But the two of them couldn't do anything about it. Every time Li Xiaochen wanted to leave Xiao Hao behind to go find Lin Yuxin, the kid would coldly say:
"If my sister knew how hard her brother was working in the palace with no one to help him, she would probably be very sad!"
Li Xiaochen paused as he walked out, then turned around and walked back to Xiao Hao, his eyes cold and his tone extremely unfriendly:
"If you dare say that, I'll make sure you never see your sister again!"
Cheng Tinghao pursed his lips and stared straight at Li Xiaochen without saying a word.
In the end, Li Xiaochen compromised without expression and began to help him handle state affairs, while also assisting him from the sidelines. Cheng Tinghao would ask him questions whenever he didn't understand something.
It's all because of that brat! He's preventing him from seeing his Xin Xin!
"His Majesty has arrived!"
At this moment, a sharp sound rang out, and Li Xiaochen also came back to his senses, standing there calmly.
"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"
The ministers bowed.
"All of you, rise!"
The Emperor walked to the dragon throne and sat down before speaking with great authority.
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
After all the ministers had stood up, Eunuch Liu finally spoke:
"If you have something to report, speak now; otherwise, the court may adjourn."
The ministers below all fell silent for a moment, then one of them stepped forward, bowed, and reported:
"Your Majesty, I have something to report!"
"Granted!"
The Emperor glanced at the person below the stage and saw it was Prime Minister Hou Mingyuan! This old fox used to be the Crown Prince's man. Now that the Crown Prince has fallen, he wanted to see what this old fox was up to.
"Your Majesty, rumors are circulating in the capital that Your Majesty has found the Ninth Prince. We do not know if this is true. If it is true, we urge Your Majesty to investigate the truth and ensure the prince's true identity, so as not to confuse the royal bloodline!"
Hou Mingyuan said righteously.
The emperor looked at him without speaking. The old man had been talking for a long time, but he felt that there were too many rumors outside and wanted him to give a definite answer: was this Ninth Prince really true?
"Does anyone else have any questions?"
The emperor did not answer him, but instead asked other ministers.
"Your Majesty, the Prime Minister is right. The royal bloodline is extremely important, as it concerns the foundation of the Xia Kingdom. If someone tries to confuse the public, wouldn't everything fall into chaos!"
Hu, the official in charge of the Ministry of Personnel, also stepped forward, bowed, and said.
"Alright, since you are all worried about this matter, it just so happens that I was planning to announce it today anyway. My ninth prince, Cheng Tinghao, has been found. Half of the rumors circulating outside are true. My Hao'er is very lucky and has not been harmed by that poisonous woman Xiao. However, he has suffered a lot over the years."
After speaking with a pained expression, the Emperor gestured to Eunuch Liu to let the Ninth Prince in.
"Summon the Ninth Prince to the palace!"
Cheng Tinghao walked in step by step with a small, expressionless face. Although he looked only five or six years old, he already had a very obvious air of authority, which made him more like a prince than the other princes.
In addition, Cheng Tinghao's eyes really resemble those of an empress.
Cheng Tinghao walked to the front of the main hall and bowed to the Emperor:
"This humble subject pays his respects to Your Majesty!"
"Hao'er, you must call me Father! You are my ninth son, and the Empress's only son. You are my legitimate son and the best candidate for Crown Prince. Don't be afraid!"
The emperor was very satisfied with his son's performance, but still offered words of comfort.
"Yes, Father!"
Cheng Tinghao bowed and replied expressionlessly.
But the emperor's words startled half of the ministers and princes below. The crown prince? The emperor had already decided to make this young man the crown prince?
Some people couldn't hold back and stood up to say:
"Your Majesty, please reconsider the matter of the Crown Prince. Regardless of whether the Ninth Prince's identity is genuine, the former Crown Prince has only recently lost power. If we immediately establish a new Crown Prince now, it will make the Ninth Prince a target of public criticism."
Upon hearing this, the Emperor frowned and looked at the people below with great displeasure. They all spoke nicely, but in reality, they were just afraid that if Hao'er became the Crown Prince, it would affect the power of some people.
Although Hao'er had only recently entered the palace and had no foundation or power, the emperor was still very wary of him because Hao'er was his and the empress's child and had a legitimate right to inherit the throne.
"Since you want evidence to prove that Hao'er is my and the Empress's child, then I will show it to you. Li Xiaochen, you speak!"
The Emperor spoke impatiently, then asked Li Xiaochen to explain.
Li Xiaochen didn't waste any words. He just wanted to resolve the matter as soon as possible and go back to see Xin Xin. So he stepped forward, bowed, and began to speak:
"From the moment I first saw the Ninth Prince, I felt that he resembled the Empress, which aroused my suspicion. I secretly sent people to investigate, and they found some unusual things."
"The family that adopted the Ninth Prince found him by the river. I learned from them that when they found him, he was dressed in very fine clothes, made of a material they had never seen before."
"Based on their description, I guess that it was very likely made from the Heavenly Snow Silk that was presented as tribute by the Kingdom of Sauna back then. The Emperor was so pleased when the Empress was pregnant that he bestowed the only bolt of Heavenly Snow Silk upon her."
"The Empress then used the snow silk from that day to make clothes for the Ninth Prince, but I couldn't find that garment. The family that made it was of good quality took it and sold it."
"Your Highness, you can't just conclude that this child is the Ninth Prince based on a piece of cloth that we haven't even seen yet! That's far too hasty!"
Upon hearing this, Prime Minister Hou frowned and questioned him directly.
Li Xiaochen glanced at him, then said:
"Later, I investigated the midwives who helped the Empress give birth. There were four in total. Two of them had died, one had retired to her hometown, and the whereabouts of the other were unknown."
"I have been secretly searching for the past six months, and as the saying goes, heaven rewards those who persevere. I have indeed found those two nannies, one named Granny Cui and the other Granny He. Your Majesty may summon the two nannies to the palace to report."
After Li Xiaochen finished speaking, he asked the Emperor for instructions.
Without wasting any words, the Emperor directly instructed Eunuch Liu to select two nannies.
"Summon Granny Cui and Granny He to an audience!"
A short while later, two women slowly walked into the main hall. When they reached the middle of the hall, they knelt down in front of the emperor.
"This humble woman greets Your Majesty! Long live the Emperor!"
"Alright, I have some questions for you. Do you remember anything strange that happened when the Ninth Prince was born, and whether he died or was taken away?"
The Emperor asked the two nannies directly and clearly.
"Your Majesty, when I delivered the Empress's baby, there were indeed some things that were not right. At that time, Consort Xiao's personal nanny came and found the same midwife who delivered the baby, Granny Wang. After the Ninth Prince was born, Granny Wang asked us to go out and sort out the Ninth Prince's things."
“When we returned, Granny Wang said that the Ninth Prince had died. But when the Ninth Prince was born, I heard it clearly. He cried, and the cry was that of a normal child. It was impossible for him to have died young.”
When Cui Mama heard the Emperor ask this question, she knew that some things could no longer be hidden, so she truthfully reported what she knew.
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