Chapter 196 A Reprimand
Qi Jun, who always demanded of himself not to show his emotions, now showed a rare look of bewilderment and blankness on his face.
No matter how mature and composed he may appear, deep down he is still a boy who has not yet come of age.
Qi Yuxuan, marry him?
Seeing that he seemed not to have reacted, the eldest princess then explained earnestly:
“She now takes my surname Qi. According to the rules of Qi, people of the same clan and surname cannot marry. Moreover, the Crown Princess is of great importance. His Majesty and the Empress must have other considerations. Yu Xuan has already suffered enough in the past fourteen years. There is no reason for her to be confined to the intrigues and backstabbing in the deep palace in the future.”
However, upon hearing this, Qi Jun seemed to be jolted awake by a thunderbolt. He abruptly looked up at the Princess, a blush rising on her exquisitely beautiful face, which combined the best features of both the Emperor and the Empress.
He spoke calmly and earnestly, "Aunt, you've misunderstood. Your nephew has absolutely no improper thoughts towards my cousin!"
Having said all that, how could Qi Jun not know that the moment he unintentionally brushed the hair from Qi Yuxuan's forehead must have been seen by his aunt?
That's why this conversation took place.
The eldest princess was unsure of Qi Jun's true intentions and did not fully believe what he said.
However, upon further reflection, the princess was not too worried. Her nephew was the crown prince, and he could have any woman he wanted in the future. Even if he had some youthful feelings for Yu Xuan now, once he came of age, the emperor and empress would start arranging marriages for him, and the Eastern Palace would officially take in concubines. Naturally, he would no longer be fixated on this cousin who came along halfway through his life.
But... it's said that the Crown Prince's Palace still doesn't have two maids who are knowledgeable about human affairs? I wonder what's going on.
The eldest princess had never inquired about this matter before, only heard about it briefly. It seems she will have to find an opportunity to approach her sister-in-law, the Empress, and urge her to hurry up and prepare some concubines for the Crown Prince...
“I don’t know how much of what I said has been heard, but I’ve already made my stance clear: Yuxuan is first and foremost my daughter, and secondly your cousin. If you dare to bring her into the palace and prevent her from living a happy life, I will risk my old body to snatch her out.”
As he continued talking, the heat on Qi Jun's face subsided, and his words became increasingly serious and earnest:
"Please rest assured, Aunt, in my heart, Yu Xuan is just a younger sister. In the future, I will find a good husband for Yu Xuan and send her off with great honor... Just like Father Emperor treated you, Aunt, I will protect and love her."
His voice, somewhere between that of a boy and a young man, was still a little hoarse, but the promise in his expression seemed genuine. The princess wasn't determined to make things difficult for him either. After speaking, she helped him up and let out a long sigh.
"Jun'er, your aunt spoke a bit harshly in the heat of the moment. You and I have known each other for so many years, and you know my temperament..."
“Nephew understands.”
Qi Jun lowered his eyelashes, concealing the deep thought in his eyes.
For several days after the Dragon Boat Festival, the capital was as calm as the eve of a storm. People went out less, and wealthy families remained silent.
This is all because the Qilin Guard began searching for any clues related to sorcerers. Once they found something, it would involve interrogation of nine generations of their families. All those involved would have to go to the Qilin Guard's office and spill everything they could, whether they should or shouldn't, before they would have a chance to live.
At first, the Crown Prince would step in to appease the implicated officials and nobles, saying that this was a last resort and hoping for their cooperation. This was completely opposite to the Qilin Guard gang of ruthless bandits; one played the good cop and the other the bad cop.
Later, however, the Crown Prince stopped showing his face altogether and instead spent his days in the Eastern Palace reviewing the memorials submitted by his subordinates.
All the posts that wanted to plead for mercy or inquire about information were suppressed. No one could figure out what he meant, let alone inquire about the progress of the investigation. The Eastern Palace was a monolithic entity, and the Qilin Guard was even more impervious to reason. All they could hear was that this wealthy merchant had been taken in, and that minor official had been taken in. Even the constables of the prefectural government were not spared.
Seven days have passed in the blink of an eye. Regardless of whether the investigation has been completed or not, the Crown Prince must give the Emperor an explanation today.
At the court meeting, several senior officials kept their eyes downcast, silently hoping that the Crown Prince would announce to the public what the Qilin Guard had discovered.
"Father, the matter you sent me to investigate seven days ago has yielded some results."
The Crown Prince, dressed in a black robe with a golden dragon motif, stepped forward, and immediately all the civil and military officials perked up their ears.
Who is the real culprit?
Among the curious glances, some were also directed at the fourth prince standing behind the crown prince.
The fourth prince, on the other hand, had an upright and fearless demeanor, his back straight. If one ignored his shorter stature and thin frame compared to the crown prince, who had practiced martial arts for many years, he could be considered a young man of great integrity.
Half a year ago, he was persuaded by the Imperial Concubine to attend to state affairs. In principle, a prince could only participate in politics after he had reached adulthood and been granted the title of king. However, he was young and could only attend to state affairs without expressing his opinions, so the emperor reluctantly agreed.
When the courtiers' scrutinizing gazes fell upon him, Qi Huan couldn't pretend nothing was wrong. Even though the iceberg in the ice chest beside him was emitting a cool breeze in the middle of summer, his back still began to sweat a little.
He clenched his hands, which were hanging by his sides and hidden in his sleeves, forcing himself to adjust his breathing and calm down.
He was still a child after all, and his self-control was not yet fully developed. His reaction was immediately noticed by the seasoned officials among them.
If the Imperial Concubine and the Zou family were truly responsible for the imprisonment and confinement of the concubines, then the Fourth Prince would become the heir to a criminal concubine, and the court would become solely under the Crown Prince's control.
Just as everyone was filled with both anticipation and sighs, the emperor at the head of the table spoke in a deep voice:
"I have read the Crown Prince's memorial. We will discuss it after the court session."
"yes--"
Everyone listened with disappointment. Sure enough, since it involved a concubine in the harem, regardless of whether the Zou family was the real culprit, the emperor was unwilling to discuss the matter in public.
The Imperial Concubine had been in the palace for eighteen years, and had been favored for almost eighteen years. If the Crown Prince had not been named Crown Prince at birth, it would have been difficult for him to be named the heir apparent when he grew up.
Whenever the Imperial Concubine did something out of line, the Emperor would let it go leniently and would never really get angry or punish her severely. This time will probably be the same.
After the court session ended, the officials walked out of Hanyuan Hall, while the Crown Prince followed the Emperor inside.
Qi Huan wanted to follow, but Eunuch Zeng, who was in charge of the emperor's court, immediately stopped him. His face beamed with a smile, but his words were anything but pleasant:
"Your Highness, the Emperor is discussing state affairs with the Crown Prince. Since you have not been summoned, I am afraid I cannot let you in."
Qi Huan: "..."
He looked at the disappearing imperial carriage, suppressed the urge to call out to the emperor, and looked at Eunuch Zeng, who was still smiling obsequiously, forcing out a gentle smile.
"I was rash. Thank you for reminding me, Father-in-law."
"Not at all, Your Highness, you're too kind... Oh dear, at this hour, classes at the academy are probably about to begin. Please take care, Your Highness, I won't see you off."
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