Chapter 84: Shelter. Then you must protect me and don’t let your brothers…

Pei Ji entered the palace with a small blush on his chin.

Although she had known what the Fourth Prince had done for a long time, she pretended to know nothing after entering the palace. She hurried to the meeting hall and pretended to be loyal and willing to devote herself to Tianqi.

The Fourth Prince was indeed the crown prince that Emperor An secretly wanted to cultivate, and he was flawless in everything he did.

Not only did he not choose to report the matter to Emperor An himself, he also completely exonerated himself and asked the deceased's fiancé to file a complaint to the emperor. Although it was not as serious as beating the drum to report to the emperor, filing a complaint to the emperor would still be punishable, which shows that the fiancé was determined.

Such people will hold on to the other party tightly once they learn the truth. They are indeed a very useful dagger.

When he arrived at the council hall, Pei Ji saw a mass of filth in front of the hall. When he walked closer, he realized that the man was probably the one who had filed a complaint with the emperor. He had been punished and was waiting to be summoned by Emperor An.

Looking at the other person's miserable appearance, he couldn't help but think of He Zhiliao beating the drum to report the incident in his previous life. Although he had never seen it with his own eyes, he knew about the other person's miserable condition later on.

If he doesn't die, he will become disabled.

"Master Pei is here! Please come in quickly! His Majesty is furious and has already sent for the Crown Prince." Peng Tongmin quickly recounted the entire matter in detail. "I'm afraid this won't end well."

Pei Ji whispered his thanks: "Thank you, Eunuch Peng."

Peng Tongmin didn't say anything more and invited him in.

Pei Ji walked in slowly, not forgetting to look up at Emperor An's expression. Seeing that he had an expressionless face and lowered brows, he knew that he was suppressing his anger.

He was completely relieved.

"Your humble servant pays respect to Your Majesty."

Pei Ji spoke for a long time before Emperor An came to his senses and asked him to stand up. He looked at Pei Ji's respectful look and could not understand why his descendants could not be like him.

"You came at the right time. I believe you already know what it is. What do you think?" Emperor An's voice was full of fatigue.

His health has been getting worse over the past two years. The more anxious he is to recover, the more trouble the princes cause him. It would be fine if the royal struggle was only internal, but if it spreads outside and makes the people terrified and laugh at him, it must be dealt with.

He couldn't imagine what would happen to Tianqi if he really died one day. Would he just let these unfilial descendants mess up Tianqi?

He can't die!

Pei Ji was also a little surprised. Such a big matter should be discussed with the old ministers, or scolded by the censors, but not questioned by him.

"I think the prince is just a little obsessed with women. If he is disciplined strictly, he will not make mistakes again." Pei Ji brought out what Emperor An had said before.

Wasn't that what Emperor An said when he knew clearly that the Crown Prince was indulging in brothels? He didn't make it public or take any action for the sake of the royal family's reputation. Now he has caused him an even bigger trouble. Isn't it all because of Emperor An's indulgence?

The child died and knew about milk, what could have been done earlier?

Pei Ji was full of complaints in his heart, but he remained respectful on the surface, pretending to have sincere intentions.

Emperor An was obviously thinking of what he had said before, and when Pei Ji suddenly mentioned it, his anger burned even more fiercely.

"I will never tolerate this matter again. Bring that man in!" Emperor An said in a deep voice.

The imperial guards immediately brought the man outside in. He was wearing coarse linen clothes, which were now soaked with blood and gave off a strong fishy smell, like a piece of rotten meat.

Disgusting and pathetic.

Emperor An had obviously smelled the scent as well. He frowned calmly and asked, "Why are you here to file a complaint with the Emperor?"

"My fiancée...was taken away by the Crown Prince. I beg...Your Majesty, please make the decision..."

He curled up on the ground, his voice hoarse from excessive torture, and even his throat had a faint fishy smell, as if he could vomit blood at any time.

Pei Ji lowered his eyes to look at him. He Zhiliao must have been begging in the same way at that time, wanting Emperor An to make the decision. Emperor An, knowing that the Pei family was wrongly accused, was willing to let him go so that he would not be implicated and could gain a good reputation.

To be honest, I can only say that Your Majesty is kind and has not killed all of them.

"Do you have any evidence?" Emperor An asked again.

"Evidence...here, there is..." He said as he took out a stack of slightly bloodstained papers from his chest with trembling and blood-swollen hands.

Peng Tongmin immediately stepped forward to take it, wiped the blood stains on it with his sleeve, and then handed the paper over.

It clearly records when and where the prince abducted his fiancée, how many people had secretly witnessed it, and that his fiancée might have died long ago, or even her body might have been destroyed.

Pei Ji lowered his eyes. The Fourth Prince had indeed made sufficient preparations. He must have made a lot of arrangements inside, otherwise these evidences would have been taken away when he was imprisoned.

The Fourth Prince's actions were ruthless, but he actually did a good deed for this man. If he didn't want to arouse Emperor An's suspicion, he would have done it himself to demonstrate his benevolence and kindness as a prince.

"Your Majesty, the prince has arrived."

"Bring him in!" Emperor An said angrily, and even the prince outside could hear the anger in his words.

The prince was naturally panicked, but he only needed to deny the matter. After all, he was the prince, and he didn't believe that his father would not protect him but listen to the words of a commoner!

As soon as the prince entered the palace, he knelt down and apologized, "Father, I admit my fault. It's all my fault for misbehaving. These people deliberately framed me!"

Emperor An narrowed his eyes, "What does this mean?"

The prince continued, "I have indeed been a bit obsessed with beautiful women lately, which is why these people keep trying to blackmail me, even asking for money. As the crown prince, I naturally cannot be threatened by them. I never thought they would frame me like this!"

When these words were spoken, even Pei Ji was shocked.

He could have just denied it, there was no need to say this, it was so fake, he really was like an idiot.

Peng Tongmin, who was standing by, closed his eyes and carefully watched Emperor An's expression, fearing that he would suddenly get angry and drag the prince away.

"Ridiculous!" Emperor An suddenly slammed the table and roared, "I allowed you to speak so I could give you a chance to admit your mistakes, and yet you babbled nonsense like this!

Who would be so fearless as to threaten the crown prince?

Even if you were to pay a hundred taels of silver, you might not even be able to spend it alive!

Moreover, how could Emperor An not know the personalities of his princes? They usually pretend to be good in front of him, but who knows how arrogant and domineering they are behind his back. They can even say such shameless words, which is really laughable!

"Father, I didn't do that. This is all a misunderstanding! I really didn't force his fiancée. She seduced me!" The prince looked down at the man with a serious expression, his eyes filled with anger at being falsely accused. "Why are you slandering me like this? Who ordered you to do this?"

After these words were spoken, Pei Ji raised his eyebrows slightly and looked at Emperor An silently. He saw that his expression also eased a little, as if he was thinking that the princes were still fighting and it was common for them to harm each other.

Seeing that Emperor An was about to give in, Pei Ji frowned and said, "Your Majesty, the Crown Prince is right. This matter must be thoroughly investigated. If ignorant commoners dare to threaten the prince, wouldn't it be ridiculed by the court officials and the people if it gets out?"

Emperor An nodded slightly, "What do you think?"

"This matter involves the reputation of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and the imperial family. If we want to clear His Royal Highness' name, we must be extremely thorough. Since this person claims to have evidence proving that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince stole his fiancée, why not search the Crown Prince's residence?" Pei Ji said, "If we don't find any evidence of guilt, His Royal Highness' name will naturally be cleared."

And if they could find it, the prince's situation would be a hundred times worse than it is now.

The prince panicked instantly. He frowned and said, "How can you search my residence at will?"

"Your Majesty, I believe that Your Majesty sent people to search Your Highness's mansion, firstly to clear Your Highness's name, and secondly to tell the people of the world that you are a wise monarch who will never be partial or abuse the law!" Pei Ji said this in a resounding voice. No one would not care about his own reputation, and Emperor An was even more so.

Sure enough, after hearing what Pei Ji said, Emperor An stopped trying to stop him and immediately ordered Pei Ji to personally lead the guards to the Prince's Mansion.

Pei Ji was unwilling to do so, and even said something particularly harsh, "Your Highness and I have an old grudge, so it's better for me not to get involved in this matter, lest if something is found out, Your Highness will accuse me of conspiracy."

Emperor An frowned, "I allow you to go, let's see who dares to talk nonsense!"

"I obey your order." Pei Ji immediately responded.

Pei Ji immediately left the palace with a team of imperial guards. Although he and the Fourth Prince had never colluded with each other, they had the same idea of ​​bringing down the Crown Prince, and they could actually cooperate somewhat.

The Fourth Prince secretly sent people to keep an eye on things, but he was completely relieved when he learned that it was Pei Ji who led people to search the Prince's Mansion, because he knew that Pei Ji had a grudge against the Prince, and he would not let go of any clues he could find.

Pei Ji led his men through the crowd of people and arrived at the Prince's Mansion, leaving the people watching outside.

"Master Pei, what are you doing?" Meng Wanxin hurried out and saw Pei Ji there. She immediately got angry and said, "Who gave you the courage to act so wildly?"

Pei Ji raised his eyebrows slightly, "I have been ordered to lead the imperial guards to thoroughly investigate the Crown Prince's abduction of a commoner girl. If the Crown Princess interferes, then we will have to report to His Majesty."

Only then did Meng Wanxin realize that the guards were wearing yellow jackets. She was afraid that it would bring trouble to herself and Shangshu Meng's mansion, so she stopped making trouble and turned aside to let them in.

Pei Ji raised his hand to signal the guards to investigate thoroughly, while he strolled leisurely in the Prince's Mansion as if he was walking in his own garden.

He knew that no matter how the guards searched, they would not find anything wrong in the Prince's Mansion because it was spotless.

But that doesn't mean the prince is clean.

He walked slowly to a courtyard wall, which had obvious signs of repairs. Emperor An had scolded the prince for breaking through the marquis's mansion next door, and the prince had ordered people to repair it.

If you don't look carefully, you might get away with it.

"What are you looking for? What did the prince do wrong?" Meng Wanxin followed Pei Ji, completely confused as to what had happened in the mansion. Why did His Majesty send people to search out of the blue?

"You'll know later." Pei Ji was too lazy to talk to her, and didn't even want to look at her.

Meng Wanxin felt humiliated, but she had to continue following him, as if she was afraid that he would really find something during the search, or as if she was afraid that he would do something secretly.

"Master Pei, nothing was found!"

Soon the guards ran up to him and informed him of the results of the search.

Pei Ji chuckled, "That's right, let's go check here."

The guards looked at the wall in front of them with some suspicion. Not to mention that it was a wall, even if it was an open door, they could not search the abandoned marquis's mansion that was collected into the national treasury without the emperor's instructions.

Pei Ji tilted his head to look at them and said, "Go ahead and investigate. Your Majesty, I will naturally have something to say."

"How do we get through this?" After hearing what he said, the guards no longer considered the issue of conviction, but thought about how to get over it.

"Of course it's not a big deal." Pei Ji said as he gently pushed the wall. The wall, which was originally beautifully built with bricks, collapsed with just a push. "Go search now."

"yes!"

Meng Wanxin saw this scene, her eyes widened in disbelief, "What's going on? How could the wall become like this?"

Pei Ji glanced sideways, "You really don't know?"

Meng Wanxin frowned slightly, revealing her arrogance and condescension. She looked at Pei Ji with displeasure, "Pei Ji, even if you followed my father's orders, you shouldn't speak to me like this!"

"Oh, so what?" Pei Ji was too lazy to deal with her and walked into the abandoned marquis's mansion.

This Marquis' Mansion had been cleaned up by the Prince's Mansion before. Even after some time had passed, it was still clean, but too clean and tidy.

The guards began to search the mansion as soon as they entered it. However, they did not dare to mess up the things in the mansion, so the search was not difficult.

When they searched the last room, the guards were still complaining in their hearts. If they really didn't find anything, they would probably be reprimanded by Emperor An for trespassing in here.

When they pushed open the door of the compartment, a strange fragrance rushed into their noses, making them sneeze continuously. The fragrance was a bit too strong.

"The fragrance is very strange." Pei Ji's eyes swept across the wing room. It was spacious and empty, but the presence of such a strong fragrance was strange. He walked to the bed and gently kicked the edge. A hollow voice rang out, "Under the bed."

The guards immediately lifted the bed, and the exposed ground was obviously different. They immediately broke it open, revealing a fairly spacious passage.

The further down I went, the more uncomfortable I felt. The fragrance gradually dissipated, and what followed was a familiar smell of blood, mixed with an indescribable fishy smell.

They all more or less guessed something, and when they saw the scene with their own eyes, those guards who were used to it actually tilted their heads, covered their mouths and noses, and began to retch.

Pei Ji frowned and pulled the cloth beside him to cover the dying girl. It didn't matter what she did in the future, but now he needed her to be alive.

"Send her to the nearest clinic immediately. Do not reveal her identity or appearance. Do not let anyone see her." Pei Ji reminded in a deep voice, "Return to the palace now."

"yes!"

Rumors are just rumors.

The people would not really disrespect the prince just because of a few rumors, and they would not dare to throw rotten vegetable leaves at him like in the storybooks.

But if the rumors become true, they will naturally find it unacceptable.

The rich and powerful looked down on the common people, that was fine, but how could they hide and torture the girls from ordinary families? Wasn't it obvious that they didn't treat the common people as human beings?

As soon as Pei Ji and his men walked away, the people immediately started to make a commotion, all of which were insults and accusations against the prince.

Pei Ji returned to the palace and asked the imperial guards to tell the emperor everything they had seen. The more the guards spoke, the uglier Emperor An's face became, and the more frightened the prince became.

This matter was no trivial matter in the first place, and now it has caused a sensation and is known to everyone. How will the people view their royal family?

"Your Majesty, now that the matter has been clarified, should we send this person to recuperate? His fiancée has also been sent to the clinic for treatment." Pei Ji reminded softly.

Everyone has been rescued, but if someone still dies, then this matter will be meaningless.

Upon hearing this, Emperor An quickly ordered people to carry the man to the Imperial Hospital and ask the imperial physician to treat him. It was his blessing.

The prince knelt on the ground and begged for mercy, "Father, please spare my life. I know I was wrong. Please forgive me!"

"Forgive? How can I explain this to the people! You have done such a heinous thing and yet you still want to ask for forgiveness! How could I have a son like you!" Emperor An roared, and his hand that was slamming the table touched the inkstone on the table. He picked it up and threw it at the prince.

Who dares to hide when His Majesty is angry? The inkstone hit the prince's forehead squarely, and blood mixed with cinnabar slid down, instantly staining the conference hall.

The prince could not say anything else but kept begging for mercy and forgiveness, but he did not know that Emperor An had long been tired of hearing his repetitive words and his patience with him was gradually running out.

He didn't understand. With his status, he was just playing with a few women. If he couldn't even do that at will, then what was the fun of being in a high position?

He openly confessed his guilt, but in fact he didn't know where he went wrong.

Emperor An lowered his eyes and looked at him, his eyes full of disappointment and helplessness. If such a person were to inherit the throne in the future, Tianqi would probably not be able to survive for more than a hundred years under his rule.

"You should go back home first." Emperor An said in a deep voice.

"Father?" The prince's face lit up with joy. He was allowed to go back just like that. Didn't that mean he was forgiving him?

Emperor An was too lazy to say anything more. "You go back first. We will discuss this matter later."

"Yes! Thank you, father!" The prince left happily, but he didn't know that Emperor An had already planned to give up on him completely.

Seeing that he was no longer needed, Pei Ji prepared to leave the palace, "Your Majesty, if there is nothing else, I will take my leave."

Emperor An glanced at him and said, "You stay. Peng Tongmin, please convey my order and summon those old ministers into the palace."

"yes."

Not only Pei Ji, but other court officials also had a vague idea of ​​something. They were all dissatisfied with the prince's actions. Some old officials were so angry that even Emperor An couldn't persuade them and could only listen silently.

It was obvious that Emperor An wanted to depose the crown prince. When he appointed the crown prince, he called all these old ministers into the palace, and naturally he did the same when he deposed the crown prince.

The old ministers gathered together and understood the meaning without Emperor An saying much.

Even the old ministers who really supported the prince did not dare to say much about this. The evidence of guilt was obvious, and the persecuted girl was rescued... Anyone who dared to plead with the prince would be courting death.

"I hereby decree that the Crown Prince has misbehaved and, effective immediately, he will be deposed and confined to his residence, not to leave unless summoned!"

This kind of punishment is actually nothing. He is still the third prince. Even if he is under house arrest now, he can be released after some time and with a reason. He will not be affected at all.

It appears to be a punishment, but in reality it is a shelter.

Because Emperor An also knew that it was the Fourth Prince who exposed this matter. If he dealt with the Third Prince directly, the Fourth Prince would become the only one in power, which was not what he wanted to see.

Pei Ji understood Emperor An's thoughts and expressed his understanding of his "imperial skills", but he could not support or respect him.

It was precisely because of his wavering attitude that the princes fought openly and secretly. Although it was a common thing, the fighting was really clumsy and annoying.

Pei Ji said goodbye and left the palace, feeling somewhat disappointed with the Fourth Prince.

Since they wanted to bring down the prince, they should have been more ruthless. It would be a big deal to just ask him to admit to such a small thing. They should have exposed all the evil things he had done.

I finally got a day off today, but after all the trouble, it didn't achieve anything at all. These two losers still dare to fight for the throne.

"Master Pei!"

Before Pei Ji finished walking down the long street, he heard a childish voice calling him. He turned his head and saw a small figure gradually approaching. He was wearing light yellow clothes, white boots, and a jade pendant worth a thousand gold hung around his waist. His whole body had a natural temperament and a sense of sophistication.

But as people approached, the meaning disappeared.

"Uncle." The Ninth Prince called out in a low voice, "I was visiting my brother at Mother's place. I heard there was a commotion in the council hall, so I wanted to ask you about it."

Pei Ji chuckled, "What does the Ninth Prince want to know?"

The Ninth Prince snorted twice, "It's not that I want to know, it's just that Mother hasn't been honest since giving birth to my brother, and she insisted on asking me about the situation. I heard everything, and Father only put Third Brother under house arrest."

Pei Ji looked down at him and said thoughtfully, "You don't seem satisfied with this punishment?"

Hearing this question, the Ninth Prince looked around quickly, then waved to Pei Ji and whispered in his ear, "Because Third Brother will be released, Father is only doing this to protect him."

"Did your elder sister say it was given to you?" Pei Ji asked in surprise.

"That's just my own guess," the Ninth Prince said. "The house arrest is just an excuse to keep him under temporary protection. He might be released during the autumn hunt."

He was obviously young, but his words were very clear and mature.

Pei Ji had said before that there were no children in the royal family, and this was indeed particularly true for him. The Ninth Prince was indeed intelligent and very well behaved, not wanting others to pay attention to him.

As his father said, if he became an emperor, and was accompanied by a suitable teacher and regent, he would definitely not grow up to be a bad person.

Pei Ji chuckled and said, "It's still early, and there might be other unexpected events during this period. Tell your mother not to worry and take good care of yourself and the prince."

"I will take good care of Mother and my brother." The Ninth Prince stopped and looked up at him seriously. "I will also take good care of you, little uncle."

"I'm just a little one... so you have to protect me and don't let your brothers bully me." Pei Ji said in a weak tone, "Otherwise your aunt will be worried. You don't want your favorite aunt to be sad, right?"

The Ninth Prince became anxious when he heard this, "I can protect you, but you can't tell everything to my aunt. You are a man, aren't you ashamed?"

Pei Ji sighed softly, "What do you know? Heartache is love. The more he feels for me, the more he loves me..."

"Is that so?" The Ninth Prince was shocked by his words, but he couldn't help but think of how his mother always cried out of heartache when he was sick in the past, which made him feel upset.

Is that love?

Then he also has love.

The Ninth Prince stretched out his tender hand again and waved back. Pei Ji squatted in front of him somewhat helplessly and looked him in the eye.

The little one covered his mouth with his hands like a thief and whispered, "Uncle, I feel sorry for you too."

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The author has something to say: Pei Gouzi: "Little brat, what do you know?" [Oh oh oh][Oh oh oh][Oh oh oh]

Little One: "Uncle, I feel sorry for you too!" [Haha laugh][Haha laugh][Haha laugh]

After N years passed——

Pei Gouzi lamented, "I was so moved that day that I went home and cried, but he didn't keep his word. He kept bullying me afterwards!" [Breaking down into tears]

Big One was furious: "Isn't it just that I want my aunt to bring my younger brothers and sisters to the palace to play?" [Clown]