Mu Wanyu woke up, wrapped in a blanket and huddled in the corner, looking at Yang Mingyue in horror. Yang Mingyue had a headache; he didn't know why he had slept so soundly last night, only to wake up to find a woman in his bed screaming, which hurt his ears.
As he rubbed his temples, a group of people burst in from outside. Who else could it be but Emperor Xijing and his ministers?
What's worse, the empress he had flirted with last night was now leaning against Emperor Jingcheng's chest, watching him with schadenfreude.
His temple throbbed, and he glanced at Mu Wanyu beside him, immediately understanding what was going on. It was just a woman; he'd slept with her, so what? It was just a little embarrassing now, being watched by so many people.
Azi took out a piece of pastry and ate it in small bites. Di Jingcheng, afraid she would get a sty, held her tightly in his arms, their backs to the two people on the bed. Di Jingyuan, behind them, saw Azi leisurely eating the pastry and smiled slightly at her.
Azi met his gaze, and seeing him smile at her, her eyes were slightly dazed. She chewed on a pastry, then smiled slightly. This smile made Di Jingyuan extremely happy, but he looked away the next second.
Di Jingcheng coughed lightly, his face showing embarrassment: "What's wrong?"
Yang Mingyue said nonchalantly, "It's nothing."
Upon hearing Di Jingcheng's voice, Mu Wanyu's initial terror subsided slightly. Wrapped in her blanket, she crawled over and knelt on the ground, looking pitifully at the emperor: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, I am Mu Wanyu, don't you remember me?! Your Majesty, I did not do this willingly, he raped me, Your Majesty must do justice for me!"
Mu Wanyu pointed at Yang Mingyue, her eyes filled with resentment. She had endured excruciating pain last night, and now she was on the verge of fainting.
The crowd gasped. Wasn't this the daughter of a Grand Secretary? And a former concubine of the Emperor? This... this scene was too embarrassing. Why did they have to see this? They didn't want to know too much!
Standing at the back of the crowd, Li Li felt immense tension and sorrow upon hearing Mu Wanyu's voice. Seeing her pitiful and helpless appearance, he wanted to rush forward to protect her.
But his colleague stopped him. He looked at his colleague with bloodshot eyes, and the official shook his head at him: "Don't go. Going now will only make things worse."
Li Li gripped his sleeve tightly, his lips trembling, tears welling in his red eyes. He knew he could never protect her.
"Alright, all of you may leave. Prince Yuan, please stay."
"Your humble servant takes his leave."
Only Mu Wanyu, weakly coughing, remained in the room. She clutched her chest, slowly collapsed to the floor, and fainted. Prince Yuan hesitated, a flicker of doubt crossing his face: "Brother, this?"
"Zheng He Er, let's cancel today's farewell banquet. Send Miss Mu back to the Mu residence and ask the imperial physician to treat her."
"Your servant obeys the decree." Zheng He'er immediately summoned the guards from before and carried the tightly wrapped Mu Wanyu back to the Mu residence.
Di Jingcheng put his arm around Azi and they walked out. Azi followed him obediently, chewing on pastries. Just before leaving, she curiously turned her head to peek inside, but Di Jingcheng immediately turned her head back to him.
"Azi will get a sty if she looks at this!"
Azi wasn't angry. Yang Mingyue had lost face in front of so many people, and that woman was someone she had never liked before. She was pleased with Acheng's actions; she hadn't expected him to go to Mu Wanyu, even though he had only asked her to beat him up!
Prince Yuan smiled slightly as he looked at Azi's adorable appearance.
In the front hall, everyone waited for the emperor. Soon after, Yang Mingyue appeared before them, dressed neatly.
Emperor Jingcheng sat at the head of the table, his face solemn.
Prince Yuan spoke first: "Emperor Dongyang, your actions are inappropriate. Miss Mu is the daughter of a Grand Secretary of our dynasty, of noble status. You...you..."
Di Jingyuan looked reproachful and regretful, clearly disgusted by Yang Mingyue's behavior. Di Jingcheng glanced approvingly at his younger brother, not giving Yang Mingyue a chance to speak: "Jingyuan, calm down. The most urgent matter is to resolve this, to prevent Miss Mu from being disgraced, and to avoid disappointing my teacher!"
"Your Majesty is absolutely right!" The ministers wholeheartedly agreed.
"Your Majesty, I will obey!" Emperor Jingyuan retreated, seemingly dissatisfied.
"Alright, I wonder how Emperor Dongyang intends to resolve this matter. I must give Grand Scholar Mu and Miss Mu an explanation," Emperor Jingcheng said solemnly.
Yang Mingyue inwardly cried out in alarm. He had been tricked, not only losing face but also being forced to take on a mess. He knew that Mu Wanyu was Di Jingcheng's abandoned concubine; she was arrogant and domineering, and her health was ruined, only a burden to him.
He spoke after a long pause: "Your Majesty, I drank too much yesterday and made a mistake. Now, only Miss Namu as my concubine is the best course of action."
So many people witnessed this, and by now the rumors are probably incredibly nasty. He did indeed take the woman, so he has no choice but to accept it. Although he likes beautiful women, being framed like this by someone he utterly despises, especially Di Jingcheng, is worse than swallowing a fly.
"I still need to consult with the Grand Secretary and Miss Mu. I'll trouble Emperor Dongyang to stay at the palace for a few more days. To prevent any further accidents, I will send the Imperial Guards to protect you well."
Yang Mingyue nearly crushed one of her teeth, and sparks seemed to fly between her eyes as she looked at Di Jingcheng. She only had herself to blame for not being on guard and falling into his trap.
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Di Jingcheng nodded in satisfaction. He was overjoyed to have dealt with two people he disliked so easily. He would have to ask Azi for a reward when he got back.
After resolving the matter, Emperor Jingcheng left the palace with Azi. The others also left disappointed, leaving only Yang Mingyue and Liu Xinqi in the main hall.
Liu Xinqi looked at him coldly and said stiffly, "Hmph, you're really useless."
Yang Mingyue walked to the banquet table laden with delicious food, sat down, and began to drink and eat. She shook her head indifferently: "It's just a small matter, why are you so angry?"
"Besides, Emperor Xijing didn't ask you to stay. You should set off and leave. You'd better not meddle in my affairs." With that, Yang Mingyue ignored him and continued drinking.
Liu Xinqi snorted coldly and left in a huff. What a pig-like ally! For such a trivial matter, Di Jingcheng seized upon it and effectively imprisoned him here.
Emperor Jingyuan personally escorted the historians of Nanling and the Emperor of Beixiang away, bringing the commotion in the court to a close. However, the Grand Secretary's residence was in an uproar.
Early in the morning, Huichun and Huiqiu discovered that their young mistress was missing and hurriedly informed their master. Since losing power, Grand Scholar Mu had been ill at home and had not attended the banquets of the past two days.
Grand Secretary Mu personally led a search party throughout the entire mansion, but to no avail. He was so anxious that he fainted. Shortly afterward, Imperial Guards carried Mu Wanyu back to the mansion, and the Imperial Physician also arrived. The Mu residence was bustling with activity.
After seeing the emperor off, Li Li hurriedly rode over, and finally the mansion had someone in charge.
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