Chapter 965 "Reckless Words"

Feeling his fingers, which were rubbing his temples, stiffen slightly, Yuwen Yuan calmly said, "Don't worry, I already told you to 'speak recklessly,' so I naturally won't blame you. Say whatever comes to mind without any worries."

Tao Wanyin replied, "Yes."

Although Yuwen Yuan said "there is no need to worry," she also understood that it was impossible to speak without any worries in front of the emperor. So she lowered her head and thought for a moment, and then said softly but solemnly, "Your Majesty, I still do not believe that the Princess Consort of Qin would do such a shameful thing as having an affair."

Yuwen Yuan still squinted: "Why?"

"Based on her character."

"You haven't been in the palace for long, and you haven't known her for very long either."

"Yes, I only became acquainted with Princess Qin and had some contact with her a few days ago after asking her about the recipe for soup. Before that, I had only seen her a few times at the New Year's Eve banquets."

"Then how do you know what kind of person she is?"

"A person's character is not judged by what they say, but by what they do. Because it is easy to lie about what you say, but it is difficult to lie about what you do. And even if you can lie for a while, you cannot pretend forever."

Yuwen Yuan said, "Continue."

Tao Wanyin said, "Although I have not been in the palace for long, I have actually heard about the deeds of the Princess Consort of Qin for a long time, especially the Battle of Fufeng."

Upon hearing this, Yuwen Yuan raised an eyebrow slightly.

Tao Wanyin continued, "As a woman, and the young mistress of the Duke's mansion who was once a man of great wealth and honor, she was able to follow her husband into battle and fight the enemy, risking her life. Her ambition is commendable, and her affection is even more commendable. How could a woman who could live and die with her husband have an affair?"

"..."

"Moreover, it's an affair with a man you've only met a few times, and who you may not even know, in such a heavily guarded place as the inner palace."

"..."

"The fact that the Queen Consort of Qin was able to follow the King of Qin into battle shows the deep affection between the couple; her ability to use stratagems on the battlefield shows her meticulousness. From these two points, it is unlikely that she would do such an outrageous and shameful thing."

As she spoke, she cautiously looked down at Yuwen Yuan, only to see that he was still squinting. Although he didn't seem to agree with what she said, his gradually relaxing brows suggested that he quite agreed with her words.

But the next moment, Yuwen Yuan added, "However, that Sun Xianyue does resemble Chu Yang somewhat, and she and Chu Yang—"

Tao Wanyin lowered her eyelids: "I am not clear about Emperor Yang's affairs."

Yuwen Yuan was silent for a while before finally opening his eyes. His gaze was solemn as he said, "Back in Yanmen County, I heard that Chu Yang's attitude towards her was quite special. He even did it in front of everyone—" He paused here, cutting off the rest of his sentence, and continued, "Moreover, when Chu Yang went to Jiangdu, he actually kidnapped her and took her with him."

Tao Wanyin's eyes widened: "Didn't Princess Qin go to Jiangdu by herself?"

Yuwen Yuan turned and glanced at her: "You know?"

Tao Wanyin said, "I also went to the Dharma assembly at Dayan Temple. Although I didn't listen to the sutras in front of the Mahavira Hall, I was in the temple. So I heard what Princess Qin said at that time."

Yuwen Yuan nodded, but then sneered, "They think they can hide some things from me."

"..."

"It's just that I'm not going to bother with them."

Upon hearing this, Tao Wanyin felt cold sweat forming on her palms, but she dared not show any expression on her face. She simply said softly, "As the Son of Heaven, Your Majesty naturally knows what matters should be taken seriously and what matters should be taken lightly; when to take serious action and when to take light action."

Yuwen Yuan snorted and said, "I know what Chu Yang is thinking about her. In the past, I only considered it an extraordinary time and an extraordinary matter, and I did not hold it against her; besides, she is Feng Chen's wife. Since Feng Chen did not hold it against her, I, as her father-in-law, naturally will not interfere in their affairs."

"..."

"But now, if this matter involves the royal family's reputation—"

His tone became serious when this was mentioned.

Tao Wanyin thought for a moment, then suddenly said, "What His Majesty has been saying all along is about Emperor Yang's feelings for her."

"……Um."

"Your Majesty told me that in Yanmen County, Emperor Yang's attitude towards Princess Qin was ambiguous. Later, when he went to Jiangdu, Emperor Yang also abducted Princess Qin. But all of this was done by Emperor Yang to Princess Qin."

"Um."

"But from beginning to end, Princess Qin was the one who passively accepted the situation and did not do anything out of line."

"..."

"If Emperor Yang truly uses his status as the ruler of a country to coerce her, then it is the princess who will be wronged."

"..."

"But as a woman, I can't speak of this grievance, I dare not complain, because if I do, people will doubt my innocence, and I will have nowhere to turn for help."

"..."

Yuwen Yuan fell silent.

After Tao Wanyin finished speaking, she fell silent. Although her hands continued to move as if she dared not stop, Yuwen Yuan noticed the slight tremor in her fingertips.

After a long while, Yuwen Yuan slowly turned his head to look at her, and said with a half-smile, "You are really talking nonsense."

Tao Wanyin was so frightened that she hurriedly got up and knelt down in front of him: "Your Majesty, I was talking nonsense. Please forgive me."

Yuwen Yuan looked at her for a while, then suddenly chuckled softly: "What are you afraid of? I just said that no matter how 'reckless' you are, I will not blame you. Get up."

Tao Wanyin then stood up. Yuwen Yuan reached out his hand to her, and she immediately stepped forward to take his hand, and he pulled her to sit down next to him.

Yuwen Yuan looked at her for a while and said, "So, what happened last night? Do you think someone framed Princess Qin?"

Tao Wanyin immediately replied, "Well, I don't know the whole story, so I really dare not speak presumptuously."

Yuwen Yuan nodded.

Tao Wanyin glanced at him, then cautiously asked, "I heard that the Emperor imprisoned Sun Xianyue, the dancer. I wonder if he has confessed?"

Yuwen Yuan said, "The people from the Dali Temple just came to report back. He refused to confess, only saying that he did it for—"

He stopped there. Tao Wanyin knew he didn't want to continue, so she didn't ask any more questions. She then said softly, "Judging from this, the matter still originated in the palace."

"..."

Yuwen Yuan was silent for a moment, then released her hand and said, "Alright, I still have some memorials to review. You can go back now. I'll have dinner at your place tonight."

Tao Wanyin immediately stood up and said, "Yes."

She left the Liangyi Hall, and as soon as she turned her head, she saw the palace maid Qiaoshu, who had been waiting outside, immediately come forward and cautiously say, "Consort Jieyu."

Tao Wanyin smiled reassuringly and said, "Let's go. The Emperor will be coming over for dinner later. Let's go back and prepare early."

Upon hearing this, Qiaoshu, who had been worried, immediately beamed with joy and hurriedly helped her walk outside. However, as they were leaving, Tao Wanyin glanced at the Chengqian Hall, which was separated by layers of palace walls, and her expression became solemn.

Han Yuhui's cold smile just now made her even more uneasy.