The Seventh Prince raised an eyebrow: "Is Your Highness referring to the Fifth Prince of Northern Chu?"
Empress Yan nodded: "It is him. Could it be that the seventh prince has also noticed some clues?"
“If that’s the case, then the seventh prince’s wife is definitely not simple-minded.” The third prince’s wife quickly agreed and urged the seventh prince to open the letter and take a look.
The Seventh Prince smiled and said, "You may not know this, but the Fifth Prince of Northern Chu is on good terms with me. Moreover, the Fifth Prince is very young and only treats Jia Hua as an older sister. He has no ulterior motives."
"Seventh Brother!"
“Your Majesty, everything I have said is true. The Fifth Prince of Northern Chu is just like that by nature.” The Seventh Prince turned around and returned all the letters to Princess Jia Hua: “My wife will not tolerate such questioning from others.”
Empress Yan was stunned. She clutched her chest, nearly dying of anger, and bit her tongue hard to keep from losing her temper.
Everything has changed.
He used to be aloof and never spoke up for other women.
She thought that marrying Princess Jia Hua was just a way of repaying a debt of gratitude, a way of repaying a life-saving favor. She never expected that the Seventh Prince would protect her to this extent.
Empress Yan desperately suppressed her jealousy and resentment.
"Seventh Prince!" The Third Prince's wife exclaimed anxiously, "If you open the letter and take a look, you'll know that it's not that simple. Her heart isn't with you; she thinks about returning to Northern Chu every day. Otherwise, why would Her Majesty summon her to the palace?"
Holding the letter, Princess Jiahua's heart finally settled, and she looked at Empress Yan with a cool expression.
The two locked eyes.
One had fiery eyes, the other was cool and rational.
Empress Yan saw the provocation, and before she could catch her breath, she coughed up blood, her frail body swaying precariously.
"you!"
"Your Highness!" The Third Prince's wife turned pale with fright and hurriedly stepped forward to help her up.
Empress Yan pointed at Princess Jiahua: "Eloquent and charming, she can bewitch the emperor, and she can fool the seventh prince, but she can't fool me..."
“Your Majesty is wrong. I have a clear conscience.” Princess Jiahua stared straight at Empress Yan: “Your Majesty has always been mistaken about one thing. It was never me who pushed Your Majesty into the limelight. Some things will be resolved soon. Why is Your Majesty in such a hurry to draw conclusions? After all, if you don’t want others to know, then don’t do it in the first place.”
Empress Yan's expression changed slightly.
"The results of the interrogation will be in a few days, and it will be clear whether Her Majesty is innocent or not," said Princess Jiahua.
"Enough!"
Prime Minister Yan, who had been silent for a long time, couldn't help but speak up. He came to the Seventh Prince's side and stared at him with sharp eyes: "Your Highness has grown up and has your own thoughts. This old minister does not blame you. The life and death of the Yan family are all in Your Highness's hands."
Princess Jia Hua frowned.
Is this an attempt to play the emotional card?
"Your Highness, Her Majesty needs to rest," Prime Minister Yan said.
The Third Prince gently tugged at the Seventh Prince's sleeve: "That's enough. Don't upset the Empress. Her health is already frail."
As he spoke, he pulled the Third Prince's wife away, looking somewhat anxious.
The Seventh Prince glanced around and said, "No one who enters the palace today is allowed to leave without permission."
"Seventh Prince?" the Third Prince exclaimed in surprise.
Prime Minister Yan's pupils contracted: "What exactly does Your Highness mean?"
The two reacted somewhat hastily.
The Seventh Prince explained, "Until Lord Xu has thoroughly investigated the matter, no one is allowed to enter but not leave."
Prime Minister Yan was so angry that he lost his temper, and only his chest heaved. The Third Prince moved his lips but ultimately did not dare to continue to oppose the Seventh Prince.
Empress Yan clutched her chest and slowly sat up, a trace of blood still stained the corner of her mouth. She stared at the Seventh Prince with resentment: "Are you suspecting that I summoned the princes under the pretense of illness in order to send messages out?"
Once this thought popped into her head, Empress Yan found it even more unacceptable.
Her eyes filled with tears, and she said in disbelief, "Seventh Prince, you're questioning me!"
The Seventh Prince said calmly, "It has nothing to do with Her Highness. I just promised Lord Xu that I would help him to the end, and I would do the same for anyone."
"Good, good, good!" Empress Yan waved her hand with her eyes closed: "You may all leave. I want to see what crime the Xu family has put on me!"
Leaving from Fengyi Palace
The other princes were arranged to rest in the front hall.
The Third Prince's wife insisted on staying, citing the need to take care of Empress Yan. The Third Prince also stayed. The Seventh Prince, without saying a word, took Princess Jia Hua to the palace where she had lived in the past.
The Seventh Prince kept a tense expression throughout the journey.
He stopped when he reached Chunhua Palace, entered the courtyard, and looked at Princess Jiahua with a complicated expression: "Jiahua, is there anything you want to say?"
Princess Jiahua stopped in her tracks, her gaze fixed unwaveringly on the Seventh Prince: "I do have selfish motives. Only if Your Highness ascends to that position will I have a place to survive."
"That's not it."
Princess Jia Hua waved the letter in her hand: "This?"
“I swear on my two children that I have never mentioned anything about the Southern Frontier to Xiao Wu or anyone in Bei Chu. If I have broken this oath, may my two children and I die a horrible death.”
The Seventh Prince was shocked; he knew how important the two children were to Princess Jia Hua.
In an instant, his tone softened: "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have doubted you."
Princess Jiahua shook her head: "I came from Northern Chu for a political marriage. Your Highness has trusted me to this day, how could I dare to ask for anything else?"
The seventh prince sat down, looking somewhat bewildered: "I never imagined that one day I would be at odds with the Yan family and my brothers. Everything was fine before."
"In the past, there was no struggle for the throne."
With these words pointing it out, the Seventh Prince gradually calmed down and looked at Princess Jia Hua.
"No matter which prince ascends the throne, as long as Your Highness relinquishes your military power, you will surely die. How can you allow someone else to snore beside your bed? Your Highness, even the Emperor is wary of you."
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