What Yi Shangyun didn't know was that in Dongning Kingdom, thousands of miles away, it was ultimately because of his kindness and concessions at the time that the entire court and the country were now in turmoil and the people's hearts were in disarray.
At this moment, in the once incomparably majestic hall, Mei Zhixuan still sat high above.
Before the palace, Mei Xiyuan, who had already returned to her motherland, was filled with rage, accompanied by her brother Mei Zhihao.
Standing in the main hall, he arrogantly and aggressively voiced his doubts to the assembled civil and military officials.
"In this great hall, is there anyone who can explain to this princess why my elder brother, the Empress Dowager's own son, whose status is so noble, cannot succeed to the throne?"
Mei Zhihao raised his chin high and chimed in, "That's right, you must give this prince a reasonable explanation today, otherwise this prince will not let this go!"
As Mei Xiyuan spoke, she turned her angry gaze to where Mei Zhixuan was standing and said contemptuously, "On the contrary, you want to support a lowly woman's son who isn't even a son of a concubine to succeed to the throne..."
Mei Zhihao then shouted, "Hurry up and get down here!"
Seeing this, Mei Zhixuan clenched his two large hands, which were spread out on the armrests of the dragon throne, into fists, but he was still trying to hold back.
At this moment, an old man stepped forward from the crowd and reported, "Your Highness, the reason we support the Third Prince is because we were entrusted by Princess Yongning..."
Before he could finish speaking, Mei Xiyuan interrupted him, feigning ignorance, "Princess Yongning? Who is she? And what kind of master is she that she can control the lifeline of our great nation of Dongning?"
The old man bowed respectfully and said with a smile, "Princess, you have just returned to the country and there are some things you may not know. Princess Yongning is the legitimate princess who was found and returned to Western Qin by the old king before his death, and he was given a title... Yongning means to keep our Eastern Ning peaceful and prosperous for a long time."
Before the man could finish speaking, Mei Xiyuan suddenly turned around and rebuked him harshly: "Shut up! I think you're getting senile. You just picked up some random Tom, Dick, or Harry from outside the palace and brought them back, claiming they're the orphan of the late Empress? What proof do you have?"
“Evidence…this…” The old man was clearly speechless.
"Hmph..." Mei Xiyuan said, then let out a soft laugh.
She continued, "Father is old, and in my opinion, he must have been misled by you blind old men. Are all the women of his age outside the palace the legitimate princess you are looking for?"
Upon hearing this, everyone immediately erupted in an uproar.
Upon seeing this, the old man hurriedly dissuaded her, saying, "Princess, your words are strange and you must not speak nonsense. Princess Yongning is indeed real. The old king personally confirmed that she was found and that he had offered sacrifices to heaven and ancestors. There is absolutely no mistake."
Seeing that their words had already had an effect, some of them began to have doubts.
Among these people, there were certainly those with her influence who helped to sow discord. Mei Xiyuan said, "Forget it, I think you are indeed old and confused. I'm too lazy to waste words with you."
He paused, then adopted a seemingly somber expression and continued, "However, you are all the most important people in my Dongning Palace, the most noble of the noble, knowledgeable in everything from astronomy to geography. Has not one of you ever suspected that, with the Emperor just passing away and this person succeeding to the throne, Dongning, which has always enjoyed favorable weather, has suddenly experienced such an unprecedented major epidemic? Could this be a sign of divine wrath and popular resentment?"
"What goes around comes around."
"this……"
Sure enough, as soon as these words were spoken, even more people in the crowd began to discuss them.
At this point, the high and mighty Mei Zhixuan could no longer contain his anger and shouted, "Mei Xiyuan, stop making baseless accusations and inciting people's hearts."
However, after experiencing so much, things are no longer the same as before.
Now, Mei Xiyuan's heart is filled with hatred, and those beautiful childhood memories with him have long been forgotten.
Without even thinking, she retorted, "Shut up!"
Then, addressing the assembled officials, she added, "Now, everyone in Dongning probably knows this. If it weren't for this princess bringing back enough ephedra from Xiqin in time, not only Longhu City, but the entire Dongning would have been doomed."
Now, having lost everything, Mei Xiyuan is solely focused on helping her brother reclaim the throne and avenge her mother's humiliation.
She even believes that one day in the future, she will definitely demand an explanation from Xuan Yuanhan.
She once went to marry a foreign ruler with joy and hope, only to be sent back to her motherland untouched. Such a humiliation was too much for her to bear, given her pride that had been with her since childhood.
Apart from that, it seems like they don't care about anything else.
In a fit of anger, she suddenly pointed at Mei Zhixuan and fiercely questioned him: "But what... what have you done? You almost destroyed Dongning and plunged everyone into an abyss of despair."
After saying that, he turned to face the crowd and said, "So, he is not worthy of sitting in that position at all."
Even knowing he would be reprimanded, the old man insisted, "Only Princess Yongning is the old king's most favored successor to the throne."
Sure enough, upon hearing this, Mei Xiyuan glared at his face and said, "You really are a tough nut to crack. But even if you are, so what?"
Mei Xiyuan then slandered, "Even if she really is the legitimate princess you all speak of, the emperor's most favored heir to the throne, when faced with the epidemic in Longhu City, she gave up halfway and ultimately abandoned Longhu City, running away alone, didn't she?"
The old man recalled and explained, "When the news of the epidemic came, Princess Yongning went out to look for ephedra, not to run away."
All of this seemed to be within Mei Xiyuan's expectations: "They really won't shed tears until they see the coffin."
She then shouted, "Bring everyone up to me, this princess!"
In an instant, two burly men with their hands tied behind their backs were brought in by the guards and made to kneel in front of the hall.
Mei Xiyuan shouted, "Tell me everything you know, word for word, or I will have you torn to pieces immediately."
In an instant, the group started talking all at once.
"That woman, she's a complete fraud."
"Relying on her youth and good looks, she tried every means to win the favor of the old king and even transformed herself into the most noble legitimate princess of the wealthy Dongning Kingdom."
"Knowing he has no ability to govern a country, he still wants to be a leisurely nobleman."
"So she took a lot of gold, silver and valuables from the palace and fled to Longhu City. On the surface, she said it was to help with disaster relief, but in fact, she was waiting for her lover to come and reunite with her."
"Could it be that you idiots are still waiting for her to come back?"
"Hahahaha...hahahaha..."
After saying that, the burly men began to laugh wildly in the main hall, completely oblivious to everyone else.
After a while, Mei Xiyuan finally spoke up, interrupting the laughter: "Don't you still believe that the Princess Yongning you all cherish is a fraud from beginning to end? Don't forget that I was the one who went through all sorts of hardships to bring back Ma Huang from Western Qin in order to save Longhu City."
It seemed that the two forces in the hall were about to determine a victor.
At this moment, a handsome man, dressed in a royal blue brocade robe embroidered with delicate bamboo patterns, his black hair tied up, exuding an extraordinary temperament with every gesture, walked into the main hall cleanly and without any hindrance.
In an instant, everyone looked toward him.
Even Mei Xiyuan was stunned for a moment. After she came to her senses, she asked the man, "Who are you? How come you are here at court? I don't think I've ever seen you before!"
The man, without glancing to the side, approached and walked straight to Mei Zhixuan, greeting him, "Lu Yuan, the young city lord of Longhu City, greets His Highness the Third Prince!"
Upon seeing the person before him, Mei Zhixuan felt a sudden sense of relief and said, "Young City Lord, please rise. What brings you here today?"
Mei Xiyuan then exclaimed in surprise, "You are the young city lord of Dragon Tiger City?!"
Lu Yuan didn't even glance at her, and simply answered Mei Zhixuan's question: "Lu Yuan has come today because he has finally found out something and is eager to speak up for Princess Yongning in the palace."
"Bring it up!"
As he spoke, he ordered his men to bring up two burly men.
Mei Xiyuan, seemingly unable to look away, stared intently at Lu Yuan's profile, muttering to herself, "How despicable! Such a handsome man in the world, and he's making excuses for that bitch again!"
Unexpectedly, just as she was deep in thought, the two witnesses she had brought earlier began to recognize the two witnesses that Lu Yuan had just brought as relatives.
"Big Brother"
Second Brother
"Third Brother"
Fourth Brother
For a moment, Mei Zhixuan was completely confused: "What's going on? How come the four of them know each other?"
Lu Yuan also did not expect that his witness would be the brother of Mei Xiyuan's witness.
He then glanced at the two men he had brought with him, and the two burly men obediently knelt down on the ground.
Lu Yuan then slowly began to speak.
"The plague struck Longhu City with great ferocity, and everyone was trying to avoid it at all costs. Moreover, the old king had just passed away, and the court was in turmoil. Princess Yongning's status is so noble, and it is a blessing for all the people of Longhu City to have her protect Longhu City day and night with all her heart and soul. If the princess's contribution is second in this war without gunpowder, then absolutely no one would dare to claim first place."
These words immediately reversed public opinion in the hall.
Mei Zhixuan felt much more confident and asked, "By the way, the young city lord just said that he came here today because he finally found out something. What is it?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com