"Yuxiu, please stop saying such things. Even I make mistakes. In this matter, I was indeed wrong. Also, I have something else I want to ask you," the Emperor said solemnly, his smile fading. "Regarding the assassin who tried to kill you in the hunting grounds last time, have you been able to find out who it was?"
Meng Yuxiu had anticipated this; the Emperor's drastic change in attitude must be because he wanted something, probably because of the black-clad men who had silently infiltrated the palace tonight.
He also realized that those men in black were the same group who had tried to kill him in the hunting grounds.
Now that they have managed to sneak into the palace undetected, the Emperor must be feeling terrified.
It seems I still have some use, Meng Yuxiu thought to himself with a self-deprecating smile.
However, he was, after all, the great general of Yun Kingdom. No matter how resentful he was, he could not do anything for his own selfish reasons and let these people of unknown origin run rampant.
"Nothing has been found," he said sincerely, bowing his head slightly.
Disappointment immediately flashed across the Emperor's face, but he quickly concealed it.
"It seems these people are not easy to deal with. Have we not found a single clue?" the Emperor said unwillingly.
Meng Yuxiu pondered for a moment before affirming, "All I know is that these people's weapons are very special. I had Chang Lili investigate how they were made, but before she could find out anything, she was arrested and imprisoned."
The Emperor said with annoyance, "Why didn't you tell me about this sooner?"
Meng Yuxiu lowered his head, looking humble: "Innocent is innocent, and guilty is guilty. Your Majesty has always been fair in rewarding and punishing. In my opinion, there is no need to discuss this matter."
The Emperor sighed helplessly and said, "Very well, the storm has finally passed. I will not let anything bother you anymore. The most important thing now is for you to find out about this matter. I will not feel at ease until you find out."
Meng Yuxiu bowed respectfully in response, and as he stood up, a repulsive face flashed through his mind.
“Your Majesty, I have something else to report,” Meng Yuxiu said, taking out a token from his pocket. “I found this by chance at Physician Jiang’s house. It was in the hands of Physician Jiang’s deceased son.”
As he spoke, he handed the emperor an exquisite token engraved with the character "Hu".
The emperor's face stiffened slightly, then he revealed his anger.
Looking across the capital, apart from the Hu family, who have a marriage alliance with the Princess, who else dares to make their own tokens for their own use?
The Emperor was not unaware that Hu Pin was completely obedient to Xiao Shu'er.
"You mean the one who took action, is it Hu Pin?" The Emperor's fingers, gripping the token tightly, turned slightly white from the force.
Hu Pin was his most useful pawn in restraining Meng Yuxiu, but now, this pawn has gone astray, and he can no longer protect him, especially since Meng Yuxiu is still of great use.
The fact that those people didn't attack the Emperor on the hunting grounds but were determined to assassinate Meng Yuxiu is enough to show that Meng Yuxiu was a huge threat to them.
Therefore, the Emperor cannot dismiss Meng Yuxiu from his post now; in order to appease him, he will have to pay a price.
"Your Majesty, I dare not make a definitive statement, but there must be some reason why this token appeared in the hands of the son of the Jiang family, who were all slaughtered, and who died with his eyes wide open in disbelief," Meng Yuxiu said calmly and unhurriedly.
But the Emperor could clearly sense the chilling aura emanating from him, and sighed, saying, "Since the evidence is irrefutable, I will have Hu Pin give Physician Jiang an explanation for this matter."
Seeing that Meng Yuxiu's expression had softened somewhat, the Emperor breathed a sigh of relief. He wanted to say something more, to chat casually and try to bridge the gap between the emperor and his subject.
He was about to ask Chang Lili some questions, and when Meng Yuxiu and Chang Lili would get married, but before he could speak, he saw Meng Yuxiu bowing expressionlessly.
"Your Majesty, if there is nothing else, I shall take my leave." His tone was somewhat cold.
The Emperor immediately smiled and ordered Eunuch Guangde to personally escort Meng Yuxiu out. However, as soon as Meng Yuxiu stepped out of the palace gate, the Emperor's expression changed.
The wrinkles on his face seemed to have deepened, his complexion had turned pale, and his breathing had become increasingly heavy. Finally, he angrily slammed the token with the character "Hu" engraved on it onto the ground.
The palace maids and eunuchs were so frightened that they knelt down. They heard the emperor suppress his anger and curse, "Useless things!"
It was an unjust night; on that night, Chang Lili escaped from the jaws of death.
After that, General Meng, who had been extremely busy and looked haggard, returned to his former leisure.
Xiao Shuer was imprisoned in the Imperial Clan Court. Some people said that the Princess had gone mad while staying in the Imperial Clan Court.
She has indeed gone mad, biting people everywhere like a mad dog every day, and those in the Imperial Clan Court who follow the rules and perform their duties faithfully suffer the most.
Xiao Shu'er was someone who was pampered and spoiled, raised in a place like the Imperial Clan Court. Such treatment was not available there.
The people in the Imperial Clan Court did not torture or mistreat her because of her noble status as a princess. However, as for how to take care of her and let her continue to live such a pampered life, they naturally dared not do so without the Emperor's permission.
Chang Lili knew that the Emperor had always doted on Xiao Shuer and had never punished her severely. Confining her to the Imperial Clan Court was the heaviest punishment he had ever given her. It was unlikely that he would make her pay any price.
Chang Lili wasn't particularly indignant, but she felt she should learn from this lesson and be extremely cautious about anything related to Xiao Shuer or anything in the palace from now on.
After all, an egg trying to break a rock is doomed to destruction; if you can't afford to offend it, you can only avoid it.
Not everyone can be born a princess and do whatever they want.
Consort Lan was not so lucky. After that, she completely fell out of favor, and the Emperor never visited her again.
She wasn't thrown into the cold palace, but it was practically the same as being banished there.
Even if a princess makes a mistake and the emperor is furious, she is still a princess. But once a woman in the harem falls out of favor, she falls from heaven to hell, with no chance of ever turning her life around. Such a beautiful woman can only sit idly by until she grows old.
The general's mansion gradually returned to its usual atmosphere.
During the days when Chang Lili was in prison, Meng Yuxiu always had a stern face and was in a hurry. The maids in the mansion did not dare to say anything, and the mansion was once dull and oppressive.
Chang Lili suffered a lot in prison. When she returned to the manor, she was still soaking wet and pale. She remained silent on the way back.
In the past, when I would pick her up and drop her off, she would always chatter away, as if she had endless things to say.
But as soon as she stepped through the gates of the mansion, the sorrow on her face vanished with a smile, and her pale and disheveled face broke into a smile.
Ke Shou looked at the thin woman and felt that she was becoming more and more different from ordinary women.
Chang Lili naturally didn't want her mother-in-law to worry. Besides, she had already come out of that terrible place, survived, and hadn't lost any limbs. She should be happy.
"It's good that you're back! It's good that you're back!" The mother-in-law hugged Chang Lili tightly, her voice trembling. At first, her cries were suppressed, but after a while, they turned into uncontrollable sobs.
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