"Has Fangzhi benefited? I didn't see it." The emperor asked with a strange expression.
The imperial harem has always been a place where people fawn over the powerful and bully the weak. A few years ago, Fangzhi kept a low profile, like a transparent person, so naturally no one paid attention to her, and no one would deliberately cause her trouble.
But ever since the Crown Prince brought the Fifth Prince back to the Eastern Palace to raise him, and Consort Shu became Consort Shu, Fangzhi, the Fifth Prince's birth mother, was no longer an unknown nobody.
The concubines in the harem took notice of her again, especially those who had no children.
According to reports from the secret guards, recently, concubines have been frequently going to Fangzhi's residence to cause her trouble, making her life much more difficult than before.
"If it weren't for the addition of your son as a variable, the poison Jinghe suffered from would have been mistaken for epilepsy. Once that got out, who would dare to take care of him? Wouldn't that have just benefited Fangzhi?"
"Moreover, if she were truly innocent, she wouldn't happen to have the balm that could suppress Jinghe's madness, and that balm would also contain the Intoxicating Flower."
"Your Majesty, I have asked Physician Zhang. The Drunken Heart Flower is not common. Ordinary doctors do not even know that it can be used to make poison and medicine. Fangzhi is an ordinary palace maid, yet she can use the Drunken Heart Flower to make perfume. Isn't she suspicious?"
"It is indeed very suspicious, but what about the evidence?" The emperor wanted to deliberately make things difficult for Ye Jingchen, so he said in a serious tone, "To convict someone, you need evidence. You need both witnesses and physical evidence to confirm a person's crime."
"Father is the emperor. Does the emperor have to rely on witnesses and evidence to convict someone? Can't he just convict her whenever he wants?" Ye Jingchen's heart stirred slightly, and he deliberately followed the emperor's words, his words implying that he wanted to convict Fang Zhi directly.
"Ahem! Even if I am the emperor, I cannot ignore the law. I must not only present evidence, but also give the parties involved a chance to defend themselves—" At this point, the emperor couldn't help but think of what had happened in the court today.
He used this same rhetoric to appease his ministers at the time.
Moreover, he did not immediately punish the Zhenguo Duke's Mansion on the grounds that it only had elderly, weak, women and children. Instead, he ordered the Dali Temple, the Ministry of Justice and the Supervisory Commission to conduct a joint trial and investigation of the Zhenguo Duke's Mansion.
He has already shown enough kindness and magnanimity, hasn't he?
If, after that, it is discovered that the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion is suspected of colluding with the enemy and betraying the country, and the evidence is conclusive, then no one can stop him from punishing the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, right?
The emperor was feeling quite pleased with himself when he suddenly noticed Ye Jingchen's sullen expression. Overwhelmed with paternal love, he changed his tune, saying, "Although we must abide by the law, she's just a palace maid. If you really dislike her, you can simply give her a cup of poison or a white silk ribbon to hang herself!"
He spoke casually, but Ye Jingchen felt a heaviness in his heart as he listened.
A human life, the birth mother of a prince, was so insignificant and worthless in the emperor's eyes.
"Your subject does not like her, but there are many people I do not like. I can't execute everyone, can I?" Ye Jingchen shook his head and said firmly.
"Moreover, Jinghe is the victim, and how to deal with her should be up to Jinghe. I cannot make the decision for him. However, Jinghe is still young and does not know the truth, so he cannot make such a decision. Therefore, I hope that Father can order Fangzhi to be locked in the Cold Palace and make a decision when Jinghe grows up."
"Heh... You've got quite a long-term vision!" The emperor chuckled meaningfully, reaching out to vigorously rub Ye Jingchen's head. "Thinking so much at such a young age, be careful you don't stunt your growth!"
"Father, touching my head like that will prevent me from growing taller!" Ye Jingchen was speechless. He was clearly putting on a serious act of brotherly affection for the emperor. Shouldn't the emperor be pleased?
“Fangzhi is, after all, Jinghe’s biological mother. If I make a decision for him without his consent, he might blame me when he grows up. I also don’t want this matter to cause any rift between us brothers,” Ye Jingchen continued to explain.
"Chen'er, do you remember how long it took you to memorize the Three Character Classic?" the emperor suddenly asked.
The emperor was pleased with Ye Jinghe's intelligence; the emperor was also pleased with Ye Jingchen's emphasis on brotherhood. But does pure brotherhood truly exist within the imperial family?
The emperor, having been through it all, knew all too well how tempting the throne was to the princes!
"Huh? I can recite the Three Character Classic?" Ye Jingchen was immediately incredulous.
The original owner's memory was actually better than his?
"Yes, you've been studying since you started school, and you can't even recite the Three Character Classic in its entirety. Jinghe has only been studying for a few days, yet he can recite the Three Character Classic from memory. Don't you feel any pressure?" the emperor asked, exasperated.
"Why should I feel pressured? Jinghe is so intelligent, I'm happy for him!" Ye Jingchen said with a smile.
Seeing his carefree attitude, the emperor was furious.
Although he always knew that Ye Jingchen had many minor flaws and was not smart enough to be a suitable crown prince, he was determined to choose him, nurture him, and protect him so that he could successfully inherit the throne, in order to make up for the regret in his heart.
Back then, he was also the eldest son of the Empress, but he had many bad habits and was not very smart. However, his younger brothers all performed better than him, so the late emperor hesitated and wanted to change the crown prince.
It was this attitude of the late emperor that fueled the ambition of his younger brothers, making them restless and causing them to fight him openly and secretly. If it weren't for the support of his maternal grandparents' family and the empress's maternal family, he might not have lived to the day he ascended the throne.
As it turns out, even though he was considered useless by his father, he still managed to govern Dayuan very well and make it prosperous after becoming emperor.
So when he discovered that the crown prince resembled him when he was a child, he grew even more fond of the prince and became more determined to make him the heir apparent.
If he firmly supports the crown prince and doesn't give the other princes any chance, perhaps his children won't fight to the death for the throne like they did with their brothers.
"If he uses this intelligence to compete with you for the throne in the future, will you still be happy?" the emperor asked bluntly.
Although Chen'er is still young, it's time for him to understand that there is no kinship in the royal family.
If a prince is too outstanding, it may overshadow the crown prince and easily cause disloyalty among his ministers, all of which could become the source of chaos.
Ye Jingchen secretly observed the emperor's expression. Although he knew the emperor had always favored the crown prince, it was inappropriate for the emperor to say such things to him personally, wasn't it? Wasn't this inciting the brothers to distrust each other?
"We'll only know what the future holds in the future, but for now, I truly love Jinghe and hope he can grow up safely and happily," Ye Jingchen said earnestly after a moment's thought.
Actually, if Ye Jinghe were truly interested in the throne, he would be overjoyed and would definitely hand it over to him so he could live a life of leisure and wealth. Wouldn't that be wonderful?
However, it seemed inappropriate to say such things to the emperor right now, so Ye Jingchen only dared to think about it in his heart.
But—just thinking about it in your heart is enough to make you ecstatic, okay?!
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