Chapter 94 I Will Rule for You

The next day.

The debate raged fiercely in the imperial court.

On one side were veteran officials arguing for Prince Anshun, and on the other side were the emperor's trusted confidants who strongly demanded that Prince Anshun be sentenced to death for treason.

The emperor sometimes lamented the bonds of kinship, and at other times brought up the laws of the country, displaying a rather troubled and helpless demeanor.

The argument escalated to the point where several senior officials questioned the witnesses and evidence, demanding a retrial of the case of Prince Anshun's rebellion. The emperor, feigning a headache, hastily adjourned the court session.

As soon as the officials left the court, a young eunuch chased after them, asking Prime Minister Meng to stay.

"His Majesty requests that you attend a meeting at the Hall of Diligent Governance."

Meng Xingyuan dared not delay and followed the eunuch to the Hall of Diligent Governance.

News of the Prince of Anshun's rebellion spread throughout the capital yesterday. Meng Xingyuan ordered his servants not to mention the matter to Du Shiyin, but despite all his precautions, he couldn't stop his son Meng Qingyu from talking so fast.

When he arrived, Meng Qingyu not only told Du Shiyin what had happened, but also said that he had deliberately concealed it because he didn't want to save Meng Lingge, which made Du Shiyin so anxious that she almost rolled off the bed.

His wife and children both said he was cold-blooded and heartless, even refusing to save his own daughter from death.

But it's not that he doesn't want to save them, it's that he can't save them right now.

An Shunwang and he had been friends for many years. He knew that An Shunwang would never betray the country. This time, not only did An Shunwang's soldiers report him, but An Shunwang's illegitimate son, Wen Kehao, also reported his father and even provided two letters between An Shunwang and the enemy country.

However, these witnesses and physical evidence all had obvious problems. Although the two letters looked like the handwriting of Prince Anshun, there were subtle discrepancies upon closer inspection. The witnesses were either minor officials without real power or, like Wen Kehao, people who had never been to the battlefield with Prince Anshun.

If they can all see these problems, how could the Emperor not?

Therefore, there is only one possibility: the emperor knew that all of this was fake, but he still wanted to make all the witnesses and evidence appear real.

The more these old ministers cause trouble, the faster King Anshun will die.

Meng Xingyuan served as prime minister for many years; if he hadn't even grasped this point, how could he have survived to this day?

During the court session just now, he clearly saw that when the emperor looked at the two old ministers who firmly defended Prince Anshun, his eyes flashed with disgust and impatience. If he were to speak up for Prince Anshun again, he would surely become a thorn in the emperor's side.

Meng Xingyuan was filled with mixed emotions and nervously knelt down to pay his respects.

"Your subject Meng Xingyuan greets Your Majesty."

"My dear minister, please rise quickly." The Emperor descended from his seat, walked quickly to him, and personally helped him up. "I was driven to a headache by the clamor of those old ministers in court. Only you, Prime Minister, are reasonable. That's why I kept you behind to talk to me."

Just now in the imperial court, officials of the third rank and above all expressed their opinions, but Meng Xingyuan remained neutral and did not speak.

Meng Xingyuan smiled bitterly to himself. It wasn't that he didn't want to speak, but he knew that the Emperor would definitely not like what he said, and because he was concerned about Meng Lingge's life, he couldn't flatter the Emperor.

At this moment, the emperor was so enthusiastic towards him that he became even more cautious and uneasy, afraid that saying the wrong thing would bring him great disaster.

Seeing his unease, the Emperor chuckled and said, "My dear minister, there's no need to be nervous. I just wanted to keep you here for a few words. Since Eunuch Wan left, I haven't had anyone to talk to. My feelings for you are different from those of the old ministers. I know your loyalty. You and Eunuch Wan are like my right and left arms. Now that Eunuch Wan is gone, you are the person I trust the most."

Meng Xingyuan hurriedly replied, "Your Majesty's kindness is too much for me to bear. If Your Majesty has any instructions, I will do my utmost to live up to Your Majesty's grace."

The Emperor nodded and said calmly, "My dear minister, you have shared my burdens, and I cannot bear to see you lose two daughters in succession. Meng Huanyan has only been dead for a short time, and now your legitimate daughter has also... I truly cannot bear it."

As he spoke, he observed Meng Xingyuan's expression. Upon hearing this, Meng Xingyuan immediately knelt down, tears streaming down his face, and said, "Your Majesty, I shouldn't be complaining to you, but my daughter has only been married to the Prince of Anshun for four months, and yesterday was the first time she saw the Prince of Anshun since their wedding. She couldn't possibly know anything about what's going on in the Prince of Anshun's household. Although it's said that a woman follows her husband after marriage, her husband is sick and mentally challenged, and doesn't understand anything. Your Majesty can forgive the Prince Wen, so why can't you forgive my daughter?"

Regarding the matter of Prince Anshun, the Emperor had no room for negotiation. All Meng Xingyuan could do was try to downplay the relationship between Meng Lingge and Prince Anshun's residence.

The Emperor was quite pleased to see that he had not spoken up for Prince Anshun.

His expression darkened, and he said in a deep voice.

"How could I not want to release Meng Lingge? It's just that Prince Wen is mentally challenged, while your eldest daughter is intelligent. If she were to have a child with Prince Wen, and with you, her father-in-law, supporting her, she would surely achieve great things in time..."

In the end, his eyes held a sinister glint, and his face was as cold as frost.

"Your Majesty, I have no such intention," Meng Xingyuan said in a flustered manner. "Your Majesty's loyalty is as clear as day."

"Oh?" The Emperor seemed unconvinced, and said coldly, "Today I heard from the guards who were watching over Dongling Pavilion that after Prince Anshun and Princess Anshun moved in, they treated you, their legitimate daughter, much worse than before. They made you do all the dirty and hard work by yourself, and treated you like a servant. I thought that if you knew this, my dear minister, you would be heartbroken, so I had someone bring her here. You and your daughter can meet."

After saying that, he turned his head and gestured to the eunuch beside him with his eyes.

The eunuch understood and soon brought Meng Lingge in.

The father and daughter were both somewhat surprised to see each other, but Meng Lingge did not forget the rules and politely bowed to the emperor first.

"Your subject Meng Lingge greets Your Majesty. Long live the Emperor!"

Although the Emperor sealed off the Prince of Anshun's residence and placed the Prince of Anshun under house arrest, he did not strip the Prince of Anshun of his title. Therefore, Meng Lingge could still pay her respects to the Emperor as the Princess Consort.

However, she did not use her identity as the Crown Prince's wife, but only as the daughter of an official, which naturally pleased the Emperor even more.

The Emperor looked at Meng Lingge with a smile in his eyes, "Rise. I've watched you grow up. Originally, I intended for you to marry the Fourth Prince, but Guan Yi'an beat me to it. And that fellow didn't cherish it, so in the end, Prince Wen got the prize. I thought that if you couldn't be my daughter-in-law, being the Eleventh Prince's daughter-in-law wouldn't be bad either. Who knew the Eleventh Prince would be so foolish and make such a big mistake, implicating you. Fate is truly cruel..."

Meng Lingge seemed to have been touched on a sore spot, lowering her eyes and remaining silent, her shoulders trembling.

Before she got married, she would attend almost every banquet in the palace, so she could be considered someone the emperor watched grow up.

The fact that the Emperor summoned her and her father here to say these sad words must have been due to the effect of the argument she had with her mother earlier that day. The Emperor was now severing her ties with the Prince of Anshun's residence.

She harbored deep hatred for the emperor, but outwardly she had no choice but to feign grievance and act as he wished.

The Emperor patiently persuaded, "What's wrong? Your father and I are here today. If you have any grievances or have been bullied, speak frankly and I will stand up for you."