After hearing this, Su Mengyan didn't know whether to laugh or cry, "What does this have to do with you?"
"If you want to blame someone, you can only blame them for being blind. They recognized the wrong person." Su Mengyan said. She had already left the Prince Rui's Mansion and didn't care about other things anymore.
"My lady, please scold me a few times, otherwise I will feel uneasy." Chunhe's eyes were red and she was about to cry.
Su Mengyan patted her gently and said, "Okay, you've been punished. Don't cry anymore. I'm alive and well. Nothing happened." Chunhe nodded with a sob.
"Tell me quickly, how did Your Highness rescue me last night?" Su Mengyan asked impatiently. She had been in a semi-comatose state due to the influence of the incense, and her memory was a little confused. She didn't know what Situ Yao had exchanged.
Chun He told her everything about how Situ Yao took people to look for Cui Mixue and finally found Prince Rui's Mansion.
"After His Highness brought the young lady back last night, he didn't let anyone touch her. He did everything by himself. Even the servants were kicked out." Chun He felt a little aggrieved. All her work had been snatched away by Situ Yao, but he was the prince, so she didn't dare to be dissatisfied.
Su Mengyan tugged at her inner garment and said hesitantly, "Your Highness also helped me change my clothes?"
"That's right. His Highness spent the whole night with the young lady." Chun He didn't think there was anything wrong with it, but was very happy. The fact that the noble Crown Prince was willing to do these rough jobs showed that the young lady held an extraordinary position in his heart.
Su Mengyan felt a little embarrassed. She and Situ Yao had never had any physical contact, so how could they have been seen naked last night? Thinking of this, she always felt awkward and a little embarrassed.
"This is a calming soup, my lady, please drink it quickly." Chun He followed Situ Yao's instructions and watched her drink it.
Although Su Mengyan looked normal on the surface, she was frightened after what happened last night, so Situ Yao asked the imperial physician to prescribe medicine for her.
"Yan'er, are you okay?" Yun Fu just heard about it this morning and immediately rushed over to visit her.
When he found that Su Mengyan had no missing arms or legs, he breathed a sigh of relief, "Fortunately, you are okay."
"How did the princess know this?" Su Mengyan asked.
"Last night, the Crown Prince left the palace with the Eastern Palace guards, not avoiding anyone. This morning, the palace was abuzz with rumors. Everyone thought the Crown Prince couldn't stand Prince Rui and was going to settle accounts with him." Yun Fu told her this as a funny story, then laughed secretly. "Who would have known that the Crown Prince was actually just throwing his hat into the ring for a woman he loved?"
"Princess." Su Mengyan said helplessly.
"Your Highness made such a big fuss to save me. Will it be disadvantageous to him?" Situ Yao was actually isolated and helpless in the palace. As long as he took a wrong step, many people would come out to blame him and secretly think that he was not worthy of being the crown prince.
"It's okay, you don't need to worry about these, the prince will take care of it." Yun Fu was very confident in Situ Yao's abilities.
Su Mengyan's guess was correct. Although the emperor had no idea what Situ Yao and his personal guards were up to when they barged into Prince Rui's mansion, Situ Zhao was his favorite son and his chosen heir. So, during the morning court session, she questioned him in front of all the ministers, "I heard the Crown Prince caused a scene at Prince Rui's mansion last night. Is that true?"
"It is true." Situ Yao said with a distant smile, "Prince Rui took someone away from the Eastern Palace, and I went to bring her back."
"Oh? Who is it that is worthy of the prince mobilizing so many troops?" The emperor continued to ask, and the other ministers remained silent, fearing that they would get into trouble if they were not careful.
Situ Yao had no intention of letting the emperor know about Su Mengyan's existence, so he answered ambiguously, "She is just an insignificant person. Don't bother your father."
The emperor was directly rejected by him and started coughing in anger. He glared at him fiercely and ignored him.
"The imperial concubine's birthday is in a few days. I want to hold a banquet in the palace. This matter will be handled by the Ministry of Rites." The emperor's voice already revealed his old age, but the older he got, the more he became like a tyrant.
Since ancient times, only the Empress Dowager, the Emperor, and the Empress could have the Ministry of Rites organize their birthdays. Although Concubine Bai was favored, she was still only a concubine, not the principal wife. Now suddenly ordering the Ministry of Rites to organize her birthday was a blatant violation of ancestral rules.
After the emperor finished speaking, the Qiankun Hall was so quiet that you could hear an embroidery needle drop.
"Do you have any objections, my dear ministers?" The emperor's voice resounded throughout the hall.
Finally, someone couldn't stand it anymore, and the Minister of Rites came out to refute him fearlessly, "Your Majesty, although the Imperial Concubine's status is noble, her birthday should be handled by the Imperial Household Department. If the Ministry of Rites takes it on, I'm afraid it would be a violation of the rules."
"Don't I even have this little bit of power?" The emperor was furious. "Do you still care about my existence?" As he said this, he glanced at Situ Yao. He felt that he was threatening his position.
Situ Yao lowered his head slightly to hide the mockery on his face. He thought to himself that this was the royal family that everyone envied, where even biological fathers and sons were suspicious of each other.
The Minister of Rites was scolded by him and dared not say anything more. He returned to the queue in shame.
The emperor was determined to hold a birthday banquet for the imperial concubine, regardless of ancestral rules or the Ministry of Revenue's claim that it had no money. Anyone who dared to object would be scolded.
The ministers all knew the emperor's intentions, and no one objected. The emperor was finally satisfied, and after making his decision, he dismissed the court and was supported by someone.
The people from the six ministries looked at each other in bewilderment, especially the Minister of Revenue and the Minister of Rites, who caught up with Situ Yao with worried looks on their faces, "Your Highness, please stay."
"What's the matter, my lords?" Situ Yao didn't have much interaction with them because they were neutral in the court, and in order to avoid suspicion, they would not have too much contact with the prince.
The Minister of Rites tugged at his beard, looking troubled. "Regarding the Imperial Concubine's birthday, Your Highness, could you offer some advice?"
"The Ministry of Revenue doesn't have much money, and we have to deal with the snowstorms that may occur in various places in the future. We really don't have any extra money." The Minister of Revenue looked shrewd and calculated in his mind, feeling very distressed. "Besides, in two months it will be the Emperor's Birthday Festival, and we will need money everywhere."
"Since the emperor has issued the decree, there's no reason to disobey it." Situ Yao couldn't possibly encourage them to disobey. He thought for a moment and then said, "Although the Ministry of Rites has never organized a Noble Consort's birthday, everything should be compared to the Empress. Based on that, we can just lower the price a bit."
"But I'm afraid your majesty wants the Ministry of Rites to follow the regulations of the empress." This is what the Minister of Rites is most conflicted about. The former empress is no longer with us, and Concubine Bai's family background is not good enough, so she cannot become the empress. However, the emperor insists on giving her what the empress deserves, which makes it very difficult for them.
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