The Emperor wasn't surprised by this result, after all, Yongqi had frequently visited Shufangzhai before his incognito tour. The Emperor found it hard to believe that Yongqi knew nothing at all.
"Someone, go to Yonghe Palace and Ruyi Pavilion and bring Yongqi and Benjamin to me." The Emperor's tone was flat, making it impossible to tell whether he was angry or not.
"Your Excellency" is, after all, a prince, so how could he be brought here by someone else? Li Yu naturally had no choice but to act as the vanguard. The Emperor nodded to Li Yu.
One thing after another was bothering the Emperor so much that he had a headache. The Emperor frowned and gently rubbed his temples with his right hand.
Consort Yu was now as restless as an ant on a hot pan. She sighed again that today was not a good time for a walk, but if she didn't go for a walk, she didn't know what would happen today.
Consort Yu looked at the entrance of Cining Palace with worry in her eyes, silently praying that Yongqi would be tactful when he came over and not anger the Emperor.
Consort Yu's attitude towards Xiao Yanzi was initially indifferent, but now it could be described as utter disgust. The moment she lowered her head and saw Xiao Yanzi's face, Consort Yu averted her gaze in disgust.
Consort Ling was also extremely uneasy, wondering what the Emperor thought now, and whether he would connect her to this matter. Heaven and earth can bear witness, she really had nothing to do with this.
If anyone in the entire Cining Palace was the most carefree, it would undoubtedly be the Empress. She seemed completely unconcerned, even playing with her nail guards in a pleasant mood, while sipping her tea.
Ziwei and Xiaoyanzi, kneeling below, were filled with unease.
Li Yu first went to Yonghe Palace, but found it empty. The eunuch serving Yongqi told him that Yongqi had gone to Ruyi Pavilion to practice fencing with the painter Ban.
Li Yu had no choice but to head towards Ruyi Pavilion. As soon as he arrived at the entrance, he saw the Fifth Prince's two attendants, a painter and a painter, gesturing back and forth.
Li Yu stepped forward and respectfully said, "Fifth Prince, His Majesty has summoned you and Painter Ban to the Cining Palace."
Yongqi was just about to take a break when he heard Li Yu's words. "Cining Palace?" Yongqi was a little confused. If his father was testing him on his studies, it should be in Yangxin Hall or Qianqing Palace.
"Yes, please pack your things and come with me quickly," Li Yu said respectfully, bowing low.
Even the oblivious Benjamin now sensed something was amiss. Besides, the Emperor had summoned him as well.
While Yongqi was changing his clothes, Benjamin, who had already changed, said from behind the screen, "Something's not quite right about this."
“Even you can see it, how could I not?” Yongqi said calmly. “I think it’s probably about Shufangzhai.”
Benjamin agreed, nodding. He wasn't worried about himself, but rather about Yongqi.
After Yongqi changed his clothes, he came out and saw Benjamin's bitter face. He couldn't help but find it a little funny and asked, "Why do you look more worried than me?" Yongqi patted his good friend on the shoulder.
“We were all involved in this,” Benjamin said with a serious expression, unable to manage a smile. “But you are the Emperor’s most beloved son, and I’m sure the Emperor will be very sad.”
At this point, Yongqi was no longer as calm as before. Yes, he would accept whatever the outcome. However, the thought of the impact this matter would have on his father, the Emperor, filled Yongqi with guilt.
“What’s done is done, so we have to take responsibility for the mistakes we’ve made.” Yongqi lowered his hand and looked calmly ahead.
Benjamin nodded heavily, and the two of them left calmly, as usual.
Yongqi didn't even try to trick Li Yu into revealing anything; by now, he had seen through everything.
Benjamin wondered if things would have been different if she had informed the Emperor the moment she first recognized Xiao Yanzi in the palace.
Unfortunately, once the arrow is released, there's no turning back, and no going back.
The two arrived at the Cining Palace with calm expressions, a stark contrast to the flustered Fu Lun.
Looking at Yongqi and Benjamin, who had also been brought to the Cining Palace, Fu Lun understood everything. He had already suspected something bad had happened when he probed the messenger eunuch on the way. He just hadn't expected them to be so impatient, revealing the matter without consulting him.
Fu Lun initially thought it was because Fu Erkang's unannounced entry into the palace had angered the Emperor. He never expected them to be so audacious. Fu Lun kept offering money bags to the eunuchs along the way, but the eunuchs refused to accept them. (Note: If the eunuchs had accepted them, it meant there was still room for negotiation; if they hadn't, it meant the situation had become irreparable.)
Furen's heart tightened, then relaxed. Fortunately, his second son wouldn't be implicated in this matter. Furen also became more at ease; at worst, he could simply retire and return home. He had come to terms with it.
But he forgot that his eldest son was no easy task. There was also a highly uncertain and dangerous factor—Fulkang.
Li Yu went in to report, and after a short while, he came out and said that the Emperor had summoned them in.
The three of them went in quite calmly. Compared to Yongqi and Benjamin, the lady certainly didn't seem as composed as she appeared, after all, it concerned her entire Fu family and her eldest son.
Yongqi and Benjamin remained calm and respectfully performed their greetings before obediently stepping aside to await the Emperor's interrogation.
Fu Lun knelt down tremblingly and begged the emperor for forgiveness, no matter what it was.
"Fu Lun, I summoned you here to clarify a few things." The Emperor glanced at the two men standing obediently to his side, then looked down at Fu Lun kneeling below.
"Yes, Your Majesty, I will speak frankly and without reservation." Fu Lun bowed low and said.
"I'd like to ask you about the matter of the real and fake princesses. Does your Fu family know about it?" The Emperor gazed intently at those below, but he already had a guess in his mind.
Fu Lun closed his eyes helplessly and admitted, "During the sacrificial procession that day, Miss Ziwei was seriously injured by my son, and she kept muttering that she was the rightful princess. Out of consideration, I brought Ziwei to the Fu family. I learned about this matter."
"Oh, then why didn't you explain all this to me? Do you think I'm a tyrant who indiscriminately kills innocent people?" Although he had already guessed it, the emperor still couldn't hide his anger.
One was his beloved son, the other a trusted minister, yet they conspired to manipulate him at will. How could this not enrage him?
"Your Majesty, I dare not." Upon hearing this, Fu Lun hurriedly expressed his loyalty to the Emperor. "I only thought of keeping it a secret because of consideration. Your Majesty just finished the Heaven Worship Ceremony with Princess Huanzhu and paraded through the streets. The people all know about Your Majesty's adopted daughter. Moreover, at that time, there was only Ziwei's side of the story, which I felt was somewhat ill-considered."
"Oh, so when Xiao Yanzi went to the Fu family after being punished, did she meet with Ziwei?" The emperor, of course, wasn't stupid and immediately deduced it.
Under such circumstances, how could Fu Lun possibly conceal the truth? "Yes, Princess Huanzhu came to my house to see Miss Ziwei. Afterwards, because this matter had far-reaching implications, and because Princess Huanzhu was guilty of deceiving the emperor, I felt compassion for her youthful beauty. That's why I thought of finding a suitable opportunity to inform Your Majesty."
"Is today your so-called opportune moment?" The Emperor gave Fu Erkang a stern look. Hmph, don't think he, the Emperor, was unaware of Fu Erkang's arrival in the palace. On the contrary, he knew perfectly well what Fu Erkang was up to; he just wanted to know what Fu Erkang was going to do next. He never expected such a big "surprise."
"Your subject dares not, your subject is terrified." Fu Lun was well aware that tomorrow was the day the Mongol prince would depart, and today he must have been discussing matters with the prince. However, he had not expected that his rebellious son would enter the palace without consulting him first, catching him completely off guard.
Thinking of this, Fu Lun glared fiercely at Fu Erkang, who was more trouble than he was worth. If this matter had been handled perfectly, it would have been fine, but choosing today was truly insane.
With Fu Lun's case concluded, the Emperor's sharp gaze then swept over Yong Qi and Benjamin.
The two men met the Emperor's gaze with complete composure, but inwardly they breathed a sigh of relief; it was good that the Emperor was questioning them now.
"Yongqi, when did you find out?" The Emperor stared intently at his once most beloved son.
"Father, we both knew about it," Yongqi said calmly. "Your subject is willing to accept any punishment."
“Your Majesty, Benjamin is also willing to accept any punishment,” Benjamin hurriedly declared behind Yongqi.
The Emperor stared intently at the two men below, saying nothing. A heavy weight seemed to press down on everyone's hearts.
Consort Yu's heart was pounding; she was practically bursting with impatience, wanting to rush down from the platform and join her son in apologizing to the Emperor. But as soon as she made that move, she saw Yongqi shake his head at her.
She still believed in her son, and not wanting to hold him back, Consort Yu silently returned to her seat, her hands constantly twisting her handkerchief. Her heart was pounding, and the palace maid beside her knew perfectly well what her mistress was thinking.
Reassuring her mistress, "Your Highness, the prince knows what he's doing. Don't scare yourself." Consort Yu nodded.
When Consort Ling saw Fu Lun, she was relieved. However, when Fu Lun confessed to all the crimes, her heart jumped again. She hoped that the Emperor would consider their past relationship and conduct a thorough investigation.
"Yongqi knew the truth but failed to report it, deceiving his superiors and subordinates. He is hereby ordered to go to Jinan to investigate Xia Yuhe's matter. Afterwards, he shall go to the Shenxing Division to receive thirty strokes of the cane and be fined two years' salary." In the end, the Emperor could not bear to severely punish his once-favored son and still hoped that he could make amends and atone for his crimes.
Yongqi hadn't expected his father to be so lenient with his deception of the emperor. As he knelt, his eyes filled with tears, and his voice was heavy. "Your subject accepts the decree and thanks you." He remained kneeling on the ground for a long time without raising his head.
Anke looked at Yongqi kneeling on the ground, feeling both sympathy and anger. She sympathized that her once-proud and outstanding fifth brother had also suffered such punishment. She was angry that he had boasted of his own exceptional intelligence when they were young, yet he had failed to recognize true character.
Well, I guess Fifth Brother is probably condemning his past self right now.
The Emperor then turned to look at Benjamin beside Yongqi. Indeed, Benjamin's identity was a dead end. He couldn't possibly order his execution. "Benjamin assisted Yongqi in the investigation. Upon your return, he will be under the supervision of your master and is not permitted to leave the Ruyi Pavilion without an imperial edict."
Benjamin was also deeply grateful for the Emperor's great kindness.
Looking at what was happening before him, Fu Erkang felt certain that he would be treated leniently as well. He could barely suppress the urge to smile, but his eyes betrayed his true thoughts.
The emperor didn't even bother to look at him. This person was actually his former imperial bodyguard. Had he lost his mind? With someone like this protecting him, wasn't he afraid that someone might assassinate him in the middle of the night?
"No matter what, Fu Lun, you have still committed the crime of deceiving the emperor. You are hereby demoted three ranks and your salary is reduced for three years. Think carefully about everything you have done today." The emperor had already done more than enough and had ultimately given him a way out.
"Your Majesty, I thank you for your grace." Fu Lun knelt on the ground, tears streaming down his face. He was already satisfied. After all, he had committed a capital crime, and now that he had been spared the death penalty, he could not escape punishment.
"As for the two of you, before Yongqi and Benjamin return from their investigation," the Emperor said, looking at Xiaoyanzi and Ziwei kneeling on the ground, closing his eyes. "you will be imprisoned in the Imperial Clan Court. We'll discuss everything after they return from their investigation."
Although the Emperor believed that Ziwei was his and Xia Yuhe's daughter, after the incident with Xiaoyanzi, he still dared not take any risks and could only wait for them to return after a thorough investigation before making any plans.
Xiao Yanzi wanted to say something more, but Ziwei pulled her back. "Yes, Your Majesty."
Ziwei was terrified that Xiaoyanzi would say something outrageous again, so the current situation was already quite good. Only after Yongqi and Benjamin conducted a thorough investigation would they realize that everything she said today was true.
Seeing Ziwei's nonchalant attitude, Xiaoyanzi sighed helplessly. But what could she do? Ziwei didn't care, so what was the point of arguing with her?
"Little Swallow has disturbed His Majesty's presence. She shall receive forty strokes of the cane from the Imperial Guard and twenty for opening her mouth." The Emperor still couldn't swallow his anger. He had only spoken to himself quietly, but to do it in front of the Mongol Prince and make him lose face was unacceptable. Naturally, this debt would be placed on Little Swallow's shoulders.
Little Swallow stared wide-eyed in horror, but before she could say anything, she was dragged away by the guards behind her.
Ziwei looked up, wanting to argue, but when she met the Emperor's majestic eyes, she swallowed back the words she was about to say.
"As for you, Fu Erkang," the Emperor glanced at Fu Erkang kneeling on the ground with disgust, "I have said that no one may enter the palace without an imperial edict. Did you take my words as a joke? Go to Commander Shenxing for fifty strokes of the cane, and then go help out in the Imperial Kitchen."
Fu Erkang was incredulous and initially thought he had misheard. Even after being dragged away, he was still somewhat dazed.
The Emperor watched as Fu Erkang was dragged away, his heart unmoved. Wasn't Fu Erkang spouting nonsense in the Imperial Kitchen? Well, let him deflate his arrogance and make him stay in the place he despises.
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