Chapter 353 Your son knows his mistake, the beating was too lenient.

Prince Yong quickly responded and went inside.

As soon as he stepped into the palace, an inkstone was aimed at his face.

Fortunately, Zhao Minghong had years of experience escaping danger under this elder brother's command, and the heavy object barely grazed his forehead.

He thought to himself, "That was close!"

The next instant, a thin blade flew over, and Zhao Minghong had no time to dodge, tearing the hem of his robe.

Zhao Minghong stood there, staring wide-eyed at the fact that the gold trim on his robe had been cut off. He exclaimed, "Your Majesty, even if I was wrong, I shouldn't have used a hidden weapon..."

"Open your eyes wide and see what that is!"

Beside Emperor Wusu were letters presented from the imperial prison, a porcelain bottle, and several blank interrogation forms.

Zhao Minghong bent down and picked up the "hidden weapon." He recognized it, of course; it was the tool that had rendered that thing useless.

He knew he had nothing to hide from Emperor Wusu, and that he couldn't hide it anyway.

He raised his head and said, "This is a generous gift from your younger brother to that old bastard."

The cold glint in Emperor Wusu's eyes was sharper than a razor blade as he said, "I thought you would act with discretion."

After reading the letter presented by the prison warden, Zhao Mingyan finally learned what Prince Yong had done.

He felt relieved, but he acted too impulsively.

Emperor Wusu said, "Now, Su Fengyue has a high fever and has fainted. It's hard to say whether he can survive tonight. You answer, what should we do with his confession? How should we get rid of his accomplices?"

Zhao Minghong was also surprised; he hadn't expected that old man to be so fragile.

He quickly came up with a plan and said confidently, "Please give me a list of accomplices, Your Majesty. I'll have that old man... have Su Fengyue put his fingerprint on it."

Prince Yong was still trying to gloss over the situation, turning what should have been a great occasion into chaos.

Emperor Wusu rebuked, "You have solid evidence, yet you insist on extracting a confession through torture. Are you afraid that the people won't witness the might of the dignified Prince Yong?"

Zhao Minghong lowered his head and honestly said, "Your subject dares not."

Emperor Wusu slammed his hand on the imperial desk and roared, "We dare not! Everyone says they dare not, but when it comes to doing things, they are bolder than anyone else!"

Zhao Minghong had no idea what the emperor was talking about.

He rolled his eyes in confusion. Could someone be even bolder and more outrageous than him? Could there really be such a talent?

He lowered his head, his gaze sweeping around, and suddenly noticed a person standing against the east wall.

Zhao Minghong moved up along a pair of black boots and met Yuan Heng's gaze. He hissed.

Why is the young prince here? Could it be that this boy is one of the bold and daring individuals that his elder brother mentioned?

Zhao Minghong was puzzled and curious. The little prince was always sensible and obedient. What could he have done to make the emperor so angry?

The emperor's cold voice came from above, and Prince Yong felt a chill run down his spine.

“A memorial has already been submitted to me, accusing you of being tyrannical, cruel, and disobedient to the law.”

Zhao Minghong retorted indignantly, "Su Fengyue is a traitor who has colluded with the enemy. No punishment is too severe. Your Majesty should investigate who submitted the memorial. They might be Su Fengyue's accomplices hiding in the shadows!"

Tonight, Emperor Wusu was already in a bad mood upon returning to the palace, and at this critical juncture, several senior officials came to the Hall of Diligent Governance to pay their respects.

They somehow learned the details of Su Fengyue's torture.

These old men came in a fit of rage to lodge their complaints, shouting that a scholar can be killed but not humiliated, and some even clung to the dragon-carved pillars in the hall, intending to die in their remonstrance.

Emperor Wusu raised his eyes and said, "Go to the imperial prison."

Zhao Minghong cupped his hands and assured him, "Your subject will go and interrogate him immediately, and will definitely pry out the information before Su Fengyue dies."

"What I mean is that you stay in prison for two days."

Zhao Minghong looked up abruptly, shocked, and said, "Stay? Stay in the imperial prison?"

He was still thinking about returning to the Prince's mansion as soon as possible; Wanyin was still waiting for him...

Emperor Wusu's face darkened, and he said, "The matter of investigation shall be handled by Duan Mingfeng." Then, unwilling to look at him any longer, he waved his sleeve to dismiss him.

Zhao Minghong lowered his head in frustration, turned around, and walked away.

"Wait."

Emperor Wusu's voice came from behind him, and Zhao Minghong immediately turned around and asked expectantly, "Does Your Majesty intend to retract your decree?"

Emperor Wusu asked, "What happened to your face?"

Zhao Minghong, with a red handprint on his face, touched his face in confusion.

That face should still be as handsome as ever, so what could possibly happen to it?

Suddenly, Zhao Minghong remembered what he had done before and immediately pretended to be pitiful, saying, "Brother, actually, before we came here, the Princess Consort had already disciplined me. Look how hard she slapped me, she even left a mark."

Emperor Wusu had no reason to believe Prince Yong's explanation; he simply stared at the mark on Prince Yong's face, looking thoughtful.

Zhao Minghong raised his right hand and swore, "Your subject guarantees that I will not make any more mistakes. Please don't send me to prison."

Emperor Wusu coldly said, "In my opinion, the beating was too lenient."

Prince Yong was thus assigned to be a cellmate of Su Fengyue.

The scent of incense rose gently from the hall.

Zhao Mingyan glanced at Yuan Heng, who was standing by the wall. Since returning, he had been busy dealing with the old ministers and meeting with Prince Yong, and hadn't had time to speak with him yet.

"Come here."

After returning to the palace, Yuan Heng toned down his sharp edges and behaved as respectfully as ever.

It's unclear whether it was because Ji Qingwu wasn't by his side, making him feel less confident, or because the atmosphere in the palace made him unconsciously want to hide his true nature, or perhaps both.

Yuan Heng knelt on the ground and said, "Father, I know I was wrong."

Zhao Mingyan said indifferently, "What wrong has my son done? All the mistakes are my fault, causing my son to lose his mother at a young age, and I still hold a grudge in my heart."

Yuan Heng's little head was almost drooping to his chest. He felt that his father, who was two-faced, was even more terrifying than the father who beat him with a board.

"It was my fault for speaking without thinking."

Zhao Mingyan pushed the memorial aside and said, "These are your true feelings."

Yuan Heng offered no further explanation, his dark eyes fixed on the cracks in the gold bricks on the ground as he knelt quietly.

Zhao Mingyan glanced at him and said, "Get up. Kneeling for too long will make you catch a cold."

Yuan Heng doubted he had heard correctly; his father would never show him such tender concern.

As expected, Emperor Wusu continued, "At that time, someone will come to cause me trouble."

She was still afraid that Ji Qingwu would find out.

Yuan Heng responded and stood there with his head down. The sound of dripping water from the water clock and the turning of pages could be heard in the room.

It was a long time before Yuan Heng heard voices.

You've gained a lot of weight.

Yuan Heng's small shoulders stiffened, and he raised his head to look at the person sitting on the dragon throne.

The night was deep, but the Emperor was still tireless and full of energy. The lamplight shone on his face, but instead of softening it, it made his features appear even more sharp.

Yuan Heng lowered his head again: "Your son is growing, so it's normal for him to gain weight."

Zhao Mingyan thought of the little thing's childhood and smiled slightly, saying, "Go back and rest."