Chapter 21 Unrequited Love, Love Turns to Hate
This matter was already extremely undignified, and if it were to escalate to the Dali Temple, the Crown Prince, as the ruler of the country, would completely lose face.
"There's nothing more to investigate. This person intended to murder the Crown Prince, so he should be beheaded on the spot and his head displayed to the public!"
The Crown Prince made the decision, but those who imprisoned him were all Chunyu Han's men. A higher rank can crush a lower one, and Chunyu Han's current strength is far greater than that of the Crown Prince, who is just a figurehead who has only recently begun to observe politics.
"Take him away and send him to the Eastern Depot's Criminal Division. Make him confess who's behind this."
Chunyu Han made the final decision, completely disregarding how unpleasant the Crown Prince's expression was. Yet, the Crown Prince was unable to refute it. A brute would not suddenly do these things to him for no reason; it must have been a premeditated scheme.
It wasn't that the princes couldn't understand; rather, they were too eager to regain their dignity and were momentarily blinded by anger.
"Canghai, the Crown Prince has been frightened. Take men and escort the Crown Prince back to the Eastern Palace."
While everyone was stunned, Chunyu Han stabilized the situation with just a few words.
The Empress also came to her senses. The Crown Prince had indeed acted impulsively. If she had let him kill the man directly, it would have been criticized and given the old ministers in the court who had always been dissatisfied with the Crown Prince an opportunity to impeach him.
"I am also a little tired. Minghan, you may come with me to the palace for a few days. You can leave the affairs of the manor to the prince consort."
A large group of people came and went in a grand manner, finally waking up Yu Nian, who was sleeping next door.
"What's going on? It's so noisy..."
Yu Nian rubbed her sleepy eyes as she walked out of the side room, just in time to see Chunyu Han leaving Dingxiang Pavilion with his men.
"Lord Supervisor!"
Yu Nian subconsciously waved to Chunyu Han, but Chunyu Han only glanced at her without even turning back to look at her before walking away.
How cold-hearted and rude!
Yu Nian was not discouraged. Her life-extending mission had been refreshed. She quickened her pace to catch up with Cang Hai, whispered a few words to him, and asked him to help her pass on a message.
As soon as she finished speaking, Lu Mingzhu hurriedly walked over.
"Sister Niannian, what are you doing here!"
"If I'm not here, where am I?"
Looking at the chaotic scene around her, Yu Nian glanced at Lu Mingzhu with some confusion.
"Let's go, let's leave the manor first and then talk."
Although Lu Mingzhu wasn't very bright, she knew this wasn't the place to talk. Only after the two of them got into their own carriage did Lu Mingzhu tell Yu Nian what had happened.
"Pfft... You're saying the Crown Prince was harassed by a pockmarked man!?"
Yu Nian laughed until her stomach hurt, and rolled around on the carriage without any regard for her image.
Lu Mingzhu looked at Yu Nian with a somewhat speechless expression, thinking that Yu Nian was laughing like this because she loved but could not have him, and that her love had turned into hatred.
“Sister Niannian, you can still laugh? You have no idea how scared I was. I thought you were in that room. Thank goodness it wasn’t you.”
If Lu Mingzhu could see that something was fishy, how could Yu Nian not have noticed?
Lu Mingzhu's words make a lot of sense. That's right. If this happened to Yu Nian, in this era, if Yu Nian didn't die to prove his innocence, he probably wouldn't be able to hold his head up high for the rest of his life.
All signs indicate that this was a scheme orchestrated by the Eldest Princess to frame Yu Nian; she was truly ruthless.
Yu Nian also saw the burly man with a pockmarked face and a thick beard being escorted away by Cang Hai. Fortunately, she was careful and switched the room number.
She just didn't expect that there was someone in the neighboring Cangsong Pavilion, and that person was none other than the Crown Prince...
This incident also served as a wake-up call for Yu Nian. If she hadn't been so alert, she probably would have fallen into the Princess's trap.
Now that the Crown Prince has gotten into this mess, the matter has become quite serious, and the Eldest Princess will likely be held responsible.
However, upon closer reflection, the eldest princess is also the empress's biological daughter. This time, they really made a mess of things, betraying each other.
Yu Nian put away her smile and thought seriously. Although the Prime Minister was her father, he could only be on par with the Empress, the head of the harem. In fact, if the Empress whispered something in his ear, the Emperor would make things difficult for Prime Minister Yu.
It seems that finding a stronger backer would be more secure for her life. But the question is, who should she turn to…?
...
Inside the Phoenix Palace, a fine white jade teacup was smashed to pieces in front of the eldest princess.
"Mother, please calm your anger!"
The princess knelt on the ground, her heart pounding wildly. She knew she had caused a great disaster today.
"Calm down? How can I calm down when you're like this? You've ruined your brother's life! Minghan, how dare you disobey your mother!"
The Empress hadn't been this angry in many years. She had clearly instructed the Eldest Princess to use the birthday banquet as an excuse to force the Crown Prince and Yu Nian to consummate their relationship.
As a result, the eldest princess made things worse and affected the crown prince's reputation. There were many high-ranking officials and nobles at the birthday banquet, and the crown prince's scandalous affairs had already spread. Even if the empress used her family's power, it would be difficult to silence the gossip.
"Mother, I really didn't mean to harm Mingjin."
"Didn't intend to harm anyone? Then why is this pockmarked man here instead of Yu Nian?"
Upon hearing this, the princess burst into tears. For the first time, she felt afraid. Although she had been pampered, she knew that compared to the crown prince, she was nothing in her mother's eyes.
"Yes, it's Yu Nian. It must be because this girl doesn't want to marry the Crown Prince that..."
The eldest princess made a snap decision and shifted the blame onto Yu Nian.
"Yu Nian?"
Upon hearing this, the Empress's eyes revealed a look of suspicion. Could that girl really be so cunning? The Empress believed she knew Yu Nian fairly well; before the annulment of the engagement, Yu Nian was quite infatuated with the Crown Prince.
"Mother, you must believe me. I saw it with my own eyes. Yu Nian drank the wine I prepared, which was laced with aphrodisiac. Everyone at the banquet can testify to that. I would never dare to disobey you, Mother, even if I had a thousand lives."
"It must be because she saw the Crown Prince being close to her cousin today, and that's why she harbored resentment."
Despite the Princess's confident demeanor, the Empress was skeptical. She didn't believe Yu Nian would have such audacity, and besides, the Princess was the Crown Prince's older sister; their fates were intertwined. The Empress felt that the Princess wouldn't do something so foolish.
The Empress would not sacrifice her own daughter unless absolutely necessary. If things escalated, regardless of whether Yu Nian was responsible, she would have to sacrifice Yu Nian first to protect the Crown Prince.
"I will trust you for now. I will investigate the matter thoroughly and find out the truth. My son must not be wronged. You will stay in the palace to accompany me for the next few days and return to the palace once the storm has passed."
Hearing the Empress's words, the Princess felt even more uncertain, as the Empress was ready to push her out at any moment.
"Your subject will obey Your Majesty's decree."
The eldest princess withdrew from the Phoenix Palace and summoned Dujuan with a sinister look in her eyes. She was in a very dangerous situation and was trapped in the palace, but she absolutely could not sit idly by and wait for her death.
Besides Du Juan, the princess's trusted maid, only Ma Si'er knew about this matter.
With Ma Si'er in Chunyu Han's hands, it would be difficult to get him to change his mind. However, as long as he remained silent, the Princess was confident she could pin the blame on Yu Nian.
The eldest princess wrote a secret letter and asked Dujuan to deliver it to the prince consort on the occasion of returning to the eldest princess's residence.
"Dujuan, remember this: this matter endangers the very survival of the Princess's residence. You must personally deliver this letter to the Prince Consort, or your life will be in danger!"
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