The emperor's face alternated between green, white, and black, and the variety of expressions made Zhou Siyu burst into laughter.

The Duke looked around and then calmly stood up. His sharp gaze seemed to pierce through the wooden planks behind the Emperor and land on the person behind them. "I don't know why the Third Prince wants to ruin Morde's reputation, but I must advise Your Majesty that the marriage alliance between our two countries is a matter of great importance and should not be taken lightly."

"At the same time, I would also like to take this opportunity to relay to the Third Prince the exact words that Morde asked me to convey," the Duke cleared his throat and said loudly, "Fortunate to have received your favor, yet our fate is shallow. May you live out your remaining years in peace, and may you each marry and find your own happiness. May you grow old together, and never meet again."

After saying this, the Duke casually tossed the handkerchief onto the necklace on the ground, clapped his hands, and said, "Your Majesty, may I leave now?"

The nobles and the royal family had been at odds for many years, and as the leader of the nobles, he had to take a tough stance.

The royal family wants to stigmatize the Mekalou family for premarital adultery, and he will never allow such a thing to happen.

"Mekalu! Do you really think I wouldn't dare to touch you?"

The second prince slammed his hand on the armrest, stood up, and blocked Duke Meccalu's path. "The evidence is overwhelming. What proof do you have that the person last night wasn't Mord?"

"What evidence does Your Highness have to prove that this necklace is not an attempt to annul the engagement?" Duke Mekalu raised a finger slightly, signaling the nobles not to act rashly. He elegantly tossed his hair, turned to look at the Emperor, and said, "For the sake of peace between the two countries of Etolan and Nuolan, Morde abandoned the lover he had protected for many years. The Mekalu family has lost all face. What else does Your Majesty want from me?"

Duke Mekalu tapped his leg with his cane: "I gave a leg to the Empire and the Royal Family. My son has shed blood for the Empire. He cannot lose a leg like me. As his father, I will not let him be paralyzed."

Bloodline and honor are said to be the two legs that carry a noble family, and once Moud put on the label of adultery, he could never take it off.

After saying this, Duke Meccalu pushed aside the second prince, leaned on his cane, and left. The other nobles also took their leave.

The emperor turned and left, leaving only the eldest prince and the second prince in the huge meeting hall.

The eldest prince picked up the necklace from the ground, thought for a moment, and then chased after the Duke of Meccalous, catching up with him at the carriage and horse track.

"Your Grace, please wait." The eldest prince caught up with Duke Mekalu and took out the necklace: "Lan Que was at fault in this matter, and I apologize to you on his behalf."

"He shouldn't apologize to me, he should apologize to Morde." Duke Meccalu looked at the necklace and sneered, "What does Your Highness mean by this?"

"Perhaps you should ask Morde what he thinks first," the First Prince coaxed. "I don't believe he would agree to let Lan Que go for the marriage alliance. Their marriage has already been arranged; only the wedding ceremony is missing. Whether they have relations sooner or later won't make a difference..."

"Your Highness seems to have forgotten that Crown Prince Nulan has already entered the palace, and the Third Prince and Mord's relationship is over." Duke Mekalu looked at the necklace, scoffed, and said bluntly, "Besides, what makes Your Highness believe that Mord will insist on going his own way?"

"He was deeply devoted to Lan Que..."

"He is loyal to the empire, cares deeply for his soldiers, and is kind to the people. What makes you think that love is more important than anything else to him?" The Duke criticized the eldest prince mercilessly. "I don't object to young people pursuing love, but I object to their foolishness in disregarding everything and sacrificing themselves for love!"

The Crown Prince blushed, choked by the remark. Duke Mekalu took the necklace, glanced at the procession not far away, and couldn't help but remind him, "The Crown Prince of the Nuolan Empire has entered the palace. Your Highness should go and prepare to welcome him."

After saying that, he slowly added, "Instead of trying to persuade Morde to take the blame, Your Highness should think about how to keep this a secret. After all, if the Nuolan Empire knew that their Crown Princess was impure, they might do something."

“I will handle this matter myself, thank you for the reminder, sir.” The eldest prince nodded, looking earnestly at the duke, “Please, sir, be sure to give the necklace to Morde…”

"He will reply." The Duke waved his hand. "I hope the Crown Prince will handle this matter properly and give the Mekalou family an explanation as soon as possible. I also hope the Crown Prince will not disturb Mord and give him some breathing room."

If this was witnessed by Mrs. Buren, it would surely have spread throughout aristocratic circles by now, and, barring any unforeseen circumstances, Maud would have known the news before he returned home, along with various versions of the story.

Zhou Siyu was speechless. If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he would never have imagined that this person, who had told his own son to die last night, would break off relations with the emperor on the spot today.

Although it was still for profit, at least he didn't choose to swallow his anger.

After thinking it over, Zhou Siyu decided to go see the other party involved first. He also wanted to find out why that person knew about his existence.

As Zhou Siyu floated along slowly, she witnessed a breathtaking scene.

Lan Que crossed his arms, leaned against the wall of the bay window, and stared straight ahead, not even glancing at Lan Sai kneeling at his feet.

"Your Highness, you know how much I love you."

Lan Sai carefully observed Lan Que's expression. Although she had experienced it countless times, she still felt heartache.

Lan Que simply looked at him, his dark eyes devoid of joy or sorrow, like an ice sculpture.

"Your Highness, I beg you, please say something to me..."

Lan Sai reached out with trembling hands, grasped Lan Que's hand, and gently kissed the back of his hand.

Lan Que moved slightly but did not withdraw his hand. He simply lowered his eyes and quietly gazed at Lan Sai.

"Your Highness, I will take responsibility for you." Lan Sai's face lit up with joy as he said eagerly, "I'll go tell His Majesty that I was the one last night, and I will take responsibility for you..."

Lan Que pulled his hand away, grabbed Lan Sai's chin, his voice filled with barely concealed anger, his face filled with disdain: "A Saimu, what makes you think I would take a fancy to a lowly slave like you?"

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