"What do you mean by 'private'? What do you mean by 'engaged'? What do you mean by 'for life'? You know my past better than I do!"

"Are you going to deny it? Ask anyone in the alleyway about your 'love story' with Young Master Xu, and they'll all know." Lan Shuang glanced disdainfully at the other man on the bed. "Hmph, you really can't stand being alone. One man isn't enough? Do you need two men to satisfy you?"

Lan Shuang has begun to go mad.

Even though she had no idea what had happened in this room, she was determined to pin all the blame on Gu Jiangli today.

Make it as dirty as possible!

The mistress shouted, "Shut up!" She was truly blushing and her heart was pounding, wondering how Lan Shuang could say such shameless things.

Kelan Shuang had no intention of stopping herself. "Mother! This is obvious! How could two strange men enter the Prince's Mansion through a side gate without the guidance of someone from the manor, and how could they just find a secluded room to stay in?"

"This can only be accomplished by someone who knows the situation inside the Prince's mansion inside and out!"

“Gu Jiangli came here suspiciously today, and someone saw it with their own eyes! Isn’t that enough to prove that Gu Jiangli has ulterior motives?”

Lan Shuang glared at Gu Jiangli with resentment.

To her surprise, Gu Jiangli showed no sign of panic after being smeared; instead, he looked on with amusement.

Lan Shuang was even angrier by his calm and composed expression.

"Mother! These two disreputable men should be executed on the spot! And this unfaithful Gu Jiangli should be paraded through the streets as a warning to all!"

The mistress was taken aback; she hadn't expected Lan Shuang to harbor such deep hatred for Gu Jiangli.

"Shuang'er, how can you make such a severe judgment when we haven't even figured out the truth of the matter?"

Lan Shuang was about to speak when a cold, authoritative male voice interrupted her: "Who are you going to send to be paraded through the streets as a public spectacle?!"

Upon seeing who it was, Lan Shuang immediately shut up.

Prince Yu rushed through the crowd to Gu Jiangli's side and asked worriedly, "Are you alright?"

Gu Jiangli shook her head with a slight smile.

"Don't worry, I'm here." He gave reassuring words as always.

Gu Jiangli looked back and saw Hehua winking at her from behind the crowd, presumably having already told Prince Yu everything on the way here.

That makes things much simpler.

"Brother!" Lan Shuang cried out, "Gu Jiangli was the one who had an affair with a man first, so parading her through the streets isn't a severe punishment!"

Prince Yu's face turned ashen, and he gave her a cold glare. "Kneel down!"

Lan Shuang was at a loss.

Prince Yu, looking displeased, kicked Xu Zhuo aside, walked past her shoulder, and went to the side of the screen. Then he bowed and paid his respects to the man on the bed.

"Your Majesty, my younger sister was unaware of your identity and spoke rudely. I hope Your Majesty will not take offense."

Everyone present, except for Gu Jiangli, was as pale as sheet paper.

The mistress was the first to react and hurriedly knelt down. After everyone else had knelt down, Lan Shuang was still standing there trembling, at a loss.

emperor?

Is the person sitting on the bed the emperor?

What did she just say?

The emperor was to be executed on the spot?

But how could he be the emperor?

Lan Shuang thought about it again and again but still couldn't understand. In the end, she was pulled down by the mistress's forearm and knelt down like a piece of wood.

The emperor slowly rose from the bed and stood with his hands behind his back.

"I have heard that the Princess Consort is pregnant, so let's skip these formalities."

The implication was that everyone except Gu Jiangli should kneel down first.

Gu Jiangli was helped up by Prince Yu, while the others did not dare to raise their heads.

Xu Zhuo, in particular, was shaking so badly he looked like he was about to faint at any moment.

The emperor was silent for a moment before suddenly speaking:

"I had no intention of getting involved in your family affairs, but what happened today has indeed piqued my interest. May I ask for details?"

Since the emperor had spoken, Prince Yu naturally could not refuse, "I will obey Your Majesty's orders."

The emperor smiled, radiating an approachable and kind aura.

"Alright, then let me hear what each person has to say first."

He pointed and pointed at Lan Shuang's head.

"I just heard that you are the most knowledgeable about this matter, so you should speak first."

Lan Shuang's forehead was instantly covered in sweat. She looked up in fear and met the emperor's scrutinizing eyes. She felt as if the scene before her had suddenly gone dark.

"Why don't you speak? I heard you speak very logically just now. You speak first, from beginning to end."

The emperor's tone was calm, but it filled Lan Shuang with dread.

"Yes...yes, a maid told me today...that she saw the Princess and a man sneaking into a secluded room, probably having an affair, so I asked the mistress to come with me...to investigate..."

"Oh? But when you opened the door, you didn't see the princess having an affair with another man, but you did see me lying in bed with another man."

Lan Shuang almost fainted upon hearing this.

If they find out about this, won't the emperor silence them?

"Your Majesty, it seems... this matter must be a misunderstanding..."

The emperor gave her a deep look, said nothing more, and then asked Xu Zhuo, who was still trembling.

"You, you tell me, why are you in the Prince's mansion?"

Xu Zhuo swallowed hard and buried his head deep in the ground.

"Your Majesty... I came to the Prince's residence after receiving a letter from the Princess. She said she missed me and invited me here for a gathering... Although I had a brief but meaningful relationship with the Princess in the past, I have never bothered her since her marriage!"

This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!