It was nearly midnight, and Emperor Li Hongwen had just lain down to rest when he was awakened by a commotion of crying.
"Who? Who's crying outside the palace? In the middle of the night, what kind of behavior is this? Can't a person get some sleep?"
Li Hongwen looked tired and displeased.
He was exhausted after reviewing memorials all night. If these people had nothing to do and were causing him trouble, he would have chopped off the heads of all the people outside the door.
Li Hongwen thought angrily, his dark eyes filled with murderous intent.
"Your Majesty, something terrible has happened! You must go out and see what's going on!"
The eunuch Zhou Gonggong's voice was filled with panic as he ran along, making a lot of noise.
"What happened? Did the sky fall down? Look how scared you are, you're all sweating."
Seeing that Eunuch Zhou was covered in sweat, Emperor Li Hongwen couldn't help but joke.
"Oh my! Your Majesty, what time is it? You still have the mood to joke about our family? Princess Longxuan killed Feng Jiao, the Vice Minister of Revenue, and his son."
"Who is Feng Jiao! He is the son of Grand Tutor Feng, who is the Empress Dowager's younger brother. Princess Longxuan has offended the entire Feng family. How can she possibly survive?"
Eunuch Zhou analyzed the pros and cons for Emperor Li Hongwen, but to his surprise, Li Hongwen was overjoyed upon hearing it.
"This is a great thing! I've disliked that brat for a long time. He drags his second son out to eat, drink, gamble, and whore every day, bullying the good and kind."
If it weren't for the Empress Dowager's sake, I would have beheaded him countless times already. Now that someone has helped me kill him, I think he deserves a reward, hahaha..."
Li Hongwen burst into hearty laughter, but Zhou Gonggong covered his mouth.
"Oh dear! Your Majesty, you should restrain yourself. The Feng family is all outside, and even all the officials have come."
If that laughter gets out, who knows what kind of trouble it might cause!
Leaving aside the Feng family, just look at those sycophantic court officials—who knows what they'll say about the Emperor!
When Eunuch Zhou started rambling on, Emperor Li Hongwen slapped his hand.
"I won't laugh, but look how scared you are, as if the Feng family members are wolves, jackals, tigers, and leopards."
After spending a long time with Eunuch Zhou, Emperor Li Hongwen often joked with him, and the two seemed more like friends than master and servant.
"Isn't that just like wolves, jackals, tigers, and leopards? Has His Majesty forgotten the lesson from last time? If it weren't for Princess Longxuan, His Majesty would probably have been killed by them, and Prince Longxuan would have been imprisoned and suffered a lot."
Now that all the officials have arrived, the Feng family will surely not let this matter rest. If the Emperor does not punish Princess Longxuan, this matter will be difficult to quell!
However, if Princess Longxuan is punished, their fates will be intertwined, and Prince Longxuan will inevitably be implicated as well.
While helping Li Hongwen tidy his clothes, Eunuch Zhou continued his nagging, full of unfounded worries.
Emperor Li Hongwen was quite open-minded.
"During the day, Prince Longxuan proposed to me that we should get a divorce. I originally intended to wait until after the 'praying for rain at the altar' tomorrow before making the announcement."
If all else fails, I will announce in advance that as long as they divorce, this matter will not involve Feng'er.
Li Hongwen, cunning and shrewd, wanted to use "Blood Purple Rose" as a shield, but Eunuch Zhou couldn't bear to do it.
"Isn't Your Majesty's action a bit too insidious? Princess Longxuan did save Your Majesty's life after all. Are you really going to just stand by and watch her beheaded? How can you bear it?"
"Nonsense! Am I that ruthless? If I were, wouldn't I be no different from the Feng clan?"
Li Hongwen flew into a rage, while Eunuch Zhou was filled with trepidation, yet he couldn't help but retort.
"But His Majesty just clearly said..."
"What I mean is, if the Feng family really insists on holding this matter against us, I will first remove Feng'er from the picture."
As for that girl Ziwei, even if she's thrown into prison, I have ways to get her out! At worst, I'll find a death row inmate to take her place, and then give her a large sum of money so she can hide for a while.
"Once the storm has passed and the Feng family is destroyed, if she still wants to come back and rekindle her romance with Feng'er, I'm not that unreasonable, am I?"
Li Hongwen had prepared for the worst, and Eunuch Zhou gave him a thumbs up.
"Brilliant! Your Majesty's move is brilliant!"
The master and servant whispered for a while before slowly stepping out of the bedchamber. The act had to continue; Li Hongwen yawned repeatedly, appearing dazed and confused, and sat on the dragon throne.
"Why are you all making such a racket here so late at night instead of sleeping? I'm busy with state affairs during the day, and now I have to listen to your wailing and howling at night. It's so annoying."
"Your Majesty, you must do justice for me! Waaah... Prince Longxuan allowed that vile woman Han Ziwei to kill my son! Your Majesty, waaah... you must do justice for this old minister! Waaah..."
Feng Jiao, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, was the first to cry out.
"Your Majesty, I beg you to grant justice for my son! Waaah... My son! You died such a terrible death! Heaven! Is there no justice left? Waaah..."
His wife, Ms. Qiao, cried her heart out.
"Your Majesty, please execute Princess Longxuan to atone for my young master's life, sob sob..."
...
The family members of the Vice Minister of Revenue were equally unwilling to be outdone, and their weeping was heart-wrenching.
"I beg Your Majesty to kill Princess Longxuan and avenge Young Master Feng's death."
...
The officials cheered in unison. Emperor Li Hongwen glanced down and saw that everyone was present. He couldn't help but marvel at the influence of the Feng family once again.
Li Hongwen's son, Li Mufeng, and Han Ziwei stood there as if nothing had happened, as if everything that was happening before their eyes had nothing to do with them. This courage made Li Hongwen nod in approval.
"It seems that this last resort won't be needed for the time being."
"Your Majesty, say something! Murder must be punished with death. You cannot tolerate Princess Longxuan's disregard for human life. If you do, you will become a tyrant."
Seeing that Li Hongwen remained silent for a long time, Empress Dowager Fengxiu gave him a stern rebuke.
"Mother, the women of the inner palace should not interfere in politics. Why have you come to the court?"
Seeing that Empress Dowager Feng Xiuzhen was also there, Li Hongwen's expression was not good. The Feng family was clearly trying to use the Empress Dowager to suppress him.
“Feng Xu is a member of the Feng family. Since it concerns the Feng family, it is a family matter. How could I not come? If Your Majesty cannot deal with Princess Longxuan fairly and justly, I will take it upon myself to deal with her.”
Empress Dowager Fengxiu was no pushover; her tone brooked no refusal, causing Emperor Li Hongwen's hand to tighten involuntarily.
"If this is a family matter, why did Mother summon all the officials?"
Suppressing his anger, Emperor Li Hongwen forced a smile.
"Your Majesty, what do you mean by that? Are you implying that I am the one who raised you? Would you be where you are today if I hadn't raised you?"
"Today, Princess Longxuan must die, to be buried with that child, Xu'er."
Empress Dowager Feng Xiuzhen's voice suddenly rose to a shrill pitch, and the crowd that had just been crying immediately fell silent.
"Kill Princess Longxuan! Kill Princess Longxuan!"
Then, led by Grand Tutor Feng, everyone shouted out.
"Give up. Anyone who dares to touch my queen will have to get past me first."
Seeing this, Li Mufeng quickly shielded "Blood Purple Rose" behind him. This gesture warmed the heart of "Blood Purple Rose," a woman with a background as an assassin.
"This Prince Longxuan seems to be quite good. Perhaps being his woman wouldn't be a bad thing."
But when she thought of the young master, Li Jingchen, she shook her head again.
"No, I absolutely cannot share a husband with another man. Li Mufeng already has someone in his heart, so why should I make a fool of myself?"
"Prince Longxuan, are you planning to protect your woman? Or was this all your doing from the beginning?"
Grand Tutor Feng asked in return, then suddenly realized what he meant.
"I understand. Without the Dragon Prince's authorization, this woman would never dare to kill my grandson."
Grand Tutor Feng drew his conclusion, then bowed to Emperor Li Hongwen.
"Your Majesty, I implore you to bring the mastermind behind this crime to justice. It is only right and proper that a life be paid for a life."
"Hehehe! You old scoundrel, don't make false accusations. This matter has nothing to do with my husband. I, Xue Ziwei, no, Han Ziwei, will take full responsibility for my actions. I killed your grandson because he deserved to die."
"Blood Purple Rose" relapsed into her old habit of protecting her own, and in a moment of excitement, she almost let something slip.
"Witch, since you dare to speak to me like this, I swear I will not be a man if I do not kill you."
Grand Tutor Feng, who had always been all-powerful, had never been so humiliated and immediately drew his sword.
"Feng Yi, how dare you draw your sword in front of the palace! What is your punishment? Are you plotting a rebellion?"
Just as Feng Yi was about to stab "Blood Purple Rose" with his sword, Li Mufeng grabbed him and threw him aside, shouting sharply.
"Your Majesty! You must do justice for this old minister! For so many years, I have served you faithfully, and even if I have not rendered meritorious service, I have certainly worked hard. You cannot let your son commit such a heinous act! Waaah..."
Grand Tutor Feng was pushed aside by Li Mufeng and began to wail. At Empress Dowager Feng Xiuzhen's prompting, all the officials knelt down.
"I beg Your Majesty to severely punish Prince Longxuan and kill his wife to accompany Prince Feng in death."
The deafening shouts caused Emperor Li Hongwen's head to throb. Upon seeing this, Eunuch Zhou shouted in a shrill voice...
"Quiet down, quiet down! The Emperor hasn't spoken yet! What are you all arguing about? Will that get you anywhere?"
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