Consort Shu's demeanor didn't seem feigned; could it be that she really didn't recognize Tao Zhi?
But would Consort Shu really dare to entrust the serious matter of poisoning a prince, which could lead to execution and the extermination of one's entire family, to a complete stranger?
Consort Shu should not be so foolish.
Moreover, from a results-oriented perspective, what benefit would Consort Shu gain from poisoning Ye Jinghe?
Ye Jinghe was sent to Changchun Palace after birth and raised by her. Ye Jinghe developed epilepsy, and she is absolutely to blame. The emperor will definitely hold her accountable!
She herself knew very well what was going on, which is why she kept it a secret from the emperor.
Perhaps she really didn't want to raise Ye Jinghe anymore after Ye Jingning was born, but there was absolutely no need to use such a method that would hurt both sides.
Could it be that Tao Zhi lied?
But he's dead, and there's no way to verify the truth of this matter.
"Your Majesty, I am innocent! I don't even know Tao Zhi, so how could I possibly instruct him to poison Jing He? Besides, what benefit would I gain from poisoning Jing He?!" Consort Shu, who always presented herself as weak, could no longer pretend to be weak and loudly defended herself.
"Father, I think Consort Shu is right," Ye Jingchen said.
Consort Shu looked over in surprise, not expecting Ye Jingchen to help her at this time.
"However, Consort Shu, as Jinghe's mother, doesn't even recognize the imperial physician who has been treating him. You've seen the injuries on Jinghe's body. Although Consort Shu wasn't the one who did it, it was done by a palace servant from Changchun Palace. While Consort Shu wasn't the mastermind behind poisoning Jinghe, she is definitely an accomplice. It's precisely because of her indifference towards Jinghe that he became such a pitiful child whom everyone could bully. Father, you must seek justice for Jinghe!" Ye Jingchen said, his eyes red.
Although Ye Jingchen was referring to Consort Shu, the Emperor inexplicably felt a pang of embarrassment. However, he could never admit fault in such a matter, so the only one at fault must be Consort Shu!
"Consort Shu, what can you say to refute what the Crown Prince has said?" he asked, looking down at her.
"Your Majesty—Your Majesty accepts the punishment," Consort Shu said unwillingly.
There was nothing she could do even if she denied it; the crime of ignoring a prince was much less serious than the crime of murdering him.
"In that case, from this day forward, Consort Shu is demoted to the rank of Consort, confined to her quarters for three months, and her salary is reduced by one year! But you should know that this is only because I consider your merit in giving birth to the Seventh Prince; otherwise, you wouldn't even deserve this rank of Consort. You'd better behave yourself!"
"As for those palace servants in your Changchun Palace who serve the Fifth Prince, if they dare to insult the prince, they shall all be beaten to death!"
Consort Shu, no, now it should be Consort Shu, collapsed to the ground.
"Your Majesty, spare us!" The palace servants she brought cried out in anguish, but after only a few cries, they were covered by the imperial guards and dragged away.
"You may leave!" the emperor waved his hand at Consort Shu with disgust.
Chunlu helped the pale-faced Consort Shu back, and only then did Ye Jingchen lower his hand from covering Ye Jinghe's ears.
"Father, this matter must be thoroughly investigated. I want to know who is behind the plot to harm my brother Jinghe!" Ye Jingchen said to the emperor.
"I will naturally investigate, but Jinghe cannot remain in the Eastern Palace," the Emperor said.
"Why not? I want Jinghe and my little brother to stay in the East Palace and play with me!" Ye Jingchen said, hugging the child in his arms tightly.
"If you feel bored, I can order a few companions to be chosen for you, but Jinghe is also a prince and cannot be your playmate!" the emperor said forcefully.
"I want a study companion, and I want Jinghe and my younger brother to stay in the East Palace too!" Ye Jingchen insisted without backing down. "Only adults need to make choices. I'm a child, I want them all!"
The emperor was amused by Ye Jingchen's shameless attempt to have his cake and eat it too. "Why do you want to leave Jinghe in the Eastern Palace? You're still a child yourself. How can you take good care of him?"
"The palace servants in the Eastern Palace aren't just for show; of course they're responsible for taking care of Jing and his younger brother. All I have to do is play with them!" Ye Jingchen said matter-of-factly.
"I see that you are almost fully recovered. Why don't you resume your studies tomorrow?" the emperor said with a cold snort.
It's impossible to start school so soon!
We should try to delay as long as possible.
"Didn't Father want to choose a study companion for me? I need to choose a study companion before I go to school!" Ye Jingchen said.
"Then do you still want to keep Jinghe in the Eastern Palace?" the Emperor asked. It was clear that only one option remained.
“I know that Father Emperor really wants to choose another mother for Jinghe, but Jinghe is really not suitable to go anywhere else. He will have an attack if he is stimulated.” Ye Jingchen performed a magic trick of instantly shedding tears for the emperor.
“Jinghe is already so pitiful, Father, please don’t force him. Oh, right—we haven’t asked Jinghe why he can’t speak yet?” Ye Jingchen suddenly remembered this and forgot to play the victim.
Who told Consort Shu to bring up epilepsy as soon as she arrived? She brought up the very thing that shouldn't be brought up. In the heat of the moment, everyone forgot about this. Now that the people serving Ye Jinghe have been dragged away and beaten to death, how can we ask her about it?
If you were to ask Consort Shu, she might still be completely clueless.
“Well—this old servant has already asked, and those treacherous servants said that the Fifth Prince has never spoken a word. They all thought the Fifth Prince was mute,” Zhang Shunde said tremblingly as he stepped forward.
"Drag the corpses of those deceitful lackeys to all the palaces and display them to the public, so that the palace servants will know the consequences of deceiving their master!" the emperor roared.
"Father, we both bear responsibility for what happened to my younger brother Jinghe. Please let him stay in the Eastern Palace. I can take good care of him!" Ye Jingchen held Ye Jinghe in one arm and tried to pull at the emperor's dragon robe with the other.
Perhaps understanding that they were talking about their destination, Ye Jinghe also silently looked at the emperor with his big, dark eyes.
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