao Aiqing? How had Zhao Aiqing been a hindrance to him? Yes, Zhao Aiqing had not agreed with him just now, so he was resentful of her?

Zhao Xiang hesitated to speak, and Lord Yan's hope was dashed. As the emperor's face became increasingly unsightly, he finally knelt down with a plop: "Your Majesty, please forgive me! I, your Majesty, have spoken out of turn. Please forgive me!"

"Slip of the tongue?" The emperor couldn't help but repeat the two words, feeling a little dazed.

What was the gaffe? Was it because he mentioned the crown prince?

At this moment, the emperor inexplicably felt a rare complex emotion in his heart, and he softened his heart a little towards the prince, whom he had always disliked.

He disliked the crown prince and wanted to pass the throne to his second son, but he never thought of killing the crown prince. After all, he was his son. No matter how much he disliked him, he was still his blood. As his father, he could despise him, but why should others look down on him?

The more the emperor thought about it, the angrier he became.

When he spoke again, the emperor's tone was filled with indifference. "You are the Junior Secretary of the Dali Temple. You have served for many years, but you can't even control your mouth. I don't even bother to say you are derelict in your duty! I think this position of Junior Secretary of the Dali Temple is not suitable for you. You should go back and study behind closed doors and reflect on your mistakes! I decree that Junior Secretary Yan Qi of the Dali Temple be dismissed from office with immediate effect. He must return to his residence and study behind closed doors to see what happens next!"

(End of this chapter)