Chapter 368 Emperor An's murderous intention, conferred the title of Princess
The blood color in his eyes faded a little, as if suppressed by medicine, and the pain in Emperor An's head eased, but the cruelty and murderous intent in his heart did not ease at all. He was even more furious when he saw the court officials kneeling on the ground below.
He had long known that his sons were restless, and that they were trying to win over court officials in an attempt to seize the throne. However, when he saw that these people, who were supposed to be his subjects, were arguing over his two sons, they had completely forgotten who was the master of the world.
For the first time, Emperor An felt a sense of crisis.
It was as if someone was always coveting the throne beneath him and wanted to pull him down and replace him.
Emperor An looked at the Fourth Prince with blood all over his face and the Second Prince kneeling on the ground, and he felt murderous in his heart.
…
The Lingyun Temple incident was not directly concluded at the morning court session, as the Fourth Prince's wife and Princess Leyang had already confessed their guilt in public. Emperor An ordered that both of them and the Fourth Prince be imprisoned and handed over to the Privy Council for further trial. Madam Bai and Madam Pei were also handed over to the Privy Council.
Although Lord Pei and the Second Prince, who had complained about the injustice, were not imprisoned, they were both placed under house arrest by Emperor An's order and would be punished after the matter was fully investigated.
After the morning court was over, the pale-faced Second Prince walked out of the palace with a gloomy look in his eyes. When he reached a secluded place outside, he slapped Song Jinxiu, who had followed him, in the face.
"You're the one who gave me all the good ideas!"
Song Jinxiu was hit and turned his head away: "Your Highness..."
"Shut up!"
The Second Prince was furious at his expression. "Didn't you tell me your information was accurate, that this matter was foolproof? You told me that this matter wouldn't dirty my hands, that I only needed to fuel the flames. That's why I sent Bai Er and the others to Lingyun Temple to expose the Fourth Prince. But why did it become like this now?"
He wanted to kill the fourth brother, but he had a secret "deal" with Xiao Yan.
Xiao Yan secretly supported him, found jobs for him, helped him step by step to the public, destroyed the relationship between the fourth brother and the aristocratic family, and made him feel at home in the court.
The Second Prince knew very well how powerful Xiao Yan's methods were and how shrewd that man was. He would never personally harm those close to him to anger Xiao Yan, so he never thought of interfering in the affairs of Lingyun Temple from beginning to end. At most, he would let Bai Er and the others stand by and watch, and find an opportunity to expose the Fourth Prince's true face after he succeeded.
But how did it end up being him setting up a scheme to harm the Fourth Prince's wife?!
The second prince thought of the frustration of taking the blame at the morning court and wanted to spit out blood.
"Do you want to help me or kill me?!"
Although the emperor did not send him to prison directly like the fourth prince, he put him under house arrest, which clearly shows that he believed the words of the fourth prince's wife.
And when the court officials from the aristocratic families and Cui Lin saw him just now, their expressions were even more unfriendly, which completely destroyed the trust between them that was not solid to begin with.
Cui Lin even scolded him, saying that he wanted to plot against Xiao Yan and the Fourth Prince, why didn't he discuss it with them in advance and act on his own.
If even his assistants think so, what would others think?
What would Xiao Yan think?
Song Jinxiu's face turned pale: "Your Highness, I don't know why this went wrong..."
Bang!
The Second Prince slapped him fiercely, "You don't know? If you don't know, how can you confidently tell me that this is a great opportunity to overthrow the Fourth Prince? And that you can defeat him and the Queen in one fell swoop?"
"If you hadn't told me the news was confirmed, how could I have been involved?"
Song Jinxiu was speechless when asked.
The Second Prince said angrily, "Song Jinxiu, you'd better hope that this prince is fine, and that my father can find out that this matter has nothing to do with me, otherwise..."
He snorted angrily, glared at Song Jinxiu fiercely, and turned away.
Song Jinxiu had a slap mark on his face and looked extremely embarrassed standing in a remote corner.
…
In the palace, Emperor An was lying on the couch, and Eunuch Feng was rubbing his forehead.
"Your Majesty, the Queen Mother's decree to seal off the palace and put the emperor under house arrest has been delivered, and Fengxi Palace has been put under guard." Yu Yanfeng, deputy commander of the Imperial Guards, reported.
Emperor An closed his eyes and asked, "What did the Queen say?"
Yu Yanfeng lowered his head: "The Queen said she was wronged."
"Oh!"
Emperor An opened his eyes and sat up, his face full of sarcasm: "She is innocent. There is no one in the world more vicious than her!"
Le Yang, that idiot, has always been brainless. Although he acts wildly, he never crosses the line, otherwise he would not have given her the position of the eldest princess. It is true that Le Yang covets Song Tangning, but if it were not for the Queen's instigation and the repeated persuasion of the Fourth Prince's wife, how could Le Yang cause such a big incident?
"Send someone to Lingyun Temple to investigate what happened last night and see how much involvement the Second and Fourth Brothers had. Remember to avoid the people from the Privy Council."
With Xiao Yan in the Privy Council, it is inevitable that there will be bias.
Emperor An was suspicious, so Yu Yanfeng naturally understood what he meant and took the order to retreat.
When the hall quieted down, Emperor An looked at Eunuch Feng and asked, "How is Xiao Yan?"
Eunuch Feng stood aside and said, "Superintendent Xiao vomited blood and fainted, and was carried back to the palace."
Emperor An frowned: "Did he really vomit blood?"
"Absolutely true."
Eunuch Feng whispered, "Many people saw that Governor Xiao had to be helped out of the carriage, and he was unsteady on his feet. He was so enraged that he attacked the Fourth Prince and then his rage took over."
"Doctor Sun has already gone to Jiyun Lane. He reported back that Governor Xiao's internal organs had been damaged before and hadn't recovered yet. This incident caused a relapse of the old injuries. He developed a high fever shortly after being sent back. It sounds serious."
Eunuch Feng paid attention to Emperor An's expression and chose his words carefully:
"Lord Xiao was already seriously injured before, and I'm afraid it was because of the Yiyang County Lady that she was so angry."
Emperor An recalled the day when Xiao Yan threw himself on him and was carried back to the mansion covered in blood. He also recalled Song Tangning's panicked tears, and his suspicions immediately dissipated.
"Where's Song Tangning?"
"I heard he was frightened and fell ill after returning to the capital in the afternoon. Even Mrs. Rong was upset and felt unwell."
Emperor An lowered his eyes and said, "That little girl has suffered an unprovoked disaster. Ask Imperial Physician Sun to take good care of Xiao Yan and also to look after the little girl. Later, go to the storehouse to get some supplements and send them over. Tell them to rest well. I will give them justice in this matter."
Eunuch Feng quickly said, "I obey your order."
Emperor An felt guilty towards Xiao Yan. That day, the emperor and his minister had argued about the Lu family. When Xiao Yan said that he was afraid that he could not protect Tang Ning, so he plotted against the Lu family, he swore to scold Xiao Yan for thinking too much. But in the end, first Lu Qin almost took the little girl's life, and now the queen, her son and the second prince almost ruined the little girl's innocence.
Xiao Yan almost lost his life trying to save the emperor, and now his injuries have relapsed.
Emperor An felt somewhat guilty, and after a moment's hesitation, he said, "Draft an imperial decree. The Princess of Yiyang is gentle and kind, diligent in study, and loyal to the emperor. She has also helped me relieve my worries by planning and building the Rongsheng Academy. I grant her the title of Princess Xiangning. Her fiefdom remains unchanged, and she will enjoy the food and fiefdom of a princess."
He owed Xiao Yan a debt, but for a eunuch like Xiao Yan to be in charge of the Privy Council was already the limit, and it was impossible for him to be promoted any further. Tang Ning had been wronged, and since she was a woman, since Xiao Yan loved her, giving her some honor was a comfort.
Eunuch Feng opened his eyes wide, feeling deeply moved that the Princess of Yiyang... no, the Princess of Xiangning was truly blessed with great fortune.
The imperial edict of enthronement and the reply letter from the northwest arrived at Jiyun Lane almost at the same time.
After sending away the person from the palace who came to deliver the imperial edict, Tang Ning casually threw the imperial edict to Yue Jian beside him. Before he could be happy about his brother's reply, he heard from outsiders that Song Jinxiu had arrived.
Tang Ning said with disgust: "No."
She also wants to read her brother's letter.
Outside, Song Jinxiu vaguely saw Tang Ning in the front yard. Seeing her turn and leave, he shouted across the gatehouse: "Tang Ning, I know you saw me."
Yue Jian saw Tang Ning frowning and was a little annoyed: "Girl, I will chase him away right away."
Tang Ning held the letter in his hand and glanced at the still bright sky outside.
Song Jinxiu's shout attracted countless people's attention.
"Never mind, let him in."
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