Chapter 196: What kind of prince is he, a bastard of unknown origin?
Emperor An's brows furrowed suddenly. "You said Xie Yin is not Rong Yue's son?"
Xiao Yan nodded. "This was the old servant of Princess Cheng who was in collusion with Prince Cheng. He personally identified her before his death. Marquis Wenxin and Lord Wu also heard it."
Marquis Wenxin spoke up from the side: "I did hear it."
Wu Huai also agreed: "That old servant doesn't seem to be lying."
Although Nanny Jiang had her tongue pulled out and could not speak, her excited expression at that time could not be faked. It was probably that Xie Yin was not the son of Princess Cheng.
Emperor An couldn't help but frown when he heard this. Back then, when Xie Tianyu married Rong Yue, with the help of Rong Qian'an's connections in the court, his status among the princes instantly improved a lot.
At that time, the prince was still alive. Apart from the Eastern Palace, Xie Tianyu was the most eye-catching. Relying on the Rong family, he was almost on par with the Eastern Palace, and he also used this to win over a large number of people.
Emperor An remembered very clearly that not long after Rong Yue married Xie Tianyu, she was found to be pregnant, and she gave birth to Xie Yin the following year. The child's name was chosen by the late emperor himself.
Back then, the late emperor valued Xie Tianyu very much and was particularly fond of Xie Yin. Because of Xie Tianyu's "deep affection" for Rong Yue, even after the late emperor's death, when people mentioned him, they said that he was loyal and righteous.
But Xie Yin is not Rong Yue's son. So where did the child go when Rong Yue gave birth? And who is Xie Yin?
With Xie Tianyu's temperament, he would definitely not raise a son for someone else and hand over his family business to others. But if Xie Yin was his son, who did Xie Tianyu have the son with?
Could it be that Xie Tianyu, who was so affectionate, secretly had a mistress somewhere else?
Emperor An thought a lot in an instant, and even for a moment thought of the unlucky Song Hong.
Xiao Yan stood in the hall and said, "No matter what the reason is, the truth is probably not very glorious. If Prince Xie has a shameful background, it may bring disaster to the reputation of the royal family..."
"What kind of prince is this bastard who came from nowhere?"
The royal family recognizes orthodoxy and values bloodline.
Prince Cheng has even started thinking about rebellion, so how could Emperor An still care about his reputation? Emperor An didn't like Prince Cheng when he was still a prince, but he was relatively law-abiding in the past few years so he didn't bother to touch him. But today, those thunder crossbows and ladders touched Emperor An's reverse scale.
He only wished that King Cheng would be infamous and despised by everyone. Once his guilt was proven and he was punished, how could they cover up for him?
Emperor An said coldly, "Just investigate as you should. Don't worry."
"Rong Yue is the principal consort of Prince Cheng, personally chosen by the late emperor. Her son is the royal bloodline. If Xie Yin is not Rong Yue's son, a creature of unknown origin, how can he inherit the title of king and bring disaster to the reputation of the royal family?"
As Emperor An spoke, he tugged at his clothes with a hint of irritation, as if something was tickling his brain. His breathing became rapid and he became restless.
His mouth and nose were full of heat. He waved his sleeves and drank the liquor on the table instead of tea. The burning stimulation went down his throat, and the heat in Emperor An's heart subsided a little. There was a hint of abnormal redness on his face.
"Just take care of the affairs of Prince Cheng's Mansion. If Prince Cheng really has the intention of treason, we will do what needs to be done. No need to show any mercy. As for the Lu family, we must investigate thoroughly as soon as possible."
"yes."
Seeing Emperor An stand up, Xiao Yan said, "Your Majesty..."
Emperor An looked at him impatiently: "Anything else?"
His hands and feet were burning, and he became more and more irritable.
Xiao Yan said at the right moment, "It's about the Grand Empress Dowager. Her hysteria has been getting worse lately, and she's started talking nonsense. There are so many people in the palace, and the concubines often visit her under various pretexts. I'm afraid I'll disturb the Grand Empress Dowager's peace."
Emperor An's expression turned cold: "Didn't I tell them not to bother the Grand Empress Dowager?!"
Xiao Yan whispered, "I have already ordered the palace to be sealed in accordance with His Majesty's order, but the Empress and the others wanted to perform their filial duties and attend to the sick, and I could not stop them."
The Queen again!
Emperor An's eyes darkened: "I've never seen her so filial before!"
This almost undisguised sarcasm caused the hall to be extremely quiet for a moment.
Xiao Yan seemed oblivious to Emperor An's expression as he continued, "The Grand Empress Dowager has been reminiscing about the past a lot lately, and when she has a hysterical attack, she says a lot of nonsense. The Empress thinks it's okay and won't take her words seriously, but she's worried that the other ladies in the palace might hear about it and spread it as gossip, which could lead to misunderstandings."
Emperor An's face looked extremely ugly. The Empress Dowager was old and confused, but she was still thinking about the Crown Prince Li and his son who had been dead for who knows how many years.
Back then, she loved the father and son the most. After the Crown Prince Li plotted rebellion, she was the only one who did not believe it. She tried every possible way to make trouble for them, and finally drove herself crazy.
The affairs of the Crown Prince Li were not clean. Empress Lu had frequent contact with the Grand Empress Dowager and the concubines. What if the Grand Empress Dowager said something out of confusion...
Xiao Yan whispered, "Madam Qin said that the Grand Empress Dowager's hysteria is caused by frequent exposure to old things. It would be difficult for her to recover peacefully in the palace. Why not move the Grand Empress Dowager to the imperial estate on the outskirts of the city? That would also make it easier for Madam Qin to come and look after her."
Emperor An, already irritable, agreed without a second thought: "As you say, send someone to protect the Grand Empress Dowager and don't let irrelevant people disturb her."
Xiao Yan lowered his eyes slightly: "Your humble servant obeys your command."
…
The heavy rain that had been falling for most of the night had subsided a little. Several people, soaking wet, came out of the hall and shivered suddenly when the wind blew.
Marquis Wenxin rubbed his arms and couldn't help but look behind him.
"Lord Xiao, His Majesty..."
The smell of alcohol had not yet dissipated in the hall. The sight of Emperor An with his chest and belly exposed was too eye-catching. Moreover, the teacup was clearly filled with strong liquor, and just the smell was pungent.
It was the middle of the night, and His Majesty even drank when he met them. Marquis Wenxin always felt that something was wrong.
"Your Majesty, are you okay?" He lowered his voice.
Xiao Yan said, "The Imperial Physician's Office has been checking your pulse daily, and we haven't heard anything about your Majesty's health. However, your Majesty has been particularly fond of drinking lately, and the newly favored concubines are also very good drinkers. Your Majesty often drinks with them at night."
Marquis Wenxin frowned: "Will drinking like this harm your health?"
Xiao Yan glanced at him and said, "What do you think, Lord? How can a hangover not be harmful to your health?"
"Then why didn't anyone advise me?"
"Who dares to persuade me?"
"Lord Xiao..."
Just as Marquis Wenxin was about to say that Xiao Yan was capable of persuasion, he was stopped by his own words.
"I'm not a god, and Your Majesty has never missed court due to a hangover. Most of that drunkenness happens at night. I can't sneak into the beds of those ladies in the middle of the night. I'm going to advise Your Majesty to drink less."
"Or do you think that I am particularly stubborn?"
Marquis Wenxin: “…”
Xiao Yan's mouth is as annoying as ever.
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